Page 85 of Spies Like Us

“Drive faster,” Dayton orders, and I push the SUV to its limit.

MILLER

“Left the best for last.” Matthew chuckles, waving his gun at both Mac and me. He’s not the only one. Isaac also has a gun, and unfortunately, so does Stella.

“Let’s move,” she demands and steps back, leaving enough room for us to get out of the cell. We’re both feeling pretty awful. Mac has vomited twice, and I can’t get my eyes to focus. Both of us were hit pretty hard, and I think we both have concussions.

“Do you know how to use that thing?” Mac asks her dryly. “I’m pretty sure your mom just sold us to someone. How unhappy do you think they will be if we are killed before they can get their merchandise?”

“Shut your whore mouth. They care if you’re alive, they don’t care if you can ever walk again. It’s your pussy, mouth, and ass they need to function. They don’t care about your knee, and that’s where I’ll put the first bullet. Then, I’ll put one in pretty boy here.” She jabs her gun into my side, and I have to control my flinch. Her finger is hovering very close to the trigger.

“Such a shame we didn’t get a chance to play with that one,” Isaac says to Matthew, and Stella screws up her nose.

“Keep your homo kinks to yourself. Get the last one,” she orders. Neither June nor Martha have returned, so they must be supervising wherever they’ve taken the others.

I’m not worried, I know they will be tracking us. I’m just curious where we are being taken.

Isaac and Matthew exchange an annoyed glance but does as she orders. A girl steps out of the last cell, and she also looks like she may have been hit a few times. She has short red hair and is tall, with a willowy body. She spits at Stella, who pistol-whips her.

“Hey, hey.” Matthew stops her when she pulls her hand back to do it again, while Isaac keeps his weapon trained on us. Mac and I could take them, we’re not even bound, but we want to get to the end first. “I know this is your first time, and it may seem like she doesn’t care, but your mom will be pissed if you damage the merchandise.”

Stella wipes the spit off her face and glares at the girl. “I hope you get fucked with a knife.” She waves the gun. “Move.”

We make our way down a tunnel none of us had noticed before, and it’s quite a distance. Finally, we get to an elevator shaft, and Isaac swipes a card over the reader, opening the doors.

“In,” Matthew demands pleasantly. “I do like payday,” he says cheerfully.

The elevator rises, and when it opens, I realize we’re in an airplane hangar. Mac groans. She’s been quiet since the girl was hit. Biding her time, I would guess.

“Fuck, of course. I am such an idiot,” she mutters, and I raise an eyebrow at her in question, but she just shakes her head slightly and mouths, “Later.”

They lead us out onto the runway. A large, private jet is waiting, and at the bottom of the steps are Michelle’s and Lucy’s fathers, who are talking with Martha, June, Lisa, and Melissa. All the wheelchairs are lined up in a row as someone drives the luggage conveyor over. There are a couple of security guards lazily walking the perimeter of the plane, but they don’t look too concerned.

A sound has us all looking up, and another plane lands on the runway, using the full length before turning around and taxiing back to us.

“Ah, excellent.” Martha smiles and turns to look at the redhead with us. “That’s your buyer. Right on time.” I feel Mac stiffen next to me and sigh heavily.

They finish hooking up the conveyor, and Melissa and Lisa break off, leading the first of the wheelchairs to it. Two men help them load the first one, and we watch as the victim and Melissa disappear inside the plane, then Lisa takes a turn.

It seems like a well-organized process, and Martha leaves them to it as she turns to look at the three of us. She frowns when she sees the redhead’s nose bleeding. “What the fuck happened?” she growls, and Stella shrugs petulantly.

“She walked into a wall.”

“Keep your fucking hands to yourself, or I will cut one off,” Martha says quietly to her niece, who blanches and nods quickly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Martha turns her back on us as the final plane comes to a stop just beyond the larger one. Martha gestures for the redhead to follow her, and Isaac nudges her in the side. She responds slowly. The hit must have dazed her, and she stumbles slightly. Isaac reaches out to steady her, and all hell breaks loose.

“Freeze, police. You’re surrounded.” The words are shouted, and for a split second, nobody moves, but then guns start to fire, and bullets zing around us.

KENSINGTON

Iwatch as Miller tackles Matthew to the ground, wrestling the weapon from him before he can even get a shot off. Stella gapes and starts to wave the one in her hand. I kick out and knock the gun from her hand. She shouts with surprise before I punch her in the nose. I hear the crack of cartilage, and the blood splatter makes my heart go pitter-patter. She wobbles back and forth, looking stunned, so I pull my fist back and hit her again. This time, she goes down like a heap of shit. As much as I want to see her brain matter scattered all over the runway, I want to see her suffer in a maximum security prison more. There’s always time for brain matter later.

I look around. It was all over so quickly, I feel slightly disappointed. All the bad guys have been subdued and are being cuffed, including Amir and Hinata.

“Mac!” Miller shouts, and I turn to him, hearing the worry in his voice. “They are getting away.” He points at the other plane, and I see it start to taxi down the runway. Martha and Isaac are running next to it, begging for them to wait. Miller starts to take off after it, but I grab his arm and shake my head.

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