Page 106 of The Brigadier

Vadim shook his head. “Get more men and call for trucks. Lots of fucking trucks.”

“Will do, sir,” Danny stated, clicking off.

We glanced at each other again. Was this entire charade about absconding with stolen merchandise?

As the soldiers ensured our continued safety, Vadim, two soldiers, and I headed to the locked separate room. The padlock was thick, preventing any escape. We’d come prepared, one of the soldiers grabbing a huge bolt cutter from one of two duffle bags he’d brought in preparation.

Or maybe hope.

It took a few seconds but when as soon as the metal lock tumbled to the floor, we moved inside, still keeping our weapons in both hands.

The subtle and very terrified cries almost broke my heart.

I’d been on both ends of the spectrum, captured once a long time ago. But nothing had prepared me for seeing four women huddled together, obviously terrified. Yet Tanner’s wife remained defiant, pulling her daughter closer as she herself stood taller.

She knew me. I’d been to their house on several occasions. Hell. I’d taken his daughter birthday and Christmas presents.

I’d never felt so low in my life.

“You’re safe now. We’re taking you to Tanner,” I told them.

I moved further inside and she broke free of the other two women. And the way she clutched onto me was both heartwarming and as unsettling as I’d ever felt.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving us. You’re a hero,” she whispered. Sadly, her voice held the tone of a hostage, full of anxiety.

Anyone who tormented women had a very special place in hell.

I’d seen men weep over the possibility of the loss of their lives. I’d also seen them sobbing over a loss. But the moment we walked into the hotel suite, the sight of Tanner dropping to his knees, tears falling down his face and the man praying to God was a sight I would never forget.

It would haunt me until the day I died.

We’d done the right thing. We’d provided a second chance for five different individuals.

Maybe in some sick sense of it all, the members of the Chernoff regime could be considered heroes.

As long as that didn’t go to our heads.

Vadim clapped me on the shoulder, his ragged exhale telling me many things as well. As usual, we didn’t need to communicate. This was both difficult and amazing.

Tanner raced to his wife and daughter, throwing his massive arms around them, tears shed all around. He buried his head at first into her shoulder, but the moment he lifted it again, he found my eyes. Mouthing thank you, his expression pushed me into something else the woman I adored had told me.

What we’d done, the care and effort taken to bring his family back safely had created the most loyal human being in the world.

It was a heavy burden to bear but one I was happy to try to hold onto.

But it was time to finish this charade.

Only then could I seek salvation.

CHAPTER 29

Chantel

The darkness was oppressive, fear increasing yet soon there might be a rainbow. Never doubt Mother Nature’s beauty or her relentless ability to use her power to ward off evil.

I couldn’t quote my mother directly, but it was something she’d pieced together after one particularly nasty storm when I was a child. She was no poet. I wasn’t entirely certain she’d read a book since college, but I’d seen the haunted look in her eyes, fear unlike I’d ever seen in her before.

In turn, I’d become terrified of storms. Not rain but violent storms.

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