Page 35 of Sor

“Nothing. We walked a two-mile radius,” said Joseph. “Any word from inside?”

“We lost them about twenty minutes in. We’ve just been waiting ever since. It’s going to be daylight in another forty minutes. We have to get the fuck out of here.”

JB held up a finger, quieting the others as they heard soft shuffling. Inside the cave, familiar faces began to appear with small boys strapped to their backs and chests. Those who could walk were slowly moving beside them.

“Jesus,” muttered Garr.

“They’re exhausted,” said Sor. “Help them.”

Rushing forward, the others lifted them and began walking toward the extraction point.

“What about the cave?” asked Sor.

“I’ve got the cave,” said Frank. “Get everyone out of here. I’ll be right behind you.”

The men broke into a slow jog and were surprised to see the older boys were following along. Exhausted, hungry, dirty, and yet they still did exactly what they were told.

“Two minutes,” said Hiro, staring at the men.

“We wait for Frank,” said Sor.

Hiro started to say something, then saw the big Robicheaux running toward them. He tossed his pack into the bird, stepping inside, and closing the door. With stealth initiated, they were in the air and headed home.

Frank sat in his seat, smiling at the men. They all looked out the windows, waiting for the show to begin. When there was nothing, Frank looked at his watch, held up his hand, and began lowering a finger at a time, starting at five.

“Five. Four. Three. Two. Boom!”

The explosion was so severe it rocked the Osprey in the air. Debris, earth, rocks, and gold were flying everywhere. The crater left in their wake would make it nearly impossible to ever get back into the caves. Dom looked at him, laughing.

“I have to say, your father would be very proud of you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“We have to take them to Belle Fleur,” said Hiro. “None of the neighboring countries will accept them. They have nowhere to go.”

The men just shook their heads, unable to comprehend how someone could turn children away. They would come back with them, but they would feel out of place and lost. The team at Belle Fleur would do everything in their power to help them transition.

“Do they not have families?” asked Dom, looking toward U-Jin, who had been their interpreter with the children.

“None that I have spoken to,” said U-Jin. “Many were orphans from the tsunami. Some were simply street urchins tossed aside. But they do not have family that they are aware of.”

“We got them clean. Mama Irene and the others packed an entire trunk of clothing for the boys. I can’t believe it, but it almost all fits them. A little big, but, for the most part, these kids haven’t worn this much clothing in their entire lives,” said Tobias.

“Don’t let them eat too much too quickly,” said Sebastian. Tobias nodded but pointed to the back, where the boys were sound asleep on mats. The individual yoga mats had been covered in custom sheets, and each boy had his own pillow and a blanket. Some weren’t sure what to do with them until they were shown.

“How many total?” asked Sor.

“Thirty-nine. One of the boys said there were many more, but they were either killed by the men or died from starvation. I think we should have tortured those men, but I realize we didn’t have time.”

“You’re not wrong,” said Frank. “I would have been happy to be a part of that job. Now, we have to find DeWitt. He’s going to know that it was us and you, Sor. He’ll be coming for you.”

“I hope like hell he does. I want a piece of him.”

“The other thing we need to consider is that the Cambodian government could become our enemy. If DeWitt tells them who did this or points them in our direction, we’re going to have a problem,” said Mike.

“I did ask the boys about the unalome,” said U-Jin. “It was as we expected. They were told that the monks wanted them to work for the men. They said they had one monk there for a while, but he was blind and deaf. The men were cruel to him, and they think he died.”

“The caves in the other countries have been found and blown,” said Hiro. “At least that’s what the governments are telling us. We can’t be sure. They’ve sent some pretty graphic photos to the president.”

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