Page 62 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

“She’s being trafficked.”

Dillyn glanced up at Ben with sad eyes. “I don’t know what else to do.” There was really nobody she could call for this. It would take them too long to get to Selah, and time was not on their side. “I can call the local police.”

“Yes, do that. We’ll take it from here.” Ben looked at Wyatt.

“I’m going too,” Lucas said.

Ben shook his head. “Sit this one out, little brother. We’ve got this.”

“You might as well bury me right here and now if you think I’m sitting this one out.” Lucas was determined.

“Lucas, you’ve never been in combat, we don’t know who we’re dealing with, and Ben, you haven’t carried a weapon in almost ten years,” Wyatt reminded them.

“I don’t think it’s anything you ever forget,” Ben said.

Shock passed over Dillyn’s face for a moment. She’d had no idea Ben had served.

“I’ll follow y’all’s lead,” Lucas said.

It was settled. The Cash brothers were determined to bring their sister home safely.

Chapter 27

Selah was scared. She couldn’t believe what was happening as she sat in the back of a semitrailer with about twenty other girls and women. Some looked to be as young as nine.Dear God, what is going to happen to us?Tears were streaming down her face. All of her brother’s warnings came back to her memory.

Thomas and another guy were sitting in the back too but closer toward the door. They both had guns. He’d tricked her. As soon as Selah arrived at the Roadhouse restaurant, she was snatched from behind and put into a car before she could even go inside. She couldn’t see anything because Thomas had placed his hands over her eyes and mouth. The men had taken her to a place like a warehouse where there were other women. She could even hear some of them being raped. She just knew it was only a matter-of-time before it was her turn. Thomas and another guy were going through purses and bags when they found her cell phone and mace. Thomas put it in a basket of other cellular devices. Though under the stress of the situation, Selah remembered what Dillyn had said. She had to get to her phone. If she could get to it and somehow retrieve her SIM card, then maybe she had a chance.

As Selah sat in the back of the semitrailer, she vacillated between rage and despair. At the moment, she wanted to scratch Thomas’s eyeballs out.How could I have been so stupid!Selah had to figure something out. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

She had no idea where they were going, but they had been on the road for what felt like hours. The trailer started to slow until it finally stopped. Was she about to be put on a train? A plain? A boat and sold off like in the movieTaken?

Thomas stood. “If anyone makes a sound, we will gut you like a fish.” He walked to the back and snatched Selah up. “I was told not to touch you by the bosses at the warehouse. But they ain’t here, are they?”

Selah started to fight. She fought as hard as she could as Thomas led her toward the door. After that, everything else happened in a blur.

*****

The worst possible outcome in this situation was happening. It was as if the universe was trying to make Ben pay for shit his ancestors did.

Ben had to get out of his head and into action if they had even a prayer of saving Selah. Quickly, he and Wyatt went out to the stables. In a rarely used horse stall deep in the back was a door to a room. It was where Ben and Wyatt housed all of their weapons.

“So that’s Dillyn?” Wyatt asked as they gathered several handguns, rifles, and ammunition.

Ben nodded.

“How much do you know about her?” Wyatt stuffed a backpack with several knives.

“I’m learning more and more every day,” Ben said.

“You know she had a lot of heavy-duty equipment.”

“I noticed.” Ben wouldn’t make eye contact with Wyatt. He knew where his brother was going with his inquiries.

“It’s almost impossible to get satellite imagery as a civilian.”

“I know.” Ben heard the accusation in his brother’s voice.

“I’m grateful.”

---