Page 22 of The Last Ultimatum: Part 2

The man at the front gate recognized me and grinned.

“He’s back. Once you buy your first it’s hard to stop. I had a suspicion you’d be back. But I can’t believe you waited so long. There are slim pickings but great deals to be had now.”

It clicked all at once. This was Taylor’s friend that I’d been introduced to, or rather Tayla’s. I couldn’t get cocky even when running off half-cocked.

“Bartholomew, right? Tayla introduced us.”

“Very good. And you are Logan.”

“That’s me.”

“He’s already been cleared, gentleman,” he told the guards at the gate. “Pay them no mind. We had a little incident at the last auction which required tightened security and additional measures in screening this time. Pity. They’ve been running tests on the assets to ensure all of our safety, but it means we couldn’t get in for early viewing this time. I like to scope out the merchandise prior to the auction and for the right price I always could, but not here. They are keeping things tight and by the books this time.”

I studied him for a minute. There was a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

“But you know where they’ve been keeping them. Don’t you?”

“I do. Of course I do. I make it a point to know such things. It’s all a bit unsettling really. I’m not a fan of change, Logan. And I don’t appreciate the merchandise arriving with holes.”

“Holes?”

“Clearly they’ve all been tested or drugged. I have yet to decipher which.”

He was speaking in hushed tones as we walked around. I wasn’t sure if I was horrified or relieved to see so many of the cages empty now.

“Have any new products arrived?” I asked.

“No. There was absolutely no restock this time. What arrived on day 1 was all they had. Though I’ve heard of a potential black market in the area. Nasty stuff. I don’t make a habit of it, but if you’d be interested, I could make some arrangements.”

The coy look he gave me told me he more than dabbled in the black market of witch trade. It was disgusting, but he might just turn out to be an unorthodox ally. It was exactly what I needed.

We walked the entire complex and then he discreetly escorted me out the back door to another warehouse not even a hundred yards away.

I noticed the mounted cameras and high level security surrounding the place, but my new friend appeared oblivious as he walked over to the back door and banged twice.

Nothing happened.

He looked at his watch and waited precisely two minutes and then repeated it.

This time the door slid open and a man with shifty eyes welcomed us.

“Boss is out for a meeting so let’s make this quick. Who’s this?”

“Never mind you that. He’s with me. That’s all you need to know.”

“Then you’re vouching for him?”

“I am.”

Bartholomew slipped him a wad of hundred dollar bills and we followed the guy inside. He looked around to ensure we weren’t followed or being watched before closing the door behind us.

“I’ve got a whole shipment about to be disposed of so you gotta act quick.”

“There’s that much damaged merchandise?”

“I don’t ask no questions, sir. I just keep my head down and do my damn job. But yeah, it’s excessive. They built a massive crematorium for easy disposal. This batch has already been processed out and determined to be of subpar quality. Either that or the boss is controlling the market this way. Regardless, you have about twenty minutes to make your picks before my break ends and I’m forced to get back to it.”

Nothing prepared me for what we walked in to. There were piles of bodies stacked taller than two of me.

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