Page 36 of The Enforcer's Redemption

"I don't want to move," I whimper, and then I cough. My throat hurts. It feels like my neck is collapsed in on itself, which makes me remember Sebastian's hand wrapped around me, squeezing the life out of me.

"’Fraid we don't get a choice," I hear, and something sparks, a light or a flame. I focus on it until I see the face of the woman behind the light. I've never seen her before. She's my age, at least, maybe slightly older, with dark blue eyes. She holds up a candle to the flame, which I can see is from a match, and the candle ignites. "They ship us all over the world in metal boxes like this. You get used to it. I learned to be prepared," she says, nodding at her candle.

In the dim light I can see several other faces, though the glow doesn't show me the entire space. I hear more people talking too, farther away. This has to be a shipping container like they put on boats and trains to transport cargo. Those women weren't kidding. Sebastian is really selling us like we're livestock.

My body shudders as I spin around and see a woman behind me nursing her head. That's probably what I ran into when I jumped up so quickly. I feel bad for that, but how was I supposed to know we'd be stacked up in here like sardines, or that we'd be in here at all?

"No, they can't just sell us. We're not property." My legs are weak, but I push myself upward and lean on the cold metal wall for support. "We have to find a way out."

A few of them chuckle. Others whose faces I can see in the candlelight look scared. I can tell for some of these women, it's not their first time doing this. It sickens me.

"Ain't no way out, Princess," one of the women spits, and I sense her hostility. I recognize her voice too, from the room.

"I'm not a fecking princess." Slamming my hand on the wall, I scream as loud as I can, "Help! Someone help us!" The blows hurt my arms and wrists, but I smash my hands over and over against the thick metal, making my already hoarse voice worse.

"Yer wastin' yer time. Ain't no one gonna hear ye." The angry woman stands and grabs my arm, shoving me back into my place. I fall to my ass and curl into a ball, and a strange sensation washes over me.

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to give in to the consuming fear that I'll never see my family again, that my child will be born into this slave trade where women are abused and molested. I can't let my hope die. I have to believe Declan and Ronan will come and find us, that they'll stop Sebastian and his men from selling us like whores.

Some of these women look young, too young. I know the O'Rourke men would never do something like this. I know if I had just stayed with Declan, I'd be safe too. Our child, which I would've eventually discovered, would have a loving home, a safe home.

"Ain't no one out there to hear ye neither." She sits back down, and the whoosh of air as she does makes the candle's flame dance.

"You're wrong. Declan is coming. He'll stop Sebastian from doing this and he'll save us." I tuck my chin to my knees and clamp my eyes shut. If I had any water in my body, it would turn to rivers on my cheeks right now.

"Yer man ain't gonna save ye. If he was, why'd he let ye go, anyway?"

The woman's cynicism detonates something inside my chest and I feel my hope come to life. "You're wrong. I know you're wrong. You’ll see. Declan O'Rourke will die before he allows me to be sold off like a slave. He'll be here. And you'll eat your words." My eyes lock on the face of a girl who can't be much older than Rebecca, and I see that my words are giving her hope too.

She doesn't break eye contact with me at all until the flame of the candle snuffs out and we're plunged into darkness again. But even the blackest night can't extinguish the truth rising up in me. A war will break out, and Declan will fight to the death to find me. It's the only thing I can let myself think. He will come.

He has to.

27

DECLAN

With the car rumbling down the highway toward the docks, it's hard to think straight. I have so much adrenaline coursing through my body right now, I don't even know what calm is anymore. Sebastian stole my wife, and all I can think about is getting her back and destroying him.

"How will we find the right container?" Lochlan asks. He's seated next to me in the back of the car. Nicholas is driving, Brynn in the passenger seat. Lochlan chambers a round in his gun and drops his clip to replace the one round from the clip to ensure his gun is fully loaded.

I've already done that on all three of my weapons. And I have an extra clip for each one. After that showdown at Sebastian's compound, I'm not taking any chances. I rub my sore shoulder absently as I answer him.

"Aiden's man at the docks narrowed it down for us. It'll be on dock seven for sure. That's where O’Reilly always ports his ship." I rub the back of my neck, my palms sweaty. My foot bounces, bobbing my knee rapidly. We're not alone. Ronan and Connor each have a car full of men, and Finn will join us at the dockswith Aiden and another group. If Sebastian suspects our coming, this could be a full bloodbath.

"So what, we just shoot them up or…?" Brynn is an idiot. His question angers me.

"Shoot them up? There are people in those containers. My wife is in one. Why the feck would I shoot them up?" I need to rein in my temper or I'm going to lose it on him before we even get there. He's lucky he's even allowed to come along with me. I should've split his skull after that stunt he pulled going behind my back to Ronan.

"We'll listen…" Lochlan's voice is low and even. He has no emotions at stake in this. His purpose is to keep me in check and make sure our alliance is restored. I appreciate that he's here because I'm ready to take no prisoners, and I need his more even keel to do this correctly. "Once we get through security, there will be a ruckus, I'm sure. Sebastian's men won't like us just showing up. We'll end up making noise, and when the women in that container hear it, they'll scream for help."

His gaze is concentrated on the road ahead. He acts like this is something we do every day, like he's seen it so many times it's old hat. It's the first time we've ever attempted something this brazen, to storm an enemy's territory and openly steal from them under cover of darkness. And tonight is especially dark.

"And if we don't hear them?" Brynn's eyes meet mine in the mirror on the back side of his visor. I can see his wheels turning, still scheming. He won't stop until he pushes me too far now because he knows Ronan is confident in me. He'll never have my position, and he hates that.

"We'll hear them," I grunt, and the car slows as Nicholas pulls up to the security gates surrounding the dock access point.

The guard walks out of the guard shack. He's a hulk of a man, towering to at least six and a half feet tall. His chest is covered by a Kevlar vest, a gun on his hip and another on his chest. He probably has mace and a few knives tucked away too, and a radio is strapped to his chest on the left side. He strolls right up to the car as Nicholas lowers his window and leans down to peer inside the car.

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