Page 52 of Maddox

Her bottom lip wobbled, and I pulled her close. “Princess, I’m sorry. I just need you safe.”

“And you promise you’ll be safe?” My heart squeezed. She wasn’t worried for herself. She was worried for me.

I stared at her in desperation. I had to get my kit together.

“I don’t want to go where you aren’t.”

I leaned in, grabbed her, and clutched her tightly. “Are we clear on who you belong to? Daddy needs you safe.”

Clare’s features softened and she nuzzled my jaw. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good,” I grunted and let her carefully down. “When I get back, we’ll pack all your stuff so you can move in properly.” Itapped the end of her nose. “I think as well as a playroom you need a studio where you can paint.” I loved the way her eyes shone, and I brought a small clear plastic case out of my pocket.

Her lips parted. “Daddy,” she breathed.

I smiled. “Your popsie’s all clean and ready if you need it while I’m away.” She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. I carefully fastened her teddy necklace back on as I’d taken it off for the bath, and I knew this would make her feel safer as well.

That made two of us.

Twenty minutes later, even though I hated it, I’d left knowing Clare was going to be picked up by Liam, one of our usual drivers, and I was in the helicopter with Dion, Maddox, and Walker, who was finally back from Destin. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Liam; I just hated trusting Clare to anyone else.

“Good to have you back,” I said to Walker. He nodded but didn’t offer any explanation or comment on his Gran, and I knew better than to ask. I looked at Gideon and tried to get my head in the game. “What’s the plan. We haven’t had time to scope this. How are we going to get the women out without alerting them? This place will be like Fort Knox.”

Gideon turned to face me, his expression grim. "We've got satellite imagery of the compound. You're right—it's heavily fortified with guards posted at regular intervals." He pulled out a tablet, bringing up a detailed aerial view of a sprawling estate nestled against a mountain backdrop. The main house was massive, with several outbuildings and what appeared to be a helipad.

"Eric's been able to hack into their security feed," he continued. "The auction appears to be happening in this building here." He pointed to what looked like a renovated barn some distance from the main house. "We've identified at least five potential buyers already on site, with more arriving."

"What about the women?" I asked, studying the layout.

"Based on thermal imaging, we believe they're being held here," Dion said, indicating a smaller structure near the main house. "Consistent heat signatures suggest approximately eight to ten individuals."

Walker, who had been silent until now, leaned forward. "I've been in contact with some local assets. There's a back road that leads up to the eastern perimeter that’s surrounded by woodland and is less heavily guarded. If we come in that way, we might have a shot at extracting the girls after the viewing but before the auction starts."

I nodded, processing this information. "What's our timeline?"

"Based on previous intelligence about these types of auctions, they typically begin with a 'viewing' period," Dion explained. The actual auction doesn’t begin until three am to give the potential customers plenty of time for booze and drugs. There’s always certain entertainment as well.”

I could tell by the way Dion clipped out the last sentence what he meant.

"And the extraction plan?" I asked. "We can't exactly walk out with potentially a dozen traumatized women through miles of forest."

Gideon answered me. "We've got three teams positioned around the perimeter. Once we secure the women, they'll bring vehicles to designated extraction points." He pointed to several locations on the map. "If everything goes to hell, we've got two helicopters on standby."

I nodded, mentally running through contingencies. "And Rice and Blakeny?"

"Secondary objectives," Gideon said firmly. "Getting those women out safely is our primary mission. If we can grab the bastards too, great, but not at the expense of the extraction."

"Agreed," I said, checking my weapons one final time. "What about local law enforcement?"

"Too risky," Gideon replied, confirming my suspicion. "We don't know how high this goes or who might be compromised. Better to get the women out first, then provide anonymous evidence later." I nodded grimly. We'd seen too many cases where trafficking operations had protection from people in positions of power.

The helicopter began its descent toward a clearing several miles from the compound. As we touched down, I couldn't help but think of Clare, hoping she was settling in okay with Abby. I pushed those thoughts aside—I needed to focus completely on the mission ahead. And yes, the four of us had done this a dozen times even if Clare’s extraction was our first out of uniform. We each knew how the others worked, and we knew how the guards would respond. It was the women that were unknown.

We moved silently through the forest, our night vision goggles illuminating the path in eerie green light. The four of us, plus the additional teams already in position, were all dressed in black tactical gear, faces obscured.

"Alpha team in position," came the whispered confirmation through my earpiece.

"Bravo team ready," another voice confirmed.

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