Page 59 of Tusk's Fury

When our alarms go off, we head out, ten strong, in two different groups. This is how we normally operate when we are out of the area and don’t want to arouse suspicion. Also, we’re in Sons of Rage territory, so we need to be careful.

When I first wake up, my nerves are jangled. But something about riding my bike at night chills me right out. Maybe it’s the rumble of the Harley engines, the cool breeze, or the full moon overhead. By the time we pull into the rear church parking lot, I’m as calm as ever.

I’m taken aback by the sheer size of Harper’s church. It’s three stories high, with huge stained-glass windows and a massive parking lot out front. This spectacle is a true testament to the amount of cold, hard cash he drained from his congregation. I imagine that at least some of his congregation are poor and still giving religiously to the church every Sunday.

Siege gets off his bike, just as Zen and Tex race around him to have a look at the security system. We ease around in the shadows, casing the building, looking for the easiest entry point.

When we all meet up again, Zen reports, “They had a pretty basic system. I’m guessing that since churches aren’t very high-value targets for thieves, they didn’t think a high-speed system was necessary. In any event, Tex and I deactivated it.”

Siege says, “Great job. Let’s be careful anyway. Cover your faces, and wear your damned gloves.” Looking from one of us to the other, he lowers his voice. “We slip in quietly. Rigs and I will focus on the safe, and the rest of you fan out looking for anything that looks like it might be useful or valuable.”

We all agree and end up entering through a back window that had been locked, but we were able to wiggle the frame from its mounting hardware. We climb in through the gaping hole and begin making our way through the church, each on his own mission. I find his office and start going through his paperwork. This fucker has tons of information on my old lady. I grab every bit of it and shove it into a black trash bag. He has a stack of burner phones squirreled away in his bottom desk drawer, still in the boxes. They all go into my bag as well.

Fucker clearly isn’t security conscious as his draws and filing cabinets are all unlocked. I pull out the center desk drawer and find a piece of paper taped inside it. This idiot has all his passwords and what looks like three safe combinations scribbled on the paper. I take a screenshot and send it to the others via the encrypted text system Zen set up for us. Siege texts me back that one of them opened the safe in what looks to be their accountant’s office.

I keep searching this fucker’s office because it feels like someone as shifty as Harper would have more nefarious shit in his personal office than what I’ve found. I eventually realize this dude has a gigantic painting of himself, or maybe his father—the kind rich people hang over their safe in the movies.

One quick tug, and it unhinges from the wall. I take out the paper and try all three combinations since I don’t know which one worked for Siege. The last on my list allows me to open the safe door. I grin when I see what he keeps inside. There are stacks of cash, which I expected. But there are also five gold bars. They are almost exactly the size and thickness of my cell phone. I take a picture with my phone and send it to Siege and then load them piece by piece into my garbage bag. He’s also got antique coins, documents, flash drives, and what appears to be expensive estate jewelry. It all ends up in my bag. It’s so heavy that I pause for a minute to double-bag it all.

I stop for a minute to look around, and once I’m convinced that nothing has been missed, I move on. I’m particularly interested in documentation and flash drives. I grab everything I can get my hands on, not knowing what might be valuable.

When I meet up with the others outside, they’ve all found something to carry their loot. Zen is AWOL for so long, I start to get worried. He eventually climbs through the window with an armful of what looks like computer innards. He must have noticed my expression because he says, “hard drives.”

“Shit, Zen. That was smart,” I tell him.

“Yeah, I’m not just another pretty face.”

Wow, Zen is makin’ jokes and kicking IT ass tonight, I think to myself.

Siege says gruffly, “Secure the goods and let’s get the fuck outta here.”

“Where’s Rigs?” Once I ask about him, everyone starts rubbernecking around the parking lot.

Siege says, “Maybe he’s still inside. Tusk and Tex, you’re with me.”

We use the tracker on our phones to find Rigs. He’s in one of the rooms in the basement and we rush there in case he needs help. To our absolute shock, he is talking to someone. “Yeah, Harper is a sick bastard. I’ll have you out of here in no time.”

Siege growls, “What the ever-loving fuck is this?”

We hear a quiet voice mumble something, and Rigs turns to look over his shoulder. “They lock teens down here for bad behavior. He says he’s got a sister here somewhere. Break down the doors, look for her, and any other kids they might be holding against their will.”

I don’t even hesitate. Nope. I’m angrier than I’ve ever been, so I just start kicking in the basement doors and shining my flashlight into each room. On the third door I kick in, I see a little girl lying on the floor. She looks unconscious or worse. I rush over, drop to my knees, and try to find a pulse. Thank God, she starts moving around. When she scrambles back, away from me, I realize she’s not a little girl. She’s just really skinny and undernourished.

I hold both hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m not gonna hurt you. We’re here to rescue you.”

Her eyes are big and scared. She backs up even more and hides under a table. I feel like shit for frightening her. Finally, it dawns on me to ask, “Do you have a brother here? We found him, and he’s the one who asked us to look for you.”

She bolts out from under the table and races past me. Well, shit. I guess she’s gonna go look for him herself. When I step into the hallway, I see her go directly to the room Rigs found the other teen in. I walk down the room in time to see her throw herself at him.

Siege comes walking down the hall with another teenage girl. She seems more outgoing and less stressed than the brother and sister. Siege picks up his pace, and we meet him halfway.

Rigs asks, “Did you check every single room?”

“Yeah, this is the only person I found. Look, we need to get out of here, like right goddamn now.”

Rigs straightens up to his full height, his voice steely. “Agreed. We can take the kids and hook them up with their families later.”

The girl Siege found is quick to tell us, “We can’t go home.”

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