Page 15 of The Perfect Escape
~10~
Davian
Not only did Curtis give me the whereabouts of this new location, but he used me as a confessional, describing the kinds of things that went on there. Salko was into a lot of illegal shit, and human trafficking was one of them. When Curtis explained to me what happened at the compound, it made my stomach turn. I knew Salko was ruthless with no morals, but to use women and children the way he did made me sick. If I could have, I would have choked Curtis for being a part of Salko’s team. But his role in what was done to those women would live inside him forever, and that alone would be his living hell.
It wasn’t that Curtis knew where Salko might have Reyna that had my blood boiling, it was the fact that he was already in Canada, and I was still in the fucking air with an hour left before the plane landed.
I needed to focus. My emotions clouded my ability to come up with a plan to be at the mansion and at the compound, five miles away. Curtis couldn’t confirm the compound even existed anymore. There was no way I could take the chance that it didn’t.
Anger trumped fear as my fist met the hard surface of the conference table while my other hand had a death grip on my cell. I had a choice to make, and if I was wrong, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. This wasn’t a decision between acquiring a new company or letting a new investment go. It was life or death. This was about Reyna and making the right choice to save her.
As much as I hated trusting Curtis, he was my only hope in finding her. I needed to come clean and let him know I had been in contact with Reyna. “I’ve been in contact with Reyna.”
“What the fuck? When?” His displeasure towards my admission rang loud and clear.
“About an hour ago. She said Salko planned to take her from the mansion before our conversation dropped off.”
“Shit. If Salko is taking her from the mansion, he has to be taking her to the compound or a buyer. I’m going to kill the son-of-a-bitch.”
“You’re going to have to get in line.” After hearing what Curtis said, I wanted nothing more than to see Salko dead, but for now, Reyna was my priority. “Since you are already in Canada, I suggest you go to the mansion. There might be a chance she is still there.”
“And the compound?” he replied.
“Give me the location. We will head there as soon as we land.”
Before ending the call, Curtis gave me detailed directions to the compound, minutes from Salko’s mansion. Leave it to Salko to keep his property close by. Chances were that by the time we landed, Salko would have taken Reyna from his home and to the compound. If Curtis was right about how Salko ran his business, Reyna would remain inside the compound until the transaction was completed, and funds were deposited into his account. Once Reyna was safe, the Canadian authorities would receive a call and Salko’s trafficking operation would be shut down.
∞
Patton arranged for two SUVs to meet us once we landed. Nothing was more important to me than getting Reyna to safety. Jeannie and Mathew sensed my tension and agreed to remain on standby in the plane until they heard from us. If everything went as planned, Reyna would be sitting next to me, flying to our next destination: a remote island in the Caymans I purchased as a favor to my father. I never thought the place would be anything other than a vacation getaway.
As we headed away from the airport the GPS informed us the location of the compound was thirty-five miles away. Curtis’ text confirmed that he was positioned outside the gates of Salko’s home and that he would let us know if there was any movement. I wasn’t sure how this was going to end, but we were prepared for the worst. Best case scenario—Reyna would be at the compound, and Salko and his men would be at the house. It was wishful thinking since there was no way in hell Salko would allow his prize possession to be unprotected. Through the years I’ve learned exactly how he worked. If there was money to be made, he had his grubby hands in it. It didn’t matter who he hurt. With Reyna being his next big score, he would have her heavily guarded.
As we approached the compound’s location, it revealed a densely wooded area to the naked eye. Heading toward the exact coordinates that Curtis gave us, the compound’s entrance was in sight, hidden behind overgrown bushes and shrubs.
Axe was the best trained in these situations, so he took the lead, with Patton, me, and Marcus close behind. As much as we needed Calvin, I thought it was better for him to head to Salko’s country home. I didn’t trust Curtis enough to let us know if Reyna was still there or if there was any trouble.
Axe slowly pushed open the door while gripping his gun in front of him. Waiting for any sign of movement, we proceeded down the concrete steps. Once we reached the bottom, we could smell the stench of urine and blood.
“Jesus Christ,” Axe bellowed, coughing and hacking between breaths. “It smells like shit.”
It did, but the smell of death was also evident. The further we headed inside, the more clearly sounds of moaning and crying could be heard. Anger and rage seeped in my gut and I could only imagine what we would find once we opened the next door. Pushing to his toes, Axe peered through the small glass window and took a moment to look around before settling on his heels.
His right index finger came to his mouth while he held up his other hand using his index finger and middle finger to signal the number two. There were four of us and two of them. Even though they were outnumbered two to one, our best bet would be to create a distraction. Pressing our bodies against the wall, Axe picked up a small rock and threw it against a wall away from the door. Due to the direction the door opened in, the men wouldn’t see us when they opened it, which gave us the upper hand.
When the door opened, it was like watching it move in slow motion. I held my breath and watched the door swing open. Axe was on the taller of the two men while Patton took down the other. Rendering them unconscious, Axe zip-tied their hands and legs while Patton and I relieved them of their weapons and headed through the metal door.
I headed into the room first, and the smell was so unbearable that I had to cover my mouth against the crease of my elbow while keeping my 9mm held high. It was dark, but the cages that lined both sides of the room were as clear as day. I could see silhouettes of bodies huddled against the furthest corner away from the locked doors.
There was no way to know if Reyna was in one of the cages, so I called out for her. “Reyna, are you here?”
An almost inaudible whisper came from behind me. “She’s safe.”
I turned around to find out which cage the voice came from. A small figure sat next to the locked door—her fingers wrapped around the bars. Lowering my body to meet her gaze, I could tell the woman had been beaten. Her left eye was swollen shut and her lip was split, with dried blood from the assault crusted along her chin.
“She’s safe,” the young woman repeated.
“Do you know Reyna McCall? Can you tell me where she is?”
