Page 77 of Twisted Bonds
I nibble on my lower lip and nod. "Yeah, I'm just nervous. It's been a while, and we're far from home."
Brant squeezes my knee. "We'll be in and out of there in no time. Like the other times, I'll ensure they take out the perps before bringing you in. What happened last time will not happen again, I promise."
I give him a grateful smile. "Yeah, thanks. I prefer they don't see me."
We slow down until our vehicle comes to a complete stop on the side of the road while the others continue on. However, they keep going long past the usual point. I look at Castor and he already knows what I'm about to ask.
"They are about three miles up the road. Maulik's surveillance extends further than all the others we have busted. I didn't want to take the chance of them capturing you ladies if our team gets ambushed."
I swallow hard. "This really is a dangerous mission, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so, but I have ensured that I always keep your safety in mind. That's why we will wait here until the coast is clear."
Aside from that time he took me to the prison and told me Sergio couldn't see me, Brant has never steered me wrong. The whole Julien debacle wasn't his fault, so I can hardly blame him for that one.
So, when he gets the call about thirty minutes later and is told the coast is clear, and they are ready for us, we head toward the Shaan mansion. We don't even pass the vehicles carrying Maulik and his men because they took them out by another route, so there was no chance of being seen, and I'm incredibly grateful for it.
When we pull up to the beautiful mansion, the team that stayed behind after the initial raid has already begun helping some of the victims outside. A young girl who couldn't be older than fifteen, possibly sixteen, is struggling against an agent's grip. He holds onto her firmly, and when I see him jerk her, I open the car door before it's even stopped and start running toward the agent and young girl.
"Get your fucking hands off her! Can't you see she's scared?" I glare at him as I pull the girl away from him. "You don't treat victims like that, especially someone so young!"
I hug the girl, but I keep my arms loose, so she knows she can back away at any time. It only takes a few seconds before she's doing just that.
"Let me go! Don't touch me!" she screams and cries.
"Shh, it's okay, honey. We are here to take you home to your mom and dad. We won't hurt you; I promise." I speak in a gentle voice, trying to calm her down. She studies me skeptically, and finally, the girl looks around at all the activity.
"Are you the police?" she asks me with a shaky voice.
I shake my head. "They are with the United States Government, and they are what you call Interpol." I point out the different agents. "They arrest the bad guys, honey. My name is Ryan, and I help them in these special cases."
"Are you social services?"
Her question throws me off, and I must ask, "Is that where you were when you were taken?"
Shaking her head, she explains, "I was with my mom when they came in and said they were with social services and that they needed to take me out of the home until they could investigate an abuse case reported to them." The girl is scared out of her mind, but she continues telling her story. "They never took me to a group home. They brought me straight here."
"How long have you been here, sweetie?" I ask as I push some hair away from her face.
"I'm not sure, maybe four days," she responds.
That would make the most sense since she still has some fight in her. Looking around, all the other younger ones seem to be in a daze and doing as they are told. When I glance back at the girl, I see her feistiness. I bet she gave them a tough time, which is how she got the cut lip now scabbed over.
"What's your name and where are you from, honey?"
"My name is Star…short for Starla, and I'm from Pennsylvania." The girl finally begins to relax, and I open my arms again.
"You look like you need a hug, Star. Can I give you one?" I ask, and after a few seconds, she throws herself into my arms, and I can't help the tears that burst free from my eyes. "I'm going to get you back home, Star. I promise you that you will return home with your mother just as soon as we get you back to the States."
"Where are we?" Star asks, still hugging me tight.
"We are in India, just outside of Delhi."
"Oh, wow. I'm a long way from home!" Star pulls back some so she can look up at me.
"We are, but don’t worry. It won't take long to get you back home. In the meantime," I say as I turn her toward the area where Laney has a few other girls. "I'm going to leave you with my friend Laney while I go inside. Is that okay?"
Star scrutinizes my friend before nodding, so I introduce her to Laney, who gives her a warm smile. Star only looks at me once as I back away and then turn and head for the house. I need to find Castor and see if there are any more young ones in the house, because the count outside is nowhere near the number he said there was. If he lied to me just to get me to agree to come help, so help him…
