Page 37 of Waiting for Fate
“We’re taking in four teams for this one. Two will handle the interior of the hangar. A third will catch anyone who runs and watch for reinforcements from the main road. The fourth is securing this small outbuilding to the north. From what we can tell, it is an old hunting cabin. One way in, one way out.”
I listen as we go over the plan twice, making sure everyone knows their roles before we hit the road. It’s an hour and a half drive to the hangar. A long time to be packed in an armored van and sweating my ass off in my gear, but it will be worth it if Marcus is here.
The forest is quiet as we stalk between the trees. There aren’t any vehicles within view, only a building bordering on collapse. What is curious is the closed hangar door. The gleam of the white metal doesn’t match the haggard exterior. It’s too new.
Daniels, the captain of this mission, motions for us to split into our preassigned groups. I go to the left, staying hidden among the tree trunks as we maneuver toward the hunting cabin. It appears to be abandoned, with dust covered windows and a sagging roof.
I move to the back with one of our rookies, watching the faded windows. Static crackles in our earpieces, our go signal. The guys at the front breach the cabin door and muffled screams pierce the air. Several seconds later we get the all clear.
Jogging to the front, I step inside and wince. Tied to the cabin’s metal bed frame is a young omega. The sharp scent of her distress fills the air around us, as full of her fear as her expression. I rip my helmet off and step closer, raising my hands so she can see I’m not reaching for a weapon.
“My name is Creed Barrett. I work with the FCDA. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
She whimpers, tears rolling down her cheeks. I can’t make out her words with the piece of fabric shoved in her mouth, but relief is clear in her expression.
“I’m going to reach for the knife at my hip and cut through your bindings to release you. Nod if that is okay.”
When she nods, I grab my knife and step closer, moving slowly and telling her directly where I am moving next. She scoots to the back corner of the bed, rubbing around the broken skin on her wrists and ankles. It’s obvious this poor woman has been through hell.
We need to gut this trafficking ring soon and put an end to these atrocities.
Gunfire sounds at the main hangar, putting us all on alert. I slip my helmet back on and take up a position by the door. On my signal, the rest of the agents in my group head toward the building. A car explodes out of the back before they make it past the edge of the tree line.
Bullets spray through the trees in our direction as the vehicle careens wildly down a dirt path. I duck behind the wall until there is a gap in their shots. Peering through the scope of my gun, I growl when I see fucking Marcus sitting in the passenger’s seat.
Running around my teammates, I dive behind a tree as he opens fire again. If I can hit his back tire, he won’t be able to escape. Twisting around, I take aim. A deep breath in, and a slow exhale as I squeeze the trigger. The car swerves at the last second and my shot hits the dirt instead. Without something to hinder their progress, they’re moving too quickly for us to catch up on foot.
“Fuck!” My fist slams against the bark of the tree, the pain muted by my gloves.
I failed.
Again.
“Hangar is clear,” Daniels says over comms. My teeth dig into my cheek to bite back my instinct to lash out. Not every job proceeds with flawless precision. That’s an inevitability you learn quickly in this line of work.
Stepping back into the cabin, I slip my long sleeve shirt off and pass it to the omega. “We are moving to the main hangar until a team of paramedics can arrive on the scene. Can you walk, or would you be comfortable with me carrying you?”
She slips my shirt on, wrinkling her nose at the remnants of my scent on the fabric. Her feet hit the floor, and she pushes herself to stand, but she buckles beneath her own weight. The damage to her ankles is extensive, but I don’t want to force her into something she is uncomfortable with.
“I… “
“Let me help. I will sit you down as soon as we reach the main hangar.”
After a slow nod, I sweep her into my arms and leave this awful place behind. Unfortunately, the sight awaiting us in the other building isn’t any less nauseating. Cages line one wall, filled with shaking and terrified women of all designations.
I find an empty office chair and gently deposit her into it. Tilting my head to her, I signal for the rookie to stand guard nearby. If she were to faint, she could hurt herself on the concrete floor.
Daniels is at the other end of the large room, phone pressed to his ear. I wait patiently for his call to end before I fill him in on what we found at the cabin. “Marcus Brown was in the vehicle that escaped, confirming the Eternals’ ties to the breeding ring.”
“I saw him too. It’s time to round up gang members. One of them knows where these women were being sent. Then we can bury this entire operation and free the victims they have trapped in their camps.”
Fate be damned, I will see my half-brother behind bars or six feet under. No one involves themselves in something this heinous and walks away free, especially not a Barrett. We help the people in our communities, we don’t fucking traffic them.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I CAN’T STAYhere,” I announce as I slam out of Omen’s bedroom. She had finally left her nest when we went to New York City for back-to-back Primordial Covenant shows over the weekend, but as soon as we got home, she locked her door again. It’s been a week of her shutting me out, suffering in her pain alone while I have to sit here and watch.
Pack Graves is lucky I haven’t castrated them for whatever they did to her. Not that I know what they did, since shewon’t fucking talk to me!
