Page 45 of Chasing Hope

Team Masked Man rocked!

Huddled in a circle, Ethan gave his team a final pep talk. ‘Alright people, we’ve been doing great so far. I suspect the cops will get here any minute. Three down, one more to go,’ Ethan said sotto voce. A round of cheerful smiles passed around the circle. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’ Ethan hated to put a damper on their spirits. Their smiles slipped, replaced by sad faces. Ethan felt like kicking himself in the balls. After the ordeal they’d been through tonight, the least he could do was not piss on their bonfire. His mouth kicked up in a sort of encouraging smile. ‘To tell you the truth. I've been in countless such scenarios and they can turn dangerous in a flash.’

‘Are we going to die?’ Mahika asked, her voice trembling.

‘Of course not sweetheart. No one messes with me and mine,’ Anjana said, her tone trenchant. She wrapped an arm around Mahika and tucked her to her side. Mahika beamed up at her, soaking in her strength. Bemused, Hope and Ethan exchanged glances. Ethan shook his head to rearrange his thoughts. He started over. ‘What I’m trying to convey here is—’ A shrill cry penetrated the stillness of the night.

A sense of chilling alarm festered inside of him. Without a word they followed his lead. With muted footsteps they ducked and entered the godown. They sidled forward and took cover behind a metal rack holding brown cardboard boxes. The rack almost ran the length of the entire wall. There were two more such racks on the opposite side and the milk truck was parked in the centre. The air in here smelt different… like the musty stench of death. The hair on the back of his neck bristled as his eyes swept over the place like silver lightning. No one dared to speak a word. They stood in a row and plastered their backs to the wall. Rays of light from an overhead bulb cast eerie shadows that danced on the walls and ceiling.

‘Come out, I know you are in here,’ the strident voice came from the other side of the room. Ethan’s pulse sprinted. With a deft motion of his nimble fingers he slowly slid aside a box that surprisingly felt light. In all likeness this setup was a humbug to avoid any kind of suspicion. He peered through the slit between the boxes.

Ethan noticed the man who called out for him. ‘He’s the driver,’ he said under his breath. ‘The same guy who we last saw, handing over the binder to Himesh.’

Hope nodded. ‘My source shared a picture of him. He was the one boasting about acquiring great wealth. I ran a background check on him—’

‘He’s done jail time for criminal activities.’ Ethan had already got that information. ‘In spite of that, he looks like the kind who doesn’t give two fucks about his criminal record.’

‘That’s ‘cause he has the bastard backing him up,’ Hope said. Ethan’s spine shot erect and he maintained a rock-solid and steadfast premise.

‘You have taken down three of my men. I applaud your skills. I’m done playing this shit for one night. Now show yourself or this girl's death will be on your conscience.’

The threat sucked out the breath from each of them. The terrifying-looking man moved into the light. He had his arm around the girl’s throat in a choke hold. A chill seeped into Ethan’s bones as the girl’s ghostly pale face came to light.

‘Now, now, Dhanraj, let’s not be such bad hosts.’ A woman’s evil laughter sliced through the air like a colony of screeching bats. The sight of her phantom figure clad in black sailed forth through an unlocked back door. Ethan’s eyes, sharp with intelligence, instantly recognized the woman. She was the one who ran the show inHimesh’sstead. If any of them even breathed a certain way they would all be made out. Hope and her friends looped their hands in a tight bond as Ethan gestured for them to remain silent.

Another ear-piercing cry bounced off the walls. Ethan's jaw clenched as the evil woman fisted her hand in the girl's hair and yanked her head back. ‘You see, little girl, no one will come to save you. After all, your life is worthless. When your mother can sell you for a mere fifty thousand rupees, what meaning does your life have?’ Ethan closed his eyes, willing his mind to think. Think of a way to save them all.

‘Come out, come out, wherever you are!’ Her laughter slithered over his skin like a poisonous snake. ‘Guess he needs a little nudge.’ The witch disappeared into the back room and seconds later lugged another girl by her arm. The captive’s gut-wrenching sobs ripped through his soul. Sweat trickled down his back. Ethan couldn’t bear it any longer. In an attempt to reassure the group, he stepped lightly, inching closer to them.

The air sizzled with a surge of urgency. Ethan's mind sprinted with thoughts. ‘We have to think carefully in order to stop them. We don’t know how many of them are there behind that door. From their talks, I’ve gathered they are expecting only one person. So, please stay hidden till the time is right. Let’s not show them all our cards.’ His words were barely a whisper. The fear in Hope’s eyes knocked the breath out of him. On her weak nod, he squeezed her hand and evacuated his hiding spot. For sentimental reasons he fingered his mask for good luck. Ethan tugged down his hood and strayed forward. Buying time, he slowed down his pace, and with each step, he assessed the situation.

From the looks of it, there were only two of them. No signs of anyone else coming through the back door. Steadier and attentive, he tuned out the dire fizzle surrounding him and synchronised his energies to strengthen.

‘Ah, there you are,’ the witch gleefully announced as Ethan showed himself. ‘Masked Man?’ she said and threw her head back and laughed. ‘Dhanraj, look who we have here, it's Masked Man, to the rescue.’ Upon close inspection, Ethan noticed the witch was high as a kite.

‘Let the girls go and we can end this amicably,’ Ethan warned. ‘Just do as I say and no one needs to get hurt.’ He averted his gaze from the sobbing girls, afraid he would lose his self-control and act on impulse. At that moment, more than anything in the world he wanted to burn this hellhole to ashes.

The witch’s mouth curled in a sinister smile. ‘And how do you think that would go down with my darling Himesh? These youthful girls are diamond mines. We are holding a treasure trove in the back.’ Ethan’s heart hammered at her declaration. ‘Do you have any idea how much an international customer is willing to pay for them? Oh, trust me, you have no idea.’ Her boastful tone sickened him to the core. ‘A chunk of Himesh’s income floats in from international markets. Our Indian beauties are exotic beings to them.’ The girls struggled to escape and were back-slapped for their efforts. Ethan’s hands tightened into fists and a muscle in his jaw twitched. He didn’t want to do anything hasty that could endanger the girls. ‘And oh, wait till you hear the names of our country's upstanding citizens who pay a fortune for our stuff.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Especially if they are virgins.’ Fury exploded within him, turning his vision black.

‘Kushi, stop it,’ her male counterpart snarled at her. Kushi? What a sardonic joke. Her name meant happiness. Over the years, how many lives had she destroyed? He’d stick with “the witch”. It suited her spiteful character.

‘What?’ she sneered. ‘It’s not like he is going to get out of here alive. He has dared to enter Himesh’s territory. You can check with the men who tried to defy him…’ Her toxic laughter recoiled the energy in the air. ‘Oh, wait. They aren’t alive to speak otherwise. My Himesh is so powerful.’ She made a show of flexing her biceps and let out a shriek of laughter.

The woman was a certified nutjob.

‘Care to share some more information? You’ve already gotten this far. Now don’t hold back.’ Too stoned to notice that she had disclosed their deepest, darkest secrets she opened her mouth to vomit out more details.

‘Shut that fucking trap of yours.’ The thug barged in. Ethan shrugged; it was worth a try. ‘Enough of this bullshit…’

From the corner of his eye Ethan spotted Anjana sneak up behind the witch. Their eyes met and locked. Ethan’s breath retracted back into his lungs. Anjana’s intent and unwavering eyes conveyed a silent message. Like a cannonball being fired, together, they lurched forward to snag their targets.

Anjana wrapped her arms around the witch and whirled around, lugging her to the ground. Completely spaced out, the witch was no match for Anjana’s strength. With the skill that would make any martial arts teacher proud, Anjana held the zonked-out lady in a death grip. She wailed as Anjana twisted her arms behind her back. ‘That, bitch, is for hurting all those poor girls.’ Fuming, Anjana yanked both her hands and cuffed them. Cable ties were the new cuffing tools.

Ethan, on the other hand, wasn’t having it easy. Built like a sumo wrestler, the rowdy man fought to kill. His face was a pure mask of hatred.

‘Jesus Christ, man. What’s with the zeal for vengeance? We just met.’ Rooting his feet to the ground, in a brisk motion using his forearm, Ethan locked the hook to his opponent's jaw and with a slice of his palm he stunned the goon in the neck. Ordinarily, the impact of that blow to another man would have dropped him to his knees, but our goon right here simply let out a short grunt. ‘Fuck, you’re not going down easy, huh?’ Ethan clenched his fist and ducked, making an elevation change, and with both his fists together he punched the goon in his midsection. Ethan grinned as the man had a momentary brain freeze. In a swift movement, Ethan was rewarded for his efforts with a spinning side kick to his gut. The asshole smirked as Ethan staggered back. ‘Jesus, man. I have a reputation to maintain.’ Ethan winced as pain radiated up his side. Not pausing to take a breath, Ethan locked eyes with his opponent and raised his hands, making the goon think he was going for his face. Timing was everything; Ethan faked the shift and beat the bastard with his own move by a powerful spinning side kick to his chest, knocking him to the ground. Dimples slashed his cheeks as Ethan joined his hands and took a bow. Ethan swore by the Chinese Gongfu – every finger must be a dagger, every arm must be a spear and the entire body must be a lethal weapon.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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