Twenty-Six
Sonny opened the cell doors one at a time. Some held two or three women, some five or six. All told, there were twenty-three held captive in the cellar.
“Dukes, we have to call the local PD in on this. This scumbag was trafficking women.”
Jiji spoke up, “Breech, the local Sheriff is a corrupt son of a bitch. He’s the reason we left here to run to my brother.”
Sonny’s voice sounded over the com, “I’ve got some contacts in the FBI; they can deal with the President’s Interagency Task Force.”
“Call them,” Dukes said.
Within an hour, the farm was swarming with officers. They rounded up the guys cuffed in the garage, as well as Lane, Manny, Dave, and Drake, whom Opry and Danko had taken out when we first got to the farm.
The women were scared and crying, but they handled being freed remarkably well. Estella came to Jiji and hugged her. “Thank you for my life back,” she said. “Tell them all thank you.”
“You’re welcome! Live your life, do not let this define what you are.”
She nodded her head. “If I can, I would like to help others who are in this situation.” An officer led her away, and she turned back and waved over his shoulder.
We were transported to the local field office and each of us had to give a statement. They kept us separated so we couldn’t swap stories. The local cops went to the airfield to bring back the crates of AKs we brought with us. They video conferenced with Sandra to corroborate the buying of the foals, the reason we went to the farm in the first place.
Maria, the housekeeper, had been with the farm for many years. She told the FBI of the parade of women that moved through the place. She directed them to a distant portion of the property. Using cadaver dogs, they located a pit deep in the woods containing several bodies in various stages of decomposition.
After a few high-ranking officials called and demanded to know why we were being held, they released us. We loaded into the SUVs and headed to the airstrip. Jamie was waiting in the hangar for us. We loaded onto the plane and strapped in for the flight back to New York.
Resting her head against my shoulder, I heard her say a prayer of thanks that we were together again. The Devil’s Wind swept in and rescued her from Brom, and in doing so had broken up a human trafficking ring. They were my brothers and I owed them her life—I would never forget it.
I whispered in her ear, “Boomer patched me up, gave me a transfusion with some additives to help me keep moving. He says when I crash it will be hard, and I’m starting to feel the effects.”
Turning around, she looked at my face. “You do did look a little pale, babe.” Reaching up, she laid her lips against my temple. “You feel warm but not overly so,” she said to me.
“Baby, I think your lips landed a bit north of my mouth.”
She laughs. “If you try anything remotely sexual, you’ll probably pass out. I’d be surprised if you could manage an erection.”
“Jiji, I’d have to be dead not to be aroused by you.”
“Speaking of dead, how come you’re not?” she asked.
“You know that half dollar I always carry?” She nodded her head. “The first shot hit the coin dead-center, protecting my heart and stopping the bullet cold. The second shot was deflected by my head and was mostly a bloody flesh wound. Manny could have done with some range time.”
She kissed my lips this time, cuddling against my body. “Well, I’m glad they suck at shooting and that you have such a hard head.” I leaned my head back against the seat as the plane gained altitude.
“I will wake you when we are getting ready to land, Breech,” Jiji said. I answered by rubbing her back, taking the time to rest while we fly through the night…
Gia was half asleep on the seat across from me. Sonny carefully adjusted her seat so she was lying more comfortably, covering her with a blanket. She snuggled into the blanket, let out a soft snore, and wiggled into a more comfortable position. Sonny smiled until he noticed Jiji and me watching, then he scowled and turned away. Jiji giggled but didn’t say anything. My hand moved in lazy circles across her back. “You see what I see, Jiji?”
“If you see Sonny showing interest in Gia, then yes, I see what you see.”
“Bingo.”
The plane hit a bit of turbulence, bouncing around in the rough air. My arm tightened around Jiji. Minutes later, the plane leveled out again. My arm relaxed and I felt myself sinking deeper into fatigue. The boost I received from the transfusion and B12 was wearing off and my body was screaming for rest. Before I gave in, I hugged Jiji hard and whispered, “I love you, Jiji, for all our tomorrows.”
“He’s down for the count,” Opry said from the other side of me.
Turning to him, I asked, “Is Sandra okay?”
“Why would you ask that?” Opry asks.
“Because I know her. She will blame herself for putting me in harm’s way even if it was unintentional. She’s a smart woman but she’s also blind when it comes to her friends,” I responded.
“Yeah, that about sums her up. She’s one of the smartest women I know. She’s warm and funny, sexy, with a heart as big as Texas. I talked to her, told her everyone was fine, just some bumps and bruises. She hasn’t been able to sleep and won’t rest until she sees you all with her own eyes and gets to touch you, hug you to that lovely bosom. And then once all of you go home, I get to rest my boyish head against said bosom and it goes from there.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. I couldn’t help laughing at his teasing.
“So, her not sleeping didn’t raise a red flag, Opry?”
“Babe, my flag hasn’t been raised in weeks,” he responded.
“Well, this news ought’a hoist your colors. Huh, Opry?”
He let out a full belly laugh. “I’d say don’t bother calling for a couple days.”
Turning in the seat, I snuggled back down next to Breech, closing my eyes and relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever. The sound of his breathing lulled me and, finally, I slept.