Trigger
It’s been six hours since Razz was taken and there’s been no activity at the rental. Sleep is absent and exhaustion is a new high. I haven’t left my spot from the table. I’ve sat here with Mad Dog’s laptop so I can listen to her breaths as well as the occasional words spoken to the people surrounding her.
Even in the worst situation, she’s trying to give these people something to believe in. She’s giving them the hope that they’ll get out of their prison soon.
Eight hours abducted. Still no luck with the rental and I’m hoping that Razz is asleep since I haven’t heard a peep out of her.
Nine hours abducted. A piercing scream brings me out of my daze and has the men rushing to the kitchen. Turning up the volume, we can hear shuffling and indications of a fight breaking out. Razz begins to speak.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ya’ll need to get here. There are men in suits surveying us and the children.
That’s all she needs to say for me to get off my ass and rush to the Tahoe with Spook, Beanie and Duke hopping in. It takes us less than ten minutes to get to the address.
We park on the side of the road as two more SUV’s park and multiple bikes. On both sides of the road, there are woods. We take the left side of the driveway using the woods as cover. The longer we walk the closer we get to a barn that is probably condemned. Half the barn is missing a roof and several planks of wood are missing from the sides. Parked in front of the barn door are two SUV’s, Farrah’s car and a silver BMW.
Before we can even step foot in the clearing, a black armored truck speeds towards the barn slamming on the brakes as several men in SWAT gear clamber out of the back with Mad Dog filling in the rear.
We slowly approach Mad Dog and watch him hand signal his men to proceed with caution and stay alert. The flimsy barn door opens as the first of his men pass through and then the gun fire echoes through the barn.
We follow Mad Dog as he has his men split up. The gun fire cease after a few minutes and we come to an opening with Razz standing in the middle, gun pressed to her temple and a heavyset Hispanic man with his hand wrapped around her throat.
She doesn’t make eye contact with me, but her eyes stay glued to Mad Dog.
The man begins to speak in Spanish. “Sus armas o la muchacha muere.” Your weapons or the girl dies.
No one responds to him, so he repeats himself aggravated loosening his grip on Razz’s neck. Mad Dog nods and Razz blinks her eyes.
In a hazy second in this horrible nightmare, Razz lifts her right foot and power drives it into the man’s foot. At the same time, she bends and falls face first into the dirt. Several shots are fired in succession. I watch as the man and his associates fall to the ground from the lovely holes that decorate the middle of their foreheads.
Once the dust clears, I charge in Razz’s direction as she slowly starts to rise to her feet. I wrap her tightly against my chest rubbing her back and gripping her hair pulling it away from my chest. Our mouths collide in an intense kiss that pours our love and affection for each other in it.
Cries, screams and whimpering bring us out of our moment and we watch as ten children are carried out of the small room they were gathered in. The adults have been unbound and are taking their children in their arms.
As the barn begins to clear, there are still a little boy and girl standing off to the side looking around the room. I tug on Razz’s hair and nod towards their direction. She goes to them kneeling in front of them talking softly as they collapse in her arms sobbing.
She meets my eyes with her wet ones and I can only imagine the hell these kids are going through. She stands with the little girl in her arms and the little boy gripped tightly at her side with his head tucked into her stomach.
I follow behind her as she maneuvers around the crowd and heads towards an open ambulance door. The EMT bends in front of the little boy, but he hides deeper into Razz’s side. I come up behind her as the little girl watches me timidly approach.
“Hi, honey.” I whisper. “Can I hold you so Razz can help the little boy get looked over?” She nods slowly and I hold my arms out for her. Razz releases her and the little girl buries her cold nose into my neck. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Emerson.” She mumbles.
“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson. My name is Trigger.” She nods slowly and her body relaxes.
Razz picks up the little boy and he latches on to her like his life depends on it. The EMT works around Razz to check his vitals and for any evident injury. After a few more minutes of prodding, he steps to me to check out Emerson.
She’s fallen asleep in my arms and I’m able to set her on the cot. The EMT does the same as he did for the little boy except it goes by a lot faster.
The diagnosis for the kids is dehydration. He recommended taking the kids to the hospital, but we declined the ride and let him know that we would take them.
Picking Emerson up and cradling her back to my chest, I find Razz in deep conversation with Mad Dog.
“I don’t give a shit about protocol, Mad Dog.” She whisper yells. “I’m taking them to the hospital and you can have CPS come there. Then, I’m leaving with these kids and they are going to stay with me until everything has settled.”
“CPS is not going to let you keep the kids, Razz.”
“Watch them.” With that she walks determinedly towards the Tahoe that someone pulled up closer to the barn.
Razz climbs into the back with the little boy on her lap. I look to Spook giving him a chin lift as I climb in next to her with Emerson in my lap.
The ride to the hospital is quiet with Spook driving and Beanie in the passenger seat. Razz’s head is pressed against my shoulder and even though the past couple of days have been shit, I wouldn’t give up the feel of her against me.