Chapter 29
That son of a bitch was dead.
That's all Bruiser could think of when he saw what De Jääger was doing. To his right, Cowboy had been muttering, "Keep it together. We're not ready. Bruise, don't lose your shit."
As her dress hit the floor, Bruiser strained against the urge to jump up on the stage and beat De Jääger into a little greasy puddle of pervert. When he saw the man grope his woman, a curse left his lips. Too damn late. His shit was officially lost.
With the first yelled 'go' from Hick, Bruiser roared and sprinted for the stage. Tonight had been about a million degrees of screwed up, and he was done waiting. Done. When the bastard first stripped and then fondled her in front of this bunch of freaks and perverts, he’d had enough.
A man wearing a security uniform stepped in front of him, blocking his progress to the stage. The feral grin on the goon's face made promises that were about to get him killed. Bruiser knew from Digger's dossiers that this was Anton Janssen, a Dutch national, thug for hire and personal bodyguard for De Jääger. He stood between Bruiser and his love with a pistol in his grip.
"You don't want to do this," Bruiser spoke in a low tone. "Back your ass up and get out of my way." See, he could be nice, even in these circumstances. He was giving the ape a chance to live.
The self-righteous smirk on the hired muscle made his choice obvious. Bruiser mentally shrugged. He'd tried.
Bruiser ducked to the right as he brought his left arm up, Ka-bar gripped firmly and swiped at the brute. The blade honed sharp as a razor, hit the fist clenched tightly around the gun. Red welled up from the line across his wrist, and he dropped the pistol with a yelp of pain. At the same moment, Bruiser's other fist slammed into Janssen's temple. The man grunted but didn't fall. Bruiser gritted his teeth as the impact jarred his fist and sent tingles up his arm. That was one hard head!
Around them, chaos erupted. Out of his peripheral vision, Bruiser saw the depraved men clustering around the cage, yanking the door open. He snarled. Even with the fires of hell raining down on them, they could only think about keeping control over the terrified women huddled on the stage. He couldn't think about that right now. They would deal with them later. Right now, his priority was to get to Olivia.
With Bruiser temporarily distracted, Janssen dove for the weapon he had dropped. As he grabbed it, the thug rolled over and pointed it at Bruiser. Something sounding like curses in another language flew from his lips as he aimed the gun and fired.
Bruiser felt the breeze from the bullet as it flew by his head. Muttering a curse of his own, he kicked out, catching Janssen in the wrist. A loud snap, followed by a scream of pain made Bruiser smirk. That sounded like a broken wrist. The S.O.B. was lucky; it looked like he was going to survive this after all. Picking up the dislodged gun, he slammed it into the side of Janssen's head and rendered the bodyguard unconscious.
A quick glance to the stage confirmed it was empty. Where the hell had Olivia gone? "Railroad, you have eyes on her?" he yelled into his microphone.
"Negative. She disappeared while I was leaving the nest."
Looking around, he saw a crowd of people, finely dressed men, and naked women, squeezing through the gate that led to the docks. He hated to let them go, but he knew that Digger had a list of their names. They may be escaping at the moment, but their freedom wouldn't last. Bruiser only hoped he would be there when reckoning day arrived.
As far as he could tell, De Jääger hadn't joined his friends, so he was probably in the house. Turning, he ran to the patio door and bolted inside, yelling into the microphone for information. Did anyone have eyes on Olivia?
In the dining room, River had one of the guards face down on the long table, applying a pair of zip ties to his wrists. Beside him, Hick chewed a piece of gum as he kept his weapon trained on the captive.
"Olivia?" Bruiser asked.
"Sorry, I didn't see her." River pulled the strap tight, making the man grunt in reaction.
"Not since the stage," Hick added as he blew a bubble and popped it.
"Mother humper," Bruiser swore.
River snorted. "You sound like me. Amazing how having a woman cleans up the language."
Bruiser growled. "I don't have my woman yet." Pulling the microphone up, he barked into it. "Railroad, Toad, Finch, Cowboy. Check in."
A chorus of responses filled the earpiece. At least his men were all safe.
"Once things are locked down, split up and search. De Jääger has to have her somewhere in this perverted palace. If you find her, sound off." Bruiser raised his firearm and approached the hallway door.
Cowboy's voice filled Bruiser’s ear. "Keep it cool, SEALs. Remember, no lethal force unless it's a last resort. We don't want an international incident. We do this by the numbers."
That was one of the many things he appreciated about his team. They knew their jobs, and they knew him. Bruiser was barely holding it together, so Cowboy stepped up as the voice of reason. Normally, Bruiser called the plays, but he was too emotionally involved and gratefully gave the reigns to his best friend. As far as an international incident went, Bruiser didn't give a crap. He was taking his woman home; politics be damned.
Cowboy joined him in the hallway with his gun gripped firmly in his hand. Bruiser raised an eyebrow at him. Cowboy shook his head. He hadn't seen her.
They worked their way through the massive building, checking each room carefully. They found Finch and Toad in the den and Railroad joined them in one of the hallways.
Hick appeared shortly after, chewing on a piece of meat. "Seriously, Hick? You're eating at a time like this?" Finch shook his head in bewilderment.
"What? I'm hungry, and they had all those leftovers in the kitchen. You have any idea how much rack of lamb costs back home? Who knows when I'd get another chance."
Cowboy snorted. "One of these days, your stomach is going to get you into trouble," he muttered.
"Maybe, but at least I'll die happy," he grinned as he shoved the last of the food into his mouth.
Here and there, they came across members of the security team trussed up on the floor. He snorted. The rent-a-cops had been no match for the SEALs.
At the end of one of the hallways was an ornate mahogany door. Weapons at the ready, Toad and Finch took the lead. With one hand in the air, Toad counted down 3...2...1 and kicked the door in. The team poured through.
They were in an office/library. Like most of the house, this room screamed opulence. Walls made of rich mahogany panels that were replicated in squares on the floor. There were only a few pieces of furniture in the room - a large black desk with plush chair and two smaller chairs facing it. Behind it was a wall of windows overlooking the Brokopondo waters. The view of a rising full moon reflected on the water was breathtaking. It reminded Bruiser of the moment he had seen Olivia with her face bathed in the pale light. Had that been just last night? So much had happened since then.
"Brave man standing behind helpless women," Finch muttered.
It took Bruiser a moment to understand what Finch was talking about. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the mostly darkened room. He frowned when he zeroed in on a man with his back pressed against the wall. He had De Jääger's three other women in front of him like a human shield.
Daan Bakker's eyes narrowed as he tugged the three leashes he had clenched in his fist, pulling their heads back. He glared from behind the redhead and pressed the muzzle of a Glock against her temple. "Take one more step, and I kill the woman." He nudged the weapon, causing her head to tilt to the side.
"Put the weapon down, Bakker." Cowboy barked as he inched to the left to get a better shot.
Anticipating his moves, Bakker moved as well, keeping the three naked and terrified women in front of him. He grinned toothily. "I am happy here," he growled from behind Rana.
"Last chance, you perverted sick bastard. Drop the gun and let the women go." Cowboy's tone was sharp. The creak of leather gloves tightening on the grip of a weapon mixed with the soft tinkle of the silver chains in Bakker's fist and the whimpers of the women. Bruiser gritted his teeth, knowing what was about to happen.
Bakker inched his head slightly from behind the woman and opened his mouth to retort. Instead of words pouring from his mouth, a spurt of bright red sprayed the side of the woman's face. She stilled in shock before screaming as the other two joined in. Bakker's eyes had widened before he slid down the wall, pulling the three women down with him and leaving a bloody smear down the glass. The gun fell from his hand to hit the floor with a loud thud.
Railroad let out a held breath and flicked the safety on his SIG Sauer. As the trained sniper of the group, it had been obvious he would be the one to take the shot. Bruiser hated to traumatize the women further. God knows what they had already been through in this place. However, he had seen the truth in Bakker's eyes. He wasn't going down without a fight, and he had no problem taking the team and the innocent women with him if given a chance.
"U.S. Navy, ladies. You're safe." Toad holstered his weapon and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Finch, find some blankets or clothes for them, please." He smiled at the women, who huddled over Bakker's body. "It's okay. We're here to help."
Finch appeared with several men's dress shirts. Thrusting them into Toad's hands, he murmured, "Found these in the master suite down the hall."
Toad held the shirts out to the women. "Here," he said gently. "Let's get you covered up. I'm Toad. This is Finch. We're here to take you home. We are going to take you back home to the United States."
"I'm Mishi," said a small woman in a soft voice. She motioned to one of her companions, a dark haired beauty with deep brown eyes who looked to be Native American. "Catori and the other is Rana." She took one of the shirts. "Thank you."
The redhead, Rana slapped her hand. "That is the Meester's clothes. You know we aren't allowed to touch his things."
Mishi's almond shaped eyes flared. She grabbed the woman’s shoulders and shook her. "Wake up, Rana." She thrust the shirt into her hands. "That bastard isn't here. I hope he's dead. I hope he's rotting in some deep pit of hell." She snarled and handed a second shirt to Catori.
"You got this, Toad?" Bruiser asked as he barely kept the grin on his face. Something told him with a little counseling, Mishi would recover. Rana was obviously still in shell shock as she stood and slipped the shirt on her body mindlessly. The third, Catori, stood woodenly by with a dull, blank stare. The poor woman seemed to be borderline catatonic.
"Yeah, bro. Go find your woman."
Bruiser turned to leave but hesitated. "Remember. These ladies have been through a lot, Toad. Don't traumatize them more. You get my drift?"
"Come on, Bruise, give me some credit. I'm not going to hit on them. Cripes!"
"I'll stay with him," Finch volunteered.
Bruiser nodded and exited the room, the rest of the team following closely as they continued their search.
Some of the rooms, particularly the bedrooms, had bars on the windows. Others were openly accessible. It was obvious that De Jääger had plenty of money and spared no expense on using it on his selfish pleasures. This house was one huge, lavishly expensive prison.
Working their way through the multiple rooms, Bruiser found the one that had been Olivia's. Moonlight poured into the door leading to the same balcony she had graced last night. That vision of her would remain with him forever. He wondered if he could adequately describe the scene to Jayden. Though she was still a prisoner, that moment represented the first real moment of peace he had in weeks.
A splash of bright yellow grabbed his attention. Striding to the bed, he picked up the yellow shortie pajama set he had seen her wear last night on the balcony. Gripping it tightly in his fist, he growled. Time enough for daydreaming when he had her safely home again. Right now, he needed to find her. Nothing else mattered. He threw the set back on the bed.
"I think I got something. I found a gym in the basement, and there's a locked door against one wall over here," River said through the earpiece. "Look for a set of stairs off the party room."
"On my way," Bruiser barked and retreated out of her room.
It didn't take long for them to find the gym. River was kneeling before a massive door, fiddling with an unfamiliar lock. He spoke as he continued to work. "I've never seen anything like this before. It almost looks like an Allen wrench would work, but it won’t. There are no pins, and even my attempts at popping it with the electronic key didn't work."
Bruiser holstered his sidearm and knelt beside River. He studied the indention carefully, even sticking the end of his pinky finger into the slot and feeling around. It was octagonal with smooth inner sides. As River said, it was void of any visible means of engaging.
Bruiser heard the others behind him as they entered the gym. No doubt, they had followed him from the office. "Here. You'll need this." The woman, Rana, held her hand out to Bruiser. There was a small rod on a plastic coil dangling from it. "The locks are specially made and will only open with a key. This is the playroom. He'll have Olivia in there. If he hasn't already killed her with the collar."
Cold sweat trickled down Bruiser's back as he snatched the rod from her fingers. If Olivia was dead, God help De Jääger, because there was nothing on this Earth that would save him from Bruiser's wrath. Pushing the rod into the lock, he twisted it like a regular key. The indention turned and the door lock disengaged. Standing up, Bruiser drew his weapon and, taking a deep breath, shoved the heavy door open. As he entered, Cowboy followed close behind.
He wasn't prepared for what he was seeing.
Beside him, Cowboy's eyes widened. "Jesus," he muttered.
Behind him, Hick peered around the door facing and took in the scene as well. "Oh, sweet Mother of God," he exclaimed.
They had found Olivia and De Jääger.