The detective remained silent while Clint explained what they found at the orphanage. “There’re twenty kids here,” he said. “They’re all severely undernourished and most of them don’t seem to be aware of their surroundings. They’re going to need a lot of therapy or something.”

“Of course,” Detective Jordan replied quietly. “That’s expected in these cases.” He paused. “Where is this place? I can have people out there right away to pick up the kids.”

“We’ll bring them to you,” Clint countered. “We need to do this as soon as possible. These kids need immediate care. We had to rush one of them to the hospital, he was in the critical stage of pneumonia. Other ones are sick and may have pneumonia also.”

“Then bring them to the hospital,” Jordan said. “I’ll wait for you there and alert the hospital staff that they’re coming in.”

“All right.”

“The Morgan twins,” Jordan asked, “will they be with these kids?”

“No. I’ll bring them to you later this afternoon. But they’re in a safe place and being looked after.”

“Okay.”

Clint paused. “Before I turn these orphan kids over to you, I need to know that they’re going to get the best possible care. And that any potential adoptive parents will be heavily screened. If I find out that even one of these kids were irresponsibly placed in a bad home where they’re being abused again, I will be pissed…and you don’t want to piss me off.”

Rather than fear, Clint detected deep compassion and understanding in the detective’s voice when he spoke. “Believe me, I want to protect these kids from further abuse as much as you do. The FBI’s special task force for violent crimes against children are very diligent about screening homes that take in children who have been victims of sex trafficking. They are also committed to putting away the traffickers. If you’ve apprehended the ones at the orphanage, they need to be turned over to the FBI task force.”

Clint was committed to putting them away as well. Nothing the law could do to these men would be enough in return for the horrors they brought down on these kids. “I said I would turn over the children to you.”

“And the traffickers?”

“As far as you know,” Clint said. “The kids were found abandoned in this shithole.”

Jordan was quiet a moment. “All right,” he murmured. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Smart cop.”

“I try to be.”

“We will be leaving with the kids right away. It will take about an hour to get there. I don’t want anyone but you at the hospital until the kids are dropped off, do you understand? You tell the FBI whatever you want about how you acquired the kids, but you leave us out of it.”

“I understand.”

“Axel is at the hospital now, with the boy that was taken in with pneumonia.” Clint went silent, then warned, “He is not a part of the world I circulate in and has committed no crimes. No one is to question him or even know that he is with me. I know you’re aware of what I’m capable of. If anyone messes with Axel, they’re going to find out, too.”

Jordan anxiously cleared his throat. “Axel won’t be harassed. I would like to speak to him if that’s all right, but he won’t be brought to the attention of the authorities.”

“He liked you,” Clint said. “I’m sure he won’t mind speaking with you. But don’t press him for information that he can’t give you.”

“No. I won’t. You have my word on it.”

“For your sake, I hope your word is good.”

The call ended moments later, and Clint returned inside. “The kids will be taken directly to the hospital,” he told Cruz. “Detective Jordan will be waiting there, alone.”

“I can have a couple of my guys take the kids in,” Cruz said. “But I need to know that you trust this cop one hundred percent. I don’t want my boys detained by the law.”

“He’ll keep his word.”

 

•♦•

 

Axel found Kelly and Savannah in the cafeteria, each with a cup of hot cocoa. When the two girls saw him coming their way, they both grew nervous.

“Raimi?” Kelly whispered.

Axel sat down. “He’s going into surgery.”

“Surgery.” Kelly looked worried.

Axel relayed what Devlin had told him about the boy’s condition. “But they’re hopeful that he will come through it just fine. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

Savannah squeezed the girl’s hand. “If he’s anything like you,” she said. “then he’s a fighter.”

“He is.” Kelly trembled and ducked her head. “He stayed strong for as long as he could. But he just got too sick.” She slid one hand over her eyes. “When…when Barron took him to the back room, Raimi…he was crying for me…and I couldn’t stop them, I couldn’t go to him. I-I thought I was never going to see him again.” She raised her head and looked at Axel. “If you and your friend hadn’t come there today when you did…Raimi would’ve died.”

If they’d waited one more day…even a few more hours…the boy would be gone. Axel couldn’t take credit for the miracle of their perfect timing; only God knew how to work things out so intricately. Axel didn’t understand why such things happened to children in the first place, but he would take whatever blessings and miracles that were given.

“I’m just thankful we got there in time.”

“What’s going to happen to them?” Kelly whispered.

“Who?”

“The men at the orphanage.”

Axel glanced at Savannah; the girl was young but not naïve. By now, most everyone in the extended family was aware of how Clint dealt with men like these. “All I can say is that they will never hurt or abuse anymore kids, not ever again.”

Lowering her eyes, Kelly whispered with a hard edge, “I wish they would die.”

They will, sweetheart. They will die slowly and in great pain.

Axel’s cell rang, and he excused himself from the table when he saw that it was Clint. He walked to a less populated section of the cafeteria. “Clint?”

“The kids will be brought to the hospital,” Clint said without preliminary conversation. “Detective Jordan will meet them. I told him to come alone. He knows you’re there and will probably want to speak to you. I told him about the boy you took in. Don’t mention the men out here at the orphanage, the ones that were running this place.”

“Okay,” Axel murmured, his mind stuck on Clint’s last phone call. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

He sounded better, but there remained a remnant of the crippling pain that had been so strong in his voice during the last call. “Cochise and the others are there?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Axel whispered with relief. “I don’t like you out there alone.”

The line went quiet.

“Clint?”

“I’m here.”

The steadiness of his voice from a moment ago wavered and it hurt Axel’s heart. He wanted to be with him, felt like Clint needed him to be with him. But he wouldn’t ask Axel to come back to that place of hell.

“Would I sound silly to say I miss you?” Axel asked thickly. “Since it’s only been a couple hours or so since I was there?”

“I miss you, too,” Clint murmured.

Sudden tears burned his eyes. “I want this day to be over,” Axel whispered. “I want to be home with you.”

“As soon as I deal with things here and we take the twins to the detective…we’ll go home.”

The longing in the cowboy’s voice pulled at Axel’s heart. “I’ll be counting the hours and minutes. But as much as I want to be with you…don’t feel like you have to rush.” His throat knotted. “You teach those pieces of shit what happens to people who hurt innocent children.”

“I’ll give them a lesson they’ll take with them to hell,” Clint assured coldly.

“That’s my cowboy,” Axel murmured. “I love you so damn much.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

Baby. God, he loved it when Clint called him baby.

 

•♦•

 

Laird’s body was moved into the main room before the kids were brought from the living room. “They don’t have shoes,” Cruz pointed out. “The ground is ice cold.”

Clint scooped up Luke and one of the other children. “Then we carry them.” He headed the procession out through the front door and down the weed-ridden path to the truck. He got the rear latch unlocked without putting down either kid. The door rolled up into the ceiling of the compartment and Clint looked inside. The mattresses were fitted in there like puzzle pieces and covered with many thick blankets of varying colors.

“Here you go.” Clint set the two kids inside. “Go on up to the other end and cover up. There’s enough blankets for everyone.”

Luke lingered as the other boy crawled to the front and huddled into a dark blue blanket. “I’m really glad you were here,” he whispered and blinked. “Especially for Grace. She was really nice. She…” his eyes filled. “She was my friend. If you see her dad, tell him…” his chin trembled. “Tell him she thought about him every day and talked about him all the time. To her…he was a superhero. That’s why she never stopped believing he would come save her.”

Clint lowered his eyes as his vision blurred.

“And for her…he did.”

When Clint looked up, the boy was staring at him through heavy tears.

“I think…I think he should know she wasn’t alone…that to her, he was here, holding her when she died. I-I think he should know that.”

Clearing his throat, Clint nodded. “I think so, too. I’ll make sure someone tells him.”

Luke wiped his eyes. “Will I ever see you again?”

“I don’t know.”

The boy surprised Clint when he hugged him. “I won’t forget you. Ever.”

Clint hesitantly wrapped his arms around Luke and held him for a moment. “I won’t forget you, either.”

The other men were right behind Clint, loading the remaining kids into the truck. He released Luke and motioned for him to go to the front and cover up.

Cochise placed a couple little girls inside then glanced at Clint. He didn’t say anything, just squeezed Clint’s shoulder and headed back toward the large house.

“Rodriguez and Matteo will drive the kids in,” Cruz said, appearing beside Clint.

Clint nodded.

“Do you want to take the other ones with us when we leave?”

The other ones? Clint was confused a moment then understood he was talking about the deceased children. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I don’t want to put them in with these kids. They don’t need to see their bodies.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

Rodriguez approached. “We’ll take it from here,” he told Clint. “Once they’re at the hospital, they’ll get the proper care. I’m sure they’ll all be okay.”

“Thanks.” Clint and Rodriguez exchanged a strong handshake.

“Drive careful,” Cruz cautioned. “The roads are icy as hell.”

“I will.”

Clint reached up and grabbed the strap of the door and gave the kids one last look. Luke offered him a small smile and a look of gratitude that tore through Clint, leaving him in ruins. He nodded at the boy and dragged the door down, securing the latch. He moved around to the side of the truck with Cruz and Sanchez as the vehicle started up and pulled away.

Cochise was standing on the porch, watching them.

Clasping Clint on the shoulder, Cruz asked, “Ready to get down to business?”

Clint nodded, his jaw set and eyes hardening as he released the reins of his rage and fury.

Outdo yourself, cowboy.

He would; for Axel, for Grace and Luke, for the kids headed back to the city…and for the ones who hadn’t made it out.