Chapter Fifteen
Niles woke up slowly, pulsing pain inside his head. He lifted his hand to gently touch the area, wincing slightly when he touched the wound.
He knew how lucky he was, the injury to his head the only injury he had suffered. He did have some scrapes and bruises, but that was the only serious injury to have occurred. He’d stayed overnight in hospital for precautionary measures because it was a head wound and he’d passed out, but other than that, he felt okay. The fact that his mate stayed with him through the entire procedure made him feel like they had a chance for the future, that they could overcome this — not bump, but hill, in the road — and he was looking forward to spending some time with him.
Niles looked around the hospital room, but his mate wasn't there. Targon. Niles waited, but there was no response and he tilted his head, trying to remember if Tank had said anything about not being there when he woke up. He was fairly certain Tank had said he would be there for him, that he would take him home when he was discharged, but he was nowhere to be found and he wasn't responding when he tried to speak to him.
Niles was certain things had changed between them after Tank admitted that he was in love with him and now there was nothing. He tried reaching out again, but it was like the connection had been severed, or the door had been shut on him, because Niles got nothing.
When the doctor came around, it was agreed that he could go home, and it wasn't long before Niles was back in his own home. The first thing he did was shower and get dressed into clean clothes. It felt like the night was ingrained on his skin and he needed to scrub it away.
He was in the kitchen making coffee when Targon finally contacted him.
Sorry, can’t talk right now. I’m on the mission to recover those slaves.
Have you found them?
We have a possible location. Just scoping it out now.
Be careful.
I will. I wanted to be there for you when you woke up, but I needed to do this.
I understand completely. Go and save those people. No one deserves to go through what they have.
I love you, Niles.
I love you too.
When I get home, we’ll talk more.
Please be careful.
I’m coming home to you, mate.
When you can, keep me updated.
I will. Gotta go now.
Targon broke off contact, and Niles slumped in a chair next to the kitchen table, trying not to worry about his mate. He knew Tank had performed this type of mission before, but it was only natural for Niles to worry about the man he loved. He wanted to be there, but the way his head was right now, there was last place he could be.
All he could do was sit and wait.
❊❊❊
They fanned out around the mansion grounds, covering all entrances. The Intel they were given had been spot on and the plans provided all the details they needed. They knew every entrance and exit to the mansion and the possible location of the slaves that had been taken from hospital.
Ale and Tank were in the van outside the area and Chester radioed in to check on positions of everyone to confirm all were at their designated locations.
It was only a matter of time before they made their move.
Hunter, Euan, and Dean have been watching the mansion and its grounds, keeping an eye on the guards and the rotations and shift patterns, and now they had everything in place. They were currently waiting for the changeover of shifts so that they could make their move.
They needed to be in and out without being seen, and they also needed to make it look like, somehow, the slaves had managed to escape. They didn't want any of the vampires to know what had happened and who was responsible. If they knew that someone was onto them they may change their plans and that was last thing anybody needed. As long as they could still access the information, they could prepare and wait to make their move.
“Go,” Chester muttered.
Like a well-oiled machine all of Rescue Inc moved, going to the locations they had chosen beforehand when planning this rescue.
Tank sat in the back of the van next to Ale, his foot bouncing as he tugged on his hair.
Ale reached out, placing his hand on his leg and holding it still."Patience," Ale muttered.
"I know. I just wish I was there with them."
"Now you know how I feel every time you go out into the field. They know what they’re doing, they’re well-trained. They’ll get this done."
Tank nodded and stared at the monitors that the cameras from the house saw. Hunter had managed to hack the system and now they knew exactly what mansion security knew.
There was a long, tense few minutes, until Euan muttered, "We're out."
The van started, Silas getting the message from Chester, and he pulled away, heading towards a prearranged meeting point. One that was deliberately chosen so as it wasn't too far away from the exit point in case of any injuries, but far enough away that they wouldn't be seen.
They pulled up next to another van, and Jensen jumped out, opening the backdoors, ready for the team.
They came out of the woods, silently approaching and Tank glanced over at them all, seeing that they had managed to rescue all the former slaves. He sighed in relief and immediately reached out to Niles.
We got them all.
Injuries?
Unknown. We need to load them up into vans and change locations and then will be able to assess them.
If necessary, bring them here and I will treat them. The last thing we need is the vampires to know that they are back in hospital and attempt to take them again.
I’ll pass the message on. Speak later.
"Niles said if necessary we can go back to his place so he can treat any injuries there."
Ale nodded. "We might need to do that. We can't have any records showing that they went to a local hospital."
"That's what Niles thought too."
Chester approached, a grim look on his face. "They've been used again."
"Best contact Niles and get him to check them out."
"Got somewhere for them to go after?" Tank asked.
"Yes, we’ll put them up in the cabins. Troy suggested it, and I believe Jacques is going to be there as well."
Chester nodded again. "That’s a good idea. They’ll recognize Jacques and his presence should help to get them settled."
"Let’s load them up and head over to the cabin then." Chester turned to Tank and said, "Can you get Niles to meet us there, instead of going to his place? It would be better if we just moved them once rather than getting them treated in one place then moving them again. There’ll be less chance of them being seen."
“I’ll ask him now.”
Niles. Can you come over to Ale and Troy’s cabin? That's where we’re going to take them. Chester doesn't want to risk them being seen if we have to move them twice.
That's a good idea. I’ll pack my equipment and drive over there now.
I love you.
Love you too, Targon.
"Niles is going to pack his medical equipment and anything else he might need and meet us there."
"Right, let's get going."
Everyone got loaded up into the two vans and they left the area, heading towards the cabin, and hopefully, a better future.