Chapter 58
-DAMIAN-
It was three in the morning when we reached the abandoned timber mill at the border of Roslin City. Luke, Matt, Charlie, and I used to spend our weekends here back in high school.
The structure stood to this day, a mere reminder of what once was the most successful business this city ever had. But under this wreckage was a different story. There were a series of self-sustaining offices and storage facilities. It was solar-powered. and the water source came from the river behind the building. Rumors go around that the mill was a front to smugglers decades ago. And when the feds identified the corporation’s actual business, they shut it down. Nobody dared to claim the land since, afraid they’d be the focus of the Fed’s investigation. The building had been abandoned since.
“You don’t have to go in with me.” I reminded Danny again, tucking a dagger in my socks. We parked on the west side of the timber mill: towering trees concealed our location.
“I know,” my assistant replied curtly, loading the magazine onto his Sig and tucking it into the waistband of his jeans.
“This isn’t part of your job description, I pressed. I had been convincing him not to join me on this suicide mission.
We know nothing about our enemy, just that they have Millicent and Sonja.
Before we left, he called his girlfriend Cecile, telling her he loved her dearly. It was like Danny saying his last goodbye.
“I know,” he said, smirking at me. His stubbornness would get him killed.
I faced Danny and stared at him. We were behind his car; the backpack stuffed with ammunition laid open on the trunk. “Danny, we’re walking on a f ucking trap.”
He lifted his shoulder in a shrug, paying my warning no mind. I know, and nothing you say will change my mind. Damian. He addressed me by my name, surprising me. “The life of the woman you love is on the line. I’m going in with you. Letting you walk inside that trap alone is not an option.”
I didn’t have it in me to argue with his claim that I was in love with Millicent. As the hours passed and the chances of losing her became real, I realized that I couldn’t live in a world without her.
“I won’t be alone,” I said haughtily and continued arming myself
Danny frowned at me. Right on time, the headlights of another car shone from the direction we came fr
Matt, Luke, and Charlie slide out of the car. After introducing the guys to Danny, we informed them of wh
“We are walking into a trap,” Matt murmured, gathering his shoulder-length hair in a low ponytail. He was w jersey and fitted jeans, where he secured the handgun he pulled from the backpack.
“We sure are,” Luke said, a grin stretched on his lips as he stared at Charlie knowingly.
Luke was still wearing a dress shirt and dress pants. He came straight from work to help me.”
Charlie shook his head and pulled out the blueprint of the mill. One was for the structure above, and the other for the underground offices.
“What did you tell Maddie?” I asked him..
“Trouble in paradise, and you need a guy’s night out,” Charlie chuckled. Matt and Luke hollered. I narrowed my eyes on him. “What? It’s either that or I tell her the truth. You called me in the middle of the night, Damian.”
I nodded and stared at my friends one by one, hoping they could see how grateful I was for showing up here. This wasn’t their fight. They were already risking their lives coming here. We don’t even know if the enemy were watching us right this moment. “You guys don’t have to be here. We don’t know how many people are waiting for us inside.”
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Chapter 58.
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I called Charlie, asking for the blueprint of the mill we accidentally stumbled upon back in the day. We didn’t know what use it would be to us, but Charlie kept the copy. Thank the f uck he did.
I thought of lying to him when I called, but I knew he would hear the lie in my voice, so I ended up telling him the truth. He was the one who called Matt and Luke.
“Save the speech for later. Damian. You’ll owe us a drink after this.” Matt slapped a hand on my shoulder.
“That’s right. We know this place like the back of our hands,” Luke piped in, studying the map Charlie laid out on the hood of the trunk. “You say they might also have Sonja?”
“That’s what our informant said, Danny answered. “She needs medical attention. Even at a proper facility, it would take her two to three weeks to recover from the beating she got.”
Charlie’s brows knitted together. “They could be on this side of the mill.” he pointed at the west wing of the building. “This is where the generators are,” he pointed at one room where we located the electricity source, “and it’s close to the exit in case they needed to escape.”
The mill was located near the Madison River. It runs through the forest and branches out towards Madison Bay. It was an escape route the smugglers used in transporting cargo.
“You think they discovered the tunnels?” Matt inquired at the entire group.
That’s highly unlikely,” Charlie answered. “This seemed like a short-term hideout for them. They don’t have time to search the entire building.
agree with Charlie,” I said. “We could avoid being seen if we went through the tunnels.” Facing Danny, I said, “Danny, you stay here and call Officer Lean.
“The f uck?” Matt and Luke murmured at the same time, looking at me as if they wanted to burn me where I was standing
Danny regarded me as if I grew two heads, but like always, he kept his thoughts to himself and waited for an explanation.
“There’s a big chance Natalie could be working for him, D.” Charlie put to words what’s on Matt and Luke’s mind.
“He will come,” I said firmly. “The phone call will be recorded, and if Millicent and Sonja are there and he doesn’t respond accordingly, he will be in big trouble. And knowing him, he would protect his name more than protecting Natalie.”
Charlie, Matt, and Luke still seemed skeptical about my instruction to Danny. “That is a dangerous move murmured. “You could be announcing our arrival to the kidnappers by calling Millie’s ex.”
“Ten minutes,” I said. “If we’re not out by then, call Officer Lean I told Danny.
He nodded and didn’t insist on coming in with me anymore. The four of us know this place better, and we driver if things went sideways.
Luke
Spiders, rats, co ckroa ches, and insects living in the dark greeted us when we jumped down the tunnel entry. We ch one closest to where we were parked. Holding the map, Charlie led our entourage, our flashlights illuminating the
tunnels.
My heart drummed as we covered more ground. The foul air mingled with the fear pulsing through my veins.
I’m not afraid of getting hurt or dying. What I’m scared of is not being able to protect Millicent like I promised.
“We’re almost in the hallway,” Charlie informed us.
Each stomp of our shoes against the wet and mossy floor had my heart lurching at my throat. The darkness soon faded, the light at the exit of the tunnel penetrating through the holes of the metal door. We halted when we reached the exit; Matt pushed the barrier aside, opening our way out to the hallway.
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Chapter 58
It was empty, almost abandoned. Insects flew circles in the flickering fluorescent light above.
Watchful of our surroundings, we flanked behind each other on the side of the wall. Matt was in front of Charlie, giving directions to where the room was.
26.
My confusion grew the closer we got to the room where they were supposed to he keeping Sonja. There was not even a trace of soul in sight.
“Something’s not right.” I announced, reaching our target room.
“There’s no one here. Man murmured, standing beside me on the other side of the door, our position opposing Charlie’s and Luke’s.
The door was slightly ajar, but we couldn’t see what was behind it. A mu ffled beeping comes from inside, it’s too loud to be a bomb. but letting our guard down wasn’t an option.
“On my signal,” Charlie said.
I nodded at him, stepping in front of the metal door and kicking it in Charlie’s signal. The three of them burst inside, their guns raised upfront while I followed behind. I immediately saw Sonja on the bed, wedged against the wall, a heart rate monitor connected to her body. Across from her was an empty bed, handcuffs dangling from the side, and not a trace of Millicent. –
Claws of fear gripped my throat as I scanned the room. The empty bed had a bedside table next to it, a pitcher of water, a glass, and a silver tray with a bowl. I walked towards it, feeling the side of the bowl.
“I’s still warm. I murmured, growing agitated by the second as reality dawned on me.
Millicent. She was here, but where is she now?
I ran outside the room, paying no mind to whatever the f uck Charlie was murmuring about Sonja. She looked like a vegetable, but they left her and took my Millicent.
Matt ran after me. “D. slow the f uck down,” he groaned as I kicked all doors, following the bunker room where we found Sonja
“She’s not here,” I said each time an empty room bombarded me. My heart drummed in my head, and fear of not seein Millicent again clouded my head, but I kept pushing forward, opening each door as I shut out Matt’s voice. “Millicen
“Damian!” Matt was still on my trail. “F uck!”
“Millicent!?” I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice coming back at me in the empty hallway.
Losing his patience, Matt shoved me on the wall, his brawny arms locked under my chin as he pushed my face up. I punched him in the chest. “Get out of my way!”
I slammed my fist on his cheek, blood dripping from his lip. Matt groaned, clipping me in the face. “She’s not here.
“I need to find her, move, or I’ll f ucking shoot you,” I pressed the muzzle of my Glock on his temple.
Unphased, Matt didn’t let go. His arms even grew firmer against my throat, cutting the air supply to my lungs. He stared at me in the eye and said, “Get your sh it together, or we won’t be able to find her, Damian.”
That woke me up from my trance. Fear remained locked around my throat, but I realized Matt was right.
“We can still find her, Matt murmured, releasing me. “You are Damian f ucking Black. Block every possible exit out of the city. Airports, highways, waterways. Don’t let your emotions get to you.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes dilating as I realized how I let my fear rule my rational thoughts. Seeing that his words finally sank in, he let me go. I pulled out my phone and called Danny to tell him what Matt said.
“Millicent’s not here. Send Millicent’s picture to all our contacts at the highway patrol and airport-”
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Chapter 58
“We found her,” Danny murmured.
I stared at Matt, wide-eyed. Chills slithered down my spine, afraid to ask the next question. “What?”
“She’s alive. We found her.”
