Bow Down(47)
He took my chin. “Damn right.”
He kissed me, deep and full.
We had to ditch the armored assault vehicle. It was just way too obnoxious. There was no way we could get that into the city, let alone hide it somewhere. It took a half hour to transfer the cargo from that truck to ours, but it all fit, although it was an uncomfortable ride home.
We met with a few girls at the edge of the city. We transferred some of the stash to them, and then a little more to another group. They would take the guns and spread them all throughout our network of safe houses all over the city, arming any girl that wanted to join us.
This was all going according to Wyatt’s plan. Everything starting with hiring more men down to buying more guns was unfolding exactly as he explained to me that night.
When we were finished, we drove the armored truck down a long tunnel and parked it underneath the safe house. A few girls helped us unload what was left. They brought the boxes into the main armory while Wyatt went upstairs to shower.
The mood in the house was odd. The girls weren’t looking at me, and most didn’t greet me when I entered the room. That wasn’t a big deal, but it wasn’t really like them. The usual smiles and good cheer were replaced by dour looks and an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Kasia was talking to a group of girls. As soon as I approached, they walked off, leaving only Kasia standing there, her arms crossed.
“What’s going on?” I asked her.
“Girls are unhappy.”
“Why?”
“One of the guys you hired tried to rape one of our girls.”
“What?” I felt anger bubbling inside of me.
“Don’t worry. They already took care of him.”
“How?”
“Cut his balls off.”
“Good.” I clenched my jaw. “That piece of shit.”
“The other mercenaries aren’t happy about that, though.”
“And the girls?”
“They want them all gone. They’re threatening to leave.”
“We can’t send them away, Kasia.”
“I know that. Not now, anyway.”
“We need them.”
“I’m trying to explain that. But the girls are angry.” She gave me a look, and I knew exactly what that meant.
She warned that this was going to happen. I just didn’t want to listen.
“Come on,” I said to her, walking into the middle of the barracks area. “Everyone,” I called loudly. “Meet upstairs in ten. We have a lot to discuss.”
There were murmurs, but I ignored them. I got into the elevator and rode it up a floor. I made the same announcement up there, went to the uppermost barracks level, and waited. The girls slowly gathered while Kasia took the men downstairs, keeping everyone separate.
Thirty girls stared at me as I stood in front of them. I stared at them hard, looking at their faces one by one.
“Anastasia,” I said. “Loretta. Olga. Alla. Vera. Galina. Diana. I know each and every one of you. I know all of your stories. And you all know me.”
Slight murmuring from the crowd, but I pressed on.
“I won’t pretend like I saved you all personally, because I didn’t. But I started all of this because I care about you, care about you all so deeply that I was willing to risk my life and my family to save you. I’m still willing to risk all of that, and I do so every single day.
“What happened with that man is despicable, and I commend you all for what you did to him. That bastard deserved to bleed out at your feet. Men like him are the reason we do what we do, are the reason we fight and die to save our sisters that are still imprisoned.”
“What do you know about being imprisoned?” someone in the back called out. “You were born rich.”
“I was born rich,” I called back. “And I turned my back on all of that when I found out what was happening to all of you. Do you really think I don’t care? Look at what I’ve sacrificed. Look at everything I’ve built.”
“These men are everything we hate,” Anastasia said. She was one of the first girls I saved, a small, fierce blonde woman.
“And yet we need them,” I said. “I hate that we need them, but we do. If I could win this war just with you women, I would, but we will eventually lose. My father and his men are too numerous and have too much money. We don’t have a chance against them without these mercenaries.
“We’ve come too far to back down now. We’re close to something, and we’re going to destroy the Barone mafia once and for all. We’re going to free every single woman still in captivity and slaughter every one of those bastards. You have to believe in me, because I believe in all of you.”