Shane’s steely blue gaze met Tony’s. “You think I give one fuck about jurisdiction?”
Tony put his hand up in defense. “Shane, we’ve been friends a long time. I’m just reminding you that if you go rogue, you could lose your job and your pension.”
The room was full of testosterone on high alert as Shane leaned in closer to Tony. “Then I guess I’m gonna kiss my fuckin’ pension away.”
A tiny smile cracked the corners of Tony’s lips as he said, “Well then. Welcome aboard to Alverez Security.”
“Got the rendezvous coordinates,” came the shout from Vinny, as a red circle appeared on the map. It looked to be deep in the woods, near the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Let’s roll,” Tony shouted as all of the men began suiting up and heading out. Kevlar vests, guns, revolvers, night goggles, stun guns, were all quickly grabbed and each man hefted up a large duffle bag. Tony looked at Shane and Matt then nodded toward two filled duffle bags on the floor. “Yours,” he stated, and they grabbed them on their way out of the door.
The men piled into huge black SUVs with tinted windows. Pulling out of the security garage underneath the building, they headed west.
Finally. Shane felt better with his body active instead of just his mind going over and over all of the ways they could hurt Annie. Lock it down. Lock that shit down. Focus. One goal, one reason to live. Get her out. Then get the mother-fuckers that took her.
* * *
Several hours had passed and the activity in the compound had not decreased. As soon as one van was loaded with crates from the barn and driven away, another one would pull up and the loading would resume. As best as Annie could tell, five van-loads has already left.
The sun was beginning to set as it was just peeking over the trees, sending long, filtering rays through the barn-loft slats. Anne’s eyes traveled back to the dog cages behind the barn, stacked four high, each barely allowing the dog to stand. Even from where she was at she could tell that many of them were sick, probably from the cramped and soiled conditions.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Carl’s voice cut through her musings.
Annie’s eyes darted back to his face as she raised her eyebrow in silent questioning.
“Honest to God, Annie. This place was worse when I first got here. At least I convinced them to spend some money on feeding and keeping the dogs in good condition.”
“What for? So they would have an easier time ingesting drugs before traveling in horrible conditions only to be hacked up in the end?”
Grimacing, Carl just shook his head. “I didn’t know what to do. Mom needed so much medical equipment and nursing care. Jesus, all I ever wanted to do was practice veterinary medicine, you know?”
Annie sighed. “Yeah, I know. Me too.”
“It costs so fucking much money and no one ever thinks about that,” he said, looking more dejected than she had ever seen. “I had so many bills and then mom’s added on were overwhelming. God, I thought when I met Xavier I had hit the mother lode. A private vet job, money to pay off loans and mom’s care.” His voice cracked, “Jesus, how fucked can it all have gotten.”
“Carl, we can’t give up. I know Shane is tearing up the countryside looking for us. He’ll have the police and I know the DEA are involved and I’m sure his friend Tony has his security men on it as well.”
He lifted his tired eyes to her face as she implored him to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Annie, the odds of the cavalry coming are pretty slim. Why do you think no one has found this place before? It’s hidden. Secret. Buried. Jesus, we’ll be dead before they find us.”
Annie tore her gaze away from his, focusing on the dog crates below. Chewing on her bottom lip, she said simply, “I may not be able to get out of here alive, but I’d love to set those dogs free before I go.”
Continuing to rub the thin rope holding her hands behind her against one of the rough beams in the loft, the rope finally snapped and her hands were free.
He looked at her, wide eyed in surprise, his mouth working but nothing coming out. Her body achy and stiff, she winced silently as she moved over to his back to remove his rope as well.
“Annie, I want out of here as much as you, but how?”
“I don’t know Carl,” she hissed. “You think I’m used to planning something like this?” She managed to get his rope loosened enough for him to work his hands free. The activity below was still humming. “You’ve been here. You tell me how to get out of this. Together we should be able to figure out something.”