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“She was telling us that one of those teachers, or all of them, sold them out. There is a traitor in that room, and I seriously doubt if it’s one of those kids.”
“Jesus, a teacher sold those kids out? For what? For money? Fame?” asked Mo.
“Probably all of the above,” said Sniff. “Listen, I want to stay until we finish this. The dogs might be able to help. If we can get to those kids, the dogs could lead them out to safety without anyone else guiding them.”
“Let’s just focus on getting them out of there,” said Liffey. He brushed a hand over Zilla’s head, the dog not even moving.
“Good boy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When the tunnel below the dry cleaners blew, it created a chain reaction that collapsed dozens of tunnels. They hadn’t expected that to happen, but it was a fortunate side effect. It made Sutton angrier than before, ready to kill whoever came near him.
East sat back, watching the temper tantrum rage on as his men scattered. Some even hid behind tables and chairs, vehicles, or fences. Shaking his head, he wondered how Sutton had become so powerful that the men around him were so afraid of him.
Then it dawned on him. Perhaps he’d taken their families as well. That seemed his mode of operation. Take their wives and children, make them succumb to his whims and wishes, and if you were lucky, you’d get back your own family.
“Why aren’t you afraid of him?” asked the man beside him.
“Because he’s just a bully who believes he has more power than he actually does.”
“He has more power than you think. He has the power to destroy your life, your family, everything you’ve worked hard for.”
“Only if you give him that power,” said East, staring at the man. “Did he take your family?”
“Yes,” he said in a low voice. “My daughter is used in the tunnels. She went willingly because Sutton gave her money, clothes, jewelry. She’s blind to his insanity. My wife and young son are somewhere in the city. I just don’t know where.”
“Is he holding the wives and children of everyone here?” asked East.
“Nearly everyone. Some are single, but he tends to not hire those men. He can’t hold you if he doesn’t have something you want.”
East just nodded, not saying anything as Sutton continued to rage on.
“You’re investigating the tunnels, right?” asked the man.
“I’m trying to find out who’s blowing them up. As I find them, I’m exploring them to see if I can find any explosives. Why?”
“If you find them, if you find my family, please get them to safety,” he asked. “Tell them. Tell them I’m sorry that I was a coward.”
“You’re not a coward. You’re confused,” said East.
“Maybe, or maybe…”
“What are you doing?! You’re supposed to be finding this man, not here!” yelled Sutton. He was coming toward the two men, a baseball bat in his hand.
“Don’t move,” muttered East. “Stand your ground.” The man stared up at him as if he’d lost his mind. As Sutton got closer, he raised the bat as if to swing it at them.
“You’d better be prepared to kill me if you swing that bat,” said East. “Because if you don’t, I will beat you to death with that thing.”
Sutton stopped, frozen in place. He was breathing so heavily he could barely catch a full breath. His face was flaming red, his big belly causing strain on his body.
“You’re so fucking cocky,” he growled. “I should kill you just for that.”
“But you won’t. Because you need me. If you hadn’t panicked and called me back here, I would have caught the man who did this. I was on his tail and had tracked him to the tunnel location. But you acted like a spoiled child, screaming and yelling for me to get back here. Well, here I am, and he’s still out there.”
“Who is he?” screamed Sutton, spittle flying from his lips.
“If I knew that, I’d be with him, not you.”
