Page 25 of Thaddeus

My breath caught in my throat at the stench. The smell of urine and feces was overwhelming, the humidity and stagnant air made them more so.

“Jesus,” I mumbled.

I was guided into the second room, which was smaller than the first room, maybe the size of a small bedroom, and illuminated only by a battery-operated lantern. Five girls huddled in the corner.

“Where are the rest?” I asked.

No words were spoken by my guide on this fucked-up tour. He only shrugged. I wondered why he wasn’t speaking, but then maybe none of them wanted the women to be able to recognize their voices. He let go of my arm and gestured for me to go to the girls.

I slowly moved across the room and knelt down in front of them. I wanted privacy for this talk, but I was out of time, so I didn’t bother to ask to be left alone.

“These men are here to save you,” I started, hoping one of them spoke English. “Do any of you understand?”

Two of the girls nodded. “Good. That’s good. No one’s going to hurt you. They’re going to take you somewhere safe and get you back to your families.”

Five blank faces stared back at me. My heart broke. None of them believed me. Shit. I hated this part. Hated the look of doubt and devastation.

I pulled a folded photograph from my bra and opened the paper to show the girls.

“Have any of you seen this woman?”

None of them looked down. None of them looked like they were paying any attention to the words I was speaking.

“Please help me,” I begged. “This is my sister. Just look at it. Please. Have you seen her?”

One of the girls—she looked to be the youngest of the group—glanced at the picture of my beautiful little sister, shook her head, and nudged the girl next to her to look.

She shook her head no as well.

My shoulders slumped forward and I stared at the dirty floor.

Another dead-end.

Always a dead-fucking-end.

But it wasn’t these girls’ fault and at least five more girls would be set free.

“Thank you for looking. You’re all safe now.”

I started to stand when the youngest of them grabbed my hand and squeezed.

Maybe she’d be one of the lucky ones who would survive mentally.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” I stood and motioned for them to do the same.

I turned and found the big man dressed in black from head to toe was looking at his boots.

He’d heard.

Damn it.

“Are you guys ready to get them out of here?” I asked.

His hooded eyes came to mine and his piercing blue ones held me in place

Max.

And he’d heard.