Page 48 of Thaddeus

I watched Thad as he walked into the unknown and I did this with a knot in my stomach. I wanted to call out to him and make him stop.

“Something’s wrong,” I whispered. “Really wrong.”

“Why do you think that?” Tatiana asked.

“I don’t know. There should be more people here or something. I can’t explain it but I feel it, like everything inside of me wants to run. I want all of us to run.”

“Christ,” Brooks grumbled. His already-taunt frame grew even stiffer as he scanned the area around us.

“Babe, go ahead and draw, safety off.”

Luckily, Tatiana knew what Brooks was saying, because I certainly didn’t. Not until she moved her shirt aside and pulled a handgun out of the holster on her hip.

“Do I get one?” I asked.

Brooks glanced in my direction and asked, “You know how to use one?”

“No.”

“Then no.”

I probably should’ve lied. And if I was going to lie, I should’ve kept the wobble out of my voice, but I didn’t do that, either.

“Whatever you’re feelin’, you’re gonna have to use it to stay alert. If you feel something's wrong, then there’s something wrong. Trust it. Use it, Emerson. But do not allow it to cripple you with fear.”

“I don’t know how to do that, Brooks. I’m not used to any of this.”

“Sure you are. You’re just used to going at it alone. I read your file, I know what you’ve done. This is no different. The team is going to clear the buildings. After that we’re goin’ inside. If there are women in there, you and Tatiana are going to talk to them, reassure them we’re the good guys and we’re gonna get them help. If there’s no one there, we go on our way.”

Brooks was so wrong. There was a huge difference between me nosing around and following someone to gain information so I could move on to the next man. I’d never gone on the offensive and actively tried to take out security.

“Jefferson’s dead,” I announced.

“Aware of that, Emerson.”

“Maybe I’m overreacting. It would make sense there aren’t a bunch of guards here. I mean, he’s gone. Maybe Paul already moved the women. He wouldn’t care about the dogs, he never did, he’d leave them here. Barebones staff would make sense.”

“Don’t do that. Trust your gut. And make no mistake, we’re taking it seriously.” Brooks stopped for a moment before he declared, “The first building was empty. The second one has ten women and has been secured. They’re ready for us.”

Thank God, I’d been wrong. Everything was fine. I’d overreacted. Later I’d apologize to everyone, though I wouldn’t explain I figured my emotions being all out of whack was due to being close to Thad again.

No, I’d keep that to myself.

We slowly made our way to the chain-link gated area with two block buildings. They looked like two mid-sized houses, only there were no windows at would-be eye level. There were only cutouts that ran along the top. Every fifth cinderblock one was missing allowing hot, humid air and bugs to enter the building.

It never failed to make me sick how these men treated the women they kept in captivity. It would be hot as shit in those buildings and there were no screens on the windows meaning bugs could get in.

Dicks.

Vile, disgusting, pieces of shit.

Every time my conscience started to get the best of me, and guilt started to creep in, all I had to do was remember something like this, the way these poor innocent girls were treated, and it quenched the contrition. Every man I’d killed deserved it. They’d bought their tickets to hell and part of me felt good about sending them.

Brooks entered the building first, Tatiana behind me, boxing me in. I wanted to ask her why she got a gun and how she knew how to use one well enough that Brooks trusted her to watch his back, but I refrained.

Mainly because huddled on the floor were ten filthy women all holding on to each other. Just like in the shack in Venezuela, they all looked beaten and broken.

I started to step around Brooks and Thad came to my side. He didn’t say anything as I approached the women. He just stood next to me.