Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
And I knew we had been right. Even a sick fuck like Bakos, who sold human beings for a living, would try to protect his own family. We were bluffing, but by the look on his face, it was working. We’d also left him a weapon though. And that would give him an extra reason to share the truth and distract us as he worked to get free and then attack.
Josh continued. “Recognize her? Cute, isn’t she? See that little red dot that moves wherever she does? That’s our sniper’s gun. Start talking or he takes her out right now. The guard you have posted in the next room won’t even be able to blink before we take them all out.”
Bakos narrowed his eyes, a look of hatred on his face. Josh clicked on the tape recorder and after a long pause, Bakos started talking. I couldn’t even tell he was sawing at his rope bindings. The man was good at multi-tasking, I’d give him that. The adrenalin must have sobered him up.
“I was in that warehouse the night you came in,” Bakos said. “My men and I were going over plans to ship the merchandise out in the morning. While you were taking my guards down, I was able to make it to a hidden room with a trapdoor, with one of the girls as a hostage. The bitch cried and I heard you coming toward the room, so I watched out the peephole until you turned around, and then I opened it and hit you over the head with a rock I found on the floor. Simple. I dragged you inside, gagged the girl and waited until your men left. Then I executed the bitch with your gun, put some of her blood on your clothes, and left the rock in her hand. I had you dropped off in an abandoned house. Easy. I barely broke a sweat.” Bakos went silent. And utterly still. A coiled snake, waiting.
Josh clicked off the recorder, his eyes never moving from Bakos. He sent the file to Dylan, and his phone dinged a second later saying Dylan had gotten it and that the file was good. I saw Bakos’s thigh muscles tense very subtly and before he could spring up, I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around him and pinning his arms next to his body. Bakos bellowed, fighting me, surprisingly strong for an old, fat man and Josh moved like lightning to the back of the chair. Bakos screamed and I barely heard the crack of his wrist breaking under the shrill sound. And then Josh was next to me, the knife in his hand and his gun at Bakos’s temple.
I let go, stepping back quickly as Bakos breathed harshly, bringing his untied wrist around his body and cradling it as a storm of rage moved through his eyes.
I took the knife from Josh and tossed it on the table. As I was beginning to move around Bakos to re-tie his bindings, I glanced down to Josh’s hand and I saw it fist, but I didn’t stop him. Once again, Josh moved forward like lightning and punched him in the face, Bakos’s head whipping back and blood flying out of his nose. His head lolled on his neck, the arm with the broken wrist dropping down by his side—he was out cold.
Josh turned around, his jaw clenching as he shook his hand out. “Holy shit. Hidden rooms with trapdoors? He got me with some Scooby-Doo shit.” He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a small, humorless laugh.
I shook my head. I was sure he was affected by hearing how the girl we had come to rescue had ended up shot in the head. So was I. I clapped him lightly on his shoulder. “Let’s go, Shaggy. I believe we have a delivery for the head prosecutor on your case. Call the police and give ’em the address where they can find this waste of space.” I nodded back toward an unconscious Bakos. “Let’s move,” I said quietly.
Ten minutes later, we were pulling around the corner as we heard the sirens moving in the direction of the warehouse.
CHAPTER 35
Grace
Two weeks later
I pulled the straps of my dress over my shoulders and smiled into the mirror. The last two weeks had gone by in a whirlwind. A happy whirlwind but an intense one.
After presenting the videotape evidence to Larry, we took it to the judge and the murder case against Josh was dismissed a couple days later. Bakos had attempted to recant what he’d said on tape, claiming it was taken under duress and he had lied to save the lives of his family, but the evidence found in the warehouse and the phones that had been confiscated was far too overwhelming. The murder he had framed Josh for was only one of the charges filed against him.