Conviction (22 page)

Chapter 29 – James

James left Claudette on the ledge of the back wall of the compound. He didn’t like this plan, but it was the best one they had been able to come up with. Leaving the girl lying flat on the wall, he moved quickly and silently back towards the house. This was taking too long and they’d only managed to get one girl out. It would only be a matter of time before they would be seen, or the missing guard noticed. He’d pummelled the man into oblivion, knowing that he would have hurt many of the women to become enslaved or sold off by Devlin. The man was scum.

Reaching the edge of the tree line, he squatted down and waited for another security guard on the roof to make his next round. He would walk to the corner of the house before turning and making another round along the roof top.

As soon as the guard’s back was turned, James crept out from the cover of the trees and headed back towards the window. When he arrived he crouched in the dark corner that they window was hidden in. At least he wasn’t a sitting duck in the open. The little cut out gave him some cover where he was able to haul the girls out the window and wait for the right time to move back into the darkness of the tree line.

He pushed the window in towards the basement prison cells and waited for Xander to lift the next girl up high enough that he would be able to grasp her wrists and pull her free of her prison.

“I’m going to let you go, but Kelly, you
will
remain calm or I will be forced to calm you down. Do you understand me?” James heard Xander growl and closed his eyes. Kelly wasn’t in the right headspace for this rescue to take as long as it was. He was worried that she would try and get out another way rather than wait. She was the oldest in the room, so she would be going last.

A few more seconds passed before he saw two chocolate arms reaching up towards him, even with her dark coloured skin he could see dark bruising on her arms and wrists. He locked his hands around her wrists and she did the same in return. The monkey grip was the strongest hold that would allow him to pull them up through the window.

As he hauled the girl through the window she cried out softly and he quickly covered her mouth and assured her that she was okay. Her deep chocolate eyes were wide with fear and a large vein in her neck told him her adrenalin was pumping through her body.
Good
, he thought, she would need all of it to survive the night.

Crouching down he signalled for her to climb on his back. One pair of feet on the ground was quieter than two. Plus, he would be able to stop her from running off if her flight or fight response kicked in. That would just get them all killed.

Checking his watch he waited ten seconds past when the guard would be right above them before moving quietly across the open ground. His footsteps weren’t silent like they would have been had he been moving on his own. But the beautiful brave girl on his back didn’t weight much and they were quickly within the safety of the tree line.

Once they reached the wall Claudette sat up and reached out as he passed the girl up explaining quietly how to do a monkey grip. Even with her tiny size, Claudette was strong and wilful. She dragged her friend up and then helped guide her down to the safety of the other side.

“You’re supposed to swap, you’re supposed to be over the wall.”

“I’m stronger than most of them, despite these broken bones. I’ll swap when I can’t lift anymore.”

James smiled at her bossiness, seeing her strength and determination oozing from her battered soul. He guessed it had been a long time since she had felt in control of her choices and he wasn’t about to waste more time arguing.

He nodded his understanding before turning he moved swiftly back into the dense trees knowing that with each one they saved, he would be closer to carrying Kelly to safety as well.

Chapter 30 – Kelly

“What are you doing, Kelly?” Anna asked as she watched incredulous at what her cousin was doing.

Kelly didn’t answer, continuing to remove the pants off the soldier who still lay unconscious on the cold concrete floor. Kelly reached for the knife that had been in the pile of things from the monster’s pockets and cut the cable tie before quickly pulling off the pants and using another cable tie that Xander had dropped to bound his feet again.

Quickly she pulled on the khaki pants and cut a new whole into the belt so they would stay up. Reaching down she cut off the bottoms of the pants, losing at least a foot of length to better fit her short stature. Next she removed his shoes and put them on, quickly lacing them up without socks tucking the excess pant material into the top off the boots. They were at least three sizes too big for her, but she didn’t have much choice. Running around naked would get her noticed too quickly and if the element of surprise gained her even a second of time, she would be grateful.

“Kelly? What are you going to do?” Anna whispered as Xander quickly held up another girl for James to grab and pull through the window. Kelly cut the tie from his hands after undoing the man’s shirt, slipping his arms roughly from the shirt before again using a new cable tie to ensure he was no risk to the girls. Lastly she pulled the black beanie from his head and tucked her long hair up.

Kelly returned to the pile of items that Xander had pulled from his pocket and pulled out a phone, some pepper spray.
Where the hell was his gun?
She thought. She knew they all had them. They constantly waved them around to scare the girls. Making sure that each one knew they weren’t afraid to use it.

Kelly searched along the wall which was darker than the rest of the cell and quickly found his gun, Xander must have kicked it to the side and forgotten about it.

Kelly added the holster from his waist to her own and placed the gun in with the safety off. The holster also held a silencer which surprised her. Why on earth did they need that? There was nothing around here but other monsters. Despite her thoughts, she screwed on the silencer, if she had to shoot, there was no point in letting the entire compound know.

Anna grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly.

“What the fuck, Kelly? You want to explain to me what the fuck you’re doing?” Anna whispered as quietly as she dared whilst still getting her anger across to the cousin she thought she would never see again.

“I’m going to kill Devlin King. You know as well as I do that he will either get off somehow or simply disappear! I won’t let him continue to do this to anyone ever again. I’m doing it for my baby boy. I’m doing it for K…Kelly-Anne.”

Anna drew in a quick breath at the mention of her daughter’s name. She was trying hard to focus on everything else, knowing that her little princess was in a better place now. Anna wanted to shake Kelly until she saw reason. The two women stared at each other until Anna saw the sheer determination and resolve in Kelly’s eyes. She remembered that look. Even as kids when they had played together, Kelly had been headstrong and wilful. She had never backed away from any challenge that Anna and the other neighbourhood kids had created for her. Even knowing she was going to get hurt, like the time they challenged her to climb in into the attic window from outside…two floors down. She’d nearly made it too. If the window hadn’t have been locked. In the end she’d fallen the two stories and broken her leg. Kelly had been more annoyed at not being able to go into the pool with the other kids than having a fracture.

Anna nodded once and wrapped Kelly up in her arms, hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time she would see her alive.

Kelly stiffened into the physical contact but didn’t offer her own arms to Anna. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t be able to do what she needed to do if she let her emotions and love for Anna override her rage and grief.

As soon as Anna let her go Kelly headed straight for the locked cell door, the key card clenched in her shaking hand. She didn’t look back as she reached through the cold metal bars that had rusted in some parts and swiped the card. Once she heard the beep she quickly opened it and stepped through closing it silently behind her.

“Kelly!” Xander called out to her, but he was too late. Kelly stood with her back to the cell door, she couldn’t look at him. “Kelly, please, open the gate and come back into the room where we can protect you. I
promise
we will get you out, you just have to be patient.”

“I’m not leaving until he is dead, Xander. I’m sorry. Just...please...just get them out.” Kelly said quietly as she pulled out the gun and attached the silencer, screwing the metal tube on until it clicked into place. “Tell James…thankyou…for
everything
...tell him he made a difference to my life.” With her weapon ready she headed up the stairs, ignoring the protest from her battered body.

Time was running out. Devlin would come for her soon. She was surprised that he hadn’t come already. Either to kill the girls or use them against her. Kelly said a silent prayer that the two brave men who had come in fighting for her would get the surviving women out to safety.

Xander’s low growl echoed the string of profanities he had strung together when he realised that she wasn’t coming back up to her on the top of stairs. Before she lost her nerve, Kelly quickly swiped the card across the security pad again and watched as the lock light went from red to green as it clicked open. Pocketing the key card in case she needed it again, Kelly turned the handle and stepped into the main floor of the house, making sure she closed the door inaudibly behind her.

Quickly scanning the room she blew out a small breath that she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. The lounge was empty. She shuddered as she took in the non-standard lounge items. The Saint Andrew’s cross that sat directly in front of three spacious lounge chairs. The heavy duty bolts, complete with chains that attached to each chair. The various whips, paddles and other items that lined the walls on either side of the cross. Goosebumps broke over her skin as she walked slowly through the room, her oversize shoes thumping softly on the floor.

Dammit
! Why couldn’t she have been born to be taller? These shoes were going to get her heard. And killed.

Kelly felt around her waist until they met the gun holster. She hadn’t noticed when she’d put it on, but there were three extra clips attached to the belt. She wouldn’t need them all, but she liked the pseudo security she felt with them clipped there.

She didn’t want to lose the shoes, knowing that if anyone was to quickly glance at her they wouldn’t realise who she was, dressed as one of the guards, she was hoping to buy herself a few seconds before anyone she came across would recognise her and respond.

She knew she couldn’t fool Devlin himself, the man knew his team almost better than his women.

Shaking off the doom that had filled her from seeing the torture devices Kelly crossed the room and entered a long hallway. The fact that it was empty didn’t make her feel any safer. She knew she only had a few more minutes before she was discovered. If she was lucky.

As she approached the first open door, Kelly stopped and listened for any sound coming through the open doorway. The only thing that she could hear was the thumping of her own heart as it pumped in her chest.

Just go! You need to finish this, Kelly.
The internal pep talk helped and she held the gun out in front of her as she entered the room, keeping her back to the wall as she made sure it was empty. Surprised at how steady her hands were holding the gun out, Kelly cleared the next four rooms quickly and efficiently. Silently thanking god for letting her live this long and at the same time cursing under her breath as the process of taking out Devlin King was taking so long.

At the end of the hall, Kelly headed up the marble stair case, the hand rail so shiny she could almost see her own reflection as she pointed the gun at the top of the stairs and quietly took each step to the top.

As she peeked around the corner Kelly could hear a low murmur, like white noise on the radio or when the TV went off station. She waited. Not sure whether to head in the opposite direction or towards the noise.

Her thoughts turned to James. His beautiful blue eyes providing the clarity that she needed. He could never truly want her. She was too broken. Inside and out. Her body, with its ugly reminders of Devlin’s treatment, and her mind, that had seen too much, processed too much to ever trust or love.

Kelly closed her eyes and focused on the feeling deep in her belly that twisted and churned whenever she thought of James. She let it grow and build, reminding her of her reason for being here. Reminding her of the girls that needed to be saved. Those still down in that wretched dungeon and those that would take their places when Devlin was done with them. Thrown away like the garbage he treated them like.

Replaceable.

Human commodities.

Opening her eyes and raising the gun to eye level, Kelly let out a slow breathe and rounded the corner. Heading straight for where the low sounds were coming from.

The next room Kelly found a guard watching through the window, binoculars blocked his peripheral vision and he did see Kelly coming at him silently stepping across the tiled floor.

Kelly's fist collided with the side of his head and the binoculars fells against the window. Kelly grabbed at them but couldn't stop them from clattering to the floor. Giving up on guiding the man's unconscious body to the floor quietly, Kelly let him drop, unable to stop herself from smiling as his head hit the edge of an antique side table on the way down. Kelly pulled out her gun, knowing that she could kill him and not live long enough to deal with the consequences. But as she pointed the gun at his head, she thought better. Xander and James must have notified the authorities by now. Surely. Let this scum fight for his right to live in prison where he belonged.

Kelly turned and followed the hallway further along, the faint noise was getting louder and she realised it was coming from Devlin's office. Kelly's nose started to bleed and she wiped at it with the over-sized sleeves from the shirt she was wearing. She felt dirty and used and couldn't wait to take off the uniform that she was wearing. She didn't want to die wearing something that had been worn by a man who had worked for Devlin King.

Dizziness threatened Kelly's resolve and she reached for the wall to stop herself from falling into it. Taking in small breaths Kelly realised that she was burning up, a fever was taking hold and she badly needed some water. Just a few more minutes, she promised herself. Just a few more minutes.