Sorry for the tardiness but I've had an unexpectedly busy life that tore me apart from my from usual schedule. I won't waste any more time as we get into the next chapter and believe me when I tell you: Things are about to escalate.
Several minutes passed after Tyler and Alec broke the news. Cassie and Derek gasped silently before looking over at the Priest, who was bending over forward with a hand on his chest, clutching his heart. He made a fist with his other hand before looking up with a sneer on his face.
"I'll kill them all," he declared, "EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"
Cassie and Derek flinch at the Priest's words, taken aback by this part of his personality they never knew existed.
Cassie turned to Tyler and asked, "Who abducted her? Was it Overlord?"
Tyler furrowed his brows. "Overlord?"
Alec shook his head before saying, "Never heard of them." He looked up to his left. "Sounds familiar though."
"Who abducted her?!" Cassie repeated.
"I don't know," Tyler answered. "They didn't give a name out so we don't know the identities of the kidnappers."
"Then how are we to find her?"
The Priest's visible glare softened as he remembered something. "I can find her."
Cassie looked at the Priest. "How?"
"I have a GPS tracker on her." He pulled out his phone.
"What?"
"Bethany has a GPS implanted in the back of her shoulder." He searches for a GPS tracking app.
"You put a GPS tracker in your niece's shoulder?" Cassie shook her head disapprovingly. "I would argue why you shouldn't chip kids like dogs but-"
"I didn't chip her, her parents did." He typed in something. "They told me the barcode in case something like this happened."
Cassie shook her head and put her face in her hands. "I don't care about the moral ethics about chipping a human being as long as we find Bethany."
The Priest waits for the GPS tracker to locate his niece.
Brother, you and your wife were involved in some illicit trading, the Priest thought. You chipped your daughter in case any of your enemies abducted her. You weren't good people but you were looking after your daughter.
The GPS locates Bethany's current position.
I am proud of you, brother.
The Priest reads over the coordinates presented to him. "I know where she is."
Tyler turned to the vehicle. "Hop in and I'll call the rest of the guys."
The Priest didn't hesitate as he climbed into the backseat and guided the ex-soldiers carefully to their destination.
Warehouse
It wasn't supposed to be like this...
When Bethany came too, she couldn't see. Her first thought was that she was blinded but when she calmed herself down, she realized she had a burlap sack of her head and she was dangling several feet above the ground from a hook. She shook her body, kicking her feet out to feel for the wall but felt nothing. She tried crying before tasting fabric materials jammed into her mouth. She had been gagged and cried for help was muffled by the washcloth.
No, I don't want to die!
The thought of dying suddenly made her body feel heavy. She kicked her feet out without the care of alerting anybody in the room. She was too preoccupied to care about her current location and kept kicking her feet out, hoping that it would do something to free her.
I can't die, not right here!
She heard from her parents that when people are on the edge of death, they see their life flash before her eyes. She experienced this moment a short while ago and was prepared for it this time.
Uncle will save me, just like last time.
She heard the unmistakable sounds of the door opening and she went limp, hoping to feign unconsciousness.
"I know that you are awake," a deep voice spoke.
Bethany nearly flinched but kept her composure, even if it meant feeling like her heart had clogged up her throat like a toilet.
"But I guess it doesn't matter," the voice continued. "I'm going to hurt you regardless." He took something out and ground it against the wall, sending sparks flying. "I'm going to gut you open like a fish."
Bethany nearly flinched. She knew that the man knew that she was awake but she didn't want to risk it.
"It's nothing personal, I promise. Even if you were a boy, I still would've abducted you. Your uncle, Father Yagmur, is going to be in for one hell of a treat." He sharpens his knife by rubbing it against another knife. "I'm going to cut you open and pull your intestines out like pulling a baby out of a pregnant woman's stomach, all in due time. When your uncle gets here and by god, I know he will get here, I can't wait to torture him."
He took the lord's name in vain, Bethany instinctively thought.
"I just came in here to get one of my knives back; didn't want you jumping off that hook and freeing yourself before Father Uncle Yagmur arrived." He moved towards her, evident by the footsteps stomping towards her, getting louder and closer. "Just know that everything I am about to you is not out of malicious glee or sadism, just rage." He laughs. "I'm not mad at you as you specifically but you are one of one hundred outlets for me to take my anger outon."
"I'll see you in due time, Bethany Sadik."
He turned and left the room, leaving Bethany to pretend to play dead for a few more minutes.
Once she was sure he was gone and not coming back, she let her shoulders relax and start to sob. She bit down into the washcloth to not draw attention but nothing could d be done to get her down from her dangling post.
Please save me, uncle.
Turns out when you have a best friend whose mother was best friends with ex-soldiers turned mercenaries, you could save a lot of time going to the gun store when you use the guns they brought with them.
Cassie finished plugging the last bullet into her magazine before slapping it into her M4 carbine and cocking it. She put on a gun belt and filled the pouches with ammo. She checked to make sure her grappling hook and climbing piton were in place. Once she was done evaluating her arms, she took out her pocket-sized notebook and wrote something in it.
She looked up at the Priest, who was sitting in the seat beside her. She looked over her shoulder to see several more SUVs following, each one filled with the former teammates of Derek's veteran mother.
The sun had gone down, which would keep them out of sight and give them a stealth advantage. As Cassie held her M4 carbine to her chest like a mother cradling a baby, she turned to the priest.
"What were Bethany's parents like to chip her?" she suddenly asked. "Did they chip her when she was a child or was this recent before they died?"
The Priest said nothing and kept looking down at the GPS. "Four miles," he counted quietly, "we're almost there."
He looked at her, acknowledging her by answering her question. "Recent," he sighed, "said it was necessary for their line of work."
Cassie furrowed her eyes. "What kind of line of work requires them to chip their own daughter?"
The Priest went silent.
Cassie held her hands up. "You know what, it is none of my business-"
"My brother is Bethany's father," he interrupted as he stared down at the GPS. "Me and my brother grew up as religious people. We went to church every Sunday, prayed every night before we went to bed, started reading the bible and memorizing every little detail we could."
In the passenger seat, Derek looked in the rearview mirror at the Priest.
"My brother told me he was caught up in debt with creditors from banks and loan sharks and..." he trailed off as if he chocked on remembering something. "His salary wasn't going to make these debts and he became desperate. I told him that God will find a way but he told me that God never helped him and won't help him now." He gulps. "He met this one girl, my future sister-in-law, who was rich with money at the cost of being involved on the black market. I told them it was wrong and that people were going to get hurt because of them but they... they didn't listen, saying that if God isn't going to help them then they'll help themselves."
Bethany's parents were involved in the black market? Cassie asked herself. I've had my fair share of black market traffickers.
"Ali and Ela were selling firearms on the black market and making money to pay off their debts. They would continue to do so, even after my niece was born. Unfortunately, they never took into account where their suppliers have been getting their weapons from so they were attacked by a gang of lunatics who nearly killed them that night to get their guns back. Belinay was almost kidnapped in the attempt but they got her back and they chipped her, claiming that it was because they didn't want their daughter to be held ransom but I suspect because they couldn't bear to lose her twice."
"Despite their illicit deals, her parents did love her," Cassie reminded.
"The last time I saw little brother Ali was when he told me the barcode for the chip implant and to take care of her." He could feel the tears building up and used every ounce of willpower he had to prevent them from dribbling down his cheeks. "Two days later, I pick up the newspaper and there was an article about a gang war and there were two bodies. They left their names out but I knew who they were. I knew who those charred corpses were. I-" he choked on the last word with a sob. "I-"
Cassie put a hand on the Priest's shoulder. "You don't have to say anymore. We are going to get Bethany back."
"And kill everyone who kidnapped her," Derek hissed.
Alec, sitting in the back, laughed hysterically at Derek's comment.
Tyler, who was driving, patted Derek on the shoulder. "You promised us people to shoot at and it looks like you're delivering." He looked at the Priest in the rearview mirror. "We're going to get your niece back church guy, ex-Navy SEALs honor."
The Priest nodded and thanked them in his head.
After a few minutes of driving, they pulled up to a spot where the GPS said they have arrived. The destination was a pier with a warehouse at the end and what looked like a runway planted on the front. The drivers and passengers looked both ways to see the runway deserted of any aircraft and a lack of sign of anyone within the warehouse. They shut their headlights off and parked their cars in the trees a good safe distance away.
They cocked their guns and hid in the trees as they came up with a plan.
Tyler and Alec had the highest ranks of the ex-soldiers and the most experience so they came up with a strategy and told the others. Once three soldiers used thermal vision to scope out the place, they deemed it clear and allowed the first team to approach by crawling on their stomachs across the runway.
Once they reach the warehouse, they scout the building out for a window and find a balcony. Cassie used her climbing skills to scale up the wall and take a peek inside.
The interior of the warehouse had excavation equipment like forklifts and tractors and a second floor made of wood. The window was opened slightly so she crawled through and scouted out the place once more. It was dark inside and there was plenty of open space inside the building so she watched for signs of an ambush.
Unbeknownst to her, she stepped on a bug-sized device that was sending out a signal.
"Tariq, I know where Cassie Drake is."
"Who the hell is this?"
"She's at the warehouse down at the pier. You know the place."
"Who is this?!"
"Commander Uzun, I know where Cassie Drake is."
"State your name, soldier."
"She's at the warehouse down at the pier. You know the place."
"Who the hell is this? How did you hack into a secured channel?!"
Cassie switched to night vision as she pulled her grappling hook and reeled it down for the others. She leaps off the balcony and lands on top of an oil drum before jumping down. She scans her environment before she spots a door at the other side of the warehouse hiding behind several crates. She moves in, not waiting for Derek, Tyler, or Alec, and pushes open the door.
They found Bethany dangling from ropes tied around a meat hook.
"P-please..." a soft voice whimpered, "p-p-please."
Cassie gasped and turned on the light, finding the switch located beside her.
"No!" Bethany kicked and screamed. "NO!"
"Bethany, it's me!" Cassie shouted. "It's me, Cassie!"
"Cassie!" Bethany sobbed. "CASSIE! Where's uncle?"
"He's outside." She holsters her assault rifle and rushes to the thirteen-year-old's side. "I'm getting you out of here."
Alec stayed above the balcony while Derek and Tyler covered the door along with two other soldiers.
Cassie helped Bethany down from the meat hook and undid the ropes around her wrist. She removed the mask to stare into the eyes of a girl who looked like she cried her life out. Bethany crashes into Cassie's waist with her arms wrapped around her hips. Cassie patted the back of Bethany's head, running her hands soothingly through the little girl's hair and whispering that everything will be alright.
"Where's uncle?" Bethany sobbed. "I want to see uncle."
"He's outside; I'm going to take you to meet him."
Cassie wondered who stole Bethany.
Who had the galls to kidnap a thirteen-year-old from school? Was it Overlord or was it those other guys?
She decided to ask Bethany after they made it to safety.
As Cassie took her first step out the door, she heard the unmistakable sounds of gunfire outside. Bethany cringed and tucked herself deeper into Cassie's lower abdomen.
Should've known it wasn't going to be easy. At least we got reinforcements this time.
Cassie unholstered her M4 carbine and held it with one hand, aiming towards the large warehouse gate, making sure the safety was off as she mentally prepared herself for war.
Happy Thanksgiving.