Sara let herself drop through the opening. She landed on the cold concrete below and quickly scrambled to her feet. Ahead of her, the other girls were making a beeline for The Sleeping room. Sara stood on shaky legs, noticed the pain in her ankle, and limped behind them. Behind her, she could hear Mustache's heavy boots hitting the floor.
"Barricade the door," Sara quickly said as they entered the room.
There hadn't been enough time to fully barricade the door. Mustache was already breaking his way into the room and Sara knew that he had his mind set on her. She looked towards the grate, hurried over to it, and bent down to peer in. She could not see anything. She could only hear the faint hum of blowing wind.
"We have to hurry," Sara said, reaching for one of the young girls.
The one Sara had given the gun to spoke up. "He doesn't want us," she said softly. "He'll kill you the moment he reaches you. You were never intended to be here."
Sara blinked back her tears. "I'll bring back help," she said.
"Take this," the girl said to her, placing the gun into Sara's hand.
Without responding, Sara pulled her body inside the shaft. The cold metal was slippery on both sides of her and the cold air, which was lightly blowing in her face, make her shiver. Still, she was too scared to stop crawling. As quickly as she could she moved her hands and knees, crawling like a baby.
Behind her she heard Mustache's thick voice ask where she had gone. He must have figured out her route quickly, because the light that had been coming from behind her vanished and the vent was now filled with his grunts and cries of rage. He was coming after her.
~0~
Judge Milton pulled up in front of the Hotel Ricardo and rushed inside. Gil parked his car across the street and debated following the man inside. The Jane Doe's body had been found, the hotel had been closed down via court order. He did not need a warrant to enter, but something in the back of his mind made him hesitant to act.
"Don't do anything stupid Gil," Brass said.
Gil looked over at his friend. "Waiting would be stupid," he said. "Sara's been out of time for a while."
"What do you want to do?" Brass asked. "We can get Vartann out here."
Gil nodded. "Call him," he said. "Tell him I'm going in to get her. She's in there I know it."
Before Brass could speak, Gil had exited the car. As he watched his friend stealthily approach the hotel, he wondered if he was right. Had Sara been under their noes the whole time?
~0~
Sara crawled as fast as she could. More than a few times a bare knee would scrap across an exposed bolt. She knew her knees were going to be shredded by time she emerged, but she did not want to stop to think about it.
Behind her, Mustache cursed her and the sound of his heavy body scrambling through the shaft grew louder with each passing second. She knew that he was gaining on her and she wondered how long it would be before she was dragged back by her ankle.
Ahead of her, she saw a faint light and she wondered how far she had crawled. She had followed the winding vent, but she did not know where it ended. She prayed she would be outside, but for all she knew it was Mobius strip that went in circles.
"I'm gonna kill you," Mustache breathed behind her. "And mail your remains back to your husband in pieces."
She felt a hand brush her foot and let out a panicked cry; she did not realize he was so close. The gun was still clutched in her hand, but she did not dare stop long enough to try and use it. He would be on her in a moment and she could not risk it.
Ahead of her the light grew brighter. She scurried ahead quickly and placed her hands against the funnel wired grate. She pushed with all her might. Luckily, unlike the grate cover that had been in The Sleeping room, this one was not bolted to the wall. As she emerged, she looked around quickly and she saw that she was in some sort of basement.
But as she climbed out her ankle was grasped and she was pulled down to the floor. The gun skittered out of her reach. Above her, Mustache appeared. In his hand he held a drug-filled syringe and Sara struggled wildly. He quickly plunged it into her shoulder and pushed down on the plunger.
~0~
Gil had entered with his gun drawn. The hotel was empty and the silence rang in his ears. He could not hear the judge anywhere so he walked softly down the hallway and towards the main office. As he neared, he heard hushed voices.
"It seems that the business you're running doesn't provide proper confidentiality for men like me," Milton was saying. "You can't even control your own merchandise!"
"Merchandise?" Gil thought.
Bindy spoke up. "I don't run the operation," he said. "It's just passing through town. Soon the trucks will be loaded up and they'll be gone. I've already told the big boss about this."
Milton scoffed. "So you are just a false front," he said. "A proverbial 'Man Behind the Curtain'."
Gil held his gun at-the-ready. He was just about to enter the room when a cell phone sounded. Bindy quickly answered it and Gil stepped back.
"OK, bring the truck around," he said into his phone.
The two voices faded as the men walked away. When it was silent, Gil rounded the corner and went behind the desk. If there was something there on Sara, then he needed to find it. He went through all the drawers, but he found nothing.
To his left the closet stood ajar. He opened it and began to rummage through the clothes that hung there. It was there, behind the rack of clothes, that he saw the crease in the wall.
"It's a false back," he thought as he pulled the hidden door open.
They had searched the hotel thoroughly, but had not been aware of any other rooms. He was now convinced, more than ever, that Sara was here. As he opened the door, he saw a set of stairs that descended into darkness.
"I'm coming to get you, baby," he said as he began to climb down.
~0~
Brass had called for backup, but he didn't want to stand around and wait for help to appear. From the side of the hotel, he saw an eighteen wheeler pull up. The driver got out and Brass pulled out his own gun. He hoped the cavalry didn't show up with sirens blaring.
He crept alongside the tree line, watching as the trucker and Bindy discussed business. Bindy looked furious, shouted something at the driver, and the reentered the hotel. Brass approached with his gun raised.
"Step out of the truck and place your hands on your head!," he said loudly.
The man tried to climb back into the truck cab, but Brass gave his head a shake.
"Not a good idea," he said, raising his radio to his mouth.
~0~
Sara brought her knee down and connected with Mustache's stomach. He was not affected by Sara's attempt to fight. She screamed wildly and clawed at his face, hoping that she could rack her fingers into his eye sockets.
All at once the effects of the drugs hit her. The walls around her began to dance and her skin began to grow warm. She struggled to her feet, but the room began to spin slowly. In an instant she hit the ground, but she didn't remember falling and she did not feel the pain when she landed.
"Up you go, bitch," Mustache said, hoisting her up by her arm pits.
His words sounded like they were coming from underwater and she struggled to focus on what was real. She fought to hold onto herself, but she was unable to think. Dread filled her and she knew she was finished. She would be burned alive in the incinerator and Gil would never know how much she loved him. She would never be able to place her palm on his cheek or feel the warmth of his breath on her skin.
"You know," Mustache said to her. "When I found you up on the main floor talking to Beth I should have killed you right there. It would have been so easy."
"Main… floor," Sara thought. "Good God… I never left the hotel."
He lifted her effortlessly and walked towards one of the far walls. "It would have been like killing a little bird," he explained eerily. "Your back was turned to me and you had no idea I had been watching you since the moment you entered the restroom that night."
Sara thought back to the moment she had left the table. She had jokingly told D.B not to abandon her and he had whispered something back. She was too drugged to try and remember, but she wished with all her might that she was back in that ballroom. She wished all of this pain and anguish would leave her.
"I'll make sure your husband never forgets you," Mustache said. "I can mail him your ashes or save your body and send him a part of you every year."
"No," Sara forced herself to say. "you…. Gil,"
Mustache let her body fall to the cold floor. Sara tried to lift herself up, but her own weight was too much and she sank down to the floor. She heard metal sliding on metal and the roar of flames.
"I'll find you a pretty urn," he laughed as he bent to pick her back up.
"Stop and get on your knees!" a voice boomed behind her
Sara winced at the loud noise, but familiarity surged through her. She knew that voice, but her mind refused to connect the dots because it seemed too surreal. She let her head slump to the side so she could see her savior and she felt herself sob.
Gil had found her.
~0~
Gil heard Sara's scream and he plunged down into the darkness. His hand clutched the railing and his feelt stumbled over each other as he hurried down the stairs. The basement of the hotel was big and empty. Boxes were stacked up along one far wall, but he could not see Sara.
"I'll make sure your husband never forgets you," a man grunted. "I can mail him your ashes or save your body and send him a part of you every year."
Gil plastered himself to a wall and began to creep around until he was closer to the voice. He heard something slump on the floor and then the sound of a metal door sliding open. He peered around the corner until he saw Sara.
She was attempting to rise, but her body was shaky. His heart broke at the sight of her and anger flowed through his body. She looked extremely weak and bruised. Blood was trickling down from her bloodied knees and her spirit appeared to be broken. Without hesitating any longer, Gil aimed his gun and stepped out from behind the wall.
"Stop and get on your knees!" he yelled, aiming his gun at the man.
The man straightened and looked up. He quickly grabbed Sara by her hair and gave her a shake. Gil elevated his gun higher and raised his radio to his lips.
"Brass I got her," he said. "She's in the basement I need backup."
Mustache hoisted Sara to her feet. Gil saw that she had been heavily drugged and he was worried that she was too drugged. If she was, then her breathing could stop and she could go into heart failure. The man holding Sara pulled out a hunting knife. He held it flush against Sara's artery and his eyes dared Gil to move.
" You can kill me, but not before her blood sprays across your face," the man said.
Gil focused on Sara. "Can you hear me, honey?" he asked.
Sara's head lolled and she let out a moan. Gil thought that she wasn't hearing him, but her head gave a slight nod; she knew he was there. Gil raised his gun again.
"Drop the knife," he said.
"Fuck you," the mustache man said.
"Drop the knife," Gil repeated.
"I'll see her dead first," the man countered, pressing the blade harder into her skin.
A trickle of blood ran down Sara's neck and Gil pulled the trigger. The man's arm dropped the knife, Sara fell to the floor, and brain matter plastered against the wall. Gil holstered the gun and rushed to kneel down beside Sara. He took her in his arms gently and pressed his palm to her chest. Her breathing was shallow.
"Answer me, Sara," he said loudly, shaking her.
Sara's eyes fluttered and she struggled to look at him. "G…Gil," she said.
"You're safe now," Gil said, hugging her to him and kissing her head. "I've got you."
~0~
When D.B entered the hotel with Nick they saw Gil carrying Sara. They stopped, looked at one another, and made their way over to him. Nick placed his hand on Sara's head and saw that she unconscious. To him she looked beaten and worn, like an old shoe someone cast off.
"The ambulance is on its way," D.B said to him.
Gil nodded. "There's a mess downstairs," he said as he laid Sara on the floor.
He checked her pulse again, felt her heartbeat, and listened to her breathing. He still didn't understand anything that was going on, but to hold her in his arms again was more than he could ask for.
"Where's Jim?" Gil asked.
"Brass is outside with a suspect," D.B replied. "Looks like a man was here with a truck about to load up some cargo. We still don't know what cargo was. Bindy and Milton are in the wind."
Gil rubbed his beard. "I have a feeling we're about to uncover something sinister here," he said, smoothing Sara's hair back from her face.
D.B knelt down and took her hand. "We've got you," he said. "Someone's going to have hell to pay for this."
~0~
"What kind of Cargo were you going to take away?" Brass asked the unnamed trucker.
The driver, who was refusing to give his name, shrugged. "Just … ya know… whatever man," he said.
Brass gave a false smile. "Yeah I know," he said. "it's always 'whatever' with you people."
A squad car pulled up and Brass waved one of the officers over. "Take 'Taxi Driver' here with you and sit him down," he said. "We need to get inside."
~0~
Gil watched as the paramedics loaded Sara up into an ambulance and then he turned to D.B.
"Look in Bindy's office closet and there is a hidden door," he explained. "It leads to basement where I found Sara. I'll be at the hospital."
"Will do," D.B said as Gil climbed up into the ambulance.
After it pulled out, the two men went to find the hidden door. They located it without trouble and, with flashlights, descended the stairs. It took a moment for them to locate the body, but when they did Brass let out a whistle.
"Wow," he said. "I guess he won't be talking."
~0~
Upstairs, Nick and Vartann walked around with their guns at-the-ready. They rounded the corner into the kitchen and saw an opening in the floor. A cart lay over on its side, as if it had been pushed off the door. Nick shone a light into the hole and raised his two-way to his lips.
"Uh, guys," he said. "You may need to check this out."
~0~
Sara was listed in stable condition and was given a private room. The doctor had stated that she was severely dehydrated and they hurriedly started an IV that contained water and antibiotics. A nurse looked Sara over, whispered to another nurse, and the both nodded in concurrence.
Gil step forward. "What?" he asked.
One of the nurses hesitated, but spoke. "We need to do a SAE on her?" she said.
Gil looked at Sara and thought of the Jan Doe that had been found. They had discovered multiple seamen donors in her vaginal cavity and he felt bile rise in his throat. Without speaking he nodded to the nurses who hurried to begin the process.
Gil bent and took Sara's hand. "Baby, what happened?" he said, kissing it and holding it against his cheek.
~0~
The girls heard the shot ring out and they wondered if Sara had fired at Mustache or if he had fired at her. Not one of them dared to find out, so they stood and waited. Sara had said she'd send help and if she had survived, then she would. If she did not, then escape was not possible.
A noise beyond the door sent a panicked whisper around the room. The girls returned to their beds, in case it was Mustache or The Boss. The voices grew closer and then the a face appeared.
"Russell!" the voice called.
The girls all looked down in shame, but more people entered the room. Blankets were draped over shoulders, questions were asked, and each girl was slowly led out.
~0~
When Nick saw the girls, sitting on their beds as if they were waiting for an executioner, his heart broke for them. He did not need anyone to finally tell him what was going on. The Jane Doe that they had found had been one of these girls.
"What's your name?" Nick asked one of the girls as an officer placed a blanket around her shoulders.
The girls were all hesitant to answer, but all of them were crying. One by one the CSIs, detectives, paramedics, and officers helped them up the steep staircase.
"Did Sara send you?" One of the girls asked Nick.
Nick thought for a moment. "Yes," he said. "Yeah she did."
~o~
After the SAE kit had been collected, Gil sat and waited for Sara to wake up. He did not know how long it would take for the drugs to work their way out of her system, but he would wait all night if that was what it took. It seemed as if the time between the nurses visits began to grow more distant.
"I'm sorry," a nurse said. "But they found more girls."
Gil stared after her as she left and rose to see what she meant. In the hallway he could see beds being brought out. He spotted Nick and walked over to him.
"Nick, what's going on?" he asked.
Nick looked seriously at his friend. "Hotel Ricardo was a false front for a sex trafficking ring," he said.
Gil let himself sink into a chair. "This is insane," he said, he looked back up at Nick. "Milton?"
"There is an APB out for Milton and Bindy," Nick replied.
"How many girls?" Gil asked.
Nick thought for a moment. "About twelve or so," he said. "Including Sara."
"Dear God," Gil said, looking back at Sara.
~0~
When Sara Finally opened her eyes, she had to blink to make sure that she was seeing reality. She strained to remember what had happened, but soon it flooded back to her. She placed a hand on her neck and felt a heavy bandage.
"You're awake," a nurse whispered warmly as she entered. "He's been here all night."
She motioned to a chair and she saw Gil slumped, his head bent at an odd angle. Sara felt her heart skip a beat and a tear slid down her cheek. He had come to look for her and he had found her.
"Gil?" she said.
Gil's eyes snapped open. His eyes fixed on her and he quickly rose to his feet. He hurried over to her side and took her head in his hands. The kiss he placed on her lips was warm and passionate, yet gentle. As he pulled away the dam broke. The pain and anguish of the last few days caught up to her.
"Sara," Gil sighed into her ear. "You're alright now. I won't leave you again."
Sara quickly looked up at him. "There are others," she said.
Gil nodded. "They're alright too," he said. "They're here."
She pulled him back into a hug and felt her tears flow hot and fast. She was free now, but she still felt imprisoned. She still felt dirty and trapped by fear. Gil seemed to feel her emotions.
"We'll talk when you're ready," he said.
~0~
Despite the doctor's orders, Sara wanted to go home. After a night in a hospital bed she wanted a hot shower and real food. Gil did not try to make her stay. In fact, he sided with her and promised to make sure she stayed in bed.
Before she left, Sara met with the other girls one last time. Now that they were all clean, Sara could see how young they were. Most of them spoke about their parents coming to take them home. A few were quiet and did not speak. Sara wondered what would become of them.
When they asked if they could keep in touch with her, Sara jotted her email address down and handed a copy to each girl.
"Is that your husband," one girl asked, nodding to Gil.
Sara smiled back at him. "Yes," she said. "He saved my life."
The girls all looked at each other and smiled. They all grouped hugged, kissed each other's cheek, and talked about Beth and Amber. They talked about how happy they would be to see them free now.
"Your husband saved your life," one girl said. "But you saved ours."
After Sara had said her final farewells, she limped back over to Gil. Luckily, her ankle had only been badly sprained and it would be healed soon. Her other injuries would also heal in their own time. Gil did not pressure her to speak about her experiences and Sara was thankful that he did not.
Bindy and Milton had been arrested at the airport. Their arraignment was soon, and Sara planned to testify against them both. She knew that her life was forever changed now and she wondered how long it would be before she would make love to her husband again.
"Ready to go?" Gil asked, as she sat down in the wheel chair the nurses supplied her.
Sara nodded. "Let's go," she said.
~0~
THE END
~0~