Chapter Seventy Two

Daryl parked a quarter mile away, down an old hunting road so no passersby would spot the car. He pulled the gun from the small of his back and took the silencer that Randy handed him. He didn't know how many people they were going to have to get through to get to the girl and at the moment he was at a place in his mind that had him not caring how many people he had to get through. He would pick off as many as he could from a distance and then he would storm the place.

"I don't wanna shoot them," Damon said, taking the prepared gun from Daryl.

Daryl nodded. He didn't either if he was being honest with himself. He wanted to get his hands dirty. That roiling rage still filled him but it was set to a simmer now, keeping him strangely calm, but still very deadly. The last time he had felt this way he had been a boy. He refused to think about anything other than getting Sophia back because he couldn't risk messing this up. He couldn't risk getting her or himself killed. So he only thought about the mission before him.

Far off in the distance a thread of lightening split the sky in a brilliant display. Daryl barely noticed. "You see headlights, hear an engine, hit the ditch. Don't think for a minute that these dumb fucks ain't armed and won't run us down."

Randy sidled up next to him as they walked towards the old building. "What the hell is goin' on, boy? All those sons of bitches were killed off. Who the hell was left to have a vendetta this damn heavy? I just can't figure it out."

Daryl glanced at him. "I don't know. Buck got all of them. I know for a fact none of them would have been left breathin'. I pointed them out and he made the hits. 'Cept for that last one, of course. That one was mine."

Randy shook his head but wisely kept his opinions to himself. Daryl knew that he had never agreed with what Buck had done back then but he had never voiced it. That was the one and only dark mark against the man as far as the club was concerned but Daryl didn't see it that way. Those men hadn't been forced to watch what Daryl had. He needed to kill the man and it didn't matter how old he was. He was better for having done it. People couldn't wrap their minds around that. People didn't need too. That was between Buck, himself and a dead man.

When the building, which used to be a farmers supply store, came into view the threesome slowed and followed the tree line, sticking to the heavier shadows. There were two men lounging outside of the front entrance.

"How do we know she's here?" Randy asked quietly.

Daryl nodded towards the building. "Even if she ain't here, this is where her phone is. She's either been here or these are the fucker's that took her." With cold calculation he lined one of the men up in his sites but then dropped the gun back to his side. "Sacrificin' accuracy for quiet. I need to make this shot." He met Randy's eyes in the dark, giving him a meaningful look. "You two go ahead and circle round to the back. I'll move a little closer and when I'm in I'll give you a sign. Take out anybody on guard back there."

Randy nodded, knowing what was really going on. Daryl wasn't about to make Damon sit this out but he was going to do everything he could to keep him away. He didn't want the boy killing anyone, no matter how ready he was. There wouldn't be anyone guarding the back because these men had no idea that Daryl could have tracked Sophia so quickly. He wasn't sure why there were men stationed out front but they wouldn't be there for long.

He waited for Randy and Damon to creep around the side towards the back before he moved closer to the building. He stopped, hunkering down when headlights sliced through the night. He frowned when he took in the car. It was a brand new BMW 3, glossy black and for some reason, chilling in it's appearance. Lightning flashed as the driver's door opened and a tall man stepped out. He was dressed in a dark suit, and even from here Daryl could tell that he looked on the other men with disdain.

Realization dawned on him then. He had heard about other clubs doing this and even as the thought sent a cold rage through him, he was relieved. Sophia was probably untouched because she was now the property of the owner of the BMW and when men like this bought and paid for girls, they wanted them as pristine as possible. So she hadn't been raped and she hadn't been killed. She had been sold. He glared and then turned his head, spitting. There was a foul taste in his mouth.

This was just further confirmation that evil came in all shapes and forms. Daryl didn't consider himself an evil man. Other people would argue that fact but he would never do anything like what these men were doing. What he wanted to do was walk up on all three of them and put a bullet in their brains. But that didn't make him evil. That would make him careless. He had wanted to take out the doormen and then wait and figure out how to proceed inside. He didn't know how many people were in there so he had to be careful. He'd never been careful before and he was finding it hard to do now. But he had to stay alive. He couldn't be careless. If he was going to bring them down he would have to do it fast. If one of them got inside before he could get off all three shots then that was only going to put Sophia in danger. He couldn't risk it.

He cursed for sending Damon and Randy around to the back because if all three of them were able to take aim then all three men would be down without a hitch, and the men inside would be none the wiser. But he had to wait them out now. He watched as the three men stepped inside, shutting the door behind them and then he scurried out from behind the foliage he had been hiding behind. There were windows towards the front but very little light shown through. They were dirty but here and there he could see a brighter glow where someone had rubbed the dust away to look outside. As far as he knew this place hadn't been used since Buck had stormed it all those years ago.

There was little light outside the building and the storm seemed to be blowing in quickly, bringing with it a chill that was more seasonable than the warmth they all enjoyed earlier in the day and blocking out the meager light from the stars. He crept to the window and looked through one of the cleaner panes, cursing under his breath when he saw at least fifteen men. There was no sign of Sophia and he wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

He went around to the back, cautiously checking to make sure he had been right when he guessed there wouldn't be anyone out there guarding that door. He didn't spot Damon or Randy until they were walking towards him.

He met them halfway and urged them back towards the woods. Once they were concealed he glanced back at the building. "There's a BMW out front. It's parked close to an old Ranger. Tear off your shirt sleeve, stuff it in the gas tank and light it up."

He nodded. "Then what?"

"Then haul ass. Me and Randy can slip in the back while their attention is on the flamin' truck in the front."

Damon shook his head. "What? You can't make me sit this out!" He snapped angrily.

"Boy, didn't I just tell you to go blow up a goddamn car? You got your job, let me go do mine."

Damon glared but finally he did what Daryl told him to do.

He would have told him to blow up the BMW but it would have been harder to do. Daryl and Randy stood, one on each side of the door, and waited in silence. If anyone came out the back then they'd pose little threat. They could take them down before they ever knew what was really going on. He didn't expect anyone to come this way though. All of the commotion would be outside the front doors and these assholes weren't smart enough to instantly think that it would be a diversion.

Thunder rolled lazily in the distance and time seemed to slow to a crawl. He had the urge to check his phone to make sure that Carol was okay but he shook the thought. The nurse told him everything was fine and Carol had told him the same thing. Merle was with her and she was probably sleeping. He swallowed and then his focus went back to the door.

"It's takin' him too long," Randy whispered harshly. "One of us should go around and check it out."

"Give me some credit old man."

They both looked up and saw Damon creeping towards them from behind. Daryl glared. "Get your ass back. You ain't goin' inside."

Damon shook his head. "Not a chance."

Daryl wanted to punch the stubborn boy right in the face. "If anybody gets past us are you willin' to let them run? Somebody needs to watch the doors." It was flimsy but at least it gave the kid something to focus on. If he thought he would get to take out any strays then maybe he would stay outside.

Damon shook his head again but Daryl saw the indecision in his eyes. He took a step backwards, towards the relative safety of the trees and Daryl felt a measure of relief. That was when the flame must have finally reached the tank of the Ranger because the quiet night was shattered by an explosion that startled even Daryl, who had been expecting it.

~H~

Carol was almost certain Merle was going to pass out when the doctor started explaining what to expect with a Cesarean delivery.

"Why the hell can't she just push him out like a normal person?" Merle choked.

The doctor eyed him, his lips twitching but his face otherwise remaining cool and professional. "Because her body isn't cooperating and neither is the baby. Her cervix isn't softening and he isn't willing to wait."

Merle made a face but didn't say anything else, probably for fear the man would mention a cervix again.

"Why don't you go out there and try to call Daryl again," Carol said quickly, needing to know that Sophia was okay.

Merle just shook his head. "He'll call when he's able."

The doctor looked at them and then nodded. "Well, lets hope he does that within the hour. Right now the baby's heartbeat is strong but he's under stress. The longer we wait, the more dangerous this gets, okay?"

Carol nodded. "As long as he's okay now."

With that the doctor left them alone. Merle looked like he wanted out of the room now but he let her cling to his hand like it was a lifeline to her sanity. "Stop worryin' so much," he said, trying to put on a brave face. "Everything is fine. He'll be here and he'll have Sophia with him."

She felt tears sting her eyes again. "What if something's happened to both of them? What will I-"

"Don't," he said between clenched teeth. "Don't even think it. They're fine Everyone is fillin' me in on everything goin' on out there. Me and you need to worry about what's goin' on in here. Buck's on the phone with Shane now. Odin's trying to track them down. Other men are working their own channels. They'll be fine."

She nodded but her heart felt heavy. Had it really been just earlier in the day that she had everyone she loved under the same roof? It was jolting how quickly a person's world could be shattered. She didn't voice this, though. Merle had enough worries of his own and he was doing his best. She knew he wanted to be out there but he refused to leave her side. She was grateful for it. More than he would ever know.