Page 12 of Carnage
Nimble: Tracking my target and stumbled on some bad news. Looks like a bunch of young girls being held in a house. I’m on Broadway and 93rd in Danbury.
“Danbury,” I repeat. “How far is that from here?”
“Maybe ten, fifteen minutes. I’m in if you are.”
“Hell yeah.”
Me: We’re in. Whisper and I will be there in fifteen or less.
Stealth: Give me ten.
Wraith: I’m there. Twelve minutes out.
Nimble: Thanks, guys. I’m under the bridge right past the Broadway exit.
Shadow: Be safe, boys.
Nimble: Always.
Whisper moves to the front seat and starts the van while I keep monitoring the tracking software. A little green dot moves across the screen. At least I’ll have a shot at finding out where they go after this. Leon has no known address. According to motor vehicle records, the address he has on file there belongs to his mother, but a quick visit to her place made it clear he’s not staying there. It’s a nursing home.
I shake away thoughts of Rue for now and focus on the upcoming task. There’s nothing I can do until I know where he’s at later.
Whisper takes the Broadway exit in Danbury and turns left towards the bridge. We spot Nimble’s car parked beside a thick concrete column, and seconds later, Stealth arrives. Only a few moments later, Wraith pulls up.
Nimble gets out of his car, his youthful face set with determination. “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming. From what I’ve been able to see, there are four girls inside.”
“Girls?” Stealth asks. “Or women?”
Nimble frowns. “Girls. They look like teenagers. I suspect they’ve been drugged. This isn’t any kind of ring. Crime of opportunity, I think.”
“Fucking monsters,” Whisper grumbles.
“Let’s do this.” Wraith cracks his knuckles.
“Me and Stealth will focus on getting the girls to safety,” Whisper offers.
Nimble nods. “I need to get to my target before he can get away. Dude in a green hoodie. That one’s mine.”
“We’ll get the rest,” I say, glancing at Wraith.
“Perfect,” Nimble says. “I counted six guys including my target.”
“Storm the door?” I ask.
“Works for me,” Nimble says.
Then we descend on the house. Stealth kicks the door open, and on the other side, a bunch of dudes shout and scatter. Whisper and Stealth move fast, getting the girls out of the way while Nimble homes in on his target.
As for me, I’m more than happy to make a few rapists bleed tonight. And I do. The first one is a short guy with greasy brown hair and a crooked nose. He tries to face off with me, lifting his fists in defense. I simply laugh, closing in on him before wrapping my hand around his neck, tight enough that he coughs.
He kicks his legs as I lift him off the floor and toss him into the wall behind him. He scrambles to get up, but I’m back before he can do more than get to his knees. I kick him in the stomach then pick him up again, pummeling his face and slamming his body into the wall.
Another guy tries to run past me to the front door, but I’m on him before he can get the door open, grabbing him by the sweatshirt and yanking him to the ground. I pull my knife from its holster and do what I do best, delivering a precision cut in all the right places to cause the man to bleed out slowly and painfully.
For fun, I give both of them some kicks to the ribs, letting out all my pent-up frustration and rage that we continually find situations like this. I don’t give a fuck about most things, but taking advantage of innocent people or fucking with animals infuriates me.
My eyes blur and I absolutely lose my shit on the two men at my feet, kicking, stomping, and growling with fury until I feel a calming hand on my shoulder.
