Page 42 of The Devil's Reward
I glance over to where Viper is positioned a good twenty feet away, monitoring the activity below us at a different angle. I carefully pull my phone out to take a video.
Men are moving in and out of the old, dilapidated farmhouse. All are carrying boxes and bins, large and small, to different vehicles. They’re not being quiet about it, so I can hear snippets of conversations in the wind.
“Fucking Dmitri, making us come out here to do this shit,” one man gripes loudly.
“Shut the fuck up,” the other man behind him hisses, looking around. I narrow my eyes as I glance around too. If they’re nervous, then I have to figure Dmitri himself or one of his higher-ups is around to make sure the work is getting done. I don’t see them, but they can’t be far.
More grumbling, but not loud enough that I can hear. I lay perfectly still for the next fifteen minutes as I watch them haul more and more items out of the barn, but I stiffen even more when the last few items make their way out. No, not items.People. Two men and three women are led out in chains, like prisoners, and into a waiting truck.
Fuck. Rage simmers hot in my blood and I grip my control ruthlessly tight. I don’t dare move, because if I give us away, we’re as good as dead. So I hold my position and keep on recording. The more I have, the better chance we have of figuring out who these bastards are.
When the vehicles finally drive out, neither Viper nor I move. Years of missions have trained us to never assume the enemy is completely gone. So we lay there, still and silent for another half an hour before I signal Viper to move forward.
When we finally reach the barn, guns in hand, we listen closely before entering. I don’t bother looking for cameras. We want them to know we’re here, and maybe it will piss them off enough to make a mistake. I’d love a good fight right now.
“Let’s see if they forgot anything,” I tell Viper in a low voice.
“My guess, their product was either in the loft out of sight, or hidden underground. They wouldn’t want to leave that kind of thing out in the open just in case someone wanders along,” Viper reasons as he heads for an old looking ladder that goes towards the loft.
“I’ll check back here,” I say, heading towards the back of the barn where some of the stalls are still intact. I search each carefully but see nothing. I check the tack rooms, and still nothing. When I walk back out, Viper is down from the loft, frowning. “Nothing?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Not anything obvious. I see some disturbance up there in the dust, but not even a bit of powder.”
“They had to keep the people in here somewhere,” I say in frustration. “I haven’t found any obvious hatches to something beneath.”
“Any back doors?”
I shake my head. I look around the open space, taking in the falling down wood, the pieces of old equipment that have probably been here just as long as the building itself. A saddle sits towards the back of the large pile, and something about it makes me pause. In amongst everything old and broken, it’s practically perfect except for some frays and a few small scratches. I move towards it, careful not to knock anything else over.
When I reach it, I look at it closely and then the surrounding floor. I narrow my eyes when I see the small sliver of wood broken out of the floor, just large enough for a small hand or a couple of fingers to get in. I carefully reach down and give a smile of satisfaction when I find the tiny lever. I press it and an audible click fills the air.
Viper is over at my side immediately and I carefully lift the hatch that is now ajar from the ground. Stale air immediately hits me, followed by the scent of filth. Viper snarls, and I nod before we carefully walk down the steps, guns ready, and my senses on high alert.
When we reach the bottom I shine my phone light and see that the area is empty, but the bucket in the corner full of waste is enough to tell me the room has only just been emptied.
“Fuck,” Viper hisses, moving to turn on a light switch at the bottom of the steps. The room is illuminated in harsh light, and I can see the blood on the floor instantly. It’s old, but enough that I know someone died here. “This is where they were holding them.” He nods towards another back wall, where a heavy metal door is open. Inside is another room, and I have to assume that’s where the drugs were kept.
I move and look inside, shining my phone light on the floor. The place is clean, so there goes the chance to grab anything. I take some pictures and step out, taking more pictures of the room. “They’re gone,” I say grimly. “And it doesn’t look like they’ll be back.”
Viper makes a noise of agreement. “This place is old, which means it’s probably from Bull’s time,” he says thoughtfully.
“You think Bullet and Hammer knew about this?” I ask.
He gives me a grim look. “I don’t think Bullet did, but I’m not sure about Hammer. He said that he and Bullet knew about the location, but just how much did he know?”
I see where he’s going with this. Is it possible that Hammer is our mole? Knowing about this place, and what’s beneath it, would suggest he could very well be. Otherwise, how would Dmitri and his men know it existed? “He also said there were others,” I remind Viper darkly. “So if he is, there’s a good chance that the reason we aren’t seeing all the activity around town is because he’s told Dmitri about them and has helped keep us off the trail.”
Viper nods. “Still not sure it fits, but we’ll mention it to Bullet.”
I nod. “Let’s get out of here.” We head back out and up into the forest.
We’re halfway back to the bikes before Viper asks conversationally, “Did you get that reservation?”
I roll my eyes. The man is seriously a pain in the ass. “Yes,” I quip.
“Good for you. Glad to see you grew some stones.”
I grit my teeth in annoyance. “I did this to prove a point,” I tell him stiffly. “I doubt this is going to go anywhere, but if it’ll shut you up, then I’m happy to prove it to you.”
