Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“Nope.”
I tapped the monitor. “Wait, what is that? Isn’t that a heat source?”
He peered at the screen. “Probably an animal in the wall. Not giving off enough heat to be human.”
I studied the screen. “That’s the top floor. The room at the far-left corner?”
“Yeah.”
That was the room that had felt off. “Hold off on the timer for a moment, Egan. I want to check something out.”
“Okay.”
“Can I help?” Leo asked.
“Be on standby.”
He nodded.
I hurried back up the steps, the building now silent. My men were outside, making sure the trucks were gone and the perimeter cleared. I had an expert demo guy in Egan. The building would be reduced to a pile of rubble in seconds and not affect the other legitimate businesses around it. It would be listed as a gas leak, no questions asked, and life would carry on in the neighborhood. Egan had come from Romania, well trained and capable. I never regretted choosing him to be part of my team.
Back in the room, I looked around, still unsure what had bothered me earlier. I rechecked the bathroom and the closet. Both were empty. Under the bed, there was still nothing. I could see no hidden outlines for a safe or anything else. Yet, something still felt off. I stood, silent, listening, but heard nothing. I opened my eyes and turned to go when I heard it. The faintest thump. So low you would miss it or put it down to the building shifting.
I opened the closet door again and stood back, staring at the interior. Was there an animal in the wall as Egan suggested? I glanced left and right, suddenly noticing the discrepancy in the walls. One was set-in with a closet rod and a few clothes hanging from it. The other was flat. I went to the hall, checking the sight lines. The closet should be equal on both sides.
I clicked on the radio. “Egan, hold off on that timer until I say so.”
“Found something?”
“I might have.”
“Sure, Boss,” he replied. “Trucks are gone. Just us left.”
“Okay. That heat source still in the same place?”
“Yeah, it is. Odd—usually an animal is on the move.”
“I don’t think it’s an animal,” I said grimly.
“You need help?”
“Get Leo up here.”
“10-4.”
Inside the closet, I knocked on the walls, almost expecting a knock to return. But I heard nothing. It took me a few moments to find the hidden lever. The soft click alerted me I had finally located the device. Gun drawn, I stepped back, swinging open the door, unsure what to expect.
Thick bars greeted my eyes—but it was what they held inside that caught my attention. Lying on her side, a woman was curled into a ball in the corner, her hands and feet tied, her head tucked down. She was immobile and motionless. Despite the warmer air outside, the small box she was in was frigid.
At the sound of the door opening, she didn’t move.
“My name is Marcus,” I said, running my hands over the bars, looking for a lock. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
She didn’t stir. I crouched down, making myself eye level with her. “I’m going to get you out.” There was still no movement, no sign she even knew I was there.
I grabbed my radio. “Damien. Find the leader. Look in his pockets for keys. Look in the office if they aren’t there.”
The radio crackled a few moments later. “Got them.”
“Third floor. Hurry,” I snapped.
“I’ll have you out in a minute,” I promised. “We’ll get you warmed up and somewhere safe.”
She still didn’t move—not even a twitch. I couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. The bars were backed up with a metal mesh inside, so I couldn’t get my hand inside to find out. “If you can hear me, move something. Anything.”
It was slight. Barely a twitch, but her feet moved, hitting the wall, and suddenly I understood the sound I had heard. She’d been trying to get someone’s attention. My attention.
Damien arrived, Leo following him, their faces shocked when they saw what I was looking at. Leo held the light high, and I used the keys Damien brought, sliding one in and opening the door.
“Get me blankets, Leo. Water. Now.” I looked at Damien. “Tell Egan to double-check. Make sure there are no more of these godforsaken cages hidden in the walls up here.”
They hurried away, and I leaned into the cage, ignoring the smell.
“I’m going to lift you out of here. I promise you that you are safe. I will not harm you.”
She was tiny and frozen in my arms. Her skin was damp with sweat and cold, her bones showing through at her wrists and knees as I carried her to the bed. I grabbed my knife, cutting through the rope that bound her hands and feet, then grabbed the blanket off the bed, wrapping it around her. Unable to do much else, I picked her up in my arms and sat back on the bed. Her shallow breathing became faster, her anxiety building. I rocked her, murmuring assurances. That she was safe. That she would be looked after. I rambled comforting words until Leo appeared. He handed me two more blankets, a bottle of water, and then lifted his other arm.