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I turn to search for Simona on the hillside above, in the place where she’s supposed to be waiting. But I can’t see her. The car is there, but she’s not visible.
Suddenly, I’m hit broadside by a hug so fierce it knocks me sideways.
She’s hysterical. “Ohmygod ohmygod.”
I grab the woman who stole my heart and pull her into my arms. “It’s okay, babe. Everything is just fine.” She buries her face in my chest.
“Never. Ever. Ever. Do that again.”
“I don’t plan on it. Now, come on. We’ve got someone to thank.”
Clasping her hand, I pull her into the midst of the chaos. We find Wolf, decked in tan camo and tactical gear, standing next to the handcuffed bodyguard. He’s talking to one of the other troops.
When the other man leaves, I offer a grin. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He laughs as he glances up at the hovering helicopter. “Change of plans. We were in the neighborhood, so I thought we’d drop by.”
“Good timing, man. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now we’ll get some answers out of that son of a bitch, if you didn’t kill him, that is.”
We turn toward the other man, the ‘father.’ He’s on the ground. One of the SAS guys is prodding him with his boot. “He’s just unconscious.”
Simona pulls out of my hold. “At last! Now I get in on the action.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Right as the SAS team helps us break into the giant compound of Willem Swartz, the Agile team arrives. Together in a coordinated effort, we all sweep the grounds.
I feel like I’m in some weird movie as we find five other siblings. All locked in well-appointed bedrooms, hostage to the madman.
Each one of them is unique, but so much like Wolf and me.
Three men. Two women. All between twenty-seven and twenty-nine. All of them are confused, angry, and ready to go back to their normal lives after months of being held against their will.
Now we are seven.
Seven souls brought together by a madman. Seven individuals with rattled memories and futures that are now intertwined in the most unexpected way.
A small bus arrives and I see that they all get loaded on for the trip to the Inn where Marshall secured lodging and a place for debriefing. But I stay behind to be with the team until everything is finished.
I get a small amount of closure when I watch the man who is my biological father taken away by authorities in cuffs and shackles. It’s obvious he’s very mentally ill. Since he came around, he’s been spouting his insanity to anyone that would listen. The officer in charge assures me he’s going to get help.
Scotch finds me on the steps by the circular drive. Watching as the police cars drive away. He pulls me against his side in a warm hug that I so need. “Sweetheart, I know this is a lot to absorb.”
“My god. I’m numb, honestly.”
“That man is a sick bastard.”
“Can you believe he paid that doctor to inseminate all of those poor unknowing women with fertilized eggs he had designed to produce his ideal offspring? My heart just breaks for my mother. She had no idea what was happening to her when she just turned up pregnant.”
“It’s an atrocity. Do you know how he got the eggs?”
“Not yet. With some luck, we’ll be able to track down the source. I can’t imagine what that woman would think to find this out. Eight of us survived to birth, but there would have been more if all the pregnancies had taken hold.”
“And he just thought you all would willingly become members of his grand scheme?”
“Yes. His fantasy was to take over the world’s supply of some rare earth minerals used in technology. Having his family surrounding him as both mental and physical soldiers was his sick way to make that happen. He had this elaborate plan on how all of us would bring our skills to his inner circle. But I think my siblings had other thoughts.”