Page 41 of Blood in the Water

I clenched my hands and turned away. Getting Wynn to take on a contract for me would have to wait until we got these women out of here.

“Hi,” I said as I slowly walked to their huddle and crouched before the women. “I’m Leona. I’m here to help get you out of here. Can you move? Is anyone hurt?”

“It’s you,” the woman from Goodwill said as tears dripped down her face. She reached out to grab my hand. “It’s you. It’s you.”

I swallowed my own emotions down. Shit. This was insane. These women looked battered to hell. They needed medical attention. Immediately. But how would we get them to a hospital without being seen or getting caught up with questions?

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, squeezing her hand. “Let’s get out of here. Let’s get you to safety.”

She nodded and turned to the other women. “Come on. I’ve met her before. We’ll be safe.”

The rest of the women finally moved, encouraged by her words. They propped one another up, pulled to their feet, and stood with eyes carefully, avoiding the bodies of the men around them.

Wynn had done this?

Cas had taken out the four guards patrolling outside while they were distracted by their radios. Wynn must have been taking them out simultaneously.

If he could do this for me… If he could take out Max… My heart raced at the possibility that getting revenge could be possible. Iwouldhire him. Non-negotiable.

“What’s your name?” I asked the woman with the sequined jacket.

“Claire,” she rasped. Her face was already bruising from when she was hit earlier. Her eyes filled with tears as she choked out a sob. “I’m from New York. I want to go home. I want to see my parents again, please.”

“Nice to meet you, Claire. Let’s get you home,” I said as the gears in my head turned. Iknewit. She was from New York, and she was trafficked to Philadelphia. But how? Who would be in the skin trade in the Five Families territories?

What idiot would have the balls to go against the Italian mafia?

I had a fucking suspicion which only added to the growing list of reasons to kill that bastard. How dare he?

But now what? What were we supposed to do with ten victims of sex trafficking?

I looked at Cas with the question in my eyes. Before he could respond, Wynn slipped a phone out of his pocket and punched in a number.

“Wil, it’s me,” he said into the phone while he watched me and the women. “Yes. I have ten for you this evening. They need medical attention. Mhmm. Please. Let’s do the usual, yes? No men.” He paused, listening to the voice on the other side. “No, I have other business. I’ll stay until your team gets here. Thanks, Wil.”

He hung up and turned to me. “Can you please tell them that there will be a small team of women coming to take them for medical care? They’ll provide food and lodging until we can arrange transport to get them back home.”

“Why me?”

“In my experience, they don’t respond well to men with weapons.”

“You’ve done this before?”

He nodded. “Countless times. I take out the traffickers. My team comes and gets them home.”

The knowledge that he freed victims of sex trafficking while also being a deadly assassin did something to my insides.

“Okay,” I breathed as I turned and relayed his message to the victims. They didn’t react as excited and relieved as I was expecting. Most just nodded stoically, while two didn’t respond at all.

I turned to Claire with a question in my eye. She still held my hand, watching every interaction between Cas and Wynn and me with wariness.

“It’s easier not to hope. Not to believe,” she whispered.

Even her eyes were empty, only regarding us a careful hesitation.

“Leona,” Cas said from across the room. He had been searching the traffickers for identification or information about who they were and who they worked for. From the pointed look in his eye, he had the same suspicion I did. “I need to speak with you.”

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I said as I gently disengaged my hand from Claire’s. She crossed her arms over her body.