Page 154 of Caught in the Crossfire

This clearing must be a connecting hub to a bunch of other tunnel systems, leading all over the city. That had to be how they were moving so quickly with so many people. They were transportingandselling right under our feet. No wonder we struggled so much to keep track of them.

“So how are we doing this?” Cas asked.

Max looked at Obi, and Obi spoke first. “It looks like the auction is about to start. Wait until it gets going, and when the people are distracted, we will close in. We’ll focus on the Vokshi Clan first. Next, the safety of the victims. Last, the buyers.”

“We cannot let the buyers get away,” Wynn urged. “These people will never stop. They’ll just find other ways to get what they want.”

“I will keep documenting everyone,” Ciel said. “When all hell breaks loose, they’re going to scramble for the tunnels. We can’t split up and follow them all. If anyone gets away, we’ll have to catch them later.”

I placed my hand on Wynn’s arm. “We won’t let them get away with being here. They’re all complicit and need to be dealt with.”

Max nodded to Daniele, and then Giulio. “Take a smaller group around and see if you can come in through one of the other tunnels. If we can double back on them, we might catch anyone running.”

Giulio looked at me. “That good, boss?”

If this wasn’t a life or death secret op, I would have hugged him. “Yes. Stay safe, Giulio. If you’re not able to find another way in within ten minutes, come back to support.”

He nodded. “You got it,regina.”

“Do not kill Ervin Vokshi,” I said to all the men listening in. “He’s got to be a wealth of information. We need to see if we can use him.”

“Oh, so don’t fuck up like you did at the auto-shop?” Daniele mocked.

Max’s voice cut off his sniveling chuckle. “That’s enough, Daniele.”

In response, I lifted my gun and pointed it at Daniele’s face. “I guarantee I can kill you right here, and nothing will happen to me. Nobody will care. We’ll leave your body down here to rot, and you’ll never see the sunlight again.Ihave that power, Daniele. Not you. So let me ask you a very simple question: do we have a problem here?”

His look was scathing, but I didn’t give a fuck. I was done with this asshole disrespecting me, and he knew every word I spoke was true. There was nothing he could do about it.

“Well?” I pulled back the hammer to cock my gun. “Do we have a problem?”

“No,” he ground out.

“Great. Don’t speak to me again.” I lowered my weapon. The only reason I hadn’t shot out his kneecap was that we were trying to be quiet. My eyes flicked to Obi, and his mouth pulled into a small smile.

“Are we ready?” I asked everyone.

Ryuji looked like darkness incarnate with the amount of knives strapped to his body and his dark scowl. Wynn was corded with tension, but focused. Ciel bounced on the balls of his feet, loosening up. Cas double checked his twin guns. Obi readjusted the harness that carried his backup magazines of ammo.

Welookedready. I felt ready.

Max watched me curiously, but when I locked eyes with him, he only nodded.

“Let’s do this,” I murmured.

In the clearing, the auction began. The buyers gathered around the main stage. A heavily armed group of Vokshi men ledout the first group of women. They were chained together, wrist to wrist, and dressed in a simple white shift dress. Their hair was clean and brushed, their bodies cleaned.

They looked like products on display, not real people.

Some gasps went through the crowd of buyers as the women were paraded up to the main stage. They weren’t the same gasp I felt deep in my lungs, like all the air was being stolen from my chest. These gasps wereexcited.

My heart twisted, and a wave of nausea rolled through my body so hard it had me reeling. My hand gripped my gun hard enough that I knew I’d have a bruise there tomorrow.

They looked sohelpless.

So resigned.

“I’m going after the girls,” I whispered to anyone who could hear me. I had a new goal. My guys could deal with the Albanians, but I knew exactly what I was going to do.