Page 33 of Wild Temple

One by one, I pushed open doors, looking for Isabella and Hannah, but came up empty-handed. There were girls in just about every room. More than I could carry out of here.

At the other end of the hallway, there was another stairwell. I wasn't exactly sure where it led, but it seemed like our best option for exfiltration. After doing a brief recon, I returned to Kelsey's room.

That's when trouble broke out.

Another goon had climbed the main stairs and noticed his comrade wasn’t at his post. One look down the hallway, and he knew we were up to no good. His face wrinkled with confusion as he processed the situation. He saw the open doors to all the rooms. This was unusual. Then his pistol came out. "What the fuck are you assholes doing?”

Rafi froze with panicked eyes as the goon approached. I stood near him.

The gig would be up as soon as the goon looked into the room and saw his buddy handcuffed to the bed.

"This was not my idea," Rafi said as the goon neared. "He forced me to do it.”

My jaw clenched tight at the sellout.

The approaching goon still hadn't figured out exactly what was up. But he would in a few seconds.

"Step away from the door,” he barked at us.

We took a step back, both of us in the hallway.

When the goon peered into the room, it was my opportunity to strike. I grabbed the barrel of his pistol and launched it skyward. He squeezed the trigger, and the bullet drilled into the ceiling.

With a punch to the kidney, his grip slackened. I stripped the weapon from his grasp, then came across the back of his skull with the butt of the pistol. Hard.

The crack echoed down the hallway.

He flopped to the ground.

By that time, everyone in the entire building knew something was afoot.

With the goon out cold, I rushed into the room, scooped up Hannah, and told Rafi to bring the other girl.

He did.

At this point, he’d be in just as much trouble as I would. They wouldn’t buy the wholehe forced me to do itbit.

“Bossman, we have a problem,” he shouted from inside the room.

He was stating the obvious, but it was worse than I thought.

Rafi put the girl back on the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“She’s not breathing.”

I scowled at him. “I told you to make sure she keeps breathing.”

Rafi shrugged, then placed his fingertips on her neck. “No pulse.”

I carried Kelsey back into the room, set her on the bed, and checked the girl myself.

She had stopped breathing again.

"This bad. This very bad," Rafi repeated.

“No shit.”