THIRTY-FIVE
Easton
I'm not sure how to describe how I'm feeling. I've never been in a situation like this before, and it is wild from the outside.
When you're inside it, there's just too much.
Mostly, I'm consumed by fear and worry and anxiety and various versions of those same things.
I'm furious that Neil has taken the people I love from me. But I also know I need to focus. It will do no one any good if I fly off the handle and rush into the building too quickly.
The cops have secured the location. We came in without headlights on and cruised on neutral for most of it. Neil has no idea we’re here.
Neil sent someone out from the inside of the building, though. The cops secured him quickly enough, dragging him off into one of the cruisers.
He must have been the man who attacked Hazel. He was wearing the same Halloween mask.
Renewed fury drives through my blood like a freight train, and I look back at the building, waiting for the all-clear to go in.
I'm not even supposed to be here. I had to use every ounce of charisma that I possess, which isn’t much, and my familiarity with the military to be allowed this far.
The cops weren't going to get rid of me, though. Hazel and Jade are in there—the girl who I'm coming to think of as my daughter, and the love of my life are in that building with the unhinged man who wants to traffic them, and I will not let that happen.
“Alright, Mr. Hawk. We're going to go inside, but I need you to be silent and listen to everything we say. You arenotthe lead on this. The only reason that we're letting you inside is because you were in the military, and you know how to handle yourself.”
I nod. That's all I can do right now.
“Alright, let's go.”
I follow the officer, a Detective Kowalsky, who takes point and rushes forward towards the building. We get to the back, but that door has been secured.
So, we circle around the front to the main entrance. This one seems easier to get in through, and the cops think that Neil is probably at the back of the building anyway.
This way we'll have a little bit of cover before we go inside. They open the door surprisingly quietly, and I'm impressed by their skills.
We slip inside, moving, deadly silent. I haven't been provided with a weapon, of course, but I know how to handle myself easily enough.
It's pitch black inside here, the sun having gone down long ago, and the windows are covered over with a layer of grime that doesn't even let in the moonlight.
As we slink forward into the darkness, we all stop at the sound of a repetitive noise.
Pat, Pat, Pat.
It sounds like someone quickly rushing up to us, feet slapping against the cement.
Everybody hunkers down, holds up their weapons, and waits to see what happens. It's the next noise that stops me in my tracks before getting me sprinting toward the sound.
It's muffled, but I’d know that whine anywhere.
“Jade? Jade!”
I take off, and sure enough, there she is, running towards us. Her hands are tied in front of her, and there's duct tape pulled over her mouth.
Panic and worry hit me, but so does relief. She's here, she's in front of us, and I don't see Neil.
She smashes into my arms, and I wrap them around her. “Oh my god, Jade. You’re okay. Thank god. But…” I look around. “Where’s Hazel?”
Jade uses her bound hands to point towards the back of the building. Her eyes are wide, and it's clear that she's been crying.
