Destiny's Sweet Cage Read online

“That incident was different. He hurt more than just Dez, he flipped on the club. He betrayed family.”

  “That fucker also raped, tortured, and tried to frame an innocent woman that was under the club’s protection.” He pointed out. “Might I add, a woman that you have grown quite fond of,” he smirked.

  Unable to hold eye contact, I reverted my attention to the other side of the room. Dez was now dancing with the muthafucka trying to take my spot. But that was the thing, I didn’t have a spot. I forfeited the rights to Dez when I blatantly stated that there was nothing between us. The hurt in her eyes still hunted me in my sleep, when I did sleep. Sleep had become my worst enemy as of late. Dangerous missions have become a close friend. The harder the case, you best believe I’m all over it. The rush of adrenaline is just what the doctor ordered for a fool such as me.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you might consider fixing this mess your ego created.”

  “How do you propose I do that? It’s not like she lives here anymore.”

  “Oh, ye of little faith, since when has that ever stopped a man on a mission?” He stated sarcastically. “First off you need to kill the tough front where Destiny is concerned and eject the foot from your mouth.”

  “I hear you.”

  “You better.” DT knocked twice against the table and stood to leave. Suddenly, he turned as if he forgot something. “Remember, your actions speak a language on its own. Words mean shit without them.”

  Fuck what anyone else had to say, I needed to get my shit together and get Dez back to Lincoln. From there, if our connection was as strong as it once was, things will work out. How the hell was I going to make that shit happen though, I was lost. What to do about creating an “us” had to take a back burner for now. The mission that I committed to needed all of my attention and thinking about “Trouble” could be dangerous while handling business.

  ~

  “Fuck!” I cursed lowly at the bullet that whizzed by my head. That was a close one, too close for comfort.

  “Prez, you all right?” Wolf sounded as if he were one spit of away from panicking.

  “I’m good!” I shouted from my crouched position.

  The current mission was to save an abducted sixteen-year-old who was lured through social media. She thought she was meeting someone her age who went to a different school. They were chatting online for a few months when she finally agreed to meet the said boy at the park. When she arrived, it appeared that she was being stood up from the last message that came to her phone. As she left the park in a distracted state, she was scooped up by the perverted kidnappers.

  There was a good chance that we were on a recovery mission to gain the location of her remains. Torrent’s fiancé is a social worker professionally, but this cause is dear to her heart. She is hellbent on investigating these hidden, forgotten, or overlooked cases to bring the family closure either way. They deserve to know what happened to their loved ones and that was our mission, get those much-needed answers. Since it was illegal what we were doing, anyone actually going to jail for these crimes was vague.

  That is what led to this gun battle between us and about five men with shotguns and pistols. They were no match for our serious heavy machinery. We quickly took over the musty shack that they were proven to congregate at. Through some serious satellite research and hacking, the decoy was tracked to this boondock town in Texas. The prepaid phones the group used was no match for our technology, especially since they never turned them off. By the time we were done with them, only two were left with minor injuries, for now anyway.

  “How many?”

  “How many what?”

  “How many girls have there been?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” the youngest of the bunch tried to lie. That is before I stabbed him in his thigh near his dick. The howl of pain pierced my ears as the severity of his predicament became apparent.

  “Don’t fuckin’ play with me boy, how many?”

  “I-I do-don’t know…” His red-hot face was covered in dirt, sweat, tears, and snot.

  “Where are the bodies?” I asked.

  “W-what?” He looked around confused.

  “Don’t tell them shit Jimmy!” The other bastard across the room shouted.

  “SHUT UP!” Wolf shouted so close to his face, I’m sure he smelled what he had for dinner last night. There was evident fear in the way he slunk further into the wall he was propped against.

  “The bodies, where have you sick fucks put them?”

  “Uh…we…”

  “GOTDAMMIT JIMMY!” A resounding shot rang through the small cabin, followed by a deadly wail. The vision was enough for the younger man to promptly puke what nerves he might have held onto all over the front of his shirt. The man that once stood against the wall with Wolf’s forearm against his throat now slumped on the floor with a rifle to his chest. The damage from the high-powered weapon at close range resembled effects from a bomb exploding. Blood, tissue, and residue made one helleva mess.

  “One more word, muthafucka, and it will be your last.” Wolf threatened.

  “There are no bodies!” The younger now pissy bastard shrieked.

  “What the fuck do you mean, there are no bodies?”

  “Storm cellar!” He cried.

  “Storm cellar? Where? Show me.” His simple ass had the nerve to look to the newly disabled asshole. “Trust me, he is the least of your worries,” I growled. Since I stabbed him in the leg, he was handicapped as well but I didn’t let that stop me from pushing him to move faster. Further in the woods, there was a small clearing with lots of branches and pine needles gathered together. With the sweep of my foot, I came in contact with a metal structure.

  “I’ll be damned!” Wood hissed and began to sweep the rest away. A huge metal door that was no doubt soundproof came into view. Once opened, the horrid smell assaulted our nostrils.

  “After you,” I hissed in his ear. Who we now know as Jimmy hobbled down the stairs.

  The air in my lungs stopped short at the scene before me. Chained to a filthy cot, a young malnourished girl was covered in bruises with nothing but a dingy sheet as a cover. The frightened look on her face told a tale all of its own, she thought we were here to add to her pain. On one hand, she was alive but how would I get her to trust us in order to get her out of this was another story.

  “Wood?!” I shouted out of the opening. He stood visual just in case we had any unexpected guests.

  “Yeah!”

  “I found her; I need some kind of covering. Clothes, anything…”

  “How many more are there?”

  “She is all that’s left.” At that statement, I saw RED. All sense of time was lost on me, as I wailed blow after blow onto any part of this sick bastard’s body that I could reach. One minute I am beating his face in with my bare hands and the next I was being yanked off him by two sets of hands.

  “We gotta go!” Wood reasoned.

  “He’s right Prez, we don’t know how many more there are. More could be on the way; this one was on his lunch break.”

  “I’m not going to hurt you; we are here to save you.” This quickly turned into a rescue mission versus recovery. “We will take you home.”

  “You won’t get away with this!” The big shot threatened as if he could stop us.

  “That is no longer your concern, your sick reign is over.” I sneered. “Torch it all, let them watch.” The cleanup crew nodded.

  Once I released her from the restraints, she did her best to cover herself with what Wood could find. When she went to stand, the weakness set it and she almost crumbled to the floor. Catching her before she could connect to the cement, I could tell how uncomfortable she really was with me holding her. At this point, she didn’t have a choice because we did need to move fast and the trek to the van was a lengthy one. As best I could, I tried to reassure her that we weren’t there to cause her any harm. Considering everything that must have happened to her, there would be
nothing that we could say to ease her stress. These sick fucks had done too much damage.

  Torrent’s men that I was only mildly familiar with were in charge of the clean up on this one. Wolf watched our backs as Wood led the charge to the van. With her in my arms, I made quick steps to get her out of the prison that she has been confined to for months. Once at the van, we hastily got the hell out of dodge before the cavalry came in search of their missing men. It was unclear if there were more than the ones, we took care of, but we didn’t want to push our luck either.

  As a precaution, any evidence that we may have been anywhere near there was now in flames. The storm cellar was now a huge crematorium. While the locals would be attempting to extinguish the fire from the cabin, the hidden gem in the woods would be roasting like the swine they were. The last two will be cooked alive with their dead comrades as long as the fire continues to burn. Because of the bunker being cement, it was a good chance that the flames will die out before the deed is completed.

  They had better pray to whoever they believe in that the smoke takes them out before the small but lethal bomb detonates. It was placed in a nice little fire-retardant bag, waiting for the time that was set. Either way by the time they are found, nothing will be recognizable or traceable. Any signs of their dirty deeds vanished right along with them, Jalissa would be free to try and move forward. With therapy, hopefully, she can move on.

  ~

  “What’s the verdict?” Torrent answered my call.

  “Five tormentors and one rescue,” I reported.

  “Rescue?!”

  “Yes, she is alive but severely damaged.”

  “What the fuck, you know what I thought.”

  “Same. If we were maybe a day or two late, the results probably would have been different.”

  “Any casualties on our part?”

  “None, aside from being tired. They have us surrounded.”

  “Oh shit, I don’t suppose you will be able to stop and rest.”

  “That’s out, I have to hit it batting a hundred to somewhere she will feel safe.”

  “Shit, my woman is down per doctors’ orders, what’s your time frame?”

  “Give or take a few, we should arrive in Mississippi around two in the morning.”

  “I will have a replacement meet you at the spot, safe travels.”

  “Out.” Ending the call, I peaked in the back of the van where I was met with frightened eyes already on me. Though this mission was successful, the aftereffects of the whole ordeal were life-altering.

  Chapter 6

  Dez

  “Hey brother,” I answered Torrent’s call.

  “Sis, I need you.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Depends on where I start,” he dryly chuckled. “You know with Tia being out of commission, I have to stay close to home. There is this recovery mission that took a startling turn. It ended up being a rescue mission.”

  “Recovery as in you all were anticipating the victim to be dead?”

  “Yes. They found the girl alive but extremely skittish as shit. My partner has been driving for hours to get close as he can to one of our safe places. We figure having a female there would help ease the girls' mind.”

  “Yeah, I totally understand that.”

  “If I had any other solution, I wouldn’t be interrupting your night.”

  “You know good and well I’m not doing anything.” I laughed. “Who am I meeting and where?”

  “You know I wouldn’t normally put you in an uncomfortable position, right?” He kept stalling and it was making me iffy.

  “Davey, you know I got you. What is the real reason you won’t just spit out the details?”

  “This is not just any old babysitting mission. You will need to go along for the completion of this process.”

  “Oh, well okay that is not what I was expecting. So, a road trip?”

  “Yes, but I trust my partner, I know he will keep you safe or else it never would have come up.”

  “I’m not worried about that; I know you wouldn’t just let me ride with anyone.”

  “Well if you are still in, they will be checking into a motel in Mississippi around three in the morning.”

  “DAMN, that is early, and Mississippi Davey? Kinda late notice, you think.”

  “The travel is handled, I just needed you to agree or disagree.”

  “What do you mean by handled? The secretive thing is a little nerve-wracking brother.”

  “Dame will pick you up in an hour. You two will fly to Jackson where he will drive you to the motel.”

  “That is some serious precautions, I feel like a spy or secret agent. I understand the seriousness of the matter though without you telling me the details. I won’t let you down.”

  “Great Dee, this means a lot to me.”

  “Anything for you, and I don’t have to drive, you have thought of everything.”

  “I know your lazy ass hates to drive.”

  “I am not lazy sir,” I denied those accusations. Hating to drive at night and driving period were two different things.

  “Whatever, I owe you one. Love you sis,” he fondly stated.

  “Love you too,” was my response. Disconnecting that call, I couldn’t help but be a bit apprehensive about going to this drop spot. Why was Davey so damn sketchy? That was so unlike him so that only meant one thing, this was going to be an awkward meeting.

  ~

  “I’m just a call away if you need me to come back and get you,” Dame said.

  “Thanks baby but I’m sure it won’t be too bad.”

  “I hope you’re right.” He said as a van sped into the parking lot. “Here are the keys for two adjourning rooms.”

  “Thank you,” I said before all speech died and my heart catapulted.

  “Dez, what are you doing here?”

  “I guess I spoke too soon,” I snidely remarked.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, it’s nice to see you too Cage. Now let’s get the young lady to the room. It’s a little nippy out here don’t you think.”

  “Silence.” He didn’t say anything more, but he looked at Dame for confirmation.

  “Hit my phone when you get back so that I know you made it safely.” I addressed Dame myself wanting him to head on home himself.

  “Will do,” he laid a kiss on my cheek before heading to the driver's side door. “Take care of my sister, Cage.”

  “You already know,” he stated with his signature non-emotional state.

  “Now that we have handled that, can we get inside.” I sarcastically smiled. “Hi, I’m Destiny. What’s your name sweetie?”

  “Silence.” The girl that Cage was carting around couldn’t have been more than sixteen judging by her size. Her eyes were round as quarters as they bounced from Dame in the car back to me and Cage.

  “It’s all right, Mr. Cage had me come along for the ride. Would that be all right? He just wants to help you and thought that I would put you at ease.”

  “Silence.” She nodded.

  “Good, I got us a room so you can take a nice bath and relax. Mr. Cage is going to protect us, okay? No one will hurt us as long as we stick close to him. Just take my hand and we can get out of this cold air.” I tried to put her at ease as best I could. From the clothes she wore, this was a serious rescue mission.

  “She is too weak to walk.” Cage stated.

  “Oh, umm…Well, Cage is going to carry you, but I will be right beside you the whole way.” With only a little hesitation, she finally nodded and gestured that she was ready. Now that she was out, I realized that she was also barefoot. She would surely catch pneumonia if we didn’t get her cleaned up and dressed properly.

  “Do you think you can get her situated, you know a bath and stuff?”

  “I’m sure I can handle it.”

  “I will retrieve the emergency bag from the back of the van and do a perimeter check.”

  “You don’t think you wer
e followed, do you?”

  “No, I doubt it, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Wouldn’t you?”

  “You’re right. Just leave the bag at the adjourning door when you return. Once I get her situated, we will open it.”

  “Good deal.”

  The next hour went by with a plethora of tears and painful hisses that tore my heart apart. What the hell did these monsters do to this baby? Everything in me prayed that Cage took great care in making them suffer. Why were people so damn cruel and sadistic? While she cried in humiliation and pain, I did my best to swallow the emotion that threatened to suffocate me. The hideous ordeal that I went through with Dagger couldn’t compare to this shit. The bruises and cuts that littered her poor body were heartbreaking.

  Luckily, Cage and the guys thought of pretty much everything to pack in the emergency bag. She would definitely need to seek professional help for her body and no doubt her mind, but I did the best I could. After helping her wash the initial funk, dirt, bodily fluids from her body I cleaned the tub and started again. Finishing off with a quick rinse from the shower, I helped her redress. Her mobility was slowly getting a little better just from the bath.

  Wherever they rescued her from was nasty as hell. My mind couldn’t even wonder what has happened to her since she was missing. The bruises that littered her body told a story all on its own. Because of the weakness in her arms, she needed assistance detangling her hair. The matted mass of curls was damaged and brittle meaning she was dehydrated as well. Once she was completely clean from head to toe, we made our way to the bedroom.

  Using the microwave to heat up a cup of soup, I gave her a spoon and let her have at it. It was a shame how fast she drank the first cup of soup, I thought for sure she would choke. By the time she finished the second cup and some ginger ale her eyes began to sag. The fatigue of watching her surroundings was weighing heavy on her. Her distrust of the male species must stem from the abuse that she encountered during her abduction. Once I had her situated in the bed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes for her to fall fast asleep.

  Leaving the door opened so that we could see her and she us if she woke up, I sat on one of the full beds. In such deep thought, I didn’t hear the shower cut off or Cage walk into the bedroom. One minute I was alone and the next he was sitting directly in front of me. He was now in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Damn him straight to hell if he didn’t look every bit of a full course steak dinner. Luckily for me, this wasn’t a social call the reason being quickly put me in check.