Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

40. Peter

40

PETER

T he night air was thick with tension as Peter crouched behind a dilapidated warehouse, his eyes fixed on the nondescript building across the street. From the outside, it looked like any other rundown structure in this abandoned industrial complex, but Peter and his team knew better.

Inside those weathered walls, lives were being bought and sold, dreams shattered, and innocence stolen.

"Team Eagle is in position," Alfie's voice crackled through the earpiece.

"Team Hawk is ready," Jay confirmed a moment later.

Peter took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. No matter how many of these operations he led, the moments before breaching always set his heart racing, not because he feared for himself or his teammates, but because he feared for the victims getting caught in the crossfire. "Team Falcon is standing by," he said.

The birds of prey naming of their teams had been Alfie's idea, and although Peter thought it was unnecessary, the names were growing on him.

Not that there was anything wrong with simply calling them Team One, Team Two, and Team Three, but calling his guys Team Falcon elevated their status somehow.

Kri's calm voice came through next. "Transport team is in place and ready for extraction."

With all teams in place, Peter gave a nod to the Guardians flanking him. They were a mix of a few seasoned veterans who had served for many centuries, and those like him, who hadn't served for as long but had returned to the force recently, united in their determination to fight the evil within that building.

"Remember," Peter said. "As always, our primary objective is to neutralize the traffickers first and secure the victims second. We don't want any unintended casualties because some of you are hotheaded and impatient." He cast a reproachful glance at Bjorn. The guy still fought like a Viking. "This time, we need to apprehend one of the traffickers, preferably the ringleader, and take him to the keep."

They always interrogated the leader of the scum to get information about other possible cells and potential buyers, but this time, they would be taking the vermin to the keep for the gods to experiment on.

Still, that was information he didn't need to share with the rest of the Guardians. Alfie and Jay knew what they needed him for, and that was enough.

A chorus of affirmatives sounded in his ear.

Peter took another deep breath, tasting the metallic tang of adrenaline on his tongue. "On my mark. Three...two...one...go!"

In a blur of motion, the teams sprang into action. Alfie's team hit the front entrance while Jay's group circled around to cover the back. Peter led his team straight up the side of the building, using their immortal strength and agility to scale the walls and enter through the upper windows.

The sound of breaking glass and splintering wood filled the air as the Guardians breached the building simultaneously. Shouts of surprise and fear erupted from inside, quickly drowned out by the voices of Guardians as they secured room after room.

Peter landed in what appeared to be a makeshift office, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim interior. A portly man in ill-fitting fatigues scrambled to his feet, reaching for something under his desk. Without hesitation, Peter closed the distance between them, his hand clamping down on the man's wrist before he could grab whatever weapon he was going for.

He could have frozen the man with a thrall, but getting physical was more satisfying.

Besides, there was always a chance of encountering an immune.

"I wouldn't," Peter growled, wanting desperately to shatter the bones in the vermin's wrist and hear him squeal in agony.

The man's face paled, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "Who are you? Do you know who I work for?"

Peter's lip curled in disgust. "Is it the devil?" With a quick movement, he had the trafficker subdued and zip-tied. "It is time to pay for your sins, scumbag."

As he hauled the man to his feet, the sounds of the ongoing operation filtered through his enhanced hearing. The clash of combat, cries of fear and relief, and the steady voices of his fellow Guardians painted a vivid picture of what was happening throughout the building.

"Team Eagle, report," Peter commanded, dragging his prisoner toward the door.

Alfie's voice came through. "Ground floor secured. We've got eight victims, all female, with ages ranging from early teens to early twenties. No serious injuries, but they are terrified. Should I thrall them or leave them for Kri?"

"The usual. Just calm them down and let Kri do the rest."

"Copy that," Alfie said.

"Jay, what's your status?" Peter asked.

"My team has the basement locked down," Jay said. "We've got another nine victims down here, and it's not pretty. They look like they've been here a while."

Peter's jaw clenched, fury burning in his chest. He shoved the trafficker against the wall, leaning in close. "You better pray to whatever god you believe in that those girls can be saved," he hissed. "Because if they can't, I'll make you suffer worse than the fires of hell." He let his fangs show.

"What are you?" the man whimpered, his bravado from earlier completely evaporated.

"Your worst nightmare."

"We've got five more on the second floor," one of Peter's teammates called out. "Looks like some kind of VIP area. The girls here are in good shape physically, but they are drugged out of their minds."

"Good work," Peter acknowledged. "Kri, we're ready for extraction. Bring the vans in close. We've got more victims than anticipated."

"Copy that," Kri responded. "We're moving in now."

Peter marched his prisoner down the stairs, his enhanced strength making the man's weight inconsequential.

As they reached the ground floor, Peter surveyed the results of the operation.

The large open space that had once been a factory floor was now a hive of activity. Guardians led bound scumbags to a cage in the back while others were tending to the shell-shocked victims. Some of the girls huddled together, tears streaming down their faces, while others sat in either stunned silence or drugged stupor, their eyes vacant.

Alfie approached, his usually cheerful face grim. "We checked every square inch of this hellhole. Everyone is accounted for."

Peter nodded, his grip tightening on the trafficker's arm. "Good work. Make sure the victims are checked for injuries before loading them up. We don't want anyone bleeding out on the way."

"Already on it." Alfie's eyes flickered to the man in Peter's grasp. "This our guy?"

"Seems to be in charge," Peter confirmed.

At the sound of the two vans pulling up outside, Peter glanced at the broken door that was hanging from one hinge.

Kri entered, her blond hair tied in a tight braid, her expression calm and compassionate. "Transport's ready to load," she announced, her eyes sweeping the room. When she saw the state of some of the victims, a flash of pain crossed her features before she schooled her expression.

"Don't be afraid," she said in her melodic voice that was laced with calm. "You are safe now. We are taking you to a sanctuary where you will be taken care of, protected, and given a chance to heal." She repeated the same in Spanish for those who didn't understand English, which seemed to be the majority of them.

As the Guardians began to usher the rescued girls toward the waiting vans, Peter felt the usual mix of emotions that assaulted him at the end of each of those missions. Pride in his team's efficiency, relief at the successful rescue, and a burning anger at the monsters who perpetrated such cruelty.

One of the younger victims, a girl who couldn't have been more than twelve, caught Peter's eye as she was led past. The fear and uncertainty in her gaze were heart-wrenching, but there was also a glimmer of hope. It was that hope, that chance to give these girls back their lives, that made it all worthwhile.

Once the last of the victims had been loaded into the vans, Peter turned his attention back to his prisoner. "Your turn."

The man started to struggle. "You'll be sorry when El Patrón finds out!"

Peter ignored him. "Alfie, Jay, you're with me. We've got a special delivery to make."

They escorted the trafficker to a separate van that was outfitted especially for transporting criminals.

As they secured the prisoner, Peter took a moment to survey the scene one last time.

The building that had been a house of horrors now housed only a bunch of scumbags locked in a cage. They had been thralled to confess their crimes when the police arrived. They wouldn't remember who attacked them and rescued the girls. The Guardians left no evidence to tie them to the scene of the crime, and that included any surveillance that had been in the building and the immediate area surrounding it. The laptops and desktops had been loaded into one of the other vans for the guys in charge of extracting information to crack. Everything else had been destroyed.

As they pulled away from the warehouse, Peter allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Tonight, they'd struck another blow against the darkness. It wasn't a big victory, and there were still countless battles to fight, but tonight, they'd hung another light on the string of hope.