Sor (Voodoo Guardians #29)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“We have to take them to Belle Fleur,” said Hiro. “None of the neighboring countries will accept them. They have nowhere to go.”

The men just shook their heads, unable to comprehend how someone could turn children away. They would come back with them, but they would feel out of place and lost. The team at Belle Fleur would do everything in their power to help them transition.

“Do they not have families?” asked Dom, looking toward U-Jin, who had been their interpreter with the children.

“None that I have spoken to,” said U-Jin. “Many were orphans from the tsunami. Some were simply street urchins tossed aside. But they do not have family that they are aware of.”

“We got them clean. Mama Irene and the others packed an entire trunk of clothing for the boys. I can’t believe it, but it almost all fits them. A little big, but, for the most part, these kids haven’t worn this much clothing in their entire lives,” said Tobias.

“Don’t let them eat too much too quickly,” said Sebastian. Tobias nodded but pointed to the back, where the boys were sound asleep on mats. The individual yoga mats had been covered in custom sheets, and each boy had his own pillow and a blanket. Some weren’t sure what to do with them until they were shown.

“How many total?” asked Sor.

“Thirty-nine. One of the boys said there were many more, but they were either killed by the men or died from starvation. I think we should have tortured those men, but I realize we didn’t have time.”

“You’re not wrong,” said Frank. “I would have been happy to be a part of that job. Now, we have to find DeWitt. He’s going to know that it was us and you, Sor. He’ll be coming for you.”

“I hope like hell he does. I want a piece of him.”

“The other thing we need to consider is that the Cambodian government could become our enemy. If DeWitt tells them who did this or points them in our direction, we’re going to have a problem,” said Mike.

“I did ask the boys about the unalome,” said U-Jin. “It was as we expected. They were told that the monks wanted them to work for the men. They said they had one monk there for a while, but he was blind and deaf. The men were cruel to him, and they think he died.”

“The caves in the other countries have been found and blown,” said Hiro. “At least that’s what the governments are telling us. We can’t be sure. They’ve sent some pretty graphic photos to the president.”

“We can’t worry about them. It’s these children we have to worry about. Did anyone else see the skeletons and skulls on the ledges?” asked Sor.

“We all saw it, brother,” said Conor.

“The boys said that they were told it was a warning to them. If they didn’t do what they were told, they would end up dead, their souls damned for all eternity. Can you imagine saying that to a child? My mother said some pretty hideous things to me, but it still sticks with me,” said U-Jin.

“No, we can’t imagine saying that, but then again, we’re not psychotic maniacs determined to have unimaginable power and control,” said Cade. “Any idea where your boy might go next?”

“Not a clue,” said Sor.

“What about another teammate or someone he hung out with, drank beer, anything?” asked Dom.

“Maybe,” frowned Sor. “He used to talk about some guy that was his ‘contact’ for anything and everything. This guy could get him a television, stereo system, car, anything at a cut price.”

“Do you remember his name?” asked Dom.

“No. I don’t think I was really listening to him, but some of the guys at the base might know. He was always sending them to him to get deals.”

“Sounds like he was getting a cut of these deals,” said Frank.

“You might be right. I guess I should have paid more attention to that. Let’s get the kids back to Belle Fleur, and then we can head to base.”

By the time they got home, it was late afternoon. Greeting them at the Osprey was the entire medical team, most of the wives, Mama Irene, and Claudette.

“Them babies,” said Irene. “Look at them poor babies.”

“We’ve set up triage in the Sugar Lodge,” said Jane. “Let’s get them over there, and we can get a good look at them.”

Not wanting to frighten the boys with the ATVs or other vehicles, each man carried two, with Alec, Tailor, and Team Big taking most of them. The children told U-Jin that they must be in a magical land of giants. He could only laugh, telling the children that they were friendly giants who would protect them.

“Malnourished, weak, dehydrated, a few infected scrapes and cuts, but other than that, they’re physically going to be okay,” said Jane. “It’s really remarkable. The more difficult thing will be the attention to their mental health needs. None of these children have ever seen a doctor, let alone a therapist.”

“Let’s just get them healthy, Jane,” said Luke. “We’ll deal with the rest later. Hell, we’ve got to find a place for these boys.”

“I told ‘ya. We got a lot more folks for Thanksgiving dinner this year than planned,” said Irene.

“I guess you did tell me that, Grandma,” smirked Luke. She just shook her head, slapping her hands against her thighs as she walked away. “What? I agreed with her.”

Sor spotted Nell with two little boys. She handed them tablets of white paper and boxes of colored pencils, drawing with them. They laughed as she drew a dragon, making it fly through the air.

“Hi there,” he said, smiling down at her. She stood, kissing him as the boys giggled. “Are these two stealing you from me?”

“Well, they are pretty cute but, sadly, way too young for me. Are you doing alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, babe. I showered, got a change of clothes, and now I’m ready to eat. But we’re going to have to go to base for a while. There’s someone we need to find.”

“I heard,” she nodded. “I understand. I want you to find whoever did this to these boys. They’re all so innocent, Sor. They were used like mules having no value at all.”

“I know, honey.” While the boys continued to draw and play, she looked up at Sor.

“Do we have time to go back to the cottage for a while?”

“Hell, yeah, we do. Let’s go.”