“Sure,” he mutters distractedly, staring down at his cell phone. “Go choose one and I’ll be in soon.” We decide on Moana because I know Reggie won’t join us.
Chapter Eighteen
Riggs
I stare down at my cell. The video of Michelle screwing some fat, old bastard plays out. I’d had the same sort of recording last night, only she was snorting cocaine. Cree looks over my shoulder. “That’s Reggie’s whore club.”
“Get the guys together. We need to make a move tonight.”
“Just like that? You want to go right in?”
“I’m tired of waiting. If this is his club, it’s where Michelle is at. We’re gonna take her back.”
An hour later, I play the video for my brothers. “We go in tonight. I want this place burnt to the ground,” I say.
“I have a connection that can take these women and put them up in a hostel. There are key workers there who can help the women get off the drugs and back into society,” says Cree.
I smile gratefully. “The plan is, we get the girls out, we kill any of Reggie’s men who try to stop us, then we burn it,” I add.
“The thing is, we have to get over the tracks unseen,” says Chains. He holds up a bunch of football shirts. “And it just so happens that Chelsea Football Club is playing tonight. So, we scrap the kuttes and pretend to be on a lads’ boozy night out to watch the match.” There are a few groans around the table, but that’s more to do with the choice of football club than anything else.
“Who will stay behind to watch the families?” asks Rock.
“You,” I say, and he laughs knowingly. Rock is a man mountain and I know he can handle anything back here at the club.
We step out into the club parking lot. Two minibuses await us and we load up. We look ridiculous donning our football shirts and Mom insisted on a group photo for the club wall of fame.
It’s not long before we arrive across the tracks and to Reggie’s dingy sex club. Cree fills us in on the way after speaking to a contact. Apparently, Reggie hooks the girls on his drugs, getting them into debt, then the only way to pay it off is to work here.
I shudder at the thought of what the poor women are going through inside. The place is a dump. We gather around Cree, who goes through the layout briefly. Then he leads us towards the metal door and down some steps. He knocks three times and the door opens slightly. “There’s about fifteen of us,” says Cree to the bouncer. “We have cash.” He smiles, waving a bunch of notes. The door opens wider.
“I need some identification,” growls the bouncer. “We take a copy off every guest.”
“Sure, no problem,” says Cree. He reaches into his pocket and then pulls his fist out fast, connecting hard with the bouncer’s face. He stumbles backward and Cree hits him again. I lead the way inside, and as more security comes forward, fights begin to break out. Women scream and rush for the door. We left two of the brothers upstairs to lead the women to safety.
I push my way through the women running and the brothers who are fighting until I spot Michelle. She’s passed out on a table and three men are lining up, waiting for the man currently fucking her to finish. Rage fills me and I punch the first guy in the head. He falls to the ground and the second turns to see what the fuss is. He sees me and holds his hands up. “I don’t want no trouble,” he says.
“Then get out of here,” I yell. He scuttles off like the dirtbag he is, followed closely by the third guy.
“Wait your fucking turn,” shouts the man fucking her.
“She’s passed out,” I yell.
“She’s warm. I don’t give a crap if she’s passed out,” he snaps.
I pull him away from her and throw him to the floor. He yells at me, but I don’t hear shit. I gently tap Michelle on the face. “Baby,” I whisper. “Wake up.” I feel for a pulse, but it’s very weak. I shrug out of the football shirt and put it on Michelle. I scoop her up in my arms and make my way back through the building. “Burn this shit to the ground,” I order.
I stand by Michelle’s bed, watching her chest move up and down. A small part of me wishes I could love her like I used to. Maybe that would be enough for her to stay clean. But deep down, I don’t trust her, and I can’t put Ziggy through it all again. Cree got the other women to safety. The Women’s Aid shelter made sure they had workers on standby to help the women with the drug problem. It’s a long road for all of them, but for the ones who want that help, Cree made it happen. I insisted on bringing Michelle back to the club, where a doctor met us.
He squeezes a bag of fluids into her drip. “She’s severely dehydrated. We need to get this into her as fast as possible. Do you have an ETA on a nurse?” he asks. He came straight from the hospital and he’s on call, so he’s anxious to get back.
Leia pops her head around the door. “You wanted me?” she asks.
“Just in time. You’re wanting to be a nurse, right?” I ask.
“Erm, yeah, but I haven’t done enough to take over here unsupervised,” she says.
“It’s fine. It’s basic care,” says the doctor, then he launches into a speech of what she needs to watch for and how to contact him.
I find Cree in the main room drinking a bourbon. “We did good tonight,” he says.
“I know. Just feel like now we’ve begun, we need to hit the next target quickly.”
“Well, this would have all been done earlier if you’d have
