Chapter 104 Cargo
Percival glanced back over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. “You may wish to verify the merchandise yourself.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Meaning?”
Percival opened the door halfway, the hallway light spilling faintly into the office.
“The girls,” he clarified. “Before transport.”
Damien leaned back against the desk, considering.
Normally he would have refused. His involvement in this was already deeper than he preferred. The fewer steps he personally touched in Dominic’s operations, the better.
But something about tonight felt different.
Too many loose ends.
Too many unknowns.
And Dominic had been very specific about the importance of this delivery.
Damien straightened.“Where are they?”
Percival’s lips curved faintly.“Nearby.”
That answer alone made Damien uneasy.
Still, he nodded.“Fine.”
He grabbed his phone from the desk and slipped it into his jacket pocket before walking around the desk toward the door. Percival stepped aside to allow him through. The two men walked down the quiet hallway together, their footsteps echoing faintly in the early morning stillness of the building.
The elevator ride down was silent.
Percival stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring calmly at the numbers as they descended. Damien watched him from the corner of his eye. The man moved like someone who had spent years operating in dangerous spaces.
Not a wasted motion.
The elevator opened into the underground garage.
Damien led the way to his car. “Follow me,” Percival said as they reached the vehicle.
Damien paused. “You’re driving.”
Percival nodded toward a dark sedan parked several spaces away. Damien considered for half a second before locking his own car and following Percival instead. They drove through the quiet city streets in near silence.
Streetlights cast long pale streaks across the pavement as the sedan moved through the city’s industrial district.
The buildings here were older.
Brick structures.
Closed warehouses.
Abandoned lots.
After nearly twenty minutes, Percival slowed the car and turned onto a narrow gravel road.
Damien frowned slightly. The headlights illuminated a small structure ahead.
It looked old.
Weathered.
Almost forgotten.
A rusted metal sign hung crookedly near the entrance, the faded lettering barely visible.
The place resembled an old butcher house.
A small processing facility perhaps decades out of use.
Percival parked beside the building and turned off the engine. Neither man spoke immediately.
Then Percival opened his door. “We have arrived.”
Damien stepped out of the car slowly, scanning the surroundings.
The air smelled faintly metallic.
The building itself was dimly lit from inside.
“Charming location,” Damien muttered.
Percival gave a small shrug.
“Discreet.”
They walked toward the entrance.
The metal door creaked slightly as Percival pushed it open. Inside, the space was larger than Damien expected. The room had clearly been repurposed.
Temporary lighting hung from the ceiling.
A few metal tables stood along the walls.
Two men Damien didn’t recognize stood near the back of the room, watching silently. And near the center of the room…
Three chairs.
Three figures.
Damien’s stomach tightened slightly.
The girls sat quietly, their hands tied loosely in front of them. Blindfolds covered their eyes, they looked exhausted, frightened.
But otherwise unharmed.
Damien deliberately kept his gaze away from their faces. He had seen enough already. “Alive,” Percival said simply.
Damien nodded once.“That’s all Dominic asked for.”
He turned slightly away from them, pulling his phone from his pocket. Percival watched him but said nothing. The call connected after two rings.
Dominic answered immediately.“Dearest Cousin”
“I have seen them,” Damien said flatly.
A pause.
Then Dominic’s voice brightened. “Good.”
“They’re secured,” Damien continued. “Ready for transfer.”
“Excellent.”
Damien glanced briefly across the room again before looking away. “I’ll be sending them on tonight’s shipment,” he said.
Dominic seemed pleased. “Perfect timing.”
“Can you receive them?” Damien asked.
“Yes,” Dominic replied without hesitation. “My people will handle the arrival.”
Damien nodded slightly. “Then expect them tonight.”
“Good work, Damien,” Dominic said.
Then his tone shifted slightly.
“After this… we’ll need to discuss the next favor.”
Damien went still.
Every muscle in his body stiffened.
Percival noticed.
But Damien didn’t respond immediately.
The silence stretched just a moment too long.
“Damien?” Dominic prompted.
Damien forced his voice to remain neutral.
“We’ll talk later.”
Dominic chuckled softly.
“I knew I could rely on you.”
The line went dead.
Damien lowered the phone slowly.
For a moment he simply stared at the dark screen.
Next favor.
The words echoed unpleasantly in his mind.
Across the room, one of the girls shifted slightly in her chair. The quiet movement pulled Damien’s attention back to the present.
Percival stepped closer beside him.
“Everything arranged?” he asked.
Damien slid the phone back into his pocket.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Percival gestured toward the back of the building.
“The transport vehicle arrives in three hours.”
Damien nodded.
He still refused to look directly at the girls again.
“Make sure they’re ready.”
Percival’s expression remained calm.
“Of course.”
Damien turned toward the door.
As he stepped outside, the cold early morning air hit him immediately.
The hours between late evening and nightfall crawled by slowly.
Too slowly.
Damien had intended to leave the compound after confirming the girls were secured, but something had made him stay. He told himself it was to oversee the final steps—to ensure the transportation arrived exactly when it was supposed to, that nothing went wrong, that Dominic received what he had asked for.
But deep down, Damien knew it was more than that.
Loose ends bothered him.
And tonight there were too many of them.
He stood outside the small butcher house for most of the evening, leaning casually against Percival’s dark sedan while the sky above the industrial district gradually darkened.
The place was perfect for something like this.
Hidden.
Forgotten.
Inside the building, the girls remained where Percival’s men had placed them earlier.
Blindfolded.
Bound.
Waiting.
Damien forced himself not to think about it.
Not to picture them sitting there in silence.
Not to imagine what might be going through their minds. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and exhaled slowly.
This was Dominic’s world.
Deals like this.
People treated like cargo.