Chapter 434 Chapter 434
The camp turned out to be a grouping of sheds, the kind you would buy and assemble in your backyard to store garden tools. The only real building was a large cabin, that Noah guessed had already been here when Lindon had brought his clan to this new location.
Noah turned to see Blair and was just as appalled by the idea that they had been forced to live in these conditions. He couldn’t guess what was going through his head, but from what he knew about Blair, there was no question that his plan of just introducing himself and leaving was no longer happening. Noah knew nothing about leadership or would ever have to know, but he decided he wasn’t leaving these people here either. He was never leaving mistreated people behind again.
Calum looked angry and that was a first. Focused, determined, or annoyed he’d seen on the man’s face before, but never angry. It made him feel better, slightly, if a man like Calum was going in with that kind of determination, then Lindon’s followers didn’t stand a chance.
In the center of the camp, a fire was going, a woman sat beside a pot cutting something up and putting it in it. Noah tensed when she turned and saw them walking in. McKenna raised her finger to her lip to tell her to stay quiet. The woman looked each of them over and then turned back to do what she had been. Noah was surprised it was that easy.
There were no guards, no one keeping watch anywhere he looked. How were these people kept here? The woman at the fire didn’t have a collar on, and neither did McKenna. What had Lindon done to keep them in line? There had to be something. His cat nudged him to focus, now was not the time for the endless circle of thoughts in his head.
As they slipped between two of the sheds, an older woman opened the door and looked relieved to see McKenna. The expression in her eyes told him this was her grandmother.
McKenna went over to her quickly, “stay inside.” She whispered. The woman looked at Calum and then at him and Blaise and nodded her head quickly. When she shut the door, McKenna started walking again. “Bedrooms are at the back.” She whispered and motioned to the cabin, “there’s a door off the deck.”
Blair exchanged a look with Blaise, and both veered toward the back of the house. Noah reached under his jacket and put his hand on the butt of the dart gun. His cat was pissed that they weren’t using a real one, but Devin’s orders had been to bring them out alive. Noah sucked a deep breath through his nose and conveyed to his animal that there were children there and darts were safer. His cat’s reaction still wasn’t favorable, but he settled enough to let Noah do the driving of his body without the distraction.
“Do you want me to knock?” McKenna whispered to Calum, “no one would ever just walk in.”
“Okay, knock, and then as soon as you go inside, you get out of the way.” Calum looked over her head at Noah as he spoke.
Noah knew he was asking if he was ready and nodded his head, gripping the gun under his jacket. He didn’t like that McKenna would be in there, he couldn’t add another female to his conscience. He leaned down and looked her in the eye, “you get behind me as soon as I’m inside.” She nodded, a nervous look in her eye like it was just dawning on her what was happening. She had guts, that he knew. For her to even reach out to the Alliance was risking her life. He decided then, that he would make sure she and her grandmother found somewhere good to settle. Somewhere that they would never feel suffering again. He didn’t know what Blair planned to do, short of building a town on his property, but this girl deserved some peace.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and turned, ready to fight. Two boys stood there, their clothes were too small and dirty, and neither had a jacket on. Noah had no idea how old they were, but the bigger one was close to a teen, he looked from him to Calum and then grabbed the little one’s arm and ushered him in the other direction. Shit. He was going to have to make sure all the children had a good place to live too. He knew what it was like to be afraid to do anything. Children needed to run, play and feel safe. He thought of Daisie, she’d been through a lot, but the good space she was in with the clan around her made all the difference.
With his jaw clenched, he turned back to see McKenna watching Calum.
Calum glanced at his phone. “Blair’s ready, they can see inside.” He looked at McKenna, “let’s go.” He tapped the screen and then put it in his pocket.
McKenna raised her hand and knocked on the door a few times.
Noah heard a muffled, “it’s open,” from the other side of it.
Later, he’d figure out what had come over him as they went through the door. Noah grabbed McKenna’s arm and had her behind his body before she could say a word. The man on the other side of the room stood there with his mouth hanging open. Noah had the gun aimed at his face. He wasn’t about to tell him it wasn’t filled with bullets. “Sit.” He growled, “arms above your head.” The man dropped to his knees and raised his hands. Calum moved by him and went toward the door at the back of the room. He checked to make sure McKenna was okay, he shouldn’t have grabbed her like that.
Blaise came through a window—literally, leaped through it. Noah blinked and then she was standing beside the man on the floor. “You watch him, I’m going hunting.” She tossed something to McKenna. “Tie his hands behind his back. Tight.” Turning, she went to the door that Calum hadn’t.
Noah took the ties out of her hand and went over to the man. He wasn’t nice about it when he grabbed one wrist and pulled his hand behind his back. The ties were looped, so it was easy to figure out how to put them on. The man, no longer stunned, tried to jerk his hand free and get up.
When McKenna jumped back, a look of fear on her face, Noah, cranked his arm around his back and pushed him face-first on the floor. He jerked his other arm down and put the ties around his wrists and pulled them tight. Getting up, he left the man there on his face. “Go to your grandmother.” He said in a gruffer voice than he intended.
“Gather everyone,” Blair said as he came in dragging another man along with him. “I’ll be out shortly to meet them.” He shoved the man to the floor, “right after I have a chat with my cousin.” The shock on the man’s face was evident. “That’s right, the vanishing baby has returned.” Blair grinned and it wasn’t even close to friendly.
Calum shoved another man out the door, his hands were already bound. With a firm grip, he guided him to the floor beside the guy that still lay on it.
The fourth man came through the door, not of his own free will. Blaise came along behind him, she looked quite happy. Noah looked to see blood on his face. She smirked and gave a little shrug, “he got a little too up in my space.” She shoved him again, “go join your pals.”
Noah turned to see Mckenna standing at the door, a stunned look on her face. “Are there any others out there that are with them?” He glanced at the men.
She shook her head, “no.”
“Okay, go gather them up.” He took the backpack off his back and held it out, “there are some bars in here and drinks.”
Blair glanced to Calum and then pointed to the door he’d come in through. “My packs out there, grab the bars from it too.”
“Once we’ve looked around in here, anyone that needs to warm up can come inside,” Calum said as he looked with just his eyes around the room. “How many are here?”
“Uh, nineteen.” She didn’t pause to chat, McKenna took his bag and went out the door.
Calum nodded and pulled out his phone, “I need to call Devin,” he looked at Blaise, “are some of your team nearby?”
She grinned, “they’re probably bored by now.”
He smirked, “call them and tell them to come to collect these four.”
She smiled, “with pleasure.” She heaved a big sigh, “I was hoping for more action.”
Calum chortled, “there’s going to be a lot in the next while, you’ll get your action.”
“Aces.” She grinned and went out the door.
“I’ll go tell the girls to come down.” Noah went out the door and hurried along the edge of the cabin to the back where they’d been able to see when they’d looked down at the sad example of a clan’s camp.