Chapter 101 - Therapy - Feds
We arrived with the utmost stealth and entered the warehouse where the children were being held. Cebolla, with the help of Rascal, Churrusco, and Mojón, had already planted the explosives in the morning, while Cereza was in charge of finding the trucks to get the hostages out.
"If she doesn't decide to save them, we'll do it ourselves tonight. The trip is scheduled for tomorrow; they'll be taken to the port early in the morning." The woman was wearing black jeans and a matching sweater. I scanned the perimeter and saw only two men guarding the cargo.
I ran to the second floor of the warehouse. When the man saw me, he lowered his head; he knew who I was. I approached and killed him with my knife. Mrs. Veronica covered her mouth to stifle a scream just as the other guy came in, and Cebolla took care of him. Two stabs, one to the heart and the other to the lower back.
"Why did you kill them?"
I shrugged. One more dead on my long list wouldn't sink me further into hell; I already have a direct ticket. Besides, according to our report, these guys are despicable pedophiles.
"Roland wouldn't have killed them." Cebolla's gesture indicated that wasn't true.
"He asked to know and learn. Rule number one to be a boss: you must have the cold blood to kill whoever is necessary." A second sign that the real Mrs. Veronica was still in there.
"What are we doing here?"
"Well, we're going to steal some merchandise to export to Spain."
"We're going to steal kilos of cocaine?"
"We don't have time; I've just been informed that the trucks have arrived."
Cebolla was talking to our personnel outside, all under high-tech communication. We headed to the warehouse basement and heard the wails, cries, and the smell of human waste. Damn it! They sent a shipment of children earlier; it would be impossible to reverse that operation now.
"What is this?" Mrs. Veronica's voice was trembling.
"Ma'am, if you want to earn the trust of the guild, you must authorize the shipment."
Cebolla said before turning on the light, revealing fifty children behind bars with terrified faces. I couldn't tell who was more scared, the children or her.
"No… no, no, I don't understand."
"Roland didn't allow it, but he's no longer here, and they've returned to their old ways. I would have liked to keep this away, but I've been busy with a woman who only tries to take her own life."
"No…"
"Mrs. Veronica! You asked me to be like the boss."
"He didn't allow this; I know he killed whoever did."
"That's right, but he had the nerve to silence thirty-two bosses. You're trembling now, and they'll eat you alive if you don't assume the role you want to play."
"What will they do with them?"
"Prostitution, most likely," I said.
"But… they're minors. There are very young girls and the boys…"
"Those are the ones they buy the most, believe me."
"No." She began to shake her head.
"We're running out of time. We need to get them out and send the shipment ourselves. That way, you'll be the queen of the mafia."
"Salcedo is arriving!"
Cebolla informed. I looked at her; this was the moment in her life where she would become a monster or a savior.
"Over my dead body will you send these children to Spain." I wanted to hug her; her eyes were full of tears. "They're children! Simon, Miguel, please get them out of here and return them to their parents, please, for the love of…"
"God, ma'am, God, mention him again. We'll do it."
We broke the locks on the cages where they were held captive. The lady calmed them down while Cebolla led them out. Several children clung to her; I thought it would be harder, but someone full of kindness and love found it difficult to twist their soul. I saw her wipe her tears several times.
We started loading the children into the cars. The poor kids smelled terrible; it was clear they hadn't bathed since their captivity. Three cars had already left, one driven by Churrusco, another by Rascal, and the last by Mojón. Cereza was waiting for us in the fourth.
We were loading the last child when Salcedo arrived. Seeing the look of fury on the lady's face was a sight to behold. We knew what we were up against. Automatically, Cebolla stood by her side to protect her while I faced the man who was number twenty on the list of bosses.
"This must be a joke, Rat."
I looked at him and slowly shook my head with a sinister smile. I took out my revolver, and he noticed.
"You broke your word."
"Roland is no longer here, and I don't give a damn about those kids. I only want the money they represent. Do you know how much a child is worth to those people?" My blood boiled.
"You're a degenerate!"
The lady had gotten very close; Cebolla remained by her side with the revolver in his hand.
"Now you do your business with a bitch by your side." I held back my anger at the comment.
"You offended the wrong person."
Onion spoke; from Salcedo's expression, I could see he was afraid. He was reverting to who he was, that damned bastard everyone feared. At that moment, I forgot about the lady, and it was a grave mistake.
"Call your mother a bitch."
With lightning speed, she grabbed the other gun from the waistband at my back. It took just a fraction of a second to react. I managed to deflect her hand upward to prevent her from carrying the weight of a death on her conscience. Salcedo drew his own gun, and without thinking, I shoved the barrel into his mouth.
"Over my dead body, ma'am! You will not stain your conscience with a death."
Onion took the gun from her, and at that moment, a boy of about six years old came to her side and clung to her.
"Don't ever do it." She knelt down. "Please." The boy was trembling. "You said you would take me to my mom."
"And I will. Now, let's go to my house so you can clean up. We'll take you to your families. I promise."
"Don't kill. Mom says if you do, you become bad."
"That man deserved it." She wiped his tears.
"But you're not a cop; they are," he pointed at Onion, who shrugged. "You're too pretty to kill."
The lady hugged the boy and held back the strong urge to cry. Her hands were trembling.
"Thank you for reminding me."
"Now, are we friends?"
"Yes. What's your name?"
"Enrique Muñoz Vergara."
And as if hypnotized, Mrs. Veronica's smile returned, that smile that lights up any darkness. I looked at Onion, and he was dazzled.
"She's back, ma'am. I'm glad the therapy worked."
"I feared it." She tried to glare at us. "But you can't deny we make a good team for these situations."
"Don't even think about it," I said.
"Roland wanted to get out of that mess. How about we honor him?"
We finished loading the children onto the truck. Onion gave instructions to other men on our team to clean up the place.
"Let me know when you're done so we can destroy the place."
"After we return the children, we'll talk about it. How does that sound?" I confirmed. "Where are we going?"
"To the farm where you ended Roland's life."
"That far?"
"We have everything there to take care of the children until we return them."
"And why isn't Onion coming with us?"
"He'll join us later."
We arrived at night, and as I anticipated what would happen, we had equipped the farm with mattresses, clothes, food, and staff to help, including a couple of doctors to examine the children, social workers, and psychologists, the personnel hired for the organizations Roland had created after his reconciliation with the higher-ups.
While we put things in order and waited for Onion, who would arrive with the key personnel for her, we set to the task of bathing, feeding, and checking the children, each of us focused on our job. The lady helped bathe them with two nurses and the social workers.
Luckily, the farm is in a warm area, and we had everyone in the courtyard. Seeing the lady smile, kiss, and hug the children filled me with joy. At least she was out of that stupor she was in. The social workers dressed them. I hope the clothes bought in dozens of all sizes are enough for them.
"Now I understand why Roland entrusted you with all the logistics. Who are these people?"
"They work in the organizations founded by Mr. R&V," she looked at me. "These are the organizations he was going to gift you to manage after getting married. I call it the resurrection of Roland. That's what he was dedicated to in recent months, not sending drugs."
"Is that why they killed him?"
"Could be."
"Daughter." Mr. Fausto's voice came from behind us.
"Dad!"
The lady ran into her father's arms, who hugged her tightly. Her brother joined the family embrace.
"You did it."
Inés said next to me. Onion finished the work, collected the things from the clinic, and brought the lady's family. We left them together for a while; they needed to talk.
"How can I help, Simon?"
"Do you mind helping with the children's dinner and those potions to help them rest?"
"Rat, I have the information from Salcedo's computers."
"Good. We need to look into returning the children. Meeting."
I said, and within seconds, each of us understood and silently headed to the office. The six of us were gathered when Onion spoke.
"Something went wrong with the previous shipment; the cargo didn't reach its destination. That's why this one was urgent. I'm glad those kids aren't in prostitution."
"And why didn't it arrive? What happened?"
Rasca culo asked. At that moment, Mr. Fausto entered the office.
"I think I judged you all wrong."
"Good evening, sir," more than one greeted.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back to who she was."
"So, the whipping wasn't necessary?" Santiago, who also entered the room, intervened.
"It was your idea; the shock therapy worked," I replied. Onion was smiling.
"So, did you want to become the boss of bosses?"