Chapter 13 – Logan
Katia opened the door to the limo and climbed out, jumping straight into Boone’s arms. “Did you get all the girls?” Katia cried into Boone’s shoulder.
“Yes,” Delilah answered. Unbeknownst to Katia, Delilah had injected both the guards in the barn with the horse tranquilizer while Boone had led the other eleven girls out of the burning house via the tunnel. The girls were still gasping for air. It was obvious they had inhaled too much smoke while inside the house and while escaping through the tunnel. Some were limping; others were barefooted having removed their come-fuck-me shoes. A few of the gowns were torn, and the girls were trying to cover their exposed party parts. Make-up was smeared, and their once perfectly coiffed updos were a mess. All were crying.
“Let’s round up the men and then we will get the girls safely home,” Boone added. Boone turned to the women standing behind him, still frightened and confused. “Ladies, why don’t you wait in the limo? It will be safer there.”
The women looked at one another not sure what to do. They still were not sure what was happening. Just moments ago they were attending a party with wealthy men hoping to find a husband. Then the house was on fire, and they were being led through a tunnel by a virtual stranger. Yes, Boone was a good looking stranger but a stranger none the less.
All were frozen afraid to move. They just looked at each other. Suddenly a large black and silver wolfdog rounded the back of the limo causing the girls to scream. “Warrior,” Delilah squealed in joy. Warrior jumped up with his paws on Delilah's chest and licked her face.
“I love you too my big lovable courageous friend,” Delilah laughed, kissing him back.
“Should I be jealous?” Boone asked Delilah while he laughed, happy to see Warrior as well. “You and your friends are a welcome sight,” Boone told Warrior.
Warrior growled lowly, and Boone remained silent listening to him. “I have heard of Coydogs, Coywolves, and Dogotes, but I have never met any before. Please tell them, thank you,” Boone announced talking to Warrior. Warrior growled again.
Boone noticed the women still standing behind him. “Ladies, this was not a romantic party to introduce you to potential husbands. This was an auction. You were to be sold to the highest bidder. Miner was selling you to these men like livestock,” Boone tried to explain to the girls. “You really did not have any choice about who you would be leaving with or if you were going to leave. Had you refused to leave with the man who bought you, you would have been drugged and hauled off against your will. Now please, for your protection, get into the limo.”
The ladies looked at each other in total disbelief. Debbie looked at Katia, who nodded to let Debbie and the rest of the women know Boone was speaking the truth. One of the other girls opened the door to Miner’s long black limo and quickly jumped in. The rest of the girls, except Katia, climbed in behind her. When all were inside, Boone closed the door.
“Yes, let’s round up Miner and his friends and then I would love to meet everyone,” Boone stated as he continued his conversation with Warrior. Katia and Logan looked at each other but said nothing about Boone's conversation with the wolfdog.
Boone turned to Katia and Logan. He stared at Logan filled with suspicion and protectiveness while moving slightly towards Katia to shield her. “Katia, do you know this man?”
“This is Logan Lamb. We met about four years ago at the St. Louis Art Museum. We started talking while staring at a painting and spent the rest of the day together. It was my perfect day,” Katia told Boone and Delilah smiling. They instantly knew what she was talking about. They knew this was the man Katia was supposed to fall in love with.
Delilah smiled knowingly at Logan. “Will you help us round up these assholes?”
“It will be my pleasure ma’am,” Logan replied with a smile. Then he looked at the men from the party who were being held at bay by the wolves, dogs and coyotes. "Am I safe?" Logan asked. "Or will they eat me alive?"
"They know the good guys from the bad guys," Boone grinned. "They know you are one of the good guys."
Delilah reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out two dozen pairs of flex cuffs. “I was a girl scout in another life,” she chuckled. “I am always prepared.”
It only took a few minutes for Miner, Sophie and rest of the men, including the Prince, to be cuffed. Once the task was completed, Delilah approached Miner first. Reaching back, she released, slapping him as hard as she could. “What you are doing is just plain disgusting. Women are not chattel. I hope you rot in prison for a very long time.”
As Delilah walked away, Warrior approached Miner growling the entire time, each of his long canine teeth showing. Now Miner was truly frightened. Miner knew Warrior was about to get revenge for every time he had hit him with a belt. Warrior raised his head and teeth towards Miner’s groin and opened wide. Miner closed his eyes and screamed. Warrior never touched the man who proclaimed to be his master. Warrior snarled a wolfish grin as Miner urinated on himself. Warrior sat back on his haunches and howled at the sky in delight. Boone could not help from laughing. He knew sometimes the best revenge was no revenge at all.
Delilah then approached Jerry, the head of the security detail. “Tell me about this girl you drugged during the last party. Who was she? Where is she now?”
Jerry glanced at Miner, who shook his head from side to side. “Bitch,” Jerry sneered through his clenched teeth.
Delilah stared into Jerry’s eyes. “I can make you talk,” Delilah hissed as she started removing one of her gloves.
“Dee, don’t,” Boone called out as he reached for her ungloved hand. Boone was certain Jerry was about to lose his family jewels. He knew Delilah could do it in one clean twist of her wrist using her razor sharp talons.
“I was just going for my rope,” Delilah laughed. “I figured I could string him up on the tree over there and torture the truth out of him.”
“I am sworn to secrecy,” Jerry replied with a devilish cackle.
“Just two minutes Boone. Just me and Jerry out back alone,” Delilah begged.
“We will let the FBI do the torturing,” Boone laughed. “We still have an hour before they arrive. If they cannot get it out of Miner or Jerry, you can have all the time you need with both of them. I will push them for the opportunity.”
Delilah knew the hidden message behind Boone’s statement and agreed by nodding. “I only need a couple of minutes. Just me and him and a cattle prod.” Delilah hoped her threat would cause Jerry to open up and start talking. But it did not. Jerry was more afraid of Miner than he was of Delilah. Jerry was a bigger fool than he could have imagined. Of course, Delilah would not use a cattle prod on him. Her rope would have worked to get the truth out of him. But she would use it only has a last resort. There were too many witnesses, and she could not reveal her powers around so many people.
Boone and Logan led the men and Sophie onto the bus and ensured they were properly secured until the FBI arrived.
Boone returned to the girls still hiding in the limo. He opened the door so they could get out. Most were elated they were now safe. Debbie, however, was not. “I was supposed to find me a rich husband. You have ruined everything,” Debbie seethed at Boone. “Now what am I supposed to do? Now I have to go back to that hellhole and work. Or I am going to have to find some poor man and give him five snotty nosed brats.”
Boone looked at the man who had bought Debbie and read his mind. “You would not have been his trophy wife. You are better off without him,” Boone admonished as a verbal slap in the face. “You need to grow up and smell the stench of reality. That man is a sadist, and he would have hurt you. He would have beaten you to a bloody pulp and left you wishing you were dead.”
Debbie gasped in fear looking at the man she had just moments ago regarded as her savior and benefactor. “Really?” she whispered hoarsely. Boone nodded. Debbie hung her head as i
f in embarrassment. “Thank you,” she choked out as her body deflated in shame.
“We need to get all of you out of here before the authorities arrive,” Boone suggested. “Your family and friends do not need to read about this. It is going make headlines.” The girls looked at each other now anxious to leave.
“I am sober,” Mallory spoke up and held her hand out for the keys to the limo. Logan relinquished them to her. Mallory giggled. “I have always wanted to drive one of these. Come on girls, let’s cruise the town and have a little fun.”
Boone noticed his four-legged friends who were now near the wood line getting a bit antsy. Boone excused himself and joined them. He wanted to thank the Coydogs, Wolfdogs, Coywolves, and Dogotes. Walking from one to the other, he called each one by name and thanked each one for coming to the girl's rescue. Shaking each of their paws, he wished them happy hunting and a safe return to their dens and pups. Together they looked to the sky and howled. Boone howled with them and laughed earnestly. Warrior lagged behind for a moment after the rest of the pack of canines had loped away.
Boone looked down at Warrior. “Take care of the kids. They are going to need you more than ever. Not to protect them but for you to love them and comfort them. It is going to be a rough time for them. As soon as we find Lucy, we will be back for a visit. Take care, my friend.” Warrior nuzzled Boone’s leg. “Back at ya buddy,” Boone replied almost sadly as if saying goodbye to a dearly loved friend. Warrior dipped his head as if bowing to Boone and then took off down the mountain in the direction the Miner estate.
Once Boone was back with Delilah, who was waiting with Katia and Logan, Katia turned to Logan and asked again, “What are you doing here?”
Logan did not know where to start. He did not know what to say. Taking a deep breath, he started, unable to look directly at Katia. “I have been overseas working to save money to come back and find you and ask you to marry me.”
Katia gasped in surprise. They had spent only one day together, over four years ago. “You want to marry me?”
Logan did not answer but continued with his story. “I was working for the prince in the Middle East when his brother came home about four months ago with a new wife, a young sixteen-year-old, an American.”
Boone and Delilah gasped.
“Prince Omar bragged how he had bought her from a man here in Utah,” Logan continued. “I found out more details from the prince I was working for, Prince Oman. He was considering finding another bride for himself. When the brochure arrived a few weeks ago, I saw your picture. I begged the prince to allow me to accompany him to the auction. I had to find a way to get to you and protect you. I love you Katia. I fell in love with you that day at the museum. I had to find a way. I was going to wait until the party was over and find a way to get you away from Oman before we got on the plane.”
Before Katia could say or ask anything, Delilah cut right to the chase needing to know about the girl who was purchased. “The girl already with the brother; what is her name?”
“Lucy,” Logan revealed.
“Oh my,” Katia exclaimed learning the truth. “Is she safe? Has the wedding already happened?”
Logan tried to feign a smile. “No, the wedding is not for two more months. She is safe for now.”
Delilah quickly interjected. “We need to get there and rescue her before the wedding, and she loses her innocence. And before anyone finds out what has happened here. Lucy's father is Allen Miner. He sold her. Her mother has been led to believe she ran away. Her mother wants her back.”
Logan was not surprised. “It has been rumored Miner was going to auction off his next daughter in the fall. I heard him discussing it with one of the other men,” he revealed.
“She will be safe now. Warrior will make sure of it,” Delilah smiled. “Human trafficking is illegal, and I have some friends in the FBI who are on their way here now. We are going to expose Miner and his circle of perverts. We will keep them restrained until the authorities arrive. But we are going to need your statement to help put him away.”
“And then we need to get to the Middle East to rescue Lucy. Will you help us?” Boone asked Logan.
Logan never answered yes or no. “It is going to be dangerous,” he warned.
“We totally expect as much. We need your help with the layout of the palace and the area. We need your help with any contacts you may have in the country,” Boone beseeched.
Logan nodded. “I have a few friends who would be willing to help. They are a couple of ex-black ops types who will be excited about a fun mission and for the opportunity to save a young American girl from the clutches of an Arab prince.”
“Good,” Boone replied. “We will start making arrangements as soon as we are done here. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
While Logan and Prince Oman had flown to Utah in the prince’s private jet, Logan knew they could not use it to return to the Middle East. “So, I guess we are flying coach or do we have access to a private jet?” Logan asked.
Delilah smiled. “Daddy may be able to help out. If not, I have some friends in the government who owe me a favor or six.”
Logan looked at Delilah suspiciously. “Who are you, lady?”
Delilah grinned and shrugged but never answered. “As soon as the FBI arrives, we need to head home and prepare to leave for the Middle East.” Logan nodded.
“What about me?” Katia asked.
“I do not want you going with us! We just rescued you, and I will be damned if I put you in danger again,” Logan insisted while taking Katia’s hand and pulling her closer to him.
Delilah knew Katia could not accompany the group to the Middle East. But she also knew Katia could not stay in Utah. “We have a place you can stay. You can come with us back to Colorado and stay there while we rescue Lucy.”
Katia exhaled in relief. “Are you going to tell Mrs. Miner about Lucy?” Katia asked.
Boone and Delilah looked at one another. Delilah had a rapport with Margaret Miner, which Boone did not have. Delilah answered for the two of them. “Not yet. Once Lucy is on the jet, and we are headed home, we will reach out to her. I do not want to get her hopes up; at least not yet.”