Page 72 of John’s Yearning

“What Logan means is, we stole one,” Enya corrected him. The blond female looked rather petite, but according to Wesley, she was a formidable fighter and no less capable than her male brethren. “We figured out the route. It’ll take about twenty minutes to reach the port.”

When they exited the factory, John looked up at the sky. It was overcast, and in the distance, dark clouds were visible. He didn’t mind the cloudy weather, because it would provide an extra shield against the sun, but the dark clouds worried him somewhat, because they could develop into thunderclouds pretty quickly.

They piled into the large truck, weapons at the ready, and drove off. Enya used her smartphone to guide Logan through the unfamiliar city and direct him toward the dock at the port where the cargo ship carrying the girls was scheduled to arrive.

They didn’t seem out of place when they arrived at the docks in the old, beat up truck. Nobody gave them a second glance.

“That way,” Enya ordered, pointing to a dock around a bend, away from the hustle and bustle of the main docks, where containers were being loaded and unloaded.

When they turned the corner in the truck, John was glad that the area was somewhat shielded from the other docks. It would make it easier to avoid being seen by innocent bystanders. It figured that the kidnappers wanted to unload the girls in an area where nobody would see them and ask any questions.

“Park over there,” Enya said now, and Logan pulled behind a large shipping container and brought the truck to a stop.

“The ship’s already docking, look!” Grayson said from behind him.

John turned his head and looked out the side window. The hybrid was right. The ship was already being tied up in its berth. Yet, it still took almost an hour until the unloading began. The wait was excruciating, but John knew that it would be easier to fight the kidnappers once they had started unloading their victims. If Scanguards acted before the kids were on solid ground, too much could go wrong.

“Grayson, Ryder, you’re responsible for scanning the containers with your thermal cameras. We need to know which container the girls are in,” John instructed. “I doubt they’ll walk them off the ship and risk somebody seeing them.”

Zane nodded in agreement. “That’s what I would do.”

John looked at Virginia. “Virginia, how many of us can each of you cloak with your mind so we can move freely and not have to hold hands?”

“We can each take two at least, so that’s good.” She exchanged a look with Enya and Logan. “I’ll take you and Zane, Logan can take care of the twins, and Enya will take Grayson and Ryder.”

Both Enya and Logan nodded.

“Okay, Enya, you, Grayson, and Ryder will secure the girls, once we have their location. The rest of you, we’re taking out the kidnappers. I want no one to escape. Are we clear?”

“Now you’re talking,” Zane said.

“Are you saying to kill all of them?” Virginia asked. “Don’t you want to interrogate them?”

“If it’s safe to leave one alive, sure. But the girls’ safety comes first. Seeing how the kingpin behind this operated with the hacker and the two thugs we picked up in Oakland, I doubt they know who he is. He’s too careful. If it’s safe, we’ll ask them questions, but if they try to run, kill them.”

“And if they don’t try to run?” Zane asked. “You saying we’ll have to let them live if they talk?” Displeasure spread on Zane’s face.

“Don’t worry. Once they’ve told us what they know, they’ll die too.” After all, here in Russia, they couldn’t very well hand these criminals over to the authorities. And they needed to be punished, one way or another.

“Glad we cleared that up,” Zane said dryly.

“Hey guys,” Ryder suddenly said. “That container, the red one they’re lowering down right now… I see a whole bunch of heat signatures in there. All huddled in a corner.”

“Yeah, I see it too,” Grayson confirmed. “Could be a good dozen kids. Must be them.”

“Okay, get ready. Wait until the container has been lowered and disconnected from the crane. We don’t want them to pick it up again if they notice something,” John instructed.

With one eye John watched the container, with the other the gangplank, where three man appeared. Carrying small travel bags, they marched down and headed for the red container.

“They’re packing heat,” Damian said.

John had noticed the bulges under their jackets too. Guns.

“Let’s go,” John ordered. “Virginia, Enya, Logan. Cloak us.”

“Done,” all three said in unison.

All of them exited the truck, and while John could still see all members of his team, he trusted that they were now invisible to everybody else. John looked around, but he couldn’t see anybody else approaching the container or leaving the ship. Could they be so lucky as to only have to deal with three men? This was going too well.