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Zora caught up with me, "How did you know the man I shot was lying? Did you read his mind?"
I shook my head no, "Didn't have to. His kind is only in it for themselves and he had a month of protection money yet to collect. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize receiving payment for services rendered."
"What are you going to do now? Call the police?"
"I'll hold off on that for a little while. I want to be in place before they come storming onto the scene and a hostage negotiator becomes necessary."
I felt no remorse for the man I eased to the ground, who struggled feebly against my hand at his mouth as he bled out. He stopped struggling and I wiped my knife off on his shirt and moved on to the next sentry. He made his way to the great beyond more quickly, as I wasn't as concerned if he got a partial cry out, as he had been the last sentry alive to deal with.
I waited for Zora and she soon ghosted up beside me having finished with her allotment of the sentries around the warehouse. I had to admit it was rather handy having her around.
Without words we both squeezed through the narrow side access door of the warehouse. We slinked through the old boxes and refuse laying around, as we headed toward the sound of voices.
Peering around a rack of old crates I took in the scene. The children were all lined up against one wall tied to a rope with plastic zip ties. Hatred for those who had done this burned within me at the sight of the children being treated so.
I whispered to Zora, "I want you to stay here and cover the children, while I try to lead these last three off somewhere else so the children don't see any more violence than they already have."
Zora looked reluctant to do as I asked, but she didn't say anything. She pulled her pistol out ready to take out anyone in play against the children.
"Police will be here in a half hour." I said patting her on the shoulder as I went back a ways to start up a second aisle that ran parallel to where the children were. Soon I got close enough to overhear the conversation taking place.
"They've only got two more hours until I get to chop little necks." The speaker said as he laughed in a way that clearly signified that he didn't have it all together upstairs.
The other two men just shook their heads. One spoke, "If you have to start whacking at little heads Zeke it's a bad thing!"