"Thank you," he said quietly. "For trusting me."

Emma squeezed his hand, her heart still racing, but her fear starting to fade.

"Thank you," she whispered back, "for waiting."

*****

Leo checked his watch. "We’ve got forty-five minutes until the main operation kicks off. Let’s move."

Reyes nodded next to him. "Are the teams ready to go?"

"All twelve operatives are good to go," one of Leo’s guys said through the earpiece. "Six with you, six with Reyes."

William stood with them, fully armed even though he was still recovering. "I spotted fourteen guards inside. All Alpha men. They’re armed but relaxed. They’re not expecting anything."

"Awesome," Leo replied. "That gives us a clean advantage."

The hostel looked totally innocent from the outside. It was a five-story place, clean and well-kept. The sign out front read: SERENA GIRLS HOSTEL - SAFE HOUSING FOR YOUNG WOMEN.

But that was a lie.

Inside were thirty-two girls, aged sixteen to twenty-two, all trapped and being used.

They were about to be set free.

"Stick to the plan," Reyes said quietly. "Get in quietly. Take out the guards before they can call for help. Get the girls out. Stage a gas leak. Burn the place down to make it look like an accident."

"No survivors among the Alpha men," William added coldly. "We can’t risk anyone talking to him before the auction."

Leo pulled out his silenced weapon. "Alright, let’s go."

*****

They slipped in through the back service door. William had grabbed the access codes a few days ago.

The door clicked open. Quietly.

Leo’s team went in first—three guys, smooth and professional.

The first guard was in the kitchen, back to them, making coffee.

One of Leo’s operatives dropped him with a single, silent shot. The guard dropped without a sound.

The second guard was in the hallway, checking his phone. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Another operative took care of him, same result.

Two down, twelve to go.

Reyes’ crew split up and headed to the second floor.

They found three guards in the security room, keeping an eye on the monitors.

Reyes kicked the door open, and his guys started firing.

Three shots. Three bodies dropped.

Reyes quickly shut down the security system. "Cameras are off. We’re in the dark."

"Good," Leo said over the comms. "Third floor is clear. Took down four guards."

William was on the fourth floor, checking out each room.

He ran into two guards outside a locked door and heard some crying inside.

Girls.

William took out both guards without breaking his pace.

He kicked the door open.

Inside, six girls were huddled together and scared.

"It’s okay," William said, lowering his weapon. "We’re here to help. You’re safe now."

One girl—probably around eighteen—looked at him. "Who are you?"

"A friend. Let’s go. Quickly."

*****

Fifteen minutes later, all fourteen guards were gone.

No alarms sounded, and no calls went out. It was totally quiet.

Leo’s team got all the girls gathered on the first floor—thirty-two in total. Some were crying, some looked stunned, but everyone was alive.

"Listen up," Leo said loudly but calmly. "You’re being rescued. We’re taking you to a safe place, but you’ve got to trust us and move fast. Got it?"

Nods and soft "yes" filled the room.

"Good. My team will take you to the cars outside. Keep it down. Stick close together. We’ll fill you in on everything once you’re safe."

Reyes’ guys led the girls out. Three plain vans were waiting, engines humming.

They got the girls loaded up quickly and without any fuss.

William did a final check of the building. "All the guards are confirmed dead. No one made it out."

"Good," Leo replied. "Now we set up the accident."

*****

Reyes’ crew was already ready.

The gas lines in the basement were disconnected and leaking. They had a timer set for ignition in twenty minutes.

That was plenty of time for them to get miles away.

The leak would create enough gas to make the explosion look like an accident.

"Is the evidence set up?" Leo asked.

"Yup," Reyes said. "We’ve got maintenance logs showing that management ignored multiple complaints about a gas smell. It’s the perfect cover for negligence causing an explosion."

William nodded. "And what about the girls?"

"The story is that they were just attending evening classes at the community college," Reyes explained. "The building was empty when the leak happened. They were lucky to be out at the right time."

"Sounds good," Leo said. "What’s the countdown?"

"We’ve got eighteen minutes until it goes off."

"Then let’s roll out now."

*****

The vans left the hostel at a normal pace, no need to rush.

Inside the front van, Leo was sitting with some of the girls.

"Where are we going?" one of them asked.

"Somewhere safe," Leo answered. "To a secure place. You’ll get food, beds, medical care, and counselors to help you deal with what just happened. When you’re ready, we’ll help you either go home or start fresh, whatever you want."

"What about the guys who kept us there?" another girl asked.

Leo looked her in the eye. "They won’t hurt anyone ever again."

She nodded slowly, getting it.

Five blocks away, the hostel blew up.

A massive fireball erupted behind them, the shockwave rattling windows and sending flames tearing through the structure.

Leo watched it in the side mirror.

Reyes’ voice came through his earpiece. "Explosion confirmed. The place is fully on fire. Emergency services are on their way."

"Any casualties reported?" Leo asked.

"None. Officially, no one was in there. Just an old building with bad gas lines," Reyes replied.

William chimed in, "The fire will wipe out any evidence of the guards. Bodies will be unrecognizable and blamed on the blast."

By the time investigators get there, there won’t be enough left to identify anything clearly.

"Good," Leo said. "How long until we get to the tower?"

"Twenty minutes," the driver answered.

Leo glanced at the girls. Thirty-two lives saved. Thirty-two futures back on track.

Phase one was done.

Now it was time for phase two.

The auction.