Project Rescue - A Shifter Novel (NaNoWriMo19)
Chapter 24 - Liar

“He said he didn’t want to quit drinking his mash. He loved his mash and wasn’t hurting anyone. Leave him alone,” the trainer translated, in a monotone voice. “And, the big guy said, what is it this time? They don’t know this idiot girl everyone keeps showing them pictures of.”

Barbosa thought about what the two drunks said. He didn’t know if they had the girl. He only knew Manuel had been seen with them. One of the other guides told him the two men hadn’t been in town for a few weeks. He didn’t want to upset the village but he needed the girl.

“Tell them that I coming up to search anyway. If she’s not there then we will leave the two idiots to drink their lives away. But, I am going to search again. He didn’t care what they said. But, if they are hiding the girl...they would die tonight.”

The trainer translated the words Barbosa said, waiting to see if they would argue or not. They didn’t say anything for a minute, finally nodding their head.

“Vem, para cima. Então deixe-nos em paz,” Matheus answered, slurring his words.

“He said, ’come on up. Then leave them alone. But, don’t tear his home completely apart. He doesn’t want to build another one, please,” the trainer translated, adding his own words at the end.

Barbosa and his trainer climbed up one of the trees closest to the house, landing on the porch quietly. They kept an eye on the two men as they drank their concoction.

Matheus opened the door, still swaying, pointing for the trainer and Barbosa to go on ahead. But, neither man moved. They gestured for the two men to go in front of them. Smart, thought Matheus. He walked in first with Madrid behind him.

Barbosa started with the kitchen, looking under the counter top. He jerked off the curtain that hid the propane tank and cleaning products. He ripped off the lid to the cooler and poked inside. “This is a lot of meat for two people.”

The trainer translated Barbosa’s words, waiting, hopefully, for a good answer.

“Churrasco para cerca de seis amigos,” Matheus said, swaying and shrugging his shoulders.

“He said it was for a barbeque for about six friends.”

Barbosa didn’t say anything else. He walked over to the bed, turning the bed over, checking the mattress for lumps human size. He walked to the bathroom and looked under the counter, ripping off the curtain. He walked back into the main room, checking the walls for anything that would hide Selina. Nothing, he couldn’t find anything. Maybe these two drunk fools didn’t have her. Maybe it was the big game hunters. He would have his men continue to keep looking.

“Give him some more money and tell him we won’t bother them again, unless we had credible information regarding them. Tell them to not fuck up and everything would be okay. And, if they see the girl to call the number on the card. Hurry up and let’s get out of here. It stinks of whatever they are drinking.”

The trainer translated the words, adding more of his own words again, letting them know they would be watched. When the trainer was done translating he handed the two men money and another card. He wanted to roll his eyes so bad. He was tired of his mission and wanted out of it as quickly as possible. He shook hands with both men, handing off a small disk with information on it.

Matheus opened the tube so Selina could hear them. I knew he could close everything quickly if he needed to. I could hear the men righting everything the monster had effectively tore up with his tantrum.

They got quiet for a few seconds before I heard Madrid ask a question.

“Is the money count seriously that much?” Madrid asked, shaking his head.

“I don’t think he knows what it costs to fix up a small house but it’s nothing to him. This twenty-thousand dollars is a drop in the bucket to what he makes an hour in his drug trade,” Matheus explained, shrugging his shoulders. “Do you want to split it?”

Madrid took a step back, shaking his head. “No. I don’t want to have his dirty money. Use it to fix this place and give the rest to your village.”

“Alright. We better get back outside and see what idiots show up next,” Madrid stated. “Wait, look on the back of the card we were given.”

I was wondering what the trainer attached to the back of a business card. It had to be some information Madrid needed

“He’s one sneaky son of a bitch. A dot disk? I wonder when he had the time to do all of this and still be off the idiots radar."

I slid up more in the tube and watched Madrid take the dot disk, pulling out a small magnifying glass and looking at the dot. After a few minutes he pulled a screen up on his own computer, looking at for a minute. I watched as he looked at the information and his breath whooshed out of him. I watched as he checked to see if the noise cancellation was on. “This is the security rotation, gate codes, building codes, if we don’t blow them, and where everyone’s at on the grounds and the surrounding woods. It’s exactly what Seri showed us. Damn, Seri is an amazing woman.”

I heard Matheus say, “Yes, she is.”

“There’s more on it too. It shows where he will be on any certain night. He made it where we can find him on any day or night,” Madrid said in awe. “Damn, he thought of everything and so did Selina.”

Matheus was watching the screen of the monitor, watching two asses trying to sneak up to the trees beside his porch. “Dumb ass alert.”

I slid back into the tube slowly. I wasn't sure if the noise cancellation device worked in the tube or not.

I was listening as Madrid asked his next question, chuckling for some reason. I knew it was going to be something crazy. The men were loco but they did keep me entertained "

You want to let them come in and see us drinking, bemoaning our lives in two different languages?”

“Sounds like a great plan. I hope our cups are ready,” Matheus said, shuddering.

I heard both men move to what I thought would be the table. I heard the chairs slid back across the floor. I wondered what they were doing. They were so calms as if nothing could take them down. I hope they are right.

“Eu vou passar por você idiota,” Matheus slurred, laughing loudly.

“Pagkatapos asno I pass,” Madrid threw back at Matheus

They both laughed loudly.

I could hear the men being the clowns they were. I couldn’t believe what they were saying. At least no one else would know. Matheus's words about I pass you stupid ass almost had me laughing loudly with them. Madrid’s come back was pretty sweet too. ‘Then ass I pass.’ Too funny. I was waiting to see who would show up. I didn’t think it was the monster he was probably home in bed or terrorizing Manuel. I hoped he wasn’t torturing him. But, this was the monster I was thinking about.

There was a knock on the door the men were expecting. I heard Matheus get up and stagger the few feet to the door. I heard him grab something before he spoke.

“Sim? O que você quer?”

Good question. What did they want? He knew Matheus was fed up with these men and was ready to take down the monster himself. Madrid wanted to wait for a few days. He wanted to make sure the monster was away from most of his men. If they could take him and his men down first, everything else would be easier but I wasn't to sure of Madrid's plan of waiting.

“Have you seen this girl?” The idiot drug runner wanted to know.

“Ele está me perguntando isso de novo?” Matheus asked in portuguese, the question for Madrid and not the ass-wipes at his door.

“Parang ganyan nga,” Madrid answered Matheus’s question.

I was laying sideways in the tube listening to the men talk to each other and not the idiots at the door. Matheus was funny asking Madrid are these idiots asking again? To which Madrid answered with ‘It would seem that way.’ These have had me laughing more than I have laughed in my whole life, well, what I could remember.

It was quiet for a beat before someone moved. I could tell the boys were shocked about something I just wasn't sure about what. It stayed quiet for awhile longer. Long enough to send my fight or flight response to the forefront of my mind.

“Ela é muito bonita, nao e?” Matheus asked.

“Sim,” Madrid agreed.

Awe, the men thought I was beautiful. I don’t usually like compliments but the guys seemed sincere, I thought. It was seriously funny how the guys were talking to each other with the idiots at the door not understanding. I wanted the idiots to go. I wanted in on the planning for the mission. I wanted to be the one to put a bullet, blade or claw through his throat. It might be a bloody thought. But, I was trained to kill, and I wanted to use my training to kill him. He didn’t think I was any good. What did he expect? Me to show him everything I had learned?

Wasn’t going to happen.

It was quiet for a few more minutes. Nothing was said. My nerves were going into overdrive. I didn't like it. I wanted to put a bullet in these shifters. They hurt people, raped women, killed innocence, kidnapped and murdered. They were the low of the low. I never wanted to be like them - never. I hated watching what they did to each other.

I listened harder to see if I could hear the men. I finally heard someone walk over to the table. I didn't hear anything from them and it scared me. What was the monster offering for his men and the young men from the village. I knew it couldn't be anything good. I heard the door slam then someone walk across the floor. I thought they were at the monitor but it was hard to know for sure.

I listened to my surroundings. I caught what caused the men to become quiet for awhile. I was being offered to whoever found me. And, to every man of the monsters next. They were going to rape me then kill me. I was sick. I felt so much hate for those men but more so for the monster. I was his granddaughter and he acting as if I was a pawn. A pawn he could barter away to his men to keep them in line. I knew what they thought of me and what their sick minds wanted from me but I wouldn't make it easy for them. I would kill everyone of them slowly.

“I can’t believe he would do this. I mean, I know he’s a sick bastard but to do this to family? Sickening. I was close to puking. I would have made sure I puked on the men, especially after hearing them talking,” Madrid hissed.

“He put a kill order on her, with a license to use her before,” Matheus said in bewilderment. “Who does that to family?”

“A very sick puppy. One who will have a neutering appointment, and you and I know who will be holding the clippers,” Madrid stated more than said.

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