Robert Fortune senior stood in front of his picture window overlooking the calm waters of the Georgia Straight. His three sons sat in silence waiting for their father to speak.

Then he started in on his sons. "Tell me why we are about to go to my wife's funeral? Why haven't we got Carrick?" He turned from the picture window. "I want him here, damn it!"

Robert junior complained to his father. "We lost the Van City police. We can't reach Jacobs or Parker. Benny has gone silent. We can't find him either."

"So we are blind here?" Senior started his rant. "Forty years ago I had dozens of cops on the payroll. Dozens! Now we have one judge, an assistant district attorney, an old cop and two fresh faced cops who run at the first sign of trouble. We can't find Jacobs? He and Parker are overdue bringing Carrick and his girl back here."

Senior grabbed Joey and Johnny by their collars. "I want you two to..."

His desk phone rang interrupting his instructions. "Yeah, what is it? Oh LG, how are things at the warehouse?"

Lana smiled as she watched Windy get her tattoo. "Robert. I have a gift for you. Carrick and Miss South!"

Senior leaned against his desk. "Is that right?!" Robert smiled. "Let me speak to Jacobs."

"Jacobs is not here."

Windy chortled. "Jacobs won't be around anytime soon."

"Robert? Miss South says we won't be seeing Frank anytime soon."

"You have both there?" Robert asked again.

"Yes, they are both here."

"Good, I'm sending Joey and Johnny to pick them up. I want to teach those two a lesson."

"We'll be waiting." Lana ended the call then looked to Windy. "You won't be going to Siberia after all."

"So where am I going?" Windy questioned Lana.

"You'll see." Lana laughed. "But for now you are going to the cages."

Annika pulled her latex gloves off and took Lana's handgun. "Time for our finest cage, Miss South."

"Get in here!" Jimmy fought the guards every step of the way into Lana's office.

Lana chortled. "Here's my old six and a half!"

Jimmy turned to the guard to his right. "She must be referring to you. I am an easy seven, right Babe?"

Windy nodded at Lana. "Six-five."

"Ahhhh Ladies, I have to disagree!" Jimmy tilted his head towards Windy. "Really?"

"What can I say, Honey? Just being honest." Windy looked away.

Lana lost patience in the small talk between the couple. "Enough! Joey and Johnny are coming to pick these two up. Get them out of my sight!"

Jimmy and Windy looked at each other before Annika waved her sister's handgun, flicking it in the direction of the door.

Lana had one more order before they were led away. "Separate cages. Far apart."

As they were dragging Jimmy out of the office he had a simple question for Windy. "The window?" She raised just one eyebrow and he knew.

Santos and Kilterage

The two finally made it back to the cruiser after ten hours at the crime scene."I have never seen that many bodies just thrown into a pit like that before." Santos looked at Kilterage. "How are you doing?"

"Just trying to take it all in, understand how anyone could do that." Kilterage slammed the side of her fist onto the dash making Santos turn his head.

"I know this is difficult to digest and getting angry is perfectly acceptable, Officer."  Santos tried to defuse the heavy feelings in the squad car. "But don't ever hurt yourself inside the cruiser. I'd have to give you time off."

He didn't get the laugh he was looking for but the tension level lowered considerably with a tiny smile from Kilterage. Santos started the car and sighed. "I am ready to sleep for a week!" Just then the ringing of his cell phone broke his happy thoughts of slumber. He hit the speakerphone. "Santos."

"Hey." Adia paused.

"Talk." Santos rolled his tired eyes.

"I have Jacobs."

"You mean, Officer Jacobs?"

"Whatever. He is no officer with what he has done." Adia challenged Santos.

"Be that as it may. He is still an officer of the law. Now where is he?"

"That is not your top priority at the moment."

Santos frowned as he looked at Kilterage. "Then tell me what is."

"Warehouse three-o-one on Haliburton."

"What's at three-zero-one?"

"Four hundred and twelve souls. For now." Adia continued. "Jimmy Carrick is there now and I've lost contact Windy South."

"Who is this?" Santos mouthed, do you know this woman? to Kilterage.

"Parker is ready to turn on Jacobs and Fortune but that's not why I am calling." Adia admitted. "I don't care about Fortune. Get those women out of there!"

"Who is this?!" Santos asked again.

"A concerned citizen." Adia deflected  Santos. "Don't waste time on me. Four hundred and twelve souls depend on you now." She ended the call.

Santos rubbed his eyes. "I haven't slept in thirty hours." He lowered his hands. "But apprently there are over four hundred people who are in a warehouse."

"I think I know that voice, Sir." Kilterage bit her lower lip. "I believe she was at the table in the restaurant at Miss South's motel."

"How did she get Parker and Jacobs?"

"I believe we can get those answers a little later." Kilterage checked her watch. "We need a search warrant."

"The reason?"

"Missing women in the warehouse." Kilterage flicked the emergency lights on then look at Santos. "Please Sir."

"We need a warrant, Kilterage."

"Wake someone up. Get someone to pick it up but we are needed at the warehouse." Kilterage would not let this opportunity slide. "You were assigned these cases, Sir. Sleep or no sleep, I am ready. Sir."

"Okay Kilterage. I'll make the call but I hate going in blind."

"I will wake the team, Sir." Kilterage took on the unenviable task of waking  team members. "But we should stake out the warehouse immediately to make certain no one is transferred out."

"You're right, Kilterage. The docks will be getting busy in the next hour." He looked to his right hand officer. "You are going places, Kilterage."

"Right now, I am only thinking of one place, Sir." Her intensity evident in her voice.

Adia

Adia had been dropped off at Windy's motel. She found Jimmy's secret key stash on the frame on the car. She sat in the driver's seat and called her cell phone with a borrowed phone.

The same guard answered her phone. "Yeah?"

"I was looking for my man. Around six feet. Sexy as hell."

The guard laughed hard. "You are dreaming!"

"So you have seen him?"

"He's a popular guy but not worth your time. Actually his time is almost up." The guard chortled. "Better find a new guy."

Adia ended the call before calling Windy's cellphone.

Lana just looked at the cell phone while it rang. "Who could that be?" She checked the number. The area code came from north of the city. "Interesting." She picked the phone up but did not answer.

Adia shook her head. "This doesn't look good." She started Jimmy's car and headed to the docks.

Joey and Johnny

The brothers made their way across the Lion's Gate Bridge in Joey's Cadillac SUV. The debate raged on about the upcoming funeral.

Johnny adamant to show support for his father. "We should be there for Dad. He is expecting us, Joey."

"I could give a rats ass if I go." Joey smacked his brother's shoulder. "She was just arm candy, Johnny not your mom."

"She was nice, Joey. She did make Dad happy."

"Too bad." Joey gripped his steering wheel even tighter. "She wrecked the Lambo, Johnny. The Lambo!"

"When we get Carrick, I want to break his jaw." Johnny cracked his knuckles.

"There is a funeral I would go to." Johnny laughed. "I think I would piss on his grave."

Johnny joined the laughter. "That will be a family event!"

"What about Carrick's woman?"

"What about her?"

"We make her watch Carrick die?" Joey smiled to his brother.

Johnny's face lit up. "What about his daughter?"

"I forgot all about her!" Joey held his fist out for his brother to bump. "We'll find her, then destroy Carrick."

Adia noticed Windy's car but drove on to the warehouse holding over four hundred victims of human trafficking.  She pulled Jimmy's car between other vehicles gathering for work in the district and waited for activity at three-zero-one.

Soon Joey Fortune's Cadillac SUV drove past Adia. The SUV paused before a door opened and he drove into and the warehouse. Armed with a handgun and a shotgun, Adia kept the Jimmy's car running.

Moments later the Cadillac SUV exited the warehouse. "Let's find out what this vehicle has to do with the warehouse. Adia rushed to block the entrance and held the shotgun to her shoulder.

Joey lowered the window.

Adia warned the driver. "Move and it will be your last."

"Adia!" Windy fought to free herself enough to yell to her friend.

"Shall I shoot and ask later?" Adia stared down the driver and his brother. "Release them or I will fire and do it myself."

Joey had a look of contempt written all over his face. "Release them, Johnny." Without losing eye contact with Adia he threatened her. "It's your move, Kid. But remember this. I will..."

"You do not get to finish that thought." Adia returned a warning. "I've just had a talk with Frank Jacobs. I should shoot you right here where you sit, you fucking bastard!"

Windy made her way to Adia while Jimmy held a gun on Johnny on the passenger side of the SUV.

Johnny made a run for it and Windy took off to help Jimmy. Joey pulled his Glock and shoot Adia where she stood. "No one threatens me." He rammed Jimmy's classic car. "Fucking old piece of shit!"

The driver's airbag went off snapping Joey's head back against the head rest dazing the driver. Jimmy ran back hearing the gunshot and the SUV ramming his car.

Jimmy saw Adia writhing in pain but wanted to subdue Joey before he tried to get away. He opened the driver's door grabbed the Glock and ripped the groggy man from his seat.

Jimmy struck Joey hard with a left cross knocking the man out. Then yelled for Windy. "Win! Adia's been shot!"

By this time people began gathering around the incident though they kept their distance. Jimmy pressed hard on Adia's collarbone trying to limit the blood loss. He yelled out to the onlookers. "Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!"

"Come on, Adia. Look at me! Look at me!" Jimmy looked up at Windy. "Check the SUV for anything to help stop the bleeding. Clothes or a blanket. Anything, Win!"

"We have help coming, Babe." Windy heard the sirens approaching and ripped her heavy black hoodie off and quickly pressed it onto Adia's wound as soon as Jimmy's bloody hands gave her an opportunity.

Santos and Kilterage arrived on the scene quickly exiting the cruiser.

Santos looked at Jimmy's bloody hands. "What the hell happened?"

Officer Kilterage called dispatch. "Car one seven four, Officer Kilterage. We need back up and ambulances at warehouse three-zero-one on Haliburton." She ran back to the cruiser to collect the first aid toolbox.

Jimmy pointed to the unconscious man face down on the asphalt. "That is Joey Fortune. He was taking Win and me to his father's for God knows what. Maybe to kill us."

Santos handcuffed Joey before turning him over. "Let me guess ~ you slugged him?"

"Self defense, Santos."

Santos shook his head. "Officer Santos, Mr. Carrick."

"Win, where is Johnny?"

"He's sitting on a hood of a car." Windy looked in the general direction. "He tripped as he was running. His ankle is broken."

Santos walked over to his partner. "Kilterage? Your cuffs." He looked at Adia and the amount of blood still exiting her shoulder. "How is she?"

Kilterage pressed her lips together and tilted her head. "We don't have anything to help stop the bleeding."

Jimmy noticed a food truck driving by the scene and flagged it down. He approached the driver. "I know this is odd but do you have ground pepper or ground chili in bulk?"

"Ah yeah." The driver looked at Jimmy funny.

"Hurry man you could possibly save a person's life!" Jimmy urged the man.

He grabbed two large containers of ground pepper. Jimmy grabbed the two plastic containers and rushed back to Adia, Windy and Kilterage. "Win pull back for a second!"

Windy looked at the pepper and watched Jimmy rip a container open. "Now!" She pulled her hoodie from Adia's shoulder and he dumped the entire contents onto the wound. "What about her back?"

Windy gasped. "Right!" She turned her friend over then looked back at Jimmy who ripped open another pepper container handed it to Windy as he pressed her black hoodie back onto the front wound.

Windy emptied the container into the larger exit wound. "We'll need more!"

Jimmy looked up at the driver of the food truck. "I'll see if I have anymore!" He ran as if he knew the situation was dire and returned seconds later handing two more containers to Jimmy. "I just received a new shipment."

"Thanks, man!" Jimmy ripped one open and handed it to Windy who poured it into the exit wound.

The food truck driver returned with clean bar towels to help with the bleeding. "I hope these will help!"

Jimmy took the bar towels. "Thanks again!" He handed half to Windy and replaced Windy's hoodie with the rest of the towels. The two pressed hard against the wounds.

It seemed to help leading Jimmy to hypothesize. "Either this is working or Adia has lost so much blood that there isn't much left."

"If the shot doesn't kill me, you will." Adia spoke groggily. "Ease up, big guy."

"I don't think so, Adia. I can live with giving you a bruise." Jimmy gave his wry smile. "I couldn't live with you giving your life for me!"

The ambulance arrived and quickly stabilized Adia before rushing her off to VGH. Windy and Jimmy looked at each other before Kilterage returned from the cruiser.

"That was quick thinking, Mr. Carrick." Officer Kilterage offered bottled water to both Windy and Jimmy.

"We are not done yet, Officer Kilterage." Jimmy sprung to his feet. "There are hundreds of women in that building!"