I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and let them into heaven. I cant live with that. People trust me with their secrets. But who do I trust with mine.? You, and only you. Who am I? You sure you want to know.

The phone rings, I look at it and grumbled, “Fuck me,” as I rubbed the dull throbbing ache in my temples.

The night before last...

It was clear, the smell of the city sharp. The cold bit through my jacket. The faint sounds of traffic. I was looking at a warehouse in the old business district which used for the outsourcing storage of vendors big and small. The buildings also housed traffickers, illegal drugs and such. You name it, it was found here. The street lights were broken. The streets are pocked with holes. The buildings in disarray. 

In the prone position atop the warehouse, I brought the night vision scope to my eye. My objective lie directly across the thruway. The warehouse was dark but the ambient light allowed clear and concise vision. My reconnaissance revealed little movement around the perimeter of the building until the loading dock door opened and I saw two men inside. 

"Jackpot!" I thought. There he was in a nice suit, the blob that hurt Angel and the second one I assumed was his bodyguard. 

A small delivery sized truck came down the thruway from my left. It backed in to the dock and my guts twisted as I saw a young man in the front seat, a young man blindfolded and gagged. The driver grabbed the kid and half dragged him inside. His wrists were zip tied . He looked ragged, his shirt torn. He looked pretty beat up.

“Fuck,” I barked softly. "This guy is an innocent." My gut instinct seldom wrong. Hence, my decision to change my plans.

Swiftly I got up and hauled in my backpack. In it contained explosives connected to remote a detonator. 

Keeping to the shadows, I approached the truck and placed a charge to the frame near the fuel tank. I made my way to two lower story windows. two charges placed on each lower window corner as they were potential firing points from inside.

Next I headed to the loading dock entrance where I placed the next charge, top dead center. "It should give them a small headache," I smirked to myself.

The door was a quarter way open and I squatted to take a quick peek. As I palmed my Walther 9 I rolled inside. A good day to die I told myself as I took a knee gun sweeping, checking the immediate front...' Secure'... I moved into the depths of what I assumed to be a bad day. 

I glided along the leading wall to the open floor of the warehouse. I almost laughed as I thought of a joke. The one about being quiet as a mouse in church., I stopped short and took a quick peek. There was the driver not more than twenty feet away heading my way. I waited. 

He approach and as he rounded the corner I cuffed him on the back of his head, he groaned to his knees not fully aware of what hit him. I kneed him in back forcing him prone, My silenced gun was at his temple, pressing hard. 

“Breathe wrong and Ill put a bullet in ya,” I hissed. “Nod if you understand me,” I growled with stone cold steel in my voice...

A nod. 

“Smart guy,” I said. From my pack I retrieved black duct tape. I bound his wrists and his ankles. I wrapped a loop around his head covering his mouth. Checking my work I dragged him back to the loading dock. A support pole was near the entrance.. I pulled my coil of rope and tied him to the pole..A couple of loops and a quick fireman's coil knot, I secured him.

I hurried back to the floor and saw a corner office and made my way there. As I made my way through the warehouse I noticed something. Contraband. Stolen goods from the military. Crates of medical supplies. Pallets of electronics.

And then I saw it. 

A large square area that was dimly lit. A large bed near the far side. Two leather easy chairs close by. Racks of women's clothing..Assorted dresses formal and casual. A makeup station and two closets. They were both open and what I saw made my blood cold. 

Seen were assorted sexual toys of all kinds and shapes were in one and the other... Items of sadism. Nipple clamps, straps, whips, chains. 

The realization hit me. Women were being trafficked here. I could not fathom the depredation that may have taken place here. I reached in my pack. Four charges left...I used one... The closet of pain must be destroyed.

Toward the back of the building were office spaces.

I heard shouting voices and then quiet. I crept to the door where I thought I heard the voices. I glanced in quick and there in a chair was that guy. He was conscience and no worse for wear since I first observed him.

Holstering my gun I went over to him. “Quiet,” I'm going to cut you free,” I said barely above a whisper. I cut his zip tie and asked his name.

”Troy,” he whispered back. 

Where are they I asked as I looked around. A reply of in the next office came just as the door opened..

There was that fat fuck filling the door. I grabbed for my gun, palmed it and a shot. I felt a tug at my jacket. I returned fire and caught the bastard in the leg. I aimed for the door. A figure appeared . Another shot. Fuck I missed. He was gone. I heard running footsteps. 

I saw a laptop in the other office. I grabbed it and stuffed it in my pack.

I pulled the tape from my pack and wrapped the fat fuckers feet and wrists secure. I put a field dressing on his would and I asked Troy, "Can you drag this piece of shit to the loading dock?" A nod and Troy yanked the guy to his feet. I placed my last charge and headed to the dock.

We tied the big blob next to that other guy..

“Troy, you need a hospital or something?” He answered that he didn't and he told me he had to get to his sister house. I found out that he was on his way there when he got nabbed by these goons. Something about him indicated a past...

We all have them and I understood the request not to ask.

He asked what I was doing at the warehouse and I told him about Angel. At her mention he raised an eyebrow. "You know angel?” he asked.

”Yeah she is the one that got hurt by these bastards and I am just returning the favor.” I asked where his ride was and was told it was at his house..He was out for a walk to his sisters house when all this happened.

We were at my car when Troy asked, “Whats going to happen to them?” he indicated with a look back at the warehouse.

I reached into my pack and pulled the remote detonator out. I looked at Troy with dark greyblack eyes, void of emotion. I thumbed the red detonator button.

The explosion rocked the district.. Fire shot upwards towards the dark starless night. The ground shook and debris fell back to the earth. 

A secondary explosion was felt and heard. Distant alarms sounded. 

I looked at Troy directly. I was searching his eyes. 'Do I trust this guy?' I thought with an inward laugh I told myself, 'Too late asshole.' 

Troy searched mine and came to a conclusion of sorts and gave me a short nod. 

We got I my car and reached under my seat. I pulled out a pint of Walker black and grabbed a styrofoam cup off the dash.. I poured a shot and knocked it back..I sat there and asked Troy if he wanted one. He took the offered bottle and tilted it back. 

We came to understanding then and there. A secret will be kept.

He gave me an address and it didn't dawn on me until I pulled up to the Brownstone. 

He got out and climbed the steps. A knock and the door opened. 

“Troy,” Casey shrieked while giving him a hug. I saw him stiffen in pain and Casey gave him a once over. She looked over his shoulder, saw me, and gave me a startled look. She started to wave and stopped. 

I drove away.

Glancing in the rear view mirror, I saw Casey drag him inside while glancing at my receding tail lights.

I drove to my house parking on the street. With the engine off I pulled my bottle out, uncapping it I drank. I wanted to get drunk and forget. 

“Storm,” I told myself, “What kind of shitstorm did you buy yourself into.”
 

The women in this world that invest in the sacred bond of trust. I call them BadAss. I am honored to have a BadAss friend that has graciously put her touch on this story.. Thank you my friend.