PRIMAL Nemesis (Book 2 in the Redemption Trilogy, A PRIMAL Action Thriller Book 6) (The PRIMAL Series) Read Free Page A

girls.
    “ Dummkopfs ,” mumbled Kurtz as he climbed out of the driver's seat. In the back of his mind he wondered if the brothel had been tipped off and knew they were coming. He made a quick assessment of the door and identified that it swung inward. “Get out of the way.” He kicked hard directly below the handle. There was a crunching sound as the lock tore from the jamb and it swung open with a crash. “One of you stay with the van,” he said as he stepped into the corridor.
    He felt naked without his armor and a weapon. It was an alien feeling for the former PRIMAL operative. Break Away, a not-for-profit organization, had a policy of never carrying weapons. In fact this was their most aggressive mission in their two year history.
    Brian pushed past him and lumbered up a set of stairs. “This way.” He reached the top and grunted as a baseball bat thudded into his chest.
    So much for one caretaker, thought Kurtz as he spotted the youth who’d hit Brian. The kid with the bat wore a crazed expression and his eyes bulged from his head like an insect. He raised the bat and was about to deliver a killing blow when Kurtz leaped into action.
    He jumped over his colleague and raised an arm to deflect the bat. It stung as it glanced off his forearm away from Brian's skull. With a grunt he thrust his knee forward. Ribs snapped and the kid collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Kurtz grabbed the bat and left him spluttering and whimpering on the tattered carpet. With the bat in hand he strode down the corridor. A door secured with a padlock barred the way. The lock sheared off with a single blow.
    What he saw when he entered broke his heart. Huddled together on a single stained mattress were three young girls. They were dressed in ill-fitting lingerie, their faces smeared with makeup and tears. Kurtz collapsed against the wall and lowered the bat, his eyes misting with tears of his own.
    The Americans entered the room. One of them shrugged off a backpack and handed the girls tracksuits. “We're here to take you home,” the man repeated over and over, in Portuguese.
    Kurtz stepped back into the corridor and found himself face to face with another gangster. The muscular assailant lunged with a knife. He managed to deflect the blow but the attacker reacted even faster, lashing out with a kick that knocked his bat to the ground.
    The knife-fighter saw he was outnumbered and backpedaled down the corridor, the knife extended in front of him.
    “ Schweine ,” Kurtz hissed between his teeth as he strode forward and lunged. He grabbed the wrist of the knife-wielding hand and fired a savage punch at the man's face. It connected with a crunch. Driving forward with murderous rage, Kurtz struck again and again splitting the man's eyebrow open and pulverizing his cheekbone. The knife dropped to the ground and he delivered a devastating front kick. The force of the blow knocked the man backward and sent him sprawling on the carpet.
    Kurtz picked up the bat and was about to finish him when Brian called out. “Come on, we need to go.”
    He turned and saw the others had the girls and were ushering them down the stairs. He gave the two injured gangsters a cursory kick and followed. When he got to the minibus one of the others was already in the driver's seat. He jumped into the passenger seat and slumped in the chair.
    Glancing in the rear-view mirror he stared directly into the eyes of one of the rescued girls. Emotion choked him and tears welled up again. The little face smiled and Kurtz looked away. Catching one of the other volunteers staring at him he took a deep breath and struggled to contain himself.
    An hour later Kurtz was back in his room at a cheap hostel. He'd managed to slip away from the rest of the men who were celebrating in a local bar. The girls were safe, handed over to a local agency who would work with the authorities to return them to their families.
    Kurtz should have felt good; he'd saved the day and the girls