Chapter 25
Lily
“They’re perfect together, aren’t they?”
The hum of a woman’s voice flirted with my sleep and I tried to push it away so I could return to the darkness, back to where Master was whispering naughty things in my ear.
“I told her to stay on the damn couch,” Slade bit out, quietly. “Did she listen? No. She never does. Women are the most stubborn creatures that ever existed.”
Mary’s laugh had me moving forward, trying to curl more into myself. When my head curled into Zain’s neck, Slade’s words suddenly made sense. I’d forgotten about sneaking off the couch in the middle of the night so Master could hold me from my bad dream. I’d fallen back to sleep immediately. Now, here I was, caught.
My eyes fluttered open, only to meet Zain’s, mere inches away. The grin on his face didn’t waver as my brother bitched in the background. His hand lifted, trailing down my face. No words had to be spoken for me to know what he was thinking. God, I loved him, too. I wanted to say it. Yearned to throw myself into his arms and kiss him until we couldn’t breathe, but I knew my brother was still watching.
“I’m going to go brush my teeth,” I said, forcing myself to sit. Pain in my shoulders and back had me moving slowly. I wasn’t sure if it was from Jonathon’s treatment or the floor. My guess was a mixture of both.
“Bad dream,” I mumbled to my brother as I headed for the hall. The glare was only half there. It was more annoyance as he sipped his coffee and I fled. Damn, I hoped he didn’t think anything happened. I couldn’t bear the thought of my brother trying to imagine that. It was probably good we were leaving. In Washington, all we’d have to worry about was staff and they kept to themselves outside of meal times.
My feet carried me faster at the thought. Me, Master, together. Heat rolled from my body and I couldn’t stop my knees from turning weak. I gripped the restroom door, pausing before finally walking in. How long had I dreamed of this? It didn’t seem real. I’d spent so long convincing myself it could never happen. That my brother would forbid the mere thought of it. He didn’t. He was giving Zain a job for crying out loud. This could work. I could finally have the happily, albeit twisted, ever after I’d dreamed of since a child.
Visions of how Zain and I would be clouded my vision as I went through my morning routine. It didn’t take me long from the excitement I felt. The getting dressed part was easy enough. A black, high-neckline dress that was form fitting, but not too tight, ending just above the knees, stockings, black stilettos, a pearl necklace, and earrings. My hair was already drying as I twisted it up and placed in the pins. As I walked into the living area, I froze.
A tall man with dark hair wearing a black suit stopped talking to look at me. Even the make-up I wore couldn’t cover the train wreck of my face. His eyes narrowed with what looked to be anger, only to dissipate into something unreadable.
“Ms. Roberts,” he said, walking forward. “My name is Agent Gaige Sullivan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
My hand extended to meet his as I looked toward Zain and my brother. Both appeared relaxed, not afraid of whom this man was. My sins, my guilt, had me shaking his hand rather stiffly.
“Pleasure’s mine, Agent Sullivan.”
Pieces of my brother’s conversation while I was kidnapped filtered through and I could remember him saying something about working with a man from the FBI. If that was so, could I be truthful, or was there information I needed to withhold?
“How are you?” He seemed generally concerned as he stared at my face. I shrugged, trying to downplay what I knew had to look terrible.
“I’m okay. A little banged up, but I’ll heal.”
He frowned. “No, how are you? Here,” he said, tapping against his head. “You okay? You’ve been through quite the ordeal. Twice. That can’t be good for your state of mind.”
Zain’s eyes cut over to me and I could see his own concern. He was listening. Taking in my answers. My gaze lowered and I let the question sink in, considering his words.
“I’m…still not sure yet.”
When I came back to look at Agent Sullivan, he was studying me. “Do you have someone to talk to? I know a therapist. She’s very good. She helped my wife.” He lowered his voice. “I trust her and you can, too, with whatever you might want to tell her.”
Therapist hadn’t always been on my side. I hadn’t talked to mine for over a year and there was really no desire to see her again. But, should I find someone? The nightmares had been pretty frightening. They drove me into Zain’s arms. But if things went like last night, he wouldn’t always be there to comfort me. And I needed to be strong for myself.
“Your wife was kidnapped?”
Gaige gestured to a small circular table for two by the window. I led the way as he followed. Zain was still speaking to Slade, but his attention stayed on me as I sat down across the room.
“Elle, my wife, was kidnapped when she was in high school. I knew her back then, very well. She dated my brother.” Gaige’s hands interlaced on top of the table. “The man who took her, killed my brother. For over ten years, she was gone. Before I joined the FBI, I was a different sort of Agent. One who went really deep undercover. That’s how I found her. Not intentionally. I was quite surprised to come across her supposedly married to the man I was investigating. She’d been taken to be sold as a sex slave. The man who abducted her decided to keep her instead, but he never stopped his crimes. He beat her regularly, amongst other things. I know what that sort of trauma can cause. I just want you to know that if you need anyone, someone who helps with your sort of experiences, I know a therapist. Or, if you’d prefer, my wife would love to help in any way she can. She’s not a therapist, but her presence in the community to stop human trafficking is great.”
My stare was pulled to the surrounding city, to the people in the distance walking along the sidewalks. They were living their lives so unaware of what was happening all around them. I suddenly felt rocked. The whole situation, this Agent’s story, left me looking at the bigger picture. I knew I wasn’t the only one this had happened to. I’d held the girls’ hands who died in front of me…or in my lap. So, why hadn’t I ever thought to reach out and actually try to do something about it? Even if it was volunteering or helping another woman in need who’d been in a situation similar to my own? I had means, money. I could contribute. Help with food or shelter. Maybe even by giving jobs to a selective few.
“May I have her number, Agent Sullivan? I think I’d like to speak to your wife.”
A smile came to his face and he pulled out a business card, scribbling on the back. “You can call her anytime. She’d be happy to be of assistance.” He stood. “Anyway, I should be going. There were some people found murdered not too far away. We have reason to believe they were tied to the cartel trafficking in this area, too. It was probably them.” He winked at me and my lips separated in surprise. Holy shit. He was going to make sure we walked away from this without any problems. Tears came to my eyes and I stood as he did.
“Thank you so much. I won’t forget this.”
He smiled, leading me back to the men. “I have to get going. Keep in touch. If any of you ever need anything, you have my number.”
Slade shook his hand and walked him to the door. The moment it closed, I took a deep breath. “He’s covering for us. Dear God. I can’t believe this. Why would he do that?”
Zain patted the chair and I didn’t hesitate to step up to the barstool.
“Your brother has amazing connections,” he said, pushing a plate of fruit in my direction. “We’ll talk about that later, though. Time to eat. We have a helicopter to catch.”
The bright color of his eyes darkened and my breath hitched in my throat. Even after everything we’d been through, me being taken, him killing his father…my Master was still present behind the exterior. And so composed. How was he, really?
“Are you packed?”
I bit into a strawberry, hesitating as his stare zeroed in on my mouth. Slowly, I brought the end down and placed it on the plate. It was almost impossible to swallow. “Yes, I took care of it last night. Marcio already has my bags. What about you? Can you get into your apartment yet?”
He nodded. “I actually called the police station earlier this morning. We’re good concerning them, too. Now, you eat. I’ll just head to my place and pack some things. It shouldn’t take me long.”
Slade came back through the front door and Zain kissed the top of my head as he walked in that direction. Though I knew he wanted to kiss my mouth before he left, the Master within him left my skin tingling. His behavior was in contrast to the way he was acting. The respect he had for my brother was evident.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to grab some clothes from my place real quick.”
“Take Marcio with you as a precaution.”
Neither men paused in walking while they spoke.
“Got it.” Zain disappeared out the front door and my brother pulled out the stool next to mine and sat down. I popped his hand as he reached toward my plate, taking a grape.
“You sure he’s the one you want? You’re still young. There’s plenty of time and men out there.”
I spun on the stool to face him. “Men that would die for me? Men who would kill for me?” My head shook. “I love him, Slade.”
His eyebrows drew in. “Why did you never say anything to me? Why not tell me about him? Did you really think I wouldn’t have understood?”
“No. If I would have confessed something to that magnitude, we both know you would have freaked out at the mere thought. Even now, I can see how uncomfortable you are around him. You like him, but there’s something holding you back. So, what is it?”
The sound of a door opening had both of us turning toward Mary as she exited their room.
“I like Zain, don’t get me wrong. I just want what’s best for you. He loves you, that’s clear as day to me. But he’s not like most men, Lily. What if he can’t hold a job? The guy is a killer, not an accountant. He might not adjust well to this life. What happens to the two of you then?”
My head lowered at his words. He had a point. “He’ll do fine,” I said, looking back up. “He’ll excel at anything he gets handed. That’s just who Zain is. If, for some reason, it doesn’t work out at Slade Industries, he and I will take it from there. Don’t worry yourself. We’re both adults. Let us handle it.”
Slade stayed silent and stood as Mary approached. He turned, wrapping his arms around her and leading her to the seat he just stood from. Dark circles were prominent below her eyes and I nearly gasped at how weak she appeared. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. Their nearly silent conversation seemed to last minutes as I picked at my food. When he straightened, I gave her my attention.
“Mary, you okay?”
Her fingers weaved through her hair while she forced a smile. It was so badly done that she let it fall and replaced it with a frown. “I’m not going to lie, I feel like shit. I was up sick again last night. I’m exhausted, but I’m so tired of trying to sleep. I’m calling the doctor today. I can’t keep doing this.”
For Mary to admit her true state, I knew it had to be bad. My eyes rose to Slade and I suddenly realized where the majority of his stress was coming from.
“Just keep the fluids going. Don’t get dehydrated, it’ll make things worse. Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Sometimes those can make the sickness worse at first. At least, that’s what I…heard.” I slowed, catching myself. My hand reached for the glass of orange juice and I took a big drink. I hadn’t heard. It was my own personal experience. Zain had been so excited to bring me those prenatal vitamins, but when the sickness got worse, he cursed the day he got them. Fluid intake helped, but how sick I’d become made it hard to continue helping girls.
“You keep talking with so much knowledge. Who have you known that’s pregnant? You stay in here most of the time.” Slade said, confused.
I took another drink, slower this time. When I turned to him, I noticed Mary was staring at me inquisitively, too. My heart sank and pain filled my chest. How different our lives would be had I left Afghanistan pregnant. No…Zain would have never allowed that. He would have died trying to keep me.
“A slave. I helped deliver her baby.”
“Deliver…?” My brother’s eyes went wide as he stared at me.
Grapes rolled on the plate as I pushed it away. “Yes, she was lucky. Not many of them made it past the first trimester with the beatings they received. Most were intentional. I think they called it population control. Anyway, it’s not important.”
“Wait,” my brother said, narrowing his eyes. “You mean, they beat the slaves to abort the babies?”
This was getting way too close to parts I didn’t feel comfortable talking about. I stood, placing the back part of the barstool in front of my chest. Whether it was to guard myself from the pain I’d lived, I wasn’t sure.
“Yes. They did that quite often. There were a decent number of girls there.”
“How many?” Mary’s hand shot up. “Forgive me. I’ve never wanted to pry. It shouldn’t start now. I’m sure you don’t want to relive this. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
How many? Too many. “When I left there were nine amongst Zain’s three uncles and his father. They had multiple slaves. But the girls were never allowed to be together. They almost always got into trouble and that wasn’t good for anyone.”