Page 181 of Caught in the Crossfire

Wynn walked around in a fog. His cheeks had burned with pink while he awkwardly spoke with each of the women who came to thank him. He truly didn’t realize the impact that he had on the world around him. He’d been trying so hard to redeem himself without seeing that it was unnecessary. These women were proof.

Coming here was a good idea.

A sharp, painful twist seized my heart. We should have come a long time ago.

“How many women will talk to us?” I asked Willow as she led us toward the main hall after we finished speaking with the others.

“Four are available,” she answered. “They’re all adults and consented to speak with you. They’re allowed to end the conversation whenever they would like. I know you will, but please be respectful with your questions.”

“Of course,” I replied, then I frowned. “Wait, you have minors here?”

“Nineteen of the girls we brought in the other night were underage.”

Wynn and I exchanged a glance. He pulled my hand to my chest. “It’s good that they are here.”

I inhaled through my nose and exhaled slowly. The images of those girls at the auction floated around at the edge of my mind, but I leaned against Wynn’s shoulder. I thought of how I would tell Cas everything we saw, and I knew he’d listen no matter what.

A cold sweat built on the back of my neck at the thought of voicing aloud so many of the things that had terrified me these last few weeks, but I needed to do this.

“Yes,” I said. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

Willow opened the door, and we stepped inside a large, open space. It looked like a multi-purpose room—blank enough to be used for anything. Tables and chairs were stacked and leaning against the wall to the right. A few tables were scattered throughout the room. Four women sat around one table near the window, murmuring among themselves. They all went silent as soon as they saw us.

I couldn’t breathe. My hands squeezed together. One woman stood.

“Penny?” My voice came out whispered and choked.

She smiled. “Leona Vero.”

My eyes slid to the side, and I blinked. I recognized another one of these girls. Not from the Albanian ship but somewhere else. It only took a second for me to remember a sparkling yellow jacket and a Goodwill.

“Claire?” I breathed, stepping closer to the table.

Claire grinned and reached out her arms to pull me into a hug. “I can’t believe you remembered me.”

My eyes filled with tears. Fuck. I’d been emotional ever since the guys and I had talked.

“Of course, I do.” I looked at Wynn. “You saved Claire, Wynn. The first night we met.”

He jolted slightly, his eyes focusing on her. “I remember.”

I stepped back. Her skin was no longer sunken and pale. She had gained weight. Her hair had regained some shine, and her hands no longer trembled. She looked amazing.

“When Willow told us you wanted to talk, Claire and I volunteered immediately,” Penny said. She gestured for us to join them at the table, and we sat in the empty chairs. “This is Ximena and Ludmila. The Albanians also trafficked them.”

Ximena had deep brown skin with long black hair that she had pulled to one side of her neck. Little turquoise earrings dangled from her ears. Ludmila was blonde and fair, with a sharp nose and discerning eyes. Her hands here clasped together in her lap so tightly, I could see the whites of her knuckles.

I introduced myself. “Thank you for being here. I wanted to talk today because I’m…trying to stop the Albanians once and for all. I don’t know what Penny or Willow told you…”

“Just that you and your men got me and my sisters out of their clutches.” Ximena crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in her chair, appraising me. “Nothing else.”

I took a deep breath, allowing calm to filter from my racing heart to my numb fingertips. “Can I share?” I asked the table.

Penny perked up. “You want to?”

“Just a little bit.”

Penny and I had both been through what happened on that ship. When we escaped on the yacht, I was too afraid, too numb, to even think about what we’d seen. I barely knew the girls who had died, but Penny had been locked up with them for God knew how long. I couldn’t imagine what she’d been through, both before and after, trying to deal with all of that. I had my guys, who had helped me see that sharing it with others didn’t make it worse. It lessened the burden. I hoped Penny had found some relief here as well.