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I was safe.
Once law enforcement had arrived on the scene in Pasco, paramedics had looked us over. Thankfully, we’d all escaped without major injuries. I was a little banged up, probably from the jump out the cabin window.
They’d taken us to the local police station to get our statements and it was clear they believed we were the victims, not the perpetrators. Fortunately, they were sympathetic and compassionate. Someone brought us food, and once they had the full story, they let us go home.
Although Brielle didn’t have serious injuries, it had been determined the best thing for her would be to go to the hospital in Tilikum, where she’d spend the night. Law enforcement would drive her there.
I didn’t know what would happen to her then. She’d made it clear she didn’t want to go home. And from what I’d seen of her family, I didn’t blame her. She was an adult, so she didn’t have to. But I wasn’t sure what her other options would be.
A problem for another day. For now, I just wanted to get home.
Zachary pulled up to the house after we’d dropped Garrett off at his place. I’d already called my parents to let them know I was safe and unhurt, but it didn’t surprise me to see their car in my driveway. They jumped out of the car and ran to me as soon as I got out of Zachary’s truck, catching me in a tight hug between them. Surprisingly, I didn’t cry. I was probably too exhausted. But I did rest in the relief of seeing them again.
When my dad pulled away, he had tears in his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Me too,” I said.
Mom kissed me on the cheek. “We were so scared. It’s so good to have you back.”
Dad met Zachary’s eyes and, without a word, stepped in to hug him too.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice breaking. “Thank you for bringing her home.”
Zachary hugged him back. “I wasn’t coming back without her.”
“You must be exhausted,” Mom said, brushing my hair back from my face. “We’ll let you go. We just had to see you.”
“I’m glad you were here,” I said.
“Get some rest,” Dad said. “If you want to tell us more about what happened, we can do that later.”
“Where’s Brielle tonight?” Mom asked.
“They’re taking her to the hospital here in town.”
“Good.” Mom glanced at Dad and I wasn’t sure what her look meant. “Poor thing.”
“She’s been through a lot,” I said. “And she’s definitely going to need help.”
“At least she’s safe now,” Dad said. He cleared his throat. “All right, flower. Get some rest. I’m sure you need it.”
We finished our goodbyes and I was a little bit surprised they hadn’t either insisted I go home with them or that they stay at my place. But they didn’t even ask to come in. They’d actually understood I was exhausted and just needed to go to bed.
And maybe they finally trusted Zachary to be the one to take care of me when I needed it.
He led me inside and relief washed over me. It felt so good to be home. And not just home, but home with him. I was right where I was supposed to be, safe and loved.
We went straight for the shower to wash off the horrors of the previous twenty-four hours. Then we tucked into bed. Despite my exhaustion, I drifted on the brink of sleep for a while. I was warm and relaxed, content in Zachary’s arms.
Zachary held my hand as we walked down the hospital hallway. We’d hardly broken physical contact since he’d found me, only separating to deal with biological necessities. Touching made us both feel better, even if it was just our hands clasped together.
Garrett had called first thing and let us know the FBI had been called in to investigate Preston’s sex trafficking operation. It turned out, they were already onto some of his associates, including Drew. But discovering Preston was at the center of it had the potential to blow their investigation wide open. They hadn’t given Garrett any more details, but they were working on following all the trails of evidence so they could take down as many of the people involved as possible.
We paused outside Brielle’s room. Now that we were free, I wasn’t sure what more I could do to help her. But I needed to at least see her—let her know I was here for her as she processed everything she’d been through.
The girl in the bed almost looked like someone else. Her blond hair was clean and glossy and her cheeks a healthy pink. The bright smile she gave me as I walked in warmed my heart.
Preston hadn’t broken her. She had a lot of healing to do—and she’d need professional help to do it—but I could see the life in her eyes. She was going to make it.
