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I nod. “How’d he swing that?”
Rayne chuckles and leans his broad shoulders back against the wall. “There’s a reason he’s in the position he is. If I ran the family as I technically should, being the oldest, we’d be at war every other day.”
I crack a smile, but my eyes stray back to the door almost as soon as they left it. “Thank you for all you’ve done for Mia.”
“She’s innocent in all this. She never asked for what they did to her. She didn’t ask to have her early adult years stolen from her. Our family has been touched by trafficking more than we will ever admit publicly. Storm’s fiancée, Ayvah, was almost sold by her family. Everett and Elijah were forced to see a lot of shit from a young age, and Emerson was taken by the Russos. We’ll do everything we can for the people we can save.”
I’m surprised he’s speaking so candidly considering we’re far from friends, but I suppose we have a common goal now. Help Mia.
Rayne lets out a breath before meeting my eyes. The darkness staring back at me is solemn, and my stomach does another painful flip. “There’s something you should know though. We’ve saved a lot of women and children from trafficking, some of which have been in the life for a long time, and sometimes they can’t be saved. The things they’ve seen and the things they’ve been through, it’s enough to drive even the strongest of people to insanity.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I snap.
“Because you need to go into this with your eyes wide open. We have no idea what Mia has been through. We don’t know who she’s been with, what they’ve done to her, what she’s seen. We have no idea if, after all is said and done, whether she can live with all of that. I think Mia will pull through, but we’ve thought that before and have been wrong, so I want to give you the heads up.”
“She’ll pull through.” She has to.
Silence falls over us again, and I make no attempt to break it. I don’t want to discuss the possibility that my girl is beyond saving. That the woman I spent years searching for may be too far gone. It’s not a possibility I’m willing to entertain.
The door opens a little while later, Emerson standing on the other side with an amused smirk. “Did you two stand here the whole time?” She doesn’t try to hide the amusement in her voice. She’s clearly used to Rayne’s overprotective nature.
“You know we did, sweet girl.” He tugs her into his arms and his hand splays across her growing belly. If you told me a year ago that the most ruthless Mafia enforcer to ever call Chicago home would be so whipped, I would have laughed in your face, but I guess we all change under the right circumstances.
I slip past them, desperate to get Mia back into my line of sight, and the restless part of me settles when I see her perched on the edge of the couch with a glass of water nestled between her palms. “How are you doing, sugar?” I ask quietly, trying not to startle her.
She looks over her shoulder at me, but her face is passive as if there’s no emotion behind the unreal blue. Except I know her better than that. I know when she’s hiding from me. I just wish I understood what she’s holding so close to her chest. “I’m okay.” Her eyes dart toward her bedroom door. “I’m a little tired though. I might take a nap.” Lie.
“Do you want to have something to eat first?” I already know the answer will be the same as every other time I’ve offered in the last thirty-six hours, but I have to try.
“No, thank you,” she says quietly as she skirts around me, desperate to avoid my touch. I shouldn’t take it personally, not after the hell we suspect she’s lived through, but it’s hard not to compare the woman standing in front of me to the girl who came to me for comfort when we were children. She pauses by the door and gives Emerson a small smile. “Thank you for coming to speak to me.”
“My pleasure, Mia. Please think about having Doc come check you over and don’t forget you can call anytime.”
She nods and disappears behind the door, quietly closing the door.
I turn to Emerson, and her brow furrows as she stares after Mia. “She’s not eating?”
“No. She hasn’t eaten anything since we rescued her.”
She lets out a heavy sigh and looks up at Rayne, as if her husband has all the answers, but he looks just as worried as the rest of us. “I’m going to come back tomorrow. She’s holding on to a lot, which is not uncommon in these situations. Survivors often think their captors will come back for them and that if they haven’t disclosed too much of their time with them, that it may save them some pain. I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“No one is getting near her,” I growl, the sound deep and unnatural to my own ears.
Emerson nods. “I know. And she likely knows that too. But it’s the way survivors subconsciously protect themselves. I’ve recommended she see a doctor and think Doc would be the best bet. He has had a lot of exposure to women who have been trafficked and knows what to look for in terms of trauma. I also think she should speak to someone more qualified than myself. While I’m more than happy to walk this journey with her, I think she may need to speak with a psychiatrist who can medicate her if need be.”
I nod. I’ve met Doc a few times, and the idea of that tattooed giant asshole anywhere near my woman makes my skin crawl, but she’s not wrong. He is best placed to help her, and I can’t deny Mia anything. “Can you recommend anyone?”
“I’ll flick through a few, and if you have any trouble getting her in, let me know, I’ll pull some strings.”
“How’s the apartment search going?” Rayne asks.
I sigh and rub my hand across my face. “It’s not. I have so much shit to catch up on after the impromptu few days off, and everyone’s up my ass for the shit they’re waiting on.”
“I’ll ask Wynter to have a look for you. She’s bored out of her mind at home with the baby, and Everett barely lets her leave bed so she could use a project.” Emerson rolls her eyes, but the affection for her family is written all over her face.
“I can do it.”
She reaches out and squeezes my bicep. “I understand you’ve been on your own a long time and you don’t like leaning on people for support, and you don’t particularly trust us, but let us help. We only want what’s best for Mia.”
