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Dean moves me into the hot water. It relaxes my muscles as soon as I’m submerged. “Take it slow,” he tells me.
“Dean, I can’t believe this happened. Eddie had purchased me when I first arrived in America. He was the man I ran away from.”
“Humphrey runs the whole operation inside his club. Like some secret room for men to do as they please with the women.”
Oh my god… I stare into Dean’s eyes. “We must save those women.”
Dean smiles. “First let me take care of you, and then we will bring them down. I promise.” Dean uses the loofah sponge on my back, taking care not to be too hard on my ribs.
He runs the sponge over my body, cleaning up the blood from my neck and my cheek. He’s careful. His gentle touch makes me feel safe.
“Dean,” I say, turning to face him. “Ti amo. I love you.”
Yes, many years ago Dean’s company helped sell a bunch of women into sex slavery, but I believe he didn’t know. I believe Dean wouldn’t hurt an innocent woman. I trust him. Together we’re going to take down Humphrey’s underground brothel.
Dean continues washing me, and after I’m out of the tub, he brings me into his bed with a pack of ice for my ribs and eyes. “You’ve got some bruises that will take a while to heal.”
I smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“What made you go into that room with him?”
I stare at Dean, both of us lying in his bed, facing one another. He holds the bag of ice to my ribs and I hold the one for my eye. “Bishop left town, so I felt like I was back at square one. I thought maybe Eddie could get me some info.”
“I’m sorry I let you down.” The pain in his gray eyes hurts my heart.
“Dean, I forgive you. My mother used to tell us of Saint Joseph. He was a just man. A man of integrity. His protection is so great, so strong.”
“Are you comparing me to a saint?”
I laugh a little, and it hurts my ribs. “Don’t make me laugh. Ok, maybe you’re not a saint in so many words, but you protect the people you care about.”
He swipes a piece of my hair out of my eyes. “I do protect the people I love. And I love you.”
He snuggles in closer and sets the ice aside.
“I love you, Dean,” I say as I drift off to sleep. “Thank you.”
He kisses my cheek. “There’s never any reason to thank me.”
Chapter 24
Dean
* * *
It’s been a few days since Eddie attacked Sophia. After speaking with Humphrey, Eddie has agreed to put the mess behind him, so there’s no future trouble. I told Humphrey that was fine, and all was forgotten.
Of course, that’s a lie.
Nothing is fine. I forget nothing. And giving Sophia a few days to heal has given me the time to rally my troops together to take down Humphrey’s operation.
In the few days while Sophia’s been healing, we were able to get the layout of his club.
“Look at this right here,” Zack says, pointing at the blueprint of Humphrey’s club.
I stare at where Zack’s finger points. “Looks like a lot of room for extracurricular activities.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Zack says. “I bet he has a house somewhere near the club where the women sleep, and he transports them to the club on weekends.”
“I can’t believe those poor women,” Sophia says, sitting on a lounge sofa in my office. She’s been healing really well. Her black and blue bruises are a delicate shade of yellow now.
“Don’t worry. We’ll save them,” I tell her.
She smiles at me and it lights up the room. “I can’t wait until they’re all free. We’ll need somewhere to place them.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already got that all set up. My good friend, Gabriel Prince, and his wife, Clementine, are opening up a shelter to help these women get the assistance they need, and to get them prepped for getting jobs and being able to get out on their own.” Like I said, it’s been a busy couple of days.
“And that is why I love you. You think of everything.”
I feel that ping of something deep in my bones. The type of feeling you get when you know without any doubt you’ve found your soulmate.
“We move tonight?” Leo asks.
I nod. “Yes, in and out. Quick and easy. Anyone gets into any trouble, you know what to do.” I don’t foresee any major trouble happening.
Normally, I’d just call the cops to strip the club down. But knowing these people, I’m sure they have a lot of influential people on their payroll, namely cops, politicians, and judges. I’m sure whatever a police raid could do wouldn't shut the place down.
No, we need to make sure everything goes down the way we want it to. Zack and my team leave the room and I move over to Sophia. I kneel on the floor before her. “You’ll be ok here alone.”
