Page 35 of Nyx

"Andrea is a volunteer?"

Victoria shakes her head. "Most employees are paid. We do have some volunteers who come in and help. The majority are connected to Cerberus. We often have people wanting to volunteer, but the vetting process is so extensive that, sadly, they don't want to take the time to see it through."

My lips form a flat line. It's a very common problem for many organizations. People want to help, but it's usually only on their terms.

"Meagan, the woman who helps with school, is our only unpaid volunteer right now, but I'm pretty sure Cerberus has provided her the money for tuition and books, so I guess that sort of makes up her pay. Emmalyn, Kincaid's wife, comes a lot."

"Kincaid?" I ask. She makes it sound like I should know him, but the name isn't familiar.

"Sorry," she says. "We all use their club names around here. There are a lot of them, but you'll learn them quickly enough. Diego Anderson is the club president. Misty, Shadow's wife, that's Morrison Griggs, comes a lot with Em as well."

"Ah, yes. I met both Kincaid and Shadow."

"The women are instructed not to open the gates unless they let the guys know they are going to. We don't have a separate area for employee breaks, so some breaks, if taken out here, may not feel like breaks. The guys patrol the area, but they don't come inside the fence or enter the house. We want the women to feel as safe as possible while they're here, considering most of their abusers are male."

"So the residents talk to the guards?"

"Some do. After a while, everyone who comes to stay here realizes those guys wouldn't hurt a fly unless it's someone they see as a threat. Some may come to you to have you relay messages to them, though. Some will go directly to them with schedule updates and other work or appointment details. The guys are good about keeping the logs up to date if that's the case. It's a pretty well-oiled machine when we're fully staffed."

"Okay," I tell her.

I follow her back inside.

"Oh, Victoria. I was looking for you."

I stop in my tracks, standing in front of a very pregnant woman. She has her hand resting on her belly, but not in a way I read as protective, but as if she's just gotten accustomed to placing her hand there.

"Hey, Traci. This is Juliet. She just got hired," Victoria tells her. "What can we help you with?"

"Hi," Traci says to me with an easy smile. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well," I manage, my eyes still glued to her belly.

"Traci is having twins," Victoria explains. "Due in what? Three weeks?"

"Closer to four," she says, her hand rubbing her stomach. "If I make it that long."

"We're prepared whenever it may happen," Victoria assures her.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat.

I wasn't the first woman whose pregnancy made her decide to leave her abuser. I've worked with tons of pregnant women in the past, and it has never gotten easier. I'm so glad this woman was able to get out of that kind of situation.

I don't begrudge anyone who successfully leaves. Everyone has the right to be safe no matter their condition, but it creates such a longing inside me that, on some days, it's painful to see.

"The doctor called. She had an emergency C-section she had to do, so they had to shift my appointment to four-thirty instead of three today," Traci explains. "Can you let the guys know?"

"Sure can," Victoria says as she lifts her hand to her ear, pressing something on the earpiece. "Traci's doctor appointment has been moved to four-thirty. Thanks so much. Done."

"You're the best," Traci says with a smile before turning her attention back to me. "So nice to meet you."

"You as well," I tell her.

"I'm going to help Andrea with lunch," she says before turning around and heading to the fridge. "What are we making today?"

"Chicken wraps, fresh fruit and veggies," Andrea tells her.

Traci begins to pull items from the commercial fridge.