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“Yup,” he said with a goofy grin. I rolled my eyes and tried not to smile. It felt good to be cared for by Adam. I tucked the thought away to digest later.
I peeked my head through the hole and instantly wanted to puke. The first thing that hit me was the smell. I’d smelled portable toilet stalls in the summer that smelled better. There wasn’t a single bathroom, just a couple of buckets. My eyes watered at the stench as they searched the room. There were fifty women. Fifty fucking woman in an attic without a bathroom. It was stiflingly hot, with not even a box fan to help cool the space. It was a wonder they were still alive—it was heatstroke conditions.
The women were dirty and smelled strongly of body odor. Their clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks. Their hair was in various stages of tangles—but one thing was consistent. None of these women looked older than thirty.
They all remained silent as they studied me. “I know you are all probably terrified right now, but I’m here to help,” I told them. I was careful not to move too quickly. Slow, gentle movements were what they’d need to feel safe.
My eyes sought out the woman who found my note. She gave me a small, sad smile.
“Are they really gone?” one of the women whispered. She had tear stains on her face, and her eyes were red.
“Your captors? Yes, they’ve all been arrested. Right about now they are probably dealing with some pretty pissed-off FBI agents,” I said with a chuckle. I hoped the soft, relaxed gesture would put them at ease.
“We aren’t safe!” another woman shouted. The rest of the women in the room tensed and scooted further away from me.
“What do you mean?” I was saddened by their distrust, but I knew this wasn’t about me. This was about the rogue agents.
“The FBI, they’re in on it,” she whispered. I actually couldn’t hear her, only read her lips.
“I’m not with them, I promise.” I held my hands up in a pleading motion. “You’ve seen agents here before?” I asked.
Several of the women nodded their heads sharply.
“They aren’t good men. You don’t want to know what they did to us,” a blonde spoke up from the back.
“I’m sure I have an idea,” I said, noticing her ripped clothing.
I studied the room, and the longer I observed, the more appalled I felt. “Let’s get you out of here, shall we? There will be some good agents who you can speak to about what happened. We will put together a case and prosecute all those involved, agent or not,” I promised.
Slowly they moved from their spots and headed toward me. They looked like terrified puppies afraid to leave their crates. I slowly descended the ladder. Adam had his hands on my waist to steady me the whole way down.
“How’s your shoulder?” he asked.
“I barely feel it,” I lied. I was in agony, and I was definitely going to need a trip to the ER, and very likely surgery.
“Liar,” he accused.
I wanted to resort to my signature shoulder shrug but caught myself before I made the pain worse. The women came down the ladder one by one and crowded into the room. Adam stayed behind to make sure that all the women made it down safely. I led the victims out of the house and out into the back yard.
The place was a fucking zoo. I severely underestimated the amount of agents that Bob was sending. Holy hell.
“What about the rogue agents?” I asked Bob when I found him. He barked out orders as others moved around him. There was no missing theI’m in chargeaura that he projected.
“Already detained. That video you sent was enough to hold them on suspicion while the raid took place.”
I grinned. “You’ll have a lot more than suspicion soon. The victims shared that the rogue agents were in on it. On top of that, it seems like they participated in the assaults. Make sure you get every last victim’s statement.”
His eyes narrowed in on my shoulder, ignoring my words completely. “Are you all right? You have an awful lot of blood on you,” he said.
I nodded. “I’ll be fine.” I didn’t want to worry him. The focus needed to be on the victims. I was still standing, and as long as I sought attention soon, I’d be okay. I knew that the round missed everything vital. Bob’s attention was diverted by another agent, so he left me with a soft squeeze on my good arm, and a proud expression. It warmed something cold and hard that rested where my heart should be.
“There you are. I heard things went a little haywire,” Christine said as she came up and gave me a hug. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay,” she said mid-embrace. Then her hand slid across my shoulder.
I grimaced, and she pulled away. She looked down at her hand, which was covered in my blood.
“Depends on your definition of okay,” I said through clenched teeth, trying to make light of the scenario.
“I guess so,” she said as she grabbed my arms, spun me around, and inspected the wound closely. She sucked in a surprised gasp.
