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“It’s late. You should be sleeping,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
“I heard some banging and wanted to ensure Gabriele wasn’t bleeding out. I didn’t even realize how late it was,” I said, as I went over to him, tossed my leg over his, and sat down on his lap. He moved his legs to make room for me as he placed his hands on my hips. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” he instantly denied.
“You destroyed the kitchen in the middle of the night for nothing. I’d hate to see what you would do if it was something.”
I wasn’t going to let him get away with that shit. Obviously, something happened. I could understand him not wanting to tell me because of everything going on between us, but that didn’t change the fact that we were now in this together. I was still upset with him over what he had done to my father. But seeing him here right now, just looking defeated and in pain, hurt greatly. And if it hurt me, that meant I had real feelings for him, and they were not looking to be ignored. I didn’t know if I could move on from what he had done, but my heart wanted to try.
Maybe it was insane to even think about trying to have something real with Armando. If I were an outsider, I would be telling me to run the fuck away and don't look back, but I didn’t feel that way. I didn’t want to. Maybe it was the situation we were in. Or maybe against all the odds I found the man I had been waiting for my whole life. Either way, I cared about him, and the thought of walking away from him hurt too much. For better or worse, we were in this together.
“I don’t usually lash out. Despite what some people believe, I’m not a violent person. That isn’t my natural instinct.”
“What happened tonight, then? What made you snap?”
From what I had overheard between Dominic and Armando, I knew that Dominic was looking to take out two of his highest-ranking guys. Armando might have been off doing it. I didn’t see any injuries on him or blood anywhere. I was hoping that meant whatever he had to do wasn’t too bad, but at the same time, I knew that was a false hope because if it wasn’t bad, he wouldn’t have reacted this way.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he instantly denied.
“Don’t do that. I’m here with you. Whether you like it or not, we are in this together, so you might as well tell me. I’ll be safer if you don’t keep me in the dark. Something upset you, and I would like to know what it was so I can be there for you. So, I can help you. We are way past the point for you to cowboy this shit alone.” I knew he didn’t have to tell me, but after everything we have been through, he might as well.
He let out a deep sigh. I knew it was more from frustration at the situation compared to myself. I could see how exhausted he was and that it had been a long night for him. Hell, it’s been a long few years for him while he has been working on killing Dominic.
“Tonight, I had to supervise the women's relocation within the sex trafficking ring. Dom has multiple compounds within the outskirts to keep the women when they are not being used at the private clubs. The homes are essentially shacks that house ten or twelve women in each one. He has us blindfold them every six months and move them to another compound. We mix up the women so they don’t get attached to each other and potentially try to escape. That had been a problem in the past. Some of the women who have been there for a longer period of time will plan an escape. Normally, the newer girls still have hope, convincing them that they needed to do something.”
“I can see how that would be dangerous. The new women bring a sense of hope and energy that the older women can absorb. How do you move them? I can’t imagine they all just get into a car together.”
I hated that we were even talking about this. They were human beings, and it sounded like we were talking about dogs or something. They were people and didn’t deserve to be used like this. We had to do something about them even after Dominic was dead.
“We put hoods over their heads and stick them in a box truck before moving them. We have them sit in the box truck and use the chains to keep them in place. Most of them do as they are told. And all of them are addicted to heroin, so a good chunk are too stoned to even realize what is happening. It’s like herding zombies. It gets harder every time I have to do this, knowing that most will be dead when the next relocation comes up. I see them and all I see is Alexis. She lived in those shacks. She experienced what they are experiencing. Some of them have completely lost hope and know that no one is coming to free them. But then some of the newer women still have hope. They go to bed at night believing that tomorrow will be the day that someone rescues them. You can tell the moment they realize that no one is coming. All the light in their eyes drains away, and nothing is left but an empty shell.”
“We have to do something. We can’t leave them there after Dominic is dead. Someone else will take over, and they’ll forever be trapped there. You are saying they are waiting for someone to rescue them, but that could be us - you. You have the power to rescue them.”
I knew he was focused on getting justice for Alexis and making sure I was safe to leave here. At the same time, other victims would be left out, and we had to do something to help them. I knew that not all of them would survive. Even if we got them out this second, seventy percent would easily continue to use and prostitute themselves to pay for drugs until they die.
It was a sad statistic but very real. However, that other thirty percent stood the chance of having a life after this. Every woman within those compounds deserves a chance for a better life; whether they take the opportunity or not, they still deserve it.
“This was never why I came here, but you’re right. I can’t leave them trapped in Hell. After I kill Dominic, I will figure out how to get the women out. You’re right. We can’t leave them behind.”
“We’ll do it together. For tonight, though, you need sleep. Tomorrow we can start to figure out a plan.”
He needed sleep; we both did. I moved to stand, and he got up with me. I kept his hand in mind and guided us to the stairs. I knew we should probably clean up but fuck it. It was late and there was nothing that couldn’t wait until a decent hour. I took us upstairs and headed into his bedroom. I was already dressed for bed, so I crawled into his bed while he got out of his clothes.
He turned the lights off before he closed the door and crossed over to me. The second he was under the covers, I shuffled over and curled up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and ran his hand up and down my biceps as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. It had been a long day, and I knew we had some longer ones ahead of us, but we would get there…no matter what it took.
Chapter twenty-four
Armando
Waking up to Natalie against me, it was one of the greatest feelings to have. I never thought I would have a chance with her again. After everything she learned about me and what I had done to her father, I figured it would have been the end. I never expected to hold her again. I didn’t know what was going to happen between us. Things were complicated, to say the least, but I was hopeful that she wanted to see what would come from our connection.
I wasn’t going to allow myself to get too hopeful. A lot could change between now and when she had her freedom. She might not want any reminders of her experience here. She also might not want anything to do with me and the world I lived in. Having to play a small part in that world for a short period of time, like she was doing now, was one thing. It was something completely different to live every single day. I could never ask her to; if she chose to leave, I would understand and not try and convince her otherwise.
A soft moan told me that she was waking up. I was hoping she was feeling halfway decent this morning. It was always a crap shoot as to whether she would be sick all morning or not. The doctor was set to come tomorrow to check up on her, and I prayed that everything would be fine.
I knew it wasn’t perfect; there could be any number of issues we couldn’t see, but I was hoping a little bit of positive thinking would work this time around. I placed a kiss on the top of her head as I spoke.
“Good morning.”
