AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’ll face it together when the time comes, just like we always have.” For most of our lives, my siblings and I have always stuck together. Even when things should have ripped us apart, they didn’t. Instead, we became stronger than ever.
“Understood,” I comment, and a pinging sound comes from my phone. I pull it away from my face and see a text from Ludvik, saying he and Emily will be here within the next twenty minutes.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” Ruslan questions.
“Nothing definitive. We’re still trying to locate Emily’s child. I don’t know if that will happen just yet, but I’m willing to go down every avenue to find her daughter,” I tell my brother, and he doesn’t speak at first.
“It’s good of you to support her to the end, even through difficult things such as this. If you need my assistance, please let me know, but it sounds like you have a good handle on this all.”
Ruslan and I say our goodbyes, and after we hang up the phone, I finish my sandwich in silence. I head back into the office to check on my emails, and surprisingly there’s nothing too important going on. By the time I’m done with that, Ludvik and Emily are coming through the door.
Emily’s smiling from ear to ear, and I know I’m about to shatter her fucking happiness in a few minutes. “We got so much packed, babe! It’s awesome, and it’s so much more off my plate now. I can’t wait to just be out of here and get settled in Grozny. I’ve been looking up how to get certified in real estate over there, and Amelia’s even setting me up with the woman who’s teaching her Chechen, so I can have a one-up on selling, especially if someone thinks I don’t know it.”
“That’s amazing. I do need to speak to you about something serious.” I motion with my hand for Emily to follow me to the couch, and she does.
“Lom, what’s going on? You’re freaking me out a little bit.” At Emily’s admission, my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.
We both take a seat, and I grab onto her hand, knowing what I’m about to say will rock her world exponentially. “It’s about your daughter,” I start off, not knowing how to explain this in a delicate manner.
“Okay, what about her? Did you find her adoptive family or something?”
I shake my head, “No, I haven’t. I was recently made aware that your aunt has been in a relationship with a man who runs a small cartel in Mexico. It’s not the people who lead Mexico, but this man is related to them and is trying to make a play to get control there. The information we found out is that he’s involved in human trafficking, specifically trafficking children. Your aunt supplied him with children, more specifically, babies. She was pretending to be a woman who would help desperate teenage mothers find good, loving homes for their children. She made it seem like they’d be better off with the people she was giving them to, but she never gave them to adoptive parents. Instead, she gave them to a child trafficking ring, one that her boyfriend owned, so she could make money.”
Emily rises up from the couch and runs to the bathroom. She slams the door shut, but even with it closed, I can hear her vomiting into the toilet. I never expected a reaction like this from her, but I can only imagine what’s going through her mind.
What I’ve told her is a shocking revelation, but at least she doesn’t have to go through it alone.
Chapter Seventeen
Emily
I’m holding onto the cold porcelain throne as the contents of my lunch continue to come up. My heart pumps so hard that I can literally hear it in my head, and I’m praying the waves of nausea causing me to vomit will relent, but so far, I haven’t been so lucky.
There’s a light knock on the door, and it finally comes open. “Upryamaya mysh,” Lom’s tone is low and comforting. I know he has to understand how hard this is for me to hear.
Lom walks across the bathroom and kneels down right beside me. He runs his hand along my back and uses his other hand to pull my hair away from my face. “I’m here for whatever you need, okay?”
“Mhm,” I mumble out before I vomit again. The force is so strong that it aches my stomach.
Neither Lom nor I say anything else, but he does grab one of my hair ties from the sink and wraps it around my hair, tying it in a ponytail. He rises and grabs a washcloth, turns the water on, and after a couple of minutes, he’s back on the floor. I flush the toilet because I really don’t want him to see what my throw up looks like, and he brings the washcloth to my lips, wiping away any saliva.
“Do you think you’re going to get sick again, or do you want to get up?”
“I think it’s over with,” I admit, and Lom stands first, then I rise. He uses his arm to help me off the floor, and I toss the washcloth into the dirty laundry bin. “I need to go brush my teeth. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I brush by Lom and walk into his bedroom, then head into the bathroom attached to it. My toothbrush lays next to his, and I turn the water on,scooping water into my hand so I can use it as a cup. I slurp the water into my mouth and swish it around, wanting to get any leftover contents out of my mouth before I brush my teeth. After I’ve done that, I finally grab the toothbrush and put a little bit of toothpaste on it… but as I put it in my mouth and begin brushing, so many more emotions flood over me.
Anger. Resentment. Fury. Sadness. Guilt. Shame.
I trusted my aunt not only to help me but also to help my daughter… but she only exploited my need for help to further her own agenda. My daughter is likely the victim of human trafficking and has been since she was hours old. Why? I can’t help but continue to ask myself that question. Is it because of the money they were offering her? Is it because she felt powerful by tricking helpless teenage mothers? I don’t know if I’ll ever get the answers I deserve.
I finish brushing my teeth and head back into the main area. Lom’s sitting on the couch with clasped hands, looking at me like he regrets saying anything. I wonder if he thinks I’m weak for having the reaction I did or if he thinks it’s warranted.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you right now, especially when we’re supposed to be going to your parents for dinner tomorrow night,” Lom starts off, but I put up a hand.
“Don’t you dare apologize to me for being truthful,” I tell him as I cross the distance between us and sit on the couch next to him. I grab one of his hands as I continue to speak. “I don’t want you to ever apologize for being honest with me… especially when it’s something this serious. This was something I had to know about. It wasn’t something you could’ve kept from me, Lom.”
He nods once and looks right into my eyes. “I hate how much this has affected you, and I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for having to tell you bad news, not for the news itself, but that you’re naturally upset. I’m sorry that your aunt abused your trust to further herself. But I’m more sorry that you’re in pain.I have people looking for her—your daughter—and as soon as I get more information from them, I will tell you right away. I should’ve spoken to you about this sooner, but I wanted to have the facts and not simply be speculating.” Lom squeezes my hand, and right now, I see how much this man values me, how much he cares about me, and what he’s willing to do if it means making me happier.
“So… you’re trying to find her?” I heard him, but it’s like I need him to clarify what he’s doing. I need him to tell me flat out that he’s trying to locate her and tell me what the plan is when and if we find her.
