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“Exactly.”
I shake my head, but he keeps looking at me.
I take a sip of my hot tea and sigh. It tastes so good.
His lips part as he watches me, and I look away.
Holy shit.
He palms the back of his neck. “Uh, I guess if you know who we are, we don’t really need any further introduction.”
“I know you saved my life.” I blurt out.
His eyes flick up to me over his coffee cup. His eyes are unreadable, and he looks as though he’s debating something with himself.
“It’s what we do, like I said. Family.”
“I didn’t say thank you,” I add.
“You don’t have to,” he says. “I’m just glad you’re safe now. I want you to know that those people will never be operating anything like that ever again. It was a major bust. It’s all over the news. You can rest easy.”
I think he purposely leaves out all the triggering words, like sex trafficking and brothels in the Middle East.
“What happens now?” I whisper.
He contemplates for a moment and takes another sip from his mug. I like the way his lips curl like that…“Angelo has a safehouse an hour or two away from here. It would be best to reconvene there briefly until things blow over.”
“Blow over?” I whisper. “Just like that?”
His lips twitch. “Just like that.”
“I want to go home.” Alarm rings through me.Why can’t I go home?
“Not just yet. It’s nothing to worry about, just protocol while Angelo deals with the aftermath.”
“Are the people that did this dead?” I already know the answer to that.
“Some of them, yes. But you don’t need to worry about any of that. That’s why it’s best to lay low, as I said.”
“Who is Allegra?”
He swipes a hand down his face looking grave. “She used to be family.”
I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it.
I also like that he didn’t try to lie to me.“Where is the safe house?” I start.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“But I have to go?”
He sighs and walks toward me. I avert my eyes because he’s still kind of intense despite his kindness towards me. “I know how that sounds, Mia, but it’s what Angelo thinks is best for you. It’s nothing like here. It’s right on the beach, with no neighbors. You’ll be able to relax and…” Our eyes lock. “Recuperate.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t mind it here.”
A look of sympathy crosses his face. “Fortress is not the place for you, for any of the women. It’s exactly as it sounds; a Fortress, it serves a purpose, temporarily.”
I steel my back. “You can’t tell me what to do. I was a prisoner for long enough in that freaking cell. I need to talk to Rayne…” My feet betray me, and they don’t move.
