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I tapped my earpiece again. “Team two is a go.”
I went to the front porch to wait for the rest of the team. It didn’t take them long. Before I let them into the house, I briefed them. “I haven’t unlocked the rooms yet. Liam, Samara, and Andrea are going with me to do that. Michael and Deshawn, I want you to get into his computer and pull up all the incriminating evidence you can find.”
“But my sister,” Deshawn protested.
“You can see her once she’s been checked out. She might not want her big brother to see her right away.”
Deshawn’s eyes widened. “Yeah. Okay. I get it.”
Liam lifted a large tote bag. “I brought extra clothes and bags to put evidence in.”
“You did?” I asked. “How did you know to do that?”
“I did forensic exams for the sexual assault response team before I joined Doctors Without Borders,” he replied.
“How did I not know this?” I asked.
Liam shrugged. “Everything happened pretty quickly.” He tilted his head toward Samara. “She reminded me about taking the clothes as evidence.”
Once again, I was grateful Liam was on our team. “While we’re inside, try not to use anyone’s name. We’ll be out of here before law enforcement finally shows up. We’ll get the girls to the hospital in Harrisburg, but we’re leaving the scumbags for the state troopers to handle.”
I motioned for them to follow me into the house. Pete showed Michael and Deshawn where the computer was and I led Liam, Samara, and Andrea upstairs. Before I unlocked the rooms, I gathered them around. “We just want to make sure they’re stable enough to travel. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Why not just wait for the police to get here?” Samara asked.
“Because, technically, we’re not supposed to be here. We’re supposed to let the police do their job.”
Samara snorted in derision. “Yeah, they did a great job.”
I shrugged. “Like I said…” I took a breath. “You all ready?” All three nodded. One by one, I unlocked the padlocks on the doors.
19
Liam
I thought I was ready for what I’d see when Marco opened the padlocked doors. I had seen many horrific things during my time at the refugee camp. I thought I knew what I was in for. I was wrong.
Maybe it was because we were in the United States, not a war zone. Maybe it was because it was so close to home. I really didn’t know. But when the doors opened and I saw those terrified, nearly naked girls handcuffed to filthy beds, I almost lost it. I wanted to go back downstairs with Marco’s gun and kill Ephraim Little myself.
Marco had taken pictures of the hallway and all the locked doors. He then took pictures after he opened each door. I guessed it was to add to the damning evidence against Ephraim. All the girls whimpered in fear when they saw Marco’s huge body in the doorway. Luckily, the keys to the handcuffs were on the same keyring as the padlock keys, so we were able to free them and offer reassurance that none of us would hurt them. Marco went downstairs after he was sure we had everything we needed.
Kayla burst into tears when she saw her big sister standing in the doorway, so I left them to it, assured Samara would call on me if she needed my help. I went into the next room, where a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl huddled in the corner of her bed, staring at me with terrified eyes. She wore a pale-pink negligee and looked maybe twelve or thirteen. I knelt beside the bed and gestured for Andrea to do the same.
I spoke quietly so I wouldn’t scare her. “Hi there. I’m Liam, and this is Andrea. We’re here to help you and take you away from here. Would you like that?”
The girl nodded vigorously.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Andrea asked.
“Trisha,” she said quietly. “You sound like my mama.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I want my mama.”
Andrea took the young girl’s hand in hers. “I know you do, baby girl, and we’re gonna get you back to her as soon as we can.” She tilted her head toward me. “Liam is a nurse. He’s gonna check you out first to make sure you’re okay.”
I pulled on a pair of latex gloves and took my stethoscope out of my bag. “How old are you, Trisha?”
“Twelve.”
I pressed my lips together to keep myself from letting out the string of curse words sitting on the tip of my tongue. “Okay, Trisha. I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs and then check your arms and legs for injuries. I might have to look at your belly, but I won’t touch anywhere else.”
