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“I couldn’t leave you down in that basement,” Harry argued. “Nathanial needs you.”
“Right,” Rose choked out. “I’m the one who couldn’t get away from his monster of a father on my own. Then I walked us right into a deadly situation with a bunch of people who were pretending to care about us. I can’t make decisions that keep him safe. I don’t deserve him.”
Mick, who’d been silent this entire time, chimed in, “Your kid needs you. You’re going to be the reason he gets a life he deserves. And all the other kids in there get a shot at that too. Your bravery is what we needed to finally get this started. And if you stay the course, it’ll be the reason it ends.”
“Who are you?” Rose asked, peering nervously at Mick. “You and that woman, why are you so sure you can help? You’re not worried that you’re going to get a bunch of people hurt?”
Mick didn’t answer. It was obvious he was painfully aware of the risks. Harry had to assume this was not the first time he was in this kind of position.
“They’re going to help,” Harry answered. “We’re going to be okay. All of us.”
There was a billowing chimney of smoke in the rearview mirror as they sped off. Only the soft sobs of Rose bubbled up between the long silence. Harry was sure he’d done the right thing. The only thing. Saving Rose and Nathanial would not be enough to clean his conscience for all he’d seen, but it was a start. If Mick wasn’t in the car, there would be a thousand things he’d say to her. But if they all survived this, they’d have their moment. He’d make sure of it.
CHAPTER 30
CHARLIZE
The town car glided smoothly through the bustling city streets as Charlize and Brenda sat in the back, chattering about their lunch. The conversation during the meal had been enlightening, revealing a dark underbelly of the charity organization Charlize was relieved to have recorded. They’d blatantly incriminated themselves, trusted that the made-up reputation carefully curated about Charlize was true. It never ceased to amaze her how greed could make people act so recklessly, but today it had worked in her favor.
The mood in the car shifted abruptly when Brenda's phone rang, shattering the buzz of excitement they had maintained since finishing the wine at the table. Brenda's expression turned from haughty confidence to one of shock and anger. She barked orders at the driver to turn the car around and provided a new address, directing him toward one of their apartment buildings.
Charlize had been fighting the anxiety creeping up in her chest, not knowing how Harry had done. Not hearing from Mick was setting her on edge. Now this call was enough to send her heart into her throat.
As they pulled up to the apartment building, Charlize noticed a man, one of the guards, standing outside, looking disheveled and fearful. Brenda wasted no time. She stormed out of the car, and Charlize hurried to follow, unease coiling within her.
With a fierce determination, Brenda shoved the man she called Marvin inside the building, demanding answers with a tone that allowed no argument.
“How the hell did you screw this up so badly? You know what is on the line and you let her go? What do I pay you for if you can’t do the basic function of your job?” She wanted to know how Rose had managed to escape, how they hadn't seen Harry's betrayal coming, and most importantly, where they were now.
Marvin, trembling under Brenda's wrath, reported, "They were traced via their cell phones to a remote cabin in the woods.
“Then go get them. We can’t have them out there running their mouth to people.”
“We already sent a crew up there. By the time our guys showed up there was nothing to see. There was an explosion. The cabin was old, not well-maintained. It looks like they tried to light a fire and there was some kind of gas leak. We're confirming it now, but it seems both Rose and Harry were killed in the fire."
Brenda's face contorted with rage, and she unleashed her fury on the guards, threatening them with dire consequences. “I don’t want any of our guys up there when the cops and fire department are poking around. Just get our guys back here and lock everything down. No one goes out tonight. I don’t want the girls working, but keep the kids away from them. They need to know what happens when one of them steps out of line. Don’t tell them exactly what happened, just that Rose paid the price for her bad decisions.”
Charlize stood silently, observing the chaos unfolding before her. Brenda had shed all the polish of fluttering around a corporate office and seemed perfectly at ease ordering around thugs and locking down women she was already keeping captive. Her bobbed hair shook back and forth as she jutted her finger out and gave commands. She was obviously driven by more than greed, and Charlize needed to know what else it was. Power?
Once Brenda had vented her wrath, she dismissed the guards, sending them scurrying away, tails between their legs. She turned her attention to Charlize, her gaze sharp and calculating. "Is this all too much for you, Charlize?" Brenda inquired, challenging her to say something weak. To show her hand and prove she wasn’t worthy of this level of knowledge about what was happening.
Charlize's eyes drifted around the rundown apartment building, a stark symbol of the organization's control. Brenda's words echoed in her mind, a chilling reminder of how these women were manipulated and silenced.
“You need more,” Charlize said, keeping her chin tipped up slightly. “This isn’t sustainable if you plan to grow. Those men are clearly all muscle and no brain. That’s what will sink us. You need professionals. People who can truly lock a situation down. Instill more than fear in the women, but unmistakable consequences that will alter their behavior without question.”
“You sound like you know who those people would be.” Brenda raised a brow curiously at her. “Is there more to you than meets the eye?”
“I’ve solved people’s problems for years. There is always a solution. But you have to know what will actually get the job done. I have contacts that might be able to clean up after these guys and implement something you’ll be able to rely on.”
Brenda didn’t seem to like that. "We had a slip-up today, but it's been handled, and it will only be used as an example for the others to not try the same thing. Things are under control here. Nothing is going to slow down our progress.”
“Is this really all about the money?” Charlize took a step back. “It seems like a lot of risk for only financial gain.”
“The work we are funding still matters. There are deserving women who we work diligently to support. But these women,” she said, gesturing around the space, “were already going to end up here or worse. I’ve known plenty of them over the years, my own mother included. Why do you think it’s so easy to get judges and police leadership on our side? They want these women under control. They want filth off the street and out of the gutters. Child protective services can’t deal with the kids they have. If we can keep more of them out of the system, they don’t ask questions. So, no it’s not only about the money. It’s about keeping people who don’t deserve better where they belong.
Charlize had been waiting for this moment. The why. There was always one. Sometimes more than one. In this case greed alone could not fuel this type of vitriol. It had to have some personal vengeance involved.
Soon it wouldn’t matter though. Brenda would pay for her crimes. The women she found undeserving would be free to restart their lives and be with their children. The corrupt organization would topple. They would set it all right. And then...
