I take a sip of my juice. “Got someone in mind?”
He gives me a charming smile. “At this exact moment.”
I’m so startled I choke—and he barely avoids a spray of juice thanks to my quick reflexes with the napkin.
“It wasn’t an attempted murder. It was a date invitation.”
Oh God. Talk about an awkward situation.
“Can I be honest . . . and still have you like me afterward?”
“Are you seeing someone?” he asks, genuinely surprised—and if I were a little more sensitive, I’d be offended.
Am I really that odd-looking that no one could imagine me having a boyfriend?
“Yes, I’m seeing someone. But that’s not really the point. I’m just . . .not attracted to you that way. Don’t take it the wrong way—you’re one of the most handsome guys I’ve ever met. But kissing you would feel like kissing Ethan.”
“Jesus, Lilly. You just landed a knockout punch and sounded sweet at the same time.”
“That hasn’t changed either, Ben. I’m still honest. I really want to keep our friendship. I’m glad we’re at the same school, but it’s never going to be more than that.”
Chapter 31
Shit, I need a shower and some food.
I’m exhausted. Everywhere I’ve looked these past few days, all I’ve seen is suffering—but there’s no other way. This is my life’s mission: to exterminate those bastards. To free as many kids as I can from their claws.
Every operation is a challenge.
One time, an entire house burned down with twelve children inside—because one of our men disobeyed orders and decided to go rogue, initiating the attack too early.
These fucking pedophiles are everywhere, and by the time we breached the place, they were already prepared.
They function using the same structure as a company. Human traffickers operate like any other merchants. People are inventory to them—they don’t see them as beings capable of choice, only as a means to an end: profit. If there’s any risk that a shipment—what they call a batch of “slaves”—might bediscovered, they deem it damaged goods. Unsellable. And then, they eliminate them.
Most people who vacation at beach resorts right here in the United States have no idea that children are offered—under the willful ignorance of local authorities—in secret brothels to serve depraved adults. Men and women. Parents. Grandparents. All with twisted, hidden desires.
According to the UN’s official global report[3], the number of human trafficking victims, including adults and children, is around 50,000 across 148 countries. But we know the real number is much higher.
Police, maybe due to lack of resources, often label missing kids as runaways. But most of them were lured online, tricked by “friends” or fake boyfriends—and they never make it back home. Years later, when they’re no longer useful to these monsters because they’ve grown up, they’re killed.
And then there’s what I consider the most serious issue: the complicity of authorities when it comes to the disappearance of children from orphanages. Few of them can be tracked back to their origins. Bruno is one of those few.
I pull into the private garage of my penthouse and check my phone before getting out—looking for a message from Ethan.
Nothing.
It’s not uncommon for us to go dark during missions, but maybe I’m getting old—because every time I worry more about his safety.
While I focus on rescuing people, my partner prefers combat missions. He goes after the tyrants—those who abuse their power to crush the weak.
This time, in Southern Africa, a dictator had ruled for years, torturing and mutilating anyone who dared oppose him. The global entities chose to look the other way—until abusinessman, actually a whole group of businessmen who work behind the scenes in cases like these, hired us to solve the problem.
Like all totalitarian regimes, there was a resistance within the country—and we joined forces to finally end that government built on the blood and pain of the innocent.
I walk into my place, and I’m not surprised Lilly isn’t back yet. Aside from the two daily reports I get from the bodyguards I assigned to her, we’ve been talking every day, and I know college has already started.
I’m also aware she’s been spending more time with that Theodoro Argyros guy, and of course, I ran a background check on him.
