After introducing personnel and leaving each adult with a dedicated staffer who would stay with them for now and care for them, they moved on to the children.
The eldest first, three girls and two boys, in their teens, from their appearance.Their situation was worse because they’d all been born in captivity and had no idea what was going on.Only one of the girls spoke English, but as with the adults, they quickly made them understand they were safe and communicated with them.
The other ten children nearly broke Peyton’s heart.Also born in captivity, the youngest only a baby, a little boy less than a year old.
From the lab doctor they’d already learned that none of the kids were the biological children of any of the adults rescued.It would take time and scouring the lab records, as well as processing all the DNA evidence, to sort everything out and locate any potential relatives.Lowri, Aaron, and Jake would make that a priority.
Callum swayed on his feet.“May I go lie down?”he asked.
“Of course,” Peyton said.“Can we bring you anything?”
Bryn shook her head.“I’ll get him settled and come back down.”She wryly smiled.“I know my way around here.At least I used to.”
Peyton nodded and watched them go.
“Now that everyone’s awake, we need to start collecting names and information from the adults,” Trevor said.“So we can locate and notify their families, if possible.”
Peyton nodded.“Yeah.”They returned to the room of the first adult to talk to them.
It was the third woman who brought Peyton up short when she hoarsely whispered her name.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”he asked.
“Maya Peterson,” she said after taking a long swig of water.
“Fuuuckme,” Aisling breathed, shock filling her features.“Can it be?
“Apparently,” Peyton said, then looked at Trevor.“Send a plane for him immediately.Don’t tell him why.Let him think it’s for translations.”
Trevor pulled out his phone and ran from the room.
The woman looked up at them.Her hair had been cropped short, but choppy, not like it was done professionally, and several long, ugly scars mottled her scalp.“How did you find us?”
Petyon sat next to her bed.“It’s a long story.”He held out his hand to her, and after staring at it for a moment, she took it.
He used his Prime to keep her calm.“But I have very good news for you.”
“You do?”She harshly laughed.“Better than saving us?”
“Surprisingly, yes.Jake and Carl are not only alive and well, but we’ll have Jake here in a few hours.He was part of the team that helped rescue everyone, but since he wasn’t on the transport team, he didn’t realize you were one of the people we rescued.I’m sorry I didn’t have any pictures of you or I would’ve made sure he came with us on the transport.”
Her eyes widened.“Wh-what?But they-they’re… they’re dead!Ray told me they died in an accident!”
Peyton grimly shook his head.“They thought you were dead.He told them you died and staged an accident.Ray is the reason you were captured.He sold you out.And they almost captured Jake, but he escaped.Also, Ray’s dead.”
He sensed she was near her ability to take in and process information, so he gently squeezed her hand.“I know that’s a lot to absorb.We’ll explain everything we know, but I want to get Jake here immediately.”
She started crying.“I… I can’t believe this!”
Aisling wiped at her eyes.“Bloody hell,” she muttered, catching Peyton’s gaze.“You might need to reinforce the order to everyone not to murder that cunt before we get all the information out of him we can.”
Peyton grimly nodded.“You might be right.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Jake
Jake was runningon fumes when one of Trevor’s men jogged into the old office in the warehouse where they were interrogating the Russian doctor.
