I glance down. She’s barely dressed in a tux jacket and lingerie.
“What the hell is she wearing?”
“What she escaped in.”
I grunt. Right.
“Park that shitbox a couple blocks down. I’ll sendsomeone to torch it. Come up to the penthouse when you’re done.”
He nods. I slam the door with my hip and carry Lina up the steps like she weighs nothing. The doorman jumps to attention, scrambling to open the door. He averts his eyes. Good man. That’s exactly what I pay him for. Discretion. Silence. Ignorance.
Inside the elevator, it’s just me and her. I study her face in the harsh glow of the overhead lights. She’s still gorgeous, still infuriating, and stillherselfeven under the stress of whatever the hell she’s been through. I stare at the same high cheekbones and same pouty lips. Her hair’s all wrong, though. Brunette doesn’t suit her. It’s too soft. Too safe. She was always a golden girl, but no worries. I’ll fix it.
The elevator dings. In the penthouse, I carry her to my room and lay her on the bed. She doesn’t stir. The sedative I dosed her with is strong, and she’ll be out for another hour at least.
I sit beside her, and let myself take her in. Feelings I’ve kept tucked away for years crash into me as I tuck a lock of dark hair behind her ear. I can’t believe my luck. After all these years. All that searching and planning… and now, she’s here. Voluntarily or not, doesn’t matter.
She’ll hate me when she wakes up. That’s inevitable. But hate? Hate is close to love. And by the time I’m done? She’ll remember which one she used to feel for me.
Shewilllove me again. Even if I have to make her.
Chapter 14
Lina—6 years ago…
It was only a matter of time.
Two years after Mom’s death, DHS finally called on me to testify. Not against Joe, but against his colleagues. The original plan was to wait until he was caught and to take them all down together, but that plan’s changed. Some of the evidence is time-sensitive, and the window’s closing fast.
So here I am, flying from Atlanta to Phoenix with a U.S. Marshal named Hank. Four hours isn’t a long flight unless you’re carrying the weight of someone else’s justice in your chest. My anxiety has been off the charts, but Dr. Grant has been preparing me for this. Grounding exercises. Reframing. Breathing techniques. Still, nothing prepares you for pressure like this.
I always thought I’d testify against Joe first. The thought of facing him used to keep me up at night. But now, knowing I might help put other corrupt officers behind bars? There’s something powerful in that. Something right.
I’ll be testifying anonymously, under the alias “Jane Doe.” It’s a closed courtroom. I’ll appear via video, with my camera off and my voice distorted through software. No one will see me. No one will know it’s me. Hopefully.
Even behind a screen, the weight of being believed is heavier than I imagined.
Hank leads me out of the terminal to a waiting black car. Once we’re secured inside, he turns to me, professional but not unkind.
“We need to go over your testimony once more,” he says.
I nod, swallowing hard. “Okay.”
Everyone seems to think I have something important to say. Something that could tilt the case. I’m terrified of disappointing them. What if I’m not enough?
“Bottom line,” Hank begins, “Joe’s precinct was involved in aiding sex traffickers.”
My stomach turns. “What?”
“We have solid evidence that Joe acted as the primary facilitator. He arranged the trades.Other officers handled logistics like securing women and children, erasing missing persons reports, and covering the tracks. It went on for years.”
“Oh my God.”
I press a hand to my mouth. I feel sick. My skin crawls. My heart pounds. Joe didn’t just abuse me. He built a system that hurt countless others. He helped predators. Protected them.
For one awful second, I think maybe I was lucky. At least I knew what he wanted. At least I could predict him. If he’d sold me… I might never have escaped. I might have disappeared into the same dark current.
“How can people be so cruel?” I whisper.
