As she said, a sex trafficker doesn’t change its morals, despite how well treated its captives.
“We waited until the perfect time and then made a run for it,” she shrugs.
I stare at her for a long moment, pulling my hands out of my pockets to cross my arms over my chest.
“Okay, so it’s a little more involved than that. The point is that no one else should know about this. We promised!” she adds shrilly.
“Who did you promise?” I ask, reaching out as she begins to pace again to catch her against my body.
Silva squirms, and for a moment I worry that she’s going to hit me.
“We promised him,” she hisses. “It’s not easy to disappear from these people. He lost a lot of money when we left. There were buyers waiting for us to be delivered, and he was pissed that we didn’t want to be the perfectly coiffed dolls.”
I want to ask desperately who “he” is, but I won’t. The finer details don’t matter right now to me. I’m more worried about her, which may be a conflict of interest with the badge I wear.
I don’t fucking care though.
“So Isidro and his team shouldn’t have any idea that you and your sister exist,” I reiterate. “They said they’re seeing you tomorrow. Are you planning to meet them alone?”
There’s not a chance in hell I’ll allow that to happen. I just need her to decide to allow me to back her up. Silva’s fingers dig into my biceps before she releases me to wrap her arms around my waist.
“I just wanted them out of my club,” she admits. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”
Rubbing her back, I nod before pushing her chin up to look at me.
“Can I sit in?” I ask. “A part of me isn’t happy you’ll be alone with them. I didn’t originally think Isidro was dangerous, but I’ve since changed my mind.”
“I’d feel better if you were there. What made you decide differently?” she asks.
“He can change his personality in an instant, as can the guys with him. I’m fairly certain there are more people with Isidro as well. I just haven’t seen them yet,” I grumble. “Anyone that can make you freak out so hard you attack them, isn’t someone I can trust. Your instincts are always on point, Spitfire. Trust them.”
“What if I fuck up?” she asks, vulnerability in her gaze.
“Then we’ll fix it, baby. You don’t have to be perfect all of the time, and you certainly shouldn’t have to carry the burden of this alone,” I reply. “Are you going to tell Lexi?”
“Not until after I meet with them,” she decides, her shoulders straightening.
“Okay,” I say easily. “Have I mentioned how much I love you today?”
Silva’s eyes widen, and it reminds me that I’ve never fucking said that to her. It’s been spiraling in my head for the last day or so, and this is how it decides to come out.
“I may have fucked up my delivery?—”
“You love me?” she squeaks out.
“Pretty much head over heels,” I shrug. “I know it’s fast. I’ve slowly been falling in love with you for years. It’s just all clicking into place now that we’re stepping out of the friend zone. You don’t have to say it back, just know that I fucking adore you.”
Bending down, I press my lips to hers, loving the way that she melts against me. It’s hard not to lose myself in her. We just don’t have the time for it. She still has a bar to run, and I need to drive Shep back to the garage.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her, brushing away the tears that are drying on her skin. “Maybe you can kick people out early tonight.”
“I doubt it,” she smirks. “Thanks for punching someone in my honor. Did you hurt your hand?”
“Not at all,” I promise.
Even though Harlan’s jaw is made of steel, I barely noticed the impact due to the adrenaline rush. My hand throbs a little, but I’ll live.
Silva lets us back into the building, and she detours into the bathroom to make certain she looks put back together.
