"What if I am?" he asks. "Because no matter how I try to twist it, I still have blood on my hands. I'm a killer. A monster."
I shake my head. "It's not the same, and you know it. I saw it. Your sister will see it too."
"My parents would be ashamed of me," he says, taking a deep breath. He looks up at the ceiling and blinks to keep from crying. "If they could see me now, if they could see who I've become, they would be so ashamed."
"Dante, no," I say. "They'll see someone who's done everything he can to find his sister. And in the process, you've become a guardian angel for so many trafficked women. If it weren't for people like you, they wouldn't have any hope. You didn't just save your sister today. You saved dozens of girls who are working there against their will."
I run my fingers through his hair and lean in to kiss his temple.
"I don't know if you hear it enough, but I'm proud of you," I say. "I really am. And I'm proud to be yours. Now get us to the airport."
He nods and starts driving.
I rest my head against the window. The sky has lightened now, going from black velvet to a violent red. It's so stunning that it takes my breath away. I never knew something as simple as the sky could make me feel so liberated.
The road hugs the coastline. I stare out at the blue water. There are already some surfers trying to catch the morning waves, bobbing in the water while they wait for their turn.
"I always wanted to have a hobby," I say. "I never had one."
"Do you have something that you would like to do?" he asks.
"I don't know," I say. "But it has to be something I'm good at."
"You don't have to be good at something for it to be a hobby." He shrugs.
"I think I would enjoy it more if I were good at it."
"How about your perfumes?"
"What about them?"
"You could make your own perfume line," he says. "I can fund the research and marketing."
"You would do that?" I ask, looking at him.
"I would be happy to," he says.
I just stare at him for a moment.
"No, I can't ask you to do that,” I say. "I would feel bad if it didn't take off."
"You'll never know until you try," he says.
My chest expands. I've never had anyone believe in me like this. I want to capture this feeling and feel it forever. I nearly feel buoyant.
I watch the surfers until the beach is out of sight.
Everything feels so beautiful that I almost forget the tarot reader's prophecy.
Almost.
39
DANTE
It's been six weeks since we returned from Bali.
More raids were conducted worldwide. We had to execute them sooner than planned, but we managed to pull it off. There's still a lot more progress to be made, but I was surprised by how many other families stepped up to help. As per our estimate, we have been able to destroy forty percent of those kinds of establishments.
