"Can I stay, or do you need me to leave?"
She shook her head. "No, they're okay with you for now, but the rest of our men might trigger them."
"I know. I told them to stay away, and Carlos is reaching out to anyone we can for women who are willing to come help."
The corners of her lips tipped up, just briefly in thanks, but her eyes were filled with sorrow. "Could you call Joseph too? His mother Ruth told me about everything, and I'm sure we have people who will help."
"I will." I kissed her head gently.
"Marco." She gripped onto the door handle like it was the only way she could stay standing. "This is all… it's terrible. I-I can't even imagine what these women have gone through." She bit her lip, then stared up at me, her eyes pleading. "Do you… do you think one day they'll…"
"Yes, Lina. They will." I didn't need her to finish. I brushed my hand against her cheek. "Whatever help or support they need, we'll get it for them. It will be hard, but one day, they'll be able to smile again. We'll make sure of it, won't we?"
Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall, nodding. "We will."
As I kissed her softly, I made a vow to her, these women, and our families.We would dismantle the trafficking ring. We would hunt down every person involved and make them pay for what they'd done. And we would do everything in our power to help these women heal and rebuild their lives. No matter how long it took, we would get them justice.
25
Catalina
Six months later
"Is that the last box, ma'am?" the art handler asked.
"Yeah." I wiped my hands together, cleaning off the dust. "I think it is."
The man left, and I surveyed the empty mansion around me. It had taken a long time, but with Marco's help, I'd finally gone through every piece of Fernando's mansion.
We'd dug up files, USBs, old contacts, kill lists, accounts I didn't even know he had, the works.
Between the information we'd gained from Julianna, and the things we'd found here, it was enough to go after my father.
Simon had been forced to step down as a senator and was now under criminal investigation. His property had been seized, his bank accounts frozen, and the press had gone after him like a pack of wild hyenas.
His worst fear had come to life.
Losing his reputation, watching him fall from grace had been the best thing I could ever ask for. And once he went to prison, I'd make sure he died there.
The media hounded me to give an interview, and at first, I'd said no. I thought keeping my past to myself was better than sticking it out for millions to see. But Marco and Estelle reminded me that my voice deserved to be heard. So when I finally sat down with the interviewer, I didn't hold back.
I'd told them how Simon had threatened and abused me every day of my life. I made sure the world knew how terrible a father he'd been, how I'd been lucky to survive and escape him. Even insinuated I wouldn't be surprised if some of his associates were in on his illegal activities.
By speaking about my trauma, other organizations offered their services to me, and I'd been able to pass that assistance to those that needed it in my familia.
While the trafficked victims had gone home to their loved ones, it would take a long time before they were whole again. We'd been able to find several women sent overseas and brought them home—even Julianna's younger sister, Lilia, who was pregnant from one of her attackers—but there were plenty that were still missing.
Some women no longer had families or any way to support themselves, so after Marco and I had finished searching Fernando's mansion, I sold off his extensive collection of artwork and used that money for them.
They now had houses, clean clothes, whatever food they desired, and received a monthly check to make sure they could support themselves fully.
Naya had been a blessing with filling in the gaps on how to help the women and what to offer them. And Jo had given us information on how we could provide access for education and job assistance.
I hadn't asked her about the pill she’d given me or about any of the other oddities that day. She'd been there for me and supported me blindly. The least I could do was return the favor.
After all, without her, none of this would have been possible. If Marco hadn't been able to face Felipe with me that night, I would have died by Anthony's hands.
But even with all the good, there were times I worried about Marco, especially lately. He'd found out so much in such a short time.
