Is she running?
“Wait for me to be there so we can show it to her together!” Minh said before he heard the sound of the Bluetooth connecting their call to her car.
“Yeah, sure. See you in a couple of minutes.” The tone of the call ending was the only goodbye he had.
Jake
Kenji?
UNKNOWN
Looks like we’ll be neighbors soon. My wife could use a friend.
Wife? When did Kenji get married?
Jake
You’re married?
Message not delivered.
Typical of Kenji to block him, or use a burner phone to contact him.
“Hey, are you okay?” Jake looked up from his phone, meeting Gia’s worried gaze.
“Um… We should probably go inside. There’s something you need to see.”
“You’re scaring me, Jake.”
“I know, but Minh will be here soon. We should meet her at the house.” He reached out, clasping her small hand in his firm grip. “Come on.”
“What about Marley?” Gia shot a look over her shoulder.
Marley was playing with Rover and surrounded by their friends and neighbors. He didn’t want to break up the merry scene. “We can tell her later.”
Jake led the way, not missing the way Gia dragged her feet behind him. Once inside, he shut the screen door behind them, toeing off his shoes while Gia did the same. Grabbing her hand, he led her into the living room, urging her to sit on the couch.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway, followed by the slam of a door, signaled Minh’s arrival. She didn’t bother knocking before coming through the front door.
“Gia Huy!” Minh yelled in greeting.
“In here!” Gia shouted.
Minh practically sprinted into the living room before pausing at the doorway, out of breath. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?” Gia asked, brows drawn together, her eyes bouncing between her older sister and Jake.
“Show her, Jake,” Minh said as she sat down next to Gia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Jake reached for the remote, turning on the TV and putting the local news station on.
“We’re following closely with breaking news straight out of Hollywood,” Trinh, the news anchor, stated as the cameras zoomed in on her serious expression. “Preston Blackwell was arrested early this morning for allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.” She paused to play a video of what looked like officers entering and exiting a building roped off with crime scene tape. “While under investigation for these crimes, detectives uncovered Blackwell was involved in a sex trafficking ring spanning decades.” The video footage showed officers carrying out boxes of what Jake assumed were documents. “We will follow the reports closely.”
Jake held his breath, watching Gia closely. Her lips parted, her gaze focused intently on the news. He’d known something big was coming, but he could not have expected it to be breaking news.
After Alex had dropped the case against Jake for punching him—something that only happened because Gia stepped in to press charges of attempted sexual assault—she flew back to LA to report her attack at the hands of Preston Blackwell, with Jake at her side.
Her testimony opened up an investigation, which stirred the media into a feeding frenzy. She’d shaken the hornets’ nest, and they were chomping at the bit to smear her name. By sharing her story, other women from all walks of life started sharing theirs, and they all pointed to the same assailant.
About six months ago, Jake asked Gia to move in and remained by her side throughout the ordeal. He’d held her every night for the past few months while she cried, wondering whether this was the right thing to do—and worrying about the potential blowback the people in her life would face.
