Page 113 of Save Me

On the way, she opens up about meeting Michael when he was one of the drivers in Blackmon’s operation.

“He was nice at first,” she said with a sad smile. “He would sneak me extra food on the nights he worked the closing shift at the restaurant.” She shrugs. “He started doing drugs more and more, and they fired him because one night he got into an accident while driving the van.”

She glances over at me and then back at the road.

“He’d just done a drop off, so none of the kids were inside, but the police started asking why that church’s van was in Williamsport. Things like that, so they fired him because he was a liability.”

“And he’s been living off of you ever since, huh?” I surmise.

She doesn’t answer, but she pushes out a shaky breath. She swipes a few unshed tears and keeps her focus on the road.

I do my best to suppress the anger bubbling up inside of me. She’s so young and had such a hard life. An image of Erika Dalton comes back to mind.

I don’t doubt that Erika’s life took a similar journey, especially if she ended up in the clutches of Blackmon and his network’s forced labor.

“You don’t have to stay with him,” I tell her. “You never have to stay with someone like that.”

She shakes her head. “He knows where I live. He’ll—”

“I can help you move,” I say without thinking. I probably just put my foot in my mouth. The Regal has a strict policy against paying sources. But I have a lot more connections and resources than Nicole does.

Perhaps I can get her hooked up with a rent assistance program.

“Thank you for your help,” I tell her genuinely.

“I didn’t know Erika.” Her voice is soft and slightly withdrawn. “She worked at the same restaurant, but we never spoke to one another. When I turned eighteen, I ran away from the motel one night, but I begged to continue to work for the McGruder’s because I couldn’t get another job.”

She peers over at me with guilt and tears in her eyes. “I should’ve said something sooner. Maybe if I had, Erika would still be alive.”

I shake my head and squeeze her arm. “What happened to Erika isn’t your fault. You’re as much a victim as she was. We’re going to get those cowards for what they did to you, to Erika, and all those other kids.”

Nicole swallows and nods, turning back to the road.

CHAPTER 32

Dae

Where the hell is she? I wonder as I check my phone for the fifth time within twenty minutes. The tracker on my phone hasn’t moved in hours. According to her cell, she’s at her office, but I had someone on the security staff check.

Kennedy isn’t at her office, although her car is still in the parking lot.

I move my attention from my phone screen to one of the television screens on the wall in my office. Inside of the Lavender Room, Kennedy’s brother, Kyle, his wife, Riley, her cousin, Diego, and his wife, Monique, along with a number of employees of Townsend Industries, are enjoying a celebration.

Kyle recently closed on a new deal, and he’s throwing a celebration in the private room. He doesn’t know where his sister is either, although she was supposed to attend. The text message he sent her half an hour ago asking what time she planned on showing up remains unanswered.

I can read her text messages through the latest tracker I placed on her phone.

I pace my office for another ten minutes, wracking my fucking brain to figure out where she’s gone. The only reason I can think of is work-related. Her going off the radar could have something to do with the case she’s working on.

That thought twists my stomach into knots. I know it’s useless, but I will start to call her on the phone again. If she doesn’t answer this time, I’m calling the fucking police myself and having them put out an ABP.

Yet, there’s movement on her phone before I can make the call. She sent a text to her brother.

Little Warrior: Sorry, something with work came up. I just got home and changed, and I’m on my way.

Relief floods me, but I grow hot with anger just as quickly. Why the fuck didn’t she respond to my calls? She has her phone now. She can see that I’ve called her.

A beat later, a text message pops up on my screen.

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