Page 42 of We Will Rise

I nod, forcing my eyes back to where Emerson has dragged a chair to sit in front of the group. I’ve heard stories about the Russos over the years, which is why I was surprised to hear Elijah had married Snow, but despite his height and intensity, after meeting him for a second time, I can see he’s no more intimidating than his brothers-in-law.

“They wouldn’t tell us anything and were hesitant to take anything we gave them. Food. Water. Clean clothes. They’re too scared to take it, and I’m worried about having them out here once the sun drops.”

“They don’t know who to trust. It’s likely that they found themselves here as a result of trusting someone, and that makes it hard for them to find that trust in anyone else, especially for people who they may recognize as being on the wrong side of the law.”

I sigh. There may not be a lot of proof of our dirty dealings, and certainly not enough for the police or feds to take any of us down, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t rumors. It doesn’t mean there haven’t been news stories circulated about each of us and the things we do to make money.

Emerson turns in her seat and gestures for me to come closer, which I do without hesitation, immediately dropping onto my knees on the harsh concrete beside her seat the same way Snow is. I should have changed when I had the chance, but all I bothered with was my shoes, even if that means now I’m cold and uncomfortable.

“Can you tell Camilla what you just told me, Jo?” Emerson asks quietly, the question posed to the woman who thought we may poison them.

She looks hesitant, looking at the cowering women on either side of her before she nods. “We were put on the ship in Baltimore, but we’re from all over. Some of us were with our captors for longer than others and came from different cities over the East Coast.”

I breathe out a breath. “Thank you. Do you happen to have any names? Descriptions perhaps of the people that held you?”

She hesitates, looking to Emerson, who gives her a small nod. “You’re safe here. I know you’re scared, and you have every reason not to trust us, but we are here to help you. Anything you give us will help us to keep you safe.”

“One of their names was Adrian,” a brunette toward the end of the bench says, raising her head just enough to peek out from under her thick bangs. “He liked us to say his name when he—” A rough sob finishes the sentence without her ever having to say the words.

Snow turns her face away from us, and I’m tempted to do the same. I’m barely holding on to my own emotions as it is.

“Is there someone we can call for each of you? Family? Friends? We have somewhere safe we can take you until we can get you all home, but we can start reaching out to people now if you want?” Emerson offers.

“Why are you doing this?” Jo asks. “Why do you care?”

Emerson sucks in a breath and rubs her stomach absentmindedly. “Because if my daughter ever ends up in a situation like this one, I have to believe someone would help her.”

Tears well in my eyes, and I barely swallow my own sob. I don’t know how anyone has the stomach to deal in organs, humans or animals, but if I ever needed the confirmation that I wasn’t built for it, I now have it.

We manage to get the girls back to the estate without any arguments, but there’s obvious and understandable hesitation in every decision they make.

Emerson, Snow, and I stayed with them on the small bus we hired to take us from the docks to the house, while the guys drove in front and behind us to make sure we weren’t followed.

Once the girls are situated in the living room, we give them the option of where they’d like to sleep. They can either take the spare rooms and a few of them would have to share, or if they would rather not be separated, they can all stay in here. We have more than enough blow-up mattresses for if we ever went into lockdown, and I’m honestly not surprised when that’s the option they take.

Emerson explained it to me when we were leaving the docks. These women who have probably walked different paths are bonded forever by the joint trauma they each endured.

They’ve opened up a bit more since we brought them to the house. Maybe because we’ve allowed them to lead the way with everything we’ve done. We didn’t leave the docks until they were all ready and all felt confident we weren’t going to hurt them. We gave them the option to shower or not, to stay in their clothes or change into the ones we provided. By not forcing them into doing what we think is best, we’ve managed to forge some version of trust.

The guys have stayed in another room since we got home, and I think that’s helped as well. It’ll probably be a while before these women are able to trust a member of the opposite sex, and I just hope when they return home, they have the support they need to get through this.

Most of the girls chose to shower and change, but there were a few that couldn’t bear the thought of being alone when there were strangers walking around.

I make my way into the kitchen with an armful of dishes from dinner. We got Chinese takeout, and most of the girls managed to eat something, which made both Emerson and I breathe easier.

Chloe is on the other side of the island stacking the dishwasher when she spots me, her eyes haunted as they dart behind me to check no one is following me in.

“You doing okay, hun?” she asks.

I open my mouth to say that I’m fine, but quickly snap it shut when I realize that would be a lie, and that’s not something we’ve ever done. I’ve always told her the truth, even when it hurts, even when it’s not what either of us wanted to hear. I shake my head as I place the pile of plates on the counter and start helping her pack the dishwasher. “No, I don’t think I’m okay at all. I knew it would be hard to take Dad’s place, I always knew that. I knew I would have to do things that would make me uncomfortable, and I made peace with that a long time ago. But this…”

Chloe grasps my hand as I slide a plate into the racks and forces me to look up at her. “It’s okay not to be okay, Cami. It’s normal even. You’ve been through so much in the last few months, and this is…horrific. What those girls have been through, the road they have ahead of them, it’s things I couldn’t even dream of.”

I sigh and take her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you for everything you did today. I know you didn’t sign up to work on this side of the business, but I appreciate you stepping up to help.”

“I told you I’d always be here to lend a hand, babe, and I meant it. I started working for your dad with full knowledge of the things he was involved in and that you would one day take his place.” She pauses and releases a breath. “I grew up around this life, Cami. None of this is new to me, it’s just not something I’ve dealt with since I came here.”

My brows rise into my hairline at the admission, but I don’t get a chance to ask any questions because Emerson appears in the doorway.

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