Page 14 of The Tourist

Diego

The days pass with Chloe drifting in and out of sleep as she recovers from her detoxification. Her body is exhausted, and the process of healing the mental scars from her ordeal at the hands of Barrera hasn’t even started.

As I sit in the dimly lit bedroom, I’m haunted not only by the soft moans and restless twitches of Chloe in her sleep but also by the shadows of my family’s past. Our involvement in the Las Vegas underworld is the cause of all this suffering. This is the life I was born into but never chose—well, not the darker side of it anyway. Running the hotels and casinos, I love, but I want no part of the evil that comes with the world that Richard Armstrong has trapped us in.

The door's soft creak announces Eaton's arrival.

“Is it all right to come in?” he questions.

I nod a yes.

Eaton’s wife, Shelby, also suffered at the hands of Richard Armstrong, and Eaton is determined to destroy his father’s legacy.

As he stands beside me, fixated on Chloe, his jaw clenches, and the sharp whisper of his curse cuts through the silence.

"Fuck," he mutters. "Seeing this…what she’s had to survive. It’s like being gutted, over and over."

He starts to pace, releasing the anger building up inside him while I nod in agreement, knowing both our families gave us the same dark legacy.

Eaton’s pacing halts as he turns to me, his eyes burning with the fire of someone who has fought too long, seen too much, and is tired of it all.

"Jenny…" he begins, his voice catching on the name. "She couldn’t stand the nightmares anymore."

Jenny was a girl we found while looking for my sister and Chloe. She took her own life shortly after we rescued her, unable to cope with what had happened. She was a victim of the same horrors that Chloe dreams about constantly, and it brings a tightness to my chest, knowing Jenny couldn’t survive it.

"Yes, it’s tragic," I reply. “But Chloe is stronger.”

She has to be.

"If I could," Eaton breathes out through gritted teeth, "I'd drag my father back from the dead and make him suffer for every second of pain he's caused. Every girl like Jenny, Chloe, Shelby, and your sister. All those shattered lives are on him."

His fists clench at his sides, the knuckles whitening with the force of his grip as he continues, "He built his empire on misery. He exploited the innocent, including my mother. He thought he was untouchable, living like a king while he left destruction in his wake." Eaton's voice, usually so controlled, trembles with barely contained fury. "But I brought him down, and I'll dismantle every piece of his vile empire. I mean it. I will not stop until I have killed every trafficker he dealt with and found every one of the people he sold."

Eaton’s words are raw and unguarded with pain. They mirror the anger and resolve I carry within my own heart. Neither of us can fully understand how people can be treated in such a cruel manner. My family's history, though different in its details, parallels the brutal legacy that Eaton inherited and which he seeks to erase.

Like him, I have seen the damage our families have been responsible for causing, and I have felt the ripple effects of their cruelty in our lives and the lives of those we strive to protect.

Eaton’s determination to fight has sparked a similar resolve in me, yet there’s a part of me that wonders if human trafficking is an inevitable evil of the world I inherited. After we’ve located Serena, I wonder if I should consider leaving my business dealings in Las Vegas behind.

The death of my parents in suspicious circumstances and the disappearance and trafficking of Chloe and Serena are inescapably linked to the life I was born into. I’m left wondering if my family would have been better off staying in Mexico. We wouldn’t have had such a luxurious lifestyle, but my parents would probably still be alive and my sister safe.

“Sometimes, I think I should just walk away," I confess. "Start again. Somewhere far from the shadow of my family’s sins."

Eaton turns to face me, his expression intense.

"And let them win, Diego? We’ve turned away from the darkest parts of our world, and we're using what we’ve inherited to make things right. Our fight gives these girls a chance at a new life. It's our responsibility, now more than ever, to use our resources for good."

His words, strong and impassioned, anchor me after the last few weeks of watching Chloe suffer. The violence and corruption that ruled our pasts don’t have to dictate our futures. We have the power to reshape our legacies and save many lives in the process.

"We're doing the right thing," Eaton continues, his voice steadying me. We’ve both had moments when we’ve doubted ourselves, but the firm friendship we’ve developed always helps to strengthen our resolve. "We’re using our inheritances and our business connections to do good. We're not our fathers. We're the ones fighting to mend what our predecessors broke."

I nod, strengthened by his conviction. "You're right," I agree. "We can't run away. We have to end this the right way."

His conviction rekindles a fire within me. He’s reminded me of the responsibilities we share—not just to end the exploitation and destruction of the innocent but to forge a path toward healing and redemption. It's a heavy burden, but one we carry together, united by our shared history and our commitment to make right the wrongs of those who came before us.

"We will find Serena," Eaton continues, his voice holding a firm promise that slices through the uncertainty of my fears. "And we'll keep fighting the shadows of our pasts to secure the futures of those who’ve been harmed."

My thoughts of walking away, of abandoning the fight, dissipate like mist at dawn. Eaton’s unwavering commitment to our cause, transforming pain into hope, reminds me of my duty.

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