Page 15 of Emi's Hero

George swore.

“Thankfully, he stayed away a lot more. I think he was disgusted by how fat I was. He wasn’t there when I went into labor.” Her lips thinned. “I’m not sure he would’ve let me keep her had he been there during the birth.”

“What would he have done with her?” George asked, though he suspected the answer.

Emi’s jaw tightened. “He probably would have thrown her in the garbage.”

“Bastard,” George muttered. The man had raped Emi over and over, gotten her pregnant and would have thrown her child away. What kind of sick, twisted man did that?

“After Sara was born,” Emi continued. “I couldn’t escape. It was hard enough when it was just me. I couldn’t leave without Sara. Fallon knew it and threatened her whenever he thought I needed a reminder of who was in charge.”

“He’s your daughter’s biological father, then,” George stated, though his back teeth ground together at the thought of Fallon raping her. “Does he have a legal hold on Sara?”

Emi snorted softly. “He’s her biological father, but he doesn’t care about her. Never has. He only used her to keep me in line. I don’t think he wants anyone outside the compound to know about me or Sara.

“You asked what he was to me.” Emi let go of his hand. Her fingers curled around the sheet and blanket, pulling them up to her chin. “He was my captor, tormentor and torturer.”

George’s fists and chest tightened. The haunted expression on her face gutted him. “How long did he have you at the compound? Was it the only place he kept you?”

“I was there all eight years,” she said. “The only good that came of my time in his control was Sara.” Her face softened. “She gave me a reason to live.”

George squeezed her hand gently. “We’ll get her out.”

Her hand tightened around his. “I have to. She’s only three. Her life is just beginning.”

“I know you don’t want anyone to know you’re alive, but my team can be trusted. Every man has a top-secret clearance. They know how to keep secrets.”

She was already shaking her head. “No one can know. Sara’s life depends on it.”

“We have a computer guru at our disposal. The man is good at finding things on the internet. He can hack into databases with satellite images. If you give me enough information, a description of the compound, anything...he might be able to tap into the satellite images and locate the compound.”

Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. It’s risky.”

George leaned forward. “You don’t know where it is. How are you going to find the compound on your own?”

Emi chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I stayed alive so that I could save my daughter from that bastard. Yet, it all seems so hopeless.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“We can start by looking into Fallon Vance. Properties are usually recorded in the buyer’s name. If he purchased the property where the compound is located, we can find that information.”

“What if it’s not in his name?” Emi asked, another tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

“We’ll find him another way.” George reached out and brushed the moisture from her cheek. “Tell me everything you know. After eight years in that compound, you know more than you think. I have an approximate set of coordinates where I found you in the ocean. Based on that location, the currents, how long you were on the yacht and in the water, my computer guy might even figure out where the yacht came from.”

“He can do that?” Emi asked.

“It’s possible.” George shrugged. “It had to be one of the Hawaiian Islands. Once we narrow it down to which island, my guy could focus his satellite image search on that island. Using any descriptions you can come up with, he could have that location sooner than you running around with no clue.”

She met and held his gaze. “Your team would be careful not to alert Fallon that he’s being investigated?”

“They would be extremely careful,” George said. “Let them help. Let me help free Sara.”

For a long moment, Emi stared into George’s eyes. “Okay,” she finally said. “Thank you.”

He felt the weight of her decision on his shoulders.

He prayed he could deliver on his promise to bring Sara out alive.

CHAPTER 5

---