Page 14 of Anything But Convenient

I chuckled at the new information. When I looked at Ronan, he shrugged, his expression a bit sheepish.

“He’s a jealous little thing sometimes. Plus, this group is full of gossips.”

Tank pulled back, then stayed beside me on the floor. Ronan placed a hand on my shoulder. He squeezed gently, then turned to face the group waiting for us.

When I looked back, Isla was still staring. “They are good men. We want to help. If you don’t have a home, they will help you start over new. You don’t have to go back to anyone who has hurt you.”

She tucked Talia against her at my words. Tears flowed down her face freely as she replied, “Thank you.”

Turning to Ronan, I pointed at the two of them. “They speak Finnish. Can we separate by languages as we go? It’s easier for me to work in small groups if I can.”

He nodded, then suggested I tell them the plan. It only took a minute for her to agree to move to the side of the room with another of the men in tactical gear. This guy’s name was Frost, and though he looked as scary as the rest, he was super friendly to Isla and Talia.

Once they were separated, I was able to get through the rest of the group fairly quickly. The children had all been either sold by a family member or orphaned at a young age and living on the streets. Without families to go back to, they were prime targets for human trafficking assholes.

The women were a mix of the same, however couple of them had been taken while going about their everyday lives. One from a grocery store parking lot and another walking out of her doctor’s office. They were each in various stages of pregnancy, though all over six months.

By the time I finished, there was only one boy we didn’t have information on. Oddly enough, he was also the one that had distanced himself from the group since they arrived.

Tank motioned for the man standing with him to come forward. At his approach, I noticed the way the boy slouched as if to make himself look smaller.

“Do you know him?” Tank asked his guy.

The other man nodded stiffly. “I’m pretty sure I do. It’s not something I can really go into right now. But I suspect I know exactly where he should be and how to get in touch with his family.”

“I trust you intend to handle it alone then, Orion.”

Orion scowled. “I have to. There are… answers I need. This boy should never have been anywhere near this stuff. I need to check on things. I know now isn’t a good time, but —“

“It’s never a good time. Get in touch with his parents. You’re not to leave though. They can come here. Clear it with Jared, and he’ll setup security clearance.”

At Tank’s demands, some of the tension fled Orion’s shoulders. I watched the entire interaction with interest. Not only was Orion another uber attractive male on this roster of hotness, but he was also being extremely protective of the child with him. It made me wonder what the story was.

“Thank you for your help tonight, Archie,” Tank said once his team turned away from us. “It’s wonderful Sinclair led us to you at just the right time.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, it worked for me. It’s not like I have anything better to do right now. The job search is not going well at all.”

Tank’s frown held a touch of curiosity. “I don’t have all the details. Care to step in the hall to fill me in?”

Looking around, I noticed all the groups working together. Each man who’d brought the survivors in was now crouched or seated with them and working through what they could. With a better idea of the languages they spoke, they had a better grip on how to get the information they needed. I built spreadsheets for them to fill out since each group had at least one adult in it who spoke the language well enough to help get the children’s basic information down.

Tank motioned for me to follow him, so I went. I hadn’t lied when I said it wasn’t a waste of my time or anything. Whatever questions he had, I’m sure I could answer them easily enough.

In the empty hall, the sound level dropped suddenly. I felt disoriented as I focused on the man across from me. While I doubted he was about to offer me a job, he might know someone who could.

“What’s your story, Archie? Give me the brief.”

I smiled at the terminology. “No story really. I have a love of languages. I’ve picked them up over the years. A few weeks ago, I went to a hiring agency to get help finding a new job. They were helping me along fine until one of the places I’d applied to calledmy job at the time. My boss fired me on the spot for not being loyal to the company. Since I’m here on a work visa, the urgency of needing a new job is pretty intense.”

“I would say so,” he said. “Are there other options to allow you to stay?”

The way he said the question felt almost like it was rhetorical. I shook the thought away instantly. I didn’t think a man who just helped rescue a shit ton of trafficking victims would mock my citizenship status.

“Not really. It’s find another job or get out.”

He hummed. “Or get married.”

I froze at the three little words.

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