Page 68 of Beautiful Agony

But never this—this simple, pure sound of joy.

"Do you hear that?" Lacey's voice is soft but firm. "That's your proof right there. You're nothing like Pyotr. These walls that once held so much pain are now protecting people. Sheltering them." Her hands frame my face. "That's what makes you different."

22

LACEY

"Los Angeles is good news,"Megan insists, pacing with that familiar energetic bounce in her step in Vadim's office. "Kirsan's running scared. Why else would he abandon Seattle?"

Demyon shakes his head, arms crossed. "Los Angeles isn't an escape route. It's an expansion. The cartels there control everything from drugs to weapons. Human trafficking would be just another revenue stream for them."

"Exactly my point!" Megan whirls to face him. "Kirsan would have to share profits, negotiate territory. He's independent now, why would he willingly give that up unless we're forcing his hand?"

"Because the market is ten times bigger," Demyon counters. "Even a smaller piece of that pie would be worth more than what he has here."

Despite everything that's happened, seeing them bicker like this brings a small smile to my face. Both of them have a point, but there's something that I feel that neither of them is ready to see.

As I think, their voices fade into background noise.

Then, something clicks, and I sit up straighter, drawing Vadim's attention.

"The two of you are forgetting something about Los Angeles," I say, my heart starting to race.

"Which is?" Megan asks.

"Los Angeles Fashion Week," I say, watching their faces. "It happens twice a year—spring and fall. And it's not just about the runway shows. The parties, photoshoots, talent scouts looking for fresh faces. We're talking about thousands of people at a minimum."

My stomach turns as I think about all those hopeful young models. Girls like Taliya, dreaming of bright lights and glamour.

"Lacey's right," Vadim says, his voice tight with tension. "It's the perfect hunting ground. Models from all over the world converge there. Both the ones working with agencies, and the ones without any representation or anyone looking out for them."

"And the cartels have established infrastructure for pretty much everything," Demyon adds, nodding slowly. "Storage, routes, corrupt officials..."

"Which means Kirsan isn't running away," I continue, my hand unconsciously moving to my belly. "He's scaling up. He's taking it to the next level. Instead of trafficking a few dozen women at a time through fashion houses here in Seattle, he'll have access to hundreds of potential victims. All in one place, all desperate for their big break."

Megan's earlier excitement fades as she processes this. "So we're not winning."

"No," Vadim confirms. "But now we know where to hit him next."

The weight of what we're up against settles over the room. I think about Irina, about Dr. Chen and Bianca, about all the women we've saved and all the ones we still need to save. My hand finds Vadim's under the desk and squeezes.

"But how is Kirsan able to expand so quickly?" Megan asks, her reporter instincts kicking in. "Even with cartel connections, building up an operation like that takes time."

The answer hits me like a punch to the gut. My hands start trembling as I remember a lecture from my brief time in fashion school.

"No publicity is bad publicity," I whisper, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"What?" Megan leans forward.

"Any attention, even negative attention, can be turned into profit." My voice grows stronger as the horrible realization crystallizes. "The exposés we've been running? You remember the comments under the videos."

Megan's face pales when she realizes what I'm talking about. "Oh god."

"People asking about prices, and how to buy," I continue. "Some even defending Kirsan, saying the girls knew what they were getting into. He's notrunningfrom the publicity—he's using it. Every time we shine a light on his operation, he gains more potential customers."

"Fuck," Demyon mutters.

"The more we expose him, the more his... hismarketgrows." The words make me sick. "He's taking our attempts to stop him and turning them into free advertising."

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