Page 21 of Depraved

I cut her off gently, knowing I had to rip off the bandaid. "It has to do with your daughter. The one who went missing twenty years ago."

The color drained from Claudia's face. She stood abruptly, swaying slightly as if the ground had shifted beneath her feet. "What are you talking about?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Layla has been dead for years."

I rose slowly, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Mrs. Rosu—Claudia—I know this is difficult to hear, but your daughter is very much alive."

"You're lying. How dare you come here and say such things? My little girl is gone. She's been gone for twenty years!"

Her eyes blazed with a mixture of grief and fury, so reminiscent of Layla that it made my chest ache. I could see her hands shaking, balled into fists at her sides.

"I know it sounds impossible," I said softly, taking a cautious step towards her. "But I swear to you, I'm telling the truth. Layla is alive. She's grown now, a woman. A powerful fucking woman.”

Claudia's legs gave out and she sank back onto the bed, her face ashen. "This can't be real," she whispered, more to herselfthan to me. "I've dreamed of this moment for so long, but it's impossible."

I crouched down in front of her, my heart aching at the raw pain etched across her features. Up close, I could see the faint lines around her eyes, the silver strands threaded through her honey-colored hair. Twenty years of grief had aged her, but couldn't dim the echo of Layla I saw in her face.

"I know it's hard to believe," I said gently. "But I've met your daughter. I've worked with her. Laylaisalive."

Claudia's eyes snapped to mine, a desperate hope warring with disbelief. “What—what’s she like?”

I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. "She's beautiful, Claudia. Strong. Fierce. She's survived things that would break most people."

A choked sob escaped Claudia's lips, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Tears spilled down her cheeks as two decades of pent-up grief came pouring out. I ached to comfort her, but held myself back, unsure if my touch would be welcome.

"Why?" she finally managed, her voice raw. "Why didn't she come home? All these years, I thought...”

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. The weight of two decades of secrets and pain hung heavy in the air between us."The full story of what happened to her is not mine to tell. She'll have to share that with you herself when she's ready."

Claudia's eyes widened. "She's coming here? I'll get to see her?"

I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the gravity of the situation. "Yes, she's on her way. Should be here within the next day or two."

Claudia's hand flew to her heart, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. I could see her trembling, overwhelmed by the prospect of reuniting with the daughter she'd thought lost forever.

"I can tell you this much," I continued softly. "Layla is an incredibly strong woman. She's had to be, to survive everything she's been through. She's—well, she works for some very powerful and dangerous people."

"What do you mean, dangerous people?"

I sighed, running a hand through my disheveled hair. "There's no easy way to say this. Layla is involved with a criminal organization. A cartel, to be specific."

Claudia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

I nodded grimly. "Layla didn't have many choices after what happened to her. The cartel gave her power, protection. A twisted sort of family."

Claudia's eyes flashed with anger. "Family? How dare they claim that title when they've kept her from her real family for twenty years!"

I held up my hands placatingly. "I'm not defending them. Believe me, I know how fucked up the whole situation is. But Layla is who she is now because of everything she's been through. Including her time with the cartel."

Claudia stood abruptly, pacing the small room. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, as if trying to physically hold herself together. "I don't understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If she's alive, if she's been working for these people all this time, why didn't she ever try to contact me?"

The pain in her voice was like a knife to my gut. I stood slowly, choosing my words with care. "That, I’m afraid, is up to Layla to explain, because trust me, I’ve tried to get her to tell me for a long time.”

Claudia turned to face me, her eyes blazing with a mixture of grief and anger. "And who exactly areyouin all this? How do you know my daughter? You’re a federal agent, and from the sound of it, she’s a criminal."

I swallowed hard, guilt twisting in my gut. This was the part I'd been dreading. "I worked undercover in the cartel for several years. That's how I met Layla."

Claudia's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Undercover? So you're what, FBI? CIA?"

I nodded, not bothering to specify which agency. It didn't matter now anyway. "I was sent in to gather intelligence, to try and bring down the cartel from the inside. But things got complicated."

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