Page 42 of Protecting Talia

He nodded. “Yes. Huett. That’s who she was talking to. He knows some of the stuff going on.”

“Let me call him.”

The officer stepped away, and Kevlar came closer. “You okay?”

“Not really. Listen, there’s something bad.” He put his hands on his hips and blew out a breath. “She had some really bad things that happened in her past. Her family pushed her into it. Some shit is going to come out.”

“How bad?”

“People are going to talk and say shit about her.”

“I’ll shut that shit down fast. She’s family.”

Relief slid through Zip. His friends really were great. “Thanks, man.”

The officer came over as he shoved his phone into his pocket. “Huett is coming by. He is having Dave’s visitation and call log checked. Said to canvas and ask neighbors, but this isn’t a huge residential area. There are only about eight apartments occupied in this area. We’ll figure this out.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll find her.”

Zip didn’t want to tell this officer that he knew the statistics, knew just how many people were found. He sent a text to Thario, telling him what they knew, which wasn’t much.

Kevlar squeezed his shoulder. “You need to tell your team and CO. They need to know.”

“Thank you, man, for being here. You can go. There’s not much more I can do.”

“I’m not leaving yet. I’ll wait until the detective gets here and they have some idea what their next moves are. Also, if she’s still missing, I think we should get a group together this weekend and see what we can find.”

“Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

Kevlar squeezed his shoulder. “We have to be. That’s what makes teams strong.”

Zip knew what happened with Kevlar and Howler. The betrayal had been a punch to the gut. It had caused some SEALs to leave and others to grow closer. He was lucky his team took it as a sign to be even closer to each other. They would support him through this. He just had to ask for their help.

30

Talia needed to escape. Her sister was crazy and wouldn’t let her go. If she ever wanted to be free, she would have to make it happen.

The door opened, and Cheryl stepped in. Talia was too tired to be angry yet again. She stared up at her sister, wondering what kind of shit she was going to spew today.

“I found you a home. You won’t like it, but whatever. You’re headed to Asia.”

She needed a way to get free. There was no way her sister would allow her out again. Any escape would be over her own making. She would have to outwit her sister and find a way to get free.

“When?”

Cheryl knelt next to her. “In a few days. We’re going to move you tonight after the bar closes. You need to be on your best behavior. I’ll have four guards with me, so don’t even think about escaping. You’re worth too much money for me to lose you.”

She would have to get free then. Her life would be pain if her sister’s plans succeeded.

Cheryl stood and left the room, locking the door. Talia closed her eyes, ready to give up. But she couldn’t, not yet. She had to get back to Zip. He was the best thing she’d ever found, and she wanted that again.

Talia circled the room, looking for even the smallest scrap that would help her get free. Cheryl had cleaned the space out. She wondered where the stuff that normally sat in here was. How long had her sister been planning this? Months or years? The plans had to have been in the works for a long time.

She slid down the wall, pulling her legs in close. She was so screwed. She just hoped Zip knew she loved him and would get back to him if she could.

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