Page 111 of Brick's Retribution

"How are they?" he asks without turning.

"Surviving," I reply, settling beside him. "Xiomara's teaching Itzel to weave. Mei finally got to call her family. Valeria's getting proper medical care. Surgery tomorrow."

"And we saved five," he says quietly. "Out of how many that were sold today?"

It's the same question that's been haunting me.

"We saved five," I repeat firmly. "And tomorrow we'll work on saving more. That's all we can do. One life at a time. One operation at a time."

He pulls me against his side, and I breathe in his manly scent.

"Alejandro's people sent word," he says after a moment. "Diego's moved your father. New location, better fortified."

My stomach drops. "Where?"

"They're working on it. But..." He hesitates.

"What?"

"You know the trafficking ring put those bounties out. "

"Yeah, I heard. I'm flattered they think I'm worth so much."

He doesn't laugh at my weak joke. "This is serious, Imani. They want you dead or returned to them for auction."

"Then we'd better take them down first," I say simply.

"It's not that simple?—"

"Yes, it is." I turn to face him fully. "We saved five women today. Six. And there are hundreds, maybe thousands more out there. Women like Lashes, like those little girls who watched their parents die. You think I can just walk away knowing that?"

"I know, but?—"

"No buts," I interrupt. "We have names now. Faces. Lashes said she memorized details. Mei heard conversations. We have intel. We'd be fools not to use it."

He's quiet for a long moment. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Could you? If it were you?"

"No," he admits. "But that doesn't mean I have to like you putting yourself at risk."

"I'm already at risk," I remind him. "We all are. At least this way, we're taking the fight to them instead of waiting for them to come for us."

He sighs, pulling me closer. "When did you become the warrior and I become the worrier?"

"When you fell in love with me," I say simply.

"Yeah," he agrees. "That'll do it."

We sit in silence, the weight of the day settling over us.

Five women have been saved, but there’s so much more work to do.

My father is still captive, Diego is still out there, and an entire trafficking network still operational.

But tonight, Xiomara and Itzel are safe in a warm bed.

Mei got to hear her mother's voice.

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