Page 39 of Rescuing Tobias

“So two women who were both held prisoner by the same trafficking ring, both go missing a month later. That is no coincidence,” Teresa said, and no one disagreed with her.

Because they couldn’t.

There was no way on earth that was a coincidence.

Tobias wouldn't have believed it was even if there hadn't been video footage of one of the missing women being shoved into a van.

Did it mean that the trafficking ring was cleaning house? They had to know that all the people rescued that night had already been interviewed, so killing them now didn't prevent what little they knew already being given to the cops. Or were they trying to get back the doctors and nurses they already believed they had trained into being the obedient staff they longed for and didn't want to put in the effort to break down others?

And did they intend to go after everyone?

Were Isabella and their unborn baby in danger?

April 20th

11:50 A.M.

Girls’day out was exactly what she needed today.

It had been a little over a month since Isabella was rescued, and five days since her life changed forever, and she found out she was having a baby.

These last five days, well, four maybe, since the day she told Tobias had been rough even if it was also the day she got the news, but she’d gotten through them. Knowing that some of the nausea, lack of appetite, and mood swings weren't trauma-related but her body’s physical reaction to carrying a child had actually helped a lot. As had Susanna’s advice about not overwhelming herself mentally or emotionally.

Now, she broke her day up into small tasks. Each day she had a session with Susanna, and this morning she’d actually managed to talk a little about her time being held captive.

While she still had a long way to go before she was healed from her ordeal, and even then she’d have lifelong scars, at least Isabella felt like she stood a chance now. A chance at giving her baby the life it deserved.

One thing she was determined to reclaim was her sense of fun. She’d always been adventurous, couldn’t not be when you grew up the way she had, traveling the world and living in tiny villages, learning about different cultures, and helping to make a difference. That was something she didn't want her ordeal to change.

There was no way to go back to the carefree person she’d been before, but she could still have fun, even if it was in a safe and contained way.

So girls’ day out it was.

Lunch and a little shopping, nothing crazy, but it was the first time she was going out since moving into Becca’s house that wasn't just a quick run to the grocery store, or a walk along the sand watching the ocean. Or a trip to the airport to fly out and tell the father of her child about the pregnancy.

Nope, not going there today.

Working on blocking Tobias out of her mind was a process, but one she was becoming proficient at. One she intended to conquer.

Today, though, she had enough anxiety about being out, about all the people around, all the sounds which were too loud for her ears, and there wasn't enough room inside her to deal with any other emotions. Including obsessing over the fact that the father of her baby didn't want either one of them.

As though sensing her discomfort, Susanna came to the rescue.

“Why don’t we do lunch first? It’s almost twelve, and I just spotted that cute little Italian place that just opened. I've been wanting to go there for a while, but Cole hasn’t had time to take me,” Susanna said to their little group.

Shooting the woman a grateful smile, Isabella relaxed a little. It was just her trauma making her uncomfortable today, she often didn't like big, busy cities. Other than college, she’d lived her entire life in developing countries in small, remote villages. She was more used to trees and wild animals than tall buildings and busy roads.

It was something she was going to have to get used to, though, because even though she and Becca had only talked in the most general of terms about what happened next with their aid agency, Isabella knew she couldn’t go back to living how she had been. There was no way she’d be able to handle having herself back in a situation similar to the one where she’d been abducted, much less herself and an infant.

Didn't matter that she could be abducted anywhere, there was a sort of safety in numbers feeling the city now gave her, and her mind had forever associated being in a little village when those men came riding in in their jeep with their weapons.

“Lunch sounds great,” Gabriella Sadler quickly agreed, her green eyes lighting up. Gabriella had married Cade early in the year, and she was the furthest along in her pregnancy. Definitely at the stage where she was hungry most of the time, and even from the little time Isabella had spent with the woman, she’d seen that Gabriella had some crazy cravings.

“I could definitely go lunch first,” Becca added, her hand rubbing over her swollen stomach. Boy or girl, one thing they knew about Becca’s baby was that it was an active little thing, spending more time than not bouncing around in there.

Willow, Alannah, and Monique agreed, and they headed down the street a little more to where there was a crossingwith lights. Isabella was grateful that they could build up to the stores, which would be busier and require more mental energy than the small restaurant would.

As they walked, she listened to the others chatter away. Normally, she would be joining in, contributing probably more than her fair share of the conversation. But one thing she was learning was that she couldn’t be a firecracker all the time.

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