Page 64 of Sapphire

Tomas and I rush toward her and pull her into our arms. We stay like that for a long time as relief rushes over all of us.

Zoe moves away from us to grab the bacon which is burning away on the cooktop. She wipes the tears from her eyes before turning off the cooker.

“I wanted to make you both breakfast. To say sorry for ever thinking of leaving.”

“All I care about is that you are here and didn’t run,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and kissing her head.

“Need me to take anything out?” Tomas asks.

Zoe plates the bacon and hands him the plate. “That was the last of it, the rest is all out there.”

Taking her hand in mine, too scared to let go of her in case she changes her mind and wants to run again, we make our way out toward the pool area where Zoe had set up in the cabana just like we had done for her, that first night we all slept together.

Tomas places the plate of bacon down on the table beside the eggs, a platter of fruit, a pot of coffee, and juices.

The food smells delicious, and I’m starving as we take our seats and begin serving each other. We sit in relative silence for a couple of moments as we eat, none of us wanting to dive into the conversation we know we should be having.

“Let me start off by saying, I’m sorry, Zoe. I’m sorry for accusing you of being planted here,” Tomas states.

Zoe places her cutlery down and wipes her face before turning her attention to Tomas. “I can see the connection between what has happened to you in the past with these people and then finding out my connection to them. I think most people would be thinking the same way as you did. Please know that I wasn’t sent by them to trap you. It truly was a crazy coincidence,” she says, reaching out and giving Tomas’s hand a squeeze.

“Maybe fate brought you to us so that we could solve both problems together,” I add.

Zoe turns her attention to me. “You might be right. Maybe I was meant to be found by the two of you. That you might be the ones to help me.”

I think she might be right. “How do you feel about finding out who you are?”

Zoe is quiet as she works out how to answer the question. “I feel sick. The information Ruby told me about who I am, I can’t wrap my head around it. I was a prostitute for the Russian Mafia,” she says sadly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“You know we don’t care about that,” I add.

Sniffling, Zoe looks over at me. “But I do. What kinds of things did they make me do. That man last night, the way he looked at me with desire behind those eyes. I wanted to be sick. How could I sleep with someone like that? I’m disgusting.”

“From what you said last night you had no choice. You were kidnapped,” I tell her.

“The Bratva wouldn’t have given you a choice, Zoe. They are ruthless, what they want they get no matter the cost,” Tomas adds.

“The images that have flooded through my mind since Ruby opened them, I understand from them that there was no choice. They continuously beat me for not following orders. She told me I fought and fought until they nearly killed me. But they used my greatest weakness against me, my family and I folded. I get what that girl in that moment did but looking at it now, I hate myself for it.”

Reaching out, I wrap my arms around Zoe and pull her to me. “You did what you needed to do to survive. No one will ever judge you for that.”

“You’re both not disgusted by me?” Zoe asks softly.

“Never. You are so fucking strong to have been taken by the Bratva, escaped, and survived. You are fucking strong,” Tomas tells her.

“I don’t feel it,” she says in a whisper.

“Give yourself time. What you have learned in the last twenty-four hours is shocking. Your mind has kept the past hidden for a reason, and now you know why. You may never be able to understand what you have gone through, but with us by your side, we will help you through it,” Tomas explains to her.

“I’m scared.”

“You’re not alone, angel, you will never be alone again,” I tell her, placing a kiss on her temple.

20

TOMAS

After breakfast, Enrique, my cousin, arrived to talk to Zoe about who she is and what information she might be able to give to Interpol.

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