19. Evie

I reached overand took my sister"s hand. "I missed you so much. I have never been more scared than when somebody took you. I wish I could have killed the man who did this to you."

"You don't know how many times I wanted to kill them. They treated me like a dog, the women, and the men. Their women would spit on me and pull my hair, and the men would laugh. Once and only once did I hit back. I learned never to do that again—I was beaten so badly that I was unconscious for three days. Another kidnapped woman helped me."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that."

"Me too. I was lucky to have saved that horse, or I would have been passed around for men who paid money. You can't trust anyone; it's dangerous for your children, even babies. They steal them from homes when everyone is sleeping."

"You should start educating everyone about what not to do. Tell them to put alarms in their homes and never leave their doors unlocked. Tell them what you saw. You can save lives by spreading the word about what they are doing to women and children."

"I will after I hide in a hole for a while. I don't want to make any plans. All I want to do is be with my family. Did you call Daddy and tell him you found me?"

"No, I want you to call him and tell him you will see him in an hour, and he can prepare Mama."

"Should I call him now?"

"Yes, we'll use Rebel's phone when he wakes up."

"How long have you known these guys?"

"We've been staying with them for four months because the mafia was after me, but they aren't after me anymore," I said, smiling.

"How do you know they aren't after you anymore?"

"Because the mafia is Mika, and he helped us find you. I'll explain everything to you later," I said as the plane started to land. Rebel opened his eyes, and his gaze stayed on me. "I'm sorry that I talked to Mika when he stopped where I was standing. He was so friendly. How was I supposed to know he was the mafia?" I explained.

"I'm just glad that his uncle wasn't still living, and we were able to find Kylie; everything worked out for the better. You'll need to stay with us until we close this case," Rebel said, looking at me.

"Okay, I'm glad," I said. I wanted Kylie to feel safe, knowing she would if we stayed with the Delta Force Guardians. Besides, I didn't want to leave Rebel, not yet anyway. I know he warned me not to have ideas about getting serious, but that part of my brain wasn't listening to him.

"Here, you can use my phone; I think you should call first," Rebel said, looking at me.

"You're right. I'll call. I took his phone and made the call. "Dad, it's me, Evie."

"Evie, where have you been? Nobody told us you were leaving."

Dad, we have Kylie." The phone was on speaker, so we heard him crying. "Tell me how she is."

"Hello, Daddy," Kylie said. "I can't wait to see you and Mom. You can stop worrying about me. I'm safe, and I'll see you in an hour. I love you, Daddy."

"We love you so much, Kylie. I'll let Mama know you are on your way home," her father replied. They hung up, and Kylie handed Rebel his phone.

Rebel looked at Kylie, seeing the same thing I saw in her eyes—pure terror. "How are you doing?" he asked her.

"It'll take time, and I know I'll never return to how I was. The horrors that I saw, the things the cartel did, were horrific. But it wasn't just the cartel. It was white men, billionaires, buying children, and young women. That's why they didn't want me to escape. I know who a lot of those men are," Kylie said.

"What?" Rebel said, looking at me. "Do you think they'll be hunting for you?"

"I never thought of that! But I'm sure he'll be looking for me, and he won't stop until he kills me. He's going to be madder than hell that I got away. I'm sure he'll kill the guys that were guarding me. I won't be able to stay anywhere around my family. They'll use them to get to me.

"They won't know where you are while you are with us. You'll be safe here, and we can start planning what to do next."

"Mom and Dad will have to sell their home and move away," I said, looking at Kylie. "But let's enjoy you being with us before we tell the parents about the cartel. I want them to be happy for a few days before we break the news that they must sell their home."

"Of course, I won't say anything to them. The less they know, the better it is for you and them. What I know about these monsters, I will never tell anyone. Because the ones you think you should tell this to are the ones who are involved."

"That's scary," I said, looking at Rebel.

Kylie glanced at me, shaking her head. In a voice barely above a whisper, she spoke. "Evie, it's worse than scary, and you don't want to go anywhere near them. You have to keep yourself safe all the time. I'm not just saying this to scare you; I'm saying it because I love you."

"I know you do. We all have to be careful. We'll all find a safe place to live. You never have to worry about that bastard finding you," I said.

"What the hell are you talking about? Fuck no, you're not moving away on your own. You are going to stay where you are," Rebel demanded, looking at me. I didn't say anything. I didn't think it was a good idea with all those innocent people living around his home. But I wouldn't say anything until I could talk to my Dad.

As we pulled into the driveway, my parents were out there waiting for us, tears flowing. When we got out I saw Rebel say something to Raider and Reaper and then he turned and started walking. I knew he was going after Hannah, and I so wanted to go with him, but I was filthy, I needed a shower.

Later that night, Kylie was sleeping in my room, and Hannah was sleeping with Rebel. I sat out on the back porch, trying to figure out my life. We couldn't stay here much longer. It wasn't right for us to stay here without paying for their protection, and we had no money to pay anyone for anything.