Returning Mischa to her extended family right away wasn’t an option because most of them had no idea of her existence. With the amount of trauma the child had endured, she needed time to adjust.
New Haven would be the place to do just that. At a future point in time, she would be introduced to her family. Shifting my thoughts, I cleared my throat. There was one last crucial step in this operation—reuniting the girls with their families.
Once I had everyone’s attention, I said, “Alvarez, Stevenson, thank you both for your unwavering courage and dedication to this mission. I can’t thank you enough for having my back on this. Take some time to rest, process everything.”
Pausing, I acknowledged their presence with a nod. Alvarez and Stevenson exchanged a tired glance, knowing their roles in the mission were over. With a final nod, they quietly left the room, leaving me alone with the remaining three men.
Pouring one more drink, I sighed and turned my attention to the conversation at hand. “Thompson, you’ll be escorting your charge to London. There’ll be a jet waiting, and a driver will escort her home. We can’t have anyone asking questions, so it’s imperative that you’re not seen.”
Thompson nodded in acknowledgment.
“Callahan, your flight will take you to Vienna. It will be the same situation. I know you all have questions, but most of them, I can’t answer. What I can share is that the girl with the injuries has a powerful family.”
“How powerful, Taylor?” Remington asked.
“Powerful enough that she’ll need to go into hiding. Her parents were killed two years ago when she was abducted. I can’t share too much, but I was entrusted with her safety and have been asked to hide her. Remington, your leg of the journey might be longer, depending on what I can find out from Winter.” I could see the concern flashing on all their faces, but I trusted them more than anyone else.
“Okay, do we know where she’s from, at least?” he asked, rubbing his head.
“Selma, but I can’t find any family. I’ve got a backup plan in place, but I need to confirm with her what happened,” I told him. “You all leave at first light. These girls have been away from their families for two long, hellish years. All of you were picked because you’re fathers—”
“We’ll treat them as our own,” Remington interrupted, and the men around him offered their voices in agreement. “Go on, Taylor. We’ve got your back,” he added. Thankful for his friendship, I turned my attention back to the girls.
A cold breeze stirred the leaves from the nearby trees as I made my way back to the house. The sky was clear, and the moon was full. An owl hooted in the distance.
I closed the door, wanting only to rejoice in the rescue, but instead, I needed answers. The girls had been quiet since retiring to their rooms. Doc had checked on all of them while I was talking to the men.
“None of the other girls have any injuries or bruises,” Doc said, handing me a drink. My hand trembled as I took the glass and sipped on the amber liquid. I couldn’t bring myself to ask. “They swore they were never touched sexually. They experienced times of abuse, but for the most part, it seems Mischa suffered the worst.”
“You mean she was…?” I couldn’t say the words, and I blinked back tears.
“No, the girls didn’t say that, but honestly, we’ll need to ask her directly. The dark-haired girl, she doesn’t speak, Taylor. I couldn’t get her to do anything more than nod or shake her head. The good thing is, her answers were consistent with the other two.”
Doc sighed and swirled her drink before taking a sip, seemingly contemplating her next words. The glass clinked against the counter as she set it down and continued. “They’re closed off. They’ll need extensive therapy if they’re to have any chance at a normal life,” Doc warned. I nodded absently, thinking of the tasks ahead with Mischa.
“Will she have scarring?”
“It will depend on a few factors. Worst-case scenario, she may need surgery. I’m hopeful we can keep the scarring to a minimum.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes. I won’t have her carrying around visual reminders.” My voice broke, and Doc moved in. As she held me, I allowed myself a minute to give in to the weight of it all. After some time, I took a breath and straightened.
“I need to talk to Winter. Will you come with? I need to know what happened to cause her injuries.” I could tell Doc would rather do anything else than have to listen, but I needed the teenager to feel safe enough to share.
The wood rattled as I knocked on the red-headed girl’s door. Her real name was Savannah Rae Davenport. She seemed the most vocal—if you could even consider her brief words as such. I wanted to get a better idea of what took place between the last time I’d seen a video of them and tonight’s performance.
Doc and I stood waiting for her to give us permission to enter, and when she didn’t, I wondered if she might be asleep already. I tried once more and heard movement from behind the door. She was clearly awake.
I cracked the door and asked, “May we come in?”
There was no answer, so I took that as she wasn’t ready. I turned to leave but halted when I heard her speak.
“You…you may come in.”
Doc gripped my arm. “Don’t push her.”
Nodding, I opened her door all the way, and Doc and I stepped inside. By the time the story was told, I wished I hadn’t asked. As she spoke the words, they came out detached. It was as if she was writing a report in how she summarized the events. There were only two times that she almost broke.
“Is that everything?” I asked, as she stopped speaking and looked down at the floor.
