"Pack a bag," Dion replied, already typing a message on his phone. "We're going to Salvation, but you're staying upstairs there with Abby and Clare while we handle the Bennetts."
"Absolutely not!" The words burst from me before I could stop them. "Zoe knows me. She trusts me. I need to be there."
Dion crossed the room in three long strides, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "Emily, listen to me. If the Bennetts are part of a child trafficking ring, then they are dangerous people with nothing to lose. I won't put you in harm's way."
"But Zoe—"
"Needs you alive and well," he finished firmly. "Not injured or worse because you insisted on joining a tactical operation you're not trained for." He paused. “And you being seen anywhere near would get you fired.”
“I—”
“I know you don’t care about that, but what about all the kids who come after Zoe that need your help?”
I wanted to argue further, but the intensity in his blue eyes stopped me. This wasn't Dion the gentle caretaker or even Dion the Daddy—this was Dion the Marine, the man who had survived combat and knew exactly what we were up against.
"I hate this," I whispered, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.
"I know you do," he said, his voice softening slightly. "But sometimes the hardest part of helping is knowing when to step back." I hesitated again and he cupped my chin. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," I admitted.Yes, I did.
Thirty minutes later, we were in Dion's SUV, heading toward what I'd assumed was the nightclub but was apparently much more. I sat silently in the passenger seat, my mind racing through every interaction I'd had with Zoe and the Bennetts, searching for clues I might have missed.
“You can’t just kidnap her though.” This was insane. I should call the cops, the FBI, but I had no evidence that anything was wrong, and it would give Susan even more ammunition to fire me.
“No, but we can make sure she’s safe. Plant cameras. Listening devices. Zoe will be guarded constantly. If they try to take her, we’ll move in.”
I nodded, twisting my hands quite violently.
"Tell me about Zoe," Dion said, breaking the silence.
I welcomed the distraction. "She's fourteen, but small for her age. Quiet, brilliant with computers. Her mother died of an overdose last year, father’s unknown. She'd been in three foster homes before the Bennetts, all short-term placements."
"The Bennetts requested her specifically?" Dion asked, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
"Not by name, but they specified age and gender. They said they wanted a teenager. They were intending to home school as Mrs. Bennett works from home." I shook my head, frustration mounting. "I should have fought harder against the placement. Something felt off from the beginning."
"You did everything by the book," Dion reassured me.
"If they hurt her..." My voice broke, unable to complete the thought.
Dion reached across the console, taking my hand in his. "We'll do our best to make sure that doesn't happen."
The rest of the drive passed in tense silence. When we arrived at Salvation, I was surprised to find it wasn't what I'd expected.Rather than a flashy nightclub, it was an elegant building with understated security and a discreet entrance.
Dion parked in a private lot and led me through a side door, using a keycard to access what appeared to be a back entrance. We walked straight to an elevator and Dion pressed the top button after scanning his thumbprint.
Two women were already there when we exited—both technically redheads but completely different. One was petite with red hair in pigtails, and the other was taller with a deep wave of dark red hair down her back. They both looked up as we entered, their expressions concerned.
"Emily, this is Abby and Clare," Dion introduced. "Ladies, this is Emily."
Abby, the smaller one, approached first, her smile wide as she gave a little wave. "Hi! We've heard a lot about you. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
"Where are the guys?" Dion asked, already moving back to the elevator.
"Downstairs in the Daddy cave," Clare smirked. "Gideon said to send you down when you arrived."
Dion nodded, then turned to me. His expression softened as he took in my tense posture. "I need to go join them. Will you be okay here with Abby and Clare?"
