Of course it was.
Teresa had never met a situation that she didn't feel responsible for.
It was something he both loved and hated about her. It was amazing that she always wanted to be everyone’s hero, take care of them, look out for them, and protect them, but it always came at great personal cost.
This time that cost could be her very life.
“I believe in her and that’s why I went to bat with Eagle for her,” Raven continued. “I do know how terrifying this is, Eagle does too. We’ve both been where you are right now. I lived through hell for a decade when Cleo was taken, and Olivia was snatched right from this very building.”
Eagle growled at the mention of his now wife’s abduction. Usually, Olivia helped run the Cyber Team with Raven, but lately she’d been helping set up a second Cyber Team at Prey’s West Coast offices, leaving Raven solely in charge there for now. But he had no doubt that if Eagle’s wife had been there, she would have agreed with Raven’s assessment to trust Teresa and the tracking device she’d created.
“Nathaniel has been through this with Ava, and Tobias with Isabella, and I specifically requested that Rocco’s SEAL team be on standby because not only are they familiar with the trafficking ring, but they’ve also gone through similar things with their now wives,” Raven informed him. “No one is telling you this is easy, but we are all on your side, and we are asking you to just have a little faith in Teresa. She’s smart, and she’s brave, she wanted to do this, and I suspect part of the reason was because of you.”
“Because of me?”
Raven nodded. “These last few weeks she’s been forced to confront her past. I know what that’s like, and I know that sometimes you reach that point where you’re ready to let it all go and take that leap of faith into the future, knowing there are no guarantees. That’s how it was for me with Max, and I think that’s how she feels about you. She’s ready to jump, but to do that, she needs to eliminate this threat to her happiness.”
Of course, Micah was so proud of his girl for being committed to facing this situation head-on and being willing to put it all on the line.
But the line was her life.
How was he supposed to deal with it if she wasn't rescued in time and died because he was back in her life, and he’d worked hard enough to earn a second chance, one she would do anything to grab hold of?
CHAPTER 19
May7th
11:04 A.M.
“Hrmph,”Teresa muttered in annoyance.
She’d been working on trying to get to her tracker for hours now, but the way her wrists had been bound to the bed was making it impossible. The spot she’d chosen to embed it under her skin was right on the inside of her wrist at the base of her hand. She had a small scar there from an accident as a kid, so she’d thought if anyone should search her, they would assume it was just the scar if they were able to feel the tiny chip.
Not that she thought that was likely. It was too small, and these people had no reason to assume she would be using a tracking device. Although they should, since they’d already made it abundantly clear, first with Ava, and then with Isabella and some of the other nurses held captive with her, that they were relentless in pursuing those they deemed adversaries for whatever reason.
The problem was, the leather strap locked around her wrist was covering the tracker. Whoever had done it up had done ittight enough that she couldn’t push it down to get her finger over the tiny device to activate it. Without a clear read of her fingerprint, it wouldn’t turn on.
If it didn't turn on, nobody was going to find her.
By now, Micah would know about the tracker, and her plan to use it should she be taken a second time. It wasn't really about playing bait, she hadn'twantedthe trafficking ring to get to her again, but she had wanted to be prepared in case it happened.
And she wanted this whole mess finished because it was standing in the way of her future.
A future that had disappeared after her rape when Micah cut himself out of her life, but had slowly come back to life over the last few days. If anyone was going to stop that future from happening, it was going to be her and no one else.
Certainly not an organ trafficking ring.
No one was going to steal her future from her this time. Not her dad’s untimely death, not her mom’s need for support, not Arthur’s medical issues, not Simon and his criminal activities, not Micah deciding he got to make decisions for both of them. No one was deciding what her future looked like but her.
She was in control of her own life.
For so many years, she’d sacrificed everything she had to give to other people, but not this time. This time, she’d fought for her future, made her own choices, knowing they might not work out the way she wanted, but still willing to try.
It was die doing everything within her power to destroy the trafficking ring, or survive and try things with Micah. If they didn't work out, then maybe the two of them could be friends again. At least she’d know there would be no unanswered questions hanging over her head. No what ifs, no could haves, or should haves, or would haves.
When the door to her room opened, she saw a young man walk through it. He looked to be a few years younger than shewas, maybe in his mid-twenties, and from the black eye he was sporting, she was going to take a guess that he wasn't here by choice.
Perfect.
