Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
That drew a watery laugh from her. “Madison, too. She’s already planning sleepovers with her kids.” She touched her belly. “Speaking of Madison, I should call her.”
“Why don’t you do that from the car? I need to head to the office. Got a meeting.” And he wasn’t sure why the bosses had encouraged him to bring Haisley.
“Oh, that’s right.” She sniffled. “We’ll get going.”
With a soft, lingering kiss, Nash helped Haisley clean up and straighten her clothes. Then, hand in hand, he led her to his truck. Haisley dialed her bestie to give her the good news while he drove in silence, basking in his bride-to-be’s happy conversation, his free hand resting on her belly.
By the time they arrived at the office, the whole team had assembled. Hunter, Logan, and Joaquin stood at the head of the conference table while Trees lounged nearby with Laila perched on the arm of his chair, her own baby bump starting to show. One-Mile leaned against the wall, seeming to watch everyone with his sharp stare. Zy stood beside him and muttered something that made the badass sniper laugh. Matt and Madison sat close together, his hand protective over her growing belly. Kane and Gracelyn were there too, sharing secret smiles that made Nash smile.
But it was Ethan who caught Nash’s attention. His usually cocky roommate looked uncharacteristically serious as he helped Kaylee Wright into a chair. The girl still looked fragile, but something in her eyes had changed. Maybe it was the way she leaned into Ethan’s touch instead of flinching. Maybe it was the tiny smile she gave him when he settled beside her.
“How’d it go?” Trees asked the moment Nash and Haisley sat down.
“It’s a boy,” Nash answered, his voice rough. “Healthy and strong.”
A chorus of congratulations filled the room. Laila burst into happy tears, which set Haisley off again. The sisters-in-law-to-be hugged while Nash and Trees shared knowing looks. Madison joined the girl hug, and Matt just shook his head with an indulgent smile.
Karliah eased into the room and took a chair at the table like one of the guys. Nash waved. He hadn’t seen her since leaving the Velvet Cove. What was she doing here?
“All right, people.” Hunter’s voice cut through the celebration. “Let’s get down to business. Joaquin?”
Their stepbrother opened a thick folder. “The feds just finished processing all the data from the Velvet Cove’s servers. Between that and Kane’s footage from the masquerade, they’ve identified over two hundred wealthy clients. Thirty-seven arrests so far, including three senators, two Fortune 500 CEOs, and that Grammy-winning artist. More coming daily.”
“What about the women?” Haisley asked, her hand squeezing Nash’s. “Amy?”
“All accounted for,” Logan assured her. “Amy is in a treatment program in Arizona. She’s doing well, all things considered. The other women are receiving medical care, counseling, whatever support they need. The feds are working with international authorities to track down past victims, too. That’s going to take time, but they’re committed.”
“And the babies?” Haisley’s voice caught. “The ones they sold?”
“DNA testing has already reunited six infants with their mothers,” Joaquin said. “They seem to be spread all over the globe, but the task force is prioritizing finding the others.”
Kaylee cleared her throat. “I… I started a support group. For the survivors.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it held steel. “Some of the women from the island… We meet online twice a week. It helps…having others who understand. So if you find more, if you talk to them…”
“We’ll send them your way,” Hunter insisted gently. “You have my word.”
She couldn’t meet his stare; she still seemed afraid of most men. But she smiled. “Thank you.”
Ethan’s expression softened as he looked at her. Nash recognized that look—it was the same way he looked at Haisley. His playboy roommate had fallen hard. But she had both a lot of healing and a lot of growing up to do. Hell, she was just finishing her freshman year of college…and he was a notorious manwhore. How was that going to work?
“Speaking of support,” Hunter cut in, “Karliah is joining EM Security full-time. We could use someone with her expertise, especially since we’ve been approached with non-government-approved trafficking investigations.”
“Congrats! Couldn’t stay away, huh?” Kane teased.
Karliah grinned. “What can I say? You guys grew on me like a fungus.”
“Good. I liked the way you cut my hair,” Nash teased.
Haisley elbowed him. “You do not talk like that to one of my bridesmaids.”
Everyone laughed.
Until Xander and Javier Santiago strode into the conference room, slick in designer suits.
Silence fell over the room. So this meeting wasn’t a simple wrap-up of the Velvet Cove mission. Judging from the heavy expressions on the Santiago brothers’ faces, something big was about to go down.
Logan rose to meet them with backslaps and bro-hugs. Rumor was, the younger Edgington brother was friends with Xander from way back. “Look who crawled out of the DC swamp.”