After Roman and I showered and got dressed, we headed downstairs for dinner. I couldn’t believe how close I felt to Roman and how safe I felt in his arms. We had our arms around one another as we walked to the elevator. When we climbed inside, Roman pressed me against the wall of the elevator and kissed me. After we parted and the doors opened onto the first floor, I smiled up at him.

"Is this going to be a new tradition?" I asked him. "Making out on the elevator from one floor to the next?"

"Sounds like a damn good tradition to me," Roman said and we laughed as we made our way to the dining room. Lori and Kristin were already waiting there.

"Any news?" Kristin asked us.

"Nothing," Roman said as we took our seats at the table. "Hopefully we’ll hear something soon." Once we were seated, the staff filed in with trays of garlic bread, salad, and spaghetti. We all dug into our food for a moment before I started the conversation.

"Kristin, if you’re forced back into protective custody, will you stay?" I asked her.

Kristin chewed her food thoughtfully before answering. "I don’t know if I’ll get another shot at protective custody," Kristin said. "When Marcus and Ed sent me to Alaska, they told me that it was my only chance to disappear and start over. But, if I hadn’t been trying to work through the trauma I had experienced, I would have realized that I never wanted to go into protective custody in the first place." Kristin dug back into her spaghetti and I gave her some time to eat before I asked her more questions.

"How many women were rescued with you?" I asked Kristin.

"There were 23 of us," Kristin said, "and we all went to different locations."

"All over the world?" Lori asked Kristin.

"Only five of them were from overseas," Kristin told Lori. "They had to go back to their countries because they were here illegally."

"That’s so sad," Lori said, pushing her noodles around on her plate as she thought about what Kristin had said.

"Are you comfortable here, Kristin?" Roman asked her. "Are you getting everything that you need?"

"I’m very comfortable, thank you," Kristin told Roman. "My room is incredible and Lori let me borrow a few outfits." A police officer arrived at the door of the dining room as Kristin spoke, but he waited until she was done talking instead of interrupting.

"I just wanted to let you all know that our shift ends in half an hour," the officer said. "Agents Delaney and Martinez are 20 minutes out." I thanked the officer and we all glanced at one another.

"Whatever happened at Bernard’s place," I said, "it’s the first big step in our endeavor to take down The Auction House."

Roman nodded. "Once Fitzgerald gets wind of this, he won’t be happy," Roman said.

"Marcus and Roman are efficient," Kristin reassured us. "They’re going to move quickly because they know these auction house guys will scatter if they’re found out."

We finished our dinner and decided to have drinks in the main family room. Kristin, Roman, and I shared a bottle of white wine while Lori had a glass of tea. The silence between us was full of tension as we waited and the suspense was uncomfortable. Finally, the doorbell rang and we all waited expectantly as Marcus and Ed were ushered into the room.

"Did you nail the bastard?" Kristin asked them.

"We sure as hell did," Marcus said as he and Ed sat on the far end of the extended sectional sofa. "Mind if we have a drink?" Roman took their drink requests and poured the drinks himself before reclaiming his spot next to me.

"What exactly happened?" I asked Marcus and Ed after they both had a chance to sip their drinks.

"Officers got there and showed Bernard Sullivan the search warrant," Ed told us. "He was caught off guard pretty well, but once he realized what they were searching for he came clean."

"That’s when we stepped in," Marcus said. "Once the raid was complete, we joined the officers at the station and questioned Sullivan. He admitted to frequenting The Auction House, but that’s all he would tell us at first."

"When we told him that we could guarantee him a lighter jail sentence," Ed added, "Sullivan was ready to tell us who and what he knows about The Auction House."

"Did you find any auctioned women at Bernard’s home?" I asked Marcus.

"We found enough evidence to put Sullivan away," Marcus said, "but we’re not at liberty to discuss the details." As he spoke, Ed held up two fingers and I raised my brow before turning to Roman and taking his hand. Roman’s expression was hard as if he were trying to keep his emotions in check. I squeezed his hand and his blue eyes met my gaze.

"One of those two women could have been me," I said quietly to Roman. The muscles in his jaw tightened.

"You’re here, safe with me," Roman said, gently bringing my head toward his face to plant a firm kiss on my forehead.

"So, Bernard is in jail?" Lori asked Marcus and Ed.

Marcus shook his head. "We escorted him to a safe house 100 miles outside of town," Marcus said to us. "That’s what took most of our time. We drove him out there and set up security cameras with guards."

"We can’t risk any of The Auction House staff getting wind of what happened to Sullivan," Ed added. "Not before we can get to them first."

"A safe house?" I asked them.

"Don’t worry, he’s not living in the lap of luxury," Marcus said. "It’s a small house, two bedrooms. Sullivan will have a bed, access to a bathroom, and food. Nothing fancy."

"Sounds like jail," I said.

"That’s the idea," Ed responded to me.

"Now what?" Roman asked Marcus and Ed.

"We want the boss," Marcus said. "Since we have your information about Fitzgerald, and we now have Sullivan, we can get a good picture of how and where to find him."

"What about my father?" I asked them. Marcus and Ed exchanged a look before Ed addressed me.

"Court Macalester isn’t a heavy hitter," Ed told me. "We know where to find him when we’re ready for him, but we have to focus on the heavy hitters. If we take your father in instead of going for the boss there’s a higher chance that the boss will get away, you understand?" Ed asked me.

I nodded. "I’m sure my father thinks he has gotten away with it," I told them. "He got his money and his daughter is inconspicuously married off. If it wasn’t for me insisting that Lori stay here, he’d be scheming to turn Lori into what he made me." Roman was rubbing my upper back in a soothing circle, knowing that I wanted nothing more than for my father to be in jail as soon as possible."

"Court Macalester will have his turn," Marcus assured me. "He’s certainly on our radar, and I hope he enjoys his freedom while he has it."

"I just hate what he’s doing to my brothers," I said. "They’ll be so much better off without him."

"Don’t dwell on it too much," Marcus suggested. "We’ll have him in custody before all of this is over. I can promise you that." I nodded and Roman pulled me into an embrace.

"You should all get some sleep," Ed suggested as he and Marcus stood. "I’m sure today has shredded everyone’s nerves. We all agreed and stood, bidding each other goodnight. Kristin followed Marcus and Ed toward the elevators while Roman and I headed out back with Lori to the guest house. We crossed the pool deck and stopped outside the front door. Although it was dark outside, the pool and the guest house were well lit. Lori turned to me with concern.

"Hannah, what will Freddy and Edward do when dad is in jail?" She asked me.

"They’ll have to keep the business afloat without him," I told Lori. "But, the most important thing is that they’ll be free from our father’s influence. I hope it’ll be enough and I hope it won’t be too late for them."

"Will you ever trust them again?" Lori asked me.

I pressed my lips together and really thought about my answer. "I want to trust Freddy and Edward, I really do, but if they don’t change then I’ll have to let them go." Lori nodded and I pulled her into a hug. Roman and I bid her goodnight before she entered the guest house and closed the door behind her. We crossed the pool deck and returned to the main house.

"I’m exhausted," I said to Roman.

"Me too," he agreed. "Let’s go up and tuck each other in." I smiled at him as we walked to the elevator and we kissed on our way up to the second floor. When we entered our bedroom, Roman closed the door behind us and swept me off of my feet, carrying me to the bed as I laughed gleefully. He brought me a nightdress from my closet and kept his hands to himself as I undressed and slipped on the gown. Roman stripped down to his boxers before joining me in bed. I remember him wrapping his arms around me to hold me and stroke my hair as he so often did, lulling me into a deep and comfortable sleep.