“I know you have no reason to trust anybody, but these are good men. They will help you. Just like they helped me.”
The females exchanged wary glances, but Ryan understood their reaction.
After studying him for a moment, the slender girl in front of him said, “Okay, we will trust these two.”
“Thank you,” he said to Aziza.
“I’m so glad you found them. It would have been hard getting past this tragedy if those men had succeeded with this crime. “
The nearby wail of a police siren and Dro’s hand on his shoulder, told him it was time to get the women out of the container.
“Where did they keep you last night?” he asked.
“In di back of di meat factory, in a nasty, stinkin’ room,” a woman with a Jamaican accent answered.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Thank you,” he said as he turned aside. “Zee, I gotta go. I’ll see you when we finish here.”
“I’ll be waiting. I love you, Ryan.”
For no reason he could name, his throat clogged. Then he swallowed and put a smile in his voice. “I love you, too, Zee.”
Dro gave him an approving nod and headed back the way he’d come.
After slipping the phone back into his pocket, Ryan led the group through the acre of boxes. When they made it to the door of the unit, Angela was waiting with a stack of blankets. Each woman wrapped herself in the thick fabric.
Again, Ryan wondered what kind of men would shut women inside a refrigerated container without giving them a means to stay warm. But, if they considered them merchandise, they wouldn’t care what became of them as long as they reached the buyers alive.
Amanda Maharaj arranged for a mobile medical unit on location. While a doctor examined the women, the police fielded questions from the media, who descended on the scene.
The two policemen they met early in the week didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves. The assistant commissioner looked at his watch, as if he had important business to conduct elsewhere, while the commissioner did his best to avoid looking at the container or the women.
By that time, the police had already taken the driver and his assistant into custody for questioning. Among the team, they decided Bashir and Ryan would travel with the women and field questions from them. Daron, Dro, Nicco, and Angela left with the police in a speeding convoy headed to the meat packing plant. When they completed that part of the operation, the plan was to have another go at the man they were holding at the warehouse before releasing him to the police. The Sheikh had promised them immunity over the kidnappings during their assignment.
Ryan knew it would be some time before he saw Aziza, but the fact that she was safe made all the difference. He hoped the rest of the operation and the debriefing wouldn’t consume the entire day because he couldn’t let another one pass before having a serious discussion with Aziza.
Their future depended on it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Julene’s face went slack when Aziza greeted her. When she could speak, she pulled Aziza into a hug. “OMG! I am so happy to see you.” She stepped away but held on to her with both hands. “I thought Deirdre said you weren’t coming back. I prayed so many times that you—”
Aziza bypassed Julene’s obvious joy with a question. “Why was she so sure I wouldn’t return?”
Julene pressed both hands to her eyes. “It’s just that she was with you that night and because this has happened to others, she figured you wouldn’t turn up alive.”
“Well, here I am. Can I come inside?”
Aziza only asked because Julene had met her at the door when it opened.
“Of course.” Julene backed away and moved into their living room.
As always, whenever she was off work, Julene dressed in sweat bottoms and a tank top. Her caramel complexion and abundance of loose curls gave people the impression that she was related to Aziza. The major difference between them was that Aziza stood almost a foot taller. They had gotten along since the moment they met. At the time, nearly a year ago, the hotel placed them together in the fully-furnished housing units they provided for workers at lower than commercial rental rates.
Aziza guided Sunita inside. “I have company.”
Showing her a dimpled smile, Julene waved one hand. “Sure, I don’t mind.”
Julene plopped down on the oversized brown sofa. “What happened to you?” she asked, “And who’s this little angel?”
Aziza wasn’t sure how to answer and didn’t want to have to extract herself from an uncomfortable conversation. She sat, and Sunita did the same. “I’m just watching her for a few days,” she said while her gaze wandered around the living area. Only a week had passed and yet the cozy apartment felt foreign despite the familiar furnishings, like the huge metal clock that graced one wall. She’d bought it in a souk just outside of the city because of the unusual design.
“So are you coming back to work?” Julene asked, totally focused on Aziza.
“I doubt it,” Aziza said. “After the experience I’ve had, I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
“So, were you really kidnapped? That’s what I heard around the hotel, but knowing you, I wondered if it was true. We all know you can take care of yourself.” She paused for a few seconds then added, “It’s so ironic that you hardly ever go out and then when you did, you ended up missing.”
“I’m giving God thanks because this could have ended differently.” The enormity of being sold as a sex slave or killed for her organs swept over Aziza and silenced her for a moment. “Were it not for Ryan’s cousin, plus the strings he pulled, I might have ended up dead.”
Leaning forward, Julene said, “Although people talk about women of our kind disappearing, I’ve not been in contact with anyone who has been unlucky like that.” She pulled at
