“I have to go,” I tell him. “They're waiting for me.”
“They're fine,” he tells me. “All six women. Eric’s team got to them and rescued all of them. They were evacuated to a hospital on the mainland, but we've already gotten an update, and they are all doing well.”
“And everybody else?” I ask. “All the other girls at the resort?”
“They've been told they aren't being held anymore and can leave the resort. Unfortunately, for some, this was the only life they have. They’ve been abandoned here and have no idea where to go or what to do. No family left. No home.”
“We'll help them," I say. "That's what comes next. We'll help them figure it out."
Sam leans down and kisses me.
"Yes, we will."
"What about Frederick and Catherine and Constance?" I ask.
"They've been arrested for their roles in the trafficking. There is more than enough evidence against them, especially when the women testify. None of them will talk, but they’ll get it out of them. Soon enough, they'll realize they're looking at drug charges, international human trafficking, and murder, and it's in their best interest to help us as much as they can."
The doctor finally finishes and walks away, leaving us alone in the infirmary cubicle. Sam holds my hand and strokes the side of my face.
“Where's Alonso? I want to make sure the investigators know how much he helped. He's guilty as hell, but they need to know he wasn't involved in the prostitution ring.”
"He's missing," Sam sighs. “He was here, but the last time I saw him was when we were getting into position. When I looked for him after you came here, I found out he slipped away.”
“They'll find him,” I say.
“You sure about that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I confirm. “I've done my part. What's going on here is just a little part of something much bigger. The FBI can create a special task force to take it from here and uncover the larger trafficking ring. As for the drugs, I'm sure that will come out when they test the women.”
“Are you sure you don't want to be more involved in the investigation?”
There’s a note to his voice that’s hard to read. It’s almost hesitant, like he’s unsure where my head is. But it’s also encouraging. I know this case like no one else does. I’m the one who started it, who first saw that something was wrong. It would seem right that I would be the one to head up the further investigation into the rest of the drugs and the human trafficking.
At least, there was a time when it would have seemed right. Not now.
“I'm sure,” I tell him, and I am almost surprised to realize I really mean it. “If they need me, they know where to find me. But I'm ready to go home. I need a vacation from my vacation.
“What's next for you?” he asks.
"Rest. Recover. Then get back to work.”
“Have you decided to move back?” Sam asked.
The sadness in his eyes makes my heart ache, and I reach up to touch his face. I cup the side of his face as I shake my head.
“No. Sherwood is my home. That’s not going to change. But I don’t want to just sit around anymore. I don’t want to just do video chats and online research when they feel like they can use me. I’m ready to tell Creagan I’m ready to get active again.”
“What about going into private investigation with Dean?”
I let out a sigh and nod, acknowledging all the conversations I had with him about the possibility and whether it was the right decision for me. Sam was my sounding board, listening to me as I tried to process through everything. I didn’t always need him to tell me what he thought, and he knew that. It wasn’t about getting his opinion or getting his input. He knew that there were times when I just needed to be able to talk things through out loud and hear myself say them. But when I did need to know what he thought, he was there to give me that as well.
“Going into private investigation really sounded like a good thing. It would definitely give me a quieter personal life. I could stay out of the more intense investigations and give my time to more focused issues that aren’t getting attention. And that could still happen. I can still help him with his cases and do my own when I’m not on active investigations with the Bureau. But, at least for now, it’s not all I want.”
“What made you change your mind?” he asks.
“I didn’t change my mind. Not really, anyway. I questioned if my days with the Bureau were finished because I thought I’d finished everything I intended to when I started. I thought since now that I know what happened to my mother and my father is back, I don’t need the Bureau. Then I came here. Seeing Rosa’s murder being ignored reminded me why I became an agent to begin with. There is too much darkness out there, too many people getting away with brutalizing others and destroying lives for me to turn my back now. I’m not done yet.”
Epilogue Dragon
He stands on the roof and looks down over his resort. From his vantage point, he can see nearly to the edges of the island, but all he cares about is what was just below him. That sheriff has his arm tightly around Emma’s waist as he helps her out of the infirmary and into the waiting car. It will bring her to the lobby, where Joshua waits to bring them to the airport.
Everything will change now. But not the way people think. The resort will not close. The island will not become once again deserted and empty. He will thrive.
He was not to blame for any of this. And he could prove
