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And so, with that in mind, I’ve spent the past year forging ahead.
My interior design business has taken off. I’m getting more projects in and around Lincoln County, and my newly developed website has sent me out-of-state, as well. Helen is like a second mother to my children, making sure they’re always taken care of and loved while I do my work, but when I’m home, I take advantage of every minute that we can be together.
It is a joy watching Marcus grow. Soon enough, he’ll be bolting through the mansion and giving Pike and Langley a run for their money. They’re nuts about him, though. They’ll forgive anything.
Wolfhound Security is also following an upward trajectory these days. Andrew Stanton, the new Director of Ops, is a force to be reckoned with, and his influence and expertise can already be seen across the board according to Luke. One morning, I’m invited to join a meeting over coffee. Luke, Kellan, Fallon, and Andrew are present in the room, while a screen features Bill andElizabeth Cassidy’s portrait photos.
I’m surprised that I was even asked to join the conversation since I don’t have anything to do with their security business. Kellan picks up on that, ever the perceptive lawman, and smiles as he pours me some coffee.
“We needed you here so you know what’s coming,” he explains.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Andrew here has a very old bone to pick with our parents,” Fallon replies. “We didn’t know that until he joined the company.”
Andrew offers a slight nod. “I didn’t want you thinking I had some kind of ulterior motive. I do respect what you guys do here. It’s why I accepted the job offer in the first place. But I have to admit, I didn’t mind it one bit when you said that you were building a case against the Cassidys. You, their sons, of all people.”
“Okay, so what’s going on here?” I ask, increasingly curious.
Luke goes through a series of slides on the screen. Photos of various streets from Lincoln County. Candid shots of Bill and Elizabeth. Mug shots of known drug traffickers. It is enough to paint a clearer and bigger picture as I remember previous conversations about these people. “You know we’ve been looking into those trafficking ring allegations ever since Charlene and Toby were arrested,” Luke says.
“I do, yes.”
“Well, we’ve got a line on a couple of leads,” Fallon adds. “And Andrew here knows the right people at the DOD to help open some previously locked doors for us. Just enough to get us closerto a fruitful investigation.”
“It is becoming clearer that our parents are connected to the Black Pearls, a notorious ring that operates across the Midwest,” Kellan says. “We think we can build an actual case against them. And if we do that, if we do get them this time, we might even succeed in nabbing at least some of the ring’s lieutenants. We’ll be gunning for the leaders, too, of course. We plan to do everything we can to stop these people.”
“My little sister fell in with the Black Pearls about six years ago,” Andrew says, his gaze dropping. His voice is lower, somber even, as he reminisces about a past I don’t know much about. But I can certainly understand his concern and sense of importance on the matter. I left a sister behind, and I left her in the care of narcissistic abusers. “She was spotted at various locations, including some owned and operated by the Cassidy’s, but I’ve yet to find her.”
“It’s only a matter of time,” Luke confidently assures him. “The point is, Avery, shit is about to go down. We’re going after Bill and Elizabeth with everything we’ve got. And we need to make sure that you are aware of what’s coming. We want you and the kids to be safe.”
“You think they’ll try to hurt us?” I ask, still reeling from our last episode with Charlene and Toby.
“We’re not sure,” Kellan admits. “Family does mean something to our parents. And they don’t take kindly to threats against the children. I don’t know, truth be told. There’s a lot I’m still learning about the people who raised us.”
“But you’ll be protected,” Fallon reassures me. “We’re not letting anybody get close enough to hurt you ever again. That, I canpromise, Avery.”
I nod slowly, giving each of the men at the table a long and pensive look. “I understand. And I trust your judgment completely,” I tell them. “Somebody needs to stop these people. I may not know precisely what Andrew is going through with his sister and the Black Pearls, but I have a sister of my own. I know what it’s like to not be able to protect her when she needed me the most.”
Kellan reaches across the table and gently squeezes my hand.
“We can look into Lauren’s whereabouts, whenever you’re ready,” he offers.
“Maybe it’s time we do that,” I concede.
I’m scared of what they might find. All these years that I’ve been away, there must have been so many times when Lauren needed her big sister, and I wasn’t there for her. I was trapped in a web of my own, struggling to regain my freedom and my autonomy, my dignity. My life.
I now have a good home, a gorgeous and surprisingly big family. A career and people who genuinely, deeply care about me. Children who fill my heart with joy and my soul with hope. I keep going back to Lauren, wondering about her, wishing she’s somewhere better off, at least.
Hoping.
With Kellan, Fallon, and Luke by my side, I know I’ll get the answers I need. Maybe I’ll even get my sister back. The universe has had a way of surprising me over the past couple of years. Maybe there’s room for one last shot. For an opportunity to make my wonderful family even bigger. I know Lauren would fitright in.
The End
