Page 65 of Sold to My Ex's Brother
“I... I think I’d like to work here, too.”
I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Can’t say this comes as much of a surprise, given how much she has been asking me about it, but I guess seeing it in person has thrown it into sharp relief.
“You do?”
She nods. “I... I know what it’s like to feel like you haven’t got any way out,” she explains. “And I think I can relate to these girls. Show them that there’s a life on the other side of this, and that they just need to stick it out and everything will be okay. If I’d had someone like that when I had first gone through this...”
She shakes her head.
“I want to turn all the shit that happened into something worthwhile,” she finishes up. “I feel like I can do that here, right?”
She turns to me, and I know she is waiting for my permission; in all of this, she still hasn’t stopped seeking it out, even as I try to convince her that she doesn’t have to anyone. But if she is going to come work for me, I guess that it makes sense that she would run it by me first—as more than just her partner, but the head of this organization.
“Let me get this straight,” I ask, as I loop my arms around her waist. “You’re saying that you want me to be your boss...?”
“Hmm, I bet I’d get the best benefits,” she giggles, as she leans into me. “You think I could do it, though?”
“Of course you could,” I reply. “You can do anything you want, Maya. I’ll make sure of that.”
She drops a kiss on my lips, not taking things too far, given that there are other people in the room. But I know that she is excited. And that this is something she is seriously passionate about; making the world a better place for the people who come after her, using the memories that keep her up at night to turn the world around her into a kinder, more decent home for our child, by the time they come along.
All the reasons, pretty much, why I love her as much as I do. She gazes at me for a moment, and then we both catch the scent of coffee, looking around to the kitchen.
“Uh, sorry that the cups don’t match,” Olivia apologizes, pulling a face. But Maya just smiles as she takes her from her, shaking her head.
“No need to be,” she replies, as I put my arm around her waist again. “They’re perfect.”
EPILOGUE
MAYA
“So, this is going to be your place,” I tell Marsha, as I push open the door and gesture inside the quiet apartment.
She steps inside, her arms still wrapped around herself with a protective nervousness I have seen in so many of the girls who have passed through here, but, as she looks around, I can see a weight starting to lift from her shoulders, and I can’t help but smile.
It has only been a month or so that I’ve been working here, with Luna, at the apartment building where the girls settle for a little while until they can get back on their feet.
And it’s not just victims of Artem who land here either—no, as we have become more established, we’ve had some requests from women in other parts of the city, desperate for a way out from their sex trafficking nightmare, and it looks like our scope is only going to expand from there.
“Thank you,” Marsha murmurs, as she stands there in the middle of the room, shoulders drawn to her ears. I doubt she willbe able to relax until she is alone; no doubt the stress of beingonfor so long for the Johns she had to deal with is still wearing off.
“Anything you need, we’ll be right downstairs,” I tell her. “Luna is on the desk tonight, and if something is bothering you, if you just need to talk, you can go to her, okay?”
She nods again, and I wish more than anything that I could give this woman a huge hug. I know that she likely doesn’t want to be touched right now, but she is at the start of everything, trying to figure out what happens next, if anything—if there is a life beyond everything she has endured. I wish I could convince her that it will get so, so much better before she knows it, but it’s better for her to see it for herself than to have me lecture her on it.
I back out of the apartment, pulling the door shut quietly and heading down in the elevator once more. I check my watch. Anton will already be waiting for me, no doubt parked outside right now. I smile at the thought of seeing him again, wondering if it will ever get old, having this gorgeous man lavish me with attention as though I’m the most important thing in the world...
Hell, there was a time when I thought he wouldn’t even let me keep a job like this. But beyond just allowing me to, he has supported me, pouring time and money into the organization that Luna and I are giving shape to.
There’s still a long way to go, but it’s really beginning to come together now; of course, we operate outside the law, which means that we do not have to worry about finding a way to get these girls out of their situation without violence or retribution.
Anton has led his men in that side of things, breaking down these pathetic businesses built on the backs of these innocentwomen, and I have dealt with the aftermath, helping them get back on their feet, to figure out college applications and job posts and a first month’s rent for their new homes. As tough as it has been to see the pain so many of them endure, the comfort we can offer them is everything to me.
“Hey, Anton’s outside,” Luna calls to me, as I step out of the elevator. I raise a hand to thank her, coming over to the desk to make sure nothing else has come in.
“All good?”
“All good,” she replies, raising her eyebrows and peering down at my belly. “You need to get home. I don’t even know how you manage on your feet all day, that pregnant...”
