But they believe me. The responsibility was immense. 'They are alive. I promise. If you'll allow it, I'll ask my partner to get recent photos. He may have to ask another agent in the FBI. They may guess that you've been found.'

Mila and Erica looked at each other, then both slowly nodded. 'Yes,' Mila said hoarsely. 'I want to see them.'

Scarlett shot the text to Deacon and put her phone down. 'Mila, let's talk bluntly. Pictures will not be enough. You want to see your husband and son in person, don't you? You want your granddaughter back, yes?'

Mila nodded, but said nothing.

Erica started to rise from her chair. 'You promised not to turn us in.'

'And I won't. But this situation may not be as bleak as you believe. You have options. Please, hear me out.'

Erica sat back down. 'What options?' she asked with cold suspicion.

'Do you remember the lady that Tabby called to take Malaya? Her name is Annabelle Church.' They both nodded. 'She took very good care of Malaya, bought her formula and diapers, and when the time came for her to turn Malaya over to Children's Services, she brought her lawyer along so that Malaya's rights were protected.'

'But Malaya is just a baby,' Mila whispered, stunned.

'She's a US citizen,' Scarlett said. 'That fact alone doesn't help you get a green card or citizenship yourselves,' she added when hope filled their eyes, 'but Annabelle's lawyer told us that if we found you, he would make sure an immigration lawyer took your case. For free.'

'Why?' Erica asked, still suspicious.

'First, Annabelle's lawyer is also her grandson. They're nice people. Annabelle went straight to the hospital after meeting with us and she's been at Tabby's bedside ever since. Her grandson stayed with her through the night. Annabelle's grandson doesn't need or want anything from you. His grandfather on his father's side was also an immigrant, so he just wants to help. That means you have legal help from an expert who knows immigration law. I'm not an expert myself, but I do know that because you've been victims of human trafficking, you are eligible to apply for new visas. This one is called a "U visa". It allows you to stay in the country if you're helping law enforcement with an investigation. Mr Bautista will be given the same offer.'

'That's not a green card,' Erica said with a frown. 'Is it?'

'No, but it can lead to one. You'd need an employer to sponsor you. Marcus can help with that. But to get the U visa, you'll need to cooperate with the FBI.'

'Will we go to jail?'

'No. You've done nothing wrong.' Scarlett leaned forward a fraction. 'You are victims of a terrible crime. No one will blame you. Do you understand this?'

Erica lifted her chin, but her lips quivered. 'Americans hate illegal aliens.'

'Not true,' Scarlett said. 'Some do, I'll allow you, but you'll find most Americans will feel compassion for you and anger at the people who tricked you into coming here under false pretenses. The community will want to help. That's not to say everyone will be kind or nice. Illegal immigration is a complicated problem. But you didn't sneak in. You had legal visas when you arrived. I've seen the records.'

'They took them from us,' Mila said in a trembling voice. 'Which doesn't matter now. The visas expired two years ago.'

'You'll get new ones,' Scarlett said with a smile. 'But you'll have to trust me.'

Mila drew a deep breath. 'Where will we have to go?'

'You can come back with us. My partner and some of his fellow FBI agents want to talk to you about the people who brought you here. They'll need your help to catch them.'

Mila twisted her hands together. 'Will you . . . stay with us?'

Scarlett's heart broke and she had to clear her throat. 'As long as I can. Marcus will too. And Father Trace.' She took Mila's hands in hers. 'You have friends here. You're safe.'

'Where will we live?' Erica asked, trying hard to make her question sound forceful, but underneath Scarlett heard a scared little girl.

'We'll find you a place. It might be a safe house at first, just until we figure out who's behind all this. That might mean you'll have a police guard. That doesn't mean you're in jail. It just means we don't want anyone to hurt you.'

'For how long?' Erica persisted.

Scarlett sighed. 'I wish I had an answer for you, Erica. But let me tell you this Marcus is very, very important to me, and right now his life is in danger every time he walks around in public. Even if I didn't care about you and your family and I do care I'd be trying to solve this as fast as possible to keep Marcus safe. That's all I can promise, except that I am very good at my job, and so is my partner, Agent Novak.'

Mila was quiet for a long moment while Scarlett held her breath. Then Mila nodded and Scarlett exhaled in relief. 'We'll come with you,' Mila said. 'But no handcuffs.'

Once more Scarlett's heart broke. 'Of course no handcuffs,' she promised gruffly. 'You have my word. I'm going to ask Marcus to come back into the room now and we'll take you to Cincinnati.'

'That's what the other guys said,' Erica muttered as Scarlett turned to go.

Her hand on the doorknob, Scarlett turned back to face the girl. 'Which other guys? Anders and his wife?'

Mila shook her head. 'No. The man and woman who met us at the airport and took us to the Anderses. They said they were married and that they ran the business where we'd be working. We believed them.'

A male/female 'married' pair to meet a family. It made good sense if you were the traffickers. A married couple would inspire confidence, encourage the victims to let their guard down. 'Can you describe them?'

'The man was very big,' Mila said. 'And dark-skinned. Maybe forty years old or a little older. The woman was smaller than the man, but bigger than any of us, including my husband. She had blond hair and was much younger than the man. They pretended to be nice and loving for the first day, but then they stopped for the night and . . .'

'Out came the handcuffs,' Erica said flatly. 'The man was big and strong and fast. Trained in karate, I think. He put Tala in a stranglehold when she tried to get away with me and John Paul. My father tried to fight, but the man switched arms and knocked him unconscious with one punch. And then, um . . .' She looked away. 'He raped Tala. That was our first clue that we were in trouble,' she finished bitterly.

Scarlett released the doorknob without opening the door, slowly walked back to Mila and Erica and knelt in front of the girl. 'Did he rape you too, Erica?'

A hard swallow and a nod.

Scarlett closed her eyes and sighed. 'I'm so sorry.' Then her eyes popped open on a frown as Erica's words sank in. Big, dark-skinned, fast, with an arm-switching maneuver? It was a long shot, but worth a try. She took out her phone, pulled up the video of Phillip's attacker that she'd shown Marcus the night before and chose a segment that showcased the man's walk and his eyes through the holes in the ski mask.

Without a word she showed it to the two women and watched them begin to shake.

'That looks like him, like his walk,' Mila whispered. 'I can never forget it. He is in my nightmares all the time.'

'And his eyes,' Erica said flatly. 'He had cold, dead eyes.'

Mila put her arm around Erica. 'It could be him. He's the right size.' Mila's jaw tightened, her shoulders squaring. 'She called him Demetrius. He called her Alice. I don't know if those were their real names or not. Who is the young man with him?'

'Marcus's friend Phillip. He was shot a few minutes later, as was another man.'

Mila's eyes grew wide. 'Did he kill my Tala too?'

'I don't know.' Tala knew her attacker. She would have known a man who'd raped her, but apparently both this man, whose name was possibly Demetrius, and Drake Connor had assaulted her. Scarlett should have been relieved that she was finally getting some new pieces to the puzzle, but she wasn't. Her gut told her that something was still missing, and she'd learned to listen to her gut. 'Let's get back to the city so that you can give an artist a description of this Demetrius's face. While we drive, I'll work on getting you reunited with your husband and son.'

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 11.15 A.M.

Deacon Novak was waiting when Marcus and Scarlett arrived at the Netherland Plaza with Mila and Erica. Scarlett was in full cop mode, her eyes darting everywhere, her body positioned to protect the two women who'd been through so much.

Marcus was also keenly aware that Scarlett was positioning herself to protect him, especially when Deacon joined them in the hotel's lobby. The two partners created a wall separating Marcus and the women from anyone who might want to hurt them. He wanted to grab Scarlett by the shoulders and yank her behind him, but he didn't. She was who she was, which was a cop. To deny her the ability to protect him would hurt her deeply, and Marcus couldn't even consider it. Still, he kept his hand on the grip of the gun she'd loaned him out of her own collection, since his old Glock was locked up in her gun safe.

Deacon towered over the two women just like Marcus did, but just like Marcus had the Fed hunched his shoulders so that he didn't seem too intimidating. He also wore his trademark wraparound shades inside the hotel so that he didn't startle the women with his odd eyes.

'Mila, Erica,' Scarlett said, 'this is Special Agent Novak, my partner.'

'Mrs Bautista,' Deacon said to Mila, nodding at her. To the scowling Erica he gave an encouraging smile.

Erica still hadn't accepted that she was safe, and Marcus understood that. He knew it would be a long, long time before Erica truly felt safe again.

'And, Miss Bautista,' Deacon said. 'We're very glad we found you. Please come this way.' He ushered them all into the elevator, slid a hotel keycard through the reader, then hit the button for the penthouse, standing in front of the doors until they closed. Only then did he and Scarlett relax. Deacon looked at Scarlett over the petite women's heads. 'Everything is ready. Just as you specified.'

'My dad's here?' Erica asked in a quavering voice. 'And John Paul?'

'Yes,' Deacon said. 'And they're excited to see you. Your dad's a bit thin, just to prepare you.'

Mr Bautista wasn't thin, Marcus thought, having seen the photos Deacon had sent for Scarlett to show the two women. He was emaciated. John Paul appeared well fed, so Marcus assumed the father had been giving his son part of his own food rations.

Tears were running down Mila's face yet again. Marcus wondered that the lady hadn't dehydrated herself with all the tears she'd shed that day. But these tears were happy ones, or at least bittersweet. To be reunited with her husband and son, but to lose her daughter . . .

Marcus cleared his throat. 'Is the attorney here?'

Deacon nodded. 'Both of them are Gabriel Benitez, Mrs Church's grandson, and Peter Zurich, the immigration attorney.'

'And who's here from the FBI and CPD?' Marcus asked.

'Special Agent Kate Coppola and her partner, Special Agent Luther Troy they're leading the human trafficking investigation for this region,' Deacon said. 'Isenberg's here too.'

Scarlett winced. 'How is she?'

Deacon's white brows lifted. 'Not as bad as she could be. Not happy that you made so many demands or that you missed your command performance in her office, but she'll survive.'

Scarlett's 'demands' had been designed to make the Bautista family's life simpler. She wanted them to have their reunion in privacy, in a hotel and not the police station. Marcus had been able to help with that, having already reserved the penthouse suite. The hotel had excellent security, and CPD had assigned a uniformed officer to guard the Bautistas' room.

She'd asked that all family interviews be conducted here at the hotel, including the one with the CPD sketch artist. She'd also made it clear that the Bautistas had legal representation, so that no one tried to intimidate them by threatening deportation.

'What command performance?' Erica asked, still suspicious of their motives.

'It's nothing for you to worry about,' Scarlett said with a smile. 'I was supposed to go to my boss's office for a lecture, but I came down to meet you two instead.'

'Will Father Trace be here?' Mila asked.

'He arrived about ten minutes ago,' Deacon told her. Marcus and Scarlett had taken longer to arrive because Scarlett had insisted on driving a circuitous route through the city to make sure they hadn't been followed.

'We also have a counselor available,' Scarlett told Mila as the elevator doors opened. 'Kids and teens are her specialty, but she can help you and your husband as well. She's a friend of mine. She's expecting your call, whenever you'd like to contact her.'

Mila drew in a breath as she stepped out of the elevator. 'Thank you, Detective. For all your help.' She pressed a hand to her heart. 'I'm so nervous.'

'Don't worry, Mama,' Erica said, taking her mother's hand. 'It'll be all right.' Mother and daughter held hands tightly as they walked down the long hall and entered the room.

The emaciated Mr Bautista stood awkwardly, staring at the women as if looking at ghosts. Then John Paul threw himself into his mother's arms, sobbing loudly. A second later, the family was huddled together, crying and rocking each other. Mr Bautista touched his wife's face with a careful reverence, as if not convinced she was real.

Leaving the attorneys in the room with the Bautistas, Marcus followed Scarlett and Deacon into the suite's adjoining room to give the family privacy. He had to wipe his eyes and knew he wasn't the only one. Father Trace and Isenberg were already sitting in the room with two people in black suits a redhead and a man who was slightly balding.

The lieutenant gave Marcus a brief look before turning her attention to Scarlett. 'We still have to talk about your personal priorities,' she said. 'But this was good work, Scarlett.'

Scarlett shrugged. 'Uncle Trace found them.'

'And you convinced the mother and daughter to trust us.' Isenberg motioned for them to sit at the table. 'We have some debriefing to do.'

'Me too?' Marcus asked Isenburg, letting a little sarcasm into his voice. She scowled.

She scowled. 'Yeah. You didn't print anything I asked you not to, so I'll trust you one more day.'

'Thank you,' he said with exaggerated politeness and took the seat next to Scarlett, who shot him a rueful look before introducing the redhead as Kate Coppola and the balding man as Luther Troy. Scarlett had already told him that Kate had worked with Deacon back in Baltimore and that Deacon trusted her with his life. That was enough for Marcus, because Scarlett trusted Deacon with her life.

Scarlett's uncle excused himself. 'I think I'll see if the Bautistas need me. Once the shock of the reunion passes, they'll be grieving the loss of Tala.' He squeezed Scarlett's shoulder as he passed her chair. 'I heard some of what you said to Mila and Erica back at Saint Barbara's,' he murmured. 'I'm proud of the way you dealt with them.'

He left the room, leaving Scarlett blushing. 'What's new?' she asked Isenberg, her voice a little gruff.

Marcus thought her gruffness was very sweet, and wisely didn't tell her so.

'Number one,' Isenberg said, 'ballistics on the bullet taken out of Phillip Cauldwell shows it was not fired from the same gun that killed Tala Bautista.'

'But . . .' Marcus frowned. 'Shit. We thought the shooter at my apartment building yesterday might have been the one who shot Agent Spangler and Tala too. Are we back to square one?'

'Not square one,' Deacon said, 'because the gun used to kill Tala was found in the possession of Drake Connor.'

Marcus had been listening at the door at Saint Barbara's, so he knew everything the women had shared. He narrowed his eyes at this piece of news. 'So it was Stephanie Anders's boyfriend who killed Tala.'

Deacon nodded. 'So it appears. As soon as you texted me his name, Scarlett, I put out a BOLO and then went to check out his sister at her house. She's not there, but there are signs of a major struggle. There was blood on the kitchen floor and smeared on one of the door frames like she grabbed it when she was being removed. She reported her car stolen yesterday morning. She suspected her brother had taken it. He's been in trouble a few times.'

'He'll be in more trouble when we get our hands on him,' Scarlett said flatly. 'He raped both Tala and her sister and murdered Tala. Now it sounds like he's attacked his own sister. Where is he now?'

Deacon was shaking his head. 'He didn't attack his sister. She was on the phone with her credit card company at three o'clock yesterday afternoon. Drake was nearing Detroit by then.'

'The little prick was headed for Canada,' Marcus said grimly.

'Where is he now?' Scarlett repeated impatiently.

'In a hospital in Detroit,' Deacon said, 'handcuffed to the bed. His name popped up as soon as I ran the BOLO. He held up a gas station, shot the clerk and another customer, then stole the customer's SUV. The customer is dead and the clerk's in critical condition. The clerk's wife, who was doing inventory in the back room, chased after him with a shotgun. Unfortunately for Drake, the wife was a very good shot and she took out his back windshield and a tire as he was driving out of the parking lot. He got out of the SUV and tried to run, so she shot him in the leg and ran back to see to her husband. Fortunately for us, she didn't hit anything vital and left Drake alive for us.'

'Will Detroit PD give him up to us?' Scarlett asked.