Chapter103:

Chapter 103 CELESTE  The clock on the living room wall read 11:47 PM when I heard the car pull into the driveway. I'd been sitting on the couch for the past three hours, unable to focus on anything, my stomach twisted in knots of worry and fear. Alina sat across from me, the paperwork for the rescued trafficking victims spread across the coffee table between us, though neither of us had looked at it for at least an hour. She'd shown up at seven as scheduled for our debrief, taken one look at my face, and immediately understood that I needed company more than I needed paperwork. "That's them," she said, standing and moving to the window to check. Her hand went automatically to her concealed weapon—a habit I'd grown used to over the years. "SUV, armored, Kingston security detail. It's him." I was already on my feet, my heart pounding. "How does he look?" Alina peered through the curtain, her trained eyes assessing. "Walking under his own power. No visible injuries. Dmitri and Sloane are