I tell Oliver everything.

It takes me three hours. That’s just to give him the basics. I tell him about my father, my mother, my life, every person I’ve met, what I’ve done, about Carl, about his uncle, and about Ellie. Oliver sits, and he listens the whole time, nodding, his eyes kind and understanding.

Before I spoke, I made him promise that he’d get me protection, and that I wouldn’t get in trouble for my involvement. He agreed, promising that he would keep me safe, that he would make sure I had the life I deserved, if I told him everything he needed to know. After all, everyone knew Benjamin Masters—the problem was he was far too smart for them to get enough on him, to bring him down.

When I’m done telling Oliver everything I can think of, he just stares at me, his eyes warm and locked on mine. “You’re a smart girl, Charlene. Smart and incredibly brave. It takes a lot for someone to go through what you’ve gone through, it truly does. I promise you that when we’re done here, you’ll be free of your father.”

“Are you sure?” I whisper, rubbing my upper arms. “Because he’ll find me and ...”

Oliver nods. “I’m sure. I’ll make sure he goes down, no matter what it takes, and I promise you, you’ll be safe.”

“But I have to go back there, don’t I?”

Oliver smiles warmly, his eyes sympathetic. “If we protect you now, he’ll know you’ve gone and gotten help, and he’ll likely shut down the operation. The only way for us to be able to take him down is for things to remain as normal, until we find out what we can to bring the entire operation down.”

I nod, even though my chest clenches and fear grips me. “And Ellie?”

“I’ll look into the girl, see if I can find any information, see if there is something I can do, without blowing the whole cover. If we barge in there, again, your father will stop what he’s doing and cover his tracks. I hope you understand that to do this, to finally take him down, we have to keep things as normal as possible.”

I nod, because I understand that, I really do.

I’ll do whatever it takes to end this quickly. Whatever it takes.

“Just tell me what you need from me, I’ll give you whatever I have.”

“All we need is a big deal, something major, something we can close in on and destroy a good portion of his operation. Something huge, even.”

I take a shaky breath. My father has something going down soon, it’s why he’s so paranoid about double crossing. Whatever, or whoever, he is trading off with, there is something big happening. I’m doing far more work than usual, and he’s on the edge of his seat, angry and wild all the time.

“Okay,” I whisper. “Okay, I know there is something big going down soon. I’ll get what I can and get it back to you.”

Oliver nods. “I’ll give you my number, but don’t save it anywhere. Don’t mention my name to anyone, not even those you trust. For this to work, it cannot be known you came here, Charlene. It’s the only way I can ensure your safety until we have you out of your father’s hands.”

I swallow and rub my arms. “I understand. Oliver, can I ask you something?”

He nods, holding my eyes. “Anything?”

“Do you think, if this works, and you get me safe, that I’ll ever be truly free?”

He studies me, and I wonder if he’s just going to give me the answer I want to make me feel better, or if he’ll give my he real answer, the truth, the one we both know is the more likely scenario.

“I can’t promise you complete freedom, Charlene, but what I can promise you, is that I’ll do everything I can, use every resource I have, to keep you safe. And, I’ll do everything I can to make sure your father never, ever gets close to you again. That much, I can promise you.”

And is that enough?

Is that enough to risk everything?

To risk my father finding out?

I put a hand against my throat, to the angry red mark my father’s boot left when he tried to take my life earlier. I go to the scared, broken face of Ellie, still trapped in a basement somewhere. I think about my mother and the fear she lived through in those few seconds before her life was snuffed out. I think of all of it, and I know, the life I’m living right now, it’ll eat me alive if I stay.

Maybe I’ll never have full freedom.

Hell, that’s a high possibility.

But if I stay, if I stay and keep doing his work, my father eventually will take my life the way he took my mother’s. Eventually, his use for me will run out, and he’ll no longer need my help. And when that day comes, he’ll not have a second thought about ending me.

This might not be a guarantee. No.

But it is a chance.

A small, tiny, sliver of hope.

That maybe, just maybe.

I might be able to breathe for the first time in my life.

And even better.

I might actually be able to live.