Clay left not too long after he got a complete statement from me about what had happened. Because of Jalen, he’d already known about the other people being sold, but Jalen hadn’t been able to give him the names of any of the sellers, and he’d only had the vaguest descriptions. With what I’d given Clay, he had enough to start looking through known traffickers, and once I’d assured him that I was fine by myself, he left.

I let my mind drift aimlessly as I flipped through the television channels. I’d lost more than a week, and it was going to take some time to absorb that. Nurses and doctors came at random intervals, checking machines and poking and prodding me. I let them do their jobs, answering their questions when asked and being quiet when they didn’t. They didn’t ask about what I’d been through, not beyond the medical things that they needed to know.

It wasn’t until a different trio of people showed up in my doorway that I perked up.

“Hey, you came!”

Jenna rolled those pale gray eyes of hers, but I knew that her casual attitude was for show. She crossed to my bed and awkwardly patted my shoulder. Knowing what I did about her past, the pat was just as good as a hug.

“I hear I have you to thank for finding me,” I said.

She shrugged as Rylan came over to her side. “I’ve gotten used to you.”

I laughed, and it felt better than I remembered. “Thank you.” The sound died in my throat as Jalen came up to the other side of my bed. “Hi.”

He offered me a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Hi.”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Rylan spoke, “Have the doctors said when you’ll be released?”

“Tomorrow,” I said. “I would have preferred to be in my own bed tonight, but they want twenty-four hours of me awake and alert before they’re ready to send me home.”

“Do you want me to come pick you up?” Jenna asked. “Suzette’s planning on taking the kids out Christmas shopping tomorrow, and I can work here on my laptop as well as I can work at home.”

“I’ll take her home,” Jalen said quietly.

My heart did a quick little dance, something that the beeping heart monitor shared with everyone else in the room. I turned my head, and Jalen was there, his tall, muscular body close enough to me that my pulse skittered again. Still, I couldn’t let what I wanted, get in the way of what I knew.

“You don’t need to do that,” I said. “I can call for a car.”

Jalen’s grip on the bed’s handrail tightened until his knuckles turned white. “Have you forgotten what happened the last time you called for a car?”

No, I hadn’t forgotten, and I didn’t like the fact that he’d decided to remind me when we had a hell of a lot, more important things to discuss.

“My boyfriend paid for me at an auction run by human traffickers.”

He went completely and utterly still. “Clay.” The name came out like a curse.

“I think that’s our cue,” Rylan said to Jenna. He kissed the top of her head, then looked at me. “Whatever you need, just call, night or day.”

“I will,” I promised. I looked at Jenna. “Are you working with Agent Matthews on the case?”

She glanced at Jalen, then Rylan. “Why don’t we wait until you’re discharged to talk about that?”

I narrowed my eyes, and she raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms as she stared back. Dammit. I nodded once, and she gave me a quick smile before she and Rylan left.

“You should get some rest,” Jalen said. “You’ve been through a lot.”

His concern just pissed me off, and I pointed my finger at him. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “I saved your life.”

“Yeah, and you could’ve gotten caught and left your kid without a father.”

A muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched it. “We don’t need to talk about this right now. You should–”

“Don’t tell me to rest,” I snapped. “I’ve been talking to you for more than a week without you actually being there. Now, I want a conversation that doesn’t come out of my own damn head.”

To my surprise, he flushed. It took a moment, and then I realized what had happened.

“We already talked once, didn’t we?” I asked, heat flooding my face. “And you asked me what you were to me.”

“You said I was everything.” Jalen’s voice was hoarse. “Rona–”

“You should be with your wife,” I said quietly.

“We both know that Elise isn’t my wife,” he countered. “Not in any way but semantics.”

“All right,” I conceded. “She might not be your wife, but she is the mother of your child.”

“I don’t know that,” he said as he reached down to take my hand. “I don’t even know if she’s pregnant, let alone if the baby’s mine.”

He had a point. I knew he did. Just like I’d known it the day I walked out of his house. It didn’t change anything.

“I don’t want to be with Elise. If the baby’s mine, I’ll be a father, but I’m done being her husband. I was done being her husband way before that drunken night.” He put his free hand on my cheek and waited until I locked eyes with him. “I don’t want her, Rona. I only want you.”

Shit. My insides warmed. “Is that why you bought me?”

He straightened, shaking his head. “You can’t really be pissed about that, can you?”

“You gave money to human traffickers,” I pointed out.

“I paid them to get you free,” he said, his voice tight. “If I hadn’t, you’d be with some fucking–” He stopped, a pained expression on his face. “I didn’t want to. Understand that, please. I wanted the cops to rescue you and everyone else there. I wanted the FBI to arrest every one of those assholes. But no one would listen to me, and I was running out of time. I’m not a cop. I’m not FBI. The only thing I have going for me is money. I’d do it again.”

“You left them there,” I said, surprised when my voice shook. “You left all those scared kids there.”

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my head against his chest. “I tried to buy more. I swear I did. I wanted to buy them all because it was right, but also so I didn’t have to see the look on your face when you realized that you made it out, but they didn’t. They told me it was one purchase per customer. I offered them everything I had, Rona, I swear.” He kissed the top of my head. “I would’ve let them bankrupt me, but they told me I could have you and leave, or they’d kill me and sell you to someone else. I couldn’t stay.”

I pushed my face against his chest, letting his shirt absorb my tears. I believed him, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. It didn’t make me feel any less like shit, any less guilty for being here, safe. I had a feeling it would be a long while before that changed.

If it ever did.