After talking to Xiaohui, Sarah tried approaching the 17 girls who were found in thest room of the basement… the most abused girls.


    Sarah was nervous about this. She has no idea what she is doing, but she has to do something.


    The girls are afraid, cautious, silently observing their surroundings, and talking in whispers and some are not talking at all.


    Sarah checked with the data collected, and nine out of seventeen girls gave limited information such as their name and from where they are, and refused to provide further details.


    Sarah started with those nine girls, but she clearly saw that as soon as she asked about their abduction and their family, the girls closed off.


    "Problems?", Aiden''s voice pulled Sarah out of her thoughts.


    "The girls from thest room are scared. I don''t know how to approach them so that they rx and start talking."


    "You can always use the truth serum.", Aiden said with a straight face.


    Sarah red at him and he lifted his hands in surrender: "Joking… I''m joking… Why are you fretting about this? Don''t you have a medical expert in the family?


    "Anna? She is pregnant." Sarah tly rejected him.


    Aiden made a face, unable to hide his irritation. "And we are on our honeymoon, but that didn''t stop you from making this a weeklong detour."


    Sarah blinked a few times. "Weeklong? I thought that we came herest night?"


    Aiden gave Sarah a knowing look. "Are you telling me that we will leave before the girls are settled?"


    Sarah bit her lower lip guiltily. He is right. They can''t leave the girls here, and this is their honeymoon. "I will call Anna…"


    ~ Los Angeles, Mediterranean vi ~


    JoAnna is flipping through TV channels with a bored expression on her face.


    "Argh!", she groaned while flicking the remote on the side.


    "You called?", Bridgette peeked into the family room and smiled at the sight of JoAnna who is struggling to get into a seated position on the chaise.


    JoAnna can usually sit up, but this chaise has a butt-sized groove before it raises into a reclined backrest and it''s veryfortable for rxing, but it''s not practical for someone with a protruding belly who is trying to get up.


    Bridgette leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms across her chest.


    "You look like a whale who is stuck on a shore. Or a turtle upside down…", Bridgette teased with a big grin on her face.


    "Come here and help me! And then I will show you what a whale can do!", JoAnna hissed.


    Bridgette stuck her tongue out. "Do you think that I am crazy? Your assistant is much smarter than that. There is no way I will help you get up after those threats. You will stay there until you calm down. With your stamina, I estimate that you will have a nap-attack in about seventeen minutes, and if you continue wiggling like that, it will be sooner."


    JoAnna gritted her teeth and red at Bridgette. "I am so upset that I don''t have a gun at my reach!"


    Bridgette made a face. "You are making it worse for yourself. Any more bad words and I will not bring you lunch!"


    JoAnna leaned back fully and exhaled. "Alright. I am sorry. I am just nervous because Jeff is at work and I already watched all the TV dramas in the world, reruns included, and I am going to die of boredom before these babies are born and…"


    "OK. OK!", Bridgette interrupted JoAnna''s rant. "I will help you. Just stop assaulting my ears with your eternalints."


    Bridgette helped JoAnna sit up.


    "There. Do you want me to get you something? Fruits? Hot choctes? Pickles dipped in hot chocte?"


    JoAnna looked at Bridgette. "Thatst thing… pickles in hot chocte sounds tasty."


    Bridgette grimaced. "That was a decoy. Not a real offer."


    JoAnna leaned her head on Bridgette''s shoulder and sighed. "Ah, what will I do? I feel like it''s days how Jeff is going to work early morning and hees homete. I miss him. In the morning I am still drowsy, and when he returns I''m already half asleep. When is Jeffing home? Please, don''t tell me that he is staying longer today as well."


    Both JoAnna and Bridgette know that other than the regr work for the White corp. and the White foundation, Jeff is helping Stevee up with the strategy of handling the Long family. But that does not mean that they are not missing their men.


    Bridgette nced at the time. "It''s not even 11 in the morning. You are stuck with me for at least six more hours. As for staying overtime, I don''t know."


    JoAnna groaned. "I wish that you told me how he will be back on time today. A little lie to get me going for the next few hours. I am bored. Let''s go shopping, or to work… anything!"


    Bridgette rejected. "Going out, especially shopping would put you in a risk of bumping into something or someone. If that happens, I will not survive Jeff''s wrath. We agreed that unless there is an important meeting that needs to be attended in person, you will stay home and rx. Emma is helping with the LA Medical Center, and I am taking care of the Golden Ocean resort, so you can rest."


    "Sometimes I wonder which one of us is working for whom. Why can''t you listen to your boss? Do you know that I am the one approving your paycheck? ..." JoAnna was about toin some more, when her phone rang. Her face lit up when she saw that it''s Sarah.


    "Hey! How is the honeymoon?", JoAnna asked cheerfully, hoping that Sarah will entertain her with some exciting stories. After all, she found pirates'' treasure on her honeymoon, and Sarah is much more adventurous.


    Ten minutester…


    JoAnna ended the call and Bridgette immediately started asking the details. She heard what JoAnna said, but it was mostly ''really?'', ''you are kidding me?'' with few sentences here and there, but a lot is missing.


    "Did I hear correctly? Sarah and Aiden busted a human trafficking chain?", Bridgette was unable to hide her curiosity.


    "Yeah. And they found treasure also. Other than selling underage girls, the guy was also into some underground trading."


    "You sound like you don''t approve.", Bridgette noticed that JoAnna''s mood is off.


    "On my honeymoon we only found treasure. And they also saved people…", JoAnna''s voice trailed away and then her face lit up. "That''s it! I need another honeymoon! Something exciting and far away!"


    Bridgette stifled augh. JoAnna would do anything to get out of the house, even stage a second honeymoon. "I don''t think that Jeff will approve travel before babies are born."


    JoAnna''s mood fell. "It does not need to be far away. And it does not need tost long. Few days just me and Jeff would be nice. I didn''t know that being married and pregnant will be this lonely..."


    Bridgette tried to cheer up JoAnna by distracting her. "Did Sarah want something or just to brag about their adventure?"


    "Yes. Some of the girls are traumatized more than the others, and Sarah asked me for assistance in talking to them."


    "I didn''t hear you give any advice.", Bridgette voiced her observation.


    "No. I told her that I will get back to her."


    Bridgette can see mischief in JoAnna''s eyes. She swallowed hard and asked: "And?"


    JoAnna grinned. "I am going to Vegas."


    Bridgette thought that she will pass out. "Why Vegas?"


    "That is where Sarah and Aiden are! Instead of giving advice over the phone and hope that it will work out, I will do it myself. In that way, I can change the strategy as I go. And at the same time, I get out of the house!"


    "Uhm… Jeff will not approve."


    JoAnna made a face. "Jeff this – Jeff that… Who is your boss? Besides, you said no shopping because of bumping into things or people. And no work because of stress. But this… There are no crowds and no stress. It''s like a mini-vacation. With a jet, we are there in half an hour. We can be back by dinner, no one will know. Call the driver. We are going to the airport."


    Bridgette panicked."What do you mean by: no one will know?"


    JoAnna exhaled. "OK. I will call Jeff on the way to the airport."


    Bridgette''s mind was spinning. Why does this look like JoAnna is running away from home?


    "You can''t tell him when you are already on the way. He will be upset. Make sure you tell him before you head to the airport."


    JoAnna paused and smirked. "Fine. We are going to the White corp. HQ first, and then to the airport. You have ten minutes to pack my carryon. You will find everything I need for a two-day stay in a warm ce in the second drawer from the bottom on your right, as soon as you enter the closet. The n will be to return for dinner, but just in case I stay overnight, I want to have my things handy. You can n to return in the evening with or without me. Why are you still here? My things will not pack themselves!"


    Bridgette walked upstairs to pack JoAnna''s carryon. She already knows where JoAnna keeps her things, so it will be fast.


    Ever since the incident with Emma and Bruno, Jeff insists for JoAnna to stay home unless it''s necessary to move around. It is for her safety, but JoAnna feels suffocated because she is not used to spending so much time at home. To relieve some boredom, Bridgette stays with JoAnna and works from there.


    Bridgette is also not in her best mood because she is missing Steve.


    But boredom is not importantpared to safety. Bridgette hopes that Jeff will find a way to pacify his wife.


    ---


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