When Finley tells the Seattle Police Department officers her story, they quickly realize this case is over their heads and decide to call in the Feds, which seems to alarm her. She shuts down on me and won't tell me what's going on, which scares the hell out of me. I try to reassure her that she's safe, but she just keeps shaking her head.

I hold her face in my hand, creasing my brow. "Why aren't you safe, little one?"

Her lips quiver as tears form in her eyes. "Th-The . . . I've met some of them."

I cock my brow. "Federal agents?"

She nods.

"You met them at the ranch?"

Another nod.

"So, you think they're all bad people?"

She shrugs.

Jesus, these bastards terrified this poor kid. "Well, how about this, Finn? If you've met these two people at the ranch, you give me some kind of signal, and I'll make sure they leave."

"Th-They'll tell Aro. Aro will hurt you."

I don't know how to tell her that I once had to kill a man to save my life, and I'd easily do it again to defend her and save her mother. "I am not a weak man, sweet girl. I've lived most of my life at war while in the Navy, and I know how to fight. I mean it when I say you're safe, but we don't have to rush to talk to them, all right? Maybe we'll do it when you're released."

She sniffles, looking at me. "Okay."

There's a knock on the door, and we both look and watch, Charlie, walks into the room. He stops short, just staring at Finn. Tears fill his eyes, and I quickly stand and put my hand on his shoulder.

"It's almost like looking at Bella," I say.

He nods, swallowing thickly. "Yeah . . . Um, hi, Finley."

"Hi," she whispers back, still sniffling. "Mom misses you."

That breaks Charlie, and he lets out a strangled cry, covering his mouth. "This is unbelievable," he says, looking over at me. "Our girl is alive, Edward. We never gave up."

I nod, feeling a pang of guilt. He doesn't know about my situation with Kate. Needless to say, that's over now. I can never see her the same, knowing for sure my wife is alive, and I honestly feel disgusted that I let myself be with another woman. I'll be honest with Bella and pray she forgives me. It's the right thing to do.

"We'll find her, Charlie," I say, embracing him lightly. I pat him on the back and smile. "Come on and sit."

He nods, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, sorry. How are you feeling, Finley?"

"You can call me Finn," she says softly. "I'm okay. Sore."

"I bet, kiddo. I'm so glad you're going to be all right. Do you know . . . is your mom okay?"

"She should be. I mean . . . She's not hurt—unless Caius did something because I ran away, but Aro would be mad if he did that."

"This Aro . . . he doesn't hurt your mom?"

She shakes her head. "Not usually, but a few times . . . once she had a black eye after spending time with him."

"But someone hurt you."

She nods. "Caius is allowed to if I don't do my chores right or fast enough."

I seethe …

"He's not allowed to anymore," I say as my heart breaks.

"If he finds out where I am, I'll be in danger. That's why I can't talk to the Feds. Hell, I'm afraid he already knows where I am."

I hope that's not the case, but I'm prepared. I have a state-of-the-art alarm system and two guns—plus the three Kate stores at my place. No one is going to get close to my daughter. I'm usually not a violent man after all the violence I've seen, but it's different when it comes to my family.

"I'll protect you," I say, squeezing her hand. "You don't need to worry about him anymore."

She sighs. "I wish you were right, but . . . I'm money to them. Mom tried to fight it with Aro, but I was going to be sold soon. Some guy, I don't know who, came and got me in the middle of the night with Mom's help. She arranged that he'd get me off the ranch and get me to Seattle. He dropped me off the night before the accident with some money and directions to your apartment. But it was late, and I didn't want to bother you in the middle of the night."

"Oh, Finn, I wish you had, but we can't change that."

"Is there anything about the ranch that might stand out to someone?" Charlie asks.

She shakes her head. "It's just a horse ranch. It's big. I don't know what to compare it to."

"Do you remember how far you traveled?"

"It was far. We went through fields of all kinds until we hit just solid forest. I think it took over a day, but we stopped and changed cars a few times."

"That's good, sweetheart," he says, taking her other hand. "I'm so glad you're in my life now. Your mom was so excited for you before she disappeared, and I couldn't wait to be a grandpa. Thank you for making me one."

She smiles, lifting her arm out to him. He hugs her loosely and kisses her cheek, telling her that he loves her. We then spend the next few hours talking about her childhood and Bella. My wife did everything—taught her to read, write, do math, and even learn about history and geography. She tells us she tended to the horses and fed the animals every morning and night. Her mom tended to the garden. They lived in a small house on the grounds, not in the mansion, which Finn describes as terrifyingly huge. But often, Bella would be taken there and sometimes didn't return for days.

Those were scary nights for Finn.

It sounds like Bella did her best to give Finn as normal a life as possible. The times Bella is at the mansion bother me. I already know what she's doing when she's away, and I can't save her soon enough. My wife is the strongest woman I know for having lasted fifteen years in that hell hole, and I will save her if it's the last thing I do.

Charlie leaves around nine, as it's clear Finn won't be awake much longer. He plans to come back in a few days but needs to get back to work and in contact with his friends at the state police department. Once he's gone, I help Finn get ready for bed by taking off her cat slippers and pulling up the covers.

"I'm right here next to you," I say, brushing back a fallen piece of her hair and smiling. "If you wake up in pain or have a nightmare, just squeeze my hand."

She turns slightly on her side, and I prop pillows around her. "Thank you, Daddy."

I nearly fucking cry hearing the word because it sounds so sweet. I lean down, kissing her forehead before getting my recliner ready for bed. I push it as close to the bed as possible and sit down, taking her hand before putting my feet up and pulling the sheet over myself. It's not comfortable, but it doesn't bother me.

As long as I have my little girl, I'm comfortable.

. . . . .

Finley gets moved out of the ICU after seven days. Unfortunately, right after she's moved, though, she comes down with a respiratory and sinus infection. She's utterly miserable but tries hard to hide it from me, telling me she's okay. She wants to shower today, but I'm a little worried about getting her out of bed. She can't bear any weight on her pelvis for six to ten weeks, so it's not like she'll be standing, but I still worry it's too soon to get her up.

I can understand her being tired of the towel baths, though.

I took an official leave of absence from my job a few days ago, which Allistair understood. I don't know when I'll come back—or even if I'll come back, but it's good to know my job will be waiting for me if I need it. I have plenty of savings to live well for a while, thanks to my military career. It's hard to spend money when you're overseas, and I've always lived fairly frugally—except for my apartment and truck. Part of me wants to take Finn and go home to Forks, but that's a decision for another day.

"Do you like the cat pajamas, Daddy?" Finn asks, pulling me back to reality as she holds up a pair of pants with cat heads on them.

I nod. "Yeah, they're cute, sweet girl. Did you have cats on the ranch?"

She smiles. "Yeah, they were my favorite. Aro let me name all the barn cats. Cinnamon would follow me home and sleep with me, but Caius didn't like that. He . . . got rid of her—like . . . in the forever way."

When I find him, it will take all my energy not to kill the motherfucker.

"How about we go to the shelter when I take you home and find you a kitten? It can sleep with you all you want."

"Really?" She's nearly grinning, and I love it.

I nod. "Yeah, I promise."

Mom looks at me with her head tilted, and I know what she's thinking; I'm allergic to cats. I'll have to take an allergy pill every day, but I'm not going to deny my daughter something she loves.

"I like orange cats the best," she says. "They're always the cuddliest."

"Then we'll find you an orange one. Now, are you sure you're up to a shower? Your grandma and a nurse will help you, but you can't stand."

She shrugs. "I don't care. I need a real shower. My hair is disgusting."

"I'll take good care of her, Edward. Why don't you go home and do the same?"

My eyes bulge at the thought. "I'm not leaving. I've been showering."

"You've been wearing scrubs since the accident. At least go get some real clothes."

She's not wrong there. I do need to check on my place, but the thought of leaving terrifies me. Yes, Finn is out of the woods, but I'm not ready to leave her alone yet. I told the police we didn't need a patrol officer outside the door because I was here, but what if someone came and I was gone? There's no telling if Aro and Caius know where she is.

"Maybe tomorrow," I say. "I'm fine in scrubs for now."

Mom rolls her eyes but accepts my answer. I call for the nurse and then get Finn into the bathroom, placing her on the shower seat. It's easier to carry her than use the wheelchair. I'm exiled to the room while the nurse joins Mom, and then anxiously wait until they're done.

Finn looks like a new person when they call me to get her. Her hair is longer than I realized, going most of the way down her back. It smells like apples as I carry her back to the room and sit her in the recliner while the nurse remakes her bed with clean linens.

"Do you think her incision will be okay if I braid her hair?" Mom asks.

I nod, putting her slippers on her feet. The one over the cast just hangs on her toes, but she insists on wearing them. "Just make it loose," I say as my phone rings. I glance at it, recognizing the FBI agent's phone number. "I need to take this; I'll be right back."

I make my way out of the room and answer, dreading the woman's insistence that they interview Finn. She's still too terrified to talk to them.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Cullen, it's SSA Victoria Mitchell. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Yeah, but just so you know, she's still not ready to talk."

"Hopefully, she changes her mind soon because we think we know who Aro is."

I perk up as I step into an empty room. "Did you arrest him?"

She sighs. "No. It's too soon for that, but if this is the man she's talking about, we have some issues. Aro Vilante is a powerful man. He's an upstanding citizen from what we can tell, but, well, money makes things easy to hide. Could I send you a picture, so Finley can confirm it's him?"

"Yeah, but what about Caius?"

"That's Aro's younger brother. Also upstanding, as far as we can tell. I can't launch an investigation into them without confirmation these are the right men. And to be honest, I've looked. None of their assets include a ranch."

"Well, she's not lying about that."

"No, no, I believe her. It just will make it harder to find this place. It's likely that if the ranch is their base for human trafficking, it's hidden somehow. We would need Finley to tell us where it is."

I shake my head. "She doesn't remember."

"Right. Look, I need you to get her to talk to me. It can just be you, me, and her in the room."

I don't want to push Finn, but I know the agent is right. "I'll do what I can." I sigh. "You say these men are powerful. Are they above the law?"

"No one is above the law, Dr. Cullen. If these men are trafficking girls and women, I want them caught just as badly as you do."

I don't just want them caught.

I want them dead.

Don't own Twilight.

Thanks to May, Brier, and Mary for prereading. And thanks to Fran for beta'ing.