Chapter 17:

Whitney walked through the kitchen in her new beach front restaurant after a long successful first day. She couldn't believe she finally made it. She takes a seat on the counter and thinks back to her humble beginnings. She was a nobody in a small Midwest town, an only child. She always loved cooking with her mother. She would play restaurant with her mother and talk about opening her own one day. She missed her parents, they had both passed away years ago. That's when she decided there was nothing left for her in her small home town and picked up and moved west, where she could smell the fresh ocean breeze. Enough reminiscing she thought to herself, this kitchen won't clean itself.

As she was finishing up she took her apron off, she heard the door open. "I thought I told them to lock that door." Whitney says to herself. She goes out to the dinning area to break the bad news to the customers that she is closed for the evening. As she pushes through the door she sees her visitors, they are police officers.

"Good evening officers, I'm sorry we're closed for the evening. Everyone left for the night I was just closing up. I can offer you some coffee if you'd like." Whitney politely says hoping to have them return another night when they are open.

"Thank you, but that's not necessary ma'am. I'm lieutenant Baker, this is detective Sanchez." Baker says as he nods towards detective Sanchez.

"Ma'am." Detective Sanchez says as he smiles politely and nods.

Whitney smiles nervously nodding back. "We're looking for a Miss Whitney Frost."

"I'm Whitney Frost." Whitney meekly says.

"Miss Frost, I need to discuss your parents."

"My parents?" Whitney says confused, "My parents passed away years ago."

"Yes, those were your adopted parents. I'm very sorry for your loss." Those words hit Whitney like a punch to the gut.

"Adopted? You must be mistaken. I'm not adopted."

Lieutenant Baker starts to realize that Whitney's parents must have never told her she was adopted. He hates that he has to be the one to inform her that her parents were not entirely truthful with her. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to inform you of this. You were adopted, I guess your parents, the Frosts, didn't want you to know for whatever reason. I'm sorry I have to disrespect their wish and tell you."

Lieutenant Baker goes through the story about Dr. Buckingham and the baby selling black market as Whitney listens in horror. "And I want you to know, I'm not saying your adoptive parents did anything wrong. It's entirely possible they had no idea what was going on."

Whitney decided she was going to believe that they knew nothing. Still she wished they would have told her she was adopted, she would have loved them just as much.

"We've been trying to track you down for a while now. But since you've been moving it's been a bit difficult to track you down."

"So," Whitney finally finds some words, "My biological parents are alive?" Lieutenant Baker nods his head. "And they thought I was dead all these years?" Tears start to flow down her cheeks. She can't begin to imagine what they went through.

"Yes, but your biological mother now knows you are alive. We have not tracked down your biological father yet. You also have a twin brother who was also kidnapped and trafficked and a younger brother who did grow up with your biological mother."

Whitney's eyes widen in shock. So many thoughts are going through her head at this time. She begins to think about the possibility of having to close down her restaurant if they live on the other side of the country. How could she not move closer to them, they will be the only family she has, when she thought she had none. Whitney wipes a tear away, "Where are they?"

"They are here in southern California believe it or not."

Whitney lets out a sigh of relief. Still she couldn't believe she had family right here minutes away. "When can I meet them?"

"As soon as you want, I can get you in touch with them right away." Lieutenant Baker says as a big smile comes across Whitney's face.

"What are their names?" Whitney asks, thinking to herself that she can't believe she almost forgot to ask.

"Your mother's name is Quinn Fuller, your twin brother's name is Dr. John Finnigan, and your younger brother's name is Wyatt Spencer."

Whitney woke up today knowing it was going to be a good day with the opening of her restaurant, but didn't think it was going to be this kind of a day.

"You look like her." Detective Sanchez speaks up.

"I do?" Whitney smiles.