Connie reached for Jason but didn't feel him in the bed beside her. She opened her eyes. He was standing shirtless in the light splashed between the luxuriant red curtains.

His physique took her breath away. She marveled at him as he stood, scrolling swiftly through his phone screen. The muscles in his arm quivered. Every part of him made her long for him—and for the moment, she didn't know why she shouldn't indulge in admiring his beauty. The glorious contours of his back, the long, softly curved indent of his spine…. The delicious chestnut curls where his hair met the back of his neck….

She slid out of bed; he turned, his scintillating blue eyes meeting hers. Softly, she walked up to him, gave him a gentle touch on his shoulder, and slid her hand down to his elbow. A tremor shook through him; he grasped her arm, hunger in his eyes.

He looked at her for a moment, then her lips met his in a frenzied kiss. She pressed closer, desperately seeking his incomparable mouth. She slid her hand into his hair as she kissed him, making sure she gave him what he wanted, not only satisfying her own desire. After kissing him in soft, delicate motions, she broke away from his lips and kissed down his chin, his neck, the broad planes of his chest, his smooth sculpted stomach.

He grasped her arm, stopping her mid-kiss.

"What's wrong?" Her voice broke the spell. She couldn't imagine anything more important than this.

He knelt in front of her. "I just want to be sure. Do you want this or—did you forget…?"

"What?" Confusion rippled through her. It was true she was only half awake—there was only his glorious self at the moment—he filled every part of her mind—

Then realization hit her. Her stomach flipped over, and darkness closed over the delight, smothering it. "Oh. I…we can't do this. Unless…." She couldn't say it. Unless she wanted to risk having a baby. Not yet.

Disappointment seized her. Couldn't she have it both ways?

"Jason—could we see if we can get some birth control pills? Or—well, that's what we've been relying on. I…can't really do the natural birth control method. I don't like that at all." She laughed.

"Me either. I would gladly—well—more than gladly—" He laughed, blushing. "But I don't want you to…risk a baby…if you don't want to."

Sorrow hit her like a wave. I'm so sorry, Jason…. I can't… not yet….

He sighed. "Otherwise—yeah, we can go get some today."

"Oh, Jason—could we? I don't want to wait till we get back to the States. I mean—this is like a second honeymoon. Staying here anyway. And if the investigation finishes, and we're still here—it'd be fun to—you know."

He caressed her cheek, love burning in his eyes. "I know. I want everything you have to give—and I want to give you everything in return. Especially since… well, we've had so much time apart, for basically newlyweds."

It was all her fault. She couldn't blame him in the least. Even more kissing might lead to her forgetting herself—a baby might result—

Not yet.

I'm sorry.

She gave him an apologetic kiss and, reluctantly, pulled away.

They stopped at a drug store on the way to the women's shelter, and she snatched up what she needed. A week—just a week—and we can be all that we were—hold nothing back—I can't do this to him much longer. Some wife I am….

Near the edge of the city, they pulled into the parking lot next to a medium-sized yellow house, the morning sunlight spilling on its yellow siding. A large yard surrounded the house, rimmed with a white picket fence. A far cry from the crumbling brick buildings of yesterday. Still, there were signs of peeling paint on the broad white porch, which was hung with baskets of gorgeous pink flowers.

As they headed up the sidewalk, a dog barked inside the house, a vicious, snarling bark. Connie stopped short. "Are you sure we're at the right place?" she asked.

"This is the address Lia gave me. Makes sense they'd have a dog for protection."

"I like dogs—he just sounds mean."

"Well, we are strangers."

The barking became more muffled and they walked up the porch. Jason rang the doorbell.

A moment later, a short woman with curly gray hair answered. "Hi! Sorry about that. The girls feel a lot safer with Amira here to protect us. Don't you worry, I put her out in the yard."

Sure enough, the barking began again, this time from behind the fence.

The woman eyed Jason a moment. "Now, I've got to warn you. I told the girls you'd be here, and they agreed to have you. But don't be surprised if they react negatively to your presence, or even change their minds about you being here. I hope you'll respect their wishes."

"Of course," said Jason.

"Most of them are… a bit scared of men. No offense to you personally but—it was men who abused them, and so they're wary of any strange man, or even men they know—because for some of them, it was the men closest to them who hurt them. That's why all the staff here are women; I've made sure the girls have the most calming environment possible. I'm surprised they even agreed to this—but there have been so many kidnappings lately, and they want to help. A couple of them did agree to have you in the house, they just… are staying upstairs for a bit, till you leave." She motioned them inside.

The foyer was bright and airy, with morning sunlight creating golden patterns on the wood floor. A large fern spilled over its pot on a table, and roses sat beside it in vases. A double staircase wound upwards.

"This is a beautiful house," said Connie.

"I want the best environment possible for the girls. Took some doing but me and Jan saved up enough to buy it. Give our gift to them in our retirement. Then Jan passed away and…" She shoved her fingers into her gray curls. "Anyway, I'm here fulfilling his dream as much as mine. He was in law enforcement and saw so many… especially in the last year…." A tear gleamed in her eye. "That's one reason why you're here. I wouldn't allow a strange man in here otherwise, unless it was on police business." She held out her hand. "I'm Sonya. Sonya Moreski."

Jason introduced himself, and Connie followed suit. Sonya had a warm, strong handshake.

"Come on in. I'll go get Ana and Nika, the girls who were rescued from trafficking." She ushered them into a well-lit sitting room with yellow and pink floral chairs and a lavender couch. A ledge along the windows was filled with flowers. Purple and pink hibiscus-like blooms, and delicate little yellow blossoms. Connie leaned over to smell them, and she inhaled a sweet almost overwhelming fragrance. The purple flowers had a more delicate smell and conjured visions of a far-off paradise….

She sat down beside Jason in the lavender couch. Sonya and her husband had really spared no expense in making sure these girls had a pleasant home.

Sonya bustled away and Connie glimpsed her ascending the shadowy stairway. Upstairs, the floorboards creaked softly a few times, as if someone was trying to move without being heard. It broke Connie's heart to think that it terrified them just to have a man in the house. And Jason… he would never hurt them in a million years. Her heart swelled with pride for the man she loved. How gentle he was with everyone, yet how fiery his rage with those who would hurt the innocent….

A creak on the stairs. Sonya was descending, her arm linked with the arm of a tall, slender girl with blond hair that fell past her shoulders. Behind her in the shadows, another girl crept, this one shorter with close-cropped black hair.

They stopped in the doorway. The tall girl's eyes widened when she saw Jason, but she smiled softly. The other girl darted back near the stairway as soon as she came into the light and Sonya went to her and spoke in gentle tones, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No—I want to," said the girl firmly, with a hint of a tremor in her voice. Sonya helped her forward while the tall blond girl introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Anastasia. But everyone calls me Ana." A few light freckles spilled across her fair skin. She looked about sixteen and she wore a green dress that fell past her ankles. She sat down in the chair across from Connie and looked at both of them, but Connie had the feeling that it took courage just to be in the room with Jason.

The other girl stood at the edge of the carpet, as if afraid of going any further. She had medium tan skin and large brown eyes, deep and soulful, hinting at inner anguish. She wore jeans and a bulky purple sweater, despite how warm it was. "H-hi," she said. "I'm Nika."

"Hi, I'm Jason and this is my wife Connie."

"Hi!"

Sonya helped Nika over to the chair beside Ana, shielding her partly from Jason as she did so then sitting down in the chair beside her, still clasping Nika's hand.

"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me," said Jason. "I know it wasn't easy."

"I want to help other girls still trapped in slavery," said Ana. "If there's anything I can do, I don't want to keep from helping them just because I'm afraid."

"Ana has become something of a mentor to the other girls," said Sonya. "She's been here for almost two years. She's almost ready to face the world—she even has a part time job. I'll miss her when she moves out—but I am so proud of her. Of how far she's come." Sonya smiled, her eyes glistening.

"Thank you, Mama," said Ana. "I almost don't want to leave—but then there will be room for another girl to come in my place. And I want to still volunteer. I think I actually want to go into law enforcement. There are too many girls trapped in the life I was. I cannot abandon them."

"It takes a lot of courage to turn something evil that happened to you into something good," said Jason. "Do you know what part of law enforcement you'd like to go into?"

"The national branch. I want to have some input into the strategy that crushes the evil of human trafficking."

"I know the deputy director of the internal security service. Maybe I could see if he could recommend you a mentor."

Her eyes lit up. "I'd like that."

"I assume you'd want it to be a woman."

"I…" A blush suffused her cheeks. "Y-yes, I suppose… that would be best. I… will eventually have to work closely with men, but… I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"There's no shame in that. It's best to take small steps instead of plunging into it before you're ready. That can do more harm than good."

Ana nodded. "My therapist tells me that. I—want to get on with my life, but… I'm still so afraid…so much of the time…." She looked away, toward the window, blinking back tears.

Jason leaned forward. Nika flinched and he slowly settled back. "I know what that's like."

"You-?" Ana looked incredulous.

"I can't pretend to know what you've gone through, and my experience was—well, I wasn't trafficked. I was captured and sold but rescued before anything serious happened. Before that, though…." He closed his eyes, a pained furrow creeping into his brow. A pang shot through Connie's heart and she grasped his hand. "I was captured and tortured. Twice. It took me… a long time to… come to terms with it. To have some semblance of peace…. To where I didn't have nightmares every night. To the point that small sounds didn't make me jump out of my skin. I won't ever be totally free of it. But time, and focusing on the good things, has helped me." He looked at Connie, his eyes full of gratitude. Connie's heart ached—for the pain he'd gone through, and with happiness that she'd played a part in his healing—though she didn't think she could take that much credit. He was strong; he'd done a lot of it himself.

"It's true, I'm a lot less afraid than I was. A year ago, I probably couldn't even talk to you. But now I know not all men would hurt me. I still can't imagine…being close to someone." Her eyes dropped to Connie and Jason's entwined hands, with something like jealousy in her eyes.

"It doesn't have to be romantic relationship," said Jason. "Connie was there for me even before we started dating."

"Well, the girls here, and Sonya and the other volunteers, they have helped me a lot. Without them, I'd be…." She flipped over her arms, revealing her wrists. They were crisscrossed with scars. Some of them looked like they were from deep wounds.

"Ana, I'm so sorry," said Jason.

"When I was… I got hold of a piece of glass. I…wanted to die rather than one more…" She shuddered. "But they caught me before I could…finish it. Bound my arms up and forced me to…." She shook her head. "Then… after I was rescued… in the system… at night, it was like it was still happening. The men… ripping me apart… the memories were real, against the dark. So I ran to the bathroom, found a razor…. I almost died, they said. I woke up in the hospital, my arms bandaged. Then—Sonya appeared, like an angel. That's what I thought she was." A smile crossed her face. "And she brought me here. I hardly remember those first months…. Just a jumble of pain and fear… but Sonya helped me through it. So did Jan, when I was able to stand to be in the same room with him. So kind, like you." She tilted her head. "Somehow, I didn't think of men as being victims, ever. I only ever saw girls being…. In that place. But I know it happens. Somehow, it makes it better. Not that—" She made a cutting motion with her arm— "I don't want it to happen to you—or to other men! But it makes you more human, instead of these…superhuman gods. They were like gods—they controlled our every move. What we ate, what we drank…. When we slept…"

"It was always men, then?"

She nodded. "Though I know Nika had a different experience…"

Nika inhaled sharply, as if she'd been hit.

"Sorry, Nika!" said Ana. "I won't tell them anything about it if you don't want me to."

Nika nodded slightly, her dark eyes like a frightened deer's beneath her thick bangs.

"Would you be able to tell me some more about…what happened to you?" said Jason. "I don't want to ask anything that makes you uncomfortable, so just tell me if you want me to stop."

"That is why I'm here. I want to do anything I can to help catch the men who hurt me."

"So the police didn't find anyone?"

She shook her head. "It was a raid, but they were tipped off beforehand. Thankfully, it happened too fast to pack us all up—so they left us. The raid almost scared me to death—I thought they were coming back to hurt me. Didn't help that there were cameras, but later I learned the police just wanted to document everything they could."

"So… the cameras… why would that….?" Jason stopped, realization dawning on his face. "Oh. I see."

Connie struggled to figure out what she meant. Then it hit her. Not that it made what happened to Ana any more horrible… but to not only be violated in the worst way possible, but to have it filmed for others to see…. Connie didn't want to think about it, but for these girls, thoughts of it even after it was over were inescapable. Connie could not avert her eyes, run from the room like she wanted to do. The least she could do was to face the horror of the past with them.

Ana took several deep breaths, her face pained, her eyes brimming with shame. "They would take videos of us and sell those on the internet. Sometimes it was live, I think. I…wasn't exactly paying attention to what the cameramen were doing…."

"So…did the…. Did clients come in or…?"

She shook her head. "It was all in-house. There were about eight men, and they all took turns with us. One of them was in charge, though. He seemed to order the others around. He was… the most brutal of them. We all dreaded when he would be the one…. it seemed like he would come to us when it was time for punishment. When we did something wrong, and we didn't even know… we were all so scared, but we had to… perform… sometimes we were so scared we could hardly hear or move and so if that happened, he'd come and beat us, tie us up…." She shook her head. "I think…. They still filmed that, and I heard him talking, boasting, that his videos brought the highest payment of all…" Her whole body was trembling by this point.

"Hey—it's okay," said Jason. "Don't go there if it's too hard for you."

"No—I can do this." She hazarded a semblance of a smile. Her hands gripped the armrests, her knuckles white.

"I suppose it's too much to hope for that these men had their faces captured on video."

"No… they blurred their faces out. They were all in black so no one could see anything distinguishable about them."

"Did you see them? Do you remember?"

Ana nodded. "I'll never forget their faces…."

"Would you be able to describe them at all?"

She nodded. Trembling, she gave him descriptions, and she even drew the ringleader. She was a very good artist; she'd captured every detail.

"Did you draw one of these for the police?" asked Jason.

Ana nodded. "But they still couldn't find him. It's like they just disappeared into thin air."

"Were the police able to find where they distributed the videos?"

Ana nodded. "It was a site… they took it down. But there are other sites like that all over the dark web. The police can't trace the origins—they can just take the sites down, but others pop up in their place. Maybe with the same… the same content." Her blue eyes were haunted.

She meant, Connie realized, that the videos of her as a slave might still be out on the internet. Revulsion filled her. That anyone could be so depraved to want to watch videos of girls being raped and tortured. It was a side of life she'd barely known existed, but now she was confronted with the fact there were thousands of girls in the same situation as Ana and Nika. Such evil—what could she do? She didn't have the first idea of what it was like to be hurt in such a way, and never wanted to know. But she couldn't just turn a blind eye. Not with these girls who had to live with it, daily—and the girls –and boys—still trapped in that horrific life.

Ana leaned forward. "But there was one thing… Once I…was able to get to a computer. It's how the police found me. I almost forgot it… but I did catch the usernames of some of the watchers. The ones who were on the billing list for payment. I… don't think the police tracked them down, mainly because they were in other countries and they couldn't do anything about it."

Ana asked Sonya for another piece of paper and quickly wrote down the usernames. "I'm not totally sure about them… but one was distinctive." She tapped her pencil on the paper next to the last name. Connie leaned over to see. It was enchanted_kaiser. Disgust filled Connie, seeing it. That it was an actual client. Someone who hid behind a computer screen, safe in their home, enjoying the degradation of young girls.

"Thank you, Ana. Were the computers wiped before the raid came?"

She nodded. "I still can't believe they didn't take us. But they didn't want to get caught…. They could always catch more girls."

"How did they… capture you?"

"They… lured me. I was only fourteen. There was a modeling agency ad… I was stupid. I went. I wanted money for new clothes to impress a boy. And when I got there… it seemed legit. They took pictures of me…. Then they told me they'd hired me. Took me in a back room to fill out paperwork. Gave me something to drink…. That's the last thing I remember. I woke up in that… horrible house."

"Did the men ever say who they worked for? Were they working for themselves?"

"For themselves, as far as I could tell."

"They never mentioned anything about Yavesh?"

She shook her head. "I only heard about it afterwards, from the police. It almost seems like a legend. No one ever seems to find out anything about it except its name and the kinds of things it does, and that it's to be feared. I've been trying to find out stuff about it online, but it's just rumor, as far as I can tell."

"It probably uses a cell structure. Most people probably don't even know they're working for it."

She nodded. "It also works anonymously, on the dark web. Nothing can ever be traced back to it." Her eyes flashed. "But I'll find it. When I go into internal security." Ana touched Nika's shoulder. "Do you want to tell your experience? That time you heard something….?"

Nika looked at Jason, then looked down again. "I…." She stopped. "Th-the one time… I-I'm not sure if it was…. They…kept me drugged…. I'm not totally sure of anything."

"It's okay," said Jason. "Just tell me anything you can."

Nika nodded. She hazarded a glance at Jason, and her eyes snapped with fear. She looked away and seemed to shrink into herself. She mumbled almost inaudibly, "It… was the woman who took payment…. A man came one day, and th-they were arguing in the main room, next to mine… He shouted at her and—slapped her. She fell to the floor. He said Yavesh didn't take kindly to stealing. 'You think we wouldn't notice you skimming off the top?' he said. 'Miras add up.' Sh-she said, 'Please give me another chance.' It was silent for a little bit… and then there were footsteps. I was scared he would come into my room, but he left." She breathed a sigh of relief, as if it had just happened.

"Thank you, Nika. Did you know about Yavesh before that?"

She shook her head. "I thought it was just a weird dream… I had those, sometimes. I think. I couldn't tell the difference between reality and nightmares…" She shuddered.

"It probably wasn't a dream, since you hadn't heard about Yavesh before. The woman must've been the cell leader, and the man was probably the courier… looks like he was part enforcer. Did you get a glimpse of him?"

She shook her head.

"What about the woman? Did they capture her?"

Nika nodded. "But she killed herself in prison. She never told the police anything. Nothing that would catch the…others."

"So the others weren't captured?"

"A couple of them. I don't think they told anything about Yavesh though…."

"That makes sense, if it has a cell structure. They didn't give away the other traffickers either?"

"I don't think so. I… hoped the police would catch them… they just…disappeared. They're still out there." Her eyes darted to the window. She huddled down further into her sweater and wrapped her arms around herself. As she did, she pressed her arms against her stomach; it was more rounded than Nika's slim figure would suggest. With a jolt Connie realized the girl must be pregnant. It didn't take much imagination to figure out how it had happened.

"It's all right, Nika," said Sonya in soothing tones. "You're here now. They can't hurt you."

Nika nodded, and a tear streaked down her cheek.

Ana slowly reached over and touched Nika's shoulder. "I'm here. I'll take care of you. I'm not leaving till after…"

They sat in silence for a few moments, giving Nika her space.

Connie wondered what Nika felt about her baby. Probably more scared than excited. She wished she could ask but didn't see how she could bring it up without hurting her.

"Would you mind answering a few more questions?" asked Jason softly.

Nika wiped her face. "Okay."

"What sort of place did they take you to?"

"You mean—where I was kept?"

Jason nodded.

"It was an apartment… Here in the city. There were rooms—horrible little rooms where we had to live, there were like three of us in each of them and—" Her breathing grew faster. She glanced frantically around, as if looking for a way to escape.

"It's okay. Take your time. Don't feel like you have to answer anything, especially if it makes you uncomfortable."

A ghost of a wry smile crossed her face. "E-everything… just being in this room with you—scares me to death. But I—I just can't bear the thought of other girls out there, feeling what I did… what I do… every second…." Tears spilled onto her cheeks.

"Nika," said Jason. "You are very brave. You're facing your fear—for others. That is—amazing. You are amazing."

A shy smile spread across her face, the first genuine smile Connie had seen from her.

"Th-thank you."

"It sounds like your experience is different from Ana's…. A woman was in charge, for one. Were the others men?"

She nodded. "Except one. They were all guards. And one I think was a doctor… or something… he gave us the drugs…" Slowly, she flipped over her arm and slid her cuff back partway, revealing faded needle marks dotted over her skin. Then she quickly flipped her arm back over and pulled the cuff past her wrist, as if it were a shameful thing.

"Do you know what sort of drugs they were?"

She shook her head. "Some sort of special kind…. I don't remember the name… just that they kept my mind fuzzy. I could hardly move… the men came in and—" A look of deep anguish and shame crossed her face.

Connie leaned forward. Nika didn't flinch. "It wasn't your fault," she felt compelled to say. "None of it was your fault. What those men did to you—is not what you are."

Nika nodded, as if trying to convince herself.

"It's those men—and women," said Jason, "who deserve the worst punishment possible for what they did to you. To the both of you." Connie felt a tremor run through him. "I almost hope I run into some of them, so that I can—" His fists clenched. "I know I'm not supposed to be about vengeance, but some people are not redeemable. They deserve to be hurt for what they did. For what they're doing." Fire flashed in his eyes and Connie felt some of the same anger. She also felt admiration and respect for him, and fear—not for herself—but for the traffickers, if he ever ran into them. She didn't feel sorry for them in the least, but Jason's wrath on them would be terrible, and wonderful, to witness. Jason had let go of his anger for what Gray had done to him, but she doubted he would let go of his anger at the traffickers. And she didn't think he should. Righteous anger was justified.

I'd like to give the traffickers a bit of my own vengeance, she thought, a little shocked at her thoughts. But she could hardly help it, faced with the unspeakable abuse these girls dealt with.

Ana smiled. "I hope you do find them. We don't need to be afraid of you. Only the traffickers need to be afraid."

"I'm here to rescue trafficked kids, not carry out justice," said Jason, "but if any of the traffickers get in the way… well…. Mercy won't be the first thing on my mind."

Nika looked at Jason with wide eyes, for the first time more awed than afraid. There was a hint of incredulity, as if she could hardly believe a man could be so empathetic. "W-will you find Natasha?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Who is Natasha?"

"They—they were tipped off, the police said. Some of them got away with the girls. I was the only one…. I was sick, so they—left me. But they took my friend, Natasha. Sh-she was…." She hesitated, then said, in a barely audible voice, "pregnant."

"I will try to find her. If you could tell me more about… your situation, the people that escaped, it would help."

Nika looked startled, but she said, "Okay."

"How…far along was your friend?"

"About eight months."

"It's surprising they didn't leave her. Usually… in that 'business', pregnancy is a liability."

Nika shook her head. "They want us to get pregnant. Sometimes. They do it on purpose. I was hoping…." She swallowed, looked down. "Th-they… some of them… want it." Her voice grew very small, and she shivered as if from a sudden chill. "And I think they… actually sell the babies. I'm not sure where. I hope it's not…" She stopped. Connie had a pretty good idea of what she wasn't saying. To sell a baby… there was no end to the horror and depravity these traffickers could think of.

"Do you know…where they might have taken the other girls?"

"Well, they moved us to different places. The police checked out the ones I could remember but… maybe there are clues there."

"The…clients… did they… were they local?"

"I think so…"

"That's another angle I can take, then. Nika, I know this is hard for you, but can you remember what any of the clients looked like? Any of their names, or…?"

Nika jolted as if she'd been shocked. She closed her eyes, grasping the armrests, nails digging into them. "I…." Her eyes shot open, but they had a faraway look, as if she was seeing something no one else could see. Terror flashed through them. "Th-they…. There was…." Tears fell from her eyes. "The men, they—" She buried her face in her hands, trembling violently. Sobs shook her body. Sonya slid her hand onto her back but Nika flinched away.

"Oh… I'm sorry," said Sonya. "I think she's had enough for now. She's done amazingly well… first time she's seen a man in months. But I think it's time that you leave."

"O-of course," said Jason, rising slowly.

Just then, his cell phone buzzed. He picked it up and stepped into the foyer.

Connie sat there, not sure what to do. She didn't want to startle Nika by getting up. But she'd have to in order to leave, anyway. So she slowly got to her feet and crept around the couch to join Jason.

"Okay, thanks Markov," said Jason. "I'll be right there."

He slid his phone back into his pocket and turned to Connie. His face was guardedly excited, but also apprehensive. "Connie, would you be able to… would you mind staying here for a little while?"

"But—the girls—"

"I doubt they'd object to your presence. We'll ask of course, but—I don't exactly want to take you—it could be dangerous."

"What is it?"

He grasped her arm. "They found one of them. A trafficker. Markov thinks it's one of the cell leaders."

"Why do they need you?"

"They don't. They're going on a raid—and there might be clues. Markov was gracious enough to call me, but I need to leave, now."

"Won't it be dangerous?"

He smiled. "Nothing I can't handle. After what these girls told me, I'm not about to avoid a little risk." He kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, there'll be a ton of professional agents with guns between me and the trafficker. This could be the break we need."

Fear shot through Connie's heart. But she said, "Okay."

He kissed her swiftly on the lips, then stepped at the edge of the sitting room to ask Sonya if she could stay. Sonya agreed, and then Jason was off, through the door, leaving her alone.