Free Forsaken (The Found Book 2) by Caitlyn O'Leary

kidnapping them, sometimes coercing or tricking them into believing they will be models or actresses. Bottom line is these young women end up being sold to the highest bidder, and Labado is reaping the rewards. This is the new way Labado found to make money since his drug and arms business has taken such a hit with the successful DEA raids.”
    Kali was trembling, and Noah hugged her close. Annie understood, she felt just as desolate. Nell must have felt her anguish, because she burrowed deeper into her arms.
    “I have you, baby. Mommy has you,” Annie murmured. She kissed her daughter’s forehead and out of the corner of her eye she could see Noah’s big hand covering Kali’s as they both smoothed over her tummy. It was times like this she desperately missed Seth. But was he even the man she once knew? How had the last two years changed him? Was she just holding onto a dream?
    She rocked her daughter, focusing on what was real, what was right in her world. “How can he even stand it?”
    “You just do. I might not have worked undercover like Seth, but I’ve been in my share of wars. I’ve seen and done things that haunt me to this day, but they needed to be done. Seth is in the same situation. He has no choice but to get things done.” Kali turned her hand over and gripped her husband’s, and he smiled at her.
    Annie took in his words, they made sense. Nell was the best thing that had ever happened in her life, but finding out she was pregnant when Seth was gone had been a very difficult time. She stroked her hand over her daughter’s silky black hair.
    “So what do they intend to do so Seth can come home? What about his wife?”
    “His wife is involved in this up to her pretty little neck, at least the arms and drugs, we don’t know about the human trafficking. Seth didn’t explain to Brice why he married her in the first place, but she is definitely going to prison when this is all over.” How could Seth be married to a criminal? Someone involved in distributing drugs and guns? Annie watched as Kali once again started to rise.
    “Don’t get up Kali, I’m fine. This is just a lot to take in. What can I do to help?”
    “You did the most important thing, to get Seth to connect with Brice, Nate and Sierra. Sierra thinks in two or three days she will have disabled the listening devices in Seth’s office to the point they will be able to communicate freely with him. In the meantime, if he needs help, or needs to get in touch with us, he’ll have to contact you through dream walking.”
    The heat crawled up Annie’s neck and suffused her face. Neither Noah nor Kali gave any indication they noticed, but since they could feel her emotions, they didn’t even need the blush to know what she was feeling.
    The door to the apartment opened. “Annie, we’re back,” Shilah called out.
    Annie was relieved to have the awkward moment behind her.
    “Noah. Kali. How wonderful you’re here. You can stay for lunch. Riley and I bought enough for an army, or at least a woman pregnant with twins.”
    Kali laughed as Shilah plucked a bag of Oreos from one of the grocery bags Riley was carrying to the kitchen and handed it to Kali.
    “I’ll bring a glass of milk,” Shilah said, as she kissed Kali’s cheek. Annie smiled at her grandmother’s antics. For the millionth time she wondered how she had been so blessed to have this wonderful woman in her life.
    Looking a little bit guilty and a lot hungry, Kali handed the bag to Noah. “Open please.” She turned to Annie. “I’d open it, but sure as hell, I’d end up with half the cookies on the floor.”
    “It’s true, we like to call it the Kali factor, especially when there is packaging involved,” Noah said, as he ripped open a side of the package and handed Kalie three cookies. Shilah arrived with the milk, and Noah took it. Kali immediately started dipping and eating, sighing in bliss.
    “Noah, you can explain why you stopped by over lunch, unfortunately