Not Yet

Paige

Nearly half the women we’d rescued from the Mansion crowded into the main common room at the Haven a few hours after we’d left. They’d all showered, dressed in outfits of their choosing, and most of them had already had brief conversations with Lauren. But they still refused to go to sleep.

The brunette woman who’d been crying about going home in the basement, whose name I’d learned was Luci, swiped at her eyes. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I just don’t understand why you won’t let me call my family.”

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. I glanced at Sera, who just shrugged. We’d told these women every excuse we could come up with, and nothing was working.

“I promise you’ll feel better after you sleep,” I said.

“She definitely will.” The blonde, whose name was Natalia, wrapped her arm around Luci’s shoulders. “In her own bed at home.”

Sera stepped forward. “You guys don’t know everything—”

“Maybe you don’t know the meaning of the word loyalty, but there’s nothi