Denied Read Free Page B

faces. Just drive, please.”
    Thankfully, the young man gave a shrug and let the matter drop. He pulled back out into the traffic, and made no further attempt to talk to her.
    For that, at least, Lily was thankful. She still wasn’t completely sure what she was going to tell the police.
    The truth, a voice spoke in her head. You have to tell them the truth.
    She did. She owed it to all the girls who had been taken, and all the girls who still had that terrible fate in their futures. If she did nothing, she was as bad as the traffickers.
    And what about Monster?
    He didn’t deserve her protection either. Perhaps before, but not now. He should have known better.
    She would tell the police everything. Chances were they wouldn’t bother to go all the way to Cuba to try to track down Monster. After all, what could she tell them? All she knew was he was somewhere in Cuba and his name was Monster, but he’d renamed himself Merrick. They’d think she’d hit her head too hard, or was still being affected by the drugs. They didn’t need to know about his business, and she could deny all knowledge of that herself. If she told them he’d had a birthmark, which she’d worked on, and then she’d been drugged and sent back to America, there was no reason for the police to think she’d learned anything about what he did. But she could tell them every detail about the events leading up to meeting Monster. She could tell them she’d believed herself to be kept in a shipping container at a port, and that she didn’t think she’d traveled any more than a few hours from Los Angeles.
    The cab pulled over and she looked out at the big square building and sign of the Los Angeles Police Department. Leaning forward, she paid the driver and then climbed from the vehicle. A number of police cars were parked outside the building, and the American flag waved at the top of a pole, joining the tall palms outside.
    She took a breath to steady her nerves and then walked to the door and pushed inside the building.
    The desk sergeant was filling in paperwork as she approached. She waited until he looked up, and the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips before he frowned slightly. He recognized her face, she was sure, but couldn’t quite place her.
    “Can I help you?”
    “Umm, yes,” she said, stepping forward. “I’m here about a missing person.”
    “You want to report a missing person?”
    “Not exactly. I am the missing person.”
    His frown deepened. “You are?”
    “My name is Lily Drayton.”
    As soon as she said her name, his eyes widened in surprise. “I need to call the detective who’s in charge of your case.” He ducked his head lower and leaned forward. “Honestly, ma’am, we all thought you were dead.”
    She gave a grim smile. “So everyone keeps telling me.”
    The police officer picked up the phone and twisted away from her in his seat. He spoke in low tones, glancing back to her and offering her another close-lipped smile, before hanging up.
    “Detective O’Bannon will be right with you.”
    “Thanks,” she said.
    She took a seat to wait, nervously fiddling with the cuff of her shirt, and trying not to make eye contact with anyone else in the room.
    Within a few minutes, an older man, in his sixties, Lily guessed, and probably not far from retirement, strode forward. She noted the detective’s badge on his chest.
    “Come through to my office, please.” His tone was stern, and he made no attempt to smile or comment about how she was supposed to be six feet under, like everyone else had. He didn’t even wait for her response, but just turned and walked back down the corridor.
    Lily hurried after him. He turned right and headed into an office. He stood back, holding the door open for her as she walked through.
    “You don’t seem surprised to see me,” she said as she walked past him.
    His already thin lips twisted. “Someone called ahead.”
    “Oh?” It was her turn to be surprised.
    “A neighbor