Sophia went to the rooms of each woman personally. She wanted a chance to get to know them better and offer her support in any way.
Christina was sitting up in a chair when Sophia entered. “Hello Christina,” She said hesitantly. She didn’t want to barge in if Christina wasn’t feeling up to it.
“Sophia! Come in,” Christina said excitedly. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“OK, thanks,” Sophia answered while taking a set across from her. “I wasn’t sure if you would remember me from the boat or not.”
“Are you kidding me?” Christina asked emphatically. “You saved our lives! How would I ever forget that?”
“Well, I appreciate that, but there were a lot of people that contributed to your rescue. I was just a small part,” Sophia said humbly.
“Well, you were very brave to come on that boat like you did. You had no idea what you were up against. Those men were ruthless,” Christina told her.
Sophia flinched a little just thinking about how much danger she was in going aboard that boat. “I didn’t know that at the time. My only objective was to see if you were being held on the yacht. I’m just glad you were!”
“Well, I do appreciate everything your team did to get us out,” Christina told her.
“Can you tell me anything about being taken to the boat?” Sophia asked.
“This guy I met started asking me on walks and getting really friendly,” she began.
“Michael?” Sophia asked.
“Yes, he was so cute. He sure had me fooled,” Christina said looking miserable. “He worked for Luther and I guess Luther paid him to get me to the cave. From there a boat picked me up and took me to the yacht. I fought hard, but they were just too strong.”
“Just so you know Michael was arrested for his involvement,” Sophia told her. “And he also gave evidence on Luther.”
“Thanks God! I was so worried about that,” she replied.
“It’s over now,” Sophia said comfortingly. “Do you know what you will do now?” she asked cautiously as not to upset her.
“Ava called my Mom when she was in here earlier,” Christina began. “She told me about my step-dad dying and really wants me to come home. I have so many bad memories, though, that I don’t think I would feel comfortable living there again. I think I will just go for a visit and see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up back here one day. The doctor did say I should go through some counseling, so I’m going to check into that too.”
“Can we exchanged numbers and keep in touch?” Sophia asked genuinely. “I really do feel like I already know you girls already.”
“Absolutely!’ Christina replied. “I would love that. Thanks so much for coming to visit, I’ll be released tomorrow. My mom is sending money to Irene for a plane ticket, so I’ll probably leave in a day or two.”
“Well, you take care of yourself,” Sophia told her as she leaned down to give her a hug. “I appreciate you letting me come and chat for a bit. I hope whatever you decide to do, you are happy.”
“Thank you Sophia, truly,” Christina said sweetly. We were all alone. No one was coming for us. If you hadn’t of found us no one would have. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Sophia had tears in her eyes and thanked Christina from the bottom of her heart. They parted as friends, not knowing when or if they would ever see each other again. But they had a bond that would never be severed.
~.~.~
Sophia then went to visit Lea. She was lying in the hospital bed all covered up. When she walked in she was surprised to see Max and Irene there. “Hi!” she greeted them.
“Oh, Sophia, please come in,” Irene said as she got up and hugged her. “And you two have already met!”
“Yes, I wish it were under better circumstances,” Lea chuckled. “Seriously, I can never repay you for what you did on that boat. You gave us hope! Irene has been filling me in on everything you and the team have done. It was quite the rescue mission!”
“It was your bracelet that started the whole thing,” Sophia declared. “That was a smart thing to do. How did you know to drop it?”
“I met with Michael to confront him about Christina. I knew she was secretly seeing him. He must have had it planned to take me also. He forced me into the cave until dark. He had a few granola bars and made a fire. He told me we were going to see Christina, but it just seemed a little shady, so I decided to drop the bracelet when he wasn’t looking.”
“Well, that took guts,” Sophia praised her. “Would you be willing to testify to everything?”
“Definitely,” Lea said emphatically.
“Max and I were here to offer Lea a managerial position when she gets released,” Irene stated the smiled. “I want to train her to take over for me if I ever decide to retire. She would be invaluable to me. Since Luther and everyone involved will be in jail for a long time to come, I’m hoping she’ll feel safe there again.”
“Did you accept the offer, Lea?” Sophia asked.
“Not yet,” Lea said thoughtfully. She looked at Max and Irene for a few moments then said, “They have been like parents to me. How could I say no?”
“Wonderful!” cried Irene. “I’m so happy. Max was smiling too and patting Lea on the leg.
“That’s great news,” Sophia said. “I hope we can stay in touch.”
“Me too,” replied Lea. “Take care of yourself Sophia. You gave me my life back. For that I will always thank you.”
“You’re most welcome,” Sophia said and hugged them all and headed to Bella’s room. She had no doubt that she would be seeing Lea around a lot.
~.~.~
When Sophia got to Bella’s room she heard voices and figured it was Dom and it was. She knocked quietly and said hello.
“Sophia! Come in,” Dom called to her. “We just got off the phone with my wife. I put Bella on the phone and my wife couldn’t stop crying,” he laughed.
“We will be flying out tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m sure your wife will be so happy to have her home,” Sophia said smiling and turning to Bella. “She probably won’t let you out of her sight!”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Bella agreed in her cute little French accent.
“Can I ask you how you ended up at The Paradise?” Sophia asked puzzled. “Irene told me that you said you were an orphan, but then you had the picture and bible in your room.”
“I was taken from my room where I worked in France,” Bella stated. “I was told that if I said anything they would kill my family. I was so scared,” she said as the tears fell down her cheeks. “I snuck the picture and bible into my bag. It was the only hope I had that someone might be looking for me. I would pray every day that they were still safe and I never said anything. They brought me here to work and I kept to myself. Then Clark duped me into liking him. He was so charming and I fell for it. He took me to the cave and later a boat picked me up. When I was on the yacht, the man I worked for in France came to a party. I heard him and Luther talking about getting another girl, so I’m sure Luther is the one who arranged my kidnapping. I am prepared to testify against them all if it keeps this from happening to anyone else.”
“Oh, Bella,” Sophia said wiping her tears. “I’m so sorry for you honey. I will pass that on the police, though. I’m sure they will want as much evidence as possible to put them all away, Clark included. I’ll let you get some rest now. Thanks for letting me stop by. You’re Dad has my number so call anytime, ok?”
“Ok, and thanks so much for coming back for us like you promised,” Bella said smiling up at Sophia with her sweet little face.
“No problem sweetheart,” Sophia said lovingly. “Dom, take care and if I don’t see you before you go have a good trip. You know, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Thanks,” Dom said as he gave her a big bear hug. “You take care too and take care of Luke. You know he’s crazy about you, right?”
Sophia started to grin, “I had an idea, but I’ll do my best.”
~.~.~
Susanna was in the shower when Sophia walked in so she took a seat by the window and waited. When Susanna came out of the shower she was startled to see Sophia then realized who it was and ran over and gave her a big hug.
“Sophia! I’m so glad you’re here,” Susanna squealed in her native accent. “You did it! You said you were going to get us out and you did! How can I ever thank you?”
‘You being happy is thanks enough,” Sophia answered.
“I hope those scum bags pay for what they did to us,” she said getting angry. “I mean, what kind of monster does that?”
“With your help, we’ll make sure they go away for a long time,” Sophia promised. “Do you have any plans now?”
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Susanna considered it. “Other than this incident, I really do like it here. I might work for a while and then decide what I want to do.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Sophia replied. “Is your family relieved you were found?”
“Yes, I talked to my Mom when I first got here,” Susanna said. “She was really worried because I hadn’t called her for weeks. She wanted me to come home to Sweden, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to do. There is so much more opportunity here and the weather is beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” Sophia said looking out the window. “If I had my way I’d be staying too.”
“Why don’t you?” Susanna asked. “I’d love having you around to do stuff with. My Aunty Sophia!” Susanna giggled.
“We’ll have to see,” Sophia said. “I’m not quite sure what my plans are either.”
“Well, I hope you stay,” she replied. “You are my guardian angel and I will always love you for helping us.”
Sophia had tears again. What is it with these girls instantly having a place in her heart? “Thank you honey, let’s stay in touch, ok?”
“That sounds great,” Susanna told her. “See you soon.”
~.~.~
The last girl Sophia visited was Camilla. Although she didn’t know her very well Sophia still sympathized with what she had just endured; even though she was only held for less than a week. Sophia told her about Luke being on the team that found her and Camilla remembered him. Sophia told her that if she ever never needed anything not to hesitate to call. Then Sophia wished her well and left.
Sophia was physically and emotionally drained. She went to wait for Luke in the lobby, which gave her time to think about her future. Would she stay here? She just didn’t know. What were Luke’s plans? He was still her boss, so wherever he went, she guessed she would go too. If she had to leave this place she would be very sad. This was her happy place after all…