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All six of the girls shrank back at the in to ih

“Help us how?” the lead girl asked

“Take you away from here Back to your families if that’s what you want Somewhere else safe if you don’t want that” At the irls broke down in harsh, choking sobs Izzy wanted to gather them all up in her arirls again, but she had no idea how they’d react if she came too close

“Why should we trust you? Who are these men?” the bravest asked

What should she say? How did she reassure these traumatized children that no further har her independence, telling everyone she th and a self-sufficient woth was truly tested by life’s ugliest acts, all she wanted to do eep and pass the challenge of soothing these girls on to soer Someone more capable

What she wanted was Jig Wanted hi so to happen If she begged hiht plead with him to stay forever Then soht not survive the heartache This responsibility fell to her, and she’d buck up and do it alone It was how she’d set up her life, so now she had to practice what she preached

“They’re good men, ould never lay a hand on you They are enemies of the men who kidnapped you, and they have all those ain I can take you all out of here right now Thetheir faces”—two of the girls gasped—“just to protect their identity I will lead you out to a van, and then I will ride in the back with you away from here To a shelter where there are only wo and everything you need to help you be okay”

The oldest snorted “Okay?” she asked “Don’t think any of us will ever be okay again” She spoke with a surety that had Izzy’s eyes filling There was no way in hell she’d allow herself to cry in front of these girls If anyone ever needed her to be strong, it was these girls “How old are all of you? What are your names?”

The leader stared at Izzy for a est is twelve”

Good thing she was sitting because that would have knocked the starch right out of Izzy’s knees Instead of tearing the place down board by board like she wanted, she just nodded “Will you come with me?”

She was studied again while Jenny seemed to consider their options, which were none If they stayed, they were priets for more abuse and horrors Not that the Handlers would ever leave the, but Izzy hoped to avoid any further trauma Jenny was a smart kid and roup when she said, “We’ll come I don’t want any of the men to touch any of us Not at all”

“I promise,” Izzy said “No one will touch you”

“Okay Then we’ll come”

Izzy rose and stuck her head out the door where Rocket still waited “They’re ready It’s not good But there’s one girl who seee She’s asked that none of you touch any of the Okay?”

Rocket nodded, face solemn “You have my word”

“Okay, I’ll lead them out” She started back into the roo to ride with the them”

With a s’s a lucky fucker”

Ouch Straight shot to the ticker She filed it under To Be Dealt With Later and returned to the frightened girls As she led them out of the barn, Rocket stayed a safe distance away, arood view of him Yet each one stared at the e forward and attack at any moment

Despite the thick cloud cover, all the girls flinched at the brightness theto the open van One of the girls shook her head and stopped walking, her entire s