Rachel glances over towards her sleeping daughter as she drove towards her new client. Her colleague that had been handling the case, had done everything she could for her client. Just as she was going to try a new tactic, she ended up being T-boned by a drunk driver.

She had visited her colleague in the hospital and couldn’t believe how badly injured she was. She glances at the navigation map and saw she was only a few miles away. She read the file her friend Tracy gave her and according to the contents. The poor girl involved had been raped and filmed by her stepbrothers and their friends.

The problem was, she had been blindfolded and secured to a table. She was unable to see who the men were, but she knew her stepbrothers were involved. The semen sample and skin tissue that had been taken off her had been corrupted by a lab technician. Which, she didn’t believe was an accident. Because when she did a background check on the technician. She found that he was related to a felon by the name of Jon Hawkins.

Mr. Hawkins was a bookie for the Corleonesi Mafia. According to the information from the Private Investigator she works with. The technician from the lab was his nephew.

The question still was unanswered. Why was the technician covering for Katz’s brothers? That was one thing that was bothering her.

“You have arrived at your destination.” Rachel looks at the nice ranch-style house as she pulls up to the curb.

The lawn, the house, and the whole neighborhood looked like something from a home and garden magazine. She reaches over and gently shakes Athena’s shoulder “it’s time to wake up, sweetie.”

Athena flinches when she is shaken. It takes her a few seconds to realize she wasn’t a prisoner anymore to the sex traffickers. She sits up and brushes her unruly short light brown hair out of her face. Her eyes were covered by a pair of black sunglasses that wrapped around her face.

“Sorry, mom.” She looks in the direction of her mother’s voice.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Rachel knew Athena still suffered from her time with the traffickers.

She unfastens her seatbelt and grabs her briefcase from behind the driver's seat. She walks around to the passenger side and helps Athena
out of the car. She holds her daughters’ hand as she closes the passenger door behind her.

“Alright sweetie, step carefully.” Rachel guides her daughter over the grass and onto the sidewalk.

Athena taps her cane as she follows along with her mother. Her mother guides her up to a flight of stairs.

“Alright sweetie, we're going up four steps.” Rachel watches as her daughter taps the steps.

Rachel walks beside Athena as they go up the four steps onto a nice porch. They walk up to the front door and presses the doorbell.

“Someone is coming to the door, mom.” Athena could hear heavy footsteps coming to the front door.

Howard heard the doorbell ring and heads towards the front door. He looks at the app on his cellphone and saw it was a young dirty blonde hair woman, with a short young teenage girl standing next to her. He had been contacted by his lawyer before she was in the car accident that she had reached out to a friend of hers. He walks up to the door and opens it.

Rachel felt her daughter squeeze her hand, letting her know a person was at the door. She watches as the door opens. Standing in the doorway, was a clean-shaven, middle-aged man with dark hair. He had weather looked about his features.

“Hi, I’m Rachel Blake with Blake, Wolfhart, and Thomlinson. This is my daughter, Athena. I was contacted by your lawyer about your nieces’ case.”

“Please, come in, Mrs. Blake.” Howard steps aside to let Rachel and her daughter in.

Howard notices that Mrs. Blake’s daughter had a cane similar to what blind people use. He watches as the two women walk into his house. He noticed that the young girl stayed close to Mrs. Blake. It was the same behavior Lexi displayed when they rescued her.

Howard shuts the front door and looks towards Mrs. Blake “if you’ll follow me, please.”

“Lead the way, Mr. Hudgins.”

Howard escorts Mrs. Blake and her daughter into the den. His wife Rose was already in there and so was Lexi. He escorts Mrs. Blake and her daughter over to a nice sofa. He figures Mrs. Blake’s daughter would feel comfortable sitting next to her.

Lexi and Rose watch as a dirty blonde woman walks into the den carrying a dark leather bag. Walking next to the woman was a young teenage girl with a white cane tapping the ground as she walked. She had short light brown hair and was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses that wrap around her face.

The woman was dressed in a nice pantsuit. The teenage girl was wearing a simple dress that came down to her knees and had on a pair of light color sandals.

“Please have a seat, Mrs. Blake.” Howard motions to the sofa.

“Thank you, Mr. Hudgins.” Rachel helps her daughter first, before sitting down herself.

“Mrs. Blake, allow me to introduce my wife Rose and my niece Lexi.” Howard motions to his wife and niece.

“It’s nice to meet both of you.” Rachel smiles at both women.

“Would you or your daughter like anything to drink, Mrs. Blake?” Howard wonders if they were thirsty.

“No, we're good, thank you.”

“Okay.” Howard sits down in his favorite recliner.

Rachel looks at everyone present “as all of you know by now. Your lawyer and my friend Carol Blame is currently in critical care in the
hospital. Just before her accident, she reached out to me about your niece’s case. The reason she did that, is I have some experience in dealing with people who abused your niece.”

“Mrs. Blake, do you think Mrs. Blame’s accident is related to the case?” Rose was curious.

“No ma’am. I think it was just pure dumb luck that she was involved in that accident. However, the police are looking into it, just in case. As for
your case, I believe we can get enough evidence to punish those responsible for hurting your niece.” Rachel knew her investigator was already on the job.

“How so, Mrs. Blake? According to Mrs. Blame, it's our niece’s word against her stepbrother’s. Also, we need to prove that they made a video of what they did to our niece.” Howard knew a video was made, but they couldn’t prove anything.

“Trust me, Mr. Hudgins. My investigator will be able to get the evidence we need. Now, I know you are worried that Lexi’s stepbrother might have posted the video online. I’ve hired a computer expert who deals in matters like this, and he is working hard to find it.”

Lexi was holding her aunts’ hand as Mrs. Blake spoke. She just wanted her stepbrothers behind bars and that video they made destroyed. She notices that the young woman that had arrived with Mrs. Blake was sitting quietly next to her.

“Mrs. Blake, do you think you’ll be able to make those responsible for hurting our niece pay for their crimes?” Rose wanted Lexi’s stepbrothers and their friends to pay for what they did to her.

“I haven’t lost a case yet, that concerns abuse against young women. What was done to your niece was wrong and those that committed it, will pay.”

“How about our case of terminating the paternal rights of my sister?”

“Mrs. Blame has already completed that matter. There was enough evidence of abuse and neglect to cancel your sisters’ paternal rights. As for her husband, since Lexi was never officially adopted by him, he has no claim. So, you have full paternal rights to Lexi.” Rachel looks at Lexi and could see relief.

“We might have another problem, Mrs. Blake. A former employee of mine has become friends with Lexi’s stepbrother and gave him a copy of the video they made.” Howard was a little worried about what Shawn would do to hurt Lexi.

“Does he still have a copy of the video?” Rachel wonders if she could get her hands on it.

“He may have saved it to a cloud account but having a physical copy. Lexi destroyed his cellphone.” Howard didn’t fault his niece.

Athena turns her head towards the direction where Lexi and her aunt were sitting. She knew what it was like to be exploited and use “I would have done the same thing.”

Lexi looks at the blind girl. She wasn’t looking directly towards her, but she wonders what happened to her.

“Did something similar happen to you?”

Rachel looks at her daughter and wonders if she was going to share what happened to her. Normally, Athena didn’t like talking about what she experienced at the hands of the men that kidnapped her.

“No! I experienced something worse. However, I know how you feel because I feel the same way.” Athena reaches for her mother’s hand.

Rachel grips Athena’s hand and gives it a little squeeze. She wishes that her daughter never had to experience what she did. However, the
men that hurt her were behind bars in the worst prison there was.

“Here is what I suggest we do from here on out.”