Page 89 of Lost Truth
Collins drew his knees up to his chest. “I don’t know anything about that guy, and even if I did, I’m no snitch.”
“Fine,” Hayden said. “Take all of the responsibility for Kai’s kidnapping and the trafficking charges too. Pile on even more prison time. You’ll never see the light of day.”
“But I-I-I’m not in charge.” He lurched forward, his feet sliding down. “They only wanted me for my boat, and I just took the passengers ashore.”
“So who gave the directive to meet the ship?” Hayden used a cool tone that belied the anger she knew had to be burning in his gut.
Collins gnawed on his lower lip. “Palmer, okay? Guy’s name is Cody Palmer. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“Not exactly,” Nolan said. “We already knew Palmer was the middleman, but who’s the top dog?”
“No idea,” Collins said. “And I mean it. I have no idea who Palmer reports to, if anyone.”
Hayden gaped at him. “Palmer tells you when to pick people up, and you’ve never asked who or if he reports to someone else?”
“I mean, yeah, I was curious, but what difference did it make to me? I did what Palmer asked, and I got paid. That’s all I cared about.”
Grr.“Exactly. That’s all you cared about.” Cady had to fight hard not to cross over and kick the man. “Not about the fear these women faced when separated from their children or their husbands or their family. The lives you destroyed. Totally and completely destroyed.”
Collins shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t know what happened to them.”
“But you had a good idea, didn’t you?” Nolan glared at Collins.
“As far as I’m concerned, they were people who wanted to be smuggled from another country to start a new life in the United States. That’s all I knew.”
“Except for the fact that we’ve been talking about human trafficking here, and you never once disputed it and said they were just being smuggled.” Hayden slammed a fist into his palm. “You better be glad deputies are arriving, because I’m this close to telling you what I think about that lie.”
Collins sneered. “You won’t touch me. Not if you don’t want me to bring charges.”
Hayden gave Collins a withering look. “Get him out of here, Nolan, before I do something I regret.”
The depth of Hayden’s anguish swept over Cady. Sure, she’d known the trafficking troubled him, but his time rescuing them from near death clearly impacted him deeper.
How in the world did someone recover from the fear of not getting to these people in time? The pain from one of them dying, if that happened.
Please, help me help him through having experienced such a horrific situation.
Nolan hauled Collins to his feet and dragged him toward a deputy stepping from his patrol vehicle.
Hayden let out a shuddering breath and picked up his rifle to set it against a tree. He looked up at her, his jaw set. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
She moved closer to him. “What in the world do you need forgiveness for?”
“For leaving you. I should’ve known something might happen and bring you with me.” He rubbed a hand over his head and clamped it on his neck.
She took the last few steps between them and reached for his hand to hold it. “You left me in Nolan’s capable hands. None of us could’ve predicted Collins would come back here. Besides, if I’d been with you, you would’ve worried about me instead of successfully rescuing women and children who needed you.”
“Still. I should’ve… just should’ve known better.”
“Stop second-guessing yourself. I’m okay.”
“But he could’ve killed you.” Looking deeply into her eyes, he let out a harsh, unsteady breath. “I couldn’t live with that.”
His worst nightmare. Failing to protect someone he cared about.
She took on his pain as if it were her own. “You can’t control everything, you know. You can plan and organize as much as you want, but in the blink of an eye your plan can change. God is the only one in control, and we have to learn to trust His choices for us.”
“Trust!” His eyes flew wide open. “You know that’s my hot button, and I’ve been struggling with it.”
