Chapter 4

On the other end, Brad's voice came thick with anger. "All she did was send Yanni Abbott out to work. My mother is Yanni's grandmother. How could she hurt her?"

Listening to that accusing tone of his, I actually laughed from the fury of it.

Then I said, flat and quiet, "Brad."

"You'd better pray Yanni hasn't suffered a single thing."

"Because if she has, I will never let this go."

After I hung up, I drew in a deep breath.

In that moment, all the grievance I'd held down for so long finally spilled over.

I knew exactly what kind of man Brad was.

For years, for that so-called family of his, he had poured in far too much.

He'd sacrifice me and Yanni without a second thought to do it.

The Brad I knew now got nothing from me but a cold face.

The car drove straight to the industrial lot. I looked at the run-down building in front of me and was inside almost before it stopped.

With two officers clearing the way, I found Yanni fast.

When I saw her, I could hardly believe it.

She was locked in a cluttered little room, marks and bruises all over her.

Her hands were still doing piecework.

The moment she saw me, she nearly screamed the words out.

"Mom!"

She looked at me and cried like her heart was tearing apart. "Mom, I wasn't bad!"

"Grandma sent me here!"

"They forced me to work, and if I didn't do it right, they hit me!"

"They wouldn't even let me rest at night!"

She clung to me, sobbing loud and hard.

All I could do was try, over and over, to soothe her.

I turned to the officers and said it straight. "Officers, you've seen it for yourselves!"

"They're using child labor, and on top of that they've abused my daughter!"

At that, the officers nodded at once, arrested the factory owner, and took me and Yanni back to the station with them.

At the station, crying the whole time, Yanni told them plenty.

She'd been asleep when her grandmother yanked her out of bed by force.

Her grandmother said the room was meant for her little brother, that Yanni couldn't sleep there, that the house was for her brother too.

And she told Yanni that from now on, the money she earned working was for her brother as well.

I laughed from the anger of it.

"Yanni, remember this."

"You're the only daughter I have. You don't have a little brother."

"From today on, you stay with me."

I looked at her, my face already full of anger.

Ever since I gave birth to a daughter, Brad's whole family had looked down on me every way they could.

And now it had come to this.

I turned to the officers and said it plainly. "Officers, you've heard it too!"

"My daughter was abused at that factory!"

"On top of that, she was taken by force and made to work against her will!"

"I want you to prosecute this to the fullest!"

My voice was loud, loud enough that the officers took it seriously at once. They told me they would handle it immediately.

"Ms. Dickerson, don't worry. We will deal with this seriously. We're going right now to bring all the suspects in."

The officers looked at me and said it quickly.

I thanked them, and only then took Yanni and left.

Walking out of the station, I turned to look at her, still frightened, and said quickly, "Yanni, don't be scared. From now on, Mom will protect you!"

"Mom's taking you to the hospital now. We'll get you checked over properly!"

At that, Yanni finally eased a little.

I'd just gotten her to the hospital when the phone rang again.

And this time it was Brad, unable to hold back his rage.

"Fiona, you called the police on my mother?"

"What kind of daughter-in-law does that?"