A gentle breeze drifted from the wandering river as a dark orange ribbon appeared on the horizon. The fresh smell from the early morning rain still filled each breath as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Everything took its time here; there was no hurry, timetable, or planned destination. Bevis sighed as she leaned on the wooden balcony railing outside her room. Everything here was beautiful, peaceful and calm. Chelsea was safe and alive, but the one thing that had kept Bevis up most of the night was the questions about how she would get her possessions and what she would do with the rest of her life, her business and where she went from here. She needed her clothes and technology to run her business.

"How badly do I need all my possessions ..." Bevis whispered, frowning and narrowing her eyes as she let the thought continue, "... perhaps the question should be ... do I need my current possessions?"

Pushing up from the balcony, Bevis rubbed her hands over her face; it was dawn, and she still didn't know what to do about her life. She didn't want to be able to look for a baseball bat "someday" ... it was something Bevis wanted to be able to do so now. In this environment, it wasn't hard to remember what and how everything had been before all of this ... how her emotions and mind had been before Brad; apparently, it attracted him to her in the first place. Sudden realisation hit, and she needed to talk to Jake.

Pulling on the luxurious robe, Bevis left the room, wandering through the house the way she had been shown the night before. Entering the living area, she found Josiah, Jake, and Jason sitting at the kitchen counter with two laptops. Their guilty looks made her laugh.

"What are you three up to?" Bevis asked, smiling at them, "You look like you've been up to no good."

"Bevis," Jake sighed, "we are up to something, but it's good for you and Chelsea, not Brad."

Bevis frowned, "You've been up all night, right?"

The three men looked at each other, "Don't tell my mother," Jason said, "she will not be happy with us."

"Your secret is safe with me," Bevis grinned, "I haven't slept all night either. The rain at three this morning was rather refreshing but made me all muddy," she chuckled as she moved into the kitchen and poured herself a coffee, "didn't realise the balcony didn't have an awning." Turning, she sipped at her coffee, becoming aware all three men were watching her strangely, "what is it?"

Jason turned on the barstool facing her, "That is the most we have heard you say since you arrived here, and that is the most I've heard you say in one sitting since I've met you."

"I've spoken before," Bevis said, frowning, "haven't I?"

Jason nodded, "You have, but not as much as that," he looked at his brother, "... we should tell her what we found."

"I agree, but I want to know why she has been up all night," Jake said, looking at Bevis, "what kept you up?"

"I couldn't put my finger on it. Really it's more a multitude of things and questions," Bevis said, "so I simply enjoyed being in this beautiful place until a few minutes ago when the sun started to rise," she sipped her coffee, moving toward the counter and slipping into a stool, "I wondered if I could get my possessions or did I want to get my possessions ... it led my wandering mind to what I was like before Brad arrived in my life. Then I remembered something from my social media profile."

"What did you remember?" Josiah asked.

"Months before Brad met me," Bevis said, "there was a notification about people appearing on your page, people you didn't know, couldn't remember allowing on your page or even information of yours being used elsewhere."

"You mean identity theft?" Jason asked.

"I'm not sure what you would call it," Bevis said, "after the notification, I went through everyone attached to my social media and found a few just like that ... of course, I removed them, blocked them and thought nothing of it," she sighed, "but I think Brad's icon came back somehow."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, working on his laptop, "you mean he was part of the group that hacked those accounts, and then he returned after you had removed the people from your account."

"I think so," Bevis said, "after the notification and my looking through everything, I didn't really think much of it again, and life got busy."

"Fair enough," Josiah said, "what made you think of it now?"

"After what you said yesterday about Caroline looking for a baseball bat and the someday thing," Bevis said, "it got me thinking. I realised I never allowed myself to be in any situation where I was out of my depth .... until Brad arrived. Everything changed then: my style, apartment, tastes, appliances ... even my social media platforms."

"You used new ones?" Jason asked, frowning.

"I still kept the old ones," Bevis said, "that is where most of my business came from, but for my personal life, I used new ones. The ones Brad pointed me towards."

"What are you getting at?" Josiah asked, confusion crinkling his brow.

Jake's eyes lit up, "When did you stop using those platforms?"

"Just before Brad and I broke up," Bevis said, "I went back to my old platforms permanently," she sighed, "I remember doing another sweep and getting rid of anything that I didn't know or like and using their security platforms more strictly. It took me two days to complete; the sweep was extensive."

"Write down the ones Brad pointed you toward," Jake said, pushing a notepad and pencil toward her, "did you close the accounts completely?"

"I deleted my accounts, so I imagine it would have been something done completely," Bevis said, "what struck me is how angry Brad got when I did that," she shook her head as she tapped the pencil against the pad of paper, "he phoned me and ranted about me going off the platforms he wanted me on. Chelsea said he shouldn't be angry about what I did now that we were broken up."

"That is a good observation," Josiah said, "he shouldn't have known you had closed your accounts at all."

"Oh, he wasn't as angry this time," Bevis said, "you should have seen him when I changed my status to being in a relationship with him. That was the first time Chelsea suggested I buy a stun gun."

"What does Chelsea do for a living?" Josiah asked, glancing at Jake as he shifted in his chair.

"I'm not exactly sure," Bevis said, "but she talks a lot about signed documents and emails being sent, so I think it's an admin-based job. Why don't you ask Jake?"

Jason and Josiah glanced at Jake before returning to look at Bevis.

"Why should we ask Jake?" Josiah asked.

"She works with him," Bevis said, "that's how we ended up on the rafting trip in the first place."

"Interesting ..." Josiah said while looking at Jake, "care to tell me what happened to the prim and proper miss you wanted us to meet?"

"She broke up with me before the river rafting trip," Jake sighed, "I was trying to get rid of the tickets and reserved places before she changed my mind about the breakup ... by the way, Jason, you were right. It was the best thing to happen to me."

"Did you think to tell us about it?" Josiah looked at Jason with raised eyebrows.

"I was preparing for the trip and dealing with legal suits laid against Brad," Jason said, smiling, "now that he is no longer part of the company, I don't have to worry about them."

"Here you go," Bevis said, pushing the paper pad toward Jake, "these are the platforms Brad pushed me to use. Come to think of it, he actually demanded I use them."

Jake took the pad looking down the list before looking at Bevis, "You're very fortunate to be alive."

"Why?" Bevis asked, concern sparking in her eyes.

Jason took the pad, looking down the list, "Have to agree with Jake."

Bevis shifted in the stool, "What aren't you telling me?"

The brothers looked at each other, nodding and looking at her; Jason was the one who spoke, "Jake has been investigating a human trafficking ring targeting single women, usually with no family."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"What?" Bevis whispered, "... wait ... you think Brad is part of it?"

"We're not sure," Jake said, "but the women we've been able to help get out of the situations all spoke of dating a man of Brad's description for varying lengths of time, and the one common element in all those cases were these social media platforms."

"All of them?" Bevis asked, "... hold on ... you said of Brad's description. Didn't he use the same name?"

"No," Jason said, "apparently, he used different names for every woman he dated and had credentials and background to go with the name. Jake has found out from some he has spoken to that Brad dated two or three simultaneously."

"You're sure they all had the same thing to say?" Bevis asked.

Jake nodded before returning to his laptop and typing rapidly. Bevis' forehead creased in thought. If what he said was true, why had she not been abducted? Looking at Jake, she narrowed her eyes.

"What exactly do you do, Jake?" she asked, "don't give me a dumb look. Are you law enforcement?"

Jake sighed, "I am, and that is all I can say."

"Brad was the one who broke up with me," Bevis said, "did he break up with any of the other women?"

"Not that we know of," Jake said, "what are you getting at?"

"Why did he target and break up with me if he has never done it before? Why is he so desperate to know where I am if he has never cared about the other women's locations after they got away?" Bevis pondered, looking at her coffee cup in her hands.

Josiah pushed out his chair, standing away from the counter, "Our family," he whispered, "no one has been able to get to our family before."

"Relax, Dad. Candy was reached," Jason said, "she didn't go home last night, stayed at a friend's place, and will be here shortly."

Josiah sighed, "What about this property? Our lands? Those we protect?"

"All accounted for," Jason said, watching his father, "everyone has been made aware of the possibilities."

Bevis looked between the three men, "What is going on?"

"Dad just put some concerning puzzle pieces together," Jake said, "it would appear that this ring knows the connection between Chelsea, you and I."

"Meaning?" Bevis asked.

"They may be attempting to kill the members of the holding family," Jason said, "without the core members, the trust is voided," Jason straightened and rolled his shoulders, "meaning they could use this land for anything they wanted to," he met his brothers gaze, "what if there is someone under our protection they want to get to?"

"Someone other than Chelsea and Bevis," Josiah said, frowning, "most people have been here for years. I cannot think of anyone who was rescued from human traffickers."

The silence drew out as everyone frowned in thought; Bevis cocked her head, narrowed her eyes and looked at the three men.

"I still don't have the answers to my questions, but what if there is another connection," Bevis said.

"Like what?" Jake asked.

"What if it's someone brought in with someone who stays here?" she said, "Josiah, you said yourself additional non-protected people or family members can only stay on the land if their tormentor is still alive or at large. What if someone's girlfriend or wife got away and is being protected as Chelsea and I are, and these people are after them?"

"She has a point," Candy said, striding into the kitchen and helping herself to a cup of coffee, "hi, Bev. Nice to see you again.".

"Hi, glad you're okay," Bevis said, smiling, "thanks for changing our rafting duties. I saw some of the other's tasks and couldn't see Chelsea and me doing any of that."

Candy chuckled, "My pleasure," she glanced around, "I couldn't see you doing it either."

"Back to your first comment, sis," Jake said as he hugged Candy, "what are you talking about?"

"I dropped by the office before coming out here," Candy said, turning to Jason, "it's trashed ... papers everywhere. The old PC we used and decided to delete all the information from ... is gone. Someone is looking for something."

Jason pushed to his feet, "What could they possibly be looking for?"

"Me," Candy said, "I phoned the police station and asked them to come through and have a look," she sighed, "I also asked them to check out my apartment."

"What did they find?" Jakes asked.

"I don't know," she said, "I left them working the scene when I left and came here."

"I'll give them a call," Josiah said, pulling out his phone and dialling.

"How did you get here?" Bevis asked, watching Josaih walk away as he started his conversation before returning her gaze to Candy.

"A train, two taxis, a squad car and a boat," Candy said, grinning, "took the train from the office to downtown, then got a taxi to another taxi place and from there a taxi to a police station who smuggled me out to the dock and I brought Cathy here."

Bevis grinned, "Sounds similar to how I got here."

Josiah smiled, "Genius," he hugged Candy to his side as he closed his phone, "Jake, go through everyone who is living on this land. Even those still waiting for authorisation. Jason, please contact the police and find out whatever they discovered," he looked at the two women, "how do pancakes sound?" He paused, looking up, "... your mother is awake. Ladies, breakfast in an hour. Jason, let's put the placements out before we get to work."

"Before we do any of that," Candy said, "what did the police say?"

Everyone looked at Josiah; he sighed, "Your place is trashed."

Candy nodded, "Photos?"

"They're sending them via email," Josiah said, looking at Jake, "they asked if you could see anything obvious that is missing."

"I'll tell you when they arrive," Jake said, nodding to his sister, "good thing you stayed at a friend's place."

Nodding, Candy sighed, "I suppose there could be something there," she said, shaking her head, "but if he is looking for this place, I have nothing closely related to where this land is, or the house or anything."

A bump above their heads had Josiah looking upward sharply, "Your mother is going to be down here soon, and I'd prefer she think we've been up early ... not all night."

Candy grinned, grasping Bevis' hand, "We have work to do," she said, "and we can chat without the men being around."

Bevis followed Candy into the kitchen, "Can I ask you a question?"

"I think you did," Candy grinned, "sorry, couldn't help it. A habit I picked up living with two older brothers ... ask away."

"Other than what was just discussed," Bevis whispered, "why would Brad ...or whatever his real name is ... target me and then let me go?"

Candy turned to her, "That is a good question. There could be many reasons; perhaps whoever you were meant for wanted something different, or they withdrew their order," she paused, looking at Bevis. "Did you ever chat with Chelsea or Jake on any of those platforms you gave Jake now?" she grinned, "I heard that part as I was arriving."

"Maybe Chelsea," Bevis said, "but if I did, it would have been a random message."

"Perhaps that is how they put the connection together," Candy said, "it could have been several things. Brad worked with us; he could have made the connection when Jake came to the office to reserve the spots with Jason. Do you know if Chelsea ever went anywhere with Jake?"

"They could have," Bevis said, pulling ingredients out of the cupboard as Candy did the same with the fridge, "they worked together ... a lot from what I can make out."

"Perhaps she came to the office with Jake, and Brad made the connection," Candy said, "if he was dating you, he must have met Chelsea."

Bevis froze, "He did," she turned to Candy, "... it was our third date, and he said something about her high-stress job with the law."

"On his first meeting," Candy whispered, "Jake hadn't been to the office yet. He must've still been on your social media. He could have hacked every account attached to your social media."

Bevis closed her eyes, "If he did, that means every client of mine who looked at my pages has been hacked and could be a target. But why would this group use someone like Brad for human trafficking? Why is he even doing this?"

"Oh, the first question ... that is easy," Candy said, "by the time he is finished with the targets, they are broken and easy to manipulate and use for whatever the trafficking group want to use them for. Regarding the second question ... it could be for any number of reasons. Brad takes pleasure in other people's discomfort, so perhaps it's pleasurable for him, and he gets paid."

"How do people become that sick?" Bevis muttered, "I'm not sure who I should be grateful to for getting me out of that mess."

"Make a list and thank them all," Candy said, "I find it easier to do that way."

Bevis grinned, "Throw a thank-you party," she shook her head, "I can do that."

"See, something you're confident about," Candy grinned, "you're going to be back to your old self in no time. Let's get these pancakes done before the rest of the people come downstairs, and you can tell me all about that rafting trip."

Bevis groaned, "Oh man ... you mean my week from hell," Candy grinned at her, waiting, "... fine ... let's get this started."

Standing in the alcove of the back staircase, Chelsea looked down at the isolated bug she had found in the lining of her handbag the night before; if what she had heard were true, she had given away the most private information anyone could have held dear. She had seen something like this before but was unsure what it could or couldn't do. Fortunately, her job always had her carrying containers that could isolate any signal from any bug. If this family's location was common knowledge, the fallout could be her doing. Everyone could be in danger because she had been careless.

She took the stairs to the landing, where she could see the kitchen counter. Jake sat at the counter, and Josiah and Jason laid out place settings at the long table. Inhaling, she descended the stairs before changing her mind. Laying the isolation container on the counter, she sighed.

"I found that in the lining of my handbag last night," she whispered, finally looking at Jake, "I think I'm the leak that has your family in all this trouble, and your location may be compromised."

Jake picked up the bug looking at it from every angle, "The good thing is you found it and isolated it," he winked at her, "now we can locate these miscreants."

"You're not angry?" Chelsea asked.

"In our line of work, we have all been bugged, tagged, made or followed without knowing it," Jake said, "it makes us human ... not bad. Besides, last night after you were attacked, I activated a signal jammer in case something like this happened."

Chelsea sighed and nodded, "Thank you, and I'm so sorry. Please let me make up for it," she whispered, "how can I help?"