Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

just let me get through tonight’s therapy and I promise I’ll be as obedient as you need me to be. You have my word.”

Conny eyed me, probably warring with himself if he should tie me up and carry me to the plane himself. “Isabel, you’re putting me in a very precarious position, but okay, we’ll do it your way,” he said, resigned. “As I’m sure you know, I’ll be with you starting now and since we’re waiting until later this evening to leave, I’ll have more agents around. However, you won’t notice them… it’s better that way.”

“Thank you, Mr. Conny, I appreciate it,” I said with a crooked smile.

“Good grief,” he muttered under his breath. “I hope I don’t regret it.”

“Er…question,” I said hesitantly. “What’s going to happen with my cousin, sir?”

“That’s right, your cousin that looks like your twin.” He exhaled loudly. “Well, to be honest, we are equally concerned for her. She’s a journalist and has told us she’s been investigating this story for six weeks and is not about to stop now.” He shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Davis has volunteered to stay behind with her and I’m leaving it in his hands. We’re going to try our best to help her look less like you, with a haircut, makeup, new hair color, etc.”

“Don’t worry, Isabel, I won’t let anything happen to your cousin,” Ben added.

“I’d like to see her and say goodbye before I leave tonight. Will that be possible?” I asked.

“That’s not a problem,” Conny answered. “Both your mother and your cousin are coming back here with your dog and from here we will all leave for the airport where your father and his plane will be waiting for us. Davis and your cousin will then go to an undisclosed location after dropping us off.”

“It sounds like y’all already have a plan in place. I just need to get through the rest of today and the group therapy without getting killed or any agents killed. I pray I don’t regret pushing y’all to do this for me,” I muttered shyly.

“It’ll be fine, Isabel,” Ben offered. “Don’t worry about that now. You’re right in wanting to help these girls. I doubt we would have this much information if you had left when we wanted you to.”

I smiled, grateful for his patience and understanding.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Conny began, “I have to meet with Pam.” He casually made his way back to Pam’s office, rubbing his forehead. I sensed he was still extremely stressed about having agreed to my request, or rather pushiness.

“Ben, what’s going to happen next week? You said we will probably have more kiddos next week due to what Hong has been telling these girls.”

“And you’re asking if you’re going to be able to come back for the group therapy, is that correct?”

“Allowed is the word I would use but yes, that is correct,” I said.

“Why don’t we just take it one day at a time for now,” he suggested. “Perhaps we’ll know more after tonight.”

I nodded, agreeing with his assessment, feeling helpless, achy and drained. My arm was hurting less; I was at least thankful for that. I leaned my elbows on my desk, running my hands through my hair and pulling it to one side. I let out a soft sigh, resting my forehead in the palm of one of my hands. I closed my eyes, wishing this mess would just go away. I started to roll my neck, breathing deeply, thinking of all those girls trapped in some big house with Debbie and a large, scary Asian man, knowing that their “appointments” were really dirty old men buying them for sex. How was I supposed to help them? Why did this Hong man keep telling them I was the only one that could help them? I was just a psychologist. All I could do was prepare them for court or teach them how to handle all this shit they’ve endured. Who was this Hong man? And then it hit me. I whipped my head up, epiphany etched on my face.

“Ben!” I shouted.

He jumped out of his chair, dropping his phone, reaching for his gun.

“Put that thing away. You can’t wave that in here all willy-nilly like that, acting like you’re John Wayne,” I chided.

“What the fuck, Isabel!” he snapped. “You can’t yell like that, given our current situation.”

“I’m sorry for startling you the way I did but it just hit me like a bulldozer,” I said excitedly. “Hong is not his name. The man Alex is referring to is a Hongman…from the secret society of the Hong.” I frantically looked for the email I sent Pam explaining the Chinese Triads. I printed it out and ran to the printer to get it.

Ben was picking up his phone, watching me stride back to him. I handed him the paper.

“I’m sure you know who the Chinese Triads are by now and how they operate… how it’s like the Mafia and they each have their own area or region they’re in charge of,” I briefly explained. “Well, the Hongmen are the good guys, if you will, to that group. The secret society of the Hong is or was kind of a resistance movement from the 18th century—they were fighting the Qing Dynasty at the time.” I continued, “Well, of course that dynasty is gone now, so today what’s left is fighting the Triads. Alex said the man had a thick accent and they couldn’t really understand everything he was telling them. I’m almost certain he identified himself as a Hongman member and the girls just heard Hong.”

Ben was reading the paper I gave him, his expression impassive, nodding to everything I was saying. Jeez! Did he always have to be so serious? I stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to give me some kind of answer.

“Isabel,