I never wanted to let Kassidy go, but eventually, Rocco stepped closer to me. “She has a chemical burn on her arm that needs to be checked out,” he said quietly.
“Let me see,” I demanded, stepping back from Kassidy and pushing the blanket aside so that I could see her arms. When I saw the large burn covering most of her forearm, I almost lost it right there. “What the hell happened?”
“I spilled bleach on myself. It’s not that bad,” she said, trying to convince me.
“‘Not that bad,’ my ass.”
I swept her up into my arms and carried her towards the waiting ambulances. They checked her over, cleaned the burn and put ointment on it, and suggested she go the hospital. They offered to take her right then, but Kassidy refused, and the EMTs said it was okay to wait, as long as she went within a few hours. She said she’d rather wait and help the other trafficking victims as they got off of the ship, and I tried to talk her out of it, but I knew it was an argument I wouldn’t win, so we returned to the docks.
Knox, Ally, Harper, and Nolan were still in the same spot we’d left them in, and I let go of Kassidy just long enough to give Harper a hug, checking on her as well. “Are you doing okay?” I asked her.
“Yeah, I’m hanging in there. I definitely wouldn’t be doing as well if it wasn’t for Kassidy, though. She protected me.” Harper was smiling at Kassidy, but Nolan stared at the ground, his jaw clenched with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Nolan, who still had his arm around his fiancé. When he ignored me, I turned back to Harper. “What did she protect you from?”
“We don’t need to talk about that right now,” Kassidy protested, and Harper reached out and grabbed her hand in support.
“You’re on the human trafficking task force. You can probably guess,” Harper said gently, not wanting to betray Kassidy.
Harper was right, though. Between the Army and the FBI, I’d seen more than my fair share of horrifying things that humans had done to each other. The thought of what Kassidy and Harper might have experienced or seen made me sick.
“Do we need to get a rape kit done at the hospital?” I asked quietly, so that only Kassidy could hear.
“No, I’m okay. No one touched me,” Kassidy said, and I was relieved, the tight knot that had formed inside my stomach loosening just a little. Even if Kassidy had been raped, my feelings for her wouldn’t have changed, but I never wanted her to have to deal with something like that. She’d been through enough already.
“What’s going to happen to all of the trafficked crew members? And what about the trafficked people on the other ships?” Harper asked as more people started streaming from the ship, being herded into different lines.
“The Coast Guard is taking over the other ships tonight, too, and freeing all the other trafficked crew members. And if they have homes and families to return to, we’ll help them get there, whether it’s in the US or somewhere else,” Knox spoke up.
“What if they don’t have anywhere to go?” Kassidy asked.
“There’s different options. One possibility is that the US, or other countries, can offer them asylum. That way they’ll have help getting jobs and housing,” Ally said.
“I want to see if Finland can take any of them,” Kassidy said eagerly, turning to me.
“That’s a great idea,” I told her, proud of her resourcefulness and how deeply she cares for others.
“Thank you! So, can I borrow your phone and call the Ambassador?”
I studied her. “Are you sure you’re up for that right now?” I asked, hoping she would get some rest now that her ordeal as over. I could tell from the expression on her face that she wasn’t going to let it go until she spoke to the Ambassador, though, and she seemed to be feeling okay, so I gave her my phone. “You aren’t getting out of going to the hospital today, though,” I reminded her.
“I know. I wouldn’t even think of trying,” she smiled at me.
39
KASSIDY
As the FBI and other agencies began to process all of the victims, passengers, and criminals from the ship, I found a quiet spot in an office to make a phone call using Evan’s phone.
“Thank you so much for taking my call,” I told the Finnish Ambassador when he answered the phone.
“You’re welcome, Kassidy. You’ve been a loyal employee for a long time,” he responded. We were both speaking in Finnish, which I knew was his preferred language.
I explained everything to him, from meeting with Paradise Cruises to dating William and going on a cruise, to being kidnapped. Then, I asked if Finland could grant asylum to any of the trafficked crewmembers. He listened to me, and I had a good deal of hope when he said he’d call me back with an answer.
As the team leader and second-in-command, Nolan and Evan were helping coordinate the rescue, and had told Knox and Ally to guard us. Even still, Evan and Nolan were both coming to check on us as often as they could, which I appreciated. I was standing with Harper, Knox, and Ally, watching as people slowly exited the ships, when Evan walked towards me again. “You have a phone call,” he said, kissing me on the temple.
I smiled as I took the phone from him, grateful for his presence and his support.
“Hello?” I greeted whoever was on the other line.
“Hello, Kassidy. It’s me, Tuomo Partanen,” the Finnish Ambassador responded.
“Thank you for calling me back so quickly!” I answered him.
“You’re welcome, Kassidy. It didn’t take long for me to get an answer,” he said. “I have been given permission to grant asylum to 100 of the trafficked crewmembers. Someone from the embassy will be in Norfolk in the next few hours to interview the victims and select who will be given asylum.”
“Thank you so much!” I said. For once, I was making a difference.
“There is one other thing I need to speak with you about, though,” he said, his voice suddenly solemn.
“Oh, okay. What’s that?” I asked nervously.
“I have spoken with others here at the embassy, and back in Finland, about your situation. The actions you took while representing Finland were unprofessional and wrong. You crossed ethical boundaries with clients, if not legal ones. And while your heart was in the right place, you have lost the trust of the Finnish government. For those reasons, we must terminate your employment, effective immediately.”
“Oh, okay. Well, thank you for letting me know.” I was unsure what else to say. “Goodbye.”
I hung up the phone and handed it back to Evan, unsure how to feel.
“What’s wrong?” Evan asked. He and Harper were both looking at me with concern.
“They fired me.” A small part of me was stunned, but the rest of me was relieved, and had maybe even been expecting that outcome. I’d been planning on quitting soon, anyways.
“They can’t do that,” Evan said indignantly. “We’re going to get your job back, Kassidy. I don’t care if I have to talk to the President himself, or the Finnish president. You’ve saved thousands of lives, and they’re punishing you for it?”