The Worst Best Case

Worst Best Case

Paige

Lauren, Sera, and I sat in a wide circle around Cat on the bed we’d more or less assigned her. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest and wouldn’t look at any of us.

“We’re not just a shelter,” I said quietly.

Lauren and Sera both looked at me sharply. I ignored them.

“We also rescue women in bad situations. And if you were in one of those, especially one where you were maybe being moved from place to place, we need to know so we can save other women, ones who didn’t have a chance to run away.”

“I didn’t have a chance. I made one,” Cat hissed. But she peered at me through her lashes. “Is that true?”

Sera nodded. “My fiancé and I help.”

Cat looked at Lauren, who shrugged. “I’m just a therapist they picked up to help with the aftermath.” She smiled at me.

“They held me in a dog crate,” Cat blurted.

My heart skipped a beat. I’d known, deep down, that she’d been trafficked, but part of me still worried until she said that.

“Not just me,” she continued. “A lot of…o