Ginger opened her eyes and met Sam’s gaze. “I’ve been going back and forth between the house and the motel for three years.”

Sam had to fight to hide her shock and dismay from the girl who needed her help, not her pity. “How old are you, Ginger?”

“I think I’m sixteen, but I don’t remember anymore.”

“We’re going to help you figure it out. I promise.”

Freddie went to a map on the wall and used a highlighter to pinpoint the location of the house.

“Call it in to Vice and SVU,” Sam told him.

“Call what into SVU?” Sergeant Ramsey asked as he came into the room.

Both girls visibly shriveled at the sight of the big strapping man.

Sam got up and gestured for him to leave the room. She followed, closing the door behind her. “We’ve got a situation that we’ll need your assistance with.” She told him what they knew so far about the goings-on at the hotel and the house Ginger had led them to, despite being blindfolded on every trip.

Ramsey shook his head. “Fucking animals.”

“No offense intended, but can you send one of your female officers down here to help with Ginger and Amber?” Sam had gotten the vibe in the past that Ramsey didn’t like her, so she chose her words carefully. “As you can tell, they’re uncomfortable around men.”

“Absolutely. And I’ll get my team over to the house to round up the rest of the kids.”

“We’re going to make a lot of parents very happy today.” Sam couldn’t think about what it might be like to not know where Scotty was for even a day, let alone years.

“They’ll be happy until they realize the kid they’re getting back bears no resemblance whatsoever to the kid they lost,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll take care of it.”

Ramsey walked away, and Sam went back in with the girls.

Freddie went out to meet the pizza guy and returned with the food, which the girls dove into like they were starving.

Sam could barely eat because she was so revolted by what she’d stumbled upon at the run-down motel, but she made an attempt to try to maintain some normalcy for the sake of the girls.

“Not hungry?” Freddie asked.

“Not anymore.”

“I know. Me either.”

Watching the girlish delight Ginger and Amber exhibited over the pizza gave Sam hope that maybe they weren’t beyond a chance at a normal life. Even though she was pressed for time and dying to help Hill dig into Darren’s lead, she forced herself to go slowly and to treat the girls with the kid gloves they deserved.

Ginger finished a second piece of pizza and washed it down with a long swallow of cola that she seemed to relish. “I’ve missed soda.”