Chapter 410: Found

Being offered something to wear from several different women, Mina saw no need to be fussy, and she chose one of the simplest dresses and shoes that was placed before her. Seeing some of the models look dejected, Mina made sure to acknowledge the fact that all the items were beautiful, and she praised the women for their sense of fashion. She then asked if she could reimburse the woman who let her borrow the dress, and was met with a sly smile.

"Cover a classic song with me and I'll call us even," the woman said. Mina did not waste time in agreeing, and without delay the women chose a song.

Mina was unaware of the significance of her actions. All she knew was that someone had given her something to wear, and she did not want to owe the woman a favor going forward. Although she had, on many occasions, cast her pride aside, Mina kept a mental list of all the things she owed people. The list was short, but she intended to pay those people back fully before she ran away. The only person Mina would not give a dime to was President Lee, because she believed that he owed her more than money.

Mina was at first confused as to how she and the woman were going to record a cover song. In a log cabin with no recording equipment, it seemed unachievable, but as expected from those in the entertainment field, Jenny, the woman who lent Mina a dress, had packed microphones and a phone stand with her. She set up a small recording area in front of the fireplace, which Mina had to admit was a beautiful backdrop.

Silence befell on the women who had begun to cling to Mina and her friends. There were many women who had shown up to Connors party, but there were only seven who followed the trio around. Of that seven only one was a singer, so no one tried to sabotage the makeshift recording set. They quietly watched and listened, only making noise when they clapped at the end of the impromptu performance.

"My social media is going to go crazy for this," Jenny said. She was not from Rouge Entertainment, and her label had been neglecting her, choosing to give better songs to more seasoned singers, despite the fact that her voice was just as good, and in some cases better. The woman guessed that attaching herself to Mina would gain her a boost in followers, and in turn, increase her worth to her recording label.

"I don't understand, can you explain it to me?" Mina asked. She was not so prideful that she could not ask questions, and she had learned from Willow years before that anytime she was confused, she should address it directly and not allow her mind to wander.

"I keep forgetting you are new to this industry. You are a trending topic right now, and with all the recent hype, you are technically more famous than I am." Mina made a noise of understanding.

"So, you plan to take advantage of my fame while I am still relevant." Mina nodded slowly, but the woman beside her had turned pale.

"I didn't mean it like that," Jenny said, looking as though Mina had put her on the spot. Olivia and Willow laughed at her reaction.

"Don't mind her. She is very literal at times," Willow said.

"What did I do?" Mina asked curiously.

"You just accused Jenny of exploitation." Mina made a confused face.

"No, exploitation is the action of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work. The arrangement between Jenny and I is mutually beneficial."

"See," Olivia added. "Literal." Jenny closed her eyes with a sigh, the last thing she needed was to get on the bad side of CEO Rue, who despite having a girlfriend, seemed to treat Mina as more than an employee.

----

"Just shut up and push the damn wheelchair," Dom whisper shouted. He and Rebecca were sneaking into a place where a source told him a much sought-after person could be found. Dom had not expected his boss to let him off, but he did, and he wanted to use the second chance to keep Mina safe at all costs.

"I can multitask. You must have gotten used to women who don't possess the skill." Rebecca had been shadowing Dom, trying to prove she was better than Mina, but so far all they had done was argue.

"First of all, Mina is smarter than you, and she would know not to make noise while trying to be covert." Rebecca scowled at the back of Dom's head.

"I don't understand why we have to sneak in in the first place. I could have flushed them out back by accosting them from the front."

"Right, and the man in the wheelchair in the back would have been a great deterrence." Rebecca shrugged. She obviously thought the man more capable than he thought himself.

"No one asked you to go chasing after ghosts."

"And no one asked you to follow me around, yet here we are." Rebecca narrowed her eyes.

"Mina wouldn't even have been able to keep up with you," she said as a final jab, and she was surprised when Dom agreed.

"Mina is a passive person. Someone could shoot her, and she would forgive them as long as she believed they were sorry."

"Really?" Rebecca asked, not expecting Dom to say anything bad about the woman. He nodded, remembering his first encounter with Mina and the pained expression on her face after being tackled by Miss Lisa. It was shortly after that incident when Dom realized that most of Mina's smiles were not because she was happy, it was because she did not want anyone else to worry.

The sound of laughter could be heard coming from one of the rooms, and Rebecca pushed Dom to the side and readied her weapon. She was a doctor, but she knew how to take a life if needed. Rebecca adjusted her clothing to appear sexually appealing and walked into the room with her hands up. The men inside shot to their feet, but only two of them had drawn weapons.

"Wow, all three of you didn't have to stand. I was sent here for you, and can you two please put away your weapons? It's bothering me." As soon as one of the men lowered his gun, Rebecca acted.

With Rebecca's dialogue, Dom had the information he needed and when he heard the whistle of her pistol, he maneuvered himself to the door of the room to lend his support.

Of the incapacitated men, only one looked as though he had seen a ghost, and Dom recognized him at once. The bodies of the dead abductors had been destroyed before President Lee could get photos of them, so Dom was unable to identify the men as the same ones who had pulled Mina off the street.

If Mina had not told him that there was a fifth person waiting at the warehouse where she was kept, Dom would have believed that all four men had been dealt with. His boss had even believed it to be true, and had not investigated the matter on his own because he felt that Mina may have been mistaken. She was the only one who said there were five people, and even Lisa, who would have had more to gain by catching the extra man said she had only counted four.

It was only Dom who believed Mina, trusting that the woman had not been beaten into delirium, but rather she was more alert than what was thought, and someone had made a mistake. Now he had proof huddled on the ground before him.

Dom did not know why, but his mind had told him that it was the illusive fifth person who had gotten away, but it was not. The man who cowered before him while his friends held their bleeding hands, still at gunpoint, was one of the men who had picked Mina up and threw her into the van that haunted Dom's dreams; he was sure of it.