Keeping Hope (Broken Girl Series)

by Rachael Tonks

  Pete pulls out his cell phone, dials, and hands it to me. I look at him confused and he winks.

  I hear the dial tone ring out.

  Then I hear his voice.

  My heart is in my throat; it beats so ferociously. Every part of my body tingles at the raw sound of his voice.

  “Pete, where the fuck are you? Did you lose us?”

  “CccCole,” I stutter, “its Kennedy. I’m with Pete.”

  “Kennedy, is that really you?” His voice now a different tone, mellow and quiet.

  I start to blubber into the phone as raw emotion washes over me. Pete is beside me in seconds, taking the phone out of my hands and pulling me into a hug.

  “Cole, its Pete.” There is a pause and I hear Cole mildly through the speaker. “Yeah, I know, man. Fucking unbelievable.”

  “Language,” I half laugh, knowing that he isn’t thinking about our younger guest.

  “Oh yeah. Sorry, Hope,” he apologizes. I look at her as she lets out a little huff.

  Pete winks at her and she giggles the sweetest giggle I’ve ever heard.

  “Hope is Kennedy’s little friend,” I hear Pete inform Cole. Pete releases me as he continues explaining to Cole where we are. He walks a short distance in front of me, pacing a little as he chats quietly with Cole.

  I watch him intently, his eyes flitting to me and away again.

  “Okay, guys, we are going to meet Cole and Chuck outside The Half Mile Motel. You both need to get cleaned up and fed by the looks of things. That okay with you, princess?” he addresses Hope.

  She sticks her finger in her mouth, smiling coyly at Pete. “Okay, mister, whatever you say.” She shoots him a tooth revealing smile.

  It surprises me just how good Pete is with Hope, and although quite reserved, I can tell Hope is sweet on Pete. He holds out his hand and Hope glances at me. I nod with approval. She takes his hand and he leads little Hope over to one of the bikes.

  “Okay, so hope you are going to ride with Archer.”

  “But I want to ride with you. I’d much rather ride with you,” she interrupts.

  “As much as I’d love that too, sweetie, I can’t drive a motorcycle, but you know what?”

  “What?”

  “I’ll be behind you the whole way, making sure you’re okay. And Andy,” – he throws a little nod to the guy he rode with – “he’s the best out of the bunch, but don’t tell the other guys I said that,” Pete whispers.

  Hope puts her scrunched up hands over here mouth and lets out a tiny laugh.

  It’s so good to see her smiling and laughing, just as all little girls should.

  Hope signals for Pete to move closer. He drops down onto one knee in front of her, tilting his head toward her as she speaks. “So, I’ll ride with this guy, Archer, as long as you promise to watch me and not leave me; okay?”

  “Of course I won’t leave you. I’m coming with, you silly billy.” He starts to tickle her before picking her up and placing her on the huge black bike. He places her hands on the bar in front. “This is where you need to hold on. Don’t let go, okay?”

  “I won’t,” she replies boldly.

  The big guy I’m left riding with passes me a helmet and pats to the rear of the seat. I jump on, barely being able to get my leg over the huge bike.

  “Okay there, blondie?” he asks gruffly.

  “Just about,” I puff out as I try to position myself precariously on the monster of a bike.

  I can’t deny I’m nervous. This is the first time I’ve ever been on a motorcycle. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen anything like this. I cling on as the bikes all noisily rev up. Turning my head, I check on Hope on the bike behind us. She gives me a huge grin and a thumbs up as we pull away from the side of the road.

  Cole

  I can’t stop my feet from moving. I’m pacing frantically like some nut job waiting for them to arrive. They found her. Never in a million years did I expect to find her. I hoped we would but I knew it was a long shot.

  “Sit the fuck down, boy. All of your pacing is making me feel queasy.”

  “Sorry, Chuck, I’m just anxious as fuck to see her. I can’t believe they found her, you know?

  “I’m happy for you, dude. Honestly, I am but seriously now, sit down!” he bellows.

  “I’m getting a snack and drink. You want something?

  “Nah, boy, I’m good”

  I walk over to the vending machine in the lounge area of the motel. The décor is dated and the whole place has probably seen better days. I dig in my pocket pulling out a few coins. I quickly get a Coke before heading to the machine next to it. I deposit a few coins and enter my selection, waiting for the damn chocolate bar to fall out. It teeters on the ledge, fueling my annoyance. I slam my fist against the damn machine, trying to get the contraption to release its hold.

  “Damn it,” I growl with frustration.

  “Cole!” I hear Chuck shout over.

  “Fucking thing’s jammed. Fuck! All I wanted was some sugar.”

  I feel a cold hand on my shoulder and I freeze on the spot. I whip my head to the side to check who it is.

  I release a breath when I notice it’s just Chuck.

  “Hey, let me sort that.” He stands in front of the machine. For an older guy, he’s totally ripped. He barges against the contraption holding my candy hostage with this shoulder. The thud of candy falling brings a smile to my face. Chuck laughs and bends down, picking up the chocolate bar, before handing it to me.

  “That’s how we do it, boy,” he laughs out.

  The unexpected flood of headlights breaks through the windows. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my sight.

  “They’re here,” I squawk. My voice trembles with excitement as well as fear. I have no idea what to expect. I hope that Ken is holding it together and the sick bastards didn’t hurt her or the baby. There is nothing scarier than the unknown, and right now, everything is unknown.

  I race out of the door like lightning, the drumming of my beating heart against my chest is deafening as I race to get to her.

  I run over to the motorcycles parked in the lot. My eyes search for the girl that holds part of my heart, my soul.

  I lock on to her as she dismounts.

  My running becomes small steps. She slowly removes her helmet. Her long hair flows freely as it cascades over her shoulders.

  I close the space between us until we are nearly touching. Holding out my shaking hand, I take her face in my palm. She leans into me as I run my thumb over her dry lips, noticing a deep cut below her lip.

  She winces as I get to close to it.

  “Did he do this?” I ask with a deep sense of anger. My voice is pained as the rage rises within me.

  She closes her eyes before I pull her in close, wrapping my arms around her frail body as tightly as I can without actually hurting her. I lift her off the ground until we are face to face. Our noses touch together lightly and our eyes meet. My heart races as I gently lean in to kiss her. All thoughts of losing her are swept aside as I stand here, holding her.

  Although barely touching, the spark between us is undeniable.

  I breathe heavily through the discomfort of my bruised ribs. Ken pulls her head back, studying my face.

  “Are you hurt, Cole? Did something happen to you?”

  “It’s nothing,” I huff out. Now wasn’t the time to talk about me, or the accident. Now was the time to make sure everything was okay with Kennedy.

  “Oh, Cole, thank you so much for coming to find me.”

  “How did you get out? Did they hurt you, baby? Please tell me they didn’t hurt you!”

  “It wasn’t like before, Cole. I was kept in isolation the whole time. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t pleasant, but the hardest part was the pain of being separated from you. It cut through me. Being torn away from you, not having you there, not being able to touch you or speak to you – that was the hardest part. You’re my good when times are bad, and all I could do was hold
on to the thoughts of you, of us.”

  I pull her head to my chest, kissing the top. “I love you so much, baby. You are safe here with me, I promise.”

  “The baby saved me, Cole.” She sniffles as the tears stream down her face. “He said while I was carrying his child he wouldn’t hurt me.” She pauses for a moment before wiping her face on the back of her sleeve. “We need to contact the police, Cole. They have to be caught before it’s too late.”

  “Don’t worry about a thing, baby. It’s all taken care of. I have spoken to mom and she’s been dealing with the police. I believe they are on the way to the commune to try and get that bastard,” I spit out.

  “But how, Cole? How did you know where I was, and who are these guys on motorcycles you’re with?” I could tell she was confused. We had so much to discuss. There are so many questions that she needs answers to.

  “This is Chuck and some guys from back home. He’s familiar with these parts. When they took you, we tailed you, but lost you.” I glance over to Pete, not quite wanting to discuss the accident, although I would have to before long. “Chuck and his friends know the area really well and offered to help us look for you. We started out from where we lost you before.”

  “His face is familiar, Cole, but I can’t quite place him,” I whisper.

  “He spent years searching for his daughter, Sara, who was abducted. He’d happened to visit the commune years ago. He knew the location. We put two and two together and realized that must have been where you escaped from when Pete called.” I take a deep breath. Trying to explain this is complicated. Kennedy begins to shiver. I wrap my arm around her tighter, holding her as closely as I can.

  “Come on. Let’s go inside.” I gesture to Ken and everyone else. “You’re shivering, baby.”

  Pete walks over, pulling me in for a man hug.

  “Man, I don’t know how to thank you for finding her.”

  “She’s too precious to lose.” He smiles back at me. “But in truth, she found us. I mean, what are the fucking chances.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Have you met my new best friend?” He points over his shoulder to a beautiful blonde haired girl standing just behind him.

  “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” I bend over, offering her my hand. She runs toward me, wrapping her tiny arms around my frame.

  “You came to save Kennedy. You’re like a knight in shiny armor,” she coos.

  We laugh out before Ken takes her hand and we head inside.

  “Cute little thing,” I whisper in Ken’s ear.

  “She saved me, Cole. If it wasn’t for this little angel, I’d still be locked up. She’s so brave. So incredibly brave,” she states.

  The little girl tugs gently on Kennedy’s hand. I look down to see her smiling lovingly at me.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?” asks Ken.

  “Can we get something to eat?”

  “Of course we can,” I answer quickly.

  “Really?” she asks, a sound of disbelief to her voice.

  “Whatever you want to order it’s yours,” Pete joins in. “Want a piggy back?” he offers, bending down beside her. She jumps on. Buzzing with excitement, they run ahead and into the motel. I look around and see we are the last ones outside. I stop just inside the entrance, taking Ken’s hand in mine.

  “Fuck, I’m so glad we found you, Ken. I can’t imagine what I would have done if we hadn’t. The odds were against us, but despite that, here we are.”

  “Don’t say that. I’m here. We are together and I will never be parted from you again. Hopefully the police have that sick piece of shit locked up by now!”

  I look at her. There’s a fire in her; a determination in her words as she talks about him being locked away.

  “Mom can’t wait to see you. Her and dad have worked tirelessly with the police and other agencies searching for you.” I touch her tiny bump, running my hand gently across. “I’m so glad the both of you are okay.”

  “Your dad? Really?” she questions, shock lacing her tone. Even Kennedy knew my dad isn’t her biggest fan. “I don’t even know what to say. I never thought I would be back with you. I love you.”

  “I love you, Kennedy. I can’t imagine my life without you and the baby. I have been out of my mind since they took you. It’s been total hell not knowing where you were or if you were even alive.”

  Ken’s eyes fill with tears. I run my finger under her eyes, wiping away the tears.

  “Promise me he didn’t hurt you.”

  “I promise.” She smiles sadly. “Let’s get inside before Hope wonders where we are. She hasn’t had it easy.”

  “You’re so good with her, Ken. You will be a fantastic mommy to this little princess.” I point to her growing belly.

  She lifts on to her tiptoes and kisses my forehead lovingly.

  “I smell so bad,” she giggles. “I really need to get cleaned up.”

  “I didn’t want to say anything, but you’re right,” I chuckle.

  “Hey, no fair,” she sulks her lip, curling it downward as she tries to accentuate her sadness.

  “We all have rooms here. I thought it was best. It’s getting real late and I knew you would be tired. The police will be along to speak to you and then we will head home tomorrow. Mom is sending a car for us. It’s a long trip. You need your rest.”

  Kennedy

  As we walk through the motel, Hope clings to my side. I turn my head to see paramedics and a few police officers walking toward us. Hope buries her head into my side and I know she’s scared.

  “It’s okay, honey. They’re here to make sure we’re okay. To check that we’re not hurt.” I feel her head nod against my side, but she doesn’t release her hold on me

  The police grab some quick information from me before advising they will be back later to take further statements. I know they are shocked by the magnitude of what has happened. I got the impression they aren’t exactly equipped to deal with this.

  We spend the next thirty minutes getting checked over by the paramedics. I stay with Hope. I know she can’t bear to be parted from me. They quickly dress my wounds and check the baby’s heartbeat. I’m assured that both my baby and Hope are safe; neither one of them harmed in anyway.

  As soon as the medics are done, we head up to our room. I’m desperate to get cleaned up and rid myself of the stench that reminds me of being at the commune.

  The warm water cascading over my weak body feels heavenly. I lift my head under the direct spray of the water. I hear Hope and Cole singing loudly in the bedroom. Although she’s a happy little soul, she has been through so much. I can’t blame her for clinging on to me for dear life. I shut off the shower, grab the towel from the rail, and head toward the mirror. The dark circles are extreme but I don’t care. I’m safe, alive, and in one piece; well at least my body is. My mind won’t rest until I know Christopher is locked away for good.

  A loud knock on the bathroom door causes me to jump.

  “I have something for you, baby.” I relax at the sound of Cole’s voice. I wrap the towel around my body and open the door slightly.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?” I ask, raising my eyebrows suggestively. He groans in response.

  “Baby, don’t. I can barely hold it together here,” he speaks breathlessly.

  I look at him with heavy eyes, knowing exactly how difficult he’s finding all of this.

  “Take this,” he offers, handing me a bag.

  “What is it?” I quiz.

  “The owner of the motel has given us some clothes for you. She said that her daughter is about your size. She even gave us some things for Hope,” he says sprightly.

  “Oh, that’s so kind.” I take the bag and start to close the door. “I will be out in a second.”

  I rifle through the huge bag of clothes and toiletries. This is too kind. There’s everything from pants to face cream. I pull out underwear, a top, and pants. Everything fits lovely apart from the bottoms.

  My bump is prominent
and stops me from fastening the top button. I loop a hair tie through the hole and over the button. It works perfect.

  I take the comb and walk out of the bathroom to see Hope dancing around and Cole sitting crossed leg on the end of the bed.

  “Oh, baby, you look tons better.” He holds out his hand.

  I take his in mine and we intertwine our fingers. His thumb runs over the back of my hand. My body tingles in response to his delicate touch. I run my other hand through his longer than normal shaggy hair.

  Hope stops dancing and singing when I glance at her. She looks at me strangely. I look at Cole and he eyes me curiously.

  “So, Hope, you going to get cleaned up so we can get something to eat, sweetie? It’s super late and a little girl as beautiful as you needs her beauty sleep.”

  “If I’m already beautiful then I don’t need beauty sleep, silly,” she answers sarcastically.

  I chuckle lightly as I jump down off the bed and guide her to the bathroom.

  “It’s been a long day, sweetie. We must get sleep tonight. Go clean up really quick so we can get some food. Here are some clothes to change into.” I pass her a small bag full of clean things.

  “O-kay…” she says sullenly, pouting on her walk into the bathroom, clinging onto the bag as she closes the door.

  I sit down beside Cole, resting my head on his shoulder.

  “What are we going to do about Hope?” Cole inquires.

  “I guess CPS will take her. I’m not sure if she has any family. By the sound of things, her mom isn’t around any longer. I wish we could do something to help her, Cole.”

  “I know, baby. Me too. Maybe when we’ve sorted out our own home she can come stay with us.”

  “Really? You’d do that for me?” I remark.

  “Of course. She’s a super sweet little girl and you two clearly have a deep connection.”

  “What did I ever do to deserve you?” I ask, cupping his face lovingly, losing myself in the deep blue heaven of his eyes. I feel the passion flow through me as our contact heats up. He wraps his strong arms around me. Pulling me onto his lap, we fall back on the bed as I kiss him deeply, exploring his mouth. Heat and desire pour from me, slowly unfolding me as I lose myself in him. I’m controlled by him in this moment. I am his, and he is my everything.