There were only a few patrons sitting inside. They grabbed a booth and she headed to the bathroom. The restaurant was a lot larger and nicer inside. When she finished, she headed back out to the main dining area.
Voices she recognized reached her before she turned the corner. Belinda stopped and listened, refusing to believe her ears.
“I’ve been doing okay, Uncle Robert. How’s Lorie?”
Belinda’s brows rose. Trinity was her ex-boyfriend’s niece? Why didn’t she know that? Had Robert known who she was all along? Were they playing some type of game? She flattened against the wall and inched closer to the opening.
“She’s good. Up for another promotion, she thinks she has a good shot. At least she won’t be dealing with criminals any more. I never liked that job for her.”
“I thought she worked with juveniles.”
“She does, but they're just underaged criminals.” He paused. “Well some of them. She's been able to turn some of them around. Now tell me why we had to meet way out here?”
“I live out this way, it was easier for me.”
“Trinity are you still working for that church?”
“Uncle Robert, I'm not going to discuss my faith with you. We don’t agree, so let’s leave it at that.”
Church my ass, it’s a damn cult.
“Okay, okay. So what do you need? You called me and asked me to meet you, so I know you need something.”
Belinda had to give him credit, he wasn’t stupid.
“I’m leaving town and need some money for the trip. Not a lot,” she said fast. Belinda could imagine Robert’s stern expression at the request.
“You moving again? Why does that group keep moving? You’re not into anything illegal are you?”
“No.” The forcefulness of her answer made Belinda think the opposite. “We are merely doing God’s will in the midst of hell. I know—”
“Spare me the fire and brimstone fanaticism. I’ve heard it before from your mom. If she wasn’t my sister I would’ve told her what I think of that super religious group she was a part of years ago. You people think you're better than everyone else just because you live apart.”
“You don’t understand. We don’t think we are better, God thinks we are better, and that makes the difference.”
“Yeah, right.”
There were some slight noises, some from behind her and others from the table. Belinda glanced over her shoulder at Donald and placed her finger to her mouth. He nodded and remained still.
“Here, I hope this will help. Consider it our parting gift. Please don’t call me anymore Trinity. If God thinks you're so much better than me, why are you asking me for money? I don’t have time for this.”
Belinda covered her mouth as she imagined the pinched look on her former friend’s face. Trinity hated when anyone confronted her about her actions.
“Okay, if that is what you want Uncle, but I will continue to pray for you.”
There was a scraping sound that made Belinda think they were standing. She glanced behind her and saw Blaine standing next to Donald against the wall.
“Your prayers are wasted on me, niece. I serve God and He doesn’t know you. Pray for yourself and those misguided teens you use at those farms.” He paused.
Belinda’s breath caught. Donald grabbed her hand, keeping her in place. She hadn’t even realized she had moved toward that sanctimonious bitch. Bells clanged in her head as her heart raced. In that second she knew with certainty Adam had been in contact with Trinity.
Robert’s scratchy chuckle pierced the red haze that threatened to cripple her. “You thought I didn’t know about the ranch and the people who work there? Lorie told me you asked her for referrals and got mad when she refused. Not that it would have mattered to you that her doing that would’ve cost her that job. You just wanted the names so you could harvest them for free labor.”
“That’s where you're wrong. We help them. They attend Bible study and learn of God’s ways. There’s nothing wrong with them farming to grow the food they eat, or milking the cows for drink. They will become strong men and women of God who will lead His mighty army at the right time.”
Belinda closed her eyes as a feeling of despair swamped her. Adam had always been weak and partial to this type of evangelical rant. He always wanted to make a difference in the world and Trinity had babysat her sons often enough to know which buttons to push. If anyone could convince Adam it was okay to lie to his mother, Trinity, who he once called Aunty, could.
“Lindy…Lindy, they’re gone,” Blaine said, tapping her shoulder. “Donald went to take down their tag numbers in case we need them later.”
He turned her to face him and when she met his concerned gaze, everything slammed into her at once. Her son probably left on what he believed was his life’s calling. Her father was dying. Her mother never forgave her for getting pregnant and never saw her twin grandsons. She had lost the two men she loved with everything inside her young heart only to discover they had never stopped loving her. Tears flowed from her eyes but she was too upset to speak. He pulled her into his arms. His strong warm hands pressed her closer as they rubbed her back.
Neither of them spoke.
Moments later she felt a hand stroking her hair as she continued to cry. “Let’s get her something to drink,” Donald said from behind her. Blindly, she reached for him and pulled him closer. He stood behind her, soothing her while Blaine held her tight. She stood sandwiched between the two people who understood her pain in the hall of the restaurant, oblivious to the few patrons passing them by.
When she was done, Donald handed her a napkin and they walked into the main section and sat at a large round booth. The men sat on each side of her, cocooning her in. The waiter appeared as soon as Belinda got comfortable, offering a wary smile.
“What can I get for you folks?”
“I’ll have a glass of water with lemon,” she said, picking up her menu. Her appetite had left in the same vehicle as Trinity, but she’d be damned if she allowed the hateful woman that victory. “I’ll have the club sandwich please,” she said after the men ordered their steaks.
“I’ll put that order in for you.” The woman left with a small smile, no doubt counting her tips based on the price of those steaks.
When they were alone, Donald took her hand in his as he spoke. “I got the license plate numbers, but the guy is the same one from the restaurant that day we met the boys for the first time.”
“Yeah, that was Robert, I used to date him. We broke up that day.”
Blaine placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed hard. Surprised, she met his piercing gaze. “I’m glad you broke up with him. I didn’t appreciate how he accused my son that day. I almost decked him.”
She remembered with perfect clarity how she had stepped in to avoid a confrontation.
“Who was the woman? I mean, she was his niece, I heard that, but why were you listening to their conversation?” Donald asked.
She didn’t know where to begin.
“Lindy?” he squeezed her thigh.
She exhaled. “That was Trinity Jacobs. We went to the same church in Georgia and became close friends.” She explained the relationship as well as the fight that kept them from speaking to each other. “Last I heard she was in Florida, I didn’t know she was in Michigan.”
“Could Adam have called her, asked her to come?” Donald asked.
Belinda shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. She was close to the boys until she started leaving nasty messages calling me names. That’s when they started referring to her as crazy Trinity.”
“The little I heard of the conversation, she sounds a bit unbalanced,” Blaine said.
Belinda snorted as she remembered some of the emails and letters Trinity had sent her. “A lot unbalanced, but she plays the game well. If she talked to Adam, and I think she did, she could’ve convinced him to join her group. He was my godmother's favorite, she called him 'her little preacher' and I think in some
ways he still tries to live up to that.”
“I can see that,” Blaine said slowly with a slight frown. “If he told her about us, then she could’ve used all kinds of Bible stuff to get him in line. He waffled a lot. Some days he would be happy to see me and we would talk, get some stuff done. Others, he acted as if I was invisible and refused to interact with me. If he was talking to her, he would be confused,” Blaine said, meeting her gaze and then glancing at his brother.
“Damn, I hate when people try and get all up in my business like that,” Donald said with feeling.
“We have to track her down and get Adam. As much as he loves working with his hands, he is miserable if he has to do it for hours every day. He’s just a kid,” Belinda said, laying her head on Blaine’s shoulder while placing her hand on top of Donald’s to keep him in place.
“We’ll find him. Now that we have more to go on, we’ll get him,” Donald said, rubbing her thigh.
“But…” Wide-eyed, she sat up as the tail end of Trinity’s conversation reverberated through her. She met Donald’s startled gaze. “She’s moving.”
Donald pulled out his cell and placed a call. “Veronique, we found something. I need an address to go with this tag please.” He paused. “Yes, hurry.”
“We stay in the area until we find this ranch and go get our boy,” Blaine said, his voice hard. “She’s not taking him anywhere.”
Hearing the conviction in his voice soothed her. Beneath the table she held both of their hands in hers and prayed he was right. Their food had just been delivered when Donald received the name and address from Veronique. But there was more.
“Dammit,” Donald said as he disconnected.
“What? The car is registered out of state?” Belinda asked, wondering what caused his outburst.
“No, it’s in this county, hopefully the GPS will pick it up.” He looked over her head at his twin and then returned his gaze to hers. “My dad and Uncle Nate arrived this morning after we left. He tried to talk to Abe while he was at Red’s. But Abe got up and left. Mom and dad got into it again and mom had Red drive her to your house so she could stay with Abe until we got back.”
At the mention of their father she stopped eating and looked at him. “I do not want to meet or talk to him. If that is a problem, let me know now and I will find a ride back home.”
“You don’t have to meet anyone you don’t want to. Neither of us has talked to him since we discovered what he did. Mom left him and the other kids barely speak to him. He did this to himself. You don’t owe him or anyone else anything,” Blaine said, stroking her hand.
Appetite gone, she pushed the greasy fries around her plate as she pushed thoughts of the elder O’Connor from her mind. His whole family was angry with him, which had to suck. But it was his own fault.
“You ready?” Donald asked. She looked down and they had both finished their meals while she had half a sandwich and a plate full of fries left. Placing her fork on the table, she nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
After typing in the address, they did a u-turn and drove in the direction they had just come from. When they turned down the dusty road leading to a loosely chained gate, she realized the anonymous tip hadn’t been that far off. This place matched the description of the house they’d originally gone to and they were only a few miles apart. Blaine got out and removed the chain so Donald could drive through. The large two-storied house was a good distance from the gate, possibly to discourage running away.
When she slid out from the backseat, the front door opened. A tall Latino-looking male stepped out on the porch wearing a welcoming smile and wiping his hands on a dishcloth.
She didn’t return his smile.
“Hola and welcome, how are you today?” he asked, ushering them onto the porch.
“Hello, I’m Blaine O’Connor, and this is Belinda, and my brother Donald. I’m here for my son, Adam. If you’d kindly bring him out here, we’ll be on our way.”
Their host’s smile slipped when Blaine asked for Adam. “Adam? Adam O’Connor?”
“No, Adam Moore. I believe Trinity brought him in,” Blaine said with authority.
“Trinity? You know Trinity?” The smile grew bigger as if her name was a passcode or something.
“Right now, I’d like my son. Adam.” Blaine crossed his arms and stared at the man.
“Today is just my second day working here. I don’t know if there is an Adam at this ranch, he may be at the other one. We have so many youth who come to us for help, we expanded the good work.”
Blaine nodded. “May I ask what your name is?”
Their host’s smile dipped. “Yes, I am Louis Gonzalez.”
“Are you the manager here?”
“No, no, I am the new assistant.” He shook his head a few times. “Miss Trinity manages both ranches. She heads the ministry that owns the ranches.”
“What do the young people do here?” Blaine asked.
“We teach them to farm,” he said proudly, his accent pronounced.
Belinda waited for him to say more. He didn’t.
“Farm? Is that it?” Blaine asked.
“Well, there is some auto mechanics at the other ranch, but mostly farming. Then they have chores around the house and Bible study.” The way he talked, Belinda knew Trinity hadn’t given up her evangelistic zeal.
“Bible study?” Blaine asked.
“Ms. Trinity teaches them, I am not involved in that. I am preparing dinner, would you care to come in? I'll check to see if there is an Adam on the list of names.” Louis stepped back so they could enter.
Tasty aromas of meat and vegetables filled the air. Surprised at the clean, spacious house, Belinda walked through the lower rooms, checking the bathroom, kitchen, and recreation room. It wasn’t a bad looking place.
“There are five bedrooms and three baths upstairs. There are two with no more than three to a room. One of the bedrooms is for me. I live on the premises as well. Right now there are nine teens living here, they are in the fields. I need to check on dinner, please sit, sit.”
Belinda took a seat near a window so she could look out, while the twins sat closer to Louis. Oblivious to the background chatter, she searched the horizon for Adam, hoping against the odds that he would be one of the youths returning shortly to eat. After what could have been ten or twenty minutes, she saw movement out the window and straightened in her seat.
“They’re coming,” she said, straining to see if Adam was in the group. As they came closer, she counted nine heads. Disappointment swirled inside her the closer the group got and she realized her son was not amongst the teens. “We need the address of the other ranch.”
“We have it,” Blaine said from behind her.
She nodded. It hurt to breathe. The teens chatted in a low voice as they entered the house. Louis stopped them and made the introductions. Surprised by his openness, Belinda pasted on a smile and greeted the teenagers.
“Nice to meet you.” She glanced at Louis, who was talking quietly to a young girl. “I’m looking for my son Adam. He’s stands a little over six feet, with hair kind of like that.” She pointed toward Blaine’s head. We thought he came here.” She pulled out the picture she had and showed it to them.
“No, I haven’t seen him,” one skinny boy said with a face full of acne. The others nodded and glanced in Louis’ direction.
“Go ahead and wash up for dinner. It’s about done guys.”
They all watched the teens tramp upstairs in a trail of chatter. As much as Belinda hated to admit it, this place seemed on the up and up. The kids appeared to be okay. Louis seemed open, but then again it was just his second day on the job.
“Thanks man, we appreciate your help and if my son comes through here, give me a call.” Blaine handed Louis a card.
“Will do, and I’ll be praying for him as well.” Louis nodded at her and shook the twins' hands. After taking another quick look around, Belinda left the house and headed for the car with the twins behind her.
No one spoke.
Blaine turned and veered toward the side of the building. Belinda and Donnie followed. When they reached him, they stared at the rows of earth and growing crops in the fields. “They really are farming,” Donnie murmured.
“Yeah, looks like it,” Blaine said.
Belinda moved closer to the rail fence and placed her foot on the lower rail. “I can see Adam doing this.”
“Really?” Blaine asked, sounding skeptical.
“Yeah, throw in the religion.” She nodded imagining her son in the fields, placing seeds in the ground, watering them, and then harvesting crops. “He would go for it.”
“So why didn’t he tell you?” Donnie asked.
“Because I wouldn’t go for it. He has to finish school and then he can make these kinds of choices, but not yet. He’s too young.” She pushed off the rail and headed for the car. One of the kids she had seen earlier was heading back into the house. Thinking he had been looking for them she started to call out to him when the roar of an engine followed by a plume of dust came toward them.
As she moved closer to their car, Donnie and Blaine flanked her. The light blue van stopped right behind their car. Belinda suspected it was Trinity but was unable to make out the driver from where she stood. After a few minutes, the van door opened and Trinity stepped out.
Not the Trinity Belinda remembered from Florida. That Trinity wore long, baggy dresses that hid her curvy figure. That Trinity never pressed her hair, preferring to be natural as the Lord had created her. That Trinity’s face was bare of any enhancements. The Trinity who strutted towards them wore a sophisticated, body-hugging gray pantsuit, heels, with hair long and straight with bangs. Tasteful jewelry accented her outfit. But the real kicker was the level of confidence this Trinity wore. It oozed off her as she came to a stop in front of them.
“Belinda, how are you? It’s been a while, what are you doing here?” Trinity’s practiced smile fell short of the welcome mark, making Belinda feel nothing other than annoyance.
“Where’s Adam?”
Trinity’s perfectly arched brow rose. “Adam? Your Adam? You lost Adam?”
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