Several minutes later found the four girls back in the woods, the wooden hatch closed behind them and the lantern back in its home. Gia glanced at the keys in her hand before arching her arm back and throwing the metal keys as close to the house as she could, making it look like Mister Fingers had simply dropped the keys during his drunken excursion.
Gia turned back towards Grace, holding her arms back out for another turn with Simona. Grace nodded and took a step forward arching her side and ducking down slightly so that Gia would have an easier time getting the girl. The brunette smiled as she slipped an arm under Simona’s back and sliding the girl’s arm around the back of Gia’s neck before holding her bridal style once again, the trembling body secure in her arms.
“Ready?” Gia whispered, watching the girls’ expressions in the moonlight. Grace and Ella nodded.
Gia led the girls back down the pathway, squinting her eyes as she struggled to see in the streaky moonlight seeping through the trees. She could feel one of the girls’ hands wrapped around her shoulder as they tried to stay close, as per Gia’s orders. The brunette was thankful, too. She did not want to have to get out of the woods onto to find out that it was Simona and she once again.
Gia kept her hearing sharp as she walked, listening carefully for the sound of her sisters turning in for the night. Granted, it was still early yet. She had left the Matthers’ house for the first time near one in the morning, and she did not think that it had taken her more than two and a half hours total for her journey. Her sisters would not be returning until a few moments before sunrise, and that was several hours off yet. Still, Gia remained on her guard in case someone decided that Mister Fingers would not notice the lack of money coming in during the last few hours of the shift.
Gia turned as they reached the end of the path, going to her right instead of forward so that the girls emerged at the edge of the city, as opposed to inside the park like she had done earlier. This way was closer to the house, and would allow Gia to travel a further distance before moving into open light. She hoped that the group would be able to remain in the shadows. However, Gia’s hope was squashed when she heard a deep voice call out, “Georgiana Fletcher!”
Gia’s heart began to race, the rushing of her blood echoing in her ears as fear filled her being as she made out her name. She struggled to breathe, images filling her head of everything that Leander would do to her and the girls if he caught her. True, the voice was not of Leander’s, but what if it was one of his men? He would report to Leander and then the man would kill them, she was sure, but she could hardly imagine how he would actually do it, as his methods changed to suit his current fancy. Would he kill them on the spot? Would he torture them, killing them slowly? Would Gia be forced to kill the other three before being tortured herself?
She shuddered at the thought of all the pain that could potentially be inflicted on her. And the girls! If they were caught, it would be all her fault. She would gladly take on death for herself if it meant that these girls could be spared, but she knew that Leander would not function like that. Grace, Ella, and Simona would be put through more pain, and it would be all on her. The horrors that they experienced in the dungeon would seem like a scratch compared to the hell that they would face in Leander’s furious rage.
The silhouette of a man appeared beneath the street lamp, his features obscured by the terrified tears swimming in Gia’s eyes. “If I tell you to run, run,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to the girls. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder in response. Gia took a deep breath before standing her ground, tightening her grip on Simona and preparing herself to flee.
However, once the man grew closer, Gia could see that it was not an evil man. It was Solomon! She turned back to the girls and smiled before scurrying as quickly as she could to the approaching horse. Gia could see Solomon turn and call out to three other men to come over before stopping in front of Gia and jumping off his horse, holding his arms out for Simona, tears of joy beginning to run down his cheeks at the sight of his future sister-in-law being found. Gia handed him the girl.
After a moment, the other men galloped their horses to a stop next the Gia and the girls. Solomon handed one of the men Simona, instructing him as to where to take the brunette child. Gia glanced at one of the men. “Please, take my sisters with you,” she pleaded, grabbing Grace and Ella’s hands and pulling them so the girls were standing in front of her. The men looked to Solomon for a confirmation. The sandy-haired man nodded, and soon, Grace and Ella were safely making their way back to the Matthers’ house as well.
Exhaustion and weariness finally caught up with Gia, and she fell to the ground, a sob escaping her throat as she pressed her hands against her eyes. She had done it! She had broken into Leander’s lair and saved three girls from a lifetime of abuse and copulation. True, she had lost the only two friends that she had outside of the ring, and Solomon and Lucie both likely hated her, but she had saved three girls! She had done what she had set out to do, even though her reasons for wanting Simona home had changed. She began to tremble, her emotions completely overwhelming her as everything hit her at once.
Gia jumped when she felt herself pulled by a strong pair of arms into a strong chest, teardrops falling against the top of her head as Solomon rocked her. “Thank you,” he cried, his voice thick with emotion. Gia nodded against his chest.
“How did you find us?” she choked out, hesitating a moment before wrapping her arms around Solomon in a hug, fully expecting to be pushed away. However, rather than the rejection that Gia expected, Solomon hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head lightly as he rocked her again.
Solomon said nothing for a moment before quietly admitting, “I talked to that girl in the park. Abigayle. I had planned to go to the police, but I changed my mind along the way. I decided instead to alert an officer that I know personally about my suspicions, and he grabbed two of his best men to come along with me to come and arrest you.” Gia stiffened his Solomon’s arms before she tried to pull away. Solomon held her tightly, shushing her. “Hey, it is all right. You are safe. Abigayle told us that you spoke to her to make sure that Simona was safe, not to harm her or Lucie.”
Gia scoffed. “You believed her? I thought we were just ‘toffers’ and ‘toms.” She pulled back to look him in the eye. She sniffed pathetically as the teas began to dry in salty streams on her cheeks.
Solomon cleared his throat uncomfortably, looking away. “It would appear that I was a bit hasty in my accusations. When I went to speak to Nate, he set me straight. ‘My Abbey is not a bad person,’ he assured me. ‘She would never do what you are accusing her of having done.’” He shook his head. “Nate told me afterward that he has been trying for months to bring down that man’s ring, and that he plans on wedding Abigayle the moment he is able to free her.”
He tilted his head back, looking Gia in the eyes once more. “Gia, you can stop the ring. Nate has done as much as he can without risking Abigayle’s life, but he needs more information. You can tell him where to go and exactly what you have seen.” He kissed the top of her head again. “You risked your life to save those three girls, won’t you do it once again to tell Nate everything that it is that he needs to know and save the rest?”
Gia thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yes, Solomon. I will tell all I know.” She slumped against him. “Must we go right now, though? I would like to make sure that Grace and Ella made it back all right before I go with you to go and speak to Nate.”
Solomon nodded. “Of course.” He gently shifted, moving Gia off his lap onto the ground before standing and pulling her up with him. He took her hand, leading her to the horse. “Let’s go back to the house.”
14
Solomon dismounted the horse ten minutes later before helping Gia down. “Thank you again,” he whispered, smiling at her. Gia smiled back before Solomon turned and began to walk towards the house. He stopped at the doorway and turned back around, looking at the girl. “Are you
coming?”
Gia nodded. “I will come inside in a minute. I just need a moment more to...” her voice trailed off as she bit her lip and looked away.
Solomon nodded before putting his hand out to squeeze Gia’s shoulder gently. “Hey, it will be fine. Lucie will be so pleased to know that you brought her sister back home to her. I am sure she has already forgiven you. I know I have.”
Gia gave the man a tight-lipped smile as she looked up at him. He smiled back, giving her another squeeze before he turned to go back up to house.
Gia stared at the open doorway once Solomon was gone, her stomach filling with butterflies. Sure, Solomon thought that Lucie had forgiven her, but what would the blonde say to her? Would she blame Gia for how sick Simona was, how close her bruised and malnourished body was to breaking? Would she even want to see her? Gia worried her lip, her left-hand nails sliding against the pads of the fingers of her right hand as she wrung them behind her back. I cannot do this… Gia thought to herself as she turned and sat on the steps of the front porch, dropping her head in her hands.
She had tried so hard to bring Simona back, and for what? A bit of money? Gia could not help but begin to hate herself as she thought back on all the reasons why she did what she had done. The money did not even matter to her anymore. In fact, the thought of receiving any sort of award for Simona’s rescue made her feel sick. She did not deserve it. Solomon had been right, she was just a good-for-nothing toffer who was not worth the dirt on the bottom of Lucie’s boots. Did she really deserve to go into that house and speak to Lucie once again?
After a few minutes of debating, Gia took a deep breath and made her way back into the house, butterflies exploding in her stomach once again. When she entered the kitchen, Eugene was sitting in the kitchen, staring tiredly into a mug of tea. He flicked his eyes up before looking back down, yawning loudly. He pushed his mug aside before standing. “I am going back to bed,” he announced. He looked at Gia. “Tell Vertie for me, would you?” Once Gia agreed, Eugene gave a single curt nod before turning and leaving the room. He paused in the doorway and came back to Gia, reaching out and patting her on the back lightly. “You did a good thing, kid.”
Gia said nothing as the man left, staring at his back as he disappeared down the hall. Once he was gone, she moved forward and sat down at the table, laying her head down on her hands. She rested with her eyes closed for a few minutes before she jumped with a start as a hand begun to run through her hair.
She looked up to see Vertiline’s smiling at her, a plate of chocolate biscuits in her other hand. The older woman placed the plate down in front of Gia before grabbing another mug of tea off the counter and handing that to the brunette as well. “I figured you must be hungry after saving those poor girls,” she said after a moment in response to Gia’s questioning look. Gia stared at her for a moment before glancing down at the plate and taking a biscuit.
“Thank you,” she said softly, taking a bite into the sweet, letting out a small smile at the taste.
Vertiline smiled wider and nodded. “It is my pleasure, love.” She stood and leaned against the doorway, looking into her parlour where Gia could hear Grace and Ella laughing and conversing with one another. They likely had a meal in front of them, as well. Gia was sure that if Vertiline had made tea and biscuits for her, then she most definitely would have made food for the starving girls to eat as well. “You are quite the heroine today, Miss Fletcher,” Vertiline said after a moment. Gia said nothing, staring down into her tea. The chestnut-haired woman walked back over, sensing that something was wrong. “Love, what is it?”
Gia sighed, leaning forward to breathe in the steam rising off the mug. “Lucie hates me,” she mumbled sadly.
“Oh, pish posh. Are you referring to the lie that you told?” Gia nodded. Vertiline shook her head. “You did what you had to, to bring her sister home. She forgave you the moment that man carried Simona past the threshold.”
Gia sighed again. “Solomon said as much. I sure hope you are both correct in your assumptions.”
Vertiline reached out and squeezed Gia’s shoulder before standing up. “Well, I better go and get Grace and Ella some of my special lavender soap for them to use down in the creek to get clean so Solomon can examine them. Do you need anything else?” Gia shook her head. Vertiline paused for another moment as she reached the doorway. “Have you seen Eugene lately?”
“He went to bed.”
Vertiline nodded. “All right. Thank you again, dear.” She left the room.
Gia continued to sit at the table until Solomon walked into the room. She quickly stood and went to his side, her eyes wide as he wiped his hands on his trousers. “Is Simona all right?” she asked when he looked her direction. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders when he nodded.
“She is going to be fine,” he said. “She has a fever, and her limbs show signs of the beginnings of fractures, but she does not possess any immediate danger.”
Happy tears pricked at the corners of Gia’s eyes. “She passed out a few moments after I picked her up,” Gia said, shaking her head. “I was so afraid.”
Solomon nodded. “She is exhausted. I will not be surprised if she sleeps for all of today and tomorrow.” He reached out and pulled Gia into another hug. “You saved her life, Gia. If you had not found her, she would have ended up dying there. You are her savior.” He squeezed Gia tightly before pulling out of the hug. “Lucie would like to see you. Simona and she are in the room that she was staying in. Go and see her.”
Gia nodded, letting out a small smile at Solomon before beginning to make her way down the hallway to the room. She paused when she reached the open doorway, leaning against the frame to look at the scene in front of her.
Lucie was leaning against the headboard, Simona wrapped in her arms. She rocked back and forth, humming a song under her breath in between the kisses that she dropped to her sister’s hair. Gia could see the tears that were making their way down Lucie’s cheeks in shiny tracks, dampening the top of Simona’s head where the elder blonde’s cheek met her hair.
Gia cleared her throat, causing Lucie to look up. “Gia,” she said softly, her eyes going wide.
Gia said nothing. Instead, she rushed to the side of the bed, dropping to her knees as she began to sob once again, her nerves getting the best of her. “I am so sorry,” she exclaimed, reaching out and gripping the side of Lucie’s white nightdress. “I was just doing what I thought was right for myself. I am so sorry for not telling you the truth about who I am.” She clutched the dress tighter as Lucie removed one of her hands from Simona’s hair to rub lightly at Gia’s cheek. The brunette looked up. “Will you ever be able to find the space in your heart to forgive me?”
“Oh, Gia,” Lucie sighed, reaching down to wrap her fingers around Gia’s wrist and pull her up into the bed with her. “I forgive you. You brought my sister back home, where she belongs. How could I ever stay angry with you when you have returned my heart to its rightful state?” She kissed Gia’s cheek. “I will make sure that you get your reward for saving Simona’s life.”
“No!” Gia exclaimed, shaking her head quickly. “I do not deserve it, nor do I want it. Your forgiveness is payment enough.” She buried her head in Lucie’s neck as she began to play with Simona’s matted hair.
Lucie knocked Gia with her shoulder, making her look back up at her. She moved her hand to wipe away Gia’s tears before clipping her chin lightly with her thumb. “I want you to be able to make a home for yourself. You do not have a husband, nor do you have a family to support you. Use the money to make a life for yourself, away from this whole mess. Be free,” Gia opened her mouth to protest, but a look from Lucie stopped her. “No, Gia. It is my decision, and I will not let you make a mistake because you feel undeserving. You are going to be rewarded.”
Gia nodded, deciding not to push the issue any further. She leaned against Lucie again, reveling in the moment with her friend before sighing and standing up. “I better go and check on G
race and Ella.”
Lucie nodded. “All right. Give them my best.”
“I will.”
Gia made her way out of the room, her heart overflowing with emotions as she thanked the Lord for allowing her the ability to bring the girls back from the future that they had once had. She glanced back as she got to the doorway to see that Lucie had turned back to her sister, once again hugging the tiny brunette to her chest as she rocked back and forth.
Gia made her way back down the hall and through the parlour until she was standing at the window, staring out at the moon before glancing down to the creek. She could barely make out the outlines of Grace, Ella, and Vertiline. The two blondes had finished cleaning themselves and had moved on to splashing one another as Vertiline stood to the side, holding two cloths over her arms for the girls to dry off with, Gia watched for a moment longer as she thought about what she would do with the reward money. The amount she would be receiving was more than she could ever hope to spend, so what would she do with it? She did not have a husband that could use the money to buy property, so that was out of the question. Perhaps she could travel and see the world. Perhaps she would look Oliver up and see if she could make a life with him.
A sense of joy ran through Gia’s veins as she focused her attention back on the girls, who were walking back up to house with their arms intertwined with Vertiline’s, giggling and smiling happily. It was then that Gia made a decision about what she was going to do with the money: no matter what she had thought when she was trying to give Grace and Ella their freedom, no matter how challenging the task may be, she would get them back home to their family.
Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) Page 15
