“But he’s just a kid, Marissa,” Scott said, not sure about her plan.
“That’s true, but he knows the neighborhood, he grew up there. He’s street smart, Scott. Isn’t that what we need?” Marissa countered.
Scott couldn’t help but admit that she was right. “Okay, I’ll meet him and consider the idea. When will he be here?”
“Tomorrow. I hired a car to bring him out here. We’re going to have to explain all this to him. He had no idea who I really am, they all think I’m a social worker. I’m afraid it’s going to be a shock,” Marissa said, stacking the files back up to put them away.
When the car pulled up in the front yard the next afternoon, Angel stepped out of the car looking confused, but when he saw Marissa coming out of the house, a big smile spread across his face. “Amanda, my mom said you wanted me to meet you in California so I came, but what’s going on? This place is crazy, I feel like I’ve stepped back in time,” he said, looking around him.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here, but I have a lot to explain to you. Come inside and I’ll get you something to eat. You must be starving, it’s a long trip from Florida,” she said, then gave him a hug, which seemed to reassure him, some of the wariness disappearing.
After, she showed him the house, which he immediately fell in love with. “I’ve always dreamed of getting out of the city,” he said, looking out the big front window at the mountains in the distance.
“Well, this is about as far from the city as you can get.” Marissa laughed, leading him back to the kitchen where she got him a snack and herself a cup of coffee.
Once he was settled, he looked at her and asked, “Amanda, what’s going on?”
“Well, the first thing I have to tell you is that my name isn’t Amanda. It’s Marissa,” she said, giving him a second to absorb that fact.
“I’m pretty sure you’re not a social worker either,” he said. “So, who are you?”
Marissa launched into her explanation, starting all the way back to her first visit to Houston, and finishing with her new husband’s desire that she stop her charade. “I can’t keep running around on my own, it’s not safe, but, Angel, I love visiting the shelter and the neighborhood, so we’ve come up with a compromise,” she finished, sitting back to give Angel time to process that information.
“And that’s where I come in,” Angel said, never one to miss anything.
“Exactly. What would you think about watching over me when I’m in tricky neighborhoods like yours?” she asked, not wanting to use the words body guard.
“You want me to be your bodyguard?” he asked, shocked. “I don’t know how to be a bodyguard.”
“I think you would be the perfect person. All I need is someone to get me safely between the shelter and the hotel where I’ll be staying. Once people find out who I really am, I might become a target, I can’t deny that, but if I’m protected by someone who knows how to handle themselves on the street I think I’ll be fine,” Marissa explained to him.
“Can I have some time to think about this?” Angel asked, looking a little stunned.
“Of course. While you’re thinking, I’d like you to meet my husband. He’s out in the barn with his new horse, it just got here this morning. I haven’t seen him all day, but he wants to meet you,” Marissa said, getting to her feet.
She knew that Angel was stunned by all that had been revealed to him, but there’d been no other way to do it, quick and to the point seemed best for all of them. She left Scott and Angel standing at the fence that surrounded the new pasture watching the horse grazing and talking about horses. Angel seemed relaxed and Scott was taking a surprising gentle path with Angel.
By the time they came in for dinner, they were laughing like old friends. Scott was clearly impressed with the young man. “Angel has decided he wants to stay with us for a few days so we can discuss our plans. He’s going to take the job,” Scott said once they’d sat down to eat.
“Scott and I decided that I should go with you all the time, not just to the women’s shelter,” Angel said importantly.
“Oh, you did? And what if I don’t like that idea?” she asked, not at all surprised that it had come to that.
“Then we’ll have to compromise, but, Marissa, now that I know the truth, I think it would be safer,” he said, so serious that Marissa decided to let him off the hook.
“Don’t worry, Angel, I’m not going to fight you on this. I know when I’m out numbered,” she said, then shot Scott a look that said cheater. He’d known that she wouldn’t be able to resist Angel.
“Good, then that’s settled,” Angel said, then stuffed a big bite of steak into his mouth. He chewed the bite then added, “This is almost as good as my mom’s.”
When Marissa was finally ready for her trip, Angel was right at her side, prepared to defend her if necessary. He’d gone home for Thanksgiving, but returned a few days ago for the trip, looking proud to have been entrusted with Marissa’s safety. Once they were settled on the plane, he got out a guide book and began reading about some of the places they were going to visit.
“I’ve never been anywhere,” Angel said, excited by the all the new things he’d be seeing.
“Well, now you’re going to go from one side of the country and back. By the time we’re done a week from now, you’ll be so happy to get home,” Marissa said wisely.
The week went smoothly. Angel not only proved a great traveling companion but did provide her with an increased sense of security. Even in the neighborhoods that he didn’t know, the way he carried himself and interacted with people made it clear that he was one of them. The truth about her identity turned out not to be that big of a deal, most people waving the news off, then moving on to the business of helping people.
They boarded the plane for the last leg of their trip exhausted but feeling like they’d accomplished a lot. Marissa was sad to see the trip end, but knew that she’d pushed Angel about as far as she could. On her own, she would have stayed out longer, but this was his first trip and traveling was exhausting. When he slumped down in his seat and fell asleep almost immediately, Marissa realized just how attached she’d become to him over the last week; he was like a little brother.
When the plane landed in Florida, Angel was immediately awake. “Can you smell that?” he asked Marissa, looking out the window at the swamps passing beneath them. “It smells like home.”
“I told you that you’d be happy to get home,” she said, taking her bag from him as they walked off the plane.
“I am happy to be home, but I really enjoyed the trip,” he said, practically running to the car that was waiting for them. She had the car drop her at the hotel and sent Angel home promising not to leave her room until he returned for her the next morning.
Marissa was just as tired as Angel was and she was missing Scott, questioning her decision not to let him come with them for the hundredth time as she ordered room service. When he called later that night, she had a hard time not letting her emotions get the better of her but Scott could hear it in her voice.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, after she’d given him an update on their day.
“I miss you. I should have let you come with me,” she said, sniffing.
“Oh, sweetheart, I miss you too. Do you want me to fly out there? I could be there by morning,” he said, already pulling up flights on his computer.
“No, I’ll be home day after tomorrow, I can wait that long to see you,” she said, sounding resigned.
“Okay, but if you change your mind, I can be on a flight in a couple of hours,” he said again.
“I’m tempted to tell you to get on a plane, but then we’d just have to fly home,” she said, trying to sound more upbeat. “I’m just tired, I’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”
“I love you, Marissa, and I’ll see you at the airport. Be careful,” Scott said, wishing she’d let him come to her.
“I love you too. Don’t worry, only a few days and
next time you’re coming with me.”
The next day, Marissa did feel better but not for long. When she got to the shelter, the director pulled her back into her office. She had a stack of files on her desk which she slid across to Marissa, who looked through them. Each was the file of a young woman who had come to the shelter to get away from an abusing boyfriend, none of them had kids or any family. Marissa was familiar with the pattern of abuse that was so common in the slums of the big cities and didn’t see anything special about the girls.
Marissa looked to the director for an explanation. “I’m worried about these girls. They’ve all disappeared over the last month,” the woman said, getting up to pace the little office.
“But it’s not that uncommon for girls like these to move on. They don’t have any ties here,” Marissa said, confused. These girls looked like so many that came through the doors of the shelter.
“That’s the thing though, all of these girls had begun to build ties to the community. All of them had enrolled in school and found jobs. They were making new lives for themselves here. It just doesn’t make sense that they’d disappear without a word. Maybe one or two, but there are ten files there.”
“Have you talked to the cops?” Marissa asked, getting a bad feeling in her stomach. Human traffickers often preyed on the women from shelter, especially the young ones, they were so much easier to control.
“Yeah, but they just shrugged me off. I couldn’t even get them to look at the files. Word on the street is that there’s a whole boatload of girls going out tonight, but the cops wouldn’t listen to that either. It’s so frustrating,” the woman said, sinking back down into her chair.
“Is everyone here and accounted for?” Marissa asked, looking at the roster posted on the wall of the office.
“Most everyone is here for the Christmas celebration, but there are a few girls out working.”
“Get a hold of them and let them know that Angel will be there to pick them up from work,” Marissa said. “I’ll make some phone calls and see if I can get any better results.”
By the middle of the afternoon, the shelter was decked out for Christmas, a huge tree in the entryway. The kids were all excited about the visit from Santa that would be the main event of the party, a tradition that Marissa had started years ago. But Marissa wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit. In fact, she was frustrated and angry. None of her phone calls had gotten any results, the police just as dismissive to her as they’d been to the director.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” she said, hanging up from the last phone call.
“I told you, they just don’t care,” the director said.
“It’s so frustrating, either no one would listen or they said that they couldn’t discuss ongoing investigations,” Marissa said, picking up her phone again. “Now, I have to call my husband who’s going to have a big fit when he hears what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry, I should have let you know before you came, but I didn’t know...I mean you hear rumors all the time, but when I started really thinking about it, it just seemed like maybe they weren’t rumors.”
“Don’t worry, you couldn’t have known that this would happen. I’m going to send Angel out to see what he can find out. Let’s see what the word on the street is, maybe it’s just a coincidence that those girls took off,” Marissa said hopefully, deciding to wait until Angel got back to call Scott.
When Angel got back, the news wasn’t good. The neighborhood was on high alert. Several girls had gone missing that week, girls who wouldn’t have left home on their own. Rumors of the slave trade were everywhere, and he’d heard the same rumor that there was a transport scheduled for that night.
“Marissa, people are staying inside and locking their doors. Something big is happening, but I can’t quite get my finger on it,” Angel said, then added, “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can’t just leave, the Christmas party is tonight. We’ll be safe enough here, I’ll even stay the night. Will that help?”
“I guess, but Scott’s not going to like this,” Angel said, “You better call him.”
Marissa suppressed the urge to smile at Angel, he sounded so grown up all of the sudden. “I’ll call him right now,” she promised.
Scott reacted just as she’d thought he would. “Don’t leave the shelter, keep Angel close. I’ll be on the next plane,” he said, then added, “I love you, Marissa. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’m staying right here where it’s safe. I love you too. I’ll see you when you get here,” she said, hanging up the phone. She’d been tempted to tell him not to come, but since he hadn’t said I told you so like so many men would have, she kept her mouth shut.
Chapter 14
Scott knew that it was a huge overreaction to get on a plane and fly to Florida, but he’d been looking for any excuse. He missed Marissa so badly it was like a toothache that wouldn’t go away, and he’d hardly slept since she’d been gone, it felt like a piece of him was missing. Marissa was probably ready to go home, but maybe they could stay a night someplace romantic, a little cottage by the ocean would be perfect. He stuffed a few things in a bag and headed out the door, happy with the knowledge that by morning he’d be with Marissa.
Marissa and the shelter director were sitting in the office, a cup of herbal tea their treat after a long day. The Christmas party had been a big success, the children exhausted after their visit with Santa had all been put to bed. Lights out would be called in a half an hour, but Marissa was ready for bed right then. The last of the girls had just come in from work with Angel so she could finally relax. With a big sigh, she took off her shoes and rubbed her feet.
“I think that was the best party we ever had,” she said, tucking her feet under her.
“Oh, definitely, it’s going to be hard to top that on the actual day,” the director said, knowing that the holiday was always hardest for the women who were alone.
Marissa opened her mouth to reply, but the back door banging open with a huge thud had her on her feet and out the office door before she even thought about what she was doing. She stopped in the doorway and looked at the door then at the man standing there, a huge gun in his hands. When she opened her mouth to yell out a warning, he stepped up to her and smashed the gun into her head.
She dropped to the floor, the world spinning, her vision going foggy even as she tried to focus. The man stepped over her and grabbed the director by the hair and began dragging her down the hall. Several more men came thought the door, armed just as their leader was, stepping over Marissa who was lying on the floor trying to clear her head.
Hearing screams from inside the shelter, she tried to get to her feet but was immediately so dizzy that the world went black as she fell back to the floor. When Marissa opened her eyes the next time, it was to find herself in the back of a van. She tried to sit up but realized that her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound together. Her head was pounding, but she blocked the pain, trying to figure out what had happened.
As her head began to clear, she heard quiet sobbing. Picking up her head, she looked around to find the van full of other women bound just as she was. Her heart sank when she realized what must have happened, they’d been raided. Something she’d heard of happening in other parts of the world but never in America. Then she realized that they were headed toward the docks, she could smell the salt in the air and feel the humidity rising.
Trying not to panic, she looked around her hoping there would be something she could use to get herself loose, but there was nothing in the back of the van, it had been stripped clean. Heart thudding, she tried to form a plan. Maybe if they worked together, they could untie each other. One thing she knew for certain, once they were on the boat, it would almost impossible for anyone to find them.
Just as she was about to try to talk to the woman lying next to her, the van stopped and she heard the doors slam. Horrified, she watched the back doors open and the leader’s head popped
into her vision. Suddenly more scared then she’d ever been in her life, she closed her eyes hoping they’d think she was still passed out. One by one, they pulled the women out of the back of the van and took them on board a ship, leaving Marissa for last.
The leader picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “Too bad we need every one of these girls to fulfill the contract, I’m tempted to keep this one for myself,” he said, his hand roaming over her body.
It took everything in her not to react to the vile man’s touch, but she stayed still until he’d dumped her in the hold of the ship. Once the hatch door had closed with a loud bang, Marissa lifted her head trying to see in the darkness, then wished she’d kept her eyes closed. There had to be over a hundred other women in the room, some were bound like she was but some were free. As she watched, the unbound women crept over and began to untie the others.
No one spoke, and when Marissa opened her mouth to ask a question, a hand was put over her mouth and she was shushed. The hold of the ship smelled terrible, like sweat, fear, and human waste. Marissa tried to breathe through her mouth, but it still gagged her. A woman came by and gave her a drink of warm water. It hit her stomach and gurgled there, threatening to come up, but she concentrated on not vomiting and eventually her stomach settled.
She must have slept then because the next time she opened her eyes, the boat was moving and there was a shaft of sunlight coming though one of the few portholes. Her heart sank, if they made it to the open sea no one would ever be able to find them, not even the police. She hadn’t seen Angel before she’d passed out and couldn’t remember hearing his voice. Hopefully, he’d survived and would get word to Scott and the police.
She knew that it was the only hope that she had so she concentrated on Angel and Scott, repeating over and over again, “He’ll find me. He’ll find me,” until she fell asleep again.
Take My Hand: BWWM Romance Page 14
