Finding Bliss (Bliss #1)

by Cassie Strickland

  Anger flashed in her eyes, so I continued before she could throw me out. “You saw Clara and noticed that she looks a lot like Stacy, Jon’s wife.” I paused, letting that settle for a second. “Well, there are things that have come to light since she arrived that proves that Jon wasn’t the man we all, myself included, thought he was.”

  The blood drained from her face again.

  “First, there is Clara.” I didn’t want to tell Clara’s story, but if this girl knew a little, it might help her open up. “Clara was the first one that Jon hurt. He did so for a long time.” The girl’s face morphed into one of pain and loathing. “He disappeared after that and met Stacy, her lookalike. He came here and started the program that you were involved in. He used that to his advantage and hurt a lot more girls.

  “That house…” I shook my head, disgusted by the memory. “I found things there that prove this. And I believe you were one of those girls. You don’t have to tell me if I am right or wrong, but I believe he hurt you.

  “Clara and I have contacted the police. There’s now an open investigation regardin’ this. The cops are tryin’ to piece this together.” I stopped after that and waited for her to come to terms with it. There were so many different things going on behind her eyes, but I couldn’t figure out what they were, exactly. I hoped that she’d say something, anything that might help.

  She licked her lips and then clenched her jaw. “Is that all?”

  My hopes plummeted.

  Damn it.

  She wasn’t going to talk to me.

  “I guess so,” I said, giving it a double meaning. I wanted her to hear my disappointment.

  I turned and walked to the door, stopping to glance back at her. “I’m at the B&B if you ever wanna talk, or if you’d like to talk to Clara, I can arrange it. I know that she’d be more than happy to see you. Detective Wes Wilde is handlin’ the case if you’d rather speak with him. It might help a lot of people in the end.”

  I pushed open the door and left before she replied, if she replied. I replayed her reactions over in my mind as I strolled back my Tahoe. She knew something – she wasn’t hiding it – but she was closed up tighter than a drum. I didn’t blame her, either. She was living in a town that thought of Jon as a saint. She undoubtedly thought that no one would believe her, the poor thing. To have to face that all alone…

  I was opening my door when I heard, “Wait!” I turned slowly and found the girl standing twenty feet away from me. I waited as she slowly closed the distance between us. “He was your friend,” she said when she reached me.

  “I hate to say that now,” I returned, grimacing.

  “What changed?”

  “Clara,” I stated simply. “I started piecin’ things together after I met her.” I shook my head regretfully as I remembered. “She was so scared when she first arrived, I knew somethin’ happened. Jon was a bad man.”

  “He was,” she agreed, hope filling her eyes. “The whole town was talkin’ about how much his sister and his wife looked alike. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her.”

  “I know. Me too.”

  She chewed on the side of her cheek. “You believe that he did these things? That he hurt the girls?”

  “I know he did.”

  “Okay…” She blew out a breath, almost thankful.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “Jolene.”

  “I’m Grey, Jolene.”

  “I know.” She gave a small smile and shrugged. “Everyone knows who you are.”

  I chuckled lightly, but then it died. “Are you wantin’ to talk about it?”

  She nodded, but it took a second for her to open up. “I wasn’t one of them.”

  A huge wave of relief went through me. Even though I didn’t know her, I’d hate to hear something bad had happened to her right under my nose.

  Jolene continued, “I knew the signs. I knew what he was after a week of bein’ there, and I did everythin’ I could to dodge Pastor Jon. I found a job here and was able to save some money and get a place. I talked some of the girls that hated him into leavin’. They stay with me. Some have jobs around town, as well.”

  Holy hell.

  “Do you think they’d talk to me or Detective Wilde?”

  She hesitated and stared down at her toes, kicking a nonexistent rock. “I don’t know. I can ask.”

  “All we want is to help and find out what really happened. We don’t want to cause anyone problems.”

  “I can respect that. I did the same once I figured out what Pastor Jon was.”

  She was such a young thing to take that on.

  “How many are there with you?” I questioned.

  She chewed on her cheek again – probably a nervous tick – and then shook her head. “I can’t say. Some of them are underage. They’d be sent back home or to foster care again.”

  I was confused. “But wouldn’t that be better?”

  She laughed bitterly. “Ah, no. They’re runaways for a reason, Grey. You have no idea the hell they’ve seen. If I thought they’d be better off where they came from, I would’ve made sure they went back. These girls have nowhere to go.”

  Shit.

  This just gets worse.

  “So you take care of them?”

  She lifted her jaw and stared at me unwaveringly. “Someone has to.”

  I liked this girl. She had spunk.

  “All right, Jolene. I respect that.”

  “I can talk to the girls and see which of them want to come forward about this. We didn’t think anyone would believe us.”

  “I figured that.”

  “What if they say no?”

  I shrugged. “Then they say no. It’s not like we can prosecute Jon for what he did. But they might need someone to talk to. Counseling. We can see that they get it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “And if they talk to the cops and they find out I have underage girls livin’ with me, they’ll be forced back into the system.”

  “Are any of the girls of age now?”

  She stared at me, weighing her options. “Yeah, one.”

  “Did Jon hurt her?” I hated asking that question.

  She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  “Then see if she’ll come forward. She can shed some light on Jon’s activities. Tell her to omit your place and the girls stayin’ with you. I won’t mention it to the detective.”

  She was suspicious again. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I can understand to some extent,” I explained. “Clara has shared with me how horrible Jon was. If y’all are safe and bein’ taken care of, I can’t say anythin’ else. That’s all that matters at this point, and it’s all that Clara and I want. We might even be able to help some.”

  She laughed bitterly again. “Help? We’ve seen what help does, Grey. No, thank you.”

  That pissed me off. “I’m nothin’ like Jon. If I say I want to help, I have good intentions. So does Clara. You have no idea who we are.”

  She took a step forward. “And you have no idea the kind of shit we’ve had to go through because of others. When people want to hand you somethin’, wantin’ to help, there are usually strings attached to that said help. Hell no. We are fine the way we are.”

  Shit.

  She’s right.

  She had no idea what a true act of generosity was. Her world was tainted by the scum that took advantage of girls in her position.

  “Sorry, Jolene. You’re right there. You wouldn’t know true kindness if it smacked you in the face. How could you?” She recoiled, and I immediately felt bad for how I phrased that. “I’m sorry. That sounded bad. I meant that you’ve probably never had anythin’ good, anythin’ true and pure before. That came out wrong.”

  She grimaced but nodded. “You’re right, though. There hasn’t been much kindness in my life.”

  “Yet you show those girls that.”

  Her shoulders tipped up slightly. “Someone has to.”

  I smirke
d at her. “Now you see where I’m comin’ from.”

  Her eyes flashed. “Touché.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it – I really did like her. “You’re a good kid, Jolene.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid, Grey. I might look young, but I’m far older than that.”

  “How old are you?” I asked. She couldn’t be older than nineteen.

  “Twenty two,” she answered.

  My brows lowered with puzzlement. “But you said you left Jon’s at eighteen.”

  “I did.”

  “That was four years ago.”

  “I know.”

  “But…” It wasn’t that long ago that I saw her with Jon. A year tops.

  “Where do you think some of the girls went when they disappeared at night?”

  Lights dawned. “You’ve been savin’ them, givin’ them a safe place for years.”

  “Someone had to.” She nodded obstinately. “Pastor Jon knew, too. He was always on my case, demandin’ that I stop. He knew I couldn’t go to the police and tried to intimidate me. Never worked.”

  How I wish someone would have said something.

  “Then you know a lot of the girls that he hurt,” I concluded, amazed by her.

  How did she take care of them? It wasn’t like Teal and Lace paid a whole hell of a lot. It was probably just over minimum wage. I was now really, really worried.

  “There’ve been a lot that came to me and then left later.” She shrugged. “It’s the way it is. But we have a few that stayed. We get by.”

  “How many, Jolene?” I was serious. There was no way she could care for a bunch of underage children.

  She shook her head again. “I can’t tell you that, Grey. It’s too dangerous. I cannot risk them bein’ taken away from me. Some Pastor Jon never abused, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t abused before. These kids need me.”

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  My thoughts whirled. God, these poor kids. They were going from one bad situation to the next. It made me feel blessed for the safe life I’d had.

  “I have to get back inside. I’ve been gone too long.” She studied me for a second. “You seem like a nice guy, Grey. I’ll talk to them and see what I can do. I’m not makin’ promises, though.”

  “That’s fine. I get it. If you ever want to talk, call the B&B. Even Clara. I mean it. We’d like to help.”

  She smiled again, and shook her head sadly. “Thanks anyway, Grey.” She turned around and ran back to the store.

  That was not what I expected. Yet, it was farther than we’d gotten so far. It was a small step in the right direction.

  I made a knee-jerk decision suddenly. I hopped into my Tahoe and drove to the bank, hoping I’d make it before they closed. As soon as I pulled up, I ran in and withdrew five thousand dollars. Jolene might not understand what kindness was, but she was going to find out today. There was no telling if these kids were being fed or clothed properly. Five thousand would make sure that they were.

  I rushed back to Teal and Lace. Clara was probably wondering where I was, so I needed to hurry home. Still, this needed to be done first.

  The bells chimed again as I entered the store. Jolene was handing a customer a bag when she saw me. Her eyes lit with surprise, but then she turned to say something to the lady she’d just helped. The lady passed me as she left, and I approached the counter.

  “What are you doin’ back here? I’ve told you all I can.” I handed her the envelope without a word. She stared at it in her hands. “What’s this?”

  “Your first experience of true generosity. There’re no strings to this.”

  When she opened the envelope, her eyes widened before she looked back to me. “What in the…”

  “There’s enough there to help for a bit. Let me know if you get into a jam. I’m here whenever you need help, Jolene.”

  Jon’s money would finally do something good.

  She tried to shove the envelope back at me. “I can’t take this. It’s too much. I didn’t tell you for this.”

  I stepped back and held up my hands, not taking it. “I know.”

  “I don’t want your pity, Grey,” she growled.

  “It’s not pity.” I shook my head. “You won’t tell me the details, but I can imagine it’s not the best situation. When was the last time you all ate well? When have you bought a new coat or shoes? I’m sure someone with you might need somethin’ like that. It’s cold as hell outside, and it will only get worse. This will help you.”

  “Grey…” Tears rimmed her eyes. “I don’t…”

  “Just take it.”

  “How do you know I’m not gonna use it for myself, or buy drugs or somethin’?”

  I shook my head, not believing that for a second. “You aren’t an addict. From what you’ve said, you wouldn’t allow anyone else to be that’s with you. You are far too selfless. I trust you.”

  “How can you?” she asked, mystified.

  “Good faith, Jolene. It’s all in good faith.”

  I turned and left as two tears trailed down her cheeks.

  ♥♥♥

  I opened the front door, itching to tell Clara everything that I’d learned, but then I heard her voice instead. She was talking to someone on the phone.

  “I know, Paige. Oliver and Teresa seem like good people, though,” Clara said with a sigh as I closed the front door. “Things will work out. I’ve got Grey and Bella. They’re all I need.” There was a pause as I walked down the hall. “He’s good to me.” Another pause. “Of course you love him, Paige. What’s not to love about Grey? He’s wonderful.”

  I rested against the doorframe at the end of the hall. Clara was sitting on the couch, facing the fireplace, while fiddling with the blanket covering her legs. I admired her, not wanting to eavesdrop. I was taking her in, instead.

  God, she was beautiful. The light from the fire burning in the fireplace danced across her hair, turning it to different shades of gold. It played at the different planes of her face, emphasizing them. What I wouldn’t give to come home to her like this every night in our home.

  “I feel invincible with him next to me. I can’t describe it. It’s like he fills me up.” She giggled loudly. “Not like that, you idiot. Well, that too.” She giggled again, and I had to suppress a laugh, imaging Paige’s response. “He gives me so much strength. I know that I can rely on him with everything that I am.” She laughed at whatever Paige said, but then sobered a bit. “A normal woman wouldn’t need a man to make her feel like that, right? I mean, shouldn’t I be able to do it all alone? Shouldn’t I be able to fight my own battles?”

  Okay…I probably shouldn’t be hearing this. I should let her know I was here.

  She went on before I could say anything. “With the Montgomery’s, I could sit there and take it because I knew Grey was there to shield me. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me. And he didn’t. He got them out of there. He made sure that it all came to a stop. I would have lost it without him. I would have. It’s just… I know in my heart that he’ll always be that for me. I’m just scared that I rely on him too much.” She paused again and shuddered.

  I didn’t like that.

  What’s going on with her?

  What isn’t she telling me?

  “He takes care of me. He takes care of Bella all the time, without needing to be asked. It seems too good sometimes. I just…I get scared that it’s all too good to be true. I know I love him, Paige. God, I love him.”

  I was grounded on the spot. I shouldn’t have heard that. It was private. I needed to let her know that I was here, but I couldn’t. I wanted, needed to hear what she said.

  She loves me.

  I knew it!

  The heaviness from the challenges surrounding us disappeared. I wanted to tackle her to the ground and profess my love to her. I wanted to make love to her slowly, passionately. But she went on again before my legs could function – I was completely paralyzed.

  “It’s all too
soon…I know that…I know, Paige. The heart wants what the heart wants. But I’m not normal. I’m afraid that he’s going to realize one day that I’m too much of a heavy burden, and he’ll dump me.” Another pause. “Of course I’m probably thinking too much. But that’s who I am. I’ve got… I have to keep my sanity sometimes. It helps. And there’s this whole barren issue. We haven’t talked about it… Of course he knows. I told him… But what if he wants kids? I can’t give them to him. Emma wants grandkids so badly. Can I take that from her?”

  At her sniffles, I heard enough.

  I took a step into the room. This time she heard me. Her wide, scared eyes found me over her shoulder. As I approached her, her breathing picked up and her face shut down, hiding all those beautiful, crazy emotions from me.

  Her voice was shaky as she spoke to Paige. “Grey’s here, Paige. I have to go. I’ll…I’ll call you tomorrow.” She hung up and threw the phone on the cushions, standing suddenly. The blanket fell to the floor as she turned to me, taking a step backward.

  “Clara,” I whispered, a half plea and a half joyful sound.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle and demanded, “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Darlin’-” I tried to say.

  “No, Grey.” Her lip trembled, and her eyes rimmed with tears.

  But these were tears of fury.

  She was really, really mad.

  I’d never seen her angry like this, so I was taken aback. “Darlin’?”

  “How much did you hear? Where you standing there the whole time?!” The tears fell as she shouted.

  “Clara, I didn’t mean to. I walked in as you were talkin’. I didn’t mean to overhear.”

  There was no deterring her. She leaned forward and screamed, “How much did you hear?!”

  “When you started talkin’ about the Montgomery’s,” I admitted softly and tried to go to her.

  With betrayal in her eyes, she waved her hands at me to get away. “You stood there while I poured my heart out to my best friend? How could you?” She never looked at me like this before.

  The sight gutted me.

  “I didn’t mean to, darlin’. It just happened. I was gonna tell you I was here, and then you said-”

  “No!” She covered her mouth and shook her head. “You were spying on me! You were spying on me!”