Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
Dr. Saunders welcomed Chaney to her appointment and they both took their seats in her office. “It’s good to see you this week. I saw Justus this morning. I hope you are well.”
“I am,” Chaney said, settling in the chair. “What did she have to say for herself?”
The doctor kinda smiled at her. “You know I can’t discuss anything that Justus and I talk about with you. Just like I would not tell Justus anything you and I discuss,” Dr. Saunders said.
“That is not what I meant,” Chaney said. “I’m sure she has told you that she insulted me yesterday. That’s what I meant. Did she explain why she was so hateful? I want to know if she confessed a valid reason for it? Because I don’t know how I am supposed to lose my friend after what we’ve been through together.”
Dr. Saunders nodded. “I see.”
“Do you? Because I am very upset over what she said to me.” Chaney looked down at her hands picking at her knit shorts. “She was cruel the way she pushed me away, knowing how my parents are treating me right now.”
“Dare I ask what they have done now?” Dr. Saunders inquired.
“They want me to stop seeing Justus and Liberty, for one.” Chaney snapped her head up. “They’re threatening to cut off my financial support if I don’t return to Baltimore. Can you believe they’d stoop so low after they’ve refused to allow me to work all these years to try and support myself?”
“Do you believe this is just talk or are they serious?”
“Oh, they are always serious,” Chaney said. “They never make threats they don’t mean.”
“But they allowed you to come to Colorado to college,” Dr. Saunders reminded her.
“Because they had no other choice,” Chaney said.
“I think you’re wrong. They did have a choice. They could have said no and kept you in Baltimore, making you wait a semester or even a year to begin until you could get accepted to a university of their choosing,” Dr. Saunders pointed out. “Don’t under estimate the power that you hold, Chaney. You made a bold move when you applied to only one university and forced their hand.”
“Maybe,” she relented. “But what about Justus?”
“She will talk to you in her own time. That is all I can say on the matter,” Dr. Saunders said. “Now, tell me what you think of your Brotherhood Protector. I know Justus doesn’t like hers, but she said you liked yours. Is that true?”
“Yes. I like him. He’s already becoming a friend,” Chaney said, relaxing once more by the turn of the topic. “Much in the same way Justus and I became fast friends. Which only makes me miss her more. And don’t let Justus fool you. She likes hers just as much. I saw the way she looked at Rafferty.”
Dr. Saunders smiled and gave a little nod. “How are your nightmares?”
Chaney softly chuckled. “You don’t mind getting to the point, do you?”
“We only have fifty minutes a session. I can’t really take the time to get there if we are going to make progress,” Dr. Saunders explained. “I know you have been through your own trials while you were being held and you never shared those with Justus, even though you were close.”
“No. I’m sure she kept things from me as well,” Chaney said. “Besides, we were kept in separate rooms and what went on in them only we knew. No one else. Other than Bo or Poe.”
“Do you think you will be able to share this with your protector?” Dr. Saunders asked. “I know you haven’t told your parents.”
Chaney shook her head. “Why would I tell them anything? They couldn’t stay in town long enough once I was found to make sure I was okay. As soon as they saw me and discovered from the doctors that I was in one piece… that…that I hadn’t been raped or anything, they were on the next flight back to Baltimore.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. Dr. Saunders got up from her arm chair, picked up the box of tissues from the cocktail table that divided the seating in the room and handed the box to Chaney.
“I know this is a touchy subject. And I’m sorry to bring it up, but we need to talk about it, we were about to when we ran out of time last visit,” Dr. Saunders said.
Chaney grabbed another tissue and wiped at the tip of her nose. “I know. I don’t understand why it bothers me so much about my parents when I know what they are like.”
“It’s because you care. If you were a heartless person it wouldn’t matter,” Dr. Saunders said. “Was it Bo or Poe that hit you?”
“Poe. He was the security guy,” Chaney said. “He was big and beefy. He wouldn’t stand for any back talk and I can be a bit sassy at times.”
“You? Sassy?” Dr. Saunders said.
“Yeah, I can be a real smart ass,” Chaney said, biting back a sly grin.
“I never would have guessed it,” Dr. Saunders said.
Chaney chuckled. “Wouldn’t you?”
“Tell me what happened with Poe?”
Chaney took a deep breath. “He punched me in the stomach and slammed me back against the wall, hitting my head. He made sure not to mess up my face or bruise or break any of my limbs. That would have been too noticeable and not good for business.”
“How many times did it happen?” Dr. Saunders asked.
“Twice. I should have learned my lesson the first time, but I saw him treating one of the other girls bad. She was terrified and I wasn’t going to stand there and let him talk to her like that,” Chaney explained. “I think this is the reason I want to change my major from linguistics to social work. I want to help those in need. Especially those who find themselves in violent situations.”
“Oh?” Dr. Saunders said. “You haven’t mentioned this to me before. Is this something you have recently decided?”
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while and after talking it over with Rawlins last night, I believe I’m ready to make that move,” Chaney said.
“Rawlins is your protector?” Dr. Saunders asked.
“Yes. He is,” Chaney clarified.
“Before you make the change in your course work, may I make a suggestion?” Dr. Saunders asked.
“Sure.”
“There is a youth shelter in town always in need of volunteers. A very good friend of mine is in charge there. I can call and put in a good word for you if you like?” she suggested. “It will give you the hands-on experience you need and give you a taste for what it would be like to deal with those in crisis to see if making a career change is for you.”
“A youth shelter? So, would they live on site?” Chaney asked.
“They would. You’d be dealing with runaways, homeless teens between fifteen and twenty years of age who actually live on site, but they do offer some services to clients up to the age of twenty-five,” Dr. Saunders said. She went to her desk and returned with a business card. “Here is the card. The place is called The Village. Give Hannah a call. I’ll let her know you’ll be contacting her as well.”
“Okay,” Chaney said. “I’ll check it out. Thank you.”
“Now, back to Poe’s physical abuse of you. Were your injuries serious enough that you needed treatment?”
“Never. He made sure of that. They were rough enough to keep me in line and I believe to teach me a lesson,” Chaney said. “Like I said, the first time should have been enough, but I wasn’t going to stand by and let him hurt someone else. Maybe that was foolish but that kind of thing really pisses me off.”
“That speaks to your strong character, Chaney,” Dr. Saunders praised. “I think you’re making a wise choice in thinking about going into Social Work. Let me recommend you take self-defense classes if you have the opportunity while on campus. They will give you a leg up when dealing with unruly individuals you come across. The class will also help you feel stronger.”
She nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’ll do that.”
Dr. Saunders looked at her watch. “I’m afraid our time is up for this week. We’ll continue next week. Same time?”
“Sure.” Chaney stood, and looked at the business card before putting it in her purse.
“Be sure to give Hannah a call,” Dr. Saunders reminded her.
“I will. Thanks for the information.” Chaney smiled before going out the exit door and went outside the building to meet up with Rawlins and Broderick.
The car was waiting for her at the curb and when she got inside Rawlins greeted her with a smile, holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee.
“How was your session?” he asked.
“Good. I have lots to talk with you about later,” she said. “What have the two of you been up to besides getting coffee?”
“We did the grocery shopping while you were in your session,” Broderick said from the front seat.
“You did?” Chaney was surprised. “That’s great.”
“Did you know Broderick served in the military?” Rawlins said.
“No, I didn’t, Chaney said. “Then I guess that means the two of you have lots in common?”
“We do,” Broderick said. “I also feel you’re in good hands, Miss Daniels, having Mr. Grainger by your side when I’m not on the premises. I think your parents would approve of having him with you as well. Maybe so much that they wouldn’t be in such a rush to have you return to Baltimore.”
Hmmm…Chaney thought, but didn’t say anything. She really didn’t think her parents would be swayed that easily in their decision no matter what Broderick thought.
The drive back to the gated community was a silent one, but she didn’t mind. She helped carry in the groceries when they arrived back at her condo and as soon as Broderick left, she fixed herself a drink and began telling Rawlins about The Village as they put away the groceries.
“Dr. Saunders believes it is a great idea for me to work there before making a switch in my majors.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Rawlins agreed. “You should put together a resume to send them even if you don’t have work experience. Do you have any volunteer experience?”
“Actually, I did work with a church group back in Baltimore for a short period of time before my parents put a stop to it,” Chaney said. “Again, they felt I was getting involved with the wrong sort of people even though I was working within our own church community.”
Rawlins frowned. “I don’t understand their objection there.”
“Neither did our pastor, but my father made a hefty donation in place of my volunteering and nothing more was said about it,” Chaney explained.
He shook his head. “The more I hear about your parents the more controlling they sound. Are you sure they are your biological parents?”
Chaney laughed. “Unfortunately, I did one of those DNA testing kits for class to trace our ancestry and it showed we were all a hundred percent match.”
“Then there has to be a reason they are so protective. Are you certain your father isn’t involved in any shady dealings? I know you said he made his own money and climbed his way to the top, but what if he did it unlawfully?”
Chaney leaned closer to Rawlins. “You mean like getting involved with the mob?”
“Yeah. Organized crime families are still around. It wouldn’t be impossible. And if he did, I could see why they’d want to keep you close to home growing up,” he explained.
She thought about it for a moment, how white collar her dad was and finally shook her head. “I can’t see that being my dad, but I do appreciate you trying to explain why my parents are like that.”
Rawlins didn’t accept her answer. He decided to look into her parents’ background. He called Hank Patterson while Chaney retreated to her room to work on her resume.
“Rawlins, what can I do for you?” Hank asked after they’d exchanged pleasantries.
“I’ve been talking with Chaney Daniels about her parents. They are pushing for her to return to Baltimore before the trial,” Rawlins explained. “It started with their demands that she cut ties with Justus and Liberty Killion and if she doesn’t, they are going to refuse to pay for her schooling and living expenses. Furthermore, they want her back in Baltimore.”
“It sounds like it might be idle threats on their part,” Hank said. “Nothing really to worry about.”
“I was thinking that too at first,” Rawlins said. “Until Chaney told me how they had always prevented her from working or even having dealings with a youth organization through her church. It makes me wonder if Mr. Daniels isn’t involved in something that could put Chaney’s life in danger and that is why they’re not wanting her out of their sight.”
“What gives you that feeling?” Hank asked.
“Chaney told me her father made his money the hard way, pushing his way to the top,” Rawlins said. “What if he didn’t get by it honestly?”
“Webster Daniels is a Chief Executive with UBS Financial Services,” Hank said. “I can’t see a company like that hiring someone that hasn’t been vetted to the fullest. But I trust your instincts on this. I’ll have Swede do a deep dive into his background and see what he can uncover for you.”
“Thanks,” Rawlins replied. “I’d rather be safe than unprepared.”
“Exactly. And it could all come down to very over protective parents,” Hank said.
“You would think so but they couldn’t even stick around in Colorado Springs with Chaney long enough after she was located to fit that category,” Rawlins said.
“Now that you mention it, Liberty Killion did all the foot work on finding her sister and Chaney,” Hank said.
“Yes. And Chaney said her parents didn’t appreciate Liberty’s hard work at all. Didn’t even thank her for helping save their daughter’s life,” Rawlins said grimly.
“Some people are that way. We have to take the good with the bad,” Hank said. “I’ll get Swede on it and get back to you with what he finds. Is anything else going on that you need assistance with at the moment? Chaney seems okay after being threatened by those men in the elevator?”
“How’d you hear … ah, Rafferty spoke to you?” Rawlins said.
“He reported in yesterday.”
Rawlins winced, wondering if he should have called in as well. But did they need to hear from both of them on the same incident? It didn’t sound like Hank expected to have heard from him.
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s more upset by what Justus said to her afterward,” Rawlins said. “I think Justus was trying to break ties so they’d have distance and it would keep Chaney safe. But only time will tell.”
“I don’t envy you and Rafferty on this assignment,” Hank said.
Rawlins thought he heard a chuckle in his tone. “We’re more than up for the task, Sir.”
“I’m sure you are or Kenneally wouldn’t have picked you for the job. I’ll be in touch,” Hank said, before ending the call.
Rawlins stretched out on his bed and thought about things for a while after that. It didn’t surprise him to wake up a few hours later to the soft knocking at his door.
He rolled off his bed and went to open it. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Chaney said, holding a piece of printed paper in her hands. “I’ve been working on my resume and wanted you to look at it before I sent it to The Village.”
“Sure. I’ll take a look,” Rawlins said. “Have you called them yet?”
“Yes, I had a nice conversation with Hannah Collins, the director. She’s a friend of Dr. Saunders. And she is willing to have me work there once she sees this resume,” Chaney explained.
Rawlins nodded, reading through it one more time, checking the spelling and grammar for any errors. “It’s good to go. I think you have a crisp and clean looking resume. Do you mind if I have The Village contact information? I need to check the location out for your protection if you are going to be going there.”
“Sure,” Chaney said. “I’ll take a photo of it for myself and bring you the business card. I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared and he thought about what this would mean for him to keep her safe while she was at The Village. How was he going to finagle that? He hadn’t taken that into account when she first mentioned it and he could have kicked himself for not thinking about it and bringing it up to Hank when they spoke a few hours ago.
He leaned back against the door frame and wondered what he was going to do. He couldn’t very well lurk in the distance outside of the shelter. Someone would see him and think he was casing the place. That would never work. And if he tried to volunteer there as well, how would that make Chaney feel? She already felt her parents were keeping tabs on her with Broderick reporting back to them.
No. There had to be a better way for him to keep her safe without making her feel like she was not standing on her own two feet. That was very important to her right now. And he aimed to make sure she was supported by at least one person in the world.