Chapter 13 #3
“Hurt? Eli, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to bury the lead when you’re providing information?”
“Yeah, I’m doing this all wrong, huh? Maybe I’m not used to these surroundings.”
“No tools banging and men shouting obscenities?”
We both smile. It’s strange, but oddly comforting. “Go on, tell me.”
“Have you heard about underground groups who help women?”
“I have, but I’ve never come across any. Whenever I’ve dealt with anything like that it’s been organizations or charities who are open about their work. But they exist. Is that what this is about?”
“There is a group I became aware of when I worked at the carnival. Women would show up late at night and stay with some of the wives and girlfriends who traveled with us. They were usually gone the same night they arrived. It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but it happened often enough that I got curious.
People tended not to notice me back then,” he gives a wry smile, knowing that doesn’t happen anymore.
“Like I said, I kept to myself. But it didn’t take me long to put two and two together and come up with eight.
I thought something bad was happening and started paying more attention.
The thought of having to leave because they were hurting women was hard, but I knew if I had to, I’d turn them in.
Then one day, right before I was about to ring the alarm, I stumbled across one of the women. ”
“What happened?” I ask, completely caught up in his story.
“She’d been beaten, pretty bad, and I almost lost it but I didn’t want to scare her. I wanted to help. When I tried, she told me she was there because they were helping her. Took me a while to understand, but she was young, maybe seventeen and I guess she felt comfortable enough to confide in me.
“I won’t tell you her story but needless to say, it was bad, and she had to get away before she was killed.
There were people at the carnival who let women know they could come to us for a new life.
Like a whole new life, identity, safe passage to other countries.
Basically, they vanished off the face of the earth.
But not in a bad way,” he hurries to add, making sure I understand what he is telling me.
I’ve heard of groups like this. They’ve always seemed like a myth.
“Once I knew, and the others found out, I thought they were gonna kick me from staying with them, but the girl convinced them that I wouldn’t ruin things for them. And I guess they believed her because they let me help.”
“How’d you convince her?” I ask.
Eli shrugs. “Just listened.”
That doesn’t surprise me. He has a way of making people trust him, and not in a deceptive, or fake way. Eli is easy to get lost in.
“I drove the van that took her to the meeting point that night. I didn’t see the people at the other end, they stayed in the shadows, only spoke with the leader who rode with us, who protected her. After that first run, I was asked to help out now and again, then it became more often.”
“How many women did you help?”
Eli blows out a heavy breath. “I didn’t keep count, but pretty much every town we went to, we picked someone up.”
“That’s… pretty amazing Eli.”
“I don’t want no credit for it. Sometimes people need that extra bit of help and if I could provide that, then I would. Any way I was able.”
“What happened? How did you end up here, with the MC?”
“That isn’t important. What’s important is, I stumbled on a woman being taken down to a meeting point in Ohio when I was on that run with the Stroudsburg chapter. She was hiding in the back of the van we were riding with.”
“Was she okay?”
“Yeah, she was good. Got to where she needed to be.”
He looks away and I get the impression he is keeping something back but I’m blown away by what he is telling me. It doesn’t take much for me to believe Eli did something this selfless, helping people get away from danger and into a better life.
This explains why both Eli and Mace were at the clubhouse the other day.
He said this was a run for the Stroudsburg chapter.
I’m startled to realize I’m more intrigued about that than I am this organization he’s talking about.
Is King making him work with the new chapter?
Some of the men moved over there when it started up, but not Eli.
He’s too important to the Sussex chapter.
And he runs the garage that brings in a shit load of money for the club.
“Now that you’ve given me the background, what exactly is it that King wants to do and why does he need to see me about it?”
“I think you can probably figure that out.”
“It doesn’t seem like something the MC can be a part of.”
“I ain’t sure it is either. My role was to escort the women, I never had a part with the people behind it. They’re secretive for a reason. They go to great lengths to hide their identities at hand overs.”
“So why is he doing it?”
“It’s not only about wanting to be aware of them if they’re operating in our area.”
“You think he has someone who needs to disappear?”
Eli shrugs instead of answering. That has to be what it is. King is the kind of man who would try anything within his power to protect the people he cares about, or has a vested interest in.
“He thinks that you and I will be able to track them down.”
“He wants us to work together?” I ask in a deranged and higher-pitched voice than normal.
“Sure looks that way,” he gives a rueful smile.
I don’t know whether I’m happy or mad about this. Oddly, Eli looks as torn.