Chapter 23 #2
But I was stuck on the fact the man was wearing a suit, which meant he was probably a detective. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
She shook her head. “It was dark and he was kind of far away. But I think he was tall and had dark hair.”
“You didn’t see his face?”
“No.”
“Do you remember anything else about him?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay,” I insisted. “You’ve told me more than enough. Thank you.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Will they come find me when I go home?”
“No,” I said firmly. “When my partner and I are done, there won’t be anyone left to look for you.” I noticed a sign announcing our exit a mile ahead. “We’re almost to your mom. Are you nervous?”
She nodded. “What if she’s mad at me for going to meet a boy after school?”
“Emily, I promise you—your mom will be so thankful you’re home that she won’t be mad.” I gave her a long look. “But in the future, don’t go off with random boys who DM you on Instagram.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I won’t. I learned my lesson.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand again. “I know you did.”
I turned off at the exit, and we pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot. I started to park on the side of the building, but Emily sucked in her breath. “That’s my mom’s car.” She pointed to a maroon SUV parked in the back row.
I drove toward it and parked two spaces down from the driver’s side, leaving an empty spot between us.
The driver’s door flew open, and a woman scrambled out of the vehicle. She wore jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt under a chunky black cardigan. Her light brown hair was pulled into a messy bun. Her nose was red, but her face was pale.
Apprehension filled her eyes when she looked over at us, and I realized she couldn’t see Emily in the car in the dark.
Emily was frozen in her seat, watching her.
“Do you want me to talk to her first?” I asked gently. It was probably a good idea to prepare her for what her daughter had been through.
She nodded once slowly.
“You stay in here as long as you need to, okay?”
I got out and a man walked around the back of the SUV, looking like he was spoiling for a fight. He was tall and bulky enough that he probably thought he could plow right through me.
He’d be in for a surprise.
He started to march forward, his gaze locked on the car like he was ready to rip the door off its hinges, but I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Get the hell out of my way,” he snarled.
“Mr. Harrison,” I said in a firm voice. “You are scaring your daughter.”
“You’re keeping her from us!” he shouted.
“John!” Anna shouted at him. “Stop!”
“Why isn’t she getting out of the car?” he demanded, shouting at his wife. “Is she even in there?”
“She’s sitting in the front seat, free to get out when she’s ready,” I said. “It’s not locked.”
“Then why isn’t she getting out?” he demanded.
I was having second thoughts leaving her with this asshole, but I reminded myself that his daughter had been missing for four months. Emotions were running high. But I also didn’t want to deal with him right now.
I turned to Anna and closed the distance between us. “Anna, Emily’s been through a lot. I mean a lot.”
“She ran away with that boy,” her father said. “We found her Instagram messages.”
I turned to look at him, shaking my head in disgust. “Mr. Harrison, your daughter was kidnapped and trafficked to men at truck stops—”
Emily gasped, covering her mouth in horror.
I continued, “She was held against her will, and threatened so thoroughly she is terrified of just about anything that moves. They told her if she contacted you, they would kill her little sister. They also told her you didn’t want her to come home.
I guarantee you that your posturing isn’t assuring her that you’re happy to see her.
If anything, it’s going to convince her to stay inside the car. ”
He lost some of his bluster, but he was still pissed.
I turned back to Anna. “She’s going to need help. She’s definitely going to need therapy, probably lots of it, but right now what she needs most is you, your love and reassurance, and a safe, calm environment to heal.”
She glared at her husband.
“Like I said, they convinced her you didn’t want her,” I continued, “but I got her permission to call you and prove to her they were wrong. She’s still terrified you’ll turn her away, though, so please, please, be gentle with her.”
She nodded, clutching her hands against her stomach as tears filled her eyes.
I lowered my voice. “I know one of the first things you’ll want to do is go to the police, but there are some cops in Little Rock involved in this. I just don’t know who they are yet.”
“How convenient,” John said with a sneer.
Fury filled Anna’s eyes. “John, shut the fuck up!”
“She can’t handle that,” I told her, pointing back at him. “She can’t handle his anger, so if he’s going to keep acting that way, you are going to have to protect her from it.”
She nodded, a firm resolve filling her eyes. “She won’t have to worry about him. I promise.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m going to see if she’s ready to get out yet.”
She lifted her hands to under her chin. “Okay.”
I gave her an encouraging smile. “But if she’s not, don’t take it personally, okay? She’s terrified you’ll reject her.”
“Okay,” she said solemnly. “I understand.”
I walked over to the passenger door and partially opened the door, squatting so I was looking up at Emily, not down.
I reached over and placed my hand on her arm. “Are you ready to see your mom?”
She turned in her seat to face me. Tears swam in her eyes. “Does she still want me?”
I gave her an encouraging smile. “Yes. Very, very much.”
Her eyes shifted over to her father, who was by the back bumper of their car, pacing. “But my dad’s mad at me.”
“No,” I said. “He’s not mad at you. He’s upset that you got taken.
Sometimes men can’t handle their emotions, and it comes out as anger.
That doesn’t make it right, but it’s just the way some guys are.
But when you get old enough to have a boyfriend and maybe get married, you do not have to tolerate a guy who behaves like that, okay?
You can find a guy who doesn’t get angry under pressure. ”
She nodded.
I glanced back at her father, who had lost some of his temper, but I could see it was still simmering under the surface. “Is your dad usually an angry guy?”
She shrugged.
“I told your mom that he can’t act like that around you. She said she won’t let him.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“But if he doesn’t behave, I want you to let me know, okay?”
Surprise filled her eyes, but she nodded.
I wasn’t sure why I’d said that, but I felt responsible for her. She’d been through enough shit. She didn’t need to deal with any more. I had no idea what I could possibly do, but I’d deal with that later.
I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Are you ready for a hug from your mom?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded.
“Okay,” I said with a tight smile. “It’s time to be brave again.” I stood and opened the door farther so she could get out. Once her feet were on the ground, she hesitated, staring at her mother over the top of the car door.
Anna gasped when she saw her. Possibly because she wasn’t sure she’d ever see her daughter again, or possibly because her daughter looked nothing like the girl who had gone to school last December and not come home. Probably both.
But it only took a second for Anna to get over her shock. She remained rooted in the middle of the parking space, giving Emily the chance to go to her. But then she flung her arms wide in welcome, tears streaming down her face.
That was all the encouragement Emily needed. She rushed to her mother, nearly knocking Anna down when she slammed into her. Anna wrapped her arms around Emily, and they both began to sob.
John watched them. The rest of his anger bled out of him, but he stayed in place.
I walked over to him, keeping my back to Anna and Emily, and lowered my voice.
“I know you’re upset, but what she needs from you right now is love and peace.
You have every right to be pissed—especially after hearing about what she went through, but the people who did this to her won’t get away with it.
My partner and I are working on destroying the organization running this thing.
” I held his gaze. “The man who took her will never have the opportunity to get near her or any other girl ever again. As for the rest? We will destroy them. So put your energy into healing your daughter and not on vengeance.”
He stared down at me and grimaced. “I was such an asshole.”
I gave him a grim smile, but I was relieved he’d softened. “It was an odd phone call, but I had to convince her that you both wanted her home. Now just love her. That’s what she needs.”
I turned around and walked over to Emily.
When she saw me, she pulled away from her mother and turned to face me. “Are you leaving?”
“Yeah. You don’t need me anymore. Now, I have to go save the other girls.”
She threw her arms around me, hugging me tight. “Thank you.”
My throat tightened and my eyes stung. “You’re welcome.” I squeezed her, then stepped back.
“Thank you,” Anna said. “I can never repay you. The reward—”
“I don’t want the reward,” I said. “Really. I’d rather you give it to an organization that helps girls like your daughter.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
I took a step back and looked down at Emily again. “If you ever need me, contact Carter Hale. He’s an attorney in Jackson Creek, Tennessee. Tell him you need Harper, and he’ll make sure I get the message.”
She squinted up at me. “But your name is Amber.”
“Just like yours was Lexi,” I said.
Then I walked to my car and headed back to Little Rock.