Chapter Twenty Nine
Riley sat on the edge of the bed in the cruddy motel right outside Embers. She texted Tara.
I’ll be picking you up in the morning. Hope you’re having a good time. XOXO.
A minute later, her phone buzzed.
I’m having a great time. I met two girls and they want my cell number. Can I give it to them?
Riley’s fingers hesitated, debating on telling her to remember the rules. Tara deserved one more night of fun before she burst her bubble.
Sure.
Her hands shook from shock and anger as she dialed Rachel’s number.
“Hey, Riley,” she greeted. “I’m surprised to hear from you.”
“Rachel,” she sniffed.
“Riley? What’s wrong?” she demanded.
“It’s Garrett. He came home and accused me of working with Kenny. He started asking me if I did it for the money,” she cried.
“What. An. Asshole,” Rachel seethed. “Wait until I get ahold of his nuts.”
“You’re not touching my nuts when you say it in that voice,” Matthew called.
“We’re not discussing yours,” Rachel called to Matthew. “Garrett fucked up and hurt my friend.” Rachel returned to the phone. “Where are you? You can stay here with us.”
“No. I don’t want him near me,” Riley said vehemently. “I need a favor.”
“Anything. You name it,” Rachel said gently.
“I’m at the Silver Spurs. I drove your truck here and I need you to come get it. Tara’s at the birthday party, and I have to tell her we’re not staying with Garrett. Can you drive me over there in the morning?” she asked.
“Riley, you can’t stay there,” Rachel exclaimed. “It’s a dump.”
“I’m fine,” she assured her.
“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Rachel announced. “Stay there and lock the doors.”
Hanging up, Riley stared at the faded green carpet, the yellow disco lamp, and the grey walls, and cringed.
She took out the envelope and carefully counted her funds.
After she picked up Tara, they’d get a few groceries.
The Taco Shack might hire her back. They always seemed short-staffed and offered overtime.
She wiped her eyes and turned on the light in the bathroom in time to watch the cockroaches skitter across the floor. “Shit,” she muttered as someone knocked on her door.
When she opened it, she saw Rachel with her hands on her hips and a pregnant Delaney ready to kill. Matthew and Jameson guarded the vehicles.
“Here’s your keys. Thank you for coming to get it,” she said, handing them to Rachel.
“I didn’t come here for the vehicle. We came here for you,” Rachel said, walking into the room and turning her nose up at it.
“You will not stay here,” she ordered. “You can’t put Tara in danger. This place is crawling with bad people and cock roaches.”
“I can’t afford anything else, right now. Tomorrow, I have to search for a job,” Riley explained to the two women.
Delaney shook her head, grabbed the unpacked pillowcase and Tara’s backpack, and walked outside.
“Wait, Delaney,” Riley shouted, attempting to take her things.
“No,” Rachel stopped her. “You have friends now, Riley. You don’t have to do this alone. Please don’t make us stay here watching over you until you come to your senses.”
Riley took one glance at the room and changed her mind. “I paid until the end of the week.”
“Matthew will handle it. Do you need anything from the bathroom?”
“I didn’t unpack. When I turned on the light, the floor moved,” she admitted.
Rachel took her by the arm and dragged her from the room, making it difficult for Riley to keep up. When they got to the truck, she turned to Matthew. “Riley paid for the week. Please make sure she gets her money back, or we’re calling the health department.”
“I’ll handle it once all three of you get into the truck and lock the doors,” Matthew said, holding it open for them.
They climbed inside, letting Delaney in the back with Riley. “What made you think this was a good idea? Why didn’t you call us?”
“I don’t know. When he started accusing me of things, I couldn’t believe what he said to me,” she said sadly. “I wanted to get out of there.”
Matthew returned to the truck and handed Riley her money. “If you do this again, you won’t have only the women upset with you.”
“I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said softly.
“You have no way to defend yourself,” Matthew chastised softly. “You can come to us at any time.”
“Thank you,” she murmured while Delaney took her hand and squeezed it.
“Rebecca will be at the house by the time we arrive. Don’t worry about anything. When we return, Matthew can go kick Garrett’s ass and then fire him,” Rachel insisted.
“I can’t fire him over a disagreement,” Matthew explained. “Garrett didn’t do anything wrong at work.”
“Then go kick his ass,” Rachel growled. “You can still do that, can’t you?”
“Riley, for what it’s worth, Julio and I saw Kenny speaking with Garrett. He seemed on edge, and I imagine he planted a seed of doubt,” Matthew explained.
“It explains why he acted the way he did, but it doesn’t excuse his behavior,” Riley said, crossing her arms.
“No. It doesn’t,” Matthew agreed. “Tonight, you’ll be our guest. Tomorrow, we have somewhere you can stay.” He held out the key to Rachel’s truck for one of the cowboys from the ranch to drive home.
“We’ll discuss it when we get home,” Rachel said, cutting Riley off from any arguing.
They dropped Delaney off, promising to call her tomorrow. When they pulled into the garage, Matthew took Riley’s things inside, leaving Rachel with Riley.
“When do you get your cast off?” she asked while she helped Riley up the stairs.
“I meant to call the doctor,” she lied, avoiding Rachel’s gaze.
“Please,” Rachel said, waving her hand at her. “In my former life, I excelled at lying. I’ve turned over a new leaf, and I expect the same from you. If we’re truly friends, you’ll tell me the truth.”
“You’re right. I’d want you to do the same. I don’t have an appointment because I planned to remove the cast myself. I can’t afford another doctor’s visit. I still have to contact the hospital about my bill. I haven’t received anything yet.”
“Hmmm,” Rachel said as they entered the living room.
“I wish you hadn’t called Rebecca and ruined the party for her. She and Kara seem awfully close,” Riley said, taking a seat on the couch.
Matthew entered, bringing her a fresh cup of coffee and passing one to Rachel. “Call me if you need anything.”
“You won’t kick Garrett’s ass, will you? I prefer you didn’t. Once I get over the shock, I plan to do it myself. Please don’t take the opportunity away from me,” she pleaded.
“You got it,” he said, chuckling.
A few minutes later, Rebecca walked into the living room, and Rachel went to the kitchen to fetch her a cup of coffee. “Rachel gave me the general rundown. How do you feel?”
“I have no idea. I’m mostly hurt, and then I’m mad. It’s like he changed before my eyes. It felt like I was watching my dad all over again without the drinking,” she admitted.
Rebecca hugged her. “I’m sorry. Do you know what happened to cause him to change so drastically?”
“Matthew says his mother’s boyfriend, Kenny, planted the seeds of doubt,” Rachel said, returning with Rebecca’s drink.
“Remember when I told you we kept a secret we couldn’t share?” Rebecca asked gently.
Riley nodded, watching them.
“I work for the CIA and other branches to take down sex trafficking rings. We rescue adults and children and bring them here for medical care, mental health, or whatever else they may need. When they’ve recuperated, we take them to a place in Corpus Christi to reunite with their families,” Rebecca explained.
Riley’s mouth fell open. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack,” Rachel chimed in.
“Why are you telling me this now?” Riley asked.
“We didn’t plan on saying anything, but we want to offer you a cabin to stay in until you’re on your feet. You’re running from domestic violence. With your situation with Tara, we can help you with legal counsel, and you should consider counseling.”
“Yeah, I think counseling will help Tara,” she said, sipping her coffee.
“Sweetheart, you need it, too,” Rachel broke the news gently.
“What? Why do you think I need it?” she asked, surprised.
“For one thing, your mom died horrifically and you became a parent at the age of sixteen. You lost everything you worked for on your family ranch and took off with Tara due to your father’s alcohol abuse,” Rachel listed out her issues like a laundry list.
Wincing, Riley put her head down in shame. “I guess if you notice these things, others do, too. I wanted to give Tara a stable home, and he managed to screw both of us up.”
“No, honey. Therapy will give you a safe place to talk about your feelings. Of course, we’ll be here, too,” Rebecca reassured her.
“Have you ever heard of flight or fight instincts? It’s when a person’s nervous system stays in a constant state of stress.
You don’t like losing control, Riley. You won’t let Tara go to school or socialize with people her age. ”
“I can’t,” she exclaimed. “Dad always finds us. I pitched our luggage and phones, and he still finds us.”
“We understand. But you watch your phone for texts, and you get agitated if she hasn’t checked in with you,” Rebecca pointed out. “You did it today when we searched for the perfect lingerie. Instead of enjoying the moment, your mind stayed on Tara.”
“How do you know about this stuff?” Riley said, realizing everything they mentioned, she did.
“Julio and I worked together on a sex trafficking ring case. During the investigation, I discovered my partner was involved. They kidnapped me for almost a year before Julio found me. Megan’s one of the survivors.
They took her mom, an OBGYN, because they needed her expertise.
Megan’s father was killed searching for them. ”
Riley’s hand went to her mouth. “I’m sorry, Rebecca. How awful. What can I do to help?”
The women smiled. “We need volunteers to watch the kids and teach skills to the men and women. Some don’t have families to return to and choose to stay here. We’d like to offer them jobs, but they’ve never worked on a ranch.”