Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
S am and Zeus climbed into the back of Edwyn’s car one more time. Edwyn took the driver’s position, and Connor sat in front of him. Even though it was chilly, Sam cracked the window open for some fresh air. The scent of death wouldn’t leave his nose, and he couldn’t wait to find a shower.
“I’m assuming we’re staying here another night?” he asked Connor.
Connor answered, “We’re going to drop you off at a hotel where you can stay until Kelly is released. Edwyn will drive me to a car rental place so I can get some wheels for you while you’re here. Take your time. She may need a few days.”
“Thanks.” Sam laid his hand on Zeus’s head, then scratched behind his ears. As much as he was Sam’s favorite, Zeus had chosen Kelly. He couldn’t really blame the dog. Kelly was cuter by far.
Edwyn pulled into a nicer hotel than they’d stayed in the night before. “This hotel doesn’t take dogs, so we’ll be taking Zeus with us. He was a very good boy and I’ll be sure to give him something special when we get home,” said Connor.
“Thanks for that.” Though Sam could already tell Zeus felt vindicated. He’d done his duty and could now rest. He was, even now, sleeping on Sam’s feet.
Edwyn pulled into a spot and turned off the car. Connor glanced back at Sam. “I’m going to go inside and get your room. I’ll be back out with the key.”
Sam scratched Zeus’s head, then gently moved it over so he could get out without accidentally kicking the dog. Zeus was so exhausted he barely noticed. Edwyn came around the car and offered his hand to Sam. “Hey, I’m sorry we’ve been at odds the last few weeks. We’ve never been this way before, and I don’t want to be again. I’m sorry for letting the rules get to me. I’m sorry for not putting our friendship above my own righteousness.”
Sam shrugged. “Trying to be righteous isn’t a bad thing. But thank you. I hope you trust me now.”
“I do. I know you’ll do what it takes to take care of her and to make sure that she heals.” Edwyn leaned against the trunk of his car.
Sam bit his lip. He hated asking Lacy to do more work. She was already putting in more than full-time hours. Then again, they all were. “When you take Zeus home, could you ask Lacy to look into the closest place to have Zeus trained to be a service dog? A real service dog that can help Kelly in case she has anxiety attacks or whatever other things Brendon thinks might be helpful? I’ll pay for it.”
Edwyn’s brow rose. “I guess I can’t say anything. We’ve gone out of our way to get wheelchairs for guests who’ve needed them, glasses for those who have needed them, and even dietary special foods for those who need them. Who am I to say no to a service dog? But you know that it will cost a lot, right?”
Sam thought back to the day in the truck with Kelly after they’d visited the bank. She’d been so defeated that she’d refused to string more than two words together on the ride home and she’d gotten stuck in a blizzard later because she was so distracted. She needed to feel secure and taken care of. This was the first step in letting her know that his protection was more than brawn, which he honestly didn’t have that much of, but brains and a bank account, too He wasn’t rich, but he’d saved what he had. Now, the rainy day was here, and he looked forward to putting his savings to good use.
“Here,” Edwyn said as he shoved a piece of paper toward Sam.
Sam looked at the scrawled address on the slip of paper. “What’s this?”
“I asked one of the officers if they could tell me where they’d taken Kelly because the EMTs wouldn’t tell me. I totally get why they didn’t. I had to give them every piece of identification I had on me to prove that they all matched and I was who I said I was. Then they gave me the information. There is no guarantee you’ll get in to see her because you’re not family. But at least you know where she is.”
Sam tucked the important slip of paper in his back pocket for safekeeping. “Thank you. I was going to start calling hospitals as soon as I got in my room. You just saved me a lot of time.”
“You’re welcome. Take care, man. I hope you’re back at Wayside soon.”
“Thanks. Oh, and Edwyn, if I’m gone for more than two days after Lacy finds a place, tell her I give her permission to use my account and get the process started. She has my bank information. I want this started because I know it will take time.”
Edwyn nodded. “Consider it done. You can count on me.”
Sam turned and headed toward the hotel. There were few people on the earth that he trusted more than Edwyn.
Edwyn led Zeus back to the kennels after his warm reception at home. Everything out there was as it should be. Someone had taken over the duties of feeding and watering the dogs. They looked happy and Max, the golden retriever, was particularly happy to see Zeus home.
After opening the door and making sure the latch was secured once again, he headed for his cabin. So much had changed in the last day that he was exhausted, and home didn’t even feel quite right. His attention was on high-alert, and he couldn’t rest or calm down.
He put a kettle on the stove and flipped the burner to high. When he was anxious as a kid, mom would make him tea that helped him relax. It was the only tea he drank anymore. He waited for the whistle, pronouncing the water hot enough to steep his tea. Once he’d put a loaded helping of honey in the water, he dunked the tea bag and headed to his room to change.
His life and calling were definitely on the fringe at Wayside. He rarely had guests of his own because his job outside of the work they did with victims of human trafficking kept him busy all the time. The last few weeks, he’d noticed a definite lack in his training, and that didn’t sit well. He didn’t want people coming to Wayside then having to switch wranglers because they weren’t comfortable with him.
He tugged a printout from his pocket. Lacey had given it to him when he’d arrived at home. He’d gone ahead and called her as soon as Sam had asked him to, while he was waiting for Connor to return to the car. So, Lacy had taken that hour and found the few relatively close dog trainers. He cringed at the expense, but that was for intense training.
The biggest issue was, Sam could spend all that money and still not have a working dog. There were no guarantees Zeus would take to the program. What if Sam spent upwards of $30,000 and Zeus came back just as he was before?
He grabbed his mug and sat down at his table, flipped open his laptop and turned it on. It whirred to life, but instead of his screensaver the screen went black. Green letters appeared at the top.
Was wondering when you’d open your computer.
He stared at the screen. Had he been hacked? Obviously. But why and who? And why would they talk to him?
He typed out a reply,
Are you a Nigerian prince, wanting to give me your fortune?
The person replied,
Nice try. Tell your boss to back off and leave me alone. It actually kind of hurts that he got ahold of me and not you. I guess you still can’t think of anyone but yourself.
He stared at the screen and his chest tightened. He consciously took a deep breath and a sip of tea that was far hotter than he thought it would be.
This is Nadine, isn’t it?
A pause, and then:
My name isn’t your concern. You don’t want me in your life anymore. Trust me on this one. As you can see, I can hack into your computer.
It isn’t even that hard. I will break any and all security you have around that ranch in Wyoming that for some reason isn’t on Google. Yeah, I can put it there, too. So, leave me alone.
Edwyn glanced around him. Was it possible she could see him? The security of Wayside was too important to risk for a chance to see Nadine again. No matter how sorry he was about what had happened.
I’ll tell him to back off. Nadine, I know it’s probably too little, too late, but I’m sorry. I know you feel like I turned my back on you. I wasn’t allowed to see you. It wasn’t my choice.
The curser flashed at him, blinking over and over. Was Nadine gone? Had she abandoned their little chat that she’d illegally created?
Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t? Because continuing to see me would’ve bent the rules about enlisted persons cavorting with senior officers. No one had to know. But you had to tell them.
You couldn’t bend a rule for a little while until I could get transferred. No. Instead you let your superior know that you had feelings for someone directly under you. You ruined my military career. You chose them. I had to leave, but I found my way. Now, when people want things done, they come to me. No one can escape me if I want to find them.
Edwyn’s thoughts raced. If Nadine could use that very same talent for good, she could work for any of the alphabet agencies. If she was that good, they would pay her a lot of money. But he got the feeling she wasn’t good.
Nadine, are you doing illegal things?
His computer shut down almost instantly.
He stared at the screen, eyes wide, nowhere near tired. “I’m going to need a second cup of tea,” he mumbled.
Kelly grabbed the remote to turn on the TV when someone knocked on her open door. “Delivery!” the nurse said with a cheery smile.
“For me?” Who would send her anything? For a brief moment, she worried about Nathan. He’d called himself her boyfriend at Wayside to try to get the guys there to believe him. “Who are they from?”
The nurse set them on a shelf across the room. “The card says ‘from Sam, I’m letting you get better for a little while before I try to come see you. Thinking of you.’ Aww, he’s a keeper. Where would you like these?” The nurse spoke without pausing at all.
“Um, how about there, by the window?” Plants needed light, even if they were cut, right? She had no idea. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been given cut flowers or any other gift. “That looks good. They brighten up the room.” But not as much as if he had come himself.
“It’s good that he understands you need a day. So often, people come and visit before you’ve had a chance to rest and then you take longer to heal. But just so you have comfort, we are limiting your guests. And absolutely no guests if you’re asleep. I heard from the doctor that you were taken from that raid of that apartment yesterday. So sad. But they rescued sixteen women and arrested one trafficker.”
“Only sixteen?” There had been so many more people in that apartment.
“That’s what I was told. Sixteen is still a great thing. Congratulations.” The nurse patted her arm above the IV they’d put in after her shower. She’d begged them to wait until she was clean, and they’d begrudgingly agreed, though it could’ve been that she’d finally put her foot down and threatened to tear them out if they put them in.
“Your friend, Anna, who came in with you is right across the hall. She’s doing a little bit better and asked if she could come over to visit you. Would that be all right?” She pressed a few buttons on the IV drip machine .
“That’s fine. We’re good friends.” Even saying that felt odd. She’d never thought she’d be able to call Anna her friend. She’d been told Anna was dead. And if what she’d gleaned from listening to the mumbles of the EMS team, Anna might not have had much longer.
“Did you hear anything about the ME going to that apartment?”
The nurse sat down and lowered her voice. “They’re talking about it all over the radio. Over twenty bodies were found in that basement in varying states of decay. If you’re into the creepy stuff, it really sets your mind going.”
She didn’t need to be into the creepy stuff. She’d lived a life of constant fear that she would disappear. Just because she knew now where people had disappeared too, didn’t make the situation any easier. “Yeah, gets your heart racing.”
The nurse chuckled and finished what she was doing, then headed for the door. She paused for a second. “I’ll let Anna know she can come over.”
Kelly gently scratched the spot next to the tape holding the IV, knowing that she couldn’t really make the feeling any better, but doing something helped mentally. She went back to scrolling the TV as Anna came in. She was in a hospital gown and robe. After washing her hair, she now looked much different than she had the day before, though still almost skeletal.
“Didn’t they feed you at all?” Kelly indicated the chair near her bed so Anna could sit.
“They sent food down occasionally. It was usually prepackaged stuff, like breakfast bars or toaster pastries. Just lots of sugar and no substance. I ate it because I didn’t want to starve.”
“Doesn’t look like they did a good job of preventing that. What are your plans after we get out of here?” She hoped Anna had somewhere to go. If not, maybe Conner would allow her to come to Wayside.
“I’m actually from overseas. My parents were missionaries near India. I don’t know if they’re still there, or here . . . They could be anywhere by now. I don’t even know which churches were supporting us to contact and ask. One of the officers was going to put my information into a nationwide missing person’s database, but I may not be on it since I went missing in India, and they would have no reason to believe I’d come back to the states.”
Kelly swallowed. Homeless. But now she understood where Anna had gotten her steadfast faith. She’d grown up with it. “I don’t know what happened to get you all the way over the ocean and halfway across the North American continent, but I’m so glad you ended up near me,” Kelly said. “Without you, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Anna looked far away for a second. “I love my family and miss them, but I’m worried that I may never be reunited with them. I guess I’ll have to see what God has in store for me.”
“If God could answer our prayer in the dungeon, he will answer our prayer in a hospital.” Though Kelly wasn’t at all sure if that was how prayer worked or not. One thing was for certain: when she got out of the hospital, she wanted to learn more about Jesus and the faith that had saved her life.
“You’re right. I’m just worried because I don’t have a place to go, and they are talking about discharging me as soon as tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Kelly said slowly. That didn’t leave her much time. “I’ll call Connor and see if you can come with me to Wayside Ranch. It’s a place where victims can go to heal. The only drawback is that you might get Edwyn as a wrangler and he’s a little loud.”
Anna snorted. “After being in that basement for five months, noise doesn’t bother me. I craved sound. Any sound. People, voices, the scurry of tiny feet. I needed to know I wasn’t the only one down there.”
Kelly nodded, already feeling like Wayside was perfect for Anna. With the dogs and the horses, it was peaceful but rarely silent. She would love the dogs, whistles, the sound of the wind blowing, and even the men joking. If she had to be honest, she missed all of that, too
“I hope you can come. It would be really good to have another friend there. More than just Sam.”
Anna grinned. “Yes, Sam. Is he the one you told me about that night? The one you loved and prayed for a chance to see again?”
Had she done that? She remembered calling on the name of Jesus that night, but she’d been in so much pain that little else made its way to the surface. She very well could’ve prayed for the chance to see Sam again. And if so, God worked even when she didn’t remember asking for His help.
“He’s a good man, Anna. I don’t deserve a man like him.”
Anna wove her fingers through Kelly’s. “Oh, dear one, you do. That’s the very best discovery. You absolutely do.”