Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
A fter a few days in the hospital, Kelly and Sam traveled to the same halfway house where Kelly had lived for three months before she came to Wayside. Now, Anna would be joining her on the trip out to the ranch.
Sam seemed uncomfortable, unsure of what to say or do with Anna. She seemed to be more of an issue for him than Kelly had been, which made her feel a little better about everything. Even after all the mistakes they’d made, he’d still felt something. If he hadn’t, he would’ve treated her just like everyone else.
Sam went inside with her and Becky, the housing coordinator, came out and smiled. “Kelly, so good to see you again.”
She nodded, still unable to allow herself to get too close to people. Even the doctors who’d had to check her in the hospital had left notes in her chart not to wake her from a hard sleep with touch, or she might try to punch them. She didn’t want to. Her reactions were embarrassing, but that’s where her mind was now .
Anna came down carrying a bag very similar to the one Kelly had. It reminded her that she didn’t need it anymore and someone else might get better use of it. She’d send it back to them when she got home. The thought brought a smile, at least on the inside. She wasn’t quite to the point of allowing anyone else to know how she felt yet.
Sam took over the conversation, chatting with Becky about what they did at the ranch and going over the minimal paperwork. Before long, Anna was headed out to the car with them for the trip back to the ranch. She’d seen Sam almost every day and he’d helped her pass the time as much as he could, but she couldn’t wait to see Zeus. She craved his bristly fur against her face.
Sam turned on the radio quietly and the little bit of sound allowed her to relax into a lull in the passenger seat. Before long, Sam had pulled into a car rental place. He smiled at her. “Sorry, I wish I didn’t have to rouse you, but here’s where we leave the car. Lacy is waiting in that red car right over there.” He pointed across the lot. “Why don’t you take Anna over and introduce her, so you aren’t standing outside in the cold.”
At least they’d given Anna a coat. Kelly still had Sam’s after he’d wrapped it around her. That was the only piece of clothing she still had from that day. Sam had gone out to buy everything she’d needed for an outfit to ride home. He’d purchased clothes that were soft, comfortable, and roomy. Not what a guy normally would’ve chosen, but they made her feel good in her skin.
“Anna, you ready?” she asked.
“You said this is a Christian place, right?” Anna asked.
“You will hear about faith there, but it isn’t required. Why?” Was Anna wavering in her beliefs ?
“My parents would approve.” She smiled. “I’m sure this is the right place to be. I’ll be found here.”
Kelly and Anna had been talking daily, discussing faith and what it meant to believe. In just a few days, Kelly had learned more than she had in the months prior. She now knew what it meant to pray and be forgiven. There was more to faith than being saved in a moment of terror. Now she wanted to know more. Her soul seemed to thirst for more than she could give it.
Anna followed Kelly over to Lacy’s car. Lacy got out and opened the trunk, welcoming both of them with a big smile. “Kelly, so glad to see you. You must be Anna.” She gently took Anna’s bag and put it in the trunk. “Is there anything you’ll need out of there before you get to your cabin?” She touched the trunk and waited for Anna’s answer.
“No, there’s not much in there to begin with.” Anna laughed nervously.
“We’ll tackle that once we get to Wayside. I’ve put Anna in the cabin next to yours, Kelly.” She opened the back door for them.
Both Kelly and Anna climbed into the back. “Is Zeus okay?” Kelly hadn’t asked Sam because he’d been there. He probably didn’t know. Lacy had been at Wayside, she’d probably seen Zeus daily.
“I haven’t seen him in a while. I’m sure he’s just fine, though. He’s a good boy.”
Kelly’s heart sank. “He’s the best. Is something wrong that you haven’t seen him?”
Lacy looked in the rearview mirror at her with friendly eyes. “I don’t work in the kennels or out in the yard much. So, unless he was out there when I walk to my cabin for work, I wouldn’t see him. ”
Something about the way she said that felt off, like it wasn’t completely true. Kelly hadn’t known Lacy for long, but she seemed like an honest person. She couldn’t really judge, since she’d spent so much of her life living a lie.
Sam got into the car, interrupting the conversation. He closed the door and gave a few papers to Lacy, then buckled in. “Let’s get home. I’m sure you’re ready for some rest and relaxation.”
Anna nodded quickly. “I also want to know what happened. Was Nathan arrested? Is he still in jail? What about the others that Kelly mentioned?”
Sam’s face went hard instantly. “It’s probably a good idea not to talk about those other anywhere but in sessions with Brendon. Right now, those two are still on the loose. Nathan is in custody. He’s in lockdown, but we know how this works. He won’t live long enough to testify.”
Anna flinched. “Will they ask us to testify?”
Lacy cut a glance at Sam that clearly told him to watch his words. He took a deep breath. “I don’t know. We haven’t been told what will happen. If they subpoena you, then you’ll have to.”
Kelly had no desire to recount what had happened to her. Hopefully, the statement she’d already given and the various evidence she’d given would be enough from her. She was ready to be done with the entire mess. If Nathan didn’t make it to trial, well, neither would all the people he had stored in the basement.
“I was told only sixteen people were rescued and Anna and I were two of them.” Kelly moved the seat belt away from her neck, so it didn’t rub against her scar.
Sam nodded. “I know. But I’ve heard from the FREE International representative that it’s common. There are always some who can’t admit they are stuck or who believe their captor can’t possibly be as bad as some. I don’t know if they’re brainwashed, or what happens.”
“I do,” Anna choked. “Nathan wasn’t the only one to have a hand in that property. He wasn’t even the one to control all those girls. The others knew that if they left and their pimp found out, they might die. There’s no way Wayside could take all of them and neither could the halfway house. Where would they go? They had to choose what they knew over what they thought would be a sure death.”
Lacy sighed. “And this is why we need to rid the world of this stain.”
In under a half hour, Lacy pulled into the Wayside driveway. The rolling hills immediately soothed Kelly. Even though Nathan had found her there, it felt like home. Secure. Safe. Sam had made sure of that. Nathan wouldn’t get to her anymore. She reached over to Anna and threaded their fingers together, despite the immediate discomfort. “Anna, Welcome home.”
Sam found himself in the barn again, this time taking a curry brush to Bella so Kelly could ride later. Being home after a few days in a hotel was wonderful. His bed had felt more comfortable than ever. Helping matters was the fact that Kelly was also back and safe. He’d worried the entire time she was in the hospital.
With Nathan behind bars, would she finally have some breathing room? Could she finally start moving forward instead of constantly having to look back? Viceroy was still out there and clearly so was Ramona. After talking with Connor about her, he’d been reminded that she was the nurse who had kidnapped and murdered children to keep her own son alive. At least Kelly probably wasn’t one of her targets, though she was also the one who tortured Dee and left her permanently scarred.
This duo needed to be taken down, but he was hesitant to even suggest Kelly be the one to do it. According to her, though, she’d seen his face. There weren’t many living people who would be willing to turn on him. Kelly might be the only one. Doing that would force her to relive the most horrible moments of her life. Even asking her to do that felt like too much.
At least he wasn’t the one who would have to ask her, but he’d support her no matter what she chose. As he slowly ran the metal brush over the horse’s side, he realized that loving Kelly from this moment forward would look different for him than for most couples. She might never show affection in public. She might never be able to show affection at all. She could, but he had to go into this expecting the worst so that any progress she made was a total joy, a hurdle overcome, a win for them both.
Kelly peeked around the end of the stall, her shy eyes capturing his attention immediately. “Hey, how are you this morning?” He hoped she’d slept well the night before.
“Good. I’m looking forward to my first Thanksgiving where I have something to be thankful for. Even at home, growing up, I never looked it as a day to reflect on what I had. It was just a day to eat a lot and watch a parade on TV.”
“If you’re looking for a little tradition, I’m sure Connor wouldn’t mind if we turned it on.” He motioned for her to come over.
Some of the guests had said that learning to groom the horses had been a supremely calming exercise. Some of them even wanted to do it daily. The sound, the motion, the calming effect it had on the horse, were all positive things and helped to relax the guest.
Sam gave her the brush, then covered her hand with his and put just enough pressure on the wide brush, showing her how to proceed. He backed off the moment she had the motion and pressure because he knew she still felt uncomfortable with touch, though she hadn’t tensed and pulled away as he’d worried she would.
“This has to be too rough for brushing under her belly or down her legs and she has mud on her legs.” Kelly stopped brushing and put her hand through the leather strap on the back.
“You’re absolutely right. The metal combs would hurt in those areas. I’ve used a stiffer cloth, a long-handled dish washing brush—if the horse has a big girth and I can’t reach very well, and I’ve also used a plastic comb made for the job. All of them work, some better than others.”
“I’m nervous about bending down to do her legs. What if she pushes me over?” Kelly gave him a nervous glance.
It was far too close in that stall. When he’d been the only one grooming, there had been plenty of room. Now, he felt like he was right on top of Kelly and there was nowhere to go to give her more space.
“You don’t have to. I’ll do that for now.” He took a step back and his spine met the feed bucket hanging in the corner.
“Sam, did I do something wrong?” She took the brush off and laid it on the top rail of the stall. “You don’t want to be near me, haven’t talked to me very much, and you even got rid of Zeus.” She blinked rapidly, then turned away from him.
Sam let her get out of the stall then stopped her with words to avoid touching her. “Kelly, I want to be near you, but I’m trying to make you as comfortable as possible. Zeus isn’t gone permanently. He’ll be back, and better than ever. I promise. I’m sorry you miss him, but you’ll be glad for it when he returns.”
He’d heard from the training school where Zeus had gone just the day before, missing Kelly by mere hours. Zeus had gone through the screening process and had been deemed fit for the class. That had been a load off Sam’s mind. Now, he wasn’t sure what to tell Kelly. There was still a chance Zeus would come back without passing. If he didn’t, Kelly might feel guilty for the money and for what Zeus had to go through, even if neither of them were bothered. Kelly took on guilt like some people put on sweatshirts, and he didn’t want that.
“Still, I miss him.” She swiped at her nose. “Sam, I know that you and I maybe won’t ever have a typical relationship, but I want to start over. I want all the old baggage to go away. Can we forget about the miscommunication and the lies by omission and just start fresh?”
Sam gently turned her around, releasing her immediately. “Kelly, you’re forgiven. The past is the past. But I don’t want to forget it.” He touched the red wax ring on his finger. “That was the best time of my life. When I want to think about moments of happiness, those are what I draw from. We can move forward, and we don’t have to ever think about the mistakes, but let’s never forget the good things.”
Kelly blinked back tears and slowly, tentatively, stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. He felt the moment she relaxed into the hug and that’s when he returned it, sure that he wouldn’t scare her or make her uncomfortable. This was going to be a tightrope walk, but maybe this was why he’d been trained. For such a time as this.
She nestled in close, and her voice was difficult to hear, muffled in his layers of coat, vest, and flannel. “For a long time, I convinced myself that my life, as it was, was normal. That I couldn’t expect anything else. This is so different, so far beyond what I’d allowed myself to believe. I never thought freedom was an option.”
“It is. And we’ll do everything in our power to make sure you never have to worry about being there again. Nathan is still behind bars in Cheyenne.”
“I know you didn’t want to talk about Viceroy, but I need to know if he’s still free.” Kelly pulled away but stayed close to him.
“They have some leads, but he vanished. They don’t even know what car he was in, because I couldn’t see what kind of car it was. I was overwhelmed with the stench down there and I didn’t have my wits about me enough to try to memorize the plate. It may have been too far away, anyway. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry for. If you hadn’t followed them, no one would know both of them had gotten away together.”
Sam turned away, trying to keep a fresh thought to himself. Ramona had mentioned to Dee where her son was staying during the torture. If police could find that place, maybe they’d find Ramona and Viceroy? Unless the boy had died at some point, then that would be an unfortunate dead end. He couldn’t bring himself to wish death on the poor child, even if his genes were a mix of two of the most evil people he’d ever known.
“What is it?” Kelly asked. “You’re avoiding me again.”
He turned back to her. “Not intentionally. I had a thought and was worried you might take my excitement the wrong way.”
She reached for his hands tentatively. As soon as he threaded his fingers in hers, she stepped toward him, tilted her head up, and gave him the softest brush of her lips across his. The touch was so brief, so soft, it was like a feather. But it was progress. A fresh start. He’d take it.
“I won’t. I hope your thought leads to something. I don’t want you to be afraid to share with me. If anything is too much, I’ll tell you. We have to trust each other and that is the first step, the bridge from the place we are to the place we want to be.” She stepped back one step. “Unless I’m completely way off base and you don’t want to start anything with me.” She turned a deep shade of red. “I assumed. Oh, no. I’m sorry.”
He gathered her close and kissed the top of her head. “You assumed correctly. If I have to share what’s on my mind, you do, too No more guessing. No trying to read each other, because you won’t be able to read anything but negative things from body cues for a while. I want to start over, Kelly. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want that.”
She tilted her face up and kissed his chin, even with two days of growth, then laughed. “That was rougher than I was expecting.”
Her laugh made his heart soar. Her honesty and ability to say what she felt made it even lighter. “Maybe I need to shave. ”
She kissed him again. “Maybe, but then again, maybe you don’t.”
For a minute, holding her was like old times, and he knew exactly why Connor had started these missions. He didn’t regret his past anymore. He’d finally had the integrity to do the right thing.