Scandalous Heroes Box Set (131 page)

A grimace flew across his face so quickly she thought she had imagined it.

“What’s wrong? Have you met this guy? You know him?” Pam asked.

“Nothing is wrong, I do not know him personally and I have not met him. I will need to find another way to teach an important lesson. That is all. Now Belinda, I have sent men out to gather information regarding Adam. I will have some news for you tonight. My wife intends to spend time comforting her best friend and I would ask if I could join you for supper. Otherwise I am afraid I’ll starve.”

“Oh stop,” Pam said, smiling at him. “I left some at the house. Not to mention we have a chef on staff.”

Julio spread his arms open. “Okay, I just want to be with you. And this is the only way to do so.” He looked at Belinda. “She was very determined to be here, to wait with you. Is the father out searching as well?”

Warmth curled in her chest, taking the edge off the block of ice that had been lodged there since Adam’s disappearance. “I appreciate you coming, Pam. I had no idea how much this meant until you walked in the door with food.” They all laughed at her emphasis on food. “Yeah, Blaine has a large family and quite a few of them are here visiting. They’re hitting the area hard. I think a few more will be flying in this weekend.”

Julio wore a strange, almost pleased, expression on his face as he nodded.

“Who all is in the house with you?’ Tex asked as he looked around.

“My dad and his nurse. Abe is out helping in the search.” She took a seat in front of the plate piled high with food Pam had set in front of her.

“Soul food, just what the doctor ordered,” Belinda said after she silently blessed her food. She eyed the baked chicken, greens, corn bread, homemade macaroni and cheese, and steamed carrots. “Thanks, girl.” She dug in, sensing Julio taking a seat nearby. Pam was the last person to sit.

“Where’s Tex? Is he going to eat?” Belinda asked around her food when she noticed he wasn’t at the table.

“Not right now, he’s coordinating the search,” Pam answered.

Pleased that the search was ongoing, she relaxed and ate every morsel on her plate.

Pam shook her shoulder, waking her. “Belinda, they found someone and need you to come verify if he is Adam.”

“Whaat?” she asked groggily, trying to clear her mind from the cobwebs of sleep. “Adam? Where?”

“I don’t know if it’s Adam or not. They found a tall teenage boy being held by a gang. They took him and need you to see if it’s him. Put on your shoes so we can go.” Pam held out the slippers she had been wearing while they watched a movie.

Had she fallen asleep? She looked at her watch, two and a half hours had passed. “Did anyone call while I was asleep?” Belinda asked to calm herself.

Pam shook her head. “No, it didn’t ring. You were tired and took a couple hours of sleep, you feel better now?”

Belinda stood and slid her feet into the shoes. After running her hand through her hair, she realized she felt more alert than she had in days. Smiling, she met Pam’s concerned gaze. “I do feel better. I’ll be ready to go after I freshen up a bit. Be right back.”

“No, no, that’s not Adam.” Thank God she thought, looking at the bruised and battered teenager who lay hooked up to numerous machines on the hospital bed. Pam had wrapped her arm around her before they walked into the hospital room and she leaned into her. Together they walked out into the hall. Pam shook her head at Tex who met them at the door.

“We’ll keep looking and searching for clues, Belinda. By the way I’m glad he wasn’t your son. All that damage is from a gang initiation.”

Belinda nodded, remembering the black and blue marks on the kids unbandaged arm. “That’s horrible.”

Tex nodded as they headed to the lobby. “Yeah, but that kid wanted that. He’s a new gang member, that’s why I’m glad he’s not yours.”

She nodded as they walked to the glass door. A dark Mercedes pulled up. Tex opened the back door so she and Pam could slide in. During the drive home, one question kept rolling through her mind, where was Adam?

Chapter 16

Belinda sat in the back seat of Blaine and Donald’s rental. Today marked day three and there had been no word or anything regarding Adam’s whereabouts. Over the past seventy-two hours, her world had crashed around her with her son missing. Donnie and Blaine had become her pillars of strength, keeping her safe and sane. The three of them had settled into a small unit, spending hours tracking down every lead. She knew they were just as concerned over her son as she was and that strengthened their bond. Being with both of them no longer worried her. When people reacted or looked at the three of them strangely during their search, she ignored them and concentrated on who and what was important.

They were returning from some abandoned mountain hideaway, a hundred or so miles away from her home, where someone claimed to have seen a teenager meeting Adam’s description. That lead was as dead as the town it was located near.

“I’m tired,” she said, turning slightly. “And hungry.”

“I’m hungry too, let’s stop and grab a bite to eat,” Donald said to Blaine, who was driving. Instead of answering, Blaine nodded. He had become more and more withdrawn each day, often not speaking for hours. His mother had spoken to her about it as if she could pull him out of it. Problem was, she knew exactly where Blaine was. If she didn’t have so many other responsibilities piled high on her plate, she would shut down as well. Unfortunately, that didn’t go over too well when she told Blaine’s mother that.

The roadside restaurant didn’t look like much from the outside, but she hoped the bathroom was clean since she had to go. If the food was hot and decent, she could deal until she got home. Pam kept her refrigerator stocked with made-from-scratch goodies that she and Abe gobbled with abandon. It was one of the few bright lights during this time.

There were only a few patrons sitting inside. They grabbed a booth and she headed to the bathroom. The restaurant was a lot larger and nicer inside. When she finished, she headed back out to the main dining area.

Voices she recognized reached her before she turned the corner. Belinda stopped and listened, refusing to believe her ears.

“I’ve been doing okay, Uncle Robert. How’s Lorie?”

Belinda’s brows rose.
Trinity was her ex-boyfriend’s niece? Why didn’t she know that? Had Robert known who she was all along? Were they playing some type of game?
She flattened against the wall and inched closer to the opening.

“She’s good. Up for another promotion, she thinks she has a good shot. At least she won’t be dealing with criminals any more. I never liked that job for her.”

“I thought she worked with juveniles.”

“She does, but they're just underaged criminals.” He paused. “Well some of them. She's been able to turn some of them around. Now tell me why we had to meet way out here?”

“I live out this way, it was easier for me.”

“Trinity are you still working for that church?”

“Uncle Robert, I'm not going to discuss my faith with you. We don’t agree, so let’s leave it at that.”

Church my ass, it’s a damn cult.

“Okay, okay. So what do you need? You called me and asked me to meet you, so I know you need something.”

Belinda had to give him credit, he wasn’t stupid.

“I’m leaving town and need some money for the trip. Not a lot,” she said fast. Belinda could imagine Robert’s stern expression at the request.

“You moving again? Why does that group keep moving? You’re not into anything illegal are you?”

“No.” The forcefulness of her answer made Belinda think the opposite. “We are merely doing God’s will in the midst of hell. I know—”

“Spare me the fire and brimstone fanaticism. I’ve heard it before from your mom. If she wasn’t my sister I would’ve told her what I think of that super religious group she was a part of years ago. You people think you're better than everyone else just because you live apart.”

“You don’t understand. We don’t think we are better, God thinks we are better, and that makes the difference.”

“Yeah, right.”

There were some slight noises, some from behind her and others from the table. Belinda glanced over her shoulder at Donald and placed her finger to her mouth. He nodded and remained still.

“Here, I hope this will help. Consider it our parting gift. Please don’t call me anymore Trinity. If God thinks you're so much better than me, why are you asking me for money? I don’t have time for this.”

Belinda covered her mouth as she imagined the pinched look on her former friend’s face. Trinity hated when anyone confronted her about her actions.

“Okay, if that is what you want Uncle, but I will continue to pray for you.”

There was a scraping sound that made Belinda think they were standing. She glanced behind her and saw Blaine standing next to Donald against the wall.

“Your prayers are wasted on me, niece. I serve God and He doesn’t know you. Pray for yourself and those misguided teens you use at those farms.” He paused.

Belinda’s breath caught. Donald grabbed her hand, keeping her in place. She hadn’t even realized she had moved toward that sanctimonious bitch. Bells clanged in her head as her heart raced. In that second she knew with certainty Adam had been in contact with Trinity.

Robert’s scratchy chuckle pierced the red haze that threatened to cripple her. “You thought I didn’t know about the ranch and the people who work there? Lorie told me you asked her for referrals and got mad when she refused. Not that it would have mattered to you that her doing that would’ve cost her that job. You just wanted the names so you could harvest them for free labor.”

“That’s where you're wrong. We help them. They attend Bible study and learn of God’s ways. There’s nothing wrong with them farming to grow the food they eat, or milking the cows for drink. They will become strong men and women of God who will lead His mighty army at the right time.”

Belinda closed her eyes as a feeling of despair swamped her. Adam had always been weak and partial to this type of evangelical rant. He always wanted to make a difference in the world and Trinity had babysat her sons often enough to know which buttons to push. If anyone could convince Adam it was okay to lie to his mother, Trinity, who he once called Aunty, could.

“Lindy…Lindy, they’re gone,” Blaine said, tapping her shoulder. “Donald went to take down their tag numbers in case we need them later.”

He turned her to face him and when she met his concerned gaze, everything slammed into her at once. Her son probably left on what he believed was his life’s calling. Her father was dying. Her mother never forgave her for getting pregnant and never saw her twin grandsons. She had lost the two men she loved with everything inside her young heart only to discover they had never stopped loving her. Tears flowed from her eyes but she was too upset to speak. He pulled her into his arms. His strong warm hands pressed her closer as they rubbed her back.

Neither of them spoke.

Moments later she felt a hand stroking her hair as she continued to cry. “Let’s get her something to drink,” Donald said from behind her. Blindly, she reached for him and pulled him closer. He stood behind her, soothing her while Blaine held her tight. She stood sandwiched between the two people who understood her pain in the hall of the restaurant, oblivious to the few patrons passing them by.

When she was done, Donald handed her a napkin and they walked into the main section and sat at a large round booth. The men sat on each side of her, cocooning her in. The waiter appeared as soon as Belinda got comfortable, offering a wary smile.

“What can I get for you folks?”

“I’ll have a glass of water with lemon,” she said, picking up her menu. Her appetite had left in the same vehicle as Trinity, but she’d be damned if she allowed the hateful woman that victory. “I’ll have the club sandwich please,” she said after the men ordered their steaks.

“I’ll put that order in for you.” The woman left with a small smile, no doubt counting her tips based on the price of those steaks.

When they were alone, Donald took her hand in his as he spoke. “I got the license plate numbers, but the guy is the same one from the restaurant that day we met the boys for the first time.”

“Yeah, that was Robert, I used to date him. We broke up that day.”

Blaine placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed hard. Surprised, she met his piercing gaze. “I’m glad you broke up with him. I didn’t appreciate how he accused my son that day. I almost decked him.”

She remembered with perfect clarity how she had stepped in to avoid a confrontation.

“Who was the woman? I mean, she was his niece, I heard that, but why were you listening to their conversation?” Donald asked.

She didn’t know where to begin.

“Lindy?” he squeezed her thigh.

She exhaled. “That was Trinity Jacobs.  We went to the same church in Georgia and became close friends.” She explained the relationship as well as the fight that kept them from speaking to each other. “Last I heard she was in Florida, I didn’t know she was in Michigan.”

“Could Adam have called her, asked her to come?” Donald asked.

Belinda shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. She was close to the boys until she started leaving nasty messages calling me names. That’s when they started referring to her as crazy Trinity.”

“The little I heard of the conversation, she sounds a bit unbalanced,” Blaine said.

Belinda snorted as she remembered some of the emails and letters Trinity had sent her. “A lot unbalanced, but she plays the game well. If she talked to Adam, and I think she did, she could’ve convinced him to join her group. He was my godmother's favorite, she called him 'her little preacher' and I think in some ways he still tries to live up to that.”

“I can see that,” Blaine said slowly with a slight frown. “If he told her about us, then she could’ve used all kinds of Bible stuff to get him in line. He waffled a lot. Some days he would be happy to see me and we would talk, get some stuff done. Others, he acted as if I was invisible and refused to interact with me. If he was talking to her, he would be confused,” Blaine said, meeting her gaze and then glancing at his brother.