Stealing Grace (27 page)

The girls cringed as Wright spouted the facts but continued to listen. They needed to hear this. He was explaining how serious this was. That they wouldn’t be just affecting a small community of members who might be angry, they were about to upset a huge market of thieves and killers who will be more than a little peeved at them ruining their business.

They all needed to know the truth if they were going to understand what it will take to stand up against these men. Elena tried to placate her shaking hands by refilling coffee cups as Agent Wright went on.

“I’m not going to go into the gory details, believe me, you don’t want to hear it anymore than I ever wanted to see it with my own eyes, but you see my point. This is a huge thing. We are about to upset some very powerful, disturbed and obscenely wealthy men. This is not going to be cake.”

Elena took a deep breath as the information crashed over her. She had been lucky. In real terms, they all had. She had always assumed trafficking was mostly overseas and had never even thought about children being involved. She could taste the vomit in her mouth as Alex finally began to speak after a stunned silence.

“We understand. We all kind of figured this wasn’t going to be so easy,” Alex told him.

“But I just want to put out that Roger and Alex were born into this, I mean...can they be punished for something that wasn’t their fault?” Elena asked clearly fighting tears at the thought of Alex being jailed after he’d come clean and risked himself to bring all this information forward.

“Well, then their lawyer could say the same defense for all of those men. We aren’t going to give them anything to use against us, even if it may help.” He hesitated. “Do you mind if I ask you something? No offense to you, Alex, nor you, Roger, but...why are you here? And you?” he asked pointing to Elena and Amy. “I just need to know for my own understanding before I proceed with this case.”

Elena answered first, making sure her voice was clear and strong.

“You mean why am I with Alex still.” She looked at Alex and smiled. “I know it
sounds
crazy, but I knew from the beginning that something wasn’t right with him. Actions speak louder than words and he didn’t treat me like a prisoner or someone he had just kidnapped. He was very good to me, giving me space and the whole thing just seemed strange to me. And so when he told me his story about why he did what he did, I couldn’t help but be grateful for it. If he hadn’t done that, I would’ve wound up with someone else. Someone who wasn’t interested in saving me. I believe that this all happened for a reason, as everything does. I don’t have any regrets about what has happened. We saved four...five girls, and if that’s all that gets done out of all this, then I’m still grateful. It was still worth it to me, and...I love him.” Elena spoke and then felt sorry for Amy knowing her reasoning would be harder to relay than hers.

“Roger is a different person. I don’t know what he’s told you but...it doesn’t even matter. I agree with Elena, this all wasn’t for nothing and I don’t have regrets either.” Amy was trying to compose her voice. Roger looked down at her hands on his the whole time she spoke. “Roger’s past doesn’t matter to me. When you forgive someone, you let go of all that. I’m here because of who he is, not who he was. I love him and I’m here to help, if I can. I’m just praying that everyone will see that none of this would’ve been possible if not for these two men. We wouldn’t be right here today, trying to help these women, if not for them.” Amy laid her head on Rogers shoulder, seeing the guilt all over his face.

“Look, I know this is hard for everyone. Thank you all for being so honest with me. I too agree, all things happen for a reason.” He smirked at Elena then turned back to Alex. “Like I said, I doubt you two have anything to worry about legally, you’ll probably get leniency for your cooperation and testimonies, especially since you’re bringing it all to us in the first place. Now the law enforcement down there isn’t gonna be too happy about this either. Unfortunately, once all this gets underway, they might even decide to pay you a visit. I know you told me you’re being careful but if you see anything or hear anything out of the ordinary, especially around town, you let me know. For now, just lay low for a couple days and I’ll be in touch.” Agent Wright stood and thanked them for their time and Elena for the coffee. He started toward the door then stopped, turning toward them again he said firmly. “I’d like to see you two ladies outside - alone.”

And then he turned and kept walking to the door. Elena and Amy looked at each other, then Alex and Roger. Alex nodded for Elena to go. He had a pretty good idea of what the agent wanted to ask them.

Once outside and the door shut, Agent Wright walked them down to his car before speaking.

“Ladies, I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing. I know it’s scary and I know you’ve been through an ordeal here. If you want to leave with me, right now, I will put you in this car and take you somewhere safe where they will never find you. Alex and Roger seem like nice guys and it’s great if they’ve reformed from that life. Look, I have no idea what you’re feeling right now, I won’t pretend to but, I’ve seen this before. Women won’t leave the men who beat them because their scared or love the men in some strange way, I don’t know. I just want you to know it’s safe if you want to leave with me. They would never find you, I promise you that.”

They both knew what he was doing, and were so grateful to him for making an effort and not just taking their words for it inside. He really was worried about them. Elena spoke first.

“Thank you, Mr. Wright. I can tell that you really care if we’re safe or not and I appreciate it. I’m speaking for myself here, but I’m ok, really. And I do love him and not because I feel like I have to or in some twisted Stockholm Syndrome way. Those men in there are wonderful. No one my whole life has treated me as well and he never held me against my will, he...he even offered to send me anywhere I wanted to go. I am not a prisoner, Mr. Wright, but I appreciate you making sure and for the offer.”

“That goes for me as well. We are safe and happy on our own terms but thank you,” Amy spoke more clearly than Elena had ever heard.

She knew she didn’t have any doubts.

“Ok. Well,” he hesitated, “you’ll hear from me soon. Here’s my card. You can hide that in the bottom of a shoe in the closet, just in case. Put it in your pocket before you go inside.”

He handed them each his card and climbed in his car, giving a small wave as he drove away. The girls looked at each other and hugged on the sidewalk before headed back inside. Everything seemed to be slipping right into place.

“Everything ok?” Alex asked as they walked back inside.

“Yeah, he was just trying to make sure we were...ok here,” Elena answered hugging Alex reassuringly, running her fingers through his hair, scratching with her nails down his neck and shoulders like she knew he loved to soothe him.

“I figured,” he said with a stiff stifled laugh.

“He’s a good man. I think he’ll work really hard on this. Don’t worry, he just wanted to make sure we were safe. It was a very gentlemanly thing to do. He doesn’t doubt you or Roger.”

“Oh, I know. Well, I’m sure glad that part’s over. Now we just wait a couple days and see what pans out. Hmmm, what to do...cooped up in this new house with my beautiful wife for days. Hmmm,” he murmured into her throat, hugging her around the waist and kissing her neck making her giggle.

They hadn’t been paying any attention to Roger or Amy.

Roger was sitting in the chair, still looking down at the floor like it was extremely interesting, Amy sitting next to him. Elena glanced over and stopped laughing, Alex looked too. Amy had never told Elena the extent of abuse she had received from Roger, but considering he had slapped Elena on their first day of even meeting each other, she guessed it couldn’t have been great.
He feels terrible.
Then Amy spoke loudly, for everyone to hear.

“Elena, did you know that Roger never actually hit me...never, the whole time we’ve been together, he has never hit me.”

Alex and Elena looked at each other, trying to figure out why she was up to.

“I did plenty else,” Roger almost shouted.

He was extremely ashamed of himself, yelling more at himself than anyone else. He scrunched his face up in disgust as he spoke.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. Once you ask for forgiveness and it’s given, it’s as though it didn’t happen. I love you...and you can’t keep doing this to yourself every time the past is brought up. If I can let it go then why can’t you? You are not like the rest of them...” Amy said flustered and exasperated.

* * *

Alex listened and grimaced, remembering feeling this exact thing many times before; like he didn’t deserve Elena because of what he had done and not done. He let Elena’s waist go from his fingers and walked over to the couch to sit next to Roger, speaking slowly and meticulously so as not to further upset him.

“Rog, did you know I bought Elena a bus ticket.” Roger looked up at him curiously with squinted surprised eyes. Amy looked at Elena and she nodded in confirmation. “I felt like you do right now, like...I didn’t deserve her. After all the stuff I put her through, I felt like a monster and it wasn’t fair to her to be stuck with me even if she thought she loved me. So I bought the ticket and took her into town to make her leave a few weeks ago, but...she wouldn’t go. Everything happens for a reason.” He looked at Elena and winked with a sad smile on his face. “I’m telling you this because Agent Wright just took our wives outside and offered them a ride to somewhere far away and safe from us if they wanted it...and look. Roger, she’s sitting right next to you. It sucks, the way we grew up, and I’m not saying anything we did was ok, but we’re here now, and we’ve gotta let that stuff go, man. We need you, buddy. Amy needs you. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want to be. We just have to work with the hand we’re given.”

Roger and Amy looked at each other. Roger’s eyes were red and he looked like he could burst into tears at any time. It hurt to watch him hurt so badly. He literally hated himself for what he’d done to her which they’d just learned, he hadn’t even hit her.

Roger and Amy just stared silently at each other for the longest time, both of their eyes pleading with the others. Roger’s to be forgiven and Amy’s for him to realize he already was.

Then Roger leaned over and grabbed Amy’s hands in his.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby, I’m trying. I just can’t forgive myself for hurting you.”

Roger leaned his face into Amy’s lap, her face streamed with tears, exasperated as to what to say to make his pain go away. Elena guessed that they had apparently had this conversation before. Alex’s hand was on Roger’s shoulder. He too looked as though there were no words to say.

“Roger...do you
want
me to leave?” Amy croaked out.

“No! I don’t, I just...” He couldn’t get his muffled words out and now Elena was starting to cry too, watching the emotional beating.

“Well, if I stay...I need you. I need you to want to be with me and be able to forget the past.”

He shot up too look at her.

“Amy, I want you. This isn’t about wanting you or not.”

“Yes, I know but that’s not enough. I’m really going to...need you, Roger,” Amy said as she put his face in her hands to look into his eyes. “Because...you’re going to be daddy,” she whispered but they all heard her with perfect clarity.

Elena and Alex gasped as Roger stunned red face went completely still and his breathing was beyond gasping. He stared into her eyes and waited for something more. Her to say she was joking maybe, her to say she was just trying to shock him back into reality.

Then she spoke again, letting the small slow tears run down her cheeks.

“Say something. I mean...if I didn’t completely trust you and forgive you and love you, I would’ve left with Mr. Wright like Alex said. I wouldn’t be willing to have a baby with you. Say something.” She was breathing heavy, upset by his silence. “I know it wasn’t exactly the best timing to tell you, I just-”

He interrupted her speech by picking her up in his arms, kissing her and twirling her around in the living room.

“I’m gonna be a father? When?”

He was positively glowing. Elena and Alex had never seen him happier. He could barely get his words out as he set her back down on the floor gently.

“Well, I figure I’m about five or six weeks.”

“But when? We’ve been careful…oh yeah, I remember, that one night,” Roger leaned down to whisper the rest in her ear.

“Yeah.” She giggled and nodded to whatever he had said, agreeing. “I took a test when I was late. That would mean we’ve got about eight months... hopefully time enough for all this mess to be over with.”

“How long have you known?” He put his hands over her belly. “Are you ok? Have you been sick? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked as he framed her face with his big tan hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.

“I’ve only known a few days. I didn’t want it to interfere with any of our plans while we got the ball rolling. You needed to focus on what was important.”

“You’re what’s important,” he said sweetly but firmly.

Roger still had her face in his hands as they both smiled and he kissed her with a passion of someone that had just been given a second chance at life. She clung to his shirt as he kissed her fiercely.