Stealing Grace (29 page)

After the window incident, everyone went back to bed, thinking that everything was fine, thinking they were safe, thinking the window had been a casualty of the storm and not letting the thought of something sinister even cross their exhausted minds.

Chapter 12

The next morning, Roger and Alex were sitting at the table, trying to come up with a plan; a money plan. Though they had quite a bit of a stash between the two of them, with no income coming in, it would be taken down pretty quickly. Making money wouldn’t be as easy for either one of them as it had in the past. Neither one was quite sure of what avenue to take. Maybe go into business together, cabinets and taxes.

“Ha! That would be a first for sure,” Alex said laughing.

“Yeah.” Roger chuckled. “It’s alright, man. We’ll figure something out.”

“Maybe we should do the stock market thing?”

“Maybe. Either way, we can’t all sit here in the same house all day every day and not do something. No offense. I love ya, buddy, but not that much.” Roger laughed and punched Alex in the arm.

“Ditto.”

* * *

The girls had been doing laundry and cleaning an already clean house. The house was definitely spotless with two women and nothing to do all day, not to mention one pregnant and nesting. They got along surprisingly well Elena, thought. She had always heard that saying about more than one hen in a house. That definitely didn’t apply to them.

They were trying to give the guys a little space. She knew they were struggling a little with all that was on their shoulders. Plus being cooped up and waiting was neither of the guys’ specialties. She and Amy had even talked about surprising them with a boxing lesson and then a movie and dinner to get out of the house and blow off some steam.

A guy movie of course.

Elena had checked the listings and times for that night. She heard them laughing in the other room and was glad things seemed to be not so tense.

After lunch they all took a nap, the girls coercing the guys. They wanted them to be rested for their afternoon out. The guys didn’t mind, of course. Lots of times there was more than sleeping going on in a house with two sets of newlyweds.

Elena was so relieved when they moved in when she realized their bedrooms were on opposite ends of the house. They each had a bathroom right next to their rooms also, big ones with his and hers sinks. It was a perfect little set up for their present situation. Now they were just waiting on Agent Wright to get back with them all the details.

About three o’clock that afternoon the girls informed the guys they had scheduled them a two hour long boxing lesson at the local gym. The guys were more than a little excited about it and quickly dressed and kissed the girls to head out.

Amy and Elena laughed at their eagerness to get away from them. Neither of the guys had a gym to go to in the community so this was a treat and something fun to do to work out some stress. What better way than to beat the tar out of your best friend? And the gym happened to be two blocks away so they didn’t worry about the girls.

They came back after a while and got another surprise.

The guys seemed happy, really happy in fact, that the girls wanted to go see a movie. Probably, if nothing else, to get out of the house, but with the new Stallone playing, the girls knew it wouldn’t take that much work.

The guys showered and dressed, they all piled in Roger’s truck and left.

Dinner was quick and good. This town definitely had a niche for small hometown restaurants with excellent food and good service. They all devoured their made from scratch chicken and dumplings, the house special.

They bought their tickets and popcorn and went inside the theater like normal couples would. Roger and Amy had never been to a movie together or any kind of date really. Amy was so ecstatic she was bouncing on her toes the whole way in. They started to sit in the very back first but there was quite a lot of teenagers back there, sitting boy-girl-boy-girl. They chuckled, knowing what was gonna be going on back there once the lights went down and decided to sit in the middle instead. Alex made some joke about them not being young enough to sit in the back anymore, but it was true all the same, and they laughed about it.

Amy scarfed her and Roger’s popcorn before inhaling a box a chocolate covered raisins on top of that. Roger just sat back and watched her with an amused expression as she licked the chocolate from her fingers.

Elena even enjoyed the movie, more than she thought she would for a rough-em-up, beat-em-down kind. They stopped for some ice cream on the way home, Amy’s idea, sitting out on the benches in the warm breeze that melted their ice cream quickly and caused more mess than wanted and the girls laughed as they tried to suck their fingers and bite the ice cream instead of lick it. Roger and Alex rolled their eyes amusingly at the girls and helped them until it was all devoured.

They piled back into Roger’s truck, full and sticky and arrived home late, Amy almost passing out on the short drive home.

The girls grabbed their leftovers from under the seat and walked behind the guys to the front porch.

“Wait. Girls, go get back in the truck and lock the doors,” Alex ordered, holding his arm out as if to shield them.

Everyone looked up to see the front door open and the the lock smashed in.

“Go!” Roger yelled to them as he ran cautiously up to the porch.

The girls did as they were told.

“Do you see anything?” Alex whispered, now on the opposite side of the door frame as Roger.

“No, it’s too dark. I don’t hear anything either.”

“Me either. What do you think? I think our mole paid us a visit.”

“Really? You don’t think it’s more likely someone from the community was here?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders as he crept slowly through the door.

* * *

The girls, watching from the truck, were terrified not knowing if someone was still inside. Elena debated calling Agent Wright on the pre-paid untraceable cell phone Alex had bought her for emergencies. She didn’t know if it was safe though and wanted to wait for Alex to tell her it was ok as she watched Roger’s back move out of sight.

After a few minutes they saw the kitchen light come on. Then Alex’s face coming towards them out the door. The girls opened their doors and made their way to meet him in the driveway. Alex hugged Elena to soothe her, knowing she’d be freaked and began to explain before she could even ask, like he always did, and she loved that about him.

“Someone broke in, but it doesn’t look like they took anything. Come on, it’s late and I don’t want the neighbors to be suspicious. Let’s get you both inside.”

They walked inside together and looked around. It didn’t appear anything had been touched except for the door.

“I wonder what they were looking for?” Roger asked as he pulled drawers open and searched the desk. “Maybe they thought we were here, asleep.”

“Maybe. I’m starting to think our branch through the window the other night was no accident either.” Alex mused lacing Elena’s fingers with his when she gasped. “I think someone was checking to see who was here. I played right into it too, walking out on the porch to check it out. Maybe you’re right, Rog. I don’t think it was the mole. I think
they
were here.”

Everyone knew which ‘they’ Alex was referring to.

The Community.

It was time to go.

Even though it was past 11:00 p.m. Alex called Agent Wright and he was just as shocked, waking out of his anything but peaceful slumber in his cruiser. They were apparently still out preparing for the raid and he wasn’t in town.

He told them to get out of the house immediately, which they’d already planned on, and don’t say where they were going over the phone. He would contact them later. Nobody had to tell them twice.

They didn’t leave town but went to a hotel that took cash. This had come down on them faster than they had imagined or guessed they would have. It had only been a week since they left. So they picked a crappy motel, one that wasn’t very nice or popular form the looks of things.

Everyone tried to sleep in their conjoining rooms but worrying about someone coming in to kill you in your sleep makes for a restless night. No one knew it but Alex had prepared himself for such a day, after the branch incident he’d already been thinking about it. Being scared and helpless, carrying an umbrella for goodness sake as a weapon had been the last straw for him.

He’d bought a gun.

Before they left for the hotel with only a couple changes of clothes he made sure to grab the hand gun he had recently bought from the bed side table drawer and pack in in the bottom so Elena wouldn’t find it.

* * *

Elena woke, lying on her stomach, with the sun shining in her eyes from the side of the curtain. She felt behind her for Alex and when she found cold sheets instead of him she quickly jumped up looking around the room.

He was sitting in the arm chair in the corner, asleep, his head fell back on the back of the chair with a pillow in his lap. Elena stayed in bed looking at him for a bit. Looking around the room, a shady motel room, it wasn’t just outdated, it was desolate. But, Elena was happy at least that it was clean and cheap in case they needed to be there for a while.

She wanted to check on Amy and Roger but couldn’t tear her eyes from Alex. His brow was furrowed and even though he was sleeping he looked as if he was tense and alert, in a severely cute husbandly way.

She crossed over the brown carpeted floor to put a blanket on him as it was still kinda early and chilly in the room. When she took the pillow from his lap she was startled and covered her mouth to keep from waking him with her gasp.

There was a gun laying in his hand under the pillow, finger not on the trigger but close enough for easy access. She realized the chair was pointed toward the door.

It all flooded over her in a wash of emotion, the danger that was literally on their doorstep and Alex, though putting on his brave face, was just as scared and worried as she was. The danger was immediate and real, there was no where to run without letting it all go.

Letting the help they felt owed the girls go. They couldn’t do that. She and Alex had spoken of this before. “Even if only one girl is saved, it’s all worth it”. Elena thought to herself that was just as true a statement as it had been months ago.

Though she wasn’t thrilled about the gun and the fact they he had bought it and chose to hide it from her, she recognized Alex’s need to protect her for what it was. And as she continued to think about it, she was touched at his attempt to keep it from her, to shield her from the worry he knew she would feel over his worry.

He was trying to protect her in that way too.

Alex began to stir and Elena debated whether she should just put the pillow back and pretend she hadn’t seen it or just let him begin to explain. She decided he needed this. In his mind he needed to think that he was protecting her the best way he could and her knowing about the gun would only make him reluctant about it.

She replaced the pillow, and tip toed to the bathroom just as he opened his eyes. She watched from behind him for a moment. She could see him check under the pillow and then grab the bridge of his nose and sigh.

She turned and started the faucet, feigning brushing her teeth so he would know she was there. He quickly got up and walked to the bedside, replacing the gun in the drawer, and turned around trying to look excited to see her.

“Hey, sweetness. Did you sleep at all last night?” Alex moved closer and she could see the dark circles under his eyes, knowing he had sat in that chair all night long. He had been watching her, watching the door, nodding in defiance to his droopy eyelids. Her heart swelled for him, and ached too.

“I guess so. Tossed and turned a bit. You?” she said, turning back to the mirror.

“I slept ok.”

“Liar.”

“Got a little more comfortable in the chair.” He smiled and grabbed her waist from behind, his chin on her shoulder, his eyes closed like he could fall asleep at any second.

“So what’s on the agenda for today, captain?”

Alex smiled at that, eyes still closed.

“Well, Agent Wright should be calling me shortly. He’s going to come by and we’re gonna try to devise some kind of... plan.”

Elena turned in his arms, setting herself up on the bathroom counter.

“Do we need to check on Amy and Rog?”

“Nah, I checked already. They’re fine, still sound asleep.”

Elena should have known he’d been checking on them all night too.

“So, what do you think? You’re thinking it was the community, aren’t you?” she asked wanting to talk it out with him.

“Not sure anymore. I thought about it but... Why?” he asked questioningly.

“Because I don’t,” she said, shifting to be closer and placing her arms on his shoulders.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the community is just made up of a bunch of men, yeah they might hurt someone on their own turf, but I honestly don’t see them coming way up here in the middle of the night to kill us in our sleep, leaving wives at home and all. I think they’d let the traffickers do their dirty work for them, and why wouldn’t they help? Not only are we messing with their business, but also pointing the police in the right direction for their own demise as well. I think the traffickers are the ones who were in the house.”

“Smart girl,” he preened proudly and then leaned his head against hers. “That’s what I think too. I didn’t want to tell you, I figured it’d scare you more but I should’ve known you’d figure it out.” Alex seemed pleasantly surprised at Elena’s revelation, probably because he was too tired for explanations.