Stealing Grace (33 page)

Elena could feel the confession coming.

“Alex,” she breathed and the tears started, “I just can’t. I’m scared, not just scared, scared to death that I’ll not know what to do or...I’ll be like my mom. I don’t doubt you at all, I know you’ll be great and I don’t doubt us or the house or the money, I’m sorry I said that. I just don’t trust myself to be what I’m supposed to be for someone who would depend on me completely,” Elena confessed through tears and could see the relief on Alex’s face and he breathed a long sigh.

“That’s what this is about? El, everyone feels like that to some extent. I thought you were... I thought you didn’t want to have kids with me, because you weren’t sure about us. And then you were so quiet on the way home, I didn’t know what to think.” Elena knew that’s what he would think. He rubbed her arms with his palms. “Elena, believe it or not, most couples that have a baby do it together. I’m not going anywhere which means that little person wouldn’t be just dependant on you. I would be with you every step. I’m sorry I got carried away, I’m sorry I scared you. I really just wanted you to marvel with me about the possibility of having kids one day. I’ll always be here, El, always. And I’ll wait...as long as you need me to.”

“And I love you for that.”

He wiped her tears with his thumbs under her eyes then grabbed her face with both hands and brought his mouth to hers with a renewed urgency and appreciation for it. When she could finally gasp for air she still could barely get her words out.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I hate fighting with you. Hate it,” she said through ragged breaths and grateful tears.

“Me too. I’m sorry-”

“It’s not your fault. I lied-”

“I pushed too hard-”

“Not even-”

“I’m so sorr-”

Elena didn’t want him to go on, this was her fault.

She grabbed his collar, pulling him hard to her, kissing him with a new passion. He wrapped his arms around her waist just as eagerly and fiercely, then rolled her over onto the bed.

Wow. Make-up sex is definitely the best sex.

* * *

The next couple of weeks were pretty much the same, going to the facility, sitting in the motel, microwave dinners. The first part of the trial was to begin for the community on Monday. They still had not moved on the traffickers yet.

From what the other women had told Elena and Amy, the whole community knew that they four were the ones responsible for the bust.

They all decided to go to the arraignment and watch, even though it wasn’t their day to testify, face the community as one last closing act before headed out to try to start their life again. Agent Wright had assured them they could leave after the arraignment and their testimonies which would take all this week. He would be the only one to know where they were to go after that.

* * *

It was Saturday, Alex was pouring over newspapers and maps trying to find a place to settle for a while. Roger was helping. They had all discussed it and it would be better if they were all in the same area together.

Maybe not the same house anymore, but the same city at least. Elena and Amy were down doing laundry at the mat located in the basement at the motel. Amy’s pregnant belly was just barely starting to show now. The motel manager let them use his push cart for their laundry.

He was a nice man, always wearing old plain white t-shirts with blue suspenders and corduroys. He had told them ‘the names Morty, but call me Mr. Bill’. No one asked him to elaborate on that.

He didn’t know everything about their situation but enough to know they were all there under federal protection. He let them use the laundry mat for free during their stay and even let Alex use his computer in the office for house and relocation hunting and other such things.

Elena was trying to drown out the honky-tonk music on the radio, blaring in the basement. She and Amy had talked about everything between her and Alex’s baby discussions, Amy’s pregnancy, the women at the facility. Amy was very understanding and a great listener.

Sometimes, people don’t need to say anything. Sometimes people just need to vent and be listened to. Elena thought Amy was a pro at deciding which one was necessary.

“I’m just not sure I’m ready. In fact, I know I’m not.”

Elena explained her past, her parents and family, her leaving and never looking back. Her grandmother.

“Now how can I be a mother with that kinda baggage dragging me down? I’m not fit. I’ve had no model or instructions. It’s like a chef going into the kitchen to cook breaded veal chops and doesn’t even know what veal is!”

Amy laughed loudly and sympathized.

Once they were done folding their own laundry, Elena spotted the motel sheets and towels in one of the dryers. They folded those too for Mr. Bill and left them lined up on the table for him.

They made their way to the service elevator, the only way to get down to the basement but the button wasn’t lit up. Amy pressed it a few futile times anyway, but to no avail.

Elena began looking for stairs when they heard a man laughing. They both froze. Elena trying not to panic, still frantically searching for the stairs but couldn’t find a door anywhere. Then the light suddenly lit on the elevator and they both scrambled to get on and press the door close button.

Once on the second floor they debated telling the men, knowing they’d go looking for trouble. Was it just someone down there working, minding his own business and they jumped to conclusions?

Elena had learned her lesson about lying to Alex. The guilt wouldn’t let her function so she would tell him, right this minute. What if it had been someone looking for them? The Traffickers? Maybe it was a nobody but she needed to know.

Roger and Alex were both disturbed by the girl’s news and locked them in the room as they ran down to get Agent Wright and head down to check out the basement. They were gone about twenty minutes before returning. Agent Wright and another officer checked the rooms for bugs and anything else to indicate someone had been there and disturbed things but found nothing so they left.

“We couldn’t find anyone or anything. Mr. Bill said he doesn’t have anyone working for him so he doesn’t know who it was and had never had trouble with the elevator so...how about no more solo trips around the motel, ok.” Alex was talking to both of the girls but looking right into Elena’s eyes.

Trying to sound light and not upset but Elena could tell he was freaked.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Amy said hugging Roger. “I’ll just be glad when this is all over with.”

“Me too,” that was all Elena could manage to say.

She reached up to hug Alex and felt his arms shaking but didn’t say anything else.
Is he telling me everything? Is he really that scared of something we’re not even sure of? If someone was here and wanted to hurt us, he would have told me then...right?

* * *

Since they had missed every one they planned to go to, all four went to a church service the next day. It was ok, Elena thought. Everyone’s mind seemed to be elsewhere, but the service was nice, a good mixture of cultures and age groups and music.

Elena liked hymns but liked some of the newer music too. She enjoyed it and hoped they would all return, with a more willing heart that wasn’t preoccupied with weary agendas and worry about the coming week and events.

* * *

Monday morning was dreary, like the mood in the courtroom. It was raining, mud and yuck was everywhere. Alex and the three sat on the prosecution side and had gotten a few gasps and evil eye stares since they came in to sit. They had quite a gathering of individuals on the other side of the rows, staring them down.

Agent Wright had come in to sit with them. Elena couldn’t imagine the betrayal the men must have felt as they sat there, knowing they were going to jail and looking at the people who were putting them there, let alone it being someone they knew.

Elena wanted to stick her tongue out at them or point or scream that they were getting what they deserved but didn’t think any of that would go over very well. The judge was an older gentleman. Elena hoped that would help, old fashioned values and all.

Agent Wright had told them that a few of the men had tried to roll over on the others for leniency in exchange for a testimony. But with the four of their testimonies, they didn’t need anything else for the case and wanted the men to receive maximum sentencing.

As they listened to the judge and lawyers go back and forth it was apparent this was an open and shut case. There would be no tolerance and Elena was thrilled. Now, if they could just catch the traffickers, though it would in no way shut down trafficking everywhere but might cause a small dent. It was better than standing back and doing nothing.

No one even seemed phased when some of the men started to rebel, pushing the guards and yelling sometimes at each other or the judge, even courtroom members. One even pushed all the papers off the lawyers’ desk onto the floor in a fit of rage and starting pulling at his own hair. To Elena and the rest, they had seen it all before.

Angry, impatient, bitter and hateful meanness.

Elena couldn’t believe she once had pity for these men, now seeming so pathetic to her. She never knew what a real man looked like before she met Alex. And now, she couldn’t be happier with her decision.

Occasionally, her thoughts drifted to her tiff with Alex about having a baby and then back to the court. She tried to focus but really just wanted to go home. Not to the motel.

Home.

Wherever that may be, she was ready to find it and stay there. Alex and Roger both had found places to rent about 100 miles north of there, in the same small town together and they were going to head up there to check it out in a couple days.

Wright had promised them they could leave and they fully intended to do just that the second they were finished with trial. They would be free.

* * *

The next couple days dragged on. First to testify was Alex. He wasn’t nervous. To Elena he looked so confident, even almost cocky sometimes when looking at the men he was accusing. She was so proud of him for coming forward, knowing his own neck might be on the line. Roger was next, then Amy then Elena.

The men cringed and huffed as they spoke. Luckily they were all done in two days and had no intentions of waiting. They had done their part and had been assured that the men would be convicted and imprisoned. Thursday morning they all loaded up and headed out of town to check out the new place that they would call home.

* * *

No one bothered to remind Elena of her birthday. She remembered but didn’t think anyone else knew about it. Alex wasn’t going to let her get away with it, not with the sweetness she had showed him on his birthday.

He waited to see if she’d bring it up and she hadn’t. It wasn’t a coincidence that they decided to head up state on this particular day. Alex had seen on the internet an ad about a ‘Journey’ concert not too far from where the house was that they were heading to look at and had decided to buy tickets.

Alex thought it hilarious that Elena’s favorite music was an eighties rock band when she was so young. Everyone tried to hide their smiles as they inched closer to the stadium where the concert was being held. Everyone knew about it but Elena. They would stay in a hotel tonight and check out the houses in the morning.

Elena wasn’t suspicious at all as she sat nestled up to Alex in the front seat, that is until he pulled in the parking lot of the arena. Elena looked back at Roger and Amy first to see what their faces registered, but they gave nothing away. Amy even shrugged.

She glanced back at Alex and he couldn’t hide it any longer. The huge smile crossing his face told her everything she needed to know. He had known it was her birthday and had planned this.
Ah! The new IDs! Dang, forgot about that.

Of course he knew her birthday, he was the one who had gotten her new drivers license for her. The huge JOURNEY - IN CONCERT sign on the big screen was the final giveaway and Elena buried her face in Alex’s shoulder as they all laughed.

“I thought I had gotten away with it, too,” Elena said blushing at their attention.

“You think I would let you do that? If I have to get older, so do you, missy. The big two three. What’s a better way to celebrate and make you feel young, than seeing a band that played before you were born,” he joked and laughed. “Surprised?”

“Yes, very. Thank you,” Elena said softly and accepted his easy kiss.

She wanted to cry and might have if they hadn’t started to get out of the truck.

Opening the doors let in the loud music from the opening band already on stage, not to mention the loads of drunks in the parking lot. But Elena could tell these were happy drunks and didn’t even seem to notice them much as they walked up the stairs.

Elena still blushing, as she hated being the center of attention, held Alex’s hand, her head on his shoulder as they pushed through the crowd.

Roger shielded Amy the whole way to their seats, pulling her hand to guide her protectively behind him. Alex and Elena found the seats, then went to get everyone some disgustingly bad for you hotdogs and soda - water for Amy. The lines were atrocious. Alex stood behind Elena with his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder.

“Thank you, this is so great. I’ve never been to a concert before,” Elena whispered into his cheek.

“I should’ve known. I’m glad you like it. I wasn’t too sure how you’d feel about being celebrated.”

“Well. I don’t like it but, it’s ok coming from you. Besides, Amy and Roger needed a night out too. We all did. Really, thank you. And remembering my favorite band definitely gets you some points.” Elena giggled as she spoke.