Taking Faith

by Shelly Crane

  When she felt the dining room wall at her back, she realized he’d carried her there. He pressed her gently and kissed her with a reverence that lacked selfish urgency. One hand stayed on her waist and the other returned to her cheek, barely grazing her skin with his fingertips. She was flashed with heat in waves down her body and pulled him closer with her hand grasping at his shirt front. She let her lips part and he dove into her mouth, his tongue sweeping through once. He groaned but then laughed against her lips. “You remember when I said that if I ever kissed you, I’d never stop?”

  “Any girl would remember that line,” she said with a giggle.

  “Well, it’s true for the most part, but if we don’t stop and go see Elena and Alex like they asked, I really,” he growled, “really won’t be able to stop tonight.”

  “We’re going to see Elena?”

  “Yep. She’s got the flu or something, but wanted to see you. You wanna or…you want to stay here.” He wiggled his eyebrows in jest.

  “I wanna do both!” she laughed. “But I would love to see Elena.”

  “You got it, sweetheart.” He kissed her palm. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Forgiveness,” he said simply.

  “You’re not even the same man, Roger,” she said softly and touched his cheek. “That man is gone.”

  “He sure as hell is,” he said and smiled. He whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you,” she whispered back and accepted his one last kiss before putting her shoes on by the door.

  On the way to Alex’s he told her about the plan Alex had come up with to set the women free. She scooted in the seat next to him, enthralled with the idea and even more so of being a part of that idea.

  He helped her from his side of the truck with his hands on her sides. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, then dragged his lips to her mouth for a quick, but thorough kiss. He groaned again and pulled back barely an inch. “Ready?” She nodded. “Let’s go,” he said against her mouth.

  “Ok,” she said breathlessly, “yeah.”

  He smiled as he took her hand in his and led her to the door. He knocked and a smiling Alex opened it. He hugged her to him and she saw Elena over his shoulder.

  She ran to her friend.

  Chapter 13

  Amy was almost asleep when they pulled into the driveway from Alex’s. They’d spent hours there eating and going over the plan set in motion. Roger once again pulled her from the seat on his side and lifted her into his arms. He kicked the truck door closed and tried to open the door, but it would not be finagled. They both laughed and giggled as he juggled her and the keys and trying to open the door at the same time.

  They practically fell through the door laughing, but stopped immediately when they saw their visitor. Roger set Amy’s feet to the floor and stepped in front of her. “Run into the bedroom, Amy.”

  “No. Roger-”

  “Amy, go, please,” he growled, never taking his eyes from his father.

  She inched her way down toward the hall, doing as he asked.

  “Well, what have we here?” his father said and smiled evilly. “Out kind of late, don’t you think?”

  “Nothing wrong with going out late,” Roger said smoothly.

  “You look pretty chummy.” His father looked at her. “And you look…just gorgeous, don’t you?”

  “Father-” Roger started, but his father was having none of it. He was up out of his seat in a flash and Roger’s uncle, Ben, was storming toward Amy down the hall. He grabbed her arm before she could enter the room and dragged her back to watch as Roger’s father pinned him to the wall.

  “Let her go,” Roger said. “Do whatever you want to me, but let her go.”

  “So noble, my son is,” his father laughed. “Look at her,” he said. “Look at her! She’s controlling you. I can see it. This is why you have to break them right out of the gate. They’ll trick you and use you and make you think that you love them, but it’s all a lie. Until a woman is broken she can’t see clearly her purpose. You failed me. You’ve embarrassed your family name and shamed me.”

  Roger huffed, his breaths fast. “You’re right. Father, you’re right. She did trick me.”

  Amy didn’t have time to think if Roger was tricking his father or not, because the second that his father’s eyes lit and his grip loosened, Roger went for it. His fist slammed into his father’s chin and before he even hit the floor, Roger was coming for his uncle. The man was so surprised that Roger had actually fought back that his hands fumbled, causing Amy to fall from his grasp. She scrambled to Roger, who gently placed her behind him. His uncle, the weak tyrant of a man he was, held his hands up in surrender before Roger even took a swing.

  “Come on, man. Don’t.”

  “All the times I pleaded for you to stop,” Roger spat. “All the times that,” he pointed to his father, “that bastard sat and laughed while you hit me over and over again. All the times your steel toe boots cut into my skin… you want my mercy?”

  His uncle was sheet white as he stared back. Roger looked over at his father who was watching Roger. “And your steel toes, too.” He lifted his shirt to show the scars on his lower belly, the ones Amy had seen and wondered about. She wanted to vomit at knowing exactly where they’d come from. She gripped his arm just because she needed to. “Your steel toes were the worst,” he continued in a rough voice, putting his shirt down and gripping her hand tightly behind him. “Get up and get out. You’re not welcome in my house again.”

  “Roger. Son, I was only looking out for you. Instruction is hard to take sometimes-“

  “Instruction?” Roger yelled and moved toward his father. He jumped to his feet, his old knees wobbling as he did so, and he cowered at the door. “You can keep your instruction. Now get out!”

  His uncle scooted along the wall and shot out the door ahead of Roger’s father. He looked back and shook his head as if ashamed. But he left. Amy felt her chest bursting with pride, but would he be upset about what he’d done? Would he feel needless guilt?

  He left her to lock the door and waited a couple of beats before turning back to her. His face was calm though and she went to him. She wrapped her arms around him and wasn’t surprised when she felt his lips on her forehead. “Hell, I’m sorry. I forgot to change the locks.”

  Amy didn’t miss a beat. “I’m so proud of you.”

  She felt his smile against her skin. “I had to keep you safe, no matter what.” He blew a breath against her skin. “It’s over.”

  “I am safe,” she confirmed. “Right here.” She grinned. “Will you take me to sleep and forget about your father and your idiotic uncle?”

  He lifted her as his answer and carried her to the bed. Though he lay in the bed with her, covers and all, they just slept that night. And Amy knew her life would never be the same.

  Epilogue

  A year and a half later…

  Amy woke with warm arms around her and she sighed. She leaned back further into the warm man and chuckled when she felt his hand immediately respond, wrapping around her thigh. But his sleepy reply wasn’t as eager. “What about the baby? What did the doctor say yesterday?”

  “The doctor said everything is perfectly fine.”

  “Yeah…but I thought you were really uncomfortable-”

  She cut him off with her a kiss on his neck. She felt him exhale and knew she had him. When his hand reached all the way around her to bring her closer to him, she knew there was no real fight in him. She let her fingers bunch his hair and tug. His groan resounded loudly in the quiet room. She put herself all the way under him. There was no clothing. There was absolutely no point in clothing at night with Roger in her bed, so there wasn’t anything between them now.

  He wasted no time in turning her into a puddle under of him with his skillful hands and mouth. His tongue swept against hers, making her open further to him. His growl vibrated down her chin and neck. And she loved it. His hands moved with diligence and ge
ntleness as he made her succumb to his every demand.

  Amy had no complaints when it was all over, as usual. When he wrapped his arms around her once more, his fast breaths from exertion blowing into her hair, she smiled in satisfaction for more than one reason.

  They’d gotten more news yesterday. Agent Wright had taken down another trafficking warehouse. Every month more and more information seemed to pour in and more and more women were saved. Though they’d gotten their own place and new last names, Elena and Alex stayed in touch. Both couples kept up with Agent Wright and the trafficking. Every time a new bust was made, they celebrated, but they knew in reality it was a losing battle. For every one warehouse or holding house they closed, five more opened up. But they didn’t give up. People like Agent Wright didn’t look at his job as a task to be done, but a day to day journey. He and all the men and women who were fighting with them would be the reason that the traffickers would be stopped once and for all one day.

  That wasn’t actually possible, Amy knew that. But it was nice to dream.

  And the community members who’d been caught had finally gotten a sentencing. 25 years for a slew of guilty charges. And they were being shipped to all different prison locations. The trials took so long, but every time they heard something new it made everything they’d done and gone through worth it.

  The crying baby over the monitor jolted her. She rubbed her belly, thinking about having two of those in a few months.

  “I’ve got it, babe,” Roger said and kissed the back of her neck as he stood and threw on his jeans. She could hear him cooing to the baby in the other room. She peeked at the clock. It was morning.

  She reached over the bedside table and picked up the phone. She dialed Elena first. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Elena said with a tired yawn.

  “I know my sweet Grace isn’t keeping you up.”

  Elena laughed. “Your sweet Grace is such a Daddy’s girl. I wish you could see them right now. She’s asleep on Alex’s chest. It was the only way to get her to go to sleep last night.”

  She grinned as Roger came into the room with the baby’s head tucked in the crook of his neck. “I know exactly what you mean. Are you still coming tomorrow?”

  “Of course! I can’t wait to see you guys.”

  “Me, too. Get some sleep.”

  “Ditto. Tomorrow, girl.”

  “Yep.” She hung up and then dialed again. “Mom?”

  “I’ve told you time and time again to call me Sheila. The Witness Protection people won’t like it that you-“

  “They won’t like it that I’m talking to you at all, Mom.” She laughed. “Are you still coming tomorrow?”

  “Of course and I’m bringing your sister. It’s been too long since I’ve seen your pretty face.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. “Mom, I saw you last weekend.”

  “Too long,” she argued. “Is Roger going to let me hold the baby this time?” she said sarcastically. “That man is such a baby hog! I’m the Grandma for goodness sake!”

  “I know you don’t like Roger,” Amy started, but knew it was pointless. “See you tomorrow, Mom.”

  They didn’t like Roger because he was older and married her and got her pregnant all before Amy’s mother even got to meet him. He’d made good on his promise and taken her right after the baby was born to see her mother. All Amy told her, was that they were in Witness Protection and she wasn’t allowed to talk about anything that happened.

  That hadn’t gone over well, but she got over it…mostly. Roger took the brunt of the anger and he seemed to take it in stride as if he always knew they’d hate him. But the strides he’d taken within himself was the miracle.

  His father never again came to Roger’s house and they wouldn’t see him ever now that they left the community. He had been one of the ones captured and sentenced. In one of the trials, Roger had seen his father in the back of the men on trial. It had been hard to watch it all and see the women and children taken.

  But that was over for them now. They were trying to move on with their lives and doing a good job of it. Tomorrow was Roger’s birthday, and Alex and Elena were coming to see them for the first time since they’d been split up by the Witness Protection. And Amy’s mom was coming, too.

  Roger sat on the bed, placing the baby between them. He took the baby’s foot and blew raspberries on the sole which was apparently the funniest thing. The giggles that came out of that child were hilarious, Amy thought. She rubbed her belly and tried not to cry. Stupid pregnancy hormones. She always got choked up watching Roger be a daddy.

  Because he had learned to be a daddy all on his own with no help from the man who raised him. He had learned what being a real father was about. It wasn’t about your legacy or last name, it wasn’t about being a role model in your community it was about being a role model in your home. It was about love, laughter and making the ones who belong to you smile.

  Amy belonged to Roger in every way…and she was definitely wearing a permanent grin.

  “I’ll start some breakfast. And then we need to go to the store to fill up the propane tank for the grill tomorrow.”

  “Mmhmm,” he said distractedly as he blew on the baby’s feet again. “And then we’ll pick up a Pineapple Upside Down cake for your mom. Her favorite.”

  “I can make one,” Amy said, but knew what argument was coming.

  He put the baby over in the basinet and swung back over to hover above Amy. “You’re already going to be running yourself into the ground, I know you. I don’t want you cooking tomorrow. I’ll take care of everything.”

  She grimaced. “Cooking on your birthday? That sucks.”

  He laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ve got everything I ever wanted. All I want to do on my birthday is take care of my girls.”

  “Fine,” she conceded and touched his cheek.

  “Thank you for my birthday present,” he sighed and kissed her neck.

  She laughed. “I haven’t given it to you yet.”

  “This right here.” He palmed her belly. “And that girl over there.” He nodded toward the basinet. “And you. I’m a pretty rich guy.”

  “I love you for saying that,” she said and smiled, rolling her eyes at herself as one tear escaped her eye. Frigging pregnancy hormones!

  He smiled as he wiped it away with his thumb and leaned in to kiss her. “I love you, too, sweetheart. I thank God every day that he sent you my way.”

  “Ditto, baby.” She pulled him down further to kiss him deeper. “Ditto.”

  Table of Contents

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