by Nikki Larson
But Sylvia was here.
Likely, she was here.
Held in one of the many rooms upstairs.
That was what he felt, what he believed to be true.
But how could he know?
How could he know for sure?
Panic rose in his heart as he watched dark boots stepping down the stairs on the far end of the building. He held his breath as he heard the man approach. He could only defend himself. He could only bolt away and run. So that is what he did. With a mighty shove, he pushed the man aside and ran upstairs, calling out her name. He had nothing to lose now. It was all or nothing, God help him.
He checked every door, every heavy metal door, pushed each one open and looked inside the dark, smelly rooms. Each had sights he’d never wanted to see – helpless females, some young, some older, chains…. And he just couldn’t bear to think about the rest.
He prayed like he’d never prayed before.
And it was then that the lights came on – blinding, pure, glorious light. To light up the darkness. To dispel evil. At least, that’s what he had hoped.
What came next was incomprehensible, a blur of activity. A SWAT team, or something. Rescuers, running to help. To save. To defeat the enemy.
Jaxton, paralyzed, leaned against a wall, confused, catching his breath. Where Blaine was, he had no idea. All he knew was an overwhelming sense of peace now washed over him. A vision of a burly angel. And then, somehow, Sylvia was in his arms, sobbing, apologizing.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I never meant to put you in any harm.”
She was concerned about him.
“Oh, Jaxton, there are children here,” she moaned.
“Shh, shh, it’s all right now,” he consoled her, though he wasn’t sure himself yet that it was true.
Epilogue
It took Sylvia some time to come to terms with all that had happened. It was months later that she was able to process it, to put it into perspective even somewhat.
The SWAT team and former Navy SEALs were the heroes, as were Jaxton and Blaine. Sylvia herself was only a pawn – a painful truth which took her some time to accept. But she was safe now. She, and the other twenty-seven children and teens and twenty- and thirty-somethings which had been kidnapped and abducted against their will.
The organization that she and Jaxton were now helping support was called BrightWorkers – a group of brave, caring men using their military expertise to rescue victims of human trafficking across America. Runaways and missing children that used to slip through the cracks were now being rescued by men who cared enough to make a difference. And Sylvia and Jaxton were proud to support them by whatever means they could.
“Would you like some tea?” Jaxton reached out his hand and offered her a glass of iced tea with lemon.
She smiled up at him appreciatively while Fiona and Blaine looked on from their places at the dining room table. Sylvia herself was seated on the couch, wrapped in a comfy blanket and watching a Hallmark movie. She needed some lighthearted, sweet movies to watch now that she had been exposed to the darker parts of life.
Jaxton stood over her and stroked her cheek. “You feeling okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” Sylvia assured him. He’d gotten so protective – even more so than before – since her ordeal. He was like a guard dog, ready to pounce on anyone with ill intent who came near her. “You spoil me too much,” she protested.
“On the contrary,” Jaxton said stately, standing and whirling his hand in a dignified circle. “I could never spoil you too much, Princess Sylvia.” He kissed the diamond wedding ring which now had a permanent place on her finger.
Fiona smiled broadly at the comment and Blaine tilted his head and smirked his approval as well.
“Oh, stop,” Sylvia told Jaxton. “I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.” She stood and threw the blanket aside as she made her point. Just because she was married to Jaxton now didn’t mean she couldn’t be a strong, independent woman as well.
“Oh, you are, are you?” Jaxton countered with a grin, grabbing her hand and pulling her close. His tender brown eyes sparkled, and she saw so much love there, she was almost ready to cry. “Is that why Blaine and I had to come rescue you from the warehouse in Netherton Beach?”
It was no joking matter, but if they didn’t laugh about it, it would be far too much to handle.
“Don’t even remind me,” she replied. She shook her head, trying to rid it of those awful images which were now etched forever in her brain. But if she forgot how terrible it all was, she might never do what she could to help. “You weren’t the only rescuers that day,” she reminded them.
Blaine could only smile in agreement.
“True,” Jaxton assented. “So, I’m not your hero? I was hoping I could be the hero.”
“You are,” she assured him, planting a grateful kiss on his cheek. “You definitely are.” She thought of how much courage it took to show up that day at the warehouse, not knowing what he would encounter.
“You’re a strong woman, Sylvia,” he said, touching a fingertip to her nose. “I hope you know I believe that with all my heart.”
“Even though I was foolish enough to fall for Gabe Flores’ trap?”
“You were caught up with the idea of fame and fortune, that’s all.” Jaxton glanced at Blaine, who pursed his lips in agreement and nodded ever so slightly.
“I guess I was,” she admitted reluctantly. It was better she came to terms with it, to face what she had been, what she had allowed herself to succumb to. She didn’t want to be that person anymore. She never wanted to put her career or fame or money first ever again. It would only get her into trouble. There were more important things than personal ambition. Like helping others, for example.
She walked into the kitchen and grabbed herself a Love Bar and smiled at Jaxton as he watched her unwrap it.
“I thought they had too much sugar,” he teased her.
“It’s only one teaspoon per bar,” she said, echoing what he had taught her.
“And you allow yourself a splurge once in a while,” he added.
“Once a week, on Fridays,” she told him playfully.
“Only on Fridays?”
“Well, and on the occasional Saturday. Or Sunday,” she teased.
Her mother, fully recovered now from her hysterectomy and looking more beautiful than ever, got up from the dining room table and came into the kitchen. “I think I’d like one of those Love Bars myself,” she said, reaching into the pantry. “You know, I haven’t told you this, Blaine, Jaxton…,” she addressed them, “but I am very proud of the both of you. Thank you for rescuing Sylvia from her own stupidity. Meeting people online,” she scoffed. “It’s a dangerous thing, and Sylvia should have known better.” She gave her daughter a pointed stare. “You can never be too careful these days. People are evil. The times are evil, as we get closer and closer to the Last Days.”
“We know you’re proud of us. You’ve told us,” Blaine assured her as he joined his mother in the kitchen and gave her a hug.
Sylvia glared at her brother and harrumphed her disapproval. “You make me sound like a fool,” she complained to her mother.
“Well, you were a fool,” Fiona argued. “Who goes ahead and agrees to meet a complete stranger? Someone they met online? It’s utter foolishness, and you should have known better. You can’t trust people nowadays. You never could, in my opinion. I mean, just look at your father. He’s no one I can trust.”
“I know that,” Sylvia said. “And I’m sorry you had to go through all that – his infidelity and all. I never wanted that for you.” She looked at her mother with pleading eyes.
“I know you didn’t, honey,” Fiona told her as she came to envelop Sylvia in an embrace. “No one wants to go through pain and suffering. But sometimes we have to.” She stroked her daughter’s hair. “Life’s a struggle, and we don’t get to pick our own problems. The only thing we can be sure of is that we will have problems
.” She chuckled at her own observation.
“But we can trust God,” Jaxton put in.
“That we can,” Fiona agreed. “You know, I never knew how all those events fit together. I’m missing parts. Who were those men that meant to harm my Sylvia?”
“Oh,” Jaxton began. “Well, the officer that came to my house was bribed by the men who nearly kidnapped that little girl at White’s Market that one day. He was the one who tripped my alarm, who turned it off so that I wouldn’t notice the prowler in my back yard. The prowler was the accomplice of the would-be kidnapper. He was also a friend of Kyle Haggar, who was trying to get back at Sylvia for soiling his name. And then there was the angel who held the guy’s legs for me until the police came to arrest him.”
“Huh?” Fiona said, shaking her head.
“Are you taking too many pain pills again, Mom?” Sylvia chided her.
“No, I’m done with those,” Fiona assured her. “All these connections are just too complicated for me.”
“And there’s more,” Jaxton told her. “Each year at the time of the Superbowl, the human trafficking gets worse. And Kyle Haggar was involved with that as well. So not only did he want to harm Sylvia for snubbing him and breaking off their relationship, but he also helped arrange for the kidnapping of numerous children in the Southern California area.”
“You’re kidding me,” Fiona replied, appalled. “Who is this Kyle Haggar anyway?”
“I used to date him,” Sylvia revealed.
“Date him?” Fiona echoed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Yes, and there’s more, but you don’t need to know right now. I’ll tell you later. Someday,” Sylvia promised, twirling her wedding ring.
“Yes, I think I’ve had about all I can handle for one day,” Fiona agreed. She surveyed her family, the people she loved so much. “I’m just grateful to God that you are all safe, and that you are helping keep the children and others safe. There’s nothing better in the world than to protect the innocent and convict the guilty.”
Sylvia wished she could agree, but it wasn’t that simple. “But we’re all guilty of something,” she noted.
It made her mother sigh. “No doubt,” she replied sadly. “That’s why I’m glad for the grace of God. Everyone needs forgiveness. Me, included. I understand that. I’m just happy that you are all trying to do whatever good you can in an evil world.”
Sylvia nodded, glad her life had more meaning now than ever.
The End