by Laura Scott
“He was obsessed with you, Naomi.”
She suppressed a shiver. “He didn’t get to me.”
“Kate?” Sawyer’s deep voice caused Kate to sit up. He gently draped a blanket around her shoulders, which Kate gratefully gathered close. “We found Louisa; she’s safe too.”
“Louisa?” Hope flared in Kate’s amber eyes as she looked from Sawyer to Naomi. “She’s okay?”
“Yes.” Sawyer pulled up a chair, careful to keep some distance between him and her sister. “We arrested Billy Evers. He was working with Tony, right?”
Kate sniffled and nodded.
“Louisa was scared, just like you. But she went to the hospital to be checked out, to help us send Billy to jail for a long time.”
Naomi felt Kate flinch, but that didn’t stop her from tagging onto Sawyer’s request. “Kate, Tony needs to be put in jail too. He should pay for what he did to you, and to all girls, right? You don’t want him to go free, do you?”
“No.” Kate’s voice was barely a whisper. She clutched the blanket as if it was a lifeline. “He deserves to be locked up the way he kept us locked up.”
Hearing firsthand what her sister had been through was the most difficult thing Naomi endured. Even losing her mother hadn’t been this hard. It was all she could do not to go over and pummel Tony with her fists.
“Will you allow us to take you to the hospital?” Sawyer asked gently. “The police are on their way to pick up Tony. Once they take him to jail, we can head over there.”
Kate hesitated for a long moment, before whispering, “Yes. I’ll go to the hospital.”
Naomi closed her eyes and silently thanked God for helping them find Kate. Her sister had a long road ahead, but this would be the first step of the healing process.
At least, Naomi hoped so. She’d need to find a counselor in the Dalton area for Kate as soon as possible.
The sound of a car approaching had Sawyer rising to his feet. He briefly rested his hand on Naomi’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, before heading outside.
Naomi placed her arm around Kate’s shoulders, hugging her. “We’ll be home soon. I promise.”
Kate nodded but didn’t say anything more. Naomi glanced over to where Sawyer was talking to a uniformed officer, no doubt describing what had happened here.
The nightmare was finally over. Sawyer had risked his career, and his very life, to help her.
Without Sawyer, she never would have found Kate. She owed him so much . . .
She loved him.
The realization was stunning, yet she couldn’t do anything about it. For a brief moment, she lifted her gaze to the ceiling, imagining God up there watching over them.
She loved Sawyer and hated the thought of leaving him, but she couldn’t stay. Her sister’s health and well-being had to be her top priority.
Maybe one day . . .
“Let go of me.” Tony’s low, gravelly voice carried into the cabin. “That jerk knocked me unconscious. I want him arrested for assault.”
Kate abruptly threw off the blanket and sprang to her feet. She stumbled toward the doorway.
“You hurt me!” she screamed before slamming her hands against his chest. “I hate you!”
Naomi rushed forward and pulled Kate away from the handcuffed man. “Don’t, Kate, he’s not worth it. Your testimony will put him in jail for the rest of his life.”
“He told me he wanted to use me to get to you, Naomi.” Kate stared at Tony with revulsion. “He couldn’t believe you broke up with him.” Kate sniffled. “He also tried to have sex with Paula, and when she escaped, he chased her through the woods. Only he came back alone, telling us that if we didn’t listen to him, we’d end up like Paula.”
Naomi’s gaze clashed with Sawyers. “Us? You and Louisa?” Naomi asked.
Kate nodded.
“You saw him chase Paula through the woods?” Sawyer asked.
“Yes.” Kate stared defiantly at Tony. “She wasn’t wearing any clothes when she ran outside.”
Tony’s mouth formed a grim line, and Naomi couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Tony knew his life was over, and she was proud of her sister for stepping forward with the additional information they needed to put the final nail in his coffin.
“Arrest him for murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault of a minor,” Sawyer said to the officer who’d grabbed Tony’s arm.
“My pleasure,” the officer said, yanking Tony to the squad. “Tony Baldwin, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Naomi tuned out the rest of the Miranda warning as she looked at Sawyer. “Can we please take Kate to the hospital now?”
“Of course.” He went back inside for the blanket, closed and locked the door, then returned to the SUV. Naomi climbed into the back seat so she could be next to Kate.
The road ahead would be difficult and long, but each step would take them one step closer to healing.
She prayed for God to continue to watch over Kate as her sister endured what was yet to come.
Sawyer battled a wave of exhaustion as he sat in the emergency department waiting room for Naomi and Kate. The doctor had already finished, but Officer Krill was taking Kate’s statement.
There were still many details of the investigation that needed to be answered. The pink hair band didn’t belong to Kate, but the partial print at the shanty was a match to Tony Baldwin. Sawyer believed the shanty had been a temporary holding cell, used to hand the girls off from one person to the next. It would explain why Curtis and Evers had planned to take Naomi there.
A team of officers had gone to the motel and arrested the manager who’d admitted to renting his rooms to be used for so-called entertainment services. He claimed he didn’t know anything about underage girls or anyone paying for sex, but Sawyer figured the guy would change his tune, ready to tell every last gory detail, once he’d been locked up for a while.
He still couldn’t believe they’d found Louisa and Kate. In those moments outside his cabin, he’d actually felt God’s presence. Something he’d never experienced before in his life.
The Preacher had lied during his screaming sermons about how God would punish them. Sawyer wasn’t sure why he and the others had to suffer at the Preacher’s hands any more than he understood why Kate and Louisa had suffered at the hands of Baldwin, Curtis, and Evers.
Maybe Naomi was right about how God’s plan wasn’t theirs to understand but to accept His guidance while continuing to honor Him.
He couldn’t deny God had watched over them. Today and hopefully forever more.
After what seemed like an eternity, Krill entered the waiting room and crossed over to him. The guy looked sick, as if interviewing two traumatized teenagers in one day had taken a toll. Sawyer couldn’t blame the guy.
Krill gave him a nod. “Nice work taking down Tony Baldwin.”
“He held me at gunpoint, but somehow Naomi distracted him enough so I could disarm him.”
A lopsided smile tugged at the cop’s mouth. “Flips and cartwheels, then throwing a rock.”
Sawyer blinked. “Excuse me?”
Krill shrugged. “Hey, that’s what she told me. Naomi is apparently a former gymnast and cheerleader. She couldn’t think of what to do, so she did a backflip, followed by a cartwheel moving to the side, and then tossing a rock to distract Baldwin.”
Sawyer remembered the weird sounds and the moment the tip of the gun moved away from him. “Well, crazy as it sounds, it worked.”
“Any idea why the guy was at your cabin in the first place?”
Sawyer grimaced. “I never expected him to be there, especially not with Kate. I did know, though, that someone found my cabin, as I had an intruder outside take shots at me. And there were shots fired earlier this morning when we were leaving the cabin. They must have known Naomi was staying there with me, at least when we weren’t staying in town.”
Krill eyed him curiously.
“I thought for sure you would show up at the motel.”
Ironic that he had returned to his cabin to get an illegal weapon only to stumble across Baldwin. “I wanted to meet you there, but I wasn’t armed and didn’t want to put Naomi in danger.” He left out the part about his intent to pick up his illegal gun.
Krill nodded. “I can see that.”
Sawyer made a silent promise to get rid of the unlicensed gun the minute he returned home. No more looking backward. It was time to move forward. He gestured toward the hospital exam rooms. “How are they holding up?”
“Surprisingly well,” Krill acknowledged. He scrubbed his hands over his face.
“There might be other girls out there,” Sawyer said. “We’ll need to lean on that motel manager to get more information.”
“The lieutenant and the Feds are all over it.” Krill stood. “Detective Turner is being demoted for being too slow, too mired in details to do the job well enough to satisfy the lieutenant. Apparently the boss is looking for someone who has already taken the detective exam to replace him.”
Sawyer glanced up in surprise. He’d taken the exam, but Turner had gotten the job. “Oh yeah?”
“The lieutenant wanted you to know.” Krill smiled as he turned away.
Becoming a detective had long been a goal of his, but that was something to think about for another day.
Right now, he had two women to look after. He crossed over to the desk and asked to see Kate Palmer. When he entered the room, he saw that Naomi and Kate were still huddled close together.
“Hey, are you ready to get out of here?”
“Yes, but I have a favor to ask.” Naomi glanced at him nervously. “I need you to see if my car has been repaired so I can take Kate home.”
Home to Dalton, Sawyer knew. His chest tightened, but he’d expected this. “I’ll drive you home and will arrange for your car to be transported when it’s ready.”
“You will?” Naomi looked surprised.
“Of course.” He wanted to pull her into his arms, but Kate needed Naomi more than he needed to kiss her.
Maybe.
“Thanks, Sawyer.” Naomi gently eased from Kate. “Why don’t you get dressed in the bathroom?”
“Okay.” Kate took the clothes Naomi had folded. “I’d like to take a shower if that’s okay.”
“Yes, of course. Take your time,” Naomi urged.
Kate nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.
“You are incredible,” Sawyer murmured. He lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t have been able to disarm Baldwin without your help.”
She flushed. “I should have stayed in the car.”
“No, don’t even think like that.” He took a step closer, holding her gaze. “God was watching over us, Naomi. And we found Kate, which is all that matters.”
“Yes, I know.” Naomi’s smile was tenuous. “It could have ended so much worse, still, Kate has been through so much . . .”
“Shh.” He couldn’t bear being separated from her a second longer. He gathered Naomi close, cradling her against him. “She’s strong, like you. It won’t be easy, but she’ll recover. Just like Louisa.”
A chance Paula hadn’t been given.
“Sawyer, I don’t know what I’d have done without you.” Naomi pressed her face into the hollow of his neck.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She went still. “What?”
He managed to smile. “I love you, Naomi. I understand you and Kate are a package deal, and that you’ll need some time to heal from all of this, but I’m willing to wait. For as long as it takes.”
“Sawyer.” Naomi lifted her head and gazed up at him. “I love you, too, but it feels wrong to be happy at a time when Kate is suffering so much. And I can’t help but think it’s my fault. If I hadn’t dated Tony in the first place . . .”
“Hey, you had nothing to do with this.” He was secretly thrilled she’d admitted she loved him, yet he understood more than anyone what it was like to experience survivor’s guilt. Naomi had escaped Curtis and Evers when Kate hadn’t. “Remember how I told you about the pokeweed berries I hid in the pie? How he and Ruth had eaten the blueberry pie and subsequently died in the fire?”
Her brow furrowed. “That’s hardly the same thing.”
“You told me that I had nothing to feel guilty about, right? And you insisted God forgives all sins,” he continued. “Don’t you think the same applies to you?”
She stared at him for a long moment. “Maybe.”
“Did you have any idea Tony was involved in sex trafficking?”
“No!” Her denial was swift. “I’d have turned him in to the authorities in a heartbeat. I thought he was a jerk, pressuring me to sleep with him, but I never imagined he could do something like this. Especially not become obsessed with me because I refused him.”
“Exactly. You didn’t have anything to do with his actions. In fact, God was probably trying to tell you to stay away from him. And you listened to those instincts that warned you he was bad news.”
“Yeah, so he could turn his attention to Kate.”
“If not Kate, likely some other girl.” Her tortured gaze ripped at his soul. “We’re still figuring out all the details surrounding these events, but I believe Baldwin, Curtis, and Evers had quite the scheme going. Pick up a few girls, get them to have sex with strangers for money at the motel, then move them along to another group of men. Tony’s big mistake was lashing out at you by seducing and then kidnapping Kate. If you hadn’t followed the white van, they may have gotten away with it.” He hesitated, then added, “Think of all the girls you’ve saved, Naomi. And once this investigation is finished, there could be even more girls reunited with their families.”
Her expression softened. “You’re right. I need to try and stay positive.”
“Yes, you do. Kate will need you to be strong, Naomi. And I want to be there with you both to help as needed.”
“Oh, Sawyer. That’s a generous offer, but this is going to take time. You have a good career here. I can’t ask you to give it up. Especially since Dalton, carpet capital of the world, doesn’t have much to offer.”
“My career isn’t as important as you and Kate.” He gathered her close. “We’ll work out the details later. I love you, and I’m not going to let you go. If you want to stay in Dalton, that’s fine. Or we can live here, in Chattanooga. It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. For now, we’ll focus on one step at a time. And don’t forget, I’m on leave of absence for the next few days.” He offered a crooked grin. “It would be an honor to drive you and Kate home.”
“I love you so much,” Naomi whispered, before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve it, but you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Same goes,” he whispered, before capturing her mouth in a deep kiss.
“Oh, so you two are—together?” Kate’s question ended their kiss.
“You don’t have to worry about me and Sawyer,” Naomi hastened to reassure her. “All you need to do is to focus on healing.”
Sawyer looked at the sixteen-year-old who suddenly looked much older than her years. He held Kate’s gaze. “I love your sister, very much. But I won’t take her away from you, Kate. There’s no rush. We have plenty of time.”
Kate nodded, then glanced at Naomi. “I don’t want to go back to work at the carpet factory.”
“You don’t have to,” Naomi assured her.
“There isn’t much else to offer in Dalton.” Kate swung to face Sawyer. “My sister hates her job at the clinic, so maybe you could work something out so that she can find a critical care job here in Chattanooga. I like it better here than in Dalton.”
“You do?” Naomi sounded shocked. “Even after everything you’ve been through?”
Kate grimaced and stared down at the floor. “Yes,” she said softly. “You have to understand I went along with Tony at
first; it was only later that I realized what was going on.” She lifted her gaze to Naomi. “I think we should sell the house and relocate here. Start with a clean slate.”
“Something to think about,” Sawyer said diplomatically. “But for now, let’s just go home.”
“Home is wherever the heart is,” Naomi whispered.
He put his arm around her shoulders. Yes, home was where the heart is.
And his heart was with Naomi.
Epilogue
Two weeks later . . .
Sawyer had moved Kate and Naomi temporarily into his cabin so he could return to work. The women shared the guest room. Kate still suffered from nightmares, and Naomi wanted to be at her side.
He’d been cleared of any wrongdoing in the deadly shooting of Curtis and the shooting and subsequent abdominal injury to Evers. The latter survived and began to talk once he knew Baldwin had been arrested. Curtis apparently had a connection in Nashville. They brought girls who were runaways or girls who were easily swayed by Tony Baldwin’s good looks to Chattanooga where they began the sex-trafficking ring. From there, they often sent the girls to Nashville, heading back down to Atlanta and other cities along the way to get new girls.
Now that the Chattanooga connection had been shut down, his boss and the FBI were searching for the source in Nashville. His boss had also promoted Sawyer to detective the minute he’d been cleared in his role in the shootings. Frankly, Turner had seemed relieved to be back on patrol. And Sawyer knew the lieutenant would keep a close eye on him to make sure he was doing a good job.
Sawyer had the weekend off and was trying to think of something to do with Naomi and Kate as they needed a distraction from recent events. His phone rang, and his heart jumped a bit when he recognized Hailey’s number.
“Hailey? Is that you?”
“Sawyer, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Are you at work?”
“Nope, I have the weekend off. Why?”
“I’m in downtown Chattanooga with a friend of mine, Rock Wilson.” He heard mumbling in the background. “Okay, well actually, Rock is more than a friend. He’s my fiancé.”