Second Chances: The Power of Renewal

by Gabriela Louis

  There was still one house left. They could not figure out if they should leave it alone or if they should move the girls. They did not think Boris had been stupid enough to spill any information in the short period of time in which he was detained. "Now that Boris is gone, we need to check on them," said Kruno

  "I wish we had waited until he checked on them," replied Davor looking in the rear view mirror.

  "I know. I really do not want to be caught. I am too good looking to go to prison”

  Davor looked at him. Was he serious? "Let me ask you this. Do we walk away and start a business somewhere else forgetting everything we have accomplished so far, or should we risk it and move them to a safe location?"

  Greed won. Each of those girls provided plenty of money. They needed to get there before the cops or reporters did.

  "Neither Kruno nor Davor had realized that for the last couple of days they had a tail.

  Rosalyn woke up screaming. John immediately came in to check on her. All she wanted was to be held. He reclined against the headboard and held her until she calmed down. As John was sitting on the bed holding Rosalyn, he was remembering how close she had come to being in harm’s way and how scared he had been. Here next to him, she was safe, and if it was up to him, that’s where she would stay. He decided that he could not do this anymore. She was going to have to marry him. She seemed to be a magnet for trouble, and he needed to protect her. Heck, he needed to know that she was safe, or his sanity was going to fail. No one would hurt her again while he was alive. He looked at her and saw those green eyes looking right back at him. "Rosie I cannot live like this, anymore. You need to marry me. Please marry me."

  She jumped up, and started looking frantically for her shoes, "it's time for me to go."

  He sighed, “I'll take you home. But this conversation is far from over."

  Marcus and Andrew had been apprising John of every move, and right now John knew they were on their way out of town. He followed their GPS signal. He had told them not to interfere until they called for back up. They needed to rescue all the girls first. He hoped to make it there on time.

  Davor and Kruno had only one thing in mind --The profits that the girls provided. They wanted that money. That was their main source of income. It provided a comfortable living. Davor was driving, and Kruno was supposed to keep an eye out for cops. "Hurry up, we need to get there. We do not know if he spilled the beans," Kruno fretted. Davor pressed the accelerator, but asked, "Are you sure there are no cops?"

  "There are none. Cops don't have time to waste on these little roads."

  Both Marcus and Andrew were following at a distance "What are those two doing? Don't they know they can get a ticket?" Asked Marcus.

  “I don't know, I thought everyone knew about small town cops.”

  And as predicted, out of nowhere, a black and white pulled behind them with his lights on.

  "Now what?" Asked Kruno, when Davor slowed down. Kruno was anxious to get to their destination.

  "You idiot, you told me there were no cops."

  "I didn't see any, and don't you dare be calling me an idiot."

  "You are an idiot, you only had one job and you couldn't do it."

  At that Kruno punched Davor on the face. Davor was so surprised, he did nothing for a second or two, and then he threw a punch on retaliation. It was quite uncomfortable to fight across and over the console and with their seat belts on. The punches Kruno dealt came from extending his left hand toward Davor's face, the punches Davor returned came from him extending his right hand toward Kruno's jaw. The cop was at the window knocking on the glass, wondering if these two imbeciles were high. He called for back up. When Kruno and Davor noticed him, it was too late. Both friends were being pulled out of their car and helped into the two patrol cars.

  "What in the world was that about?" Said both friends in unison as they passed the two idiots they were supposed to have followed. Marcus and Andrew had no choice but to get a hotel. The two bozos were going to spend the night in jail. Now what? The two of them walked to the jail to find out how long they were going to be in, and realized they had plenty of time for a nice hot meal and a good nights rest.

  John met them there a few hours later. He loved small towns because everyone knew everyone. He asked the waitress for directions to the realtors home. It was after hours, but not too late. One could still visit at eight o'clock.

  At the realtor’s home, John found out that there had been a couple of farmhouses for sale. One sold a few months ago and only a foreigner woman lives there now. John got directions to the place, and with the other two in custody; it should be easy to rescue the women with assistance from the cops.

  At the house, Rosalyn went into Mariah's room, where she found a full-length mirror. She stood in front of it staring at herself. She had always hated her reflection, but not today. You delivered me, and you are offering me a second chance. Thank you. I know you want nothing in return except my love. I don't know how to give it. I need your help. Amen.

  As she continued to look in the mirror she began making decisions. She was going to accept his marriage proposal. From now on, she would stop running away. She wasn't a victim. She was a survivor. She was created to be loved and to love in return. Today is the first day of my life and I chose to be happy.

  And we know that in all things God Works for the good of those who love him,

  who have been called according to his purpose.

  Romans 8:28

  Epilogue

  John felt that the world had righted itself. All these years of trying to figure out where he stood in life, trying to make a difference in the life of others, but not finding fulfillment in his own life had finally come to an end. He could not be happier. The woman he loved was sitting here next to him. She had fallen asleep watching the football game. She was so beautiful. He could never get tire of looking at her. No matter what laid ahead of them he would always love her. He had been to shallow and selfish to realize it, but he had been in love with her from the very beginning. He understood that life was not going to be easy for the two of them. There were some very difficult obstacles to conquer, but together they will succeed.

  "I cannot wait until the weekend." John said as he cuddled next to her on the sofa.

  She smiled, "what's so important this weekend?"

  "You will no longer be Rosalyn Miller"

  "You mean to tell me that I am not keeping my name"

  John looked at her in surprise. They hadn't discussed this before, but he really wanted her to adopt his name. He was not chauvinistic, just old fashioned. "I had hoped."

  "Well, I was thinking that Rosalyn Miller White had a nice ring to it."

  He smiled and kissed her. This was his Rosie and with her at his side he would be the happiest man ever.

  "I love you my sweet Rosie."

  "I love you, too."

  ######

  Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

  Thanks!

  Gabriela Louis

  ********

  About the author

  Gabriela Louis has been a closet writer for as long as she can remember, and recently following a challenge and her dreams decided to do something with the stories swimming in her head. She lives in North West Florida where she gets to enjoy the beach in the summer and the cold in the winter. She is married to a wonderful man and has four wonderful children, three sugar gliders, two cats and one dog. Life is always an adventure in our home.

  Other books by this author,

  Second Chances: The Power of Forgiveness: Release May 1, 2015

  Second Chances: The Power of Hope: Coming Soon

  Second Chances: The Power of Love: Coming Soon

  Excerpt from the second book in the series available May 1, 2015—

  Second Chances: The Power of Forgiveness

  Okay, game on. They walked toward the stage in the
back of the club. The place was a dump, the floor was littered with cigarette butts, ashtrays had not been cleaned, and the place smelled of smoke and urine. They walked towards the only clean table they could see, but then a big meaty hand grabbed Andrew by the arm and another hand clamped around Marcus' shoulder, stopping both of them in their tracks. Andrew noticed that the hand belonged to a big mean looking man. He suspected the guy to be one of the bouncers.

  “That table is reserved,” he heard the bouncer say as he began to guide them to another table. He signaled for a waitress, a young woman wearing a very small sequined bikini, who could not be more than twenty, to come and clean it.

  They ordered a couple of beers and watched the show, the customers, and the employees. The show was distasteful and degrading to women. At least this was not a nude bar, or wasn't supposed to be anyhow. If they served alcohol, the girls were not supposed to go nude. It still disgusted him. The girls seemed so young. The girls were not supposed to be younger than twenty-one.

  Andrew could not understand why women danced like this for men and put up with such demeaning treatment. He had a hard time understanding why men frequented places like this, especially those who had a female relative. This was just very sad, in Andrew’s eyes.

  Andrew had two mothers. He knew both of them loved him, but his biological mother had worked as a stripper. It had been the only job she could have that paid her well enough to support her addiction.

  His other mother, the woman who raised him since he was eight was a lady. He had been about five when he was noticed by the authorities and placed in different foster homes. By the time he was eight he had been placed in so many foster homes, he did not remember their names. Some were good to him, others not so good, but he had not stayed in any one place long enough to matter.

  Since the moment the Whites took him in things were different. They treated him with kindness and respect. They gave him rules, but also rewards for following those rules or restrictions for breaking them. They enrolled him in sports and made him go to church. In their home, he did not feel transient. Even though they could not tell how long he was going to stay, they treated him as if he belonged.

  Then one day, Mrs. White sat him down at the kitchen table, put a plate of hot, out of the oven chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk in front of him and then with tears in her eyes told him about the death of his mother. He said nothing. He did not even cry.

  As he reflected on his own feelings he realized that what he felt was relief, concern, and guilt. He pushed the guilt away to stay somewhere in his unconscious mind. His only concerns at that moment had been selfish. Would he finally have a chance at having a forever home? A family to love him and care for him is all he ever wanted. He had felt ridiculous for wishing that.

  Andrew reflected that all any child would ever want, was a family. His concern had been about his future. Would the Whites keep him or would they move him to a different foster family? Would someone adopt him? But then again who would want him? He hoped and prayed the Whites wanted him because he loved it with them.

  He loved having the stability of a roof, food, and a proper education. He had actually made friends for the very first time in his young life. The friends at school were the same friends he had made at church. It felt good to have a family that cared enough for him to give him boundaries.

  He had met Marcus at church, at a baseball game. Marcus was a rich kid looking for his parents’ attention and Andrew a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks. It had not matter to them. They had become inseparable.

  It had been funny to both of them how wrong the adults were about them. Marcus was a good kid, who always took the blame for his friend and Andrew was the quiet kid who started the mischief. He had heard more than once from his family how Marcus was a bad influence, and Marcus had heard from his parents about Andrew being the bad influence.

  No Matter how hard the two families tried, they could not keep them apart. They became best friends. They got in trouble together, salvation together, and now were investigators together. They had each other’s backs, being each other's partners.

  Somehow Marcus had a way of knowing and always understanding Andrew. Marcus knew his strengths and his weaknesses and he knew how to use them for the success of their partnership and to keep them both and whatever other innocent victims were involved, alive.

  Marcus knew Andrew better than he knew himself, and he knew that at this moment Andrew was stuck in the past and he needed to bring him back to the present and the now. He needed him, and they both needed to pay attention to their surroundings. "Are you okay Andrew? I know this is not your usual place but we need to see who frequents it, check the bouncers, and see the girls. One beer, maybe two and then we leave.”

  As uncomfortable as Andrew was with the situation, he understood that Marcus could not do it alone. They needed to pay attention to every detail and they needed to pretend that this was their usual entertainment.

  Their boss John had been called by a friend in Homeland Security Investigations to let him know that there was evidence this place was being used as a cover for human trafficking and prostitution. They suspected the place to have underage girls. Unfortunately, they did not have enough evidence to spend the money and manpower on the case. John had been given the contact of a prominent man, whose daughter had been linked to this place.

  Andrew took a deep breath and immediately placed all of his senses on the task "Did you see the cameras? They are in strategic places to see the whole room."

  "Not the whole room. Every door is covered except the east emergency exit and it’s being used now."

  "I wonder who the guy walking in is? He is going to the only reserved table and it is too dark to see him from here or take pictures. We might need to come back tomorrow and sit on the other side."

  Marcus became serious. "I would like to know who that man is now. There are no guarantees that he will be here tomorrow. He uses a side door, has a reserved table set in a place with no cameras, and has perfect view of the dancers. We need a better look.”

  Mariah looked in the mirror. She hated her life, but somehow decisions she made had let her to this demeaning life. This was never the plan.

  Why had she been given this lot in life? Some people were born with their silver spoon per say, she was born with nothing. Not even a mother to love her.

  She remembered her childhood dreams of one day having a normal family. She had wanted a mother who loved her and father who cherished her, and siblings to argue and fight, but also to share intimate moments with.

  Instead, she had no one. At one point she had grandparents who loved her, but an accident had left her alone. Her mother had shown up then, but she had treated her as if she were a bother she had no choice but to take care of. Her mother did not care for her. She had no idea who her father was and she had no sibling to fight or to share intimate moments with. She did not even have family or friends she could trust. Rosalyn had made sure of that.

  On one hand, everyone thought Rosalyn was the perfect woman, and the dedicated mother. On the other hand, in everyone’s eyes, Mariah was a trouble kid, who was overly spoiled and unappreciative of everything her mother sacrificed for her.

  Her desperation at the lock of love and acceptance from her only parent had let her to these horrible circumstances. She did not even know how everything had gotten out of hand. She was in a demeaning job, doing things she never thought possible for a few miserable dollars.

  She could not trust anyone in this job. The stories she heard had her looking over her shoulder.

  Mariah looked in the mirror. Her custom fit to perfection, but it barely covered her. Time to put a smile on and dance and dream that one day she could walk away from this.

  Between the smoke and low lights it was hard to see details. As they were trying to figure out their strategy the third dancer came out. Marcus stared. His jaw dropped and he slapped Andrew on the arm. Andrew looked up, did a
double take and said, "Cover me."

  Marcus tried to stop him by holding on, "Wait up!" But it was futile and he understood that the case was blown to hell.

  Andrew had never acted without thinking, but he was acting on instinct. This probably wasn't his best decision, as matter of fact; it was the worst decision he had ever made. They were not even armed and he was putting Marcus and himself in danger, but he could do no different. Even with the gold wig, the heavy make-up, and the skimpy outfit, he would recognize her anywhere. What is she doing here? Why? The woman of his fantasies, dancing like that? It was so not like her. What had driven her to this? He jumped on the stage, grabbed her, put her over his shoulder fireman style as she screamed and fought him, and he walked out. When one of the bouncers rushed to stop him, he was ready for him. He concentrated all his strength into the one punch. He hit him so hard the man ended up on the floor unconscious. The bouncer was going to have a headache, but it was worth it. He was wound so tight, he actually felt sorry for the bouncer. Unfortunately, it had done nothing for him. He felt the tension in his muscles and the extra blood pounding through his veins. The Adrenaline had given him strength he did not know he possessed.

  Marcus followed closed behind and when he saw the extra guy he hit him before the guy knew what was coming. Then they were finally out the door, but they knew they were not save until they were out of there. Andrew ran to the car, "Get in the car now, you drive while I hold her, hurry before the cops come."

  "Let me go!" screamed Mariah, "Who are you?"

  Marcus jumped in the driver's side, fired the engine and floored it out of the parking lot.

  "Please let me go, I am not the kind of..."Then she recognized Marcus.