Page 93 of Anchored to the Storm

Just as unquestioningly, Dale handed it to her. She put it to her ear. “Mom.”

My heart sighed. It was the very first time I had ever heard a fellow foster call Harmony that. It felt right. Harmony had earned that noble title, and more, long ago.

“We found Blue’s sister.” Listening, Sarah nodded, happy tears streaming. “Yes, in the darkness, there is light.”

The pastor was making threats in the background, promising revenge, and yelling not to touch his daughter, but none of us paid him any mind. He had tried to build a place where evil could reside. It could grow to harm others. But he failed. Instead, we were feeling a loving presence. We were experiencing the truest beauty on this earth: Love.

Once the house was cleared and the security feeds destroyed, all tracks were covered. Down the dark road, a bloody pastor, now hog-tied and gagged, was loaded into the back of a black SUV that had just received a fake magnet tag over the real one.

Dale’s van was parked behind it. He also received a fake tag, and was told by a bearded man, “If you have a safe place, hide that tag for emergencies.” Then he got closer to Dale and whispered, “We would never stand by while a child was in danger.” He coughed, eyeing the girl. “The little one, there was no evidence of her existence in the house.” He ran a hand down his thick facial hair. “Tonight, we found her bedroom hidden behind a fake wall. From what we can tell, by his clothes on the floor at her bed, he was in there with her when our shit-storm hit.”

I thought of Dale beating the pastor. The horrid man was only in boxer shorts.

The bearded man added, “The furniture in that room… older, dated, dusty. The little one isn’t the first, if you catch my drift.”

Feeling ill, I looked to the tiny girl who appeared to be barely six. She looked spooked and was holding Sarah’s hand. How long had she been hidden away? Her whole life? Had Blue been trapped in that hidden room also? How young was Blue when the pastor started abusing our friend? Oh, Blue.

I thought of Blue’s mother at the vigil. Sitting on the bench, she seemed half dead. Oh shit. This man had her living daughter. And no one knew it. And no one would believe a drug addict. That woman’s story must be a horrific one.

Dale’s jaw locked. His nostrils widened as he forced himself to breathe, then he nodded. He opened a side door on the van and began to gently guide Sarah and the little girl inside, but the baby girl dug her heels into the ground, staring at the van as if it were a villain.

Sebastian took a knee beside her. “Do you want Sarah to show you how to get in there?”

Sarah took the cue and stepped inside, cheering, “What fun! Which seat do I want? Hmm.”

The little girl dared to lean forward and peek inside.

Sarah offered a hand. “We can share a seat. Would you like that?”

A teeny hand reached for Sarah’s…

My trance had ended again, yet I still greatly appreciated what happened next. With the girls safely sitting in the back, at the open van door, one of the burly dudes told Seb, “We’re relocating the pedophile, but we understand how you feel about him. We respect your due. Still want in with what comes next?”

One foot in the van, one still on the ground, Seb observed where his revenge lay, served on a platter for the taking. Then he looked to the little girl. His eyes shifting back to the bearded man, he smirked. “Amazing how fast focus can change.”

As if this dude had just witnessed his own son turn into a man, he quietly said, “It sure is, wise one.”

Just then, a pride not my own bloomed across my chest. I looked around, wishing I had night-vision. Johnny?

Van doors now shut, I stood in silence. Through his side window, Dale gave the men a stare of gratitude and something else that only fathers could comprehend.

Surrounding nods and dedicated stares were their response.

Then Dale drove away.

Finn, Ethan, and I stayed behind. We claimed we did this to drive the Jeep, but we truly wanted answers.

As if sensing what was coming, four tattooed, scary-looking fuckers faced us.

None of them were smiling.

I had planned on drilling them with an abundance of questions; however, their vibe wasn’t screaming, ‘Give me a go. It will totally have a happy ending.’ Their energy read more like, “Now for a lecture, fucking dumbasses.”

Wanting to stand my ground, even if intimidated, I glared. Where’s Johnny?

That earned me a concerning laugh that explained I was in waaaaay over my head.

The man who tackled me gestured to my hand. “Give me that bag.”