Well, almost every one. Some thrived in this environment, profited quite well from it. The men who did Daddy’s bidding.
Rachael closed the blinds and leaned against the wall, thinking about her last attempt to escape this life. She unconsciously touched her left cheek under her eye. Still tender, like the rest of her face. There was only so much foundation and concealer could do to hide the bruises—the rest of the work was done by people who turned a blind eye to the abuse. Not that Rachael blamed them. It was much safer to keep your head down and your nose to the grindstone when you lived in Ross.
Which was why she needed to make her next escape attempt alone. Rachael would never trust anyone again, especially with her heart.Men only hurt and betray you, she thought. Why was she so slow at learning that lifelong lesson?
Rachael patted the pants pocket holding the copy she’d made of the key that opened the door to the rest of her life. Yes, this time would be different. She would have collateral to protect her, not empty promises. If she pulled this off, Rachael would not only get free, but walk away with enough money to start a new life anywhere. And this time, Daddy wouldn’t send his men to jump her, drug her, then haul her back kicking and screaming like the first time she broke away. He wouldn’t dare, not without risking prison time, finally.
Unless he called her bluff. Because Daddy could just as easily send her to prison for the rest of her life if this went sideways.
Or worse.
Rachael jumped at the knock on her door but then settled back down quickly. The knock was soft and tentative, not the pounding she’d come to expect from Daddy or his newest head foreman, Hank. Those two hated a closed door unless they were the ones doing the deals behind it. Rachael pushed down the memories of Hank’s seductive smile, back when he’d routinely close her door behind him, hiding them momentarily from Daddy’s ever-present spies.
“Just a minute.” Rachael glanced at her reflection in a hanging mirror first—the fluorescent lights washed out her skin and turned her face green, which actually helped mask the bruising better than make-up—then opened the door.
The plant’s receptionist, Elena Martinez, took a step back and dropped her gaze from Rachael’s face.
“I still look that bad, huh?”
“Sorry. Here.” She held up a paper bag and shook it. “I made snickerdoodles. They’ll at least cheer you up maybe?” Elena tried to smile, but the expression didn’t touch the sadness and concern in her warm brown eyes.
“If you made them, they will. Thank you.”
“The new hire is here. I tried calling up, but,” she glanced at the landline phone on Rachael’s desk, “you weren’t answering.”
Rachael smiled. “Thanks, Elena. Come in for a sec.” She went to the ancient phone and took it off ‘sleep’ mode. “I forget to do this half the time. But I’m glad you came up. I have something for you, too.”
Elena looked around at the candles. “Always smells nice in here.”
“Thanks. I still need to wash my clothes the minute I get home.” Rachael cringed inside. Elena’s desk was down in the thick of it; if Rachael could still catch the whiff of slaughterhouse stink on her clothes when she got home, she could imagine how bad Elena’s could get. She reached into her tote sitting on a nearby chair and took out a small cardboard box. On impulse, she went to one of the candles, blew it out, and picked it up.
“Have a candle,” she said as she presented it to Elena. “And this.” Rachael showed her the box and Elena’s eyes lit up as tears glazed them.
“No, no, I couldn’t. They’re so expensive.”
“Please. I want to help. Your daughter needs these, I know. And with what you make,” Rachael felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment, “it’s gotta be a strain on your budget.”
“It is, but I can’t take this. Since Antonio died, I’ve had to show my daughter how to be strong, independent.”
Rachael smiled. “Even the most independent people need friends. Please, be my friend and take it.”
Elena reached for the box of diabetes test strips, then hesitated. “I…are you sure?”
“Positive. I think there’s a month’s worth there, but let me know when she runs low again. I can get more.”
At great personal expense. Rachael’s direct deposit went straight into a joint account she shared with Daddy. Funny how the bank never managed to get her checks right, or how her debit card always got lost in the mail or delayed or just plain didn’t work. So he doled out an ‘allowance’ to her and she saved what she could to finance her next escape.
Elena took both the candle and the test strips and gave Rachael a quick hug. “Thank you so much. Thank you.” She wiped at her eyes and ran her hand over her golden brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. “It’s so hard sometimes, especially now that I’m alone. I hate raising her here, but Tina and I can’t leave. I don’t have the money yet. But I’m trying.”
“I know. It’s…Ross gets its hooks into you, and it’s hard to escape.”
Elena pressed her lips into a firm line. “Angels like you make it bearable.” She reached out and tried to touch Rachael’s puffy cheek but she leaned back and Elena stopped. “I want you to know that I see,” she said in a whisper. “I can’t do anything else, but I see what happened to you.”
Rachael swallowed hard as her heart clenched at her friend’s words. “Is the new guy waiting in reception?”
Elena finished tucking the box of test strips in her skirt pocket. “Yes. I got him started with the paperwork.”
Rachael walked Elena to her door and opened it. “Thank you. Tell him I’ll be down shortly. I have a couple things to do first. He’s an hour early anyway.”
