Three shots are blasted and the van takes off.There aren’t any windows in the back of the vehicle so I don’t know what happened, but the sinking feeling in my heart tells me that Rocky got hurt.
Please, God, watch over and protect him.
The van is silent for a long time until I feel the ground change and the road becomes rough to drive on.A few moments later, it stops and the side door is opened.The man holding me down lets up and climbs out of the van.I can hear voices.They start to sound all too familiar.
“What do you mean you brought her here?”I hear my father say.
“What kind of trouble?”that voice is from Jared.
I stay in the van and wait for them to come to me.There’s no reason to over exert myself if I’m about to fight another battle.I do make sure to cover my stomach the best I can.
“She’s what?”I hear my father yell.
The sound of footsteps gets closer, and I brace for the confrontation.
Papa storms over and yanks me from the vehicle, almost making me lose my balance and fall to the ground.His eyes burn a path down the entire length of my body.His eyes flare when they reach my round basketball of a stomach.
“You dirty whore!You let them defile you,” Papa spits at me.If it were possible, steam would be exiting through his ears.
I’ve never once in my entire life ever defied my parents.I’d always played by their rules, and when he sent my mother away, I worked even harder to be the perfect daughter to him.But now, every inch of my being wants to snap and do everything in my power to rebel against him out of spite.I stare at him as if this man means nothing to me and that his words don’t affect me.I have nothing to apologize for, and I won’t when the baby I’m growing comes from a loving home.
“Mr.Sanchez will be here in two days,” Papa grits his teeth together as his eyes shoot daggers at me.“Get her cleaned up and looking presentable.We won’t have this stopping us from forming an alliance.”
“I think I might know how we can make this work in our favor,” Jared steps up and quietly speaks.
Papa turns to some of the men from The Fellowship.“Take her to the wives, but make sure she doesn’t try to run this time.”
My arms are pulled, and I’m led out of the van and to the main house where I once lived.
Karen and the other wives are all standing there watching as they parade me up the steps and into the kitchen.
“Well, if it isn’t the little troublemaker,” Karen spews, wiping her hands with a dishrag.
“Shepherd Walter wants her to eat and get cleaned up,” one of the men tells the women in the room.He finally releases me as he forces me on a stool in the middle of the room.My arms ache from being hauled around by so many different people.
“I’ll make her something,” I hear Judy call out and rush around the room.The other women make no move to help but just stand there staring down at me.
“What have you done to yourself?”Karen snarls.“How could you go against not only your father but the head of our community?You’ve brought shame down on him and us for this.”
I stare her right in the eye not giving her the satisfaction of a reaction and shrug.I don’t owe any of them anything.Except maybe Judy for helping me escape all those months ago, but other than that these women can all go to hell.
The wives leave, all with the exception of Judy who’s running around the kitchen working herself up in a tizzy.She’s made me a ham and cheese sandwich with a pickle on the side and is in the process of making me a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove.She pulls out a fresh plate of fruit, and my mouth waters.Once she plates the hot sandwich, she comes over and sits down beside me.There are three men, one at each of the doorways blocking all the exits to make sure I stay in the house.
“Oh, honey, what happened to you?”Judy asks on a whisper as she tucks a tangled piece of hair behind my ear.It’s the first gentle contact I’ve had in months, and it makes me flinch.
“They put me in some type of tornado shelter for the last eight weeks.”I say in between bites.
“Eat slowly so that it doesn’t upset your stomach or the baby,” she tells me, then leans in.“Did they give you any care for the baby?Have you felt well?”she asks in a low voice to keep the guys from hearing.
I shake my head.“No one noticed until today.Haven’t had a lot of interactions with people for a while.”
“I’ll see if I can get you a bottle of prenatal vitamins.Do you know how far along you might be?”
I’ve had a lot of time to sit and think about this in all myfree time.My best guess is going to be the first time Beckett and I met at the bar when I was on my way here from getting back from Colombia.
“What’s the date?”I ask not even sure what the month is at this point.Being locked away has me all out of sorts.Judy tells me, and I count back from when I first came back.If I remember what Melissa had said when we last spoke when she drew my blood the day that I was captured.“Close to seven months.”
“Has the baby been moving a lot?Any cramping or blood that you know of?”The concern in her voice makes my heart warm.Judy has always been so good to me.
