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“What will happen to the girls who aren’t?” I know Lom has to have some sort of plan for them. He has to have something prepared, so they don’t wind up in the same sort of situation.
“If I can reunite them with their birth parents—as long as it’s safe to do so—I will. If it isn’t, I’ll come up with another option, but I haven’t figured out what the other option is yet.”
Still, I’m frustrated. I understand he has a team of people going to get the children… but that will be traumatizing for them.
“Why are you looking like that?” Lom asks out of the blue, and I flip the omelet to its other side.
“I think I should be going with them to get the children. They’re going to be terrified, and it would probably help to have a woman around.”
“Absolutely not.” Lom laughs, and his reaction only pisses me off. “This facility is dangerous. There will be men with guns, and they will be shooting at my team. It’s not some simple run to go pick them up for a slumber party, Emily. There are real dangers involved in this.”
I whip around to face Lom, my emotions completely taking over me. “Do you think I don’t understand that? My daughter has been with these bastards her entire life, Lom! And I’ve… I’ve been out here living my life in the light, and we don’t know what sort of conditions she’s lived in. We don’t know if they’re caged up in some dark room. We don’t know if they even get to go outside or play with toys like other children their age. I have so much making up to do that it isn’t even funny, and all I can do is pray that my daughter doesn’t hate me when she meets me!” Tears fill my eyes, and they come pouring down in effortless streams. It’s all my guilt and shame coming to the surface, and no matter what I do, I can’t stop it.
Lom comes over from where he’s standing and wraps his arms around me. I’m doing my best to make sure I don’t burn breakfast, but he’s making it hard. I know all he’s trying to do is support me right now, but all I want to do is crumple onto the floor and cry.
I’ve failed my daughter, and there’s nothing I can do or say that will ever make that better.
“I know this has all been so much for you, but we’re so close to reuniting the two of you again. We only have to wait a couple more days, Emily. I promise things will be better very soon, and you know I’m not the type of man who breaks my promises.”
“I know, and I know we’re going to be reunited soon. I just have so much guilt, Lom. I feel horrible for not just raising her. I know I had good reasons for why I did what I did, but knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t have ever made the same choice. Not if it meant she was in danger, sold like an unwanted dog from person to person.”
“Emily, fuck. What’s important is that we’re bringing her home, where she belongs. You can’t rewrite history because it’s already done with, but you can change the future. We’re going to do that together, as a family.” Every bit of emotion fades from me when he says the word “family”. I didn’t think Lom would leave me after we got my daughter back, but I didn’t know if he’d want to be a father figure to her. We never really discussed it, so all I was doing was not trying to get my hopes up.
“A family?”
“Yes, just because you have a child doesn’t mean I’m bouncing out of this. I love what we are together, and we’re going to do great things. Getting your daughter out of these bastards’ hands is one of them. I have to know… what did you name her? All I keep calling her is your daughter, and it seems a bit insensitive.”
“I had always called her Sierra when I was pregnant. I knew I wasn’t keeping her but giving her a name helped me when it came time to let her go,” I admit and take the two omelets off the pan, placing them on a plate. I pour the rest of the mixture into the frying pan because that’ll be mine. At least the guys can get some food in their bellies. Especially Ludvik, because if he doesn’t, I’m not sure either of us is going to want to be around him.
“Sierra, that’s beautiful, just like her mother,” Lom whispers and presses a sweet kiss to my forehead. He knows how hard this is for me, and all he’s doing is supporting me through it all.
This is the type of man I could spend the rest of my life with.
Lom is the type of man I could see myself with for the rest of eternity, and I’ve never said that about another man.
He gives me faith, but more importantly, he shows me what it’s like to have hope.
Chapter Twenty
Lom
I finally got word that the girls would arrive in Atlanta within the hour. I immediately told Emily that we could go meet the trailer when it arrived, and she seemed delighted by the news. But, behind her delight, I saw fear. I know she thinks her daughter is going to blame her for what happened. At the end of the day, I know this child must be going through so many different feelings, but one thing I truly believe is that the child won’t blame Emily for any of it. At least not after she finds out what happened, if Emily tells her. I don’t even know if Emily wants to tell her or not.
I’m not sure if she’s going to tell the child everything at first. Maybe she’ll wait until she’s older, but I’m certain Sierra isn’t going to be like any other child out there. She must’ve been subjected to different things, and I’m certain she’s a bit more mature than other children in her age group because of it.
Ludvik’s driving Emily and me to the warehouse, and Emily’s hand is in my own. Her grip is tight, but I can’t even blame her for it. If our roles were reversed, I’d be as anxious as she is too. After another twenty minutes in the SUV, we’re pulling down the long path that leads back to the warehouse.
We continue down the path until we can see the warehouse completely and where the semi-truck is supposed to be. Only, instead of there being one trailer, there are two. “I thought we only had one trailer coming with the girls.”
“Given the fact they’ve been cramped up for most of their lives, I figured you’d want to give them some space while they traveled. Each of the trailers has seven girls in them. They all got to sleep in their own bed, had a private bathroom with an actual door that closed, and food was prepared and stocked in the fridge before they departed for their journey.”
“Thank you, Ludvik. That was a very good afterthought. I’m sure the girls appreciated it as well.”
“It’s nothing. It was something simple I could do, and I’m glad to have been of some help,” Ludvik simply says.
These girls have all been through immense trauma, and I’m certain that we aren’t going to be able to reunite every child with their birth family. At least we might be able to have one of the tractor trailers take them somewhere safe.
Ludvik pulls up to a parking space not too far away from where the trailers are. The painted lines that should be on the ground are long worn out and probably haven’t been painted in over twenty years or so. The pavement’s even cracked in some places, and the grass is coming up in some spots. I know the Steeles still own this property, so I wonder if they’re ever going to put any money back into it… especially if they’re going to use it for a meeting place in the future.
