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“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 anactual 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.
“Did you ever tell your aunt Sierra’s name?”
Emily nods, “Yeah, I told her when I gave Sierra to her.”
“Okay… if we’re lucky, maybe they kept her name the same as it was. But, if they didn’t, at least we can still work on the birth date and then do a DNA test to confirm,” I comment, and Emily licks her lips nervously. I can’t imagine what’s going through her mind right now, but at least she knows she isn’t alone.
We all get out of the vehicle, and the drivers of the trucks do the same. All of us head to the back of the trucks. We wait outside while the men unhook the clasps on the back of the trailers and roll the doors up. After a few more minutes of pushing things around, we can hear little girls talking among themselves. The truck drivers come to the edge of the truck and hop down, extending their hands to help the girls. Ludvik and I end up going to each tractor trailer and help get all the girlsdown… and some of their conditions cause me to have a second glance.
A few of the girls have deep dark circles under their eyes, while another’s cheekbones can visibly be seen. They squint as the sunlight blinds them, and I know they’ve been through absolute hell. It’s probably worse than I could ever imagine, but I do know for a fact that their hell is over with.
Most of the girls here all look relatively the same. They’re Caucasian, have brown or blonde hair, and have either green or blue eyes. Fuck, finding out which one is Emily’s daughter will be harder than I thought.
“Check and see if any of them have a birthmark below their right ear,” Emily tells me as she goes up to one group of girls. I go to the other side and do the same thing, looking to see if I can find any of them that match this descriptive trait.
I find a brunette girl who has a birthmark halfway down her throat, more toward her neck, but as I bring her over to where Emily is with the other group of girls, she has one with her as well. Sure enough, as I glance at the young girl’s neck, there’s a birthmark just below her ear.
“What are we doing here?” the girl with me asks, and I glance down to see she’s visibly shaking.
“You don’t need to be worried about anything. I know you’re afraid, but we’re good people. We wanted to save you from that place.” I try to assure her, but she keeps looking around nervously.
“All of my life, I’ve only ever been tricked,” the little girl mumbles lowly, but it’s loud enough that I can hear her.
“I assure you, this isn’t a trick. We came to save you all from that bad place. One of you… you’re her daughter, and that’s why we took you all out. Whichever of you—”
“What will happen to the rest of us? Will you send us back to that horrible place?” The little girl’s shaking intensifies, and she wraps her arms around herself.
She’s absolutely terrified, and I hate it for her. “No, you won’t. Most of you were taken away from loving parents, and if it’s safe for you to go back, we’ll send you to your parents… but if that isn’t an option, we’ll find a loving, safe place for the rest of you. I promise.” I look into her light blue eyes until I feel like she believes me.
