Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen
I was right about one thing, I spent the night in tears. I remembered when I first met Charles and the dates we went on. I remembered falling in love and not wanting to ever be apart from him. If Charles was still alive I wouldn’t be working as a cashier and would never have known about the human trafficking gang. That would unfortunately mean the little girl would not have been rescued and would be facing horrendous inhumane treatment. 

I guess things really happen for a reason but it cost me the love of my life. It made me go from Susan to Rita and look over my shoulder all the time. I knew I had two marshals protecting me, maybe more. I have overheard them talking to their superiors over phones so there were most likely other people who were part of my protection as well. I didn’t know how long I would be here and I didn’t know what would happen if one of the gang found me. I assumed I would be dead shortly after.

I woke up a little shaken and disoriented at first, which had to mean I fell asleep. I cried a lot through the night but I knew I had to get over it and get going. I heard noises in the kitchen. Pans rattling and soft voices. I could smell coffee making and I knew my host was taking very good care of me. 

Among the voices I heard was Lincoln’s, I could never mistake his. He was talking to Bryntley who seemed to be working on breakfast. Todd was cooking as well. I heard him say the bacon was ready. It seemed to be a community effort but I wasn’t part of that community. I missed that, I missed preparing breakfast for my son.

I heard Lincoln telling Bryntley about his daddy and how a bad man was drunk and killed him with a car. He told her he missed his daddy and I almost started crying again. It was sad that a drunk could just take someone’s life. They never caught the man but witnesses had told the account of the other car swerving all over the place and it was clear to them he was impaired while driving.

I got up and walked into the kitchen. My eyes were red and it was obvious that I had been crying. 

Lincoln ran to me and said, “Good morning mommy.”

I replied, “Good morning sweetie, are you getting some breakfast?”

Lincoln showed me his pancake with a smiley face and he had a big smile to match. He sat down to eat and I was asked if I wanted some breakfast. I made my way to the coffee pot and poured a cup before taking a seat next to Lincoln. 

Bryntley asked, “Did you have a rough night?”

I replied, “Not any more than normal. I have nights when the memories of Charles are overwhelming and I just have to cry it out.”

Bryntley said, “I am sure it has been difficult. I knew about it because it was in your file but seeing you and Lincoln both here makes it so real. I am sorry for your loss.”

I said, “He was the love of my life, he was my soulmate and I will never forget that. I may in time move on, but I will never forget.”

Bryntley asked, “He was hit by a drunk driver wasn’t he?”

I replied, “Yes. The driver was never caught but there were witnesses and some video footage that came from security cameras in the area. None was clear enough to see the driver for sure though.”

Bryntley said, “I will take a look into it and maybe I can help find the guy. Maybe that will offer some closure at least.”

I thanked her and finished eating the breakfast that had been prepared for me. They told me they had done protection details before and had a lot of practice working together. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time to get ready so I went in and quickly showered and got ready for the day. My mom was up and she said she would take care of Lincoln so that was one worry that I wouldn’t have here. Todd would take me to work and pick me up. I don’t know what would happen if there was an emergency while I was at work but I wasn’t too worried because I wouldn’t know how anyone could find us here.

Sofia was waiting for me when I got to work and I was moved to the office quickly. I was told that I would work the phones mostly helping guests make reservations and running their card information. It wasn’t exciting and I didn’t have much one-on-one personal contact with customers the way I did as a cashier but it was a job. It was not as hectic as my cashier job was and I liked it. 

The day went well and I had lunch in the restaurant attached to the hotel. “The La Plazuela at La Fonda '' was full of tourists most of the time but employees had a place they could eat away from the normal traffic of the restaurant. I liked Mexican food but a steady diet of that would get old sooner or later. They had some traditional American classics as well so I could change off with those items. There were ample snack bar type establishments close to work and I shouldn’t have any trouble getting food.

I learned a lot that day about dealing with people. Sofia was very good with people and could quickly resolve any issue as it came up. When the day ended and I was preparing to leave Sofia told me I had a good first day and she looked forward to the future. I was glad she said that and it boosted my confidence.

When I walked outside through the front door, Todd was already there waiting. He grabbed my hand and quickly led me to his waiting vehicle and we left without any fanfare. In fact he didn’t have anything to say as we drove home. It was so quiet that I mocked the silence while we traveled. 

I said, “Hey Rita, how was your first day at work?”

Then I answered myself, “Oh it was great and I learned a lot.”

I responded back to myself, “That’s awesome I am so glad things worked so well.”

Todd finally spoke, “Okay I get it. You love unwinding by chatting with your friends. My mind is elsewhere, I am sorry. I have something to tell you when we get back.”

I didn’t know what had happened but that shocked me into reality. My life was in danger and these people were trying to keep me safe. The rest of the ride to the house was in silence. That was hard for me but the tone Todd used when he spoke told me he wasn’t joking. After we drove into the garage attached to the house, I could see Bryntley standing there waiting for us. We cautiously exited the vehicle and came into the house.

Bryntley asked while facing Todd, “Did you tell her yet?”

Todd answered, “Not yet, I wanted her to be safely inside the house first.”

Their tone was all I needed to know something had happened. All kinds of thoughts raced through my head. I had even thought something had happened to Lincoln. 

The stress finally got to me and I screamed out, “Will somebody please tell me what’s going on. I am about to go off the deep end.”

Bryntley finally spoke, “We received some bad news today. Your roommate Jill was found shot in the back of the head. It had all the markings of a gang hit.”

I was shocked beyond belief. The tears poured down my cheeks. I knew it had to be related to John McKinley. There was no other reason. I was trying to make sense of something completely senseless. I was stunned and temporarily speechless and Bryntley allowed me time to process the information I was told before she continued to speak.

Bryntley continued, “They are still processing the scene and federal investigators have been called in since we think it is all related to the human trafficking case. The preliminary information showed she was tied and tortured. Our guess is that they were trying to get her to reveal your location and she didn’t tell them because she didn’t know.”

My heart sank and I was nauseated by the fact she was tortured. I couldn’t imagine what horrible pain she endured because of me. It was my fault and I knew it was even more important now than ever to put them all behind bars. I couldn’t believe how ruthless people could be. I wasn’t scared as much as I was saddened. She was a friend and I let her down by leaving. 

Bryntley asked, “Do you still intend to testify?”

I replied, “You bet your ass I will. They are going down. I am sure they thought when I got the news I would be too scared to testify but all they did was piss me off.”

Todd said, “We have made some changes to our overall plans because of what happened to Jill. It is too dangerous for you to be working in public. You will have to just stay here in the house and we will provide for you until after the trial.”

The thoughts of being bored to death were almost as scary as being beaten to death. I was really sad, I lost a dear friend and it made me sad. They said Lincoln and my mom didn’t know and I thought it best if they didn’t know till after the trial. I would have to put on a happy face and keep everyone safe. We would tell them we had to stay in the house because of some information that had been received from the investigators.

I wiped my eyes, retouched my makeup and followed Bryntley and Todd into the main house. Lincoln ran to me and gave me a welcome home hug. That was all I needed, I knew at that moment why I was testifying. It was to protect children just like my own little boy. 

I couldn’t help but think about the little girl who was kidnapped and threatened. She was so young but she knew the men who held her captive had killed her mother and were threatening to do the same to her if she didn’t cooperate. She must have been living in fear every day and feeling helpless to do anything about it. Convicting the man who was responsible was the only way to set her free from her fears.