Secrets (22 page)

“Intimate? You mean did we have sex?”

“Yes.”

Ms. Cook laughed. “Not as loud as you and
Kent.” Chastity’s face heated, she had no idea others had heard
them. “After my cousin, David’s wife Janine, died, he asked if I
would stay and run his house. I had no place to go, back then
family stayed with family. Anyway, after about five years, he came
to my bedroom and asked if he could sleep with me.” She chuckled.
“He explained that he’d never remarry, but he had affectionate
feelings for me.”

“You loved him.” Like fireworks on the
fourth of July, Chastity remembered the soft touches, glances, and
smiles between the two. “And he loved you.”

“Yes. I’d never been with a man before David
Baxter or after. We had a wonderful life together.”

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry I didn’t
know.”

“No matter, we didn’t want a lot of fanfare.
Things were good as they were. He always took good care of me. He
bought me this house so I could leave whenever I wanted.”

“You never left.”

“I couldn’t live without my heart. No more
than you can live without Kenton now that he holds yours. Love
binds us together in ways that may not seem rational to others,
ours was a secret to those who couldn’t see; yours, a long path of
misunderstandings with a clear spot in the middle. Me and David had
our day and it was good, real good. Now you’ve gotta think about
your life with Kenton, and your children. Live for them, girl, live
for them.”

Surprise at the words of wisdom from Ms.
Cook didn’t begin to explain Chastity’s feelings. Dumbfounded, she
stared for a moment, speechless.

Renee stormed back into the room holding a
bottle of water. A glow of excitement lit her face. She thrust the
bottle at Ms. Cook and walked over to Chastity. Without speaking,
she untied the ropes from Chastity’s hands and feet. Needles of
pain shot through her as she tried to sit up. Blood rushed to her
abused parts.

“I found a room with a safe. Come open it.”
She pulled Chastity forward until she stood, but her leg buckled.
Catching the bed, she steadied herself as the gun barrel pushed
into her side. “Let’s go.”

Chastity’s stomach growled. She looked over
at Ms. Cook. The woman’s head lolled on her neck, her mouth open
and eyes closed. Her stomach dropped. “You drugged her again.”

Renee shrugged and pushed her with the gun.
“I’m not telling you again.” They walked down the hall toward the
kitchen and down into the basement. Chastity had hoped the safe was
in the attic, but that hope fell through like everything else
lately. As they rounded the corner, she saw a full-sized pool table
in the middle of the room, surrounded by comfortable chairs and
loveseats, a poker table and chairs, a bar with a full kitchen and
a huge flat screen television.
The boys would love this
. The
thought dashed her flagging spirits. She may never see them again.
Renee poked her past the rec room toward the bedrooms and baths.
Since she’d never been in this area, she was surprised when they
stopped in front of a paneled wall where a hidden door stood ajar.
They walked in. Mouth agape, she turned in slow motion, taking in
everything.

“You’ve never been here,” Renee said. Since
it was more a statement than question, Chastity continued looking
around the room. Her eyes landed on the safe embedded in the
concrete on the far wall. That was definitely something Mr. Baxter
would do.

“The old man was smart, we almost missed
it.” She pushed Chastity forward. “Open it.”

“How?” Curious, she walked up to the steel
contraption, looked it up and down, searching for a clue. She’d
never seen anything like it. “Seriously, how does it open? I don’t
see any hinges, or dials, or key pads.”

“If I knew…” Renee left the sentence
hanging. Chastity looked around the room, surprised at its
bareness. Like a switch she flipped into snoop mode, touching the
walls, looking for a hint of something, anything. A patch of wall
moved, she spun at the swooshing sound from the other side of the
room. For a moment, she forgot she and Renee were enemies, smiling
with glee as she headed toward the opened door.

“What is this?” she asked her nemesis.

“Don’t ask me, you were his assistant.
Obviously, he didn’t tell you everything. Pity.”

Thinking of Ms. Cook’s revelation, she
agreed. Inside was a desk, filing cabinets, and two computers.
Thick dust covered the desk and furniture.

“Turn it on.”

Chastity flipped the switch and the computer
whirred as the screen came to life. Her breath caught as a picture
of herself filled the monitor. She’d never seen this image before.
Swollen face, eyes black and blue with red strips in the white
area, lips split and doubled their normal size, blood and something
else matted in her hair. Heart pounding and with trembling fingers,
she typed in her personal code. The screen changed as the computer
greeted her. While her fingertips flew over the keyboard, she
couldn’t shake the screen photo from her mind. Mr. Baxter never
allowed himself to forget what had happened to her, while that was
all she wanted to do. She stood and waved Renee over.

“I’m in.” Her voice strained with the
uncertainty of her actions. Falling back a ways, her mind raced
through time. Mr. Baxter had spent the last twenty plus years of
his life amassing information to stop the abuse and prostitution of
children. He’d become their voice, their unseen hero, feeding the
police and FBI information to set those children free. Free to
return home to parents or loved ones in safety. What seemed a
simple solution a moment before seemed monumentally wrong now. Who
would free those children if she gave away his information? Someone
continued Mr. Baxter’s work, she didn’t know who, but didn’t doubt
an underground operation worked somewhere.

“There’s nothing on this one. Boot up the
other one.” Renee pointed to the other computer. Tucking her hair
behind her ear, Chastity strolled to the other computer and turned
it on. This time a generic screen saver graced the monitor, she
recognized the tiny NTK emblem at the bottom of the screen. Tension
twisted through her neck and down her shoulders as Renee watched
her every move. When the password prompt appeared, she typed in the
letters to destroy all the coded files. A virus would permanently
erase those documents before anyone could access them. There were
names, addresses of informants and witnesses in those files. Too
many lives were at stake, she couldn’t sell them out like that. Not
when they put their lives on the line to help end the debasement of
children. She’d just destroyed her bargaining chip.

The screen opened and she motioned Renee
over. When she attempted to stand, the woman’s hand clamped down on
her shoulder. “Stay. Show me what’s on this computer.

****

A short while later the two women climbed
the stairs. The thrill of their discovery had long passed. After
all that time, they’d discovered nothing. Peace ascended on
Chastity’s shoulders, she’d protected Mr. Baxter’s important work.
Once they reached the kitchen, Renee motioned for her to stop and
kneel down. A sound from the back room caught her attention.
Renee’s smug smile warned she wouldn’t like whatever headed her
way. She’d barely turned in the direction of the noise when
Mariah’s scream split the air.

Chastity’s heart stopped as her daughter
barreled into her arms. Tiny arms locked around her neck, reducing
her airflow. Mariah sobbed onto her shoulder. Tears pooled in her
eyes and fell into her baby girl’s hair as the realization struck.
The prayers she sent up fell flat. Pulling the child close, she
murmured comforting words and stroked her hair.

“I’ll give you one more chance to get me
those files. If not, I have to kill all three of you.”

“You’ll kill us anyway. You know Kenton
won’t stop until he finds you over this. No matter what.”

Renee nodded. Her eyes sparkled as if she’d
just laughed long and hard. “He is kinda anal about things like
this. That’s why I need the files to buy me some protection. I
think I’ll take those two computers and let the guys work’em over,
see if they can find whatever you hid.” She waited a beat, Chastity
continued stroking Mariah, the child had calmed to a mild
whimper.

“You’re going to let your daughter die
rather than give up some files from a man who’s already lived his
life and is dead? What kinda mother are you?”

Her head whipped up as she snarled at the
whore standing in front of her. How dare she criticize her? “The
kind who wants my grandchildren to sleep safely in their beds
without nightmares of grown men raping and abusing them. The kind
of mother who knows all it takes is one man to stand up against
this bullshit to wipe it out. The kind of mother who believes the
men and women who sell or rape innocent kids should get the death
sentence. I’m that kind of mother.”

Silence thundered in the room. “Enough
preaching.” Renee picked up her cell. “Bring in the other one, and
then you and Clint go downstairs and pack up those computers, we’ll
take ’em with us.” She clicked off. Moments later a tall handsome
Hispanic man carried Ms. Cook into the kitchen and laid her on the
floor next to them. He headed downstairs.

Sweat rolled down Chastity’s back. A part of
her knew she had to remain strong, and if it were just her, she’d
gladly face death for what she believed in. But Mariah hadn’t lived
yet. Could she allow her child to die because of her beliefs?

“I can turn the child over to a friend of
mine. Maude Stone would love to have her once you’re dead,” Renee
said watching Chastity.

“Okay, take her to Maude.” She tried to push
Mariah away; the child clung tighter, crying into her neck. Biting
back a sob, she spoke harshly into her child’s ear. “Go with the
lady, she’s going to take you to daddy.”

Mariah wailed louder. “No. I want you.” Her
small hands pulled Chastity’s shirt, her hair, anything she could
grasp as she pushed the child aside. Guilt, shame, and pain clawed
at her heart. But above all that, she wanted her daughter to live,
Kenton would find Mariah, as long as his daughter lived, he’d find
her.

“Live for mommy,” Chastity whispered as she
stared at the tear stained face of her child. “Daddy’s coming to
get you. It’ll be okay.” With those last words, she slid back on
her knees, further away from her child. “Can you have her stay with
one of your men so she doesn’t see this? One less witness,” she
added hoping it’d work.

Renee whipped out her phone and spoke
sharply. A moment later a large white man wearing a baseball cap
walked into the kitchen and picked up a screaming and kicking
Mariah, before heading back downstairs.

Releasing a burdened sigh, Chastity faced
the gun pointed at her. Ms. Cook gasped and coughed. Her leg lashed
out and hit Renee’s leg just as she pulled the trigger. The shot
went wide, hitting what sounded like an appliance. The deafening
sound ricocheted in the room. Shock held Chastity immobile as she
heard the gun slide across the floor. Ms Cook had a fistful of
Renee’s hair in her hand, but the wildcat fought the old woman
hard. Chastity leapt on Renee’s back, grabbed her head from Ms.
Cook and hit it on the tiled floor repeatedly. A cracking sound and
Ms. Cook calling her name pulled her through the red haze of anger.
Her stomach heaved. Blood pooled on the light colored slate tile as
she released her hold on the head.

Legs shaky, Chastity stood and helped Ms.
Cook rise. The older woman continued coughing before taking a sip
of water from the faucet. Renee’s phone lay a few feet away.
Picking it up, Chastity called Kenton. He answered on the second
ring. “Hello?”

Choked, and overcome with emotion, she could
barely speak.

“Help us…” She said the first thing that
crossed her mind. “I’ve got to get Mariah. The men are coming
back.”

“Chas, thank God, Chas?” Kenton said. “Where
are you, I’m coming. Tell me where you are.”

Ms. Cook had lifted the gun from the floor
with a paper towel and held it expertly in her hand. Chastity made
a mental note to talk to the woman about some of the television
programs she watched. Right now, she was ecstatic to be alive. Ms.
Cook limped toward the basement opening, turned and fired another
shot. Unprepared, Chastity jumped, dropped the phone and stepped on
it. Pieces flew all over the floor. Hand on her heaving chest; she
glared at the older woman, wondering if she’d lost her mind.

“They needed to hear two shots,” Ms. Cook
whispered, nodding downstairs. Understanding filtered through her,
although it took a moment longer for her heart to slow down. Dizzy
and hungry, she leaned forward, hands on her knees, as she tried to
catch her breath. After a few minutes had passed, Ms. Cook waved
her toward the basement door. They’d made two steps forward when
two things happened simultaneously.

Kenton ran into the kitchen, surprising Ms.
Cook, who not expecting him, fired a shot, which missed,
thankfully. Mariah screamed and they all ran down the stairs,
Kenton leading with his gun. Sven and his team surrounded the lone
Hispanic man who held a struggling Mariah against him. After he saw
Chastity, he released the child and knelt down, hands on his
head.

Mariah ran to her mama, but pulled her
daddy’s pant legs on the way. He shouldered his gun and kissed her
head, kissed Chastity, and squeezed them both tight. His murmurs of
“thank God,” echoed her sentiments exactly.

“There’s another man,” she said, her voice
muffled against his shirt.

“We got him,” Sven said, walking over to
her, waiting. Gradually, Kenton released her and Mariah. Mariah
wouldn’t budge from her daddy’s arms. Chastity reached for Sven and
was engulfed in his warm, familiar embrace. For a moment neither
spoke. If Mr. Baxter had been her surrogate father, Ms. Cook her
mother, then Sven would be her uncle or godfather. A storm of
emotion swept through her in gratitude for the family she had
now.