Torn (22 page)

“
C’mon, follow me. I’d
hate for those sandwiches to go to waste. Pete’s always hungry,
too.”

Katie quickly devoured a ham and
cheese sub sandwich and washed it down with a glass of sweet tea.
After being shown to her room, the kind lady laid out a pair of
pajamas for her to wear and a towel in case she wanted to shower.
“Thanks,” Katie said, not able to look at the lady when she spoke.
She felt completely out of her element, and wondered what the lady
knew about her.

Sleep did not come easily for Katie
that night. The room was larger than any hotel room she had ever
seen and she felt lost in the massive king-sized bed. It was the
most comfortable mattress she had ever laid on, but she was
terrified James would find her in the middle of the night, or a
dangerous prank would be inflicted on her as soon as she closed her
eyes. Instead, she lay in bed all night wondering what her
grandmother was like and why—if she was such a wonderful, generous
woman—didn’t she rescue her years ago.

Twenty-Four

It took half an hour for Pete to
convince Katie to board the small Cessna jet awaiting them. She
took one step up, and then climbed back down. She paced the parking
lot, ranting off reasons why she wasn’t going to get on that
rubber-band toy he called an airplane.

“
It doesn’t look
safe.”
You don’t even know what safe
is.
“We could crash.”
You might be shot before we board, kid!
“How do you expect me to trust that you’re really taking me
to my grandmother?”

This one got him. “You have no reason
to trust me, I understand.” He pulled out his phone and found
Elizabeth’s contact information. “Here is where I’m taking you.
York, Maine. See the contact information? I don’t know much about
human trafficking, but you have to agree the name Elizabeth
Harrington doesn’t sound like someone who would hurt you, does
it?”

Katie studied the name and address.
She considered the fact that Pete could have easily conjured up a
phony name and address. He could have made up the entire story,
gaining her trust, when in reality he was going to sell her to
someone in another country. She would be used as a sex slave, or
worse. But what did she have to lose? She was already in hell, and
unless they had different levels of severity, it couldn’t get much
worse.

She took each step hesitantly,
convincing herself as she ascended the staircase that she was
strong. She could handle anything that came her way.

Four leather seats were available to
choose from, and Katie chose the one facing the cockpit door. She
couldn’t imagine the feeling of flying backwards—she wasn’t crazy
about the idea of being in the air at all. Pete took the seat
adjacent to hers.

A lady dressed in a navy blue suit
walked up, flashing a cheerful smile. “Can I get you something to
drink before we take off?”

“
I’ll have a Scotch on the
rocks, please,” Pete answered.

“
And I’ll have a vodka and
orange juice,” Katie replied.

Pete sat up in his seat and held his
hand up for the airline attendant to wait. “Whoa, how old are
you?”

“
How old do I
look?”

“
Not old enough to drink.
You’re about sixteen-seventeen, right?”

Katie nodded her head and
frowned.

“
She’ll have a Coke, thank
you.”

“
Jeez, this is going to be
a fun ride. Eight hours in a tube with you and a soda.” Katie
folded her arms across her chest and slumped down in her
seat.

Pete dug in his bag and pulled out an
iPod. “Here, it might not be the kind of music you like, but it’s
better than an eight hour conversation with me.”

Katie smiled.

The iPod didn’t get any use on the
flight. Instead Katie and Pete talked. He led her down the path of
telling him everything about her and Ally’s plan to run away and
become actresses or models. She had spared him the harsh details,
although he still had to swallow back the bile that threatened his
throat with the smallest of details. Her story included detailed
descriptions of James, Chase, Garrison, and Seth. By the end of the
flight Pete felt like he personally knew each person Katie spoke
of. He made mental notes of everything she told him.

When she fell asleep, Pete was amazed
at how her face changed. Awake, she had a harsh tone and painful
eyes. Her face portrayed someone who was ten years older and had
experienced enough life for a forty-year old. But when she slept,
her face was relaxed and soft. She looked like the typical
teenager. Watching her sleep, his heart shattered into a million
pieces. At that moment he knew what he had to do.

***

After the flight, Pete and Katie
pulled up in front of a large white house. Katie took in her
surroundings, noticing the grandeur of the home. A warm breeze
rustled the lush green trees in the front yard, and sent a whiff of
salty sea air under her nose. She followed Pete on the winding
cobblestone path surrounded by well-manicured greenery and clusters
of white rose bushes toward the front door. Pete rang the bell and
Katie shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets. She wondered
what her grandmother looked like. Would she be in a wheel chair
with an oxygen tank in her lap?

The door swung open and Katie was
surprised to see a woman that looked to be in her forties. She
quickly did the math in her head, and decided that if this was her
grandmother, she must have given birth as a child, or had a lot of
work done to hang onto youth.

“
Good evening, I’m Jane.
Please, come in, Mrs. Harrington is expecting you.” The lady
smiled. Katie’s eyes took in everything as she followed the lady
down the hall. The home was luxurious and clean. Oil paintings hung
on cream walls and everything was trimmed in the same wood that was
beneath her feet. She saw a glimpse of the ocean, which took her
breath, through the glass wall in the living room. Jane opened a
door, encouraging Katie to go in. “Please, take a seat and Mrs.
Harrington will be with you shortly. Mr. Savalli, please, come with
me.”

Katie slowly walked into the room and
let her fingers glide over the bookshelves that lined the walls.
She didn’t dare venture into the middle of the room, leaving the
stability of the walls, but instead read some of the titles. The
shelves contained all the classics—the Brontë sisters, Austen,
Dickens, Twain, Salinger, Steinbeck. Tugging at the bottom of her
tight black skirt, she realized she didn’t belong here. Letting her
gaze roam the dark, wood-paneled room, she lingered on the massive
oil paintings that were illuminated by their own individual lamps.
Her eyes fell on one that held her gaze and curiosity. There was a
familiarity to him—his eyes matched hers.

***

“
Pete!” Elizabeth wrapped
her arms around his neck, giving him a quick squeeze before backing
up to look at him. “How does she look? Are you certain it’s the
right girl—Daniel’s daughter?”

“
Yes, it’s
her.”

“
I can’t thank you enough
for what you’ve done, Pete. I’d like to spend the next few days
with her, but will you come for dinner soon?”

“
I would like that.” Pete
kissed Elizabeth’s hand and turned to leave.

“
Pete—” Elizabeth called
out, regretting it as soon as she did. She knew she couldn’t get
involved with Pete Savalli again. She had made the decision to
break their engagement over fifty years ago. After learning of his
deep family ties within the mafia, she nearly died of a broken
heart. Charles Harrington had come into her life just in time to
save her. He was supposed to tutor and help her pass the last three
classes in order to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in
Journalism. He wasn’t hired to make her laugh, but he did. She
wasn’t supposed to make him fall in love with her, but she
did.

Pete turned and waited for whatever
Elizabeth had to say. She had aged beautifully, her green eyes
still sparkled with the vivacity of a young woman.

“
I—I’ve missed you.
I
do
hope you’ll
come for dinner.”

Pete smiled, holding back the urge to
take her in his arms and kiss her.

***

Elizabeth Harrington put her hand over
her mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to escape when she saw
Katie. “You look so much like him.”

Katie was frozen in her spot, not
knowing what to do, or say, to the woman that stood inches from
her. She tried to say hello, or at least smile, but remained
paralyzed with anxiety.

“
You must be frightened
with all that’s happened over the past few hours. Would you like
something to drink?”

Katie shook her head and held onto the
side of the high back chair next to her as she studied her newfound
grandmother. She was a lovely woman with a kind smile. She had a
petite frame, but her regal demeanor made her appear tall and in
control. When she spoke, it was so proper and laced with a touch of
an English accent.

“
Let’s sit.” Elizabeth
took the chair across from Katie and waited for her to sit down.
“We have a lot to talk about.”

When Katie finally got over her nerves
and was ready to talk, she was filled with questions. Her words
came out slightly louder than a whisper. “My parents told me I
didn’t have any grandparents.”

“
Your father and I had a
falling out.” Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped forward as she recalled
their argument—the last time she saw her son alive. “Daniel, your
father, sank into a drug-induced pit so deep I couldn’t reach him.
Things got so bad, I had to let him go. I thought he would see the
error of his ways and want to get off the drugs and come home, but
he never did. The last time I saw him was eighteen years ago. I
didn’t even know you existed until after your parents’ death. I’ve
been looking for you since.” Elizabeth wiped a tear from her cheek
and looked at Katie. “How old are you, dear?”

“
Almost sixteen.” Katie
answered while twisting a strand of hair around her index finger.
She looked at the clock against the wall when it struck ten
o’clock.
James is going to be so
pissed.
A chill ran up her spine thinking
about the crazed look on James’s face when she hadn’t come back,
and then she thought about what he would do to her if he ever found
her. “Mrs. Harrington?”

“
Please, call me
Elizabeth. Or you could call me . . . Gram. I always thought my
grandchildren would call me that.”

“
Gram,” Katie looked down
and smiled shyly. It felt good, but weird.

“
I can’t keep my eyes
open.” She was beyond exhausted and her insides were twisted up
tightly. She needed a reprieve from the emotional
overload.

Elizabeth resisted the
urge to take Katie’s chin in her hand. She wanted to take away all
the pain and self-hate out of Katie, but knew she wasn’t ready for
someone to pour love and compliments into her.
It will take time. Time I am willing to spend. For every
cruelty inflicted on this poor child, I will triple the love and
kindness.
“Oh dear, I’m sure you
are
tired. I’ll show you
to your room.” Gram showed Katie where the kitchen was as they
walked down the hall toward the bedroom. “Katie, I know you’ve had
a very hard life so far, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you from
any of it. But I promise you this—I’ll do everything in my power to
make sure you have a full, happy life here with me, if you’ll
stay.”

Katie’s insides were trembling as
tears welled up in her eyes. “Here’s your room. The door on the
left is a closet, and the one on the right is the bathroom. Get
some sleep and we can get to know each other more
tomorrow.”

Katie stood on the dark
hardwood floor in the middle of the bedroom. The room was decorated
with an English-country theme. White walls were held up by dark
wooden beams and lined with oil paintings of the French
countryside. A white cotton robe lay on the end of the bed with a
pair of folded pink silk pajamas. Katie ran her hand across the
cream comforter before sitting down and studying the rest of the
room.
Is she serious about letting me stay
here? I’ve wanted out for so long, I can’t believe this is real!
I’m not sure I can be who she wants me to be. Well, at least for
tonight, I am going to enjoy sleeping in this bed.

A soft knock on the door broke Katie’s
daydream. She opened it to find her grandmother in her pajamas and
robe. “I took the liberty of buying you a few things. Everything in
the closet and drawers is yours. Your bathroom is fully stocked
with towels, shampoo, toothbrush and paste—I think I remembered
everything. If you need anything else, we can pick it up tomorrow.
Will you be all right sleeping in here tonight? My room is just
down the hall on the left if you need me.”

“
Yes, thank you. I’ve
never slept in a bedroom this nice before. Hell—it’ll just be nice
to have the mattress off of the floor actually!” Katie laughed
nervously. “Oh, sorry.”

“
It’s okay, dear. I don’t
want you to try to be someone you’re not. This is your home, now.
It’s going to be a hard adjustment at first, but we’ll find our
groove and it’ll get easier.” Elizabeth clasped her hands together
and smiled. “I’m just so glad you’re finally here,
Katie.”