I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8
A chill ran over Julia’s arm, and she turned to sleep on her other side, the hard floor pushing against her. Someone had taken her hoodie when she’d arrived, leaving her in her thin sweater, but they’d eventually granted her request for her own blanket. She’d given Tammy back hers before she was moved. Since they left Julia with Cindy, the room was quieter.
She rubbed her hands over the shivers on her arm. If only she’d realized how calm Tammy’s talking had made her! She’d listen to her childhood stories, and occasionally, they’d laughed. After they took Tammy, Cindy tried to keep the trend going, but the stories dried up. Her absence shocked them so much they both leaned on each other and cried.
By dawn, they’d realized they didn’t know what their future with the captors held. If Julia could do things over, would she have gone ahead to the police station that day?
She could’ve called. Or visited her uncle’s place. But the station had seemed like a safe place. Clearly, she was wrong.
The rankle of chains had her turning her head upward. The door opened, and one guard strode in. Reaching her, he jerked her to her feet. “Come with me!”
“I don’t want to. Please let me go!” she screamed, and Cindy woke and scrambled to the far wall, shouting.
The guard fired a shot above Cindy’s head, and it punched a hole in the unpainted concrete wall. “Shut up, or I’ll blow your brains.” That had Cindy squirming, throwing her red blanket over her knees, and growing silent.
Julia trailed him out the door, knowing he’d meant every word.
“I can’t believe God used bees to save you, Asia. Wow.” Latricia sank into a chair at the police station while they waited for Officer Ramirez to finish briefing his boss over the phone. “It can’t be a coincidence since our family are beekeepers par excellence.” She was not exaggerating. When they were younger and their parents were alive, Powers Honey Farms had won many contests back-to-back. “God must’ve used what you knew and could navigate safely under pressure, to deliver you.” Her sigh followed, and her gaze fell. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come. I promise, it sounded good at the time to get on the road here.”
“God did answer my prayer. And I am grateful to Him.” Asia could admit her surprise, but she wasn’t sure how Latricia would interpret it. Asia studied her sister under a measured gaze. Casting a glance toward Ramirez, she was okay with waiting until later to get to why Latricia was here. “As long as you’re not in any legal trouble, if it can wait, I’d rather we chatted in the privacy of a hotel room.”
“That’s fine.” Latricia’s shoulders slackened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t check whether this was a good time for you before I got on the way here. Blinded by the situation, I just went chasing who I thought could best help me. I didn’t mean to barge into a law enforcement operation, nor did I plan on nearly getting kidnapped.”
Asia chuckled. “Well, what would you say if I said I was nearly kidnapped too earlier? I don’t think anybody plans on getting taken. If it happens, you confront it head-on.”
Ramirez returned and shifted some printouts toward them. “Please, if you would, take a few moments and read through the reports to be sure they accurately reflect the information you provided.”
“Sure.” Asia took hers and saw Latricia accept hers. Sweeping her braided hair to the side, Latricia tucked stray braids behind her ear, her eyes pinned on the printout. The beginning of a curve was starting to dip her cheeks. A small smile stretched Asia’s lips as she recalled the fights it took to make her sister get her hair done as a teen. Her hair came shaved every which way depending on what mood she was in, and such uncertainty nearly gave their mom a heart attack.
Thankfully, she’d scaled all of that down as an adult. Focusing on the sheet in front of her, Asia read her printed statement and issued one correction to a typo. As Ramirez took it back for a correction, she thought about how she could find the two missing girls. She’d come close to losing her own freedom with a careless move, and she wasn’t interested in taking unnecessary chances again. Moreover, she hadn’t suspected that going to the location would be as dangerous as it turned out. She’d simply trailed a lead to a missing person’s last-seen location, unsure what she would find.
“All set. Let’s get you both to your hotel room so you can get some shut-eye. I will see to it that you have police protection there. I’ll also be on speed dial should anything go wrong.” Resting a hand on her shoulder, Ramirez smiled. “I didn’t think we’d meet under these circumstances. I’d expected an office meeting with handshakes and card exchanges, but consider this my offer to stop by anytime for coffee.”
Asia returned the smile. “I might just take you up on that. But I’m glad that, instead of shaking hands, you had my back in a tough scenario. That beats handshakes and professional smiles anytime, I bet you.”
His nod trailed her words. “Great then. Let’s go.” As he strode forward, he led them through a maze of desks, a clear indication of the dip in their department’s funding he’d mentioned. Then they stopped so he could update his chief and then exited the police station.
Asia was struggling to keep her eyes awake as they entered the new hotel. It had been a rough day and a rough night so far. She strode through the lobby where bright lights bathed her in a feeling of security and shiny elevators beckoned to whisk them into comfort. The elevator doors closed them in, and she looped her arm through Latricia’s. Hugging her sister’s arm close, breathing in the sweet, familiar scent of lavender she’d always associate with Latricia, Asia hoped having her around—someone to talk to who wasn’t a stranger, police officer, or kidnapper—would help her feel more comfortable. Once the elevator released them, a plush hallway led them to their door where an on-duty officer gave them a nod and she swiped the pass card and stepped inside. As she glanced around the room, noting all the windows were closed and the curtains drawn, she called Latricia back when her sister walked toward one window. “Don’t go to any window. Wait for me to check them out first for safety’s sake. Do you really need to open the window anyway?”
Latricia walked back into the center of the room. Then she sighed and sank onto the bed, cradling her head in her hands. “I was just looking for a distraction.”
“A distraction from what?”
Latricia raised her head, causing Asia’s heart to sink at the sadness there. Then Latricia pulled her feet off the floor up to the bed frame. She kneeled her elbows on her thighs, tucking her jaw on her palms. “From having to tell you everything. Especially why I’m here.”
Asia approached Latricia and grabbed a side table, dragging it closer so she sat on it facing her sister. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she hoped Latricia could see the concern without condemnation in her eyes. “Oh no, Trish. I’m not going to yell at you. You just tell me what happened, and we’ll see what we can do to help. Okay?”
“Alright.”
As Latricia’s shoulders sank, Asia returned her hand to her lap, waiting for her sister to speak and hoping she could handle whatever problem Latricia brought. Had Latricia talked to June or had she skipped out on that? If June was unaware of what Asia was about to hear, it would make for a difficult conversation when they returned home. So, Asia would have to remind Latricia to inform June of everything so both her sisters were fully aware of the circumstances and their trio could tackle things together.
“I’m listening. Tell me everything.” Asia glanced at where her phone was and pointed a finger. “Give me one second.” She walked over, picked her phone up, and returned, then unlocked her phone and set the alarm.
She smiled up at Latricia and set the phone on the table where she sat. “I’m setting the alarm so we don’t oversleep in the morning. We have about forty-eight hours to get answers before we leave Mexico, so I want to make sure we don’t waste any time. Please go ahead. I’m listening this time.”
Latricia rubbed her arms and stared at the floor. “My business—my home decor business—has gone bankrupt. Scratch that. I’ve lost my home decor business.” Her voice trembled. “I made a bad deal, and as a result, I lost everything.”
Asia covered her mouth, then sprang to her feet, and hugged her. “I’m so sorry!” A gasp escaped as she dropped back onto her seat. “I know how much you love it. You’d said it was struggling. I didn’t know things were that bad. You don’t like us getting into your business, but we sure would’ve liked to know when things got tough, you know. And I’m sure you would’ve given anything to save it.” Asia laced her fingers and kept a measured tone to convey she understood the severity. She simply focused on her sister. “Tell me what happened. Was it a bad company you worked with, a bad judgment on your part, or a little bit of both?”
Tears swam on Latricia’s lashes. “I’m surprised you’re not yelling.”
At her words, Asia swallowed the temptation to remind Latricia about the initial apprehension she’d voiced years ago and simply listened. Latricia needed a shoulder to cry on now, not a critic when she was down. The clock on the wall dinged to ring in a new hour, and after the momentary distraction, Asia pinned her gaze on her sister, listening with intent.
Latricia swiped at her tears, then huffed. “Frankly, it was a little bit of both. I made a bad deal, and that was also a bad judgment on my part. At first, when I got the deal, I was a bit skeptical. But I knew the middleman, and I trusted them instead of digging into the company’s background.”
“That’s always a bad thing. Remember, we learned to check up on people, no matter how good they sound, right?”
Latricia grabbed a few of her braids and spun them around on her fingers. “I guess it’s a lesson learned the hard way. I took the middleman’s word for it, that the company was good, that their credit was fine, and that it was going to be a helpful opportunity to expand my business. So I signed the deal—and even took a loan so I could purchase the supplies I needed to fulfill my contract. Then I did everything I could to make it happen. They were going to pay me as soon as I completed the final delivery.”
She shook her head, sending a myriad of braids dancing. “When I finished the contract, no payments came in. So I contacted them. I was told the company had suffered a massive loss and, as a result, the vendor was no longer financially viable to pay for it. Meaning, I worked for free for something I should’ve been paid for. Not only that, but while I was working, I incurred bills in providing decor to fulfill the contract, as well as my own expenses.” Her sigh filled the room with sadness. “That has been a painful experience. The bottom line is that my home decor business has gone under. And right now, I’m heavily in debt, and I couldn’t watch them cart away the remaining items this week. So, I ran here.”
As Latricia turned her gaze away, Asia rose and wrapped her in a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder. She winced when her sister’s grip bruised her wound, but she didn’t let her go. She stood as a rock for Latricia to lean on, even if she hurt too.
When Asia released her, Latricia’s sobs had quieted. “I couldn’t bear to sit there and watch it happen. I needed to get away. I needed not to think of myself as a failure. I needed a place somewhere else to escape to.”
Latricia smiled, easing the worry in Asia’s heart. “When we were younger, you would escape from me. Now, things have changed, huh?”
“Don’t think too much about it.” Asia wagged a finger, and hope sprung in her heart for her sister. “You’re still horrible at braiding hair such that I won’t let you near my head.” Warmth spread through her. Yes, her little sister may have lost her home decor business. But she hadn’t lost who she was. There was hope for Latricia. There was hope for her.
“I know God is going to do something for you to show you the way in whatever direction He wants you to go.” Hours earlier, that would’ve sounded strange coming from her lips. Now, it felt comfortable, nearly as though it belonged there.
“Samuel, how are you doing?” The next day, Stacy Black clasped the phone between her cheek and her ear as she sorted through the documents her husband had left her, searching for anything to leverage against their forced exit. She’d taken the time to collect every possible relevant document. Now sorting through them, she might as well make the call she’d been meaning to. “I’m sorry to bother you. Is this a good time to chat?”
“Sure, how can I help you?” Samuel Davids had been her husband’s friend for most of their marriage. If she had a problem, she could only think of him as a possible person to help.
“Thanks. I got a letter, a notice to vacate.” She told him the details. “After the call, I prayed and felt led to call you. I’m not sure what the next step should be. Are you familiar with this?”
“I’ve heard of it, but no. Not in this manner. Was there an indication of how long you needed before you responded?”
“Three days to accept to vacate in one year. The new owner could make us leave earlier if we don’t respond.”
“I’d suggest you wait the full three days. Don’t respond sooner than you need to. I’ll speak to a lawyer and see if there is a way to refuse to vacate—although I doubt it. If the property has changed ownership and the new owner wants you gone, you’d have to vacate. I’m sorry. But I will see what we can find out. Otherwise, how are things going with the kids? Are you holding up alright?”
She sighed. “As well as I could, I guess. With this development, I haven’t rested enough. But Bishop saw me arguing with the municipality on the phone, so I’m not sure how much he’s said to the other kids. He was gone through the day yesterday, so there wasn’t time for much interaction.”
A slight pause, a mark of Samuel’s thoughtful and deliberate response to challenges, trailed her words. She wouldn’t be surprised to know he was whispering prayers. “I see. But again, how much time did one need to get information across?”
“You’re right. Just a minute, someone is waiting on the other line. Let me check who’s calling.”
“Hello?” she answered.
“Yes, Mrs. Black?” a male voice asked.
“Yes? Who are you?”
“Mrs. Black, you are identified as the guardian for Bishop Gideon.”
She gulped. What have you done, Bishop? “Yes?”
“A warrant has been issued for his arrest for defacing the municipality building. We have pictures and eyewitness accounts supporting that.”
Silence ricocheted off the walls. She wanted so badly to defend him, but she couldn’t. “What do you need?” The words felt as bitter to her tongue as the letter from the municipality had been.