Prologue

Lori Ann began placing the red floral cushions on the chairs she just purchased at a local outdoor furniture store. Her sister Maggie thought the color was too bold. Lori didn’t care. All she knew was that the colors were bright and uplifting and that was exactly how she felt today.

The last moving box was unloaded, items placed in their specific locations throughout the dining room, and the empty box sat on the porch floor next to her. New Orleans was now their home. She pulled the remaining tags from the last and largest cushion, tossing them into the empty box and placing the cushion on the chaise lounge.

“There! Now doesn’t that look perfect, sis?” Lori asked Maggie.

“I guess so,” was all Maggie said as she continued to look outside watching her four-year-old son Ben play on the swing set that came with the house. By the end of the summer he would be turning five and ready to start school in September. Maggie and Lori had moved around so much in the past four years, out of pure fear. They made the decision to finally settle down, stay put for a while and let Ben have a permanent home. He was going to start kindergarten, make some friends and perhaps join “Just for Fun Baseball.”

“Why are you so quiet, Maggie?” Lori asked, taking a seat on the rocking chair next to her.

Maggie slowly turned toward her sister. She was worried. Lori could tell.

“What is it?”

“We’re finally settling down, Lori. This is going to be our home.” Her eyes filled up with tears.

“I know, sis, isn’t it great! The landlord said we can do anything we want to this place. We can color the walls with polka dots or some wild and crazy color like raspberry hot pink or something,” Lori added excitedly. Maggie giggled.

“You’re crazy, Lori, you know that?” Maggie’s smile appeared and disappeared like the click of a camera. Now she looked emotional.

“I…I would have never survived all these years without your help….I love you. You know that, right?”

Lori smiled.

“Yeah I know that, Maggie, and I love you, too. We’re sisters and I’ll always be here for you.” Lori leaned over and hugged her sister.

“Mommy, come push me!” yelled Ben from the swing set and Maggie jumped up and headed out. The porch door slammed closed.

Lori watched as Maggie gave Ben a hug and began pushing him back and forth on the swing set. Inside the house the phone began to ring an

d Lori headed toward the kitchen to answer it.

The new refrigerator would be delivered tomorrow. The balance was due and the warehouse wanted to know which credit card to charge the purchase to.

“We’ll pay cash upon delivery or a money order. Which would you prefer?” Lori asked the customer service rep and they tried to get her to give a credit card number. She refused and said she was told she could pay by cash or money order. The customer service rep said a money order would be fine then gave Lori an approximate five-hour window for delivery. As she hung up the phone, she laughed a little. She knew that by not using a store credit card the sales rep probably missed out on offering Lori extended warrantees or extra packages the reps are trained to try and sell a customer.

Lori and Maggie were too smart for that. They hadn’t used credit cards in over four years. They didn’t own any and they refused to leave any kind of paper trail or any means of being tracked down.

Lori opened the small compact refrigerator door and grabbed two Snapple iced tea bottles and a Grover grape juice box for Ben. The phone rang a second time and Lori put down the drinks to answer it.

“Hello…Hello…” Lori repeated into the receiver but no one responded. Instantly, she got a bad feeling then pushed those feelings aside trying to convince herself that there was no need to worry. She walked outside carrying the drinks and told Maggie about the two phone calls.

“I’m sure it was nothing, Lori. It’s a new number and we’re bound to get some prank calls or people dialing the wrong numbers.”

“You’re probably right,” stated Lori as she opened up Ben’s juice box and handed it to her nephew. She loved him so much and acted more like another mother to him than an aunt.

Ben was a blessing in many ways. Every day he seemed to learn something new. Watching him do so helped to keep Lori focused on ensuring his safety and his right to a safe and loving life.

Lori couldn’t believe that five years had passed. She was only sixteen years old when she left home with her sister Maggie, who was twenty-one at the time. It broke their hearts to leave their family and friends behind but Maggie’s and Ben’s lives were in jeopardy, and if they were to survive, they needed to stay on the run. Their mother Diana and father Lou had moved around a little as well. They were now living in a small town in Houston, Texas. They hoped to someday visit them but felt it was still too risky. Not with that madman loose and out of control.

Derrick needed serious help. With his parents in denial, covering up his abusive behavior and lies, there was only one choice, and that was to run.

Lori recalled being scared out of her mind but she would do anything for Maggie…anything.

Lori watched Maggie push Ben on the swing. One day it would be safe enough to meet up with their parents again. She had dreams and moving around so much was beginning to take a toll on her. Despite being twenty-one she felt somewhat older. It was probably all the stress of providing for a family in every aspect of the words. Even Maggie had dreams and one bad decision changed all that.

One day they would be free. They could see their parents, pursue their dreams, and all the fear and danger would be behind them.

* * * *

John Luke came out of the back kitchen at Casper’s to find Lou and Diana sitting at the table in the corner. New to town, and originally from New York, they were cautious in making friends. They were a very nice couple and stopped in once a month or so for lunch. They were quiet and it had taken him and his wife Eve months to get them to engage in conversation. Once Eve, Jasper, and Davie got a hold of them, they were inviting Lou and Diana over for dinner and family barbeques. They had become close and considering that Gunner, Garret, and Wes were involved in law enforcement and ex-military types, Lou and Diana confided in them about their daughters.

“Hey, Diana, Lou, what’s going on?” John Luke asked as he shook Lou’s hand hello then leaned down to kiss Diana on the cheek. She smiled and blushed which earned her a roll of the eyes from her husband Lou.

“I didn’t know you two were coming in for lunch. I would have made sure that Jasper sent out today’s special for you to try.”

“Aw that’s awfully nice of you, John Luke. We kind of decided last minute to head out here from the ranch. How are Gia and your sons?”

John Luke smiled wide. He loved talking about his family. He felt kind of badly that Lou and Diana couldn’t have their daughters, Maggie and Lori Ann, come live with them.

“They’re doing great. Keeping busy. We’re all hoping for some grandchildren to spoil soon.”

“I hear you there. It would be wonderful to see our grandson. One day, I suppose.” Diana lowered her head as she stared at her clasped hands.

“I’m sorry, Diana. I wish you would allow my sons to help you out. I’m certain with their connections, they could get those two girls of yours and your grandchild home safely to you both.”

“We can’t take the chance. We explained it before,” Lou said.

“He’s got connections, too, and the girls are simply too scared to trust anyone.”

John Luke felt both sad for Lou and Diana and angry at the way the system allowed abusive men to get away with criminal behavior just because of family connections.

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