Page 58 of Operation: Discovery

“Thank you, Adam.” Moira’s cheeks darkened slightly. “I don’t know that I’m good enough to help someone who is actually trained in a kitchen, but I’m willing to try. I’d even do janitorial work if that’s all you have. I want to work.”

Dee watched the exchange with interest because she wanted to stay too. While she didn’t want to clean toilets, she might consider it if that was the only job available. Wayside had a peace about it that was addicting. Once there, she didn’t want to leave.

As they were leaving Moira’s cabin, Lacy touched Dee’s arm to stop her. “Before you go on your run and start the rest of your day, go talk to Brendon. An officer is picking him up in an hour or so and they’re headed north to visit Evie. Connor can’t go, so I’m sure Brendon is nervous. Connor wanted to be there, but he’s got a phone call today that can’t be rescheduled and is very important.”

“More important than this meeting?” A meeting with the highest level person they had in custody, who could lead them to whoever this Viceroy was who was controlling this group of traffickers?

“Yes.” Lacy hung her head and lowered her voice to the barest whisper. “I don’t want to say too much. I only know because Connor tells me almost everything that goes on here. He was looking for a woman who used to be connected to Sam Elsner, the man who is helping Rebecca. He couldn’t find her. It was like she’d vanished off the face of the earth. Two days ago, he got an application on his desk for a victim. She matches the woman Connor was looking for. Kelly Chambers might be coming to Wayside, but this phone call is necessary to get her here.”

* * *

Brendon glancedat his watch one more time. He’d been waiting to hear if Dee would come to see Rebecca early that morning. If she didn’t come soon, he’d have to go find her. He didn’t want to leave without talking to her. Though nothing could happen to him at the maximum-security prison, he still felt a strange general anxiety about going and he wanted to make sure he talked to her first.

He pushed away from his desk just as he heard Dee in the hall saying good morning to Connor. There was a strange edge to her voice that immediately had him worried. What had already happened that morning to bother her, or was she still bothered about the visit with Evie?

Dee poked her head around the edge of the door. “Morning. Can I come in?”

He pulled himself back to the desk as he answered. “Of course.”

She made her way to the chair she always sat in. Today, instead of her usual bright scrubs, she wore a running outfit. He wouldn’t normally notice her clothes, but the change was surprising.

“Is something wrong?” He leaned forward, trying to read her face for anything she might not outwardly say.

“I just spoke to Lacy, and she mentioned you were leaving in an hour. I wanted to come and say hello and that I’ll be praying for you while you’re gone. I don’t know what else to do. I feel very uneasy about this.”

The fact that she was feeling the same as what he was experiencing was comforting. That meant he wasn’t just selfishly fearful. There might be some hidden reason his psyche was at war with the idea of going to speak to this woman.

“I’m not even sure what I’ll say. I’ve been praying all morning for the right words. I hope that once I’m there, they’ll flow. I’m trusting God to handle this because I literally don’t have what it takes to do it.”

Dee smiled at him, giving him a sense that she understood what he meant. He’d also been praying for the Holy Spirit to show him areas of his life where he was being prideful. Wanting to live normally wasn’t sin. If it was, Jesus wouldn’t have healed so many people while he was here. But if he was prideful in some areas, then he needed to work through that and be forgiven. Not only that, but eliminating pride would make him a better man for Dee and a better counselor for his patients.

So far, he’d only prayed the words, but felt no response. God wasn’t like email though, and he knew better than to assume a moment of silence meant that he was off the hook. He suspected that God would convict him when he was right in the middle of doing something he shouldn’t. He hated that God worked through mistakes, but that also made the truth easier to remember.

“I think you’re right. If you were meant to be the one to help, He’ll give you the words to say. God doesn’t want this kept secret. He doesn’t want this evil to keep happening. I’m sure it breaks his heart to see people abused and tossed away like that.”

Brendon had the same thought earlier. He’d heard over the past years that some victims felt that God didn’t exist because how could he let them go through what they’d gone through. That was a tough subject. God rarely plucked people out of terrible situations by way of visible miracles, and that’s what it often took to get people free.

“But you’re still worried. I can see it.” He wanted to do the right thing for both Dee and Brendon, but in this instance, they were opposing forces.

“I am. They bombed your car. They tried to kill you. She will know that it was you they were targeting. She will know what you’re trying to do. I’m just scared for you.”

He came around his desk and took her hands in his. “Life is different when you worry about someone else.”

She nodded with a smile and the warmth of her hands was pleasant against his own. “I don’t want to worry you.” She ducked her head slightly. “I know you have to go. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like doing.”

He’d spent his entire life preventing people from worrying about him. If someone was concerned, then they thought he was weak. When Dee said she was worried, the feeling was different. She wasn’t labeling him. She was caring about him. She didn’t think he couldn’t handle himself or that he needed her help. She wasn’t offering to come along and do the job for him. This was new and slightly freeing. Maybe God was already working on the things He felt Brendon should address.

“You’ll come and find me when you get back? I just want to know you’re safely home.”

“Of course.” Because that would be the best excuse to see her, and he’d want to after a long day in a car and meeting with a woman who might not be convicted yet but was certainly guilty.

“Good.” Dee shifted in her seat and her knees brushed up against his. He knew this because he could feel the sensation of movement in his hips, not his knees. “It’s going to be a long day here with you gone.”

He grinned. “What will you do without me?”

“I suppose I’ll go for a run around the place a little bit. I’ll work with Rebecca until she tells me to go away. Then, I’m not sure. Usually, when that happens, I’d come and spend time with you.”

Warmth spread through his chest as she inched closer to him. “And what would you do if I could stay home so you could come and find me when you were done with your work for the day?”

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