Page 56 of Operation: Integrity

She pulled on the collar, wishing she’d been able to have that taken off before the officer had taken Nathan away. “No. I thought I could handle myself. I didn’t leave with the intent of going back to Nathan. That just happened. I wanted to go so I didn’t ruin your life. I don’t want you to care about me, Sam.”

He pulled her back into his arms and held her gently. “Too late.”

Her tears surprised her as they coursed down her face. Sam cared. She knew it for certain. But would she ever have the capacity to love him? She cared about him enough to leave him for his own good, but could she care for him in person?

“Let’s find a key for this.” He touched the collar and ran his finger along her jaw. “I’m glad Zeus made it in here before I did.”

She shivered at the idea that she might have seen aside of Sam that he never let anyone see, the side of him that would die to protect those he cared about. “I get it now. I’m so sorry, Sam. I didn’t get it until this instant. It wasn’t just about the fact that you saw me with another man. I didn’t allow you to protect me by telling you what was going on.”

He nodded slowly. “You didn’t trust me. Trust and love go hand in hand. I would’ve gone to the end of the world and back again for you, but I didn’t know.”

“Can you forgive me?” Suddenly, all that mattered to her was hearing that Sam wanted to still have her in his life, that she was forgiven, and they could start fresh.

“Of course. Can you forgive me for leaving? For not questioning what I saw that day? For believing the worst of you when I knew better?”

She couldn’t nod her head anymore; the metal was just too heavy. “I forgive you.”

An officer appeared in the doorway. “I think this might be the key to that.” He used the key to point at her collar. “Can I try it? It worked on your friend’s handcuffs downstairs.”

“Anna?” She stepped forward and the chain pulled her back. She choked, reaching for the heavy collar.

Sam caught her and kept her from falling, while the officer stuck the key in the lock and twisted. The metal circle opened and fell to the floor, blessedly behind her and not on her feet. Sam shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around her, then zipped it closed. “Let’s go home.”

The officer shook his head. “Sorry, folks. Kelly here is a witness, and I’m going to need to get a statement. She should also go to the hospital and get examined. I’m sorry. I know you’ve been through a lot, and this is just anotherinvasion. You can refuse it if you want, but it limits our evidence.”

Kelly’s chest tightened. More invasions. Would she ever be able to say no without feeling like she was either letting people down or risking her life? “I’ll do it, but I want Sam with me.”

He took her hand. “I’ll be here. You don’t ever have to worry about being alone again.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sam slowly walked down the hallway, trying not to stare at anyone as he took through the crowd that had gathered. People were crying, children huddled in corners, and no one spoke. Two officers stood near the open front door, trying to process people so they could leave, but no one seemed to want to talk.

Kelly tensed at his side as a woman in a suit came in carrying her high heeled shoes. He glanced over at the woman as Kelly moved behind him. Immediately, he stood his ground to protect her. There was something about the woman that made his blood run cold, but he couldn’t say what it was. All he knew for certain was that she didn’t appear to belong there.

One of the officers spoke to her, “Unless you live here, you’re going to have to leave.”

“I own this place.” She snorted.

“Then we have a few questions for you,” the officer said.

She waved him off as if he were of no consequence. “I’ll see you in my office. Just give me a moment to grabsome shoes. I just had to walk for over an hour to get here.”

He hadn’t noticed how cold she looked until then. Even tough people got frostbite. Who was this woman? He watched her head to a back room. The officer who had spoken to her continued to talk with the woman he’d originally been speaking to before the woman walked in.

“Who is she?” Sam asked quietly.

“Ramona Butters, one of Viceroy’s wives,” Kelly’s voice squeaked slightly.

One of his wives? The man had multiple? He shuffled Kelly toward the door. As he reached for the handle, someone called out Kelly’s name.

Kelly turned as a young woman ran toward her. The woman’s wrists were raw and she wore little more than a tee-shirt. “Kelly, we’re free. Praise God, we’re free!” She wrapped Kelly in a hug.

He’d expected her to back away since Kelly hadn’t ever looked comfortable with touch in the short time she’d been at Wayside. With this woman, Kelly held her close as tears poured down her face. “I didn’t think it was possible. I was sure I was dead. The peace was real, Anna. It was real.”

Anna stroked Kelly’s hair and cried along with her. “It was. I felt it, too”

A team of paramedics came in, saw Kelly and Anna right away and shunted them both toward the door. “Ronald, I’ve got these two. Come talk to them in the back of number four.”

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