Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (6 page)

“One saved soul at a time.”

“That sounds like a bad country song.” Eric barged through the kitchen and went straight to the coffee. He hummed a tune that reminded her of Willie Nelson. “Damn, it’s cold out there. Miss Elle, always a pleasure.”

“Eric,” Elle replied in a civil acknowledgement, all the while hating how he used the title. The only time that she ever felt it was used correctly was when she had first met Kevin. She gritted her teeth, not knowing if it was Eric’s presence that had set her on edge or thoughts of Kevin. Either way, it didn’t matter. All Elle wanted to do was talk to Rachel and see how she was holding up. “How goes the battle?”

“I think I have a donor lined up, so I’d say I’m winning at the moment. If we can bring in money before the end of the year, it will certainly help at tax time. I take it you heard about the murder?”

Before Elle could answer, a couple of young women walked in wearing business suits that were provided by Reformation. It was Liv and Molly, both of whom had forged a friendship. Liv used to work the streets in St. Paul and Molly was just down on her luck, trying her best to get away from a domestic abuse relationship. They both wore suits that had come from the interview wardrobe, which Cam and Eric provided to them in outfits for all sizes. From the smile on Liv’s face, she’d had a good morning.

“Elle, I’m so glad that you’re here!” Liv leaned down and gave Elle a hug, not giving her a chance set down her coffee. A little spilled over the rim. “Oops. Sorry, but I’m so excited. The construction company hired me to be their part time receptionist.”

Cam tossed Elle a towel. While she wiped her hand off and then the droplets on the table, Liv went on to say that she would be starting next week and all that her job description entailed. Elle noticed that Molly seemed a little distracted but she managed to look enthused anytime Liv glanced her way. Another round of hugs commenced, this time including Eric and Cam.

“Liv, I am so proud of you,” Elle said, truly delighted for Liv. What Elle had told Cam wasn’t a lie. Some women actually preferred life on the streets, as it was within their comfort zone. It was the majority that just needed a chance to get out from under the uncertainty and hand-to-mouth existence. Sometimes all it took was someone believing in them to give the confidence they needed to actually reach out for hope. “Molly, how did your interview go today?”

“I interviewed for a secretarial position at a trucking operation,” Molly replied with a shrug. “They said they’d be in touch.”

“Do you feel the interview went well?” Cam finally sat down in his chair and leaned forward, with his elbows on the table. “Did they ask anything that I didn’t cover?”

Elle hid a smile behind the mug of her now lukewarm coffee. Cam prided himself of instructing the girls in certain things, such as interviews, finance, and cooking. His eager expression for details was amusing as Liv and Molly delved into the particulars. Knowing this was the perfect time to excuse herself, Elle did so and walked back to the counter. Eric reached behind him and refilled her cup without even offering cream or sugar. Not that she took it sweet.

“I’m going to go check on Rachel,” Elle murmured, keeping her voice low so as to not interrupt the conversation at the table. She nodded her head toward the door, which led to the stairway. “Cam said that Rachel has the back room?”

“Yeah. We’re packed, especially with the amount of snow we’re supposed to get over the next few days.” Eric turned slightly to replace the carafe back on its burner. When he finally faced her, she could tell that he wasn’t as cheerful as he let on. Those were definitely stress lines around his eyes, not laugh lines. Elle wasn’t sure what to say, as they usually didn’t talk about personal stuff. Each of them avoided that like the plague. She was glad when he kept speaking, thus preventing her from saying anything. “A couple of new girls came in last night. We couldn’t refuse them, but I know they just wanted a place to crash because they hadn’t paid up on their rent. Within the next week they’ll be gone.”

Elle was relieved when he’d stayed on the topic of Reformation. The housing was a specific type of shelter that aided women in getting back on their feet. They weren’t a homeless shelter and they weren’t there to be taken advantage of. Unfortunately it happened, and when it did, space was scarce. There were only eight rooms, yet Cam and Eric did their best to weed through the ones that weren’t serious in turning their lives around. Liv, Molly, Teresa, Sue, and Angela all had different back stories, but each of them was committed in reforming their existence. With the additional two women from last night, that left one more room. Elle needed to see how steadfast Rachel was in achieving something more than daily survival.

“You can only go by what they tell you, Eric. Look at it this way—the next time they come seeking help, you can refer them to the homeless shelter down the street. Reformation has a strike out policy, which I’m sure Cam lectured them on.”

“He did,” Eric conceded, nodding his head. “It didn’t deter them at all, but maybe I’m mistaken and they’ll see how good Liv is doing.”

“Faith, Eric. They just need a little bit of faith.” Elle didn’t need to say anything else as they both knew that with just a little renewed faith, a person’s outlook could change on a dime. An uncomfortable silence descended when he didn’t reply. Yep, it was time to go. “Would you please pour me another cup? I’ll take one up to Rachel.”

Elle silently left the kitchen when she was armed with both mugs. She ignored the feeling of being watched as she walked through the doorway and up the stairs. The first time that Elle had offered to volunteer to help in any way she could, she’d met Cam. Had she met Eric first, she wasn’t so sure she would have continued volunteering here. She hadn’t made the connection that they were brothers. She’d met Eric previously years before when he’d been a totally different man. He’d never said or done anything wrong in the past year, but Elle’s instinct never steered her wrong before. Cam was the reason she still came to Reformation.

Teresa’s voice could be heard through her bedroom door and Elle was happy to hear that it sounded as if she were talking to a representative of a local community college in White Bear Lake. They’d spoken about it at length and it seemed as if Teresa was going for it. Good for her.

Finally reaching her destination, Elle kicked the door softly so as not to spill the coffees. Within seconds, the door opened and revealed one tired young girl. Rachel was no more than nineteen or twenty years old, her brown mousy hair hanging down her back. The blemishes underneath her dull brown eyes blaringly sent the message of missed sleep and stress. A disturbing feeling settled in Elle’s stomach. Did Rachel know something more than she was letting on?

“Hey,” Elle said softly, holding up a mug in gesture. “I heard about what happened and thought this might help.”

“Come on in.” Rachel’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes as she took the proffered drink. She turned and took a few steps to where a small desk sat in the corner and placed the mug down on the worn surface. “I thought you might be Clarisse. She said she would stop by today.”

“Just me.” Elle crossed the threshold and took in the layout of the room. As much as she came to Reformation, it was rare that she ever set foot in the privacy of the girls’ rooms. Usually she kept her visits to the community area or the kitchen. “I thought you might want to talk.”

“There’s not much to say,” Rachel replied with a defeated shrug. She crossed her arms as if to ward off a chill but Elle was relatively sure it was meant to do more than that. “It’s just not safe on the streets anymore.”

“Honey, it was never safe to begin with.” Elle gave her a wry smile and joined Rachel when she sat on the single bed. “There isn’t a day or night that goes by that we’re not watching over our shoulders. We might pick up a john that gets his kicks out of knocking us around or we might not do enough business for Bee. Let’s face it—he has his anger issues when he’s not seeing the cash.”

“You make it sound like you’re still a part of us, but we all know the sweet deal you got from that cop or whatever he is.” Rachel’s voice was laced with bitterness. Elle reached out a hand in comfort but it was scorned. Indecision seemed to linger in Rachel’s eyes. “Is there a job opening at that club you work at?”

“Rachel, it’s not that simple,” Elle said, not knowing how to explain her situation without it sounding like her ass had landed in a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. “Kevin and I had been…friends…for a while before he mentioned that the club was looking for a manager. Please don’t think that it was given to me any other way than through proving myself.”

Damn it. Elle’s explanation was coming out wrong and sounding entirely different than what she actually meant. Her hesitation over what exactly she and Kevin were only seemed to make Rachel pull away even further. Elle realized that she’d taken hold of her necklace and started to worry the small locket that dangled from the chain. Her old habit was blatant and she released the silver accessory to let it fall back against her gray sweater.

“All Kevin did was set up an interview for me, Rachel. I never thought to come here or any other shelter where I could borrow nice clothes and look reasonably well put together.” Elle thought back to last year when she’d first met Connor and Jax. She’d never been so nervous in her life. “I showed up in my nicest pair of jeans and a top that didn’t reveal too much, if you know what I mean. The one thing I had going for me was that I had graduated high school. Believe it or not, I had a good GPA. But I’ll be honest with you and tell you how I got the job.”

“How?”

Elle could tell that she had one hundred percent of Rachel’s attention now. Good. Maybe a little of what Elle said would actually stick with her.

“Desperation. In the eight years I was working the streets and living in run down apartments, I’d never been presented a chance to get out. I never even thought about it really. Sitting in front of two men who didn’t look at me like their next fuck or expect anything from me other than to answer their questions honestly was something I’d never experienced. And you know something else? A part of me will always be that girl who sold her body on the streets. I will always be looking over my shoulder. That fear of the unknown never goes away.”

Rachel’s resentment seemed to fade just a bit, but it was enough to let Elle know that she’d made the right call in being totally honest. There were times when revealing too much of oneself was only opening up vulnerability that would be used against you later. Elle had been working hard to get herself out of that habit.

“I want out, Elle. I can’t take the anxiety and fear of thinking the next guy that wants to pay for sex will be the one who kills me.” Elle’s heart broke as a tear slid down Rachel’s tired face. “I don’t want to die like this. I want so much more.”

Elle was relieved when Rachel leaned into her and allowed herself to be comforted. The next couple of hours were spent listening to Rachel’s hopes and dreams. Some were attainable and some wouldn’t be possible right away. They spoke of the murders and the fear that this killer had instilled within the community. It was when Rachel spoke of Bee and what she’d seen a few nights ago that had Elle’s heart racing. Her admission about Hash was just icing on the cake. Was this the break that Kevin needed to solve the case?

Chapter Five

“S
hit,” Kevin said, leaning back in the booth of an all night diner. Grease lingered in the air while it stuck to their plates. The naugahyde vinyl booths were nauseating paisley patterns and spoke of an earlier time. There was no better breakfast than at one o’clock in the morning. “No one’s going to be out in this weather.”

“I don’t know how you guys work it, but when we have snitches, we usually just call them up.” Taggart held up his hand to the waitress, signaling for the check. “Max, you’re buying.”

“Fuck that.” Max shook his head while he wiped his mouth with a napkin and then threw it on his empty plate. “You left me with the last two meals when you suddenly
got a call
. It’s your turn.”