need your car.”
Before he could even respond, I snatched his keys from his belt and was soon in the car and speeding up the ramp and out of the underground facility. I reached down and turned off the GPS on my cell phone, secretly thanking Eli for showing me how, and quickly turned off my phone. I couldn’t take a chance on Levi finding me until I needed to be found. I wouldn’t risk our son’s life…not for anything…not even my own. He was counting on me, and I couldn’t fail him.
I drove straight through the city of Happy, N.C., heading right toward West Virginia. The drive took almost five hours, and four hours in I became very sleepy. But by the time I reached the turnoff to the cabin, surrounded by thick, murky woods, I was wide awake and ready to see my son. As soon as I pulled onto the road leading to the cabin, I turned on my phone, turned on the GPS, and hit Levi on speed dial. It didn’t even ring once.
“Charity?! Charity!”
When I heard Levi’s frantic voice pick up, I tossed the phone out the window and into the trees. It would take him a while to get to us, but get to us he would.
The cabin was small and somewhat old, but the first thing I noticed as I pulled up was mounds of dirt piles in various and different places around the cabin. It seemed out of place and the piles looked fresh. Several men dressed in camouflage and carrying large guns stepped out of the woods as I turned off the ignition and I exited the car.
“Hands in the air!” they ordered.
I did as they said, punching one of them in the stomach as he got a little too frisky in his frisking.
“That didn’t take too long.”
I spotted Jason Franco stepping out onto the little porch. He was also dressed in camouflage. His cocky smirk was unnerving. I would have to remember to take care of that the first chance I got.
“Where is my son, you jerk?!”
“Now, now. No need for insults. We’ve taken good care of him, despite his attempts to get away. I have to say, Charity, the kid is just like you—bad temper and all.”
I snapped sarcastically. “I hope he didn’t hurt you too badly.”
Jason Franco’s face turned red. “He’s just lucky I didn’t shoot him.”
“Where is he?!” I demanded more fiercely this time.
A big man with his red hair cut in a military style crew cut came up behind me and pushed me with his gun. He guided me up the steps of the porch and into the small cabin. There, lying on a bed in the far corner, was my Deacon.
“Deacon!”
He jumped to his feet and his purplish blue eyes grew large as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Mommy!”
I ran to him and pulled him into my arms. “Oh, baby. Are you all right? Did these turkeys hurt you?”
He pulled back then and smiled wide. “No, Momma. But I was a pain just like I can be at home, only worse. I even escaped.”
I smiled back at him as I touched his face and searched for injuries. “Oh honey, I’m so proud of you for being a big boy. And you protected your brother too. That was so brave of you.”
He shrugged. “Dixon is the youngest. It’s my job to protect him. I was just doing my job.”
Despite my heartache at seeing him like this and chained, I smiled at his words that touched me so much.
“Mommy, I didn’t tell them anything about Daddy. He tried to get me to, but I didn’t.”
“There was no need,” Jason Franco said
Before he could even respond, I snatched his keys from his belt and was soon in the car and speeding up the ramp and out of the underground facility. I reached down and turned off the GPS on my cell phone, secretly thanking Eli for showing me how, and quickly turned off my phone. I couldn’t take a chance on Levi finding me until I needed to be found. I wouldn’t risk our son’s life…not for anything…not even my own. He was counting on me, and I couldn’t fail him.
I drove straight through the city of Happy, N.C., heading right toward West Virginia. The drive took almost five hours, and four hours in I became very sleepy. But by the time I reached the turnoff to the cabin, surrounded by thick, murky woods, I was wide awake and ready to see my son. As soon as I pulled onto the road leading to the cabin, I turned on my phone, turned on the GPS, and hit Levi on speed dial. It didn’t even ring once.
“Charity?! Charity!”
When I heard Levi’s frantic voice pick up, I tossed the phone out the window and into the trees. It would take him a while to get to us, but get to us he would.
The cabin was small and somewhat old, but the first thing I noticed as I pulled up was mounds of dirt piles in various and different places around the cabin. It seemed out of place and the piles looked fresh. Several men dressed in camouflage and carrying large guns stepped out of the woods as I turned off the ignition and I exited the car.
“Hands in the air!” they ordered.
I did as they said, punching one of them in the stomach as he got a little too frisky in his frisking.
“That didn’t take too long.”
I spotted Jason Franco stepping out onto the little porch. He was also dressed in camouflage. His cocky smirk was unnerving. I would have to remember to take care of that the first chance I got.
“Where is my son, you jerk?!”
“Now, now. No need for insults. We’ve taken good care of him, despite his attempts to get away. I have to say, Charity, the kid is just like you—bad temper and all.”
I snapped sarcastically. “I hope he didn’t hurt you too badly.”
Jason Franco’s face turned red. “He’s just lucky I didn’t shoot him.”
“Where is he?!” I demanded more fiercely this time.
A big man with his red hair cut in a military style crew cut came up behind me and pushed me with his gun. He guided me up the steps of the porch and into the small cabin. There, lying on a bed in the far corner, was my Deacon.
“Deacon!”
He jumped to his feet and his purplish blue eyes grew large as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Mommy!”
I ran to him and pulled him into my arms. “Oh, baby. Are you all right? Did these turkeys hurt you?”
He pulled back then and smiled wide. “No, Momma. But I was a pain just like I can be at home, only worse. I even escaped.”
I smiled back at him as I touched his face and searched for injuries. “Oh honey, I’m so proud of you for being a big boy. And you protected your brother too. That was so brave of you.”
He shrugged. “Dixon is the youngest. It’s my job to protect him. I was just doing my job.”
Despite my heartache at seeing him like this and chained, I smiled at his words that touched me so much.
“Mommy, I didn’t tell them anything about Daddy. He tried to get me to, but I didn’t.”
“There was no need,” Jason Franco said
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