Anxious Jeopardies

Chapter Two

The next afternoon, Ana put on her favorite jumpsuit and went down the elevator of her cheap apartment building to her car. The redhead got in and pulled out the papers on the case. She reviewed the case out loud.

"Single mom and a brother. Mom hasn't been seen since last Thursday? Address, date, time for ransom expiration. Poor girl. She's only seven!" Ana distractedly started the car and drove past the address. It was a run-down house. She parked the car down the street and waited until it was dark outside to leave the safety of the vehicle. She doubted anyone would be waiting for her.

Slowly, she checked for open windows and back doors. She found a screen in a window near the back of the house and carefully removed it without making a noise. She climbed inside the dimly lit house, trying to find a place where the little girl could be hidden. She found a room that had light coming from under the door, but there didn't seem to be any noises coming from within. Hopefully there weren't men inside camped out and waiting for her.

The door, of course, was locked. Looking around, she removed a bobby pin from her hair and began to pick the lock.

In the back of her mind, Ana suspected that it was all a trap. It was all too easy for her. But her mind was focused on the task at hand and she pushed aside her doubts. She opened the door slowly. The small girl looked up, obviously surprised to see a beautiful young woman standing in the door. Ana walked inside and closed the door silently behind her.

"Hey, sweetheart," she whispered and walked over to sit on the bed next to the little girl. She was wearing a dirty T-shirt and shorts, and her long blonde hair was tangled and matted.

"Who're you?" Even though she was suspicious, Ana seemed to be an easy person to trust, so the small child apparently openly less opposed to her than the tough looking men who tried to save her before.

"My name's Ana. I'm going to get you out of here." The little girl started stammering. "Shh, it's okay. Look, honey, I know some other people have been here to try and get you out before. I know that there's got to be a reason you didn't want to go home," she whispered. The child was basically unresponsive. Ana tried to crack a joke, but she realized the little girl was probably too scared to understand at the moment. "Also, your name would be nice. Unless, you know, you don't have one."

"I'm Sophie and I'm not leaving."

"Why not?" The older girl questioned quietly.

"My mom yells at me and hits me a lot, and my brother's not always there." She was smart and strangely vocal for a girl who had been living in captivity for a week. "He has to work two jobs since Mama got fired." Ana gently but awkwardly placed an arm around the child's shoulders. Sophie snuggled up closer to Ana and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sweetie, you have to listen to me. I'm here to make sure you're safe and happy, and if that means talking to your mom too, I will."

"No! She might hurt you. I don't want anyone to hurt you. You're nice." She trusted easily. That would get her into trouble someday. But she was cute; at least she had that going for her.

"Thank you, but I need to get you out of here soon. I promise that if you're going to be so much happier than if you stay here any longer." The little girl still looked determined, but Ana could see she was starting to break. "You can stay with me at my house for a little, if you'll feel safer there. I just need to get you away from the bad guys."

"But I'll miss Jake then."

"Is Jake your brother?" Ana tried to stop shifting. She was nervous. It wasn't supposed to take this long. She was so worried about making a good impression on the girl, she wasn't thinking about the purpose of doing so. Idiot. She bit her tongue.