Untold Secrets

Chapter Eleven

Trigger Warning!! This chapter contains mature content. You have been warned.

"I think he's trying to sell me."
Alex stares at her with disbelief, wanting nothing more than to save these girls who are already enslaved as well as protect Norma.
"I-I-I mean he has pictures of me sleeping, in the shower...doing other things." she says, her cheeks flushing a light pink color.
"He won't get away with this. I won't let it happen." he tells her firmly, wanting to soothe her frazzled soul.
"This is bigger than you and me, Alex. Look at this." she tells him, handing him the map she found. There were several x's across the nation, including one in White Pine Bay.
"This is where these businesses are dealt with. It's everywhere, Alex. Which means Keith isn't the only one. He could have other men kidnap me. He could do it tonight while I'm asleep. Or tomorrow when i'm grocery shopping-"
"I won't let it." Alex says firmly. He pushes the map aside and scoots closer to Norma, taking her arms in his hands.
"You're safe with me. Alright? Do you trust me?" he asks. She simply nods, not seeming very convinced.
Outside, a car pulls onto the lot. Norma jumps up from the ground and shoves the papers back into their boxes aside from the file that contains her pictures. Alex helps her, shoving the boxes aside.
Norma tucks the file under her arm and Alex pulls her to squat down behind the front desk. The handle to the motel office jiggles for a moment, making both Norma and Alex freeze. Norma can feel Alex's quick breaths hit the back of her neck. He had his hands resting on her arms while her back was pressed against his chest.
A flashlight shined through the window as the man outside investigated the office. Norma gasps when the light almost hits her and she scoots further back into Alex.
Eventually, the man walks back to his car, gets in, and drives away. Norma and Alex remain in their spot for a few more seconds, both trying to catch their breath. She turns her head slightly to look back at Alex, having underestimated how close their faces would be. Her nose brushes along his cheek while his hands hold her steady.
She could just barely make out the outline of his face in the darkness. His long lashes fluttered against her cheek, sending chills throughout her body. The only thing her mind could focus on was him and how close his lips were to her own.
"Uh, so..." Alex says, quickly standing up. Norma remains on her knees, still trying to come back from the trance she was in.
"So we should, uh, do something." Alex begins weakly. His mind was clouded still by the scent of her perfume.
"We could gather evidence. Enough to send Summers and everyone else involved to prison." Norma suggests.
"Yeah. That's good. I like where your head is at." he tells her with a nod. She gives him a funny look and that's when Alex realizes just where her head actually is. With her head near his nether region and the way she is sitting on her knees, this situation would look bad to anyone who walked in.
"N-No! Not like that- Not literally. I..." Alex says, quickly back tracking. He reaches down and pulls her up from the ground, accidentally knocking the file out of her hands, sending the pictures everywhere.
"Shit." she gasps, dropping back to her knees and trying as quickly as she can to collect the many pictures. Alex slowly kneels down, picking up a picture of her. He stares at it, engraving every detail into his brain. It was one of her in the shower, her hands in her hair while the water cascades down her flawless body. Alex tried not to focus on that though, figuring the other details mattered more such as which bathroom she was in as well as the angle of the picture.
"Hidden cameras." he mumbles, handing her the picture.
"They must be all over the house." he says, suddenly wanting to grab all of the pictures so that he could tear down every camera.
"You need to look at these pictures and tell me where the cameras are so I can take them down." he tells her.
"That can be used along with the photos he has of you. That would be enough to send him away for a few years, giving us more time to dive into this sex slave business." he continues as she stuffs the pictures back into her file. She stands up, holding the file tightly to her chest.
"I'll go through them tonight and have a list for you by tomorrow. But Alex?" she asks.
"What?"
"We have to get out of here. I'm fearful for my children to be under the same roof as him." she tells him.
"Tomorrow morning I'll go buy a motel room somewhere else." he tells her.
"Okay. Okay, fine." she sighs, wanting nothing more than to be out as soon as possible.
"Wait." Norma whispers as Alex is about to walk outside. He pauses, looking back at Norma.
"Did you hear that?" she asks, walking towards Alex.
"No. Hear what?" he asks.
A thud is heard a few doors down the motel, alerting both Norma and Alex. Norma looks to Alex who glances back at her.
"Stay here." he tells her before walking outside. Norma scoffs and rolls her eyes.
"Men." she mumbles before walking after him. Alex glances back at her with annoyance before accepting the fact that she is a stubborn, independent woman. She always has been.
He presses his ear against the door, listening for any suspicious sounds.
"What do you hear?" Norma asks him.
"Just you asking me questions." he tells her, displaying his annoyance.
"Okay, smartass. Do you want me to do this myself?" she asks him.
"I don't want you to do it at all." he tells her.
"Honestly, what I want is for you to go up to the house while I take care of this."
She glares at him, trying to hide her hurt the best way she knows how: with anger.
"Fine. You wanna be a tough guy? You wanna be the hero? Fine. Have at it." she says angrily. She turns on her heels and marches away from the motel and up the steps of the house.
She quietly reenters the large home, ready to go upstairs and look through the pornographic photos that were taken of her. But instead, she is distracted by a sound coming from the basement. For a moment, Norma thought she heard Norman's voice.
Fear seemed to paralyze her for a moment before instinct kicked in. Next thing she knew, she was quietly descending the stairs to the dark, cold basement.
"Just be quiet, okay? It's just a game." Keith's voice echoes into the dark. Norma's body almost physically shakes with the fear of what is behind the doors of Keith's bedroom.
"But my mommy said-"
"Just forget what she says, okay?" Keith says to Norman.
Norma quickly opens the door, trying to hold in her vomit at the sight of Keith holding her baby boy in his fat, greasy hands.
"Take your fucking hands off of him." she says through gritted teeth, her ice blue eyes piercing daggers at Keith.
Keith smiles and slowly sets Norman on the ground but keeps his small hand locked in his large one. He pulls a box cutter out of his pocket and holds it up to Norman's neck. Norma tenses up, fear replacing any look of anger on her face.
"If you wanna keep your boy safe, you're gonna have to do what I say." he tells her. Norma slowly nods, not having the strength to speak.
"In that drawer is a set of handcuffs. Go cuff yourself to that pipe." he tells her.
Norma grabs the handcuffs and walks outside of Keith's room. She glances back at Keith who still has her boy.
"How do I know you won't hurt him after I'm chained up?" she asks.
"Smart girl. Tell you what. I'll leave him in here." Keith says, standing up from the bed and walking out of the room. He closes the door behind him and turns back to Norma.
"He's safe now. So do what I told you to." he tells her.
Norma whimpers, tears falling from her eyes as she slowly cuffs herself to the pipe above her. Once Keith is sure she is secure, he stuffs a towel in her mouth and places tape over it to muffle her screams as he tears off her underwear.
"This house is mine." he says into her ear as he pulls her dress up.
"And everything in this house...is mine." he finishes before plunging into her. Norma gasps and cries out with pain, the cuffs rattling against the metal of the pipe. His fingers dug into her hips, bruising the flesh. She could feel his fat stomach pressing against her back while his hot breath moistened her neck. All Norma could do was squeeze her eyes shut and try to dream it all away.
Just as Norma fears she may die of pain and humiliation, Kieth suddenly pulls away from her. Norma looks back to see Alex shoving Keith to the ground before getting on top of him and punching him repeatedly.
"Alex!" Norma tries to scream through the towel. Maggie appears at the bottom of the steps, her eyes wide as she takes everything in.
"Alex! Alex, stop!" Maggie shouts, running and grabbing Alex's arm to pull him away. He shoves her off of him and continues beating Keith.
Meanwhile, Norma uses the sleeve of her dress to rub the tape off of her mouth and spit out the towel.
"Alex, stop this. Please!" Norma calls out to him. He looks up at her and stands up, leaving Keith to bleed on the ground.
"I'm so sorry." Alex whispers, his bloody hands cupping her tear stained face.
"Alex go get Norman. He locked him in the room." Norma says, not worried about herself at all.
Alex wanted nothing more than to help her but he knew she wouldn't allow it until she knew her baby was safe. So Alex busted into the room and grabbed Norman as well as the key to the handcuffs.
"Go upstairs and wait with Dylan, okay?" Alex asks, covering the child's eyes until they reach the steps.
"But what about mommy?" Norman asks, trying to look over at Norma before Alex shields his eyes again.
"Mommy and I will be right up, okay?" Alex asks. Norman nods before running upstairs, leaving Alex to give his full attention to Norma.
"Alex we have to call an ambulance-"
"Then call one, Maggie." he tells her harshly as he rushes back to Norma and unlocks her cuffs. As soon as her hands are free she is crushed against his chest in a hug.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Alex whispers into her hair. Norma looks over his shoulder with wet eyes at the man who violated her and her precious Norman. His bloody face looks back at her, his lips pulling up into a smile. Norma pulls away from Alex and glares at him.
Keith gathers the last strength he has left to make a snide comment.
"You liked it."
This seemed to send Norma over the edge. Her fists balled up, her nails digging into her own flesh. Her eyes narrow while she grits her teeth menacingly. She grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be the box cutter, and went for him. If it weren't for Alex who grabbed her hips before she could reach him, he would've died right then and there.
Alex pulls her away, picking her up from the ground completely before setting her down and pinning her against the wall.
"Drop the knife." Alex whispers into her ear as he holds both of her wrists against the wall.
"He doesn't get to do this to you. He doesn't get to make you a murderer. You're better than that." he continues into her ear, his eyelashes brushing along the side of her face.
Her grip loosens on the box cutter and it slips from her fingers, clattering to the ground. Alex smiles and lets out a sigh of relief as he hugs her.
Paramedics and police officers begin walking down the stairs, medical bags and stretchers on hand. Alex keeps Norma in his tight grasp, keeping her head against his chest as he looks around the room. He knew every face in the room, having either worked alongside them or gone to school with them.
"Romero, we're gonna need you two to come with us down to the station." Alex's partner, Deputy Smith, tells him.
"Can't it wait, Smith? We have the boys upstairs and we both haven't slept." Alex says, finally stepping away from Norma.
"You know the rules, Romero-"
"Dave, please." Alex pleads with him. The man sighs and shakes his head.
"I want you both down at the station tomorrow morning. No later than eight. As for Summers, well I will have to take him in tonight." he tells them, looking back to see his men already cuffing Keith and walking him upstairs.
"Alright." Alex agrees with a nod.
"And Smith, I think i've got more on Summers. Something bigger than any of us. Tell Sheriff Watson to check the motel rooms right away." Alex adds before his partner could walk away.
"Okay. I'll let him know. Take care of her, Alex." Dave says, nodding to Norma. Alex glances back at her and nods. With that, Dave walks upstairs, leaving Norma alone with Alex.
He turns to her, his eyes scanning her almost dry face.
"You're strong." he notes quietly, noticing her lack of tears and lack of fear in her face.
"Yes." she says with a slight shrug.
Alex slowly smiles, knowing that time spent away from Norma would forever be time wasted.
"Let's go upstairs."