Herman Kozik never saw himself as a family man. He's always been a team-player, first as a Marine, then as a Son. He has to re-evaluate some things when he finds out that he has a teenage son of his own. When he meets his son's caseworker, he starts...
Connie cursed under her breath as the front door opened, admitting Darby and one of his men, along with a frightened Kylie and Joan. She looked Kylie over, making sure that she seemed to be unharmed before glancing at her mother, as Darby kept a hand on her daughter's arm and smirked at Connie.
"I don't know where these two thought they were running off to. Everyone knows you don't leave a party when it's just getting started." He looked at Clarice and her husband or whoever the man was that still had a chokehold on Connie. "We need to get moving. We can continue this back at my place. Move it."
Clarice nodded as the man holding Connie pushed her toward the back bedroom. "You're gonna need clothes on, sweetheart. Move your ass or I put a bullet through your daughter's head."
She heard Darby laugh then a chill went down her spine as he spoke. "Now, we don't want to do that, Charlie. She's worth money unharmed. Nobody wants to pay for used or damaged goods."
She felt her stomach roll as she heard Kylie whimper before she was pushed into her bedroom and Charlie threw a pair of jeans on the bed from the floor. "Put those on and hurry up. We can't be sure that nobody saw us."
As she complied, Connie could only hope that someone had indeed seen or heard them and that help was on the way, although she doubted it. She had a vague idea of how to get them out of this, but it all depended on timing. As soon as she had slipped a pair of sandals on, Charlie was once again herding her toward the door and down the hall.
When they reached the living room, they found everyone where they had been. She looked at Clarice and shook her head. "You don't want to do this. Just take me. I'm the only one that can get you what you want. Leave my mother and daughter out of this."
Before Clarice could reply, Darby laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, darlin', but this little girl here is worth a pretty penny." He shrugged. "The old broad can stay though." He nodded to the man who had Joan. "Tie her up and leave her here. Just make sure she can't yell for help."
The other man smirked before raising his gun and hitting Joan in the head with the butt. As she crumpled to the ground, both Connie and Kylie screamed as Darby and the others just laughed. Charlie pushed Connie toward the door as Darby did the same with Kylie.
"Shut up! Do what we tell you or you'll end up in the same condition."
When they got outside, they were shoved down the driveway to a van sitting at the curb. Once they were inside and on their way to wherever Darby and Charlie were taking them, Kylie turned to her mother with tears in her eyes. "Mom, I'm scared."
Connie tried to give her a smile and nodded. "I know, baby. Me too, but it will be okay. Don't worry."
Clarice spoke up from beside Connie. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, you know. I just wanted my kids back. Charlie made a deal with Darby, that if he helped us, he could have your kid." She shook her head as a tear rolled down her face. "I really didn't know until right before we broke in. If I had... "
Connie shook her head and scoffed. "You'll forgive me if I don't feel too badly for you right now. My mother could be dead or dying and you've given my only child to a white supremacist drug dealer." She turned her head and looked Clarice in the eye. "You reap what you sow. Remember that."
The next morning, as the house was just waking up to start the day, Evie ended a call with shaking hands and ran to the bottom of the stairs.
"Opie! Lucinda, Pru! Hurry!"
Seconds later, feet were pounding down the stairs as everyone in the house converged on Evie. Opie reached her first, taking her into his arms as she hugged him tightly. "What's wrong, baby?"
Evie shook her head. "I'm not sure. Connie just called. She sounded strange and I could hear someone in the background... a man, talking to another woman and it sounded like a younger woman or girl crying. Connie said that she was coming by in an hour to get the girls for their parents and that I was to make sure that Agnes had everyone out but the girls and that the girls needed to be able to carry what they needed." She looked around at them. "Connie knows that I never take in girls. The night we went out, she told me about an altercation she had with a mother, so we worked out for if she was ever in danger. She was to mention Agnes and give as much detail as she could."
Opie frowned as Pru cursed under her breath. "She's got trouble and she's bringing it to us." She looked at Opie. "Call everyone, but we just need the girls here. You guys go with Koz to Connie's house just in case they're there." She turned to Evie. "Call Gemma and Tara. We may need medical help."
She put her arm around Lucinda as Opie quickly kissed Evie before heading for the door, his phone already to his ear. Hopefully, whatever trouble Connie was in, they'd all be able to get her out of it.
