Chapter Two
Two Weeks Ago
The woman crouched to bring herself down to the small boy's level. One hand she settled on his thin shoulder, the other cupped his cheek. He looked into her face with big brown eyes.
The woman took a deep breath that shook in her chest, but she did not let go of the tears that were threatening. She wouldn't give her son any reason to think tears were needed.
“You have to be brave for mommy, okay?” she urged gently. “Be my brave boy.”
“I don't want to,” the child said piteously. His face twisted into the near-tears grimace that would twist the heart of any mother. He was a perceptive child and was not easy to fool.
“Oh, sweetie,” the woman said, her own tears harder to fight. She pulled her son into a tight hug that lasted several minutes, burying her face into his neck and breathing in the scent of her child.
When she broke the hug she was composed once again. She would be strong for both of them and he would learn his strength from her.
“I won't be gone long. I promise.”
“You'll come back?”
“Always.”
“You promise?”
“Always.”
“When?”
“When I make us safe.”
“But I can help you,” the little boy pleaded with a child's hope.
“No, sweetie. I have to do this alone. And this man is going to take good care of you for me until I come back for you. Okay? And then we can go back home and stay there. No more hotels, not more hiding or running. No more being scared.”
“The bad guys will be gone?”
“Mommy's gonna make sure the bad guys can't hurt us anymore. But I have to make sure you're safe so I can.”
“And you'll bring daddy back, too?” His innocence was heartbreaking and the mother had to smother her grief. She gave no sign that she believed her husband to be dead, just as she'd been careful not to in the past weeks, and she spared no thought about how she would make her son understand that daddy probably would not be coming home. It was something to be taken care of later, when she and her son were safe once and for all. When they had time, perhaps, to heal.
Instead of answering, she brushed the light hair that lay across his forehead. He was in desperate need of a haircut, but such priorities had fallen to the wayside in the weeks they'd been running and hiding for their lives.
“I want you to be a good boy, okay?”
A nod. “Kay.”
“He's a nice man. Remember? The man I showed you?”
Another nod. He remembered the man they'd been watching for several days.
“When everything is okay, I'll be back,” she reminded once again. “I promise. Always.”
“Kay, Momma,” the boy said seriously. His mother had never give him reason not to believe her.
“Okay....remember what I told you? When he asks you my name?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” The mother put on a brave smile and the boy did the same. Both hoped the other was fooled.
The mother sniffled back the impending tears that were trying so hard to break free. Those would be for later. She pulled her son once again into a bone-crushing hug that the boy returned and endured with stoicism. When she released him, she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Okay,” she said. “Go on.”
She picked up his loaded backpack and slipped the straps over his shoulders. He held the weight of it with the ease of weeks of practice.
She gestured toward one of the two doors on the floor, though she knew they both belonged to the same man. One his home, the other his office.
A gentle push urged the boy on his way.
He walked slowly, twice turning to look back at her. Both times the mother gave nods of encouragement.
Before he reached the door, the woman backed away into the elevator, but held it from closing. The boy could no longer see her, but she would not leave until she knew her son was safely in the man's care.
The boy walked to the door slowly as his mother had instructed. He looked back for encouragement once more, but this time she was gone.
His feet stilled, unsure. His chin trembled.
He wanted his Mama.
But then he remembered Mama's words. She had to go make the bad guys stop trying to hurt them. He didn't know how she would do that, but he knew she could. His Mama could do anything.
“You have to be brave for mommy, okay? Be my brave boy.”
He could do that. He knew he could. Mama wanted him to be brave and that's what he would do.
He could be her brave boy, her good boy. He knew how to do that.
He wiped away the tears that had started with the back of his hand, then turned and finished his trek to the door.
He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the buzzer button, and still he barely reached it. But he did, and when he pressed the button he heard it buzzing throughout the rooms on the other side of the door.
He pressed the button again, and for a long time, just to hear it again.
Then he stood there waiting. He wanted to press the button a third time, but he wasn't sure that was a good boy thing to do, so he didn't.
Finally, when he'd almost given in to the temptation of the buzzer one more time, a tiny little thing way up above the door moved just a little, and the boy looked up. He knew what that was; he'd seen many like it the times he'd gone to work with Daddy.
He smiled at the camera and waved, because that was what he always did to Daddy's office cameras, and he wondered if he was on TV somewhere.
The door made clicking sounds from the other side.
A little bit away, the elevator that they'd come up in made the closing-door sounds. The boy looked over, hoping Mama had changed her mind and come back for him, but no one got off. The lights at the top were counting backwards to one.
The apartment door opened and the boy looked up and up at the face of the tall man that stood there.
The boy recognized him; just like Mama had said, this was the man they'd seen lots of times on the street and that Mama said would take care of him until she came back for him.
The man stood looking down at him with a tilted head and bewildered frown. A couple times he leaned forward to see into the hallway, but the boy didn't know what he was looking for. He was right there in front of him.
When the man looked back down at the boy finally, eyebrows raised, the boy decided the man was waiting for him to speak.
“Hi,” he said. “You're s'posed to take care of me till Mama comes back. My name's Michael. What's yours?”
“Uh....” the man leaned into the hallway once more with a frown, then said “Hi, Michael. My name's Mick.” The man sighed real big and looked at the elevator, then back down at Michael. “I guess you'd better come on in.”
The woman crouched to bring herself down to the small boy's level. One hand she settled on his thin shoulder, the other cupped his cheek. He looked into her face with big brown eyes.
The woman took a deep breath that shook in her chest, but she did not let go of the tears that were threatening. She wouldn't give her son any reason to think tears were needed.
“You have to be brave for mommy, okay?” she urged gently. “Be my brave boy.”
“I don't want to,” the child said piteously. His face twisted into the near-tears grimace that would twist the heart of any mother. He was a perceptive child and was not easy to fool.
“Oh, sweetie,” the woman said, her own tears harder to fight. She pulled her son into a tight hug that lasted several minutes, burying her face into his neck and breathing in the scent of her child.
When she broke the hug she was composed once again. She would be strong for both of them and he would learn his strength from her.
“I won't be gone long. I promise.”
“You'll come back?”
“Always.”
“You promise?”
“Always.”
“When?”
“When I make us safe.”
“But I can help you,” the little boy pleaded with a child's hope.
“No, sweetie. I have to do this alone. And this man is going to take good care of you for me until I come back for you. Okay? And then we can go back home and stay there. No more hotels, not more hiding or running. No more being scared.”
“The bad guys will be gone?”
“Mommy's gonna make sure the bad guys can't hurt us anymore. But I have to make sure you're safe so I can.”
“And you'll bring daddy back, too?” His innocence was heartbreaking and the mother had to smother her grief. She gave no sign that she believed her husband to be dead, just as she'd been careful not to in the past weeks, and she spared no thought about how she would make her son understand that daddy probably would not be coming home. It was something to be taken care of later, when she and her son were safe once and for all. When they had time, perhaps, to heal.
Instead of answering, she brushed the light hair that lay across his forehead. He was in desperate need of a haircut, but such priorities had fallen to the wayside in the weeks they'd been running and hiding for their lives.
“I want you to be a good boy, okay?”
A nod. “Kay.”
“He's a nice man. Remember? The man I showed you?”
Another nod. He remembered the man they'd been watching for several days.
“When everything is okay, I'll be back,” she reminded once again. “I promise. Always.”
“Kay, Momma,” the boy said seriously. His mother had never give him reason not to believe her.
“Okay....remember what I told you? When he asks you my name?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” The mother put on a brave smile and the boy did the same. Both hoped the other was fooled.
The mother sniffled back the impending tears that were trying so hard to break free. Those would be for later. She pulled her son once again into a bone-crushing hug that the boy returned and endured with stoicism. When she released him, she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Okay,” she said. “Go on.”
She picked up his loaded backpack and slipped the straps over his shoulders. He held the weight of it with the ease of weeks of practice.
She gestured toward one of the two doors on the floor, though she knew they both belonged to the same man. One his home, the other his office.
A gentle push urged the boy on his way.
He walked slowly, twice turning to look back at her. Both times the mother gave nods of encouragement.
Before he reached the door, the woman backed away into the elevator, but held it from closing. The boy could no longer see her, but she would not leave until she knew her son was safely in the man's care.
The boy walked to the door slowly as his mother had instructed. He looked back for encouragement once more, but this time she was gone.
His feet stilled, unsure. His chin trembled.
He wanted his Mama.
But then he remembered Mama's words. She had to go make the bad guys stop trying to hurt them. He didn't know how she would do that, but he knew she could. His Mama could do anything.
“You have to be brave for mommy, okay? Be my brave boy.”
He could do that. He knew he could. Mama wanted him to be brave and that's what he would do.
He could be her brave boy, her good boy. He knew how to do that.
He wiped away the tears that had started with the back of his hand, then turned and finished his trek to the door.
He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the buzzer button, and still he barely reached it. But he did, and when he pressed the button he heard it buzzing throughout the rooms on the other side of the door.
He pressed the button again, and for a long time, just to hear it again.
Then he stood there waiting. He wanted to press the button a third time, but he wasn't sure that was a good boy thing to do, so he didn't.
Finally, when he'd almost given in to the temptation of the buzzer one more time, a tiny little thing way up above the door moved just a little, and the boy looked up. He knew what that was; he'd seen many like it the times he'd gone to work with Daddy.
He smiled at the camera and waved, because that was what he always did to Daddy's office cameras, and he wondered if he was on TV somewhere.
The door made clicking sounds from the other side.
A little bit away, the elevator that they'd come up in made the closing-door sounds. The boy looked over, hoping Mama had changed her mind and come back for him, but no one got off. The lights at the top were counting backwards to one.
The apartment door opened and the boy looked up and up at the face of the tall man that stood there.
The boy recognized him; just like Mama had said, this was the man they'd seen lots of times on the street and that Mama said would take care of him until she came back for him.
The man stood looking down at him with a tilted head and bewildered frown. A couple times he leaned forward to see into the hallway, but the boy didn't know what he was looking for. He was right there in front of him.
When the man looked back down at the boy finally, eyebrows raised, the boy decided the man was waiting for him to speak.
“Hi,” he said. “You're s'posed to take care of me till Mama comes back. My name's Michael. What's yours?”
“Uh....” the man leaned into the hallway once more with a frown, then said “Hi, Michael. My name's Mick.” The man sighed real big and looked at the elevator, then back down at Michael. “I guess you'd better come on in.”