Chapter 29

Janice and Lyric left for work. Alex had asked Grace for another personal day. She agreed, but Grace left Snickers for a sleepover. He’d woken to find the pit bull and Boomer had snuck onto his bed during the night. When he stirred, he caught them slinking off the side to get on the floor where they belonged.

“You two are in so much trouble,” Alex said in his ‘stern’ voice.

The way their tails were wagging showed they weren’t worried.

After eating breakfast and letting the mutts out, he went to the basement to plan how to save the girls being held at Melissa’s. He was about ready to pound his head against his keyboard when he remembered something his dad had said. They had to have a reason to leave the property.

He called Maddie.

“You up for a little adventure?”

Alex and Maddie spent the morning putting everything together. He was now ready to talk to Melissa, so he had Maddie drive him to Chester.

On the ride over, Maddie made a demand.

“I’m going with you this time.”

He thought about it for a moment before answering.

“Having you with me would help sell it, I guess.”

Alex saw the corner of her mouth quirk up a bit. He gave her credit for not saying anything once she got her way. They drove silently as the radio played a song about a guy who messed up and saw his recent ex on a date with another man. Were there any happy country songs that didn’t involve fishing, tractors, or a pickup truck?

They pulled up front, and Alex pointed.

“Is that your brother’s truck?”

Maddie did a double-take. It sure looked like it. Then she spotted the bull balls hanging from the trailer hitch. Decker would have his handed to him if he came home with those dangling off the back of his truck.

“No, but it sure looks like it,” Maddie admitted.

There were only a handful of cars in the lot. Maddie parked under a big oak tree to put the cab into the shade. She grabbed her Bible and got out, walked around the front of the truck, and fell in step with Alex as they made their way to the front door.

The front door swung open before they stepped onto the front porch, and a stunning woman walked out. Maddie guessed this was Melissa and checked her out.

The woman had short, tousled, dirty-blond hair and a figure that Maddie knew would cause any man to fall over himself to get to know Melissa. Her skin was tanned and flawless, and the woman’s features were extraordinary to the point she could have been a model. Melissa wore stylish earrings, a short skirt, trendy sandals, and a cleavage-revealing figure-hugging blouse designed to bend men’s wills to her own. She looked the part of a successful brothel owner.

Maddie had unconsciously crossed her arms, causing the Bible to cover her breasts. Alex didn’t seem fazed as he stuck out his hand and said, “Ma’am.”

“You two look a bit young to be coming to a place like this,” Melissa said. “Or are you here for something special, like the good Christian girl is led astray?”

Maddie felt her face flush. Alex looked at her and winked.

’Did he just imply that was something he might want to do?’ Maddie wondered.

“While that’s tempting, we’re here on church business,” Alex said. “Our youth group thought your girls might want to get a medical checkup and maybe receive some clothes that have been donated.”

Melissa looked around and then narrowed in on Alex.

“Is this some sort of prank?”

“No, ma’am. Could we maybe go inside and discuss this?” Alex asked.

She nodded and breezed toward the door. Alex hurried ahead of her so he could open it for her. The day was heating up, but it remained blissfully cool when Maddie stepped inside.

The farmhouse looked dated, with gaudy wallpaper that must have been put up in the seventies. In the living room, two girls in slutty dresses were lounging on the couch. Melissa stepped in to tell them the ‘kids’ weren’t there for them.

Alex leaned in close and whispered in Maddie’s ear, “If you want, we can go shopping, and I’ll buy you a dress like that.”

She wanted to hit him with her Bible, but before she could, Melissa said, “This way. We can go to my office to talk.”

Maddie decided he was getting the good book upside his head when they left.

They entered Melissa’s office, which had a sitting area with a couch where Maddie and Alex sat and a comfy chair. Melissa waited until they were seated and made sure Alex was looking at her. She slowly sat down on the chair and took her time crossing her legs, causing her dress to ride up. Maddie wanted to kill the woman because Alex had gotten an eyeful.

Maddie thought about it for a moment. Why was she mad? Then she realized she was furious: Maddie wanted Alex and was incensed that she wanted him. Lyric, Ivy, Nell, and Dawn had discussed Alex being single. Thanks to Alex, Lyric had integrated herself into their group.

Maddie had taken herself out of the running because she didn’t think he would ever want to date her. She was sure he looked at her as damaged goods.

Maddie felt he was out of her league because all the girls he dated were good-looking. He’d even snagged Dawn as his prom date, and she was probably the catch of Conclave High. Dawn had vacillated over whether she wanted to go out with him. Her only objection was that he would be a sophomore next year, and she, two years older, a senior.

Ivy and Nell had worn her down, and Dawn had finally agreed that she wanted to take him off the market.

Maddie was kicking herself for not throwing her hat into the ring. Watching him charm the brothel owner made her realize that Dawn was probably the one he should go out with.

Alex and Maddie made their sales pitch. Ultimately, Melissa wanted to talk to the doctor and reverend to confirm their offer. She admitted that doctor bills weren’t cheap and that she usually had the doctor come to them. Reverend Gunther even offered to send the church’s bus to pick up the girls.

Before starting their ‘adventure,’ Alex had told Maddy that Melissa would probably need a third party to validate their story. She was impressed that he’d talked the doctor and reverend into helping. They, in turn, had wanted to speak with Sheriff Conly.

Alex explained that he could talk until he was blue in the face, and adults would discount him as being ‘just a kid.’ But one phone call to an adult, and they would be on board.

Melissa told them her slowest day was Tuesday, so arrangements were made to do it that morning when she was willing to shut down for a few hours. Alex warned her it wasn’t free because the reverend would probably try to give them some religion.