Chapter 5: Startling Revelations

Frank and Angel sat in Frank's cluttered apartment after they got home from Red's Barn and Frank let out a heavy sigh, "Stay away from Jordan Parker, he's nothing but trouble."

Angel didn't say anything in response. She didn't appreciate being told what to do, but she had learned to bite her tongue sometimes when she was upset. As she sat there with Frank, she continued to think about Jordan Parker, and his arrogance. He wasn't anymore arrogant than a lot of other men she had known, including her own father and brother, but she hated his arrogance.

Angel had finally figured out who Jordan reminded her of. She cringed when she thought about it because he reminded her of Ethan Parks, and even though in many ways Jordan and Ethan were complete opposites, there was something similar about them that she couldn't put her finger on.

"We should go to bed soon," Frank said, stretching and yawning.

"Frank," Angel said, "I want to see my daughter and Mama."

"I know you do," Frank sighed, "You should see Ma first because I think that would work best."

Angel wasn't expecting him to agree so readily, "OK."

"I'll tell you what, I'll go to work for a little while in the morning," Frank said, "And then we can go surprise Ma."

Angel smiled, "Thanks Frank."

Frank stood up and kissed his sister on the forehead and went to bed.

It was a restless night for Angel. She slept on Frank's couch and tossed and turned while images of Rico and Ethan filled her mind. If they ever found her they would drag her back to Reno and punish her severely. They might even kill her, but somehow she doubted she would be that fortunate.

Frank got up bright and early and cooked eggs and made coffee and toast. He normally wasn't one to cook breakfast, but he was excited about having Angel there, and he wanted to do something to make the day more special.

Angel rubbed her eyes and opened them slowly. Years of being nocturnal had conditioned her to sleep during the day and stay awake at night, so she was having difficulty adjusting to mornings, but there was enough adrenaline in her system today that she rolled right out of bed.

Frank was wearing only his white tank top undershirt with his boxer shorts while he cooked breakfast, so Angel noticed the silver crucifix hanging around his neck.

"I remember when you got that crucifix at your first communion," Angel mused, "I was so jealous."

Frank smiled, "I remember, you were about five years old and you wanted it so much you stole it from me," He laughed, "I was pretty mad about it."

Angel smiled, "Pop made me give it back to you, but I still wanted it and I cried for two days." Angel laughed, "Pop told me I could have my own crucifix after I took my first communion." Angel had gotten her crucifix, it had been solid gold, but she had long ago lost it along with anything else she had tried to save after she left home.

Frank went to take a shower and Angel sat quietly sipping her coffee and eating her eggs.

"Nervous?" Frank asked when he came out ready to leave for work.

"Very nervous," Angel said.

"Don't be nervous," Frank smiled and he leaned down and kissed his sister on the forehead. "We're just going to see Ma, no big deal, but I better go to work for a little while, I need to see about your car being towed so I can fix it. I'll be back in a couple hours and then we'll go see Ma."

"OK," Angel smiled. This meant she had two hours to prepare to see her mother after fourteen long years. Angel wasn't sure her mother would even allow her in the house, but Frank seemed to think she would. Angel hadn't brought many clothes with her from Reno, mainly because most of the clothes she had worn in Reno weren't suitable for Argus Falls.

Angel decided to dress casually, in her jeans and a tee shirt, and wear her short tailored Levi jacket. She had the ability to look good in anything she wore. She nervously smoked a couple of cigarettes as she waited for Frank to come back and pick her up.

Frank returned as promised and they slowly drove to the old house on Elgin Avenue. Angel's stomach was doing flip-flops as Frank pulled up in the driveway. He smiled at her, "Maybe you should stay behind me, and on my cue we'll surprise Ma."

"Just don't give her a heart attack," Angel said, "I'm pretty sure she's not expecting this."

They slowly walked in the back door of the house and Angel looked at the old black leather belt hanging by the door. She wasn't all that surprised it was still there. It didn't look any the worse for wear. She reasoned that her dad probably still conditioned the leather to keep it soft and pliable, since he did that from time to time when she was growing up. Her fingers shook as she reached out and touched the belt, and she frowned when she remembered having to retrieve it so often. She had thought of the old belt numerous times over the years because it was representative of so many things in her life.

She followed Frank into the kitchen and stood there waiting. It felt strange for Angel to be back inside the old house after so many years. She was overcome by feelings of nostalgia. The kitchen looked a lot like she remembered and the house still had the same smell as when she was a child. Their mother wasn't in the kitchen, so Frank called out to her, "Ma?"

"In the living room," Claudia's voice rang out, and she quickly got up off the couch to greet her son. She wondered why he was coming over in the middle of the morning interrupting her soap opera.

"I have a surprise for you," Frank grinned when his mother entered the kitchen. Frank reached back and grabbed Angel by the arm and pulled her forward, "Tah Dah," he said dramatically, as if he were a magician.

Claudia's hand covered her mouth in astonishment, "Angelica," she said softly as tears came to her eyes.

"Mama," Angel said tearfully.

"Oh my God," Claudia threw her arms around Angel's neck, "I've been praying for this to happen for a very long time."

They held each other for awhile and Angel realized how much she had longed for the warmth of her mother's embrace, "Oh, Mama," Angel sniffed, "I missed you so much."

"My little Angel," Claudia sobbed, squeezing Angel as if she never wanted to let her go. She realized how thin and small Angel was and like a typical mother she was concerned, "You are skin and bones."

"No I'm not," Angel laughed.

Frank stood there watching and his eyes became moist.

Martin had been puzzling over the argument he and Claudia had the night before. He had stormed out and come home very late. Claudia was in bed sleeping when he got home and so he had conveniently slept in the spare bedroom. He then got up early and went to the hardware store before Claudia and Mia were awake. He decided he needed to go home now and talk things over with his wife. He wanted to make amends.

He was surprised when he drove up and found Frank's truck parked in the driveway. It was the middle of the morning and Frank was always working this time of day, but it didn't take long for Martin to suspect what might be going on and his blood ran cold. He parked his car and rushed inside the house and when he reached the kitchen, he stopped short. There stood his daughter, now fully grown. Angel was still hugging her mother. Martin's heart leapt in his chest and a lump formed in his throat as he stared at his daughter, she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"Hi Pop," Angel said softly, attempting a tentative smile. She knew this wasn't good and even though she had thought about what it would be like to see her father again, none of the scenarios in her mind matched what was happening now. As she looked at him, she noticed he was a bit older and pudgier, but he was just as she remembered and what was worse, she still felt like a little girl in his presence.

"Get out of my house," Martin boomed.

Angel wanted to shrivel up and die. She let go of her mother and backed away, looking nervously up into her father's formidable face.

"Martin," Claudia gasped in horror.

"Pop," Frank said helplessly.

"You're dead to me," Martin said glaring at his long lost daughter. "I told you never to come back," he raged.

"Martin!" Claudia screamed in horror.

"She's nothing but a cheap two-bit whore," Martin said bitterly, "She sells her body for money," he added in disgust.

Angel thought she was going to be sick and she swayed back and forth on her feet momentarily, feeling queasy and light headed. She began wishing she had never bothered to come back to Argus Falls. She stared at the father she had once loved and his words of rejection hurt more than she imagined.

"Pop," Frank said, still feeling helpless.

Somewhere deep down inside, Angel managed to gather her strength, "I'm not a two-bit whore Pop," She said slowly and deliberately and the raw emotion was evident in her voice, "I'll have you know I'm one of the highest paid whores there ever was," and then her voice became cold and calculating, "You should be proud."

Martin felt a pain in his chest and his head began to spin, this was not the little girl he remembered.

"In case you didn't know it old man," Angel continued in a venomous tone, "I was held captive and forced to sell my body from the day I left home," She raged, "If I would have tried to leave, the people who held me captive would have killed me and they would have killed all of you too."

The three of them stared at her in shock and disbelief; not just because of the words she spoke but because of how truly cold she appeared while saying them. She had transformed into something none of them were familiar with.

"How dare you!" Angel glared at her father, "How dare you, disown me! I was never anything but a good girl," Then she felt herself breaking down and she knew she couldn't stop her tears. She had to get out of there. She slowly backed out of the room and rushed out the front door, running through the front yard and down the street. It wasn't the first time she had stormed away from that house, and it might not be the last.

Martin collapsed onto a nearby chair, staring off into space as if someone had hit him on the side of the head with a club.

Claudia began to sob, "Oh my God," she sobbed, trying to recover from the wide range of emotions she had just experienced.

Frank was stunned to learn his sister had become a high-class hooker and he felt she should have told him. It made him a little sick inside.

In her blind fury, Angel managed to walk all the way across town to Jordan Parker's house. It was a long walk and it took her several hours. Every time she thought she heard Frank's truck coming down the road, she ducked out of sight because she didn't want to see Frank or anyone else ever again.

She didn't know if Jordan would be home, but his house was the only place she could think to go for refuge. He was the only person in town she knew besides Frank, and last night at Red's Barn Jordan had seemed friendly enough, and it made her think he might be willing to help her.

It turned out that Jordan wasn't home when she arrived, so she sat on Jordan's front porch and smoked one cigarette after another while she waited for him to come home. She was nervous and upset and very grateful that even though she had left her purse in Frank's truck, she had put her cigarettes and lighter in her jacket pocket.

Jordan's day had been a long one and when he pulled up in his truck and saw Angel sitting on his front porch he didn't know whether to be annoyed or happy, he was definitely intrigued.

Angel quickly stubbed out her cigarette and attempt to smile and pretend nothing was wrong, even though she was raw and sick inside from what had happened with her father earlier that same morning.

"Well, well," Jordan smiled as he approached her, "This is a nice surprise."

Angel smiled warmly, "Could you possibly give me a ride to Red's Barn?"

Jordan noticed the numerous cigarette butts on the ground near where she had been sitting, "You got butts all over the place, you must have been here awhile."

Angel realized she had been so distracted all afternoon she had not thought much about her cigarette butts and had just tossed them randomly on the ground, "Sorry," She said, "I'll pick them up before I leave."

Jordan was anxious to get inside because of how tired he was. He brushed past her to unlock his front door and Angel stood helplessly watching, wondering if he planned to invite her in.

"Come on in," Jordan said as he swung the front door open, "I'm about to make dinner, I'm starving."

Angel followed Jordan inside to the kitchen and had to admit it was much warmer inside than it had been outside. She hadn't realized she was freezing until she was inside. Jordan plugged in an electric grill and took out a large pot. He was planning on grilling a steak he had marinated, and steaming some vegetables to go with it. He could easily make extra vegetables, but there was only one steak, and it pained him a little to think of sharing it because of how hungry he was.

"So you're destitute and need a ride to Red's Barn, so why isn't your brother Frank around to give you a ride?" Jordan asked.

Angel watched Jordan cook the food like an expert, "Why do you care?" She asked.

"I care because every time I am with you, your brother Frank shows up," Jordan said.

"Well he won't be coming this time," Angel said bitterly, wishing she could have another cigarette.

Jordan could tell she was flustered not being able to smoke by the way she kept fidgeting, "Are you sure Frank's not planning to storm in here demanding you come home?" Jordan asked.

"Why is my relationship with Frank any of your damn business anyway?" Angel asked bitterly, wishing he would stop talking about her brother.