Destined by Chance

A Glimmer Of Hope

Shelly and Sarah left Elizabeth in the room alone as they went to their office to discuss their next steps. Shelly knew who Jim was because he prosecuted her uncle a few years ago. So, she was familiar with how far he would go to get what he wanted. Shelly looked at Sarah with concern in her eyes. She didn't want to worry Elizabeth, but she wanted to let Sarah know what they were up against. Shelly took a deep breath as she turned to Sarah and said, "Shelly, I know who Jim is. Remember when I told you my uncle was up on federal charges? Well, he was the prosecutor in his case. He is ruthless, so we have to move Elizabeth a few times. There is only one place I can think of where she is going to be safe, but she will have to stay in a shelter for a few months."

Sarah sighed, knowing that she had heard that name before. She looked at Shelly carefully when she asked, "So, you think that you have a place where she will be safe?"

Shelly nodded with a devious smile that sent chills down Sarah's spine, knowing she had a plan. Shelly picked up the phone, dialing her cousin. A few minutes later Shelly was explaining things quickly. After hanging up with her cousin she looked at Sarah as she said, "Angel said to send her his way. He will set up a few different identities for her. That way, if we have to move her quickly, we can. She will end up in a shelter just outside of Nevada where he will be there to watch over her. If he steps anywhere near her, he will protect her. Plus, his dad was the one who Jim put in jail, so it is kind of his way of making him pay for what he did."

Sarah knew Shelly had connections but didn't know how deep they ran. She never questioned either, because the lives they saved were worth it. Sarah looked at Shelly with amazement, "Well, what do we do now? Where do we send her first? How long will she stay there for?"

Shelly smiled as she knew her cousin Angelo was already setting all that up for her as she was only waiting for a phone call back. It was a few minutes later when Shelly's phone rang, and she placed it on speaker, so Sarah could hear. "Shelly, I made a few phone calls and the Santenilli family will back you for whatever you may need. The location of the shelter won't be given, but she will be at each place for no longer than a week or two. This will be done by different family members until she gets to Tammy Blasley, who is my associate. She will then bring her to my shelter where she will stay until we can find her a safe house to live in. She will go by different names which I cannot release to you because it will compromise the plan. Just know that a woman named Eva will be there to pick her up before Jim gets out of court. The password is Red Angel. All you guys have to do is make sure she is safe until Eva gets there. Then leave the rest up to me."

Sarah had just one question for him so she blurted out. "Will we get updates on her? I mean, how do we know she is safe? We don't need the location, just a letter or a message to let us know she is 'OK'."

Angelo laughed, knowing this was expected. You could hear him laughing on the other end, "Yes, I will get information to you letting you know how she is adjusting. We may need the evidence you have one day so we'll be in touch often. Shelly, I cannot stress this enough, but make sure you ask for the password. You never know what lies a person may tell by getting close to you to find out information. Remember what our grandfather taught us? DTA: don't trust anyone. I will be in touch soon."

Sarah had so many questions but really wasn't sure she wanted the answers. Shelly hung up the phone as she watched the realization hit Sarah. Shelly shrugged as she said, "Let's go let Elizabeth know what is going on. Later I will explain everything. My cousin won't send a male to move her unless he thinks she is unsafe. It was the only person I could have thought of who could protect her. I promise afterward if you want to talk I will explain what I can."

Sarah followed Shelly out of the room as they returned to Elizabeth with a plan in place. They knocked softly, hoping not to startle Elizabeth too badly. Carefully, they opened the door to see Elizabeth curled on the couch in tears. Shelly and Sarah sat across from her feeling just as helpless. Sarah broke the silence and asked, "Is there anything we can get you? I know you probably haven't eaten yet. We have a kitchen full of food if you are hungry."

Elizabeth had now just realized that she hadn't eaten when she left the house that morning. Her stomach started to grumble at that moment. She smiled graciously, "Food sounds good right now. I forgot to eat this morning, but my main concern was to get seen."

Shelly knew that this was the hardest part of all this. She reassured her that this was okay. "Well, let's head to the kitchen while we wait for your ride to get here. We have a plan in place, but the only downfall is, when you get to where you are going you will be in a shelter. This is for your safety. Where I'm sending you I trust no one else to protect you. He is the only one I know that knows what Jim is capable of. Please let him help you. I promise he won't hurt you. He is my cousin."

Elizabeth nodded as she stood up to follow them to the kitchen. She suddenly had a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she walked down the hall. She finally said, "Thank you, I was so afraid of what was going to happen to me. I appreciate all this."

Shelly answered as she made Elizabeth a sandwich. "No need to thank us, just take care of yourself. You are special. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

Just then, Elizabeth's phone rang. She forgot that she grabbed it from the house when she walked out. The caller's id showed it was Jim. She started to shake as she looked over at Shelly and Sarah for advice. Sarah took her phone from her and shut it off. She nodded at Shelly, "This is going to be a bigger problem than what we thought. Elizabeth, do you need your phone?"

Elizabeth shook her head and the fear returned in her eyes. She whispered, "He can track my phone. I think I just put you in danger. Maybe I should just go home and get what is coming to me."

Shelly stood firm but picked up her phone. She dialed out quickly, "Angel, we have a problem. Elizabeth's abuser has called and can track the phone. How far out is your girl?"

Sarah and Elizabeth watched Shelly nod, then she replied, "Tell her to come to the back door. We have a back driveway. That way, if he comes through the front, she can escape from the back. Yes, back up would be great."

Shelly took Elizabeth's phone without a word and ran it to the bench outside. She made it look like it was left behind. Her goal was to make it look like Elizabeth lost her phone.