Team Manager 1: SWISH!
Chapter 27
DENNIS STOOD STUNNED at the door as Brenda and his mother drove away. His father was in the hospital—could be dead. He had to stay home with his sister, and the eight remaining beautiful women of his team. He just didn’t feel like being with them.
“I don’t get it,” he mumbled. “Dad was working. He never drinks when he has a job. Why would he go out there last night?”
“He was trying to stop Lee Smith,” Amy said quietly.
“What? Stop him from what?”
“The night I came here when my brother was going to rape me with his friends, I overheard their plans. Lee was supposed to kill your father this weekend so they could come and take you and me to sell as sex slaves,” she said. She hung her head as if she were the one responsible.
“And you didn’t say anything?” Dennis asked in disbelief.
“I told him about it. That’s why I’m sure he went to stop them. Maybe Lee lured him out there. I’ll bet he went out there to turn the tables. The policeman said there was a dead body nearby. It has to be either Lee or my brother or Harry,” Amy said.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this? Did you think I wouldn’t want to know? Or just that I’m too little and handicapped to do anything to help?” Dennis was getting more and more upset. He should have known. He should have been there with his father.
“That’s not it at all, Dennis,” Amy protested. She tried to hug him but he turned away. He couldn’t hug any of them. Wouldn’t. “I talked to a special agent who planned a drug raid. He said we’d be safe because there would be agents watching us. And he told me I shouldn’t tell anyone about it. I’d already told your dad. And Brenda. She told me to keep my big mouth shut, too.”
“You all had me believing you cared about me. You still think I’m invisible and incompetent.” Dennis cried.
“Dennis, stop, please,” Natalie said.
“Please don’t hate me, Dennis,” Amy pled. “I did what I thought was right and followed the agent’s instructions. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I love you. If you want to suck on my nipples, here they are,” she said pulling her shirt off. “If you want a blowjob, here’s my mouth. If you want to fuck, grab one of those rubbers and do me. Or skip the rubber. Who cares if I get pregnant? Fuck me! But please don’t hate me. I love you.” Amy collapsed on the floor and Judith rushed to her. Natalie finally got her arms around Dennis.
“We all love you, Dennis. We’d never intentionally hurt you. We’re all here for you. Please, lover. Don’t hate us.”
Dennis drew a shaky breath and turned to face Amy who was on her knees. He dropped to his knees and held out his arms for the girl to lean into. When she didn’t move, he collapsed toward her and she grabbed him, holding him to her chest.
“I don’t hate you, Amy. I don’t hate anyone. But my daddy…” The flood finally broke and tears flowed from his eyes as he sobbed.
“I know. I know,” Amy whispered. “I should have told you. I wanted to. I should have. I love you so much.” With the tension broken, the other girls gathered around and reached out to touch and comfort him. Amy shifted her body slightly and pressed her nipple against his lips. Dennis sucked on it hard enough that she gasped, but held his head against her as the other girls watched their small friend cradle their boyfriend against her chest. “Brenda taught me how to comfort him,” Amy whispered to the other girls.
Natalie stripped off her T-shirt again and lay down next to Dennis to join Amy in holding him. Dennis pulled back from Amy’s nipple and looked up at her.
“I’m sorry I hurt you when I sucked. I love you. I love you all.” He turned his head toward Natalie. “I love you.”
“I know, baby. I know. Here are my breasts, you can suck on them, too. Please. Show us you love us.” Dennis turned further and found Natalie’s nipple with his lips as he looked up at her face. His sucking was no longer as frantic as it had been when he latched on Amy. He raised a hand to lay it on Natalie’s other breast and all was quiet. Then he drifted off to sleep, with her nipple in his mouth and only an occasional half-hearted suck.
“That’s so sexy,” Diane whispered.
“It’s not sex,” Roberta said, pointing at Dennis’s mid-section. “He has a nipple in his mouth and he isn’t even hard. I’d like to hold him like that, too.” Most of the girls had been crying during the whole intense exchange. Roberta stripped off her nightshirt and knelt beside Amy, who was still crying. She pulled the smaller girl to her chest and held her as Amy took comfort from her breast. All the other girls began to move and lie down, mostly in pairs. Leanne hugged Judith as Diane cuddled in opposite Natalie to hug Dennis. Daniella pulled Rosie down to her bedroll and the two began to kiss. The actions were all quiet and devoted to comforting each other as sleep finally claimed them.
Roberta woke first and glanced over at Peg, who was becoming restless on the couch. She grabbed her shirt and Amy’s and got dressed. She nudged Natalie and handed her a T-shirt. Natalie, Dennis, and Diane had rolled slightly apart in their sleep and lay on their backs. Diane still had an arm around him.
“People will wake up soon,” Roberta said, pointing over her shoulder at Peg. “Remember rule number three.” There was some shifting around as girls all straightened themselves and then mostly went back to sleep. A phone buzzed and there was a scramble to find the wayward device. It was in Amy and Brenda’s bedroll. Where they had started the night before. Amy scrambled to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Amy, it’s Mom. Your brother got shot last night by some awful drug dealer. He’s in the hospital in Ames. Some government people came to our house and tried to tell us he was making a drug deal. That’s simply hogwash. Jerry wouldn’t do such a thing. Your father and I are on our way to the hospital to put them straight and make sure Jerry is well-cared for. Can you stay with your girlfriend for a while?”
“Yes, Mom. It won’t be a problem.”
“I know how upset you must be to find this out. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure Jerry gets better and comes home to us.”
“Yes, Mom. Sure.”
“Okay. Go back to sleep. We love you.”
“Love you, Mom.”
She disconnected and threw her phone down on the bedroll.
“Jerry was shot in the drug raid last night,” she said to the room. “And my parents still believe he’s innocent and could do no wrong. She thinks I’d be upset over losing Jerry. I hope he dies.”
Dennis sat up and reached for Amy to hug her.
“Maybe it’s all over now,” he said. “I wonder if they got Harry, too. I hope so.”
“Harry wouldn’t have left the drug deal. He was probably arrested.”
“We should make breakfast and clean up the house. Then we’ll call Brenda and see how things are going,” Natalie said.
“I want Cocoa Pops,” a sleepy-eyed Peg seemed to rouse at the word ‘breakfast.’
The girls got ready to leave after breakfast, but Amy and Natalie took it upon themselves to stay with Dennis so he wouldn’t be alone with his sister to wait for news. Amy’s phone rang again, just as there was a knock on the door.
“Hello?”
“Amy, it’s me, Brenda. How are you, baby?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“You don’t sound sure. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I had a big fight with Dennis last night. Natalie and I are still here but he isn’t saying much to us,” Amy said sadly.
“Let me talk to him.”
“He just went to answer the door. I’ll ask him to call you. How is his father?”
“That’s what I was really going to talk about. We waited since we got here just sitting in the lobby. About an hour ago they let his mom in to see him and just said he’s in a coma. We’re coming home as soon as she gets out of the bathroom.”
“Good. I’ll ask Dennis to call as soon as whoever it is at the door is gone,” Amy said.
“I love you, baby. See you soon.”
“Love you.”
Brisco finally got free after the night cleaning up the C-Store. The FBI agents had taken care of the children, the bodies had been removed by the coroner, and their two prisoners—the sheriff and the van’s shotgun rider—were in jail in Des Moines. Then they showed up at Jack DeWalt’s house, the owner of the C-Store. He’d already skipped and it took a while to get the information on his car and put an APB out for it. The fact that he ran confirmed to Brisco that he’d known about the drug operation all along. He was wanted as an accessory even if they couldn’t pin dealing on him.
Brisco held his side where a bullet had grazed his vest. He was going to have a beauty of a bruise from that. The last thing on his list was to visit Dennis and Amy. He relieved the agent who had stood watch all night and went onto the porch to knock at the door. In a minute, it opened a crack and the boy looked out.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Dennis, I’m DEA Agent Brisco. I wonder if I could have a word with you and Amy.”
“Um… My mom’s not here at the moment. Can you come back later?”
“I don’t need to speak to your mother at the moment. This is really just to check in to make sure you are all right and to tell you that the gang who were after you have been taken out of circulation. Do you want to hear the details?”
Dennis turned away from the door and called for Amy. She joined him at the door.
“This is Agent Brisco,” Dennis said. “You talked to him. Do you want to let him in?”
“Will you stay with me, Dennis?”
“Yes. Of course I will.” He reached out and put an arm around his girlfriend. “I’m sorry, Agent Brisco. If I can see your identification, I can let you in.”
Brisco held his badge and photo ID up for Dennis and Amy to see. He was trying not to be impatient and reminded himself he was dealing with a couple of kids. Dennis opened the door and asked him in. Inside, two girls were sitting on the couch doing their nails. It looked like Amy had been in the process of her own manicure. All four of the kids wore standard baggy sweatsuits.
“Please come to the kitchen and I’ll fix coffee,” Dennis said. He seemed totally worn out. Brisco supposed the night had taken a toll on him as well. He followed the kids into the kitchen and sat at the table. Dennis poured a cup of coffee that looked weak, but Brisco accepted it gratefully. Dennis and Amy sat opposite the agent.
“Is my brother dead?” Amy asked bluntly.
“No. But honestly, he might not make it. He was shot by his dealer, not by us,” Brisco said. “His two buddies didn’t make it at all.”
“I never should have told anyone.”
“Amy…” Dennis started.
“I’d be gone and you wouldn’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Amy. I’m just dealing with probably losing my dad. You did the right thing.”
“And you saved four innocent kids in the process,” Brisco said. “One had already been raped. All of them were headed for sexual slavery for what was left of their short lives. And make no mistake about it, Amy. If you hadn’t come forward, you would have been kidnapped, raped, drugged, and sold as a sex slave to traffickers who only care about your useful lifespan. Bluntly, after you’d been gang-raped, you would have been murdered. And so would Dennis,” Brisco pounded the truth into them. “Dennis, I know you are dealing with your father in the hospital. And I know he’s in bad shape. With the amount of fentanyl they put in his bottle, no one knows how he’s still surviving at all. As long as he’s in a coma, there’s hope he’ll come out of it. He went hunting one of the men who wanted to kill you. You may owe your father your life again.” That might have been stretching it. If Will hadn’t interfered, they would have taken Lee either at the C-Store or when he tried for the kids. Either way, he wouldn’t have escaped.
“See, Amy,” Dennis said, holding her hand. “You knew you were doing the right thing. How could I hate you for that?”
“I just wanted your dad to be careful and not let Lee catch him. I didn’t know he’d go hunting for him. I’m so sorry.” Amy flung herself into Dennis’s arms and sobbed against him. He had tears running down his face as well.
“Agent Brisco, is there anything else you need to say?” Dennis asked.
“No. Just that it might not feel like it right now, but you are two very lucky kids. I’ll show myself out.” Brisco left the table and found his way back to the front door. One of the girls on the couch looked at him questioningly. He just gestured toward the kitchen with his head. They could tell her what they wanted to.
“Den, where’s Mommy? And Daddy?” Dennis looked at his sweet little sister. He hadn’t told her anything about what was going on.
“Um… Daddy got sick and had to go to the hospital. Mommy went to see him and help,” he said.
“Mommy’s on her way home now,” Amy added. “Dennis’s girlfriend Brenda is driving her. It won’t be long now.”
“Will Daddy be okay?”
“Of course,” Dennis said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, but the doctors have to give him medicine in the hospital. Mommy will tell us all about it when she gets home.”
“Okay. Look at my fingers. I got a cure.”
“Manicure,” Natalie said gently.
“Oh, yeah. A man-i-cure.”
“They’re beautiful. Did you pick out the color?”
“Uh huh.”
“Very nice.”
“I know,” Natalie said, jumping up and down in her seat. “Let’s give Dennis a manicure.”
“Me?” he squeaked.
“Yeah! That’s fun,” Peg said.
The pink polish on his nails was still drying when Brenda and Dot got home.
“I don’t know,” Dot told her children. “It’s in God’s hands. Your father is a good man who only wanted to protect his family. Pray that God will reach down and heal him.”
“I’ll ask Jesus,” Peg said. That ended the conversation for the time being. They continued the day. Dot needed some sleep and went to lie down. Neither Dennis nor the girls had much more sleep. The girls showed no sign of leaving. They made lunch and talked to Peg, played games with her, and read to her. Dennis and Brenda went to his room and lay down on his bed for a nap. They cuddled together and went to sleep without more than a kiss. When they got up, Peg was full of chatter about how fun it was to have sisters. Natalie and Amy were exhausted.
“Um… We usually just have popcorn and milk for Sunday dinner,” Dennis explained to his guests. “We usually watch a movie.”
“Okay,” the girls responded.
“Do you girls still feel in danger?” Dot asked them. “Is that why you are still here?”
“No ma’am,” Natalie explained. “We’re here because our boyfriend is distressed and we want to be with him.”
“And there are like ten boxes of condoms out there we haven’t even started on,” Brenda sighed. Dot got a pained look on her face but Brenda grinned and winked at her. She shook her head and laughed.
“Well, then. Why don’t you girls plan on camping out in Dennis’s room tonight instead of the living room. I’m… going to watch TV for a while. Tomorrow is a school day, so I expect you all rested and up bright and early in the morning. I need to take Peg to work at… Oh, dear. I don’t know what they did with our car. I don’t know how we’re going to… How can I even get groceries?” Tears started from Dot’s eyes again. Brenda reached over and hugged her.
“For the time being, I’m going to stay here. You can use my car to get Peg to work and to get groceries until we find out how to get your car back. It might still be stuck out in that field. One way or another, we’ll make it work,” she said.
“I’m staying, too,” Amy declared. “My parents are going to stay in Ames so they can be with my stupid brother. They told me to stay with my girlfriend.” She put an arm around Brenda. Dot turned to look at Natalie and raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know,” Natalie said. “I might have to go home, but I’ll be back to help. My sisters have a car and will help with errands and stuff.”
“You’re all such good kids. Please, please, please, just don’t rush to adulthood. It’s not what it’s cracked up to be,” Dot said. “Natalie, I’ll talk to your mother. You three are all welcome to stay.”
“My sisters,” Peg announced. Natalie gave her a hug.
The four teens were quite reserved when they’d brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. The three girls were once again dressed in Dennis’s dad’s baggy T-shirts. Dennis almost opted for the same, but was in his pajamas.
Then there was the bed. Of course, they could have all ‘camped out’ on the floor in his bedroom like they had in the living room, but there was the bed. A double bed Dennis inherited from his grandparents when they moved to a retirement home in Cedar Rapids. Plenty of room for three girls and a boy.
Just before the four disappeared into his room, Dot threw a box of condoms at them from the living room table. They’d said they weren’t ‘doing that’ but she’d been a pretty wild teen and couldn’t imagine four teens in a private room with a bed coming out virgins in the morning. But these four were far more reserved than she’d been as a teen. Which didn’t mean they didn’t have every intention of messing around.
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