Warning

May contain sensitive material including adult language and situations, strong sexual content and violence

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Chapter Ten – Plea

Lady luck never smiles
So lend your love to me, awhile
Do with me what you will
Break the spell take your fill

On and on we rode the storm
The flame has died, the fire has gone
Oh, this empty bed is a night alone
I realized that long ago

Is anybody out there?
Anybody there?
Does anybody wonder?
Anybody care?

Oh, I just gotta know
If you're really there and you really care
'Cause baby I'm not
F-F-F-Foolin'

-Foolin
Def Leppard

Steve wrote to Roxy every day between writing his own material and practicing his guitar. The notes he sent via Trina were much the same. “I miss you.”, “Hang in there.”, “I’ll wait as long as it takes, don’t worry.” It took close to a week before he received a letter back from her.

“You’ve got mail.” His mom informed him as she returned from the mailbox. “Looks like it could be a love letter!”

Steve snatched the letter from her and headed directly to his room before opening it. What he read, was not what he expected at all.


My Dear Slam,

I need your help. I know this is a lot to ask but this place sucks so bad. These people are worse than my old man! You HAVE to get me out of here! I don’t know how but please find a way somehow. I can’t take it here much longer. Please help!

Love,
Roxy


Steve sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. He sighed heavily. Get her out of there? How was he going to do that? He didn’t even know where ‘there’ was. What was going on that she would want out so bad? Was she just panicking? Could it really be that bad there?

He sat and thought a while then decided to go look up Matt. Maybe he would have some decent advice.

“Going to Matt’s” He told his mom on the way out. “Don’t wait up.”

Steve drove into town and arriving at Matt’s place, found him and Sherry necking on the couch. Without a word, he handed Matt the letter. His friend quickly read it and looked back at Steve with a raised eyebrow.

“Holy Shit!” He said and began to hand the letter back. Sherry snatched it from him. Reading it over, her eyes grew wide.

“Oh my god, Slam!” She exclaimed. “You have to do something!”

“What the fuck is he supposed to do?” Matt asked. “If he fucks around, he’ll get himself in deep shit.”

“But he can’t just leave her there!” Sherry insisted. “Trust me. A girl wouldn’t ask for something like this unless it was real important. Slam, you have to be there for her. That’s all there is to it. Who gives a flying fuck about trouble? Face the heat together if you have to. Just let her know you’re there for her!”

“The hell you talking about?” Matt protested. “He’ll get his ass in the can. That’ll help a hell of a lot.”

“No, she’s right.” Steve interrupted. “It’s just...well...I don’t even know where the place is, and I haven’t a clue how I could go about getting her out of there.”

“Well, what do you know about the place?” Sherry asked.

“Just that it’s near Mancelona.” Steve informed.

“That’s not far.” Matt said.” We could take a cruise and scope it out. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“No.” Sherry insisted. “We have to have a plan. If they see strange cars buzzing around there, they’ll have her locked up so tight, you’ll never get to her. What about her cousin? Trina, is it? Slam, why don’t you call her and see what you can find out?”

“Good idea.” Steve agreed. “May I?” he asked reaching for the phone. Matt nodded.

In a moment, Steve had Trina on the phone and had told her about the letter.

“Oh my god!” She said. “What are you going to do? You aren’t thinking of going down there are you?”

“Well, yea.” He said. “I have to do something. But I don’t know anything about the place. I thought maybe you might be able to help somehow.”

“I can tell you what I know, that’s all.” She said. “If that helps, then more power to ya. But you better have a plan for afterward because the cops will be all over you for sure. All I can say is, you didn’t hear anything from me. Got it?”

“Yea.” Steve promised. “Tell me what you know.”

“All I know is that it’s a farmhouse outside of Mancelona somewhere.” She began. “Where, I haven’t a clue. There are six other girls in the house and they don’t go anywhere or do anything without a chaperone. They even go shopping together as a unit. They constantly work on the farm, taking care of the animals and...”

“Wait.” Steve said. “Did you say shopping? They actually go out to go shopping?”

“Yea,” Trina said. “They go to the old IGA store in Mancelona every Friday afternoon. Angela said they all pile in a van.”

“Perfect.” Steve said. “Hey, can you get a message to her for me?”

~*~


As it turned out, Friday was the day before Labor Day, and the day before the Def Leppard show at Castle Farms. The three friends loaded camping supplies in the Matt’s car that morning and headed out for Mancelona by noon. If all went right, they would find a spot on state land and camp for the night, planning to hit the concert the next evening.

Mancelona was about an hour away. Steve sat in the back seat, playing an old guitar, while Matt drove and Sherry sat beside him. Sherry was hardly recognizable. She had on a full-length overcoat, a curly brunette wig that covered her own long blonde hair, and a pair of dark sunglasses. She carried an over-large purse.

They found the IGA store without any trouble. The only problem was that the parking lot was completely empty. That seemed strange for a Friday. The store was open though and Matt and Steve went in to buy pops and munchies so as not to appear vagrant. Returning to the car, they decided it best if they went for a ride, rather than sit in the empty lot.

They drove south a mile or two and then made a left on a dirt road. They had gone a couple more miles when they passed a large blue van, loaded up with people.

“I think that’s them!” Sherry yelled. “Matt, get back to the store!”

Matt waited until the van was out of sight in the rear view mirror and turned around in the driveway of an old farmhouse. Being careful not to catch up with the van, he made his way back to the main road and then headed back to the store.

Several cars were now in the lot, including the blue van they had just seen. Steve felt a lump in his throat as he saw Roxy climb out of the van with several other girls and a woman with a facial expression akin to the meanest bulldog he had ever seen. None of them paid any heed to the old Buick Century as Matt parked on the other side of the lot.

“Okay.” he said to Sherry. “You’re on!”

“Be right back!” she said, climbing out of the car. She lowered her glasses and winked at Steve.

“Hey Sherry!” He yelled to her after she’d taken a couple of steps. She stopped and looked back. “Thanks!” he said sincerely.
She gave him a nod and turned about, heading for the store.

“Damn, I hope this works!” Steve said to Matt as Sherry disappeared into the small market.

“It’ll work.” Matt promised. “What could go wrong? All she has to do is go in the can and undress.”

“What if that dog-faced bitch is in there?”

“Man,” Matt breathed. “Would you stop worrying!”

A moment later, Sherry appeared at the doorway, minus the disguise, a bottle of coke in one hand. She walked over and got into the car.

“Well,” Steve asked. “How did it go?”

“Exactly as planned.” Sherry reported. “Now we wait.”

The minutes seemed like hours as they watched the door for a brunette woman with sunglasses and an overcoat.

“Damn!” Steve said anxiously. “What’s taking her?”

“Would you chill?” Sherry admonished. “She’ll be here. It takes a minute to get a wig on right. You don’t want her to blow it do you?”

Finally, as they watched, out stepped Roxy in the disguise that Sherry had been wearing. She stopped a few feet in front of the doors, looking around for them. Matt put the car in drive and pulled up next to her. Steve popped his head out the window.

“Need a lift Sweetie?” He asked with a smile.

Her smile was broad in return as she climbed in the back seat with Steve. She pulled the door shut and laid a long, sucking, french kiss on him as Matt pulled out of the lot.