Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) by Kennedy Layne Read Free Book Online Page A

and up the stairs. The first time that Elle had offered to volunteer to help in any way she could, she’d met Cam. Had she met Eric first, she wasn’t so sure she would have continued volunteering here. She hadn’t made the connection that they were brothers. She’d met Eric previously years before when he’d been a totally different man. He’d never said or done anything wrong in the past year, but Elle’s instinct never steered her wrong before. Cam was the reason she still came to Reformation.
    Teresa’s voice could be heard through her bedroom door and Elle was happy to hear that it sounded as if she were talking to a representative of a local community college in White Bear Lake. They’d spoken about it at length and it seemed as if Teresa was going for it. Good for her.
    Finally reaching her destination, Elle kicked the door softly so as not to spill the coffees. Within seconds, the door opened and revealed one tired young girl. Rachel was no more than nineteen or twenty years old, her brown mousy hair hanging down her back. The blemishes underneath her dull brown eyes blaringly sent the message of missed sleep and stress. A disturbing feeling settled in Elle’s stomach. Did Rachel know something more than she was letting on?
    “Hey,” Elle said softly, holding up a mug in gesture. “I heard about what happened and thought this might help.”
    “Come on in.” Rachel’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes as she took the proffered drink. She turned and took a few steps to where a small desk sat in the corner and placed the mug down on the worn surface. “I thought you might be Clarisse. She said she would stop by today.”
    “Just me.” Elle crossed the threshold and took in the layout of the room. As much as she came to Reformation, it was rare that she ever set foot in the privacy of the girls’ rooms. Usually she kept her visits to the community area or the kitchen. “I thought you might want to talk.”
    “There’s not much to say,” Rachel replied with a defeated shrug. She crossed her arms as if to ward off a chill but Elle was relatively sure it was meant to do more than that. “It’s just not safe on the streets anymore.”
    “Honey, it was never safe to begin with.” Elle gave her a wry smile and joined Rachel when she sat on the single bed. “There isn’t a day or night that goes by that we’re not watching over our shoulders. We might pick up a john that gets his kicks out of knocking us around or we might not do enough business for Bee. Let’s face it—he has his anger issues when he’s not seeing the cash.”
    “You make it sound like you’re still a part of us, but we all know the sweet deal you got from that cop or whatever he is.” Rachel’s voice was laced with bitterness. Elle reached out a hand in comfort but it was scorned. Indecision seemed to linger in Rachel’s eyes. “Is there a job opening at that club you work at?”
    “Rachel, it’s not that simple,” Elle said, not knowing how to explain her situation without it sounding like her ass had landed in a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. “Kevin and I had been…friends…for a while before he mentioned that the club was looking for a manager. Please don’t think that it was given to me any other way than through proving myself.”
    Damn it. Elle’s explanation was coming out wrong and sounding entirely different than what she actually meant. Her hesitation over what exactly she and Kevin were only seemed to make Rachel pull away even further. Elle realized that she’d taken hold of her necklace and started to worry the small locket that dangled from the chain. Her old habit was blatant and she released the silver accessory to let it fall back against her gray sweater.
    “All Kevin did was set up an interview for me, Rachel. I never thought to come here or any other shelter where I could borrow nice clothes and look reasonably well put together.” Elle thought back to last year when she’d first