Megan Carter - When Love Finds a Home

When Love Finds a Home

Megan Carter

Chapter One

Rona pulled the tatteredblanket more securely around herself and Karla, the trembling child she held.The temperature was dropping rapidly. Tiny needles of sleet darted likesparkling schools of minnows through the glow of the security lights thatilluminated the side of the building. Today was her thirty-sixth birthday. Hadher parents remembered? The child in her arms shivered. All she could do forher was to hold her closer. The enormous cooling unit that looked likesomething out of a science fiction movie not only allowed them a hiding place,but it also protected them from most of the weather and placed them in a goodposition for quick access to the rear entry door.

"How much longer?"Tammy whispered.

Rona leaned over until herlips were touching Tammy's ear. They couldn't afford to be caught and chasedaway by the fat security guard. "It won't be much longer, but we have tobe quiet. As soon as I nudge you, grabKatie and follow me. But for God's sake be quiet when you do."

Tammy nodded and hugged thechild she was holding closer.

Rona looked from Karla, theyoung girl in her arms, to her twin sister, Katie. They were only four but hadbeen living on the streets with Tammy, their mother, for over a year. Ronadidn't know Tammy's entire story, only that there was an abusive husbandhunting her. He had already found her at least once, but she ran away again atthe first opportunity. Tammy had told her she was petrified of losing her kids.They were her life.

Rona glanced nervously at therear door. Something was wrong tonight. There didn't seem to be any activitywithin the building. Normally, both the security guard's truck and the van usedby the cleaning people would be parked behind the building. Tonight, the onlyvehicle in sight was a light-colored Honda in the side parking lot. She knewthe security guard's routine by heart. He would hang around until the cleaningpeople moved down to the first floor. They always started on the top floor ofthe four-story complex and worked their way down. When they made it to thefirst floor, he would go to the second-floor lounge and sleep until it was timefor him to make his rounds at midnight. Then he would check the door at themain entrance and the back door before going back to the lounge and sleepinguntil five. At that point, he would return to the tiny cubicle where he wassupposed to spend his nights, fill out a few papers and leave at six. Ronaassumed each tenant had a key to open the front door, but a wide-shouldered,gray-haired man was the first one in each morning. He arrived shortly after thesecurity guard left and he always left the front door unlocked. As soon as hedisappeared into the elevators, she would walk out the front door and disappear.

Rona had stumbled onto thislittle goldmine by accident. She had been searching for a place to sleep for afew nights, to avoid being picked up in one of the raids that the San AntonioPolice Department were staging in an attempt to clear the homeless out of thedowntown area. While slipping through the back parking lot, the alien-lookingcooling system caught her attention. She had started crawling among the massivepipes and units, checking out its possibilities as a new home. That's when shenoticed that the cleaning people propped the back door open while they rolledtheir carts filled with garbage bags out to the dumpsters. For a few shortminutes, the door was open and unwatched as they emptied the cart. Ronareturned to watch the building each night for two weeks. Every night theroutine was identical. The security guard would hang around until thefour-person cleaning crew came down. He would then get on the elevator anddisappear until midnight.

Then one miserably cold, rainynight, she got desperate enough to dash into the building while the door wasopen. As she raced down the narrow hallway, she caught a glimpse of the tinycubicle where the security guard was supposed to be and then the elevators. Thehallway led to a small lobby that housed two waist-high ficus trees, along withhalf a dozen chrome and imitation leather chairs. She hid behind one of thechairs and waited until the cleaning crew left. After letting enough time passto ensure the cleaning crew was not returning, she explored the first floor andfound a second hallway that led to an architect's office located across from alawyer's office. She tested both doors and found them locked. On tiptoes, sheclimbed the stairs and heard the guard snoring long before she spotted him stretchedout on a sofa in the lounge. The lights from the nearby vending machines castan eerie glow around him.

Careful not to wake him, sheslipped back into the stairwell before stealthily exploring each of the fourfloors. The second and third floors consisted of offices for an insurancecompany, an investment firm and a financial planner. At the end of the hallwaywere two doors displaying the names of oil companies. It was the fourth floorthat made her smile. A computer software training center took up the entirefourth floor. The main training center was locked like the offices on the otherfloors, but the restrooms in the hallway were not. The women's restroomcontained two chairs that she could pulltogether and use as a makeshift bed. The following morning she was back in thelobby behind a chair when the security guard came down to fill out his formsand leave.

At first, she had beenterrified of being caught by workers coming in, but after the wide-shoulderedman arrived and left the door unlocked, she was free to leave with little riskof being seen.

The office complex became herace in die hole. Only on die worst nights, like this one, would she take thechance. Tonight she was breaking her own golden rule of not bringing someonewith her. Over die last several months, she had developed a soft spot for thetwins, especially little Karla. When die colder than usual Februarytemperatures started dropping and the city began to hum with the possibility ofsnow, she went searching for Tammy.

As the time crept by, shebegan to worry. If the cleaning people weren't there to prop open the door, shewouldn't be able to sneak inside, and tonight was going to be bad. The sleetwas coming down much harder now. The parking lot was beginning to take on ashiny gleam. She sensed Tammy's nervous glances. Rona had promised the girls awarm place to sleep tonight and she was beginning to fear it wasn't going tohappen.

Tammy touched her arm andnodded toward the parking lot where the one lone car waited. Two men werewalking toward it. Even from this distance, Rona recognized them as Harper andRoach. Two homeless men anyone with any sense avoided like the plague. Theywere both trouble.

Rona cursed under her breath.If they broke into the car, she and Tammy could forget about trying to sneakinto the building tonight.

Katie started to giggle whenRoach slipped and fell on the icy pavement, but Tammy quickly shushed her.

He got up and the two men madetheir way to the car, peeking into die windows. As they walked around to thepassenger side of die car, die back door to the office complex opened with aloud squeal.

Rona's muscles tensed to dashinside. When she turned, she saw a tall dark-haired woman rather than thecleaning crew she was expecting. Rona's muscles slowly relaxed as a she watchedthe woman carefully make her way toward die car. She was carrying a largebriefcase, and a purse hung from her shoulder. A quick glance back to theparking lot showed Roach and Harper were nowhere in sight. "Where did theygo?" she whispered in Tammy's ear.

"They're behind thecar."

Rona knew what was about tohappen. "We have to get out of here." She clutched Karla to her andstarted to stand.

"What about her?"Tammy asked and nodded toward the woman gingerly picking her way across theparking lot.

"She'll learn a lessonthat she won't soon forget," Rona replied without looking at the woman.She felt bad for her, but there was nothing she could do. Sometimes life handedyou a bum deal. She began to make her way around to the other side of thegigantic cooling system.