Chasing Football Dreams (Diner Girl #2)

Chapter Thirty

I t took me seventeen years to believe in miracles and eleven years to find a piece of courage in me. It took me a decade to stand up for myself, and I will not run scared now.

"Yes. And he is going to convince you that I was looking for it,"

"He is in cuffs, Zoey. He can't hurt you anymore,"

My forehead creased at his confession.

He came over and sat beside me. A look of surprise was all over Duncan's face as he sat on the other side of me.

"We suspected Benjamin from the moment you disappeared. We got the police to investigate but they couldn't find anything,"

"What?" All this time I thought I was being delusional.

"Benjamin hated me from the moment I got drafted. He made sure the coaches kept me benched. His egotistical behavior showed in so many ways,"

"Until it caught up with him and he started making small mistakes that started costing him to be benched," I noted.

Shane's lips twitched but he never smiled. "Benjamin's daughter has been sick from the day she was born. With every operation, the chances looked good but her condition worsened until there was nothing they could do for her,"

"He took her death badly and when we thought he was getting over it, you were born and he got attached. He brought expensive gifts, offered to take care of you, and always wanted to hold you. We didn't think much of it but his obsession with you got troublesome to the point we had to keep him away from you,"

"Benjamin got agitated not seeing you and desperately showed up, uninvited begging to see you,"

"He got desperate enough to take me," I noted.

Shane nodded. "There was no proof that it was him,"

"But you had your suspicion,"

He nodded. "His place was the first they looked for you but there was no sign of you,"

"But I was. I heard your voice but you couldn't hear me,"

Images started puzzling together when I was locked in that room. Clear flashbacks of how I woke up in the room.

I raised my head at the sound of footsteps. Men in uniform joined us outside. "You need to come and see this," The man who looked to be in charge said to Shane.

I didn't even realize that somebody called them.

Shane got to his feet and shook hands with the man. He then turned to me. "Zoey, this is Detective Patrick. He has been working around the clock on your case,"

I got to my feet to shake his hand. "Shane told me all about you and your strong sense of snooping around,"

"Did you know I was alive?" I asked.

"I've found evidence that pointed me to you. The falsified coroner report and accident report. I also dug up your forged birth certificate,"

"Did you also find out how the orphanage is involved?"

He looked at Shane who nodded at the Detective. "They aren't involved, Zoey. The man is a retired cop whom Benjamin called. His name is Ivan. He helped Benjamin to hide your abduction. Paid off people to forge your death,"

"And the woman?"

"She only started working at the orphanage when you were placed there. She was ordered to keep an eye on you,"

I looked at Shane. "You knew before me and had me believe that I was going crazy,"

"I called Detective Patrick from the first file you took and the information helped to unravel this case,"

"You also knew when you met me at the Diner that Benjamin was the abductor. You just wanted my confirmation and that's why you asked me what he said,"

He nodded again. "I made a promise to keep you safe, Zoey. I couldn't ignore my gut for a second time and put your life in danger again,"

"I convinced Benjamin to hold the celebration. It was the only way we could confirm our suspicion,"

"I was bait," I noted, dropping my gaze.

"He didn't want to but I convinced him to as it was the only way we could catch Benjamin," Detective Patrick came over to me.

"Benjamin learned of his son's crush on you and had him spy on you,"

I met Duncan's confusion. "The jerk guy from the diner who cheats on his girlfriends,"

"How did you figure that?" Duncan asked.

I pointed upstairs. "He, uh, unlocked the door and helped me out,"

They were as surprised as I was. "Did you know?" Duncan asked.

"That his father kidnapped me? I don't know. We didn't talk because I ran out to get to you,"

"Mention of that. You need to come and see this,"

Shane motioned for us to follow. I was hesitant to follow because of the thought of people in the house and the suffocation of the truth.

But I wanted to see what they found. So, I followed them inside and up the staircase where more cops stood. Benjamin was in the room, seated at his desk with a cop on either side of him.

He looked at me and instead of hate reflection in his eyes. There was a powerful tug of remorse and wishfulness.

The room was open for everyone to see. The bed I separated was still lying on the ground in pieces. But there was another secret compartment that was opened. It was the photos I found the other day at the orphanage. He had the copies but there was more.

Photos taken of my every birthday and year of school. He kept tabs on me like a father hovering.

"You knew all this time where she was," Shane mumbled, flipping through the photo album. "While you knew what it did to you!"

He grabbed Benjamin by the shirt shoving him into the wall. Detective Patrick gestured for everyone to stand back, giving Shane some time to express his hurt.

"Why would you do that to somebody?"

"You kept her away from me!"

"Zoey is my daughter. She is not Olivia,"

The words hit Benjamin like lightning and the hands he had on Shane fell to his sides with head hanging low as the tears started to fall. The crack of his voice sent a jolt through my system making me endure his pain.

The death of his daughter took a massive hit at him and he tried to convince himself that I could replace her. But it gave him no right to take me away from my parents and put me in an orphanage.

Shane let go of Benjamin when he started crying and stepped back. I slipped my hand into Shane's hand wanting to comfort him, knowing what this was doing to him.

He looked at me and let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. He planted a kiss on top of my head and steered me out of the room.

It's never the people who are our enemies that hurt us but the people we love. We were looking at the wrong people to accuse for our heartbreak but it was a broken man who lost his daughter that caused us so much pain.

The truth always finds a way to come alight. It took seventeen years for the truth to lead me back to my parents. I won't change anything from my past or my cicumstances. It forged me into a strong-willed woman, not living in her father's shadow.

People will look at me as Zoey Martin, daughter of the famous quarterback Shane Martin. They will forever speculate on my skill and talent. They will pretend that they know me but they will never truly know me.

Angela waited for us at the bottom of the stairs with my team. Eliza was sniffling tears as the mystery finally got solved. She embraced me and the harsh veracity finally caught up with me. I cried in her arms, not because I was sad but because I was happy.

We beat the system. We defeated the tragedy by following our dreams. We beat the desperate measures of listening to bullies telling us that our future will exist in the same poverty we grew up with. That nobody will love us. But here we stood in a house filled with people who loved us.

It was a sad ending for Benjamin and his family. I felt bad for his son and wife, having to see Benjamin go to jail for taking me away from my parents.

I looked at Duncan when I met him outside. I smiled at him knowing with certainty that things will look up. I've found him in this tragedy and not only did he give me strength to fight the monsters in my dreams. But he showed me that it is worth it to chase my football dreams.