“Smoke, report.”
Kong’s voice broke through his thoughts. He instinctively tuned into what was going on. Sometimes training just took over.
“I’m just about to her floor. I haven’t seen anything yet. If you guys haven’t seen him then he has to be up here.”
“Still no sign,” Ricochet reported.
Boomer could see him strutting down the street like he belonged there. Kong brought up the rear about half a block away. Behind him two women dressed in high heels and short skirts giggled and looked him up and down. Boomer chuckled.
“I’m on her floor now. No sign of anyone. Wait.”
The radio went silent. Boomer kept his eyes on Ricochet and Kong. Rico pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pretended to talk on it while he leaned against the building. Kong walked past him and headed straight for the car where he was standing.
“Report,” Kong said into the radio.
“I hear yelling coming from one of the apartments,” Sam whispered.
“Is it hers?” Boomer’s heart was racing. If Parker was inside they were both in danger. Hannah didn’t stand a chance against a man who might be armed.
“Yeah, it’s hers.”
Boomer moved away from the car. Kong grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.
“Can you hear what they’re saying?” Kong asked over the radio.
“Oh man, Kong, I have to get in there.”
They could all hear Parker over Sam’s radio like he was standing right next to her. Boomer’s muscles bunched ready to take off. He couldn’t let anything happen to Raya.
“Okay, Smoke. You go in, engage only if necessary. Don’t blow your cover and don’t let Hannah blow it. Keep your radio open. I want to hear everything.”
“Roger.”
Boomer listened intently. Sam knocked hard on the door a few times and then banged her fist hard.
“Hey Hannah, it’s me Sam. I thought we had plans for the night? What’s going on?”
The shouting stopped. “I hear movement,” Sam whispered into her radio.
“Hannah, I know you’re in there. The whole damn floor can hear the yelling. I think your neighbor is calling the police. I saw her peeking through her door with the phone.”
Boomer held his breath. That should have been enough to scare Parker and make him run.
“Oh shit,” Sam gasped in her radio.
“Smoke, report. What’s happening?”
Boomer began to pace. Something was wrong. His heart beat so hard he couldn’t breathe. Every nerve in his body sparked, ready to react.
“I heard her cry out. I’m going in.”
“Hold your position, Boomer. Smoke can handle it.”
Kong anticipated his reactions and stood in front of him as he spoke.
“Hannah, honey are you okay?”
The next thing they heard was the splintering of wood as Sam kicked the door in.
“What the hell? Hannah, who is this guy? I thought we were going out tonight? If you made other plans you should have call me.”
Boomer could hear Hannah’s shaky voice in the background. “I’m sorry, Sam. You’re right, I should have called.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Parker’s voice slimed across the radio.
The hair on the back of Boomer’s neck and arms stood on end. There was danger in that voice. Anger began to simmer in the pit of his stomach.
“Who the fuck are you?” Sam responded in a sassy tone. “And just what do you think you’re doing with my friend in a choke hold? I don’t take to kindly to that shit.”
“Fuck,” Boomer growled between his teeth.
“What are you going to do about it, bitch?” Parker sneered.
“Un-uh, you didn’t just call me a bitch. I ain’t no one’s bitch.”
“Don’t push him too hard, Sam. We don’t want the cops coming,” Kong warned.
“Reed, don’t, just leave,” Hannah pleaded in the background.
Boomer could hear the fear in her voice and it cut through him like a knife.
The sound of flesh smacking flesh echoed over the radio, Hannah’s gasping scream tore a hole in him. He threw his hands in the air, growled like a wild animal and began walking toward the building.
“Rico, I need your help. The big guy’s on the war path.”
Boomer stormed up the street. Ricochet stepped in front of him, Kong positioned himself behind him and Sam was threatening to kick ass over the radio.
“You piece of…” Sam snarled.
The sound of a large, heavy object crashing to the floor jolted the three of them. Ricochet chuckled, Kong smiled and Boomer just stared at them with his jaw clenched.
“Now ya know what it feels like to be hit by someone stronger than you. Get your worthless ass outta here before I feel the need to do it again.”
Boomer heard the sound of feet pounding the floor.
“He’s on his way toward you guys,” Sam informed them.
“Is Hannah okay? Is Raya okay?” Boomer questioned as the three of them made tracks away from the building.
“Come on Hannah, sit down. Breathe, honey, nice slow breaths. He’s gone. Let me see your face. That’s gonna leave a bad bruise, honey. Where’s Raya?”
“She’s in her room hiding. I told her not to come out until I came and got her.”
Boomer swallowed hard as sweat trickled down the side of his face.
“I’ll go get her. You get some ice and put it on your face.”
“Sam, thank you,” Hannah cried.
Parker rushed from the building, crossed the street and jumped in a car. When he tore out into the road, Boomer left out for the building. He had to see for himself they were all right. Kong and Ricochet followed close on his heels.
“We’re on our way up, Sam.”
“Don’t come crashing in here. I don’t want you to scare Raya. She’s gonna be confused as it is.”
“Roger that. Boomer you copy?”
He couldn’t answer. He was too focused on the stairs ahead of him. This was all a nightmare. As he entered the hall that led to Hannah’s apartment he slowed. Sam was right. Running in there would frighten Raya. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
He approached the broken door and heard Hannah inside whimpering. The sound was impossible to ignore. He rushed through and stopped in his tracks. Hannah was sitting on the couch, her hair mused, her sweater ripped, tears poured down her pale face and a large, bright red mark spread across her cheek.
“She’s okay, Boomer, just a little shaken up,” Sam said from the corner of the room where she held Raya.
Hannah looked up and quickly looked away. She whisked the tears from face with the back of her hand and sat up straight. With shaking hands she tried to fix her hair and tugged at her sweater. Her attitude changed immediately when she saw him. Right before his eyes she transformed from victim to callous and calculating.
The tenderness, worry and need to hold her in his arms melted away replaced by the anger he felt earlier in the day. He looked toward Raya who was clinging to Sam. This was the real victim and the one who deserved his attention.
“Hey Sunshine,” he signed. “Are you okay?” When she only nodded her head and tightened her grip on Sam he knew she was scared. He knelt down and opened his arms. Raya jumped from Sam’s lap and threw herself at him.
The two of them held onto each other. He wanted to scoop her up and take her away from all of this, give her a safe and secure life. But he had no right to her.
He gently pushed her away. “It’s going to be all right. Your mom’s going to be all right,” he told her.
“No one will tell me what happened. Mommy told me to stay in my room and hide. So I did.”
“That’s a good girl. You did the right thing.”
“They told me I’d be okay so I wasn’t worried.”
“Who told you?” Kong asked.
“The people who talk to me inside my head.”
Boomer looked over
her head and up at Sam. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. A small smile spread across her lips and when she opened her eyes she nodded her head.
“You keep listening to those people. They’ll help you when you need them.”
“You’re going to stay aren’t you?” she signed. “Mommy is really scared and it looks like someone hurt her. She needs you to protect her.”
He was about to respond to her when Hannah crossed the room, laid her hand on Raya’s shoulder and pulled her away from Boomer. She crouched down in front of her signing and speaking at the same time.
“I’m okay, Raya. I don’t need anyone to protect me. We’ll both be fine as long as we stick together like we always have.”
Boomer scowled.
“But—” Raya started.
“No buts,” Hannah cut in. “You have school tomorrow and I have to get back to work. Off to bed with you.” When Raya lifted her hands to protest Hannah took them in hers and kissed them. “Say goodnight to everyone and I’ll be back to tuck you in.”
With a defeated sigh Raya turned and signed good night to them. Boomer hugged her one last time, tweaked her button nose and watch as she slowly walked back to her bedroom. When she was gone he turned his sight on Hannah.
“What did he want?” he snarled.
“Boomer, you help Ricochet and Kong fix the door. I’ll talk with Hannah.”
“Yeah come on, buddy, Sam did a hell of job on this door. It’s gonna take some work to get everythin’ back the way it should be,” Ricochet said slapping him on the back.
Boomer knew what they were doing. They didn’t want him talking to her and when he had time to think about it he’d realize it made sense. His mood was too foul to hold any type of reasonable conversation with anyone.
As he, Ricochet and Kong did their best to rig the door for the night, Sam sat and talked with Hannah. Boomer tuned his ears to catch as much of the conversation as he could. Occasionally Kong would ask his own questions but he stayed out of it.
“Did he say why he came here tonight?” Sam asked.
“He said the way I walked out on him seven years ago was bullshit and that it was time I pay for making him look like a fool. Since he had business in town he thought he’d right the situation. I don’t understand how he found me,” Hannah said rubbing her sore cheek.
“All it takes is a few strokes of the keyboard and you can find just about anyone these days,” Sam said trying to console her.
“Why now? After all these years why look me up now?”
“I don’t know. I can speculate that he didn’t really care for the most part. Then he was recruited into this cell he’s working for. The people he runs with don’t hold much regard for women. I’m sure they’ve loaded his head with crap making him feel like he’s the most important thing on this earth. He thinks about all the so-called injustices in his life and decides to have a little payback before he martyrs himself.”
“I don’t understand it,” Hannah said shaking her head.
“I know what you mean,” Sam agreed.
“Did he say anything about his business?” Kong asked.
“He said something about tying up loose ends and that I should do the same. The day to answer for my insolence was soon and that we’d depart this world together and face our judgment.”
Boomer froze in place. His blood ran like ice through his veins. Everyone else in the room stilled as well.
“Did he say anything about Raya?” Sam asked.
“No.”
That didn’t mean anything. Parker’s focus was on Hannah, Raya was just icing on the cake. Why else would he go to that school in the first place, if not to wipe away any part of him that would remain?
“You should stay here for the next few days, Hannah. We’ll have your place watched,” Sam suggested.
“I have to go to work. I’ve been off too long, I can’t afford to lose my job.”
“This isn’t the time to play the hero, Hannah. This guy is dangerous, he means to kill. He’s proven that once already.” Kong told her.
Boomer watched her from the corner of his eye. She stood up and began to pace. He could tell she was thinking and hoped she thought about Raya before she thought about herself. It was time for her to step up and do the right thing.
“Okay.”
Boomer felt a rush of relief wash through him.
“Good. I’ll call you a couple of times a day and check in. If you think anything is hinky, anything at all you tell me and we’ll check it out. If you need anything I’ll get it for you and bring it.”
“I can’t leave the apartment at all?”
“I’m sorry but no. Not until this whole thing is over.”
Kong walked over and put his arm around Sam. “The door will hold for tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll have someone come and fix it properly. W&S will pay for it.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll pay for it.”
Boomer snorted drawing a glare from Ricochet.
“I certainly don’t want to be accused of using you guys for personal gain,” Hannah snapped looking toward Boomer. “I’ve paid my way most of my life, I’ll continue to do it.”
“Who ya gonna dance for to pay for it if you can’t leave the apartment?”
“That was uncalled for,” Kong growled shooting him a deadly look.
“It’s okay, Mark. I’ve had worse insults hurled at me. Someone told me once that we all do things we aren’t proud of but it makes us who we are. Dancing made me independent, financially and mentally. And in a roundabout way if it weren’t for that job I wouldn’t have Raya. Regardless of who her father is, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me and she’s my entire world. I can take underhanded insults because at the end of the day it’s her smiling face that makes it all worthwhile.”
God, he’d never felt so low in his life. He’d let his anger take over his common sense and his mouth ran without thinking. What was wrong with him? He had never intentionally hurt someone like that before. In a twisted way he was proud of her for coming back with such an intelligent response.
He was a mess. His insides twisted and churned, his head hurt and he was exhausted. The last time he was this screwed up he joined the military.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” Sam asked.
“No thank you. I think we’ll be fine.”
“Then we’ll let you get some rest. Keep ice on that cheek so it doesn’t swell. If you need anything give me a call.” Sam handed her a card and then hugged her.
Ricochet, Kong and Sam walked to the door. Boomer couldn’t make his legs move. Even though he was angry and on the verge of hating her he couldn’t bring himself to leave her. Not when she was being so damn brave and vulnerable at the same time.
Their gazes locked for several seconds. As was her habit emotions ran rampant across her face. Silently he named them— defiance, fear, strength, sorrow and the one that tugged at his heart hard enough to weaken his knees, a silent plea for acceptance.
It was too much. The confusion of feelings bubbling inside him was frustrating. He turned his back on her and left. Anger he could deal with but not this. He couldn’t name this mishmash of turmoil.
When he reached the car Kong and Sam were sitting inside holding a heated conversation. He could tell by the way Kong’s hands were flailing in the air and Sam’s mouth was running ninety miles an hour. Ricochet was outside leaning against the car with his arms folded over his chest against the chill of the night.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Don’t ask,” Rico replied and opened the door. “Do yourself a favor and keep your mouth closed on the way back,” he said before sliding in.
Okay they were pissed because of his comment to Hannah. That was cool, he wasn’t exactly happy with himself either. He climbed in the car and closed the door in time for Kong to peel away from the curb. Everyone was quiet the fifteen minutes it took to get back to the hotel. Kong pulled into the parking lot and slamme
d on the brakes, jolting everyone forward. Boomer jumped from the car and stormed across the parking lot.
“Sam.”
He heard Kong’s warning tone behind him along with the sound of running feet. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he didn’t want to deal with anymore fighting tonight. When his arm was jerked hard he spun around.
“Ya know, I thought you were a better person than that, Ben.”
Sam was boring her eyes deep into him. He couldn’t do this, not now.
“Stay out of it, Sam.” He turned and took a step, stopped by her hand again.
“No I won’t stay out of it. You didn’t see what I saw when I went into that apartment tonight. You didn’t see the fear in her eyes.”
“She should have thought about when she was keeping that vital bit of information from us, from me,” he yelled into the night.
“What, you walk on water now? Are you the only person in this world who hasn’t been afraid to bring up your past for some reason? Look out world here comes the high and mighty Ben Campbell.”
Everything that had been churning and simmering inside him during the day came to a boil. It bubbled up, consuming him. The pain and heartache, the betrayal and the fact that he still wanted her after what she’d done to him. It rose from his toes erupting into the night.
“I was honest with her. I told her everything there was to know. She withheld a very important truth from me. She used me. It’s not my fault she’s allowing her daughter to be around a creep like Parker.” God, his thoughts were jumbled.
“That creep doesn’t even know that little girl exists,” Sam ground out between her teeth. “That’s right. If you had stuck around you would have heard the story but as far as you’re concerned she doesn’t deserve your precious time to explain it.”
Boomer turned around and started walking toward the hotel. “I don’t want to hear it,” he huffed.
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