by Mimi Milan
“What?!”
Surely the man’s bellow had been heard by half the neighborhood.
“What do you mean she’s your wife? Why would you go and do a fool thing like that? I mean, look at the girl. Oh, wait a minute. That’s right – you can’t. Do you know what she is?”
Rhett dropped his hold on Luciana. His hands balled into two fists. He grounded out his response between clenched teeth. “I most certainly do know what she is… My wife.”
His father took two long steps and closed the distance between them. They were so close they almost touched. He brought his face near to Rhett and let out a growl. “Boy, the Marshalls don’t mix.”
Luciana gasped.
Rhett’s nose flared. His face turned bright with anger. “If I was the man I used to be, I’d knock you square as the day is long on a desert drill.”
His father took a step back. “If you were the man you used to be, you would’ve never made such a stupid mistake.”
Rhett sniffed.
“Wow. And I thought I was the blind one.” He reached out for Luciana and she quickly grabbed hold of him. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Whatever you say, cariño.”
Hand in hand, the pair turned to leave.
“Wait,” Clark called out. “What about Caitlin?”
Rhett stiffened. He stood very still for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality had been no more than a few seconds. Luciana ran a tender hand down his arm.
“How about we drive around and look for her,” she offered.
He nodded his agreement.
“That’s a good idea,” Clark said. “You know all the places she likes to hang out same as me, Rhett. Y’all can go towards the east side of town. Dad and I will head west. Right, pa?”
His father gave a firm nod.
Mrs. Marshall quickly walked over to her purse and snatched it up. She dug around in it until she found her cell phone. “And I’ll be right here, calling the Sherriff and waiting for their arrival… or her. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be home any minute.”
A look of doubt passed the Marshall men’s faces, but no one dared to dispute the woman’s wishful thinking. She punched in the numbers for 9-1-1 and then placed the phone to her ear, silently mouthing the words ‘thank you’ to Luciana.
Luciana gave her a thin smile and turned to leave with Rhett. Making their way to her car, they climbed in.
“So where to?” she asked.
“Wait. Before we get into all that, there’s something I want to say.” He twisted in his seat. Slowly reaching out, he placed a hand on either side of her face. “I want to apologize for what my father said in there. His thinking is old and backwards and most certainly not how this Marshall believes.”
“I know.” She gently pulled his hands from his face, kissing one palm and then the other before releasing him. “I don’t think you were so desperate that you would’ve married me if that was the way you felt about interracial couples.”
“Thank you,” he said and sat back in his seat.
“You’re welcome. Now where to?”
“First, the house.”
“Your home?”
“Our home.”
She smiled. “Okay. To our home. Why? Do you think she would’ve returned?”
“No. However, Bear is there and we can’t leave him alone for that long.”
Luciana slapped her forehead. How could she forget about the small rescue that Rhett had left him behind? He had reasoned it would only be a short visit to his parents – an hour at most – and that the poor pooch could use some rest after all the wedding activity. The unfamiliar setting and excess people had kept him barking until he was worn to a frazzle. It made sense to let him have a rest since Luciana was around to help Rhett. Of course, Bear would always be his service dog. At least, he would be once he was trained. But for Luciana, he was more like the furry family she hadn’t even known she longed for.
They arrived a little over ten minutes later at the house. She jumped out, collected the dog, and returned.
“Okay. Where are we heading?”
Rhett gave her a verbal list of where they would go to search for his sister. The stopped at the mall, the football field behind the school, and several other locations. They had no luck tracking Caitlin down, so they called his parents and learned that the Sheriff had stopped by, but the sister was still missing.
“Is there anywhere else – anywhere at all – where you think she might have gone?”
Rhett released a tired sigh and ran his hands down his face. He suddenly stopped and sat up a little straighter.
“The lake.”
“The lake?”
“Yeah. A lot of the kids like to go down to this one spot near the lake. It’s where a movie scene was once filmed. Sometimes the kids like to see if they can reenact it.”
Luciana nodded. “Okay. We’re going to the lake.”
They drove in silence until they reached the spot Rhett had described.
“Do you see anyone?”
“No,” Luciana answered. “But the car is here. So is a truck.”
Rhett exhaled loudly, his body slumping with relief. “Thank God. If the car is here, then so is she. I’m sure we’ll find her in no time.”
The couple climbed out of the car, Bear following close behind. Rhett called out his sister’s name. Luciana joined in.
“What does the truck look like,” he asked.
“Some big, black dually with flames painted on the side.”
“Yeah, that belongs to some kid named Tommy that she’s been running around with. A real spoiled type whose daddy is richer than dirt.”
“Guess that explains the nice truck.”
“That and the fact he’s the star quarterback. He can have whatever he likes so’s long as he takes the Eagles to the championship.”
“Well, at least we know she’s fine.”
Rhett shook his head. “Not necessarily. You can never tell what these kids are up to nowadays. Maybe we should split up. We’d find them faster that way.”
Luciana wasn’t entirely sure she liked that idea. “I don’t want to be some over-protective nag, but are you sure that’s a good plan?”
He smiled. “You feel like you have to protect me?”
She shrugged. “A little, I guess.”
“After everything I’ve seen on the battlefield? Trust me. I can take care of myself just fine.”
“Sure, maybe you could back then. But that was before you went bli—”
The word died on her tongue when he stilled, his face drawing a blank.
“You think I need someone to take care of me?” His face hardened. “You think I can’t even manage my way around a lake I visited every summer for nearly three decades? I can’t do that even with a service dog beside me?”
She cringed, but stood her ground. “I think you can do those things, but that you could do them even easier with some help. That’s why you asked me to marry you. Remember?”
“No,” he said. “Your aunt had the crazy idea of you getting married because you didn’t want to end up as some illegal, or shipped back home before you were ready… and I saw it as an opportunity to get my parents off my back.”
The words struck her hard. She fumed.
“Oh, really? That’s the only reason?” Anger laced each measured word. “Maybe you should have just ‘manned up’ and told them to back off. Then you would have been free to marry any woman you want. God knows you have them lining up, banging down the door to get to you. Eh?”
His face hardened, but only for a moment. He let out a slow exhale. “Why are we fighting?”
“I don’t know!” She threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t see your sister anywhere; she isn’t answering our calls… I just don’t think you should be going out on your own right now. I have a bad feeling about all this.”
Hands stretched out before him, he tenderly approached her. When he was close enough to touch, she clasped his hands.
He nodded in agreement. “Okay. We’ll do things your way.”
“Thank you.” She leaned in and gave him a light peck on the check, coaxing a smile out of him. “Now which trail should we take?”
Rhett told her about the various trails that surrounded the lake, and where each one led. “I think we should take the third trail. It’s both the smoothest and most scenic. So most people tend to travel that one.”
Together they made their way down the trail.
“This place is gorgeous,” Luciana said. “I would have had the wedding here if I had known about it.”
“So… what you’re saying is you’d marry me again?”
“I don’t know. It would depend on how many women I’d have to fight past to get your attention.”
He clucked his tongue at her. “You know I don’t have any other ladies in my life. Aside from my mother and sister, that is.”
Luciana grew serious again. “Who we still have yet to find. Are you sure she would’ve come this way.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure of anything when it comes to Caitlin anymore. Ever since she started hanging out with those—”
A blood curdling scream startled them both. Rhett blanched.
“I’m positive that was Caitlin.”
“Come on,” Luciana said.
She tugged on his arm in the direction of the scream, taking them off the trail. Bear raced beside them. They came to the end of a grove of tall oaks, a small clearing for a picnic area lying ahead. Luciana stopped when she saw the group of teens and ducked behind one thick trunk. She quickly pulled Rhett close to her.
“What’s going on?”
“Shhh,” she hissed. “Some guy – looks like a kid – has a girl thrown over his shoulder and is carrying her. She looks all limp like she’s asleep or something.”
“Caitlin?”
“No. Looks like she’s trying to push the guy back like she doesn’t want him to leave.”
Rhett began to step out from around the tree. Luciana quickly latched onto him. “What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m going down there and breaking up whatever’s going on.”
“Mira. I know you think you’re invincible, but you can’t go charging in there like Rambo or something. You don’t even know the situation.”
“Lucy, please. We’ve been through this. Nothing’s going to happen with three kids – especially when one’s passed out or something, and the other one is my sister. Besides, they might need help.”
“They need help alright,” she mumbled. However, seeing his determination and reasoning that he was probably right, she once again took him by the hand and led him out into the clearing.
“Excuse me,” she called. “Aren’t you Caitlin?”
The guy carrying the other girl over his shoulder began to back away.
“No, Tommy! You can’t just leave,” Caitlin screamed and grabbed hold of the boy’s shirt. He continued to walk away, dragging her with him as she clung on. “Somebody help me!”
Rhett raced forward, trying hard not to stumble over the uneven ground littered with rocks and twigs. Bear raced alongside him. Luciana followed them, helping guide Rhett to his sister as best she could with both hands on his back to steady him.
“What’s going on here?” Luciana asked as they approached the trio.
The young man pushed past Caitlin, who raced up to her brother. She grabbed hold of him. “You have to help me. We’re in so much trouble.”
“Why? What happened, Cait?”
“We were all drinking last night – Lily, Tommy, and me – and I called Clark because I wasn’t feeling too good. But then I got up this morning and Lily wouldn’t answer my texts. So I grabbed Clark’s keys and came down here to see if Tommy had brought her home, and they were both passed out. I tried waking up Lily, but she wouldn’t come to. So I woke up Tommy instead, thinking he could help me.”
Her voice cracked and she began to sob.
Rhett pulled her close in a reassuring hug. “Calm down, calm down. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“No it won’t! Tommy said she’s dead and it’s our fault and we’ll go to jail unless we hide the body.”
Luciana gasped.
“What? Esta bien loco!” She looked up and spotted the teen, Tommy, already making his way back through the woods. “Hey, you crazy kid! What do you think you’re doing? Put that girl down!”
She left a sobbing Caitlin beside her brother and ran after Tommy’s retreating form. Stepping into his path, she pointed a finger at him and yelled, “I said put her down now!”
“Get the hell out of my way, lady.”
He slurred and tried to walk around Luciana. She continued to block his path, putting a hand up and pushing against his chest. The kid stepped back, gave her a menacing look, and then backhanded her in the face. Luciana fell and Tommy stumbled onward.
She got up again. “Is that all you’ve got?”
It was like the words had bounced right off him, though. Tommy continued, nearly tripping and finding his footing again.
Luciana stared at him, fuming. Rhett and Caitlin joined her side.
“He said he was going to throw her in the lake,” Caitlin said. “That way it would look like she drowned.”
“Stupid kid!” Luciana threw a punch in the air. “She probably has alcohol poisoning. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he does, too. I don’t think he even knows what he’s doing. They both need to go to the hospital.”
“Call 9-1-1,” Rhett instructed Caitlin. “Tell them we need both an ambulance and police. Then go straight to the car, get in it, and lock the doors. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Lucy, if Tommy throws that girl in the water—”
“I know, I know.” Luciana shuddered at the thought of the girl drowning in her sleep. “We have to stop him.”
Rhett held out his hand. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Ten
“Where’s he heading,” Rhett asked Luciana as they carefully picked through the woods behind the teen. The warmth of the sun hit his face and he knew the trees were thinning out.
“He’s really going to do it.” Frantic, she said the thing he feared most. “He’s walking towards the lake.”
Rhett knew he could talk some sense in the boy – if he’d just stop long enough to listen. He also knew he could take him down if he got close enough. How was he going to do that, though? For the first time in a long while, Rhett wished he could see again. Despite the risks involved, he should have gone through the surgery. Then he wouldn’t be in this mess – none of them would be.
The crunch of leaves under their feet died off, the ground leveling as they entered the clearing to the lake.
“Tommy,” he called after the troubled teen. “You’re making a big mistake.”
Of course, there was no response. Rhett stopped, tugging on Luciana. “I need you to do something brave.”
“What does that mean?”
“Look, I know now I’m not as tough as I used to be, but we need to restrain him until the police get here somehow. I can do that, but not alone – and definitely not in the water. So, I need you to tackle him before he gets to the lake.”
“I need to what?”
Rhett sighed. “Please, Lucy. We don’t have much time. Just pretend you’re playing football. Run full force, wrap your arms around his waist, and fall. Then start yelling for me and I’ll follow the sound of your voice.”
“Okay,” she replied nervously. Then she let go, the sound of her feet dying in the soft grass as she got further away.
“Rhett!”
He followed the sound of her frantic voice calling, making his way as quickly as possible, slightly impeded by Bear’s bark which confused his sense of direction. He continued pressing on in the direction he thought she was, though. There were a few deep grunts as he bent forward and reached out to feel the struggling duo. The back he touched was too wide to be hers, and he knew Tommy had her p
inned to the ground. So the leg that had just kicked him had to be hers. Meaning the teen was sitting on top of her.
Something hard hit him in the face and sent his mind reeling. He grabbed for it and latched onto the boy’s arm.
“Tommy!” He yanked the boy backwards and off of Luciana. Another blow landed on the other side of his face. Taking the hit, he grabbed for that arm too. Then he stepped in close until their bodies were touching so he could wrap his arms around the teen. Anticipating what would happen next, he lowered his head just as Tommy tried to butt him. It hurt, but not as much as it must have for the teen who suddenly went limp in his arms.
“Is he dead?” Luciana asked.
“No,” he said. “But I’m sure he’ll wish he was when he wakes up.”
The wail of sirens raced towards them. Tommy grew heavier in Rhett’s arms. He slowly dropped to one knee and laid the teen on the ground, Luciana helping. Latching onto her, he stood again. Tires squealed into the parking lot at the same moment, the sirens dying out.
“It’s the ambulance,” Luciana said.
“I know.”
“How do you know? Because of the way the siren sounds?”
“That and the flashing lights.”
“Flashing lights?” Her voice escalated with excitement. “You can see the lights?”
He quickly shook his head, wishful that he could. “No, but I can make out certain things because of shadows. Blue is too dark. So I wouldn’t be able to see the lights of a police cruiser in daylight. However, red is so bright that I can detect the flashing regardless of the surroundings. It’s like closing your eyes and turning your head towards the sun. The back of your lids suddenly light up.”
“Wow. I never even knew that was possible. How long have you been able to see the shadows?”
He didn’t really like talking about it, but shrugged. It was important to be honest about things if they were going to make this relationship work. His voice grew soft. “Since the rooftop mortar attack that took my sight to begin with.”
“Rhett, that must have been—”
“Were you the ones who called for assistance?”
Rhett nodded at the paramedic who had interrupted them, but it was Luciana who answered what she could of the his questions before a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot, more sirens slowly dying as both drunk teens were wheeled away.
