Touched by an Angel (Angel Paws Rescue Book 2)

by Mimi Milan

  “That one yours?” An officer asked the EMTs.

  “Yep. Looks like he blacked out. Gonna take them both in for alcohol poisoning, though I don’t know if there’s anything we can do for the girl now.”

  “Alright. We’ll talk to the witnesses. Thanks for your help.”

  Cops always made Luciana nervous. Maybe it was because of all the horror stories she heard about them. From bad reports on the nightly news to campus encounters students whispered about, the police were something to be wary of if you fell into “unfavorable” categories. Luciana knew they weren’t ones that she should have to worry about, though. She wasn’t a criminal. Yet the fact that she was a dark Dominican smothered her thoughts like a heavy blanket. Would it be like back home on the island? She had already experienced a strong dose of prejudice earlier that morning when Rhett’s father learned she was married to his son. The words played in her mind like a broken record, stuck on the one moment she couldn’t forget.

  The Marshalls don’t mix.

  She cracked her knuckles – a bad habit she thought she had overcome long ago – as nerves coiled in the pit of her stomach like a sack of snakes. She crossed her arms in front of her middle in an attempt to stop fidgeting.

  “The police are coming,” she told Rhett.

  “Great. I’ve got an earful for them,” he confidently spoke. “For the longest time I’ve thought there should be a regular watch up here, but it’s always been voted down at the town meetings. Maybe now they’ll take things a little more seriously – especially if there’s an officer I can convince to speak up.”

  The idea sounded good in theory, but she wasn’t convinced he would persuade these officers as easily as he hoped. While the one looked somewhat amiable, the other – older and heavier – walked with far too much swagger. That one followed the paramedic, still talking to him about the EMT’s take on the incident despite the fact that the man was obviously eager to leave. Part of her wanted to yell that there were two sick kids to get to the hospital. The other part of her hoped the officer would tag along.

  No such luck, of course. He quickly joined his partner and the duo approached them.

  “Afternoon,” the friendlier, younger officer spoke. “Were you the ones who called for assistance?”

  “Actually, it was my little sister.”

  Luciana was filled with relief when their attention shifted to Rhett. He filled them in on all the details.

  “And what about you?” the second officer focused on her. “You got anything to add to his statement?”

  She shook her head.

  “You got a name?”

  She thought it best to keep her answers short. “Luciana.”

  “Luciana what?”

  “Lopez.”

  The officer glared at her. “You from around here, Ms. Lopez?”

  She shook her head “no” again.

  “You got identification?”

  “Yes, sir.” She became acutely aware of her accent. She cleared her throat and then tried to soften her speech, carefully annunciating each word she spoke. “I have it in my purse.”

  “Where’s that at?”

  “In the car.”

  “Then let’s get it.”

  She clutched onto Rhett as they made their way to the vehicle. The officers followed closely behind. Caitlin emerged from Clark’s stolen car to join them.

  “Are you the sister?” the younger officer asked while Luciana left Rhett’s side to slip into her own vehicle and retrieve her visa. Their conversation drifted away as a dozen different worries plagued her mind. She exited the car and nearly bumped into the older officer.

  “Oh, excuse me.” She quickly handed him the visa overand then squeezed past, back to Rhett. She latched onto him again as the officer informed his partner that he was going to check out her information and paced away, back to the cruiser.

  “Don’t worry.” Rhett assured her. He wrapped an arm around her, whispering in her ear. “Everything’s going to be fine, darling.”

  He’s right, of course. What do you have to worry about? You’ve done nothing wrong. Just stay calm and this will all be over in a minute.

  She continued talking herself down until the officer stepped out of his vehicle again and called over his partner. The friendly officer apologized to Caitlin and excused himself. The two men huddled together, quietly speaking while Luciana’s interrogator motioned to her visa several times. She racked her brain as to what the problem could be. The visa hadn’t expired yet. Of that much she was sure. She wasn’t a thief; didn’t sell drugs…

  Stop! She chided herself. You’re overreacting for nothing.

  The officers approached their group and she held out a hand to accept the visa.

  “Ms. Lopez?” The first officer addressed her as he pulled out a pair of restraints. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come with us.”

  “What?” Her pulse raced as the officer approached her. “Why?”

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Rhett demanded.

  The officer ignored him, addressing Luciana instead.

  “You’ve got an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation, Ms. Lopez.” He began to read her rights as he attempted to cuff her hands.

  “There must be a mistake.” She instinctively pulled away from him and turned, desperate for help. “Rhett?”

  Luciana reached out for him and their hands briefly touched before she was pulled back from his grasp. Now Officer Not-So-Nice had a hold of her. He shoved her towards the police cruiser, pinning her against the car.

  “Don’t you move! Don’t you fu—”

  “Whoa!” His partner raced up to them and yanked him off Luciana. “We’re good here. We’re good. Right?”

  The young officer positioned himself between the two, glancing back at Luciana. There was a pleading look in his eyes. “Lady, please just do as you’re asked.”

  She nodded her consent. It was better to keep the peace and go quietly... or possibly not make it at all.

  “Call my aunt,” she cried out to Rhett as she entered the police car. The door slammed, yet she still made out the muffled “I will” before the officers returned to Rhett. They momentarily spoke with him and his sister. Then the officers climbed into the cruiser and they drove away from the lake, leaving behind Rhett, his sister, and all of Luciana’s hopes for a new start.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rhett sat beside the immigration attorney, impatient and eager for the proceedings to begin. He leaned close to the lawyer.

  “Do you really think this will work?”

  “We’re pulling out all the stops,” the attorney assured him. “If one thing doesn’t work, then we’ll try another. Really, though, I don’t think this will be a big deal.”

  Rhett prayed the man was right. After all, he was charging a small fortune. And for what? It seemed kind of ridiculous that Luciana was in this predicament to begin with.

  For a stupid traffic violation.

  He thought back to all the details the attorney had given him. Apparently, Luciana had a minor speeding infraction when she first came to the States. Busy with school, she and her aunt had hired an attorney to take care of the ticket while Luciana attended her classes. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the “end all and be all” of the matter. The attorney never showed up to speak on his client’s behalf. With no one present to argue her case, a warrant had been issued for Luciana’s arrest.

  A deputy announced the judge’s entry into the courtroom and the attendants all shuffled as they respectfully stood. They sat back down and the proceedings began, defendants being announced one name after another in alphabetical order, their faces supposedly shown on a large television screen since they weren’t actually admitted into the courtroom. He let out a sigh of relief when they finally reached Luciana. A slew of individuals had gone before her – some facing serious drug charges and other outrageous infractions. Yet for one strange reason or another, they still got off. Surely Luciana’s case was bound
to be much easier than any of theirs.

  “Lopez, Luciana.” The deputy called for the next defendant. The charges were read against her – the old traffic violation and…

  Resisting arrest?

  They listened as the officer – a Thomas O’Malley – was brought to the stand. Rhett gritted his teeth when the man explained that he had tried to arrest Ms. Lopez, but “the suspect” fought against him.

  Suspect? Fought?

  A lot of rather unpleasant thoughts swirled around Rhett’s mind. He leaned in close to the attorney and growled, “Isn’t there something you can do?”

  “What do you want me to say?” the attorney whispered back. “It’s true isn’t it? She did resist arrest.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted, “but it wasn’t nearly as dire as he’s making it sound. Anyone in that position would have responded the same. It’s just instinct.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” the attorney explained. He lightly patted Rhett’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mr. Marshall. We’ve got two aces up our sleeves. Remember?”

  Rhett slowly exhaled, then nodded. He’d trust the lawyer to execute their plan.

  The next witness was called and Rhett immediately recognized the name. Michael O’Malley, the young officer following in big daddy’s footsteps. He had a lot to learn if what Caitlin had said was true. While Luciana had gone to fetch her identification, his sister had been entertaining the younger O’Malley’s questions – ones of a much more personal nature. In the short time that they had spoken, Caitlin had learned that the uniform was new to the force and only two years her senior. Oh, yeah… and the job was a stressful, demanding one that left little time for things like finding a good girlfriend.

  Hint, hint.

  Rhett clenched his fist. He didn’t care if the kid was only two years older than Caitlin. He’d have the guy’s badge if he even thought about going near his little sister again. But that was another problem for another day. Right now, he had to focus on what was going on with Luciana. He couldn’t believe the miserable luck that had befallen her – all after saying “I do” to him. She had agreed to be his assistant – his companion, really – and how does he repay her? By introducing her to his messed up family and bringing all their troubles down on her. Well, he wasn’t going to idly stand by and let her carry that kind of burden.

  Rhett’s mind snapped back to what was being said.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” the judge asked Michael O’Malley.

  “Yes, your Honor. I don’t think Ms. Lopez meant any harm.”

  “Can you explain to the court why you think that?”

  “Yes, ma’am. What I mean to say is that I think her reaction was a natural one – especially given the situation.”

  “And what situation was that, Officer O’Malley?”

  “Just all the events of the day and who she is. I mean, she’s a foreigner. So that might have made her a little more wary of us – and by that I mean the police – to begin with. Add on the fact that she took down a guy twice her size to save a girl who couldn’t be saved? Well, I just think it was a crazy situation. I probably would’ve done the same thing if I were her.”

  “Is that all, Officer O’Malley?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Thank you. You may step down.” The judge dismissed him and then addressed the defendant’s side. “Your witness, Mr. Phelps.”

  “That’s us,” Rhett’s attorney whispered to him and then addressed the judge. “Your Honor, I’d like to call the defendant’s husband to the stand, Mr. Rhett Marshall.”

  Rhett slowly stood and opened his walking cane. He was thankful that he hadn’t brought Bear along. With the small dog was still in his training, there was no telling how he would react in a place so far outside his normal environment. Besides, not having Bear played to his advantage. What if the dog didn’t have any trouble leading him? Then there would definitely be no reason for Luciana to stay – and that was the card he wanted to play.

  Though he had a fairly good idea of where he was going, he purposely hesitated. The cane stretched far out before him, he took his time moving it side to side, slowly touching every inch he could before reaching the stand.

  A deputy stood by. “Do you need assistance, sir?”

  Despite his aversion to asking for help, he held out a hand. “Please.”

  The deputy assisted him up the steps. Rhett sat, thanked the man, and then slowly folded his cane once again.

  “Could you please state your name for the court?”

  Rhett felt around for the microphone, leaned forward, and spoke. After being sworn in, he relayed the events as he remembered them for his lawyer who then gave the floor over to the prosecuting attorney.

  “So Ms. Lopez did resist arrest?” the opposition asked.

  Rhett sighed. “I suppose some may see it like that.”

  “But you don’t? See it like that, I mean?”

  “Of course not.” He smirked. “Then again, maybe that’s because I don’t see at all.”

  A moment of silence fell over the court and Rhett knew he had succeeded in making everyone uncomfortable. Maybe now his attorney could begin to unravel the prosecutor’s case.

  “Uh, no more questions, your Honor.”

  The moment he had been waiting for finally came – the scenario that he and Mr. Phelps had rehearsed the whole week long. Between jailhouse visits with Luciana and doctor appointments in case “plan A” didn’t work out, Rhett had prepared one excuse after another as to why Luciana couldn’t leave the country.

  “Mr. Marshall,” his attorney addressed him again. “We’ve all heard the unsubstantiated reasons as to why your wife should be deported. Could you please explain to the courts why you feel it’s pertinent that she remain in the United States?”

  “You mean, besides the fact that she’s my wife and I’m an American?”

  “Yes, sir. Aside from that important fact. In what ways do you believe your wife is an important member of our society?”

  “Well, for one, she’s my guide. She’s literally my eyes. I’m sure everyone here is quite aware of that fact, though. After all, she was the one who took down Tommy.”

  “You didn’t have a hand in it at all?”

  “I did, but only after she led my through the woods while she followed him. Then I had to follow her screams in order to figure out where they were.”

  “And what about your Seeing Eye dog? You do have one, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. However, he’s still in training. The commotion made him more than a little anxious. So he mostly barked.”

  “How can it be that you have a Seeing Eye dog that isn’t fully trained, Mr. Marshall? That seems a little strange.”

  “Yes, sir. However, VA benefits cover only so much and the services in our county are a little less than what you might find in a big city.”

  “I’m sure some would ask why you don’t just move to a big city then.”

  “I didn’t survive Afghanistan just to be told I can’t live in my own hometown. I fought for my country, I’ll fight for my land too.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary, Mr. Marshall. The courts would never ask an American soldier to leave his home, and I’m sure they can see the contribution Ms. Lopez makes to bettering your quality of life.”

  “Objection,” the prosecuting attorney called out.

  “On what grounds?” the judge asked.

  “Mr. Phelps’s did not ask a question, but made a comment that is both suggestive and leading.”

  “Sustained. Mr. Phelps, would you care to rephrase your comment?”

  “No, Your Honor. That’s all.”

  The prosecuting attorney spoke again. “Your Honor, I do have one last question for the witness.”

  “Proceed.”

  “Mr. Marshall,” the prosecuting attorney began. “Aren’t there surgeries for wounded soldiers – surgeries that could possibly help you regain your sight?”

  On t
o Plan B.

  “There are.”

  “Are you not in a position to have one of those surgeries?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. I have one scheduled for later this month.”

  “So once you have the surgery, you’ll be able to see again.”

  “Possibly. There are no guarantees.”

  “Yes, but let’s say you do see again. Would you still be in need of Ms. Lopez’s assistance?”

  “Yes.”

  The attorney obnoxiously snorted. “How so, Mr. Marshall?”

  “I would still need her help during recovery, and recovery times vary depending on the patient.”

  The attorney fell silent for a moment. He cleared his throat. “No further questions, Your Honor.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Marshall. You are dismissed.”

  Rhett once again accepted the deputy’s help and slowly made his way back to his chair beside Mr. Phelps. The attorney patted him on the back and whispered, “You did great.”

  He thought so, too. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see what the judge thought.

  “Mr. Marshall,” she addressed him. “I would like to first start by thanking you for your service to our country. It is because of men and women like you that the rest of us can sleep a little better at night, knowing that we’re safe from the dangers that you and your comrades bravely rush into without any question or hesitation. Honestly, there could never be enough words to express our gratitude for the sacrifices our servicemen and women make.” She let out a small sigh. “Unfortunately, that weighs in very little when it comes to the law.”

  Her words began to blur together. It was like he could hear them, but not actually process what was being said. Something about how they should have applied for a K-1 visa before getting married. Then they could have adjusted her residency status while she was still in the United States. Instead, she would have to return to her country and – after he filed a spousal petition – wait for an invitation from the embassy for an interview. It sounded ridiculous and full of red tape and…