by J. L. Drake
“I’ve been trying to get hold of him, but he’s not answering his phone.”
Cole pulled out his radio. “John, track Manuel Lopez’ phone. I need a location.”
“10-4.”
“We still have John watching her. She just goes to the hospital and then back to her place. She is lying pretty low. Only goes out with the dog and back in,” Cole assured me.
“But you need to call her, Mark.” Savannah handed me my cell phone. “Just check in on her, at least.”
I found her name in my call log and hit dial. A line of sweat broke across my shoulders as it rang.
“Hi, you’ve reached Mia Harper.” Her cheerful voice hit me hard.
“Hey, hon, I just…” I let out a long sigh when I saw Savannah’s expression. “I just wanted to check in and see how you are.” She flicked her hand at me to keep talking. “I miss you, Mia, a lot.”
Savannah looked less than impressed.
“What?”
“Now what?”
I looked at Cole for help, but he pretended to play on his phone. I glanced at Keith for anything.
He shrugged as he popped a cookie in his mouth. “I would have chipped her, but that’s just me.”
Savannah tossed a pillow at him, and he caught it, laughing.
“When is your next assignment?” Savi asked Cole, who looked up when she spoke.
“This Friday.”
“Okay, then.” She looked at me.
“What?”
“Men.” With a sigh, she dropped her arms and hit her legs with a thud. “Go get her. Win her back, fight for what you love.” I blinked at her. “Mark,” she moved in front of me, “Cole fought for me, and look where we are now.” She gave me her famous sweet smile that let you feel how much she cared. “I want you to have what I have. I’m happy, and you should be too. I want my happy, cookie stealing, brother-in-law back.”
“But she said she wanted space, and—”
“It’s been three days. Have you spoken to her at all?”
“Yeah,” I sank into a chair, “I reached out when I arrived at the house. Once after that, but only texting, never on the phone.”
“Go, get her, then. What’s the worst that can happen—?”
“She could reject me!”
“So,” her tone made me look over at her, “don’t let her. Prove you two are right for one another. Convince her it was just your fear that something would happen to her that made you act like such an idiot!”
“This is all very Gone with the Wind for me,” Keith muttered as he stood, but Savannah whirled around and pointed in his direction. “Don’t go far, Keith. You’re next.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you!”
“Run, man.” Cole laughed as he held Savannah’s chin and gave her a long kiss. “God, I love you!” He grinned. “I have work to do. Mark, go get Mia, but I need you Friday.”
I nodded, knowing I couldn’t miss another assignment. Truthfully, I didn’t want to. Keith slipped out the moment Savannah was under Cole’s spell. One kiss from Cole, and she was done.
I wasn’t far behind but decided to take a detour into the kitchen where I snagged a couple of cookies. I had just made it to the top of the stairs when I heard her voice.
“Marcus Carter Lopez.” Abigail stood in her bedroom doorway. “What’s this I hear about you letting Mia go?”
“I didn’t—”
“No excuses, son.” She stepped forward and gave me a hug then turned me toward the door. “I’ll let the chopper know you’ll be ready in thirty.”
Well, I guess that’s that.
The whole way back to North Dakota, I kept in contact with Cole. Manuel’s phone said he was still in North Dakota, but he wasn’t answering. Odd, considering he was so hard up for cash.
***
When I got to the hospital, it was crazy. Apparently, a city bus hit some black ice and ended up in a river. Two dead at the scene, and nine more with serious injuries. The cab driver had filled me in on the way. The noise was incredible.
“Hey!” a man yelled as Alvin went to check the cut on his shoulder. A small pole had been driven into his muscle. “Don’t touch me. I’m not a homo.”
Alvin held his hands up. He looked beyond beat. I wondered if they all had had to pull double shifts because of this accident.
I hurried over just as the guy made another loud comment. I noticed the pole was at an odd angle and might be close to the guy’s spine. I’d seen enough combat injuries to know it was in a bad place. “This guy better be heading to the OR, Alvin, that pole is pretty near the spine.”
“Okay.” Alvin didn’t question he just ran off.
“Pervert!” the guy commented again, looking at the departing Alvin. “I’m not into men!”
I shook my head and leaned over to warn him to shut up when the smell of booze hit me. His beard was full of puke, and his breath stank.
“Lucky for you, I’m not either,” I muttered. I checked no one was looking, and carefully felt along his neck.
“Too many men were put together wrong. They have dicks and want tits.”
Wow.
“You know, pal, statistics show men who are homophobic are actually hiding from their own truth.”
His face flinched, but he shut up for a moment. I looked down and noticed his bloody knuckles.
“You running your mouth on the bus, buddy?”
He gave me a dirty look but didn’t deny it.
I did notice two police officers were hanging out by the door. I scanned the room and picked up on a young man with a pink polo sporting a fat lip and black eye. The pieces of the puzzle immediately dropped into place.
Just as I was about to leave, one of the officers was at my side with cuffs.
“Mr. Tarp, we need to cuff you to the bed until we have all the details of what happened on that bus.”
“The hell you are!” The man attempted to move but screamed out in pain. The officer cuffed the man and stayed by his bed as I left.
Piece of trash.
I finally made it upstairs to her floor. A frazzled Nurse Taylor was handling two phones, talking on one and texting on the other.
“What can I help you with today?” She didn’t look up as I stood at the counter.
“Busy downstairs.”
Her head snapped up, but her normal smile wasn’t there. “Hey, Mark, bad timing, hon.”
“What’s wrong?”
She looked around and was about to say more, but cursed when the phone rang. “Third door on your right.” She pointed behind me.
I didn’t stick around to ask. I just followed her directions…to a door that read ‘Chapel.’
Pushing the heavy door open, I stepped into a dark room where candles pulsed to the hum of the central air.
A huge wooden cross tipped forward from the base. The backlight made the shadow even larger.
I wasn’t overly religious, but I did believe our energy had to go somewhere. I didn’t believe we were meant to live only this life. I thought when this life was up, we just pressed restart and did it again as someone or something else. I didn’t like to dig too deep into the how and why of it. I found my peace in other ways.
A sniff off to the left indicated where she was. Mia sat looking so tiny and staring up at the ceiling.
She jumped when she saw me. She dried her cheeks and let out a long breath.
“Hi,” she whispered as I moved closer. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.”
Her eyes filled with fresh tears as she nodded sadly. Then she let out a silent sob, her shoulders shaking.
“Oh, hon.” I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to me. She sobbed into my shirt. I lowered to the bench and brought her with me. “I’m here.” I rubbed her back, keeping my rhythm while she poured out her pain. The chapel was quiet and cool and peaceful.
“He’s gone,” she said softly.
Kenny. I silently thanked Savi for the timing so
I was able to be here for her right now.
“Oh, Mia, I’m so sorry about Kenny. I was such an idiot before. I know how much you loved him. I know how much you hurt. You know that, right?” I kissed her head.
“I know. I’m sorry too, and so sad, and so tired.” She leaned forward and stared up at the cross. “I can honestly say I’m not sure what to do now. I feel numb inside.”
“It’s the shock.” I cleared my throat and pulled advice from my own history. “It’s hard to see the path you’ll take this far ahead. It’s hard to believe the pain will pass, but it will, slowly, over time. You’ll find your direction.”
She looked up at me as a tear slipped down her cheek. “The moment anyone stepped in between me and Kenny I put up a wall. I’ve been fighting to be with him for so long, against everyone’s advice.” She closed her eyes as more tears leaked out. “I’m sorry I pushed you away.”
I hated to see her hurting. “When does your shift end?”
She checked her watch. “Two hours ago.”
I stood and offered her a hand, and she let me help her up. I started to give her a kiss but stopped right above her lips.
“Is this what you want?” I needed her to know I would not push her.
She slid her hand around my neck and gently pulled me to her. The kiss was slow and soft. I moved my body closer and wrapped my arm around her back, needing to feel her.
She pulled back and rested her forehead on my chest. “Can you take me home?”
My hand found hers, and she slipped her fingers between mine and held on.
We managed to get out of the hospital before anyone spotted her, although Alvin did mouth a ‘Thank you’ to me when he saw us leaving, which was nice.
Once we were in the car, Mia leaned her head against the door and closed her eyes. Poor thing was exhausted.
“When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?” I asked, turning the hot air on her.
She yawned. “Four days ago.”
I cursed under my breath and waved to the security guard who raised the gate as we left the property and headed for her apartment.
Mia wrapped her body around me as we waited inside the elevator.
“You hungry?” My lips brushed her ear. She shook her head.
My phone rang, and I saw it was Cole.
“Lopez.” I gave Mia a sleepy look when she gazed up at me.
“His phone says North Dakota, but his sergeant said he was in New York yesterday. We’ll keep digging. Meanwhile, what’s your plan?”
“Not sure yet.”
“You’re with Mia.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, call me with the details. I’ll pull John back in.”
“Copy that.”
I opened the door to let her go inside first. An odd feeling hit me as I scanned the apartment. Something was off.
“Is the heat in the building turned off?” I asked and moved over to her thermostat. It read 50O F.
“Not that I’m aware of.” She wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. “It’s freezing in here.”
I didn’t want to scare her, so I quietly moved to her bed behind the partition and found her fire escape window was wedged open. I followed the wet puddles to her dresser then to her closet. This must have been how they got in to plant the bone to lure her out of her apartment before. With a look over my shoulder, I saw Mia fill the kettle. With a defensive stance I tugged open the door and flipped on the light.
“Hey, Mia, can you come here, please?”
Her footsteps got louder then stopped when she could see the mess her closet was in.
“Oh, my God.” She looked at me, wide-eyed.
I turned to face her scared expression. “Did you have cash hidden up there? Or anything of any value?”
“Ahh,” she shook her head, “no cash. I have a loose baseboard for that.” She stepped into the walk-in closet and felt around until she found a red little box. “Just this, my father’s watch.”
I stepped back out and noticed her jewelry, crystal vase, and camera were still there.
“I don’t think this was a robbery.” I went back to the window and closed it easily. “I think this was a message.”
“What?” Her voice matched her body language.
“They left everything, left the window open when they could have closed it, and purposely left footprints. Mia, you’re not safe here. Will you please come with me this time? Please?”
Her wide eyes looked around her place as it all sank in. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I questioned and hoped I was right in my feeling.
“Okay, I’ll go wherever with you.”
In two strides, I was in front of her. I wrapped my arms around her body and held on tightly.
We packed, checked in with her neighbor, and headed downstairs to my car. Just as we stepped into the lobby, a guy approached us.
“Hi, Mia.” He smiled and came a bit closer to her than I liked. “Are you off on a trip?”
Mia glanced at me. “Mark, this is the new building manager, Chris.”
I offered my hand but he didn’t take it. Okay…
“Yes,” I answered for her and purposely wrapped my arm around her and kissed her cheek. “A much needed vacation.”
“Nice,” he muttered then opened the door for us. “Have fun and stay safe.”
“Thanks.” She waved as we headed out to my car. I did notice he watched from the lobby.
I explained to Mia on the way to the chopper a bit about what to expect up ahead. Most people would be intimidated about being taken to an unknown destination, but she smiled her trust at me. My heart swelled, and if I hadn’t been so worried, I would have stopped the car and hugged her. A short time later, I pulled the car over and reached behind her seat and placed a contract on her lap.
“I am sorry for this part, Mia, but—”
“It’s okay.” She took the contract and started to read. Once she was finished, she signed it and handed it back. “I understand, Mark, and it is okay. I don’t mind signing.”
I smiled at her and gave her a peck on the side of the head. Then I tucked the paperwork in my bag and moved the car forward and around an old building. “Well, hon,” I grinned at her, “hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
“Why?” She looked around then her hand flew to her stomach when she saw the chopper. “Please tell me you have an Ativan in your bag!”
“How about a stiff drink?” I opened my door, grabbed her bags, and moved around the car to her door. “I’ll let you hold my hand.”
“You always hold my hand.” She smiled but took my hand in a death grip.
“You help ground me.” I shrugged. I didn’t care how I sounded; it was the truth. I tugged her in the direction of the chopper. Its blades, true to its name, were chopping the air into tiny bits.
Her gaze locked onto the pilot’s seat as we took off. I felt bad for her. I had never experienced the kind of fear that seemed to cripple some people. Fear of flying, fear of heights, fear of the dark, none of it ever fazed me, and I was damn glad of it.
Once in the air and on our way, I reached over and unattached the death grip her fingers had on the front of her seat and gave it what I hoped was a comforting squeeze.
“You okay?” My voiced crackled over the speakers.
“Ask me again when my feet are on solid ground.” She grimaced but went back to her deep breathing.
I leaned over, tilted her chin so she’d look at me, and kissed her softly.
“You deal with gunshot wounds, collapsed lungs, and car wrecks, but heights make you freeze.” I laughed.
“Everyone has a fear, Mark,” her eyes narrowed in on mine, “even you.”
With a smirk, I nodded. “I got you.”
“I know,” she said, but her tight smile and white face said otherwise.
I grinned at her. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mia
My finger
s clawed at the five-point harness that, for the life of me, I could not release. I tugged, yanked, and shook the damn thing, but nothing happened. Mark, of course, slipped out of his with ease. He smiled at my fumbling, kissed me, and commented that he rather enjoyed me when I was pissed. I was about to head butt him when he batted my hands away and finally released me from the beast.
Once I was free, I threw myself into his arms and let him lift me to the sweet earth.
His hands went to my elbows as I got my still shaking legs firmed up under me.
“Next time, I think I’ll drive,” I muttered as he laughed. His mood seemed to lighten since we touched down on his stomping grounds. Which was good, because it just sank in that I was about to meet his family.
“Come, let me show you my home.” He beamed with obvious pride. He introduced me to Dell, who smiled at me and winked as he took our bags and followed us down a slippery path. I stopped when we came to a clearing.
“Wow.” I gawked at the specular view of a massive cabin in front of a lake, wedged in between the mountains. I knew this place would be nice but this…this was something else.
“I know, hey!”
I’d never seen him so bubbly.
“Oh, my word!” An older lady with the kindest smile was making a beeline for us. Her hands were up in the air before she even reached us, ready for a hug. “Would you look at you!”
“Mia, this little lady,” he hugged her hard then tucked her under his chin, “is the light of my life and the woman who raised me, Abigail.”
“Mark, put me down, boy, and let me see her!” she admonished him, laughing. I could see the love that surrounded them. I liked her already.
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you.” I smiled and welcomed the hug she wrapped me in.
“We are so pleased you chose to come, Mia. Are you hungry, or maybe you’d like a drink?”
“A drink! Please!” My body definitely needed help to relax. “I think I died a thousand deaths inside that hunk of steel on the way here.” I shuddered, looking back over my shoulder at the thing. “Please tell me we can drive home.”
Abigail laughed as she linked arms with me and walked me to the house. She waited until Mark spoke with Dell, who stood politely waiting next to my bags. “I rode that horrible contraption once, and they never got me in it again.”
