THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW

by Wendy Rosnau

  "You feelin' all right, miss?"

  Kristen nodded. "Jus' fine," she drawled. "Take me to the women's shelter on Carmel Avenue, please. Carmel in Algiers."

  "That's the only Carmel there is, miss. Y'all will be there in fifteen minutes."

  True to his word, fifteen minutes later, Kristen paid the cab driver with the little bit of money she'd found on Margo's dresser. As the cab drove off, she hurried up the stairs to the shelter. She was inside, heading for her old room when she glimpsed the back of a man just turning down the corridor ahead of her—a big man. Her heart in her throat, Kristen hurried to the end of the hall. When she got there, no one was in sight. Thinking she was again overreacting, she reached for the doorknob to her old room. She was ready to burst inside, when common sense returned. What if Amanda was sharing Sister Marian's room? What if this was now someone else's room?

  Kristen took a deep breath, then rapped sharply on the door. She heard footsteps coming toward the door and she tried to relax. The door opened, and there, to her surprise, stood Blu, wearing a scowl. A moment later he said, "I overlooked one thing. You're a good mother. Of course you would want to check on Mandy before she went to bed. My mistake."

  Kristen heard the words, dismissed them as she scanned the empty room. Convinced her daughter was in another room, she demanded, "Where is she?"

  His face was void of emotion. Kristen wrapped her arms around herself and took a step back. "I said, where is—"

  "Sit down, Angel."

  The way he said the words, dread and fear grabbed Kristen by the throat and squeezed. She shook her head, tried to speak. She backed up, tried again to say something.

  She heard Blu swear, then he was moving toward her. "Breathe, dammit, you're going to pass out if you don't."

  He gripped her arms, shook her. Air filled Kristen's lungs as she fought to regain her freedom. He let go, then stepped away from her.

  "You promised me!" Kristen couldn't hold back the tears. "Where's my daughter? Damn you, Blu! Where's Amanda?"

  * * *

  This hadn't been part of his plan, and Blu hated to think of what that meant. Now he would be forced to tell her the truth. He said, "You were suppose to stay at Margo's place. You were—"

  "Where's my daughter?"

  Blu braced himself for the hate that was about to fill her eyes. "Salva has her."

  "Oh, God! Oh, God!"

  As her knees buckled, Blu caught her and eased her down onto the edge of the bed. She bent over holding her stomach, and started to moan. Blu watched, helpless to do anything for her.

  "I knew it. I knew no one would be able to stop him from taking us back. Oh, God. Amanda… He's got Amanda."

  Her pain was sharp, her hate as she gazed up at him was sharper, slicing him into pieces. "I hate you! Hate you!"

  "You have that right." Blu kept his voice steady. "But you can hate me from Margo's house. Right now I've got to get back to the Demon's Eye," he said. "I haven't answered Maland's demand yet, and—"

  "What demand? How dare you do anything without discussing it with me? Haven't you done enough to me? To us?"

  Blu stayed where he was, let her vent.

  Suddenly she was on her feet. "Amanda is my child! My life! My future! Oh, God, he has her."

  She broke down again, and Blu had all he could do to not reach out to her, to hold her. But she would push him away if he did. He knew that there would never be another chance to hold her, to kiss her, or to tell her that he loved her. He'd always wanted to tell her that.

  "I want to see the demand." She stuck out her hand, her pretty brown eyes clouded with tears.

  Blu pulled the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded it, read it with shaky hands. He waited, wasn't surprised when the frown came. She looked up, still scowling. "He wants to trade Amanda for me? I don't understand. It must be some kind of a trick."

  Blu shook his head. "It's no trick. He doesn't want Mandy. Why would he want someone else's child?"

  "What?"

  Blu hadn't planned to tell her anything until she was free of Maland. Now he knew he had no choice. "Your name is Kristie Aldwin. You're nineteen. You'll be twenty next month. July ninth. You grew up on your grandfather's fishing boat near Crawford's Corner. When you were sixteen you were seeing a guy named Benjamin Frank. I believe he's Mandy's father. You were kidnapped off his boat in the middle of a storm. Ben Frank drowned. They found his body. They never found yours."

  He decided to forget about Curt and the role he'd played in Angel's kidnapping for the time being. She was already looking at him as though he'd lost his mind.

  "Salvador Maland is an international slave trader, among other things. But he didn't kidnap you to sell you like the others. With you…" Blu shrugged. "He liked what he saw and decided to make you his. Ironically, he's Taber Denoux's brother—the man I helped put away last year. That's why he had my picture."

  "And Amanda is Ben's baby? You're sure?"

  "I don't have solid proof. But yes, I believe that's true." Blu hesitated, then came clean. "My old boss, Patch, has a lot of contacts in low places. He was able to get the information for me."

  "And he just gave it to you because you asked?"

  Blu didn't answer.

  "Of course not. I'm being naive again, aren't I? You no doubt went out and pounded some poor man's face…" She sucked in her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh, God, you did, didn't you? It was the night you came back to the Nightwing bleeding and in a sour mood."

  Blu didn't deny it, there was no reason.

  "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

  "I planned to give you the files when the time was right."

  "And when was that going to be?" She held up her hand. "Never mind. I've heard enough. I want you out of here. Go!"

  Blu didn't move.

  "I said, go!"

  "So you can do what?"

  "Is my grandfather still alive?"

  "Yes."

  "Then I'll make the trade. Amanda will … will be raised by my grandfather and I'll return to the island. At least my daughter will be free."

  Blu studied her tear-streaked face. "You think I'd let you do that?"

  She glared at him. "This is my choice, not yours. You don't even get a vote. I trusted you once, I won't make that mistake again. I'm going through with Salva's demand. And not you or anyone else can stop me."

  She brushed the tears from her cheeks and set her shoulders—proving to Blu that she was stronger than anyone would ever imagine. "Salva says I'm to be on the wharf at seven tomorrow morning."

  "Angel, I think—"

  "No. You don't get to think anymore, Blu Devil. The demand requires that you accompany me to the wharf. I guess we both know why that is, but it makes no difference. Amanda is the important one in this. When the trade is made, I expect you to honor my wishes and get her to my grandfather. Now go away. I want to be alone."

  * * *

  Chapter 16

  « ^ »

  The sunlight made Angel's hair look like pure silk as she reached the wharf. Blu kept pace with her, his eyes glued on Salvador Maland at the end of the wharf. He counted six men with him—the man on Maland's right held Mandy.

  She looked scared, but unharmed. Blu found himself silently saying a prayer that she would remain that way. "Not so fast," he growled at Angel. "You're walking too damn fast."

  His gaze went back to Salva where he stood in his flowing black pajamas like some exalted king. Blu tried to relax, but he was having a hard time breathing.

  It was time for Angel to hang back and wait. He said, "This is as far as you go for now. If Maland's serious about the trade, he's going to have to send Mandy before he gets you."

  Blu's voice was flat, his throat dry. He stopped alongside Angel and scanned the wharf, dissecting the situation. Maland had chosen a congested wharf to make the exchange. The boats going in and out of port would benefit his escape once he had what he wanted. The trick would be to forc
e him into making a mistake.

  "Don't move from here until you hear me call to you," Blu insisted, then he started walking again. Thirty feet from Maland, he stopped once more. "I hear Taber's got a new profession in Angola," he called to Salva. "All that long hair and those good looks are serving him well."

  He watched Salva's lip curl, watched the man's fist clench. "You got something of mine, Blu Devil. Did you taste it?"

  The question wasn't going to get an answer. Blu said, "You killed Ben Frank."

  "Can you prove it?" Salva laughed. "That storm came up quick. Quicker than any of us expected. Ben could swim, all right. I could have helped him more, I suppose. But I had my hands full holding on to what I'd paid for."

  Blu wouldn't let his anger allow him to lose control. "I'm offering you a new deal. Me for them. You let them both go, and you get me instead."

  The proposition seemed to surprise Salva at first, then it angered him. "You messed with her, didn't you? You got her sugar running through your veins." He was quiet a moment, then he admitted, "Ain't it a rush, having her beneath you? She's heaven and hell, Blu Devil. The best there is, and I should know, right? In my profession I'm a connoisseur."

  Blu kept his emotions masked. "Do we have a deal?"

  "No deal. You can have the brat as soon as I get what's mine."

  Blu knew then that he'd been right. Ben Frank was Mandy's father. "I want the kid on the ground, moving this way," Blu insisted, "or the deal's off."

  Blu saw Salva shift his gaze to where Angel stood. He licked his lips, his thoughts obviously putting together a warped fantasy or some gruesome punishment for her. Suddenly he signaled the man holding Mandy to step forward. "Let's compromise. My man will walk beside her. Keep her in line."

  Blu considered what Maland said. "All right."

  Salva nodded, then said, "You're a dead man, duFray. Know that this isn't over after today. We still have a score to settle. Just you and me."

  Blu was in full agreement. "You're right, Maland. Today is just the beginning of you and me."

  "I'll be waiting on the island. Princess will be waiting, too," he taunted. "But you might not recognize her when you get there."

  "Angel," Blu called. "Start walking."

  The man who held Mandy set her tiny feet on the wharf. When her bright eyes locked on Angel, then on Blu, she cried, "Da," and started to run toward him.

  Her unexpected actions drew Salva's attention, and as Blu took in his enemy's expression, he knew Salva had just realized his error. "She's an imposter," he roared, pointing at Angel.

  A half second later Blu hollered, "Mort, get Mandy."

  The moment the words were out, Mort—wearing a long blond wig—raced to Mandy and scooped her up beneath his arm. As he raced for cover, Salva shouted, "Kill them. Kill them all."

  As Salva's men produced an arsenal of weapons, Blu quickly took out the man who had been holding Mandy. A right to his jaw, and the man lay unconscious on the wharf. Then he was calling out to Salva, challenging him in hopes of distracting his men away from Mort and Mandy. His taunts worked and he suddenly found himself dodging bullets as he raced along the wharf in the opposite direction Mort had gone.

  Blu heard police sirens moving in fast and knew that Jackson Ward was on top of the situation. His backup squads would be saturating the wharf within minutes, and Maland's yacht had probably already been boarded by the coast guard.

  Maland's fury zeroed in on the one man he wanted dead above all else. Half his men had deserted him, but he wasn't retreating himself—his focus was solely on bringing his enemy down.

  Blu was in midair, on his way into the water, when he felt the bullets hit him. It didn't matter, he thought, already resigned to whatever Fate had planned for him. The impact shook him, took him farther into the air, then dropped him.

  The pain was real. Real enough that it should have grabbed his attention, but as Blu hit the water all he was thinking about was that Mandy was safe and that he'd kept his promise to Angel. She was free as a bird now. And he'd accomplished that without putting her anywhere near Salvador Maland.

  * * *

  Kristie Aldwin had watched everything from a distance onboard the Nightwing. She was supposed to be safe at Margo's house with Brodie, but she'd insisted that he take her to the wharf. As she watched the police arrest Salva's men, she recalled the moment she'd seen Mort in his Angel disguise appear on the dock with Blu.

  From a distance Mort had easily passed for her in the blond wig. It was amazing, but with makeup and the right clothes he had become her.

  Never in her wildest dreams had Kristie imagined Blu's plan would work, but he'd given her no choice last night when she'd attempted to strong-arm him into going along with her decision to trade herself for Amanda. Blu had simply swore, then picked her up and handed her to Brodie Hewitt who had been waiting just outside the door, saying, "Take her back to Margo's and this time, dammit, tie her up if you have to."

  That was the only time Blu had touched her. Back at his sister's house, he had explained to her that, yes, he'd set it up to have Amanda kidnapped from the shelter. That Mort, dressed in a blond wig earlier in the day, had escorted her to the shelter for that sole purpose. At that point, Blu told her about her brother, Curt, and how he had sold her to Salva three years ago. Then he'd told her that last night Curt had been the one who had taken Amanda from the shelter and delivered her to Salva. Blu said Curt had actually expected to find her there instead of Amanda because he'd been tricked by Mort's disguise, but when she wasn't there, he had settled for her daughter—as Blu knew he would.

  Kristie snapped out of her musing as Brodie hauled back on the throttle and brought the Nightwing in close to Mort and Amanda. Through her tears, Kristie knew just what to do to rescue her daughter from the river, and she went to work tossing out the life preserver. Once Mort was in the boat and Amanda in Kristie's arms, Brodie had the engine at full throttle once more, in search of Blu.

  Blu… As Amanda clung to her mother, her little teeth chattering, Kristie began to scan the water. Blu's valiant effort to draw the gunfire away from her daughter flashed before her eyes, and she again found herself crying. Dread swept over her, along with an enormous amount of guilt for the things she'd said to him last night. She wanted to take them all back, to ask him to forgive her. Was it too late?

  They neared the wharf. Kristie could see Salva wrestling with two policemen as they cuffed his hands behind his back. As if some powerful force struck him, he stopped his struggle and turned his head toward the water. His furious gaze found her quickly, and for an instant a strange kind of anguish swept his eyes. Anguish over what he'd lost—was that what she was seeing? Kristie believed it was. And it was then she decided, that in a crazy, bizarre way she would never understand, Salvador Maland had loved her.

  A violent chill swept over her with the realization, and she hugged Amanda closer. The radio squawked. Kristie turned, watched Brodie pick up the receiver and speak into it. She watched as his face grimaced, watched as he glanced her way. She knew the report was coming from Jackson Ward, that the information was about Blu.

  Then the Nightwing was moving off, leaving the wharf and heading for River Bay.

  * * *

  Two days later, dressed in a simple white sundress, carrying her daughter, Kristie Aldwin climbed out of the rented cab and headed for the boathouse at Paradise Point, and the old man who stood anxiously awaiting her arrival on the dock. She didn't recognize him as she focused on his bent-over posture, and that hurt, but it didn't stop her from moving forward, or from wanting to meet her grandpa.

  Amanda was chattering, clutching Blu's old stuffed rabbit that Rose had given her. Kristie glanced at it now, wondering where he was at that moment. She hadn't seen Blu since all hell had broken loose on the wharf and Salva had been hauled off to jail by Jackson Ward. She had planned to see him, but then Brodie had told her that Blu, after seeing to his two gunshot wounds, had boarded the Nightwing and had taken off. Brodie
had claimed that Blu had needed … some air.

  She wasn't angry that he'd left, more worried than anything. Brodie had explained that Blu's injuries weren't life-threatening, but that he had been expected to stay in the hospital.

  Of course he had rejected that.

  After two days the newspapers were still claiming that the Blu Devil was a hero, and Salvador Maland a modern-day pirate who would never see the light of day ever again.

  She'd been asked to give a statement at the police station about the past three years, and with Jackson Ward and Brodie Hewitt by her side, she'd managed to tell her story. Along with her confession, she'd learned that Amanda was Ben Frank's daughter, and though she couldn't remember him, she was confident that someday she would. She had also learned that she had never been married to Salva. That he'd lied about her being his wife, just as he'd lied about so many things.

  If Kristie had any doubts that Perch Aldwin was her grandpa, the look on his face as he locked eyes with her convinced her otherwise. She saw his tears, saw him shaking as she closed the distance between them.

  "I didn't believe him," Perch muttered as Kristie stopped on the dock next to the boat. "The Blu Devil, I mean. He came by and told me the story. I said he was crazy." He glanced at Amanda. "She looks just like you did when you were a baby."

  Kristie wasn't sure what to say, so she chose to say nothing and instead wrapped her arms around her grandpa's aging shoulders and, with Amanda between them, hugged him.

  She felt the air in his lungs rush out, knew he was crying again. She said, "It's okay, Grandpa. We've got lots of time to catch up. I'm not going anywhere."

  * * *

  Four days had passed since Blu had surfaced in the river with a bullet wound in his leg an inch below last year's wound, and a shoulder contusion where another bullet had grazed him. Four days since he'd spoken to anyone after he'd made a stop at the hospital to see to his injuries, then paid a visit to Perch, and then one to the jail.

  True to his word, Jackson had looked the other way when Blu had literally beaten the hell out of Salvador Maland. He had given the man a small chance to defend himself, but in the end, he had limped out of the precinct with his bloody knuckles jammed in his pockets, knowing he'd finished the job he had set out to do—Maland was going to prison with Blu's blessing, and Angel and Mandy were now free.