Race Against Time

by Sharon Sala

  He shook her twice, trying to get her to wake up because the tears were killing him. When he spotted his favorite frozen custard shop, he turned off the street and into the drive-through lane for a much-needed pick-me-up.

  Quinn woke up when the car stopped, felt the tears on her cheeks and frowned.

  “Am I sad?” she asked.

  “Just having a bad dream, baby,” he said softly. “We’re getting frozen custard. Do you want it plain in a cone, or in a cup with hot fudge sauce?”

  “Plain so I don’t get fat!” she mumbled.

  “A little hot fudge won’t make you fat. You’re perfect.”

  “Okay. Yes to fudge!” She giggled and then struggled to sit up. “What happened to my bones?”

  He smiled at her.

  “Nothing happened to your bones.”

  She whacked him on the arm.

  “Yes! Something did too happen to my bones. They won’t hold me up.” She started laughing. “I have honest bones. They won’t hold me up. Get it? Hold up? You’re a cop. You should get that.”

  Nick leaned across the seat and kissed her square on the lips.

  Quinn put her fingers on her mouth and then sighed.

  “You turn me on. You are a very good lover and an even better man. I’m going to be a good girl, and you will love me forever and never throw me away,” she muttered and then started to cry again. “They always throw me away,” she whispered.

  There were tears on Nick’s face as he moved up in line.

  “I will never throw you away, and you’re getting hot fudge on your frozen custard.”

  She sighed.

  “You love me, don’t you, Nicks?”

  “Yes.”

  “I love you, too,” she said. “This much.” And she stretched out her arms.

  “Thank you, Lord,” Nick said and pulled up to the call box, gave his order, then pulled up to the next window to pay.

  Within minutes, they had their treats, and he’d pulled over into the parking lot of a strip mall so they could eat.

  Quinn took her first bite and then moaned.

  “This is so good. Thank you, Nicks. You are the best man ever.”

  “Keep that in mind after that medicine wears off,” he said.

  “Yes, I will. It’s easy to remember that I love you and hot fudge sundaes.”

  He chuckled.

  “I don’t know how I ever lived a day of my life before you showed back up.”

  “I don’t either,” she said and scooped up a big bite of the hot fudge. “Look! If you eat this much chocolate at one time, your tongue will be happy.”

  Nick laughed aloud.

  “I don’t have to eat a thing right now to know I’m happy all over.”

  She grinned.

  “It’s because of me, right?”

  “Yes, it’s because of you. Just keep eating before it melts.”

  She nodded, then winked.

  “No worries, Officer. I got this.”

  Nick looked at her then—red curls all over the place and her green eyes so full of light he felt blinded. He was so far gone, it was pitiful.

  Thirteen

  Henderson, Nevada

  It was nearing dinnertime, and Justin Davis had gone to the supermarket for more food. They’d gone from one guest to three in less than twenty-four hours.

  Donna was racing around trying to get a room ready for Justin’s parents and feed everyone as well, but her main concern was Star’s back. As a nurse, she knew it needed tending, and that Star needed prescriptions for antibiotics and pain meds. Aware that secrecy was of utmost importance, she called Dr. Andrew Charles, the doctor she worked for, and without going into too many details, she got him to make a house call.

  She was watching for him, and when she saw him pull into their driveway, she met him at the door.

  “Thank you so much for coming, Dr. Charles.”

  Andrew knew Donna’s husband was a member of the state police, and felt confident that whatever was going on was important.

  “Happy to be of service in such a serious case,” he said. “Where’s the patient?”

  “In the bedroom with her parents. They’re still in shock that she’s even alive after all this time. Follow me.”

  Star was lying on her belly, drifting in and out of sleep, only half listening to her parents’ conversation. But when she heard the knock at her door, she opened her eyes. She saw Donna walk in accompanied by a stranger, and quickly rolled over and sat up as Donna introduced him.

  “Everyone, this is my boss, Dr. Andrew Charles. He has kindly agreed to take a look at Star’s back and prescribe some meds for her. Dr. Charles, these are my in-laws, John and Connie Davis, and this is Starla Davis, my sister-in-law.”

  “So nice to meet you,” Connie said. “We appreciate you doing this for our daughter.”

  “Certainly,” Andrew said and then focused his attention on the tiny blonde sitting in the middle of the bed. “So, Miss Davis, I need to see what we’re dealing with here, so you’ll need to remove your shirt. If you’re uncomfortable with so many people here we can—”

  “No matter,” Star said. She turned her back to the room and pulled her T-shirt up and over her head.

  Andrew frowned.

  “How did you incur these injuries?”

  So once again, Star explained the wreck and being thrown out of the sunroof. To her relief, he didn’t ask her why she left the hospital in her condition, and she began to relax.

  He put on a pair of latex gloves and then examined her injuries inch by inch, paying close attention to the areas that had staples and the ones that had been left open to heal on their own.

  “Donna, if you’ll please open my bag, we’ll begin.”

  Star had prepared herself for more pain, but to her relief it didn’t happen. She knew he was putting some kind of medicine on her because she felt an occasional sting, but it was minimal.

  Finally, Andrew stepped back.

  “It all looks good. You’re healing well, but I’m going to leave prescriptions for antibiotics and for pain. Are you allergic to anything?”

  “No, sir,” Star said.

  He peeled off the latex gloves, got out his prescription pad and wrote two prescriptions.

  “The antibiotic has one refill. The pain pills do not,” he said and handed them to Donna. “The staples still have to be removed. I want to give them at least another five days to heal, and then Donna can take them out. She’s fully capable, okay?”

  Donna nodded.

  “Yes, that won’t be a problem, and thank you so much, Dr. Charles.”

  “Happy to have been of service,” he said. “I’ll be on my way, and just so you know, as far as I’m concerned, this visit never happened.”

  Justin returned less than a half hour after the doctor had left and began helping put up groceries as Donna started prepping the meal.

  “You missed Dr. Charles,” Donna said.

  “What did he say about Starla’s back?”

  “That it’s healing well. He left two prescriptions to be filled.”

  Justin glanced at the clock.

  “I think I’d better get those filled before it gets any later. I’ll get Mom to come help you with dinner.”

  “No need,” Donna said. “Let them visit. They can’t get enough of being with Starla, and I can only imagine how they feel.”

  “You are a jewel,” Justin said. “Thank you for taking this chaos in stride.”

  “Honey! They’re family.”

  Justin sighed. “Yes, they are. So where are the prescriptions?”

  “Over there on the sideboard.”

  “I won’t be long,” he said. He kissed her on the cheek a
nd headed back out the door.

  Donna went back to work.

  Down the hall, Star’s parents were hovering, and she was exhausted. She fell asleep as they were talking about which spare bedroom in their house would best serve as a nursery.

  Connie glanced over at her daughter and saw she’d fallen asleep. She covered Star with a lightweight blanket, and then she and John left the room to let her rest.

  * * *

  Star was dreaming that she was in one room and Sammy was in another. She could hear him crying, asking for his mama over and over, but there was no doorknob on her door and she couldn’t get it open to get to him. She was beating on the door and screaming his name, and the last time she screamed, it was a real one that not only woke her up, but brought everyone running.

  Justin burst into the room with his gun in hand, looking around the room for signs of an intruder, but Star was alone, sitting up in the bed, sobbing.

  Connie ran to her and took her in her arms.

  “Starla, darling! What’s wrong?”

  “I could hear Sammy crying for me, and I couldn’t get to him. I’m sorry I frightened everyone.”

  Connie patted her cheek.

  “Go wash your face and come to the kitchen. We’re making dinner and having a very good time, but we’d have a better time if you were with us.”

  Star wiped away tears.

  “Yes, all right,” she said. “You all go on... I’ll be there shortly.”

  As soon as they were gone she washed up and joined them, but the dream had only affirmed her intention to get her baby back immediately. She went barefoot to the kitchen, made herself a glass of iced tea, snagged a handful of almonds from the dish on the sideboard and noticed the meds Justin had brought for her.

  “Donna, is it okay if I take these now?”

  “Yes. Just read the directions and follow accordingly,” she said.

  Star shook out one pain pill and one antibiotic and downed them with a swallow of tea, then put the almonds on the table by her glass and popped one in her mouth. The slightly salty taste helped settle her stomach, and the comfort of being surrounded by her family was something she’d never thought would happen again. Slowly, the happy sound of laughter and their voices calmed the anxious feeling in her belly. They loved her without care for how degrading her life had been, and were ready to embrace her son the same way. Tomorrow she was going to have Justin put her in contact with Special Agent Gleason of the FBI and tell him she wanted her son returned to her now.

  Dinner and dishes came and went. Her parents were reluctant to leave Star on her own in the bedroom, afraid she would have another nightmare, or somehow disappear again, but she insisted she was fine. Later in the evening, when they finally went to their room, Star went looking for Justin as he was locking up and setting the security alarm.

  “Justin, I need a favor,” she said.

  “Sure. What do you need, sis?”

  “Get the phone number for Special Agent Gleason of the FBI. He’s the one who set up my rescue from Anton, and he’s the one who took Sammy from the emergency room after the wreck. I want my son back.”

  “If Gleason finds where you are, the wrong people could also find out.”

  Star’s shoulders slumped.

  “I feel like I’m only half alive,” she said. “Sammy is going to forget who I am.”

  “No, he won’t, honey. I hate to say this and hurt you more, but right now, if Sammy is with you, he will be an even larger target.”

  “I hate this,” she said and started crying.

  “Let’s do this,” Justin said. “Let’s still call this Gleason and tell him you’re willing to testify if the Feds file charges against Baba now with what they already have. If they tell you they still want to gather some more information, then tell them you’re no longer willing to testify and that you want your son delivered to you now or you’re gone.”

  “Can I do that? Can I get away from the FBI?”

  “They’ll always know where you are, but they can’t force you to testify.”

  “What if they won’t let me have Sammy?”

  Justin frowned.

  “They can’t refuse. You are not a criminal, and your brother just happens to be in law enforcement, too, which means I won’t let them bully you.”

  “I just love you,” Star said and threw her arms around Justin’s neck and hugged him.

  He ruffled his hand through her hair.

  “I love you, too, honey. You’re not alone anymore, so no more tears. I’ll walk you to your bedroom, and we’ll stop by the kitchen to get your meds. It’s time to take them again.”

  They got the meds, and then he left her in her bedroom with a promise.

  “Remember, Donna and I are right across the hall. You’re safe here. So sleep well, and we’ll tackle the dragon in the morning, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said and didn’t make a move until she watched him leave.

  Only then did she go to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  She was tired—so tired of fighting to survive. She just wanted her baby and a car, and she’d be gone from this place so fast their heads would spin.

  * * *

  It was just after 8:00 a.m., and Gleason was on his way to a meeting when his cell phone signaled a call. He glanced at caller ID, and when it came up out of area he almost didn’t answer it, then changed his mind.

  “This is Gleason.”

  “This is Star Davis. We need to talk.”

  Gleason froze.

  “Oh, my God! Star! We thought Baba had you. Where are you?”

  “Well, Baba doesn’t have me, and you don’t need to know where I am because bad people follow you wherever you go, and I’m done with bad people. Understand?”

  “Yes, yes. I am on my way back to my office, so I can talk more freely.”

  “How’s my son?” she asked.

  Gleason was hurrying so fast he was getting breathless. He was sadly out of shape.

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Gleason said.

  “What do you mean, you’re sure? Don’t you know? Do you people not keep tabs on his care and condition?”

  “Yes, of course... Well, not me personally but...”

  “That does it!” Star shrieked. “I wasn’t going to go this route, but I am now. I want my son back in my arms today.”

  “What are you going to—”

  “Today!” she screamed. “I have authorities I trust who will gladly assist me in this. I will not show my face to you or any of your people ever again, but I will show up in court the day I’m needed to testify and that’s all the fucking assurance you are ever going to get from me. I have been used for the last time!”

  Gleason groaned inwardly. They couldn’t and wouldn’t withhold a child from a parent just to coerce testimony. And he had to admit, they had only themselves to blame for how she felt.

  “I’ll contact the people right now and wait for your call.”

  “It won’t be me you’ll be speaking to. It will be a member of law enforcement and whoever he deems capable of caring for a child during transport. If I find out you have had him followed, I will take Sammy and disappear off the face of this earth. And you and your so-called case can go straight to hell. Do we understand each other?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gleason said.

  She disconnected in his ear.

  He sighed.

  The upside was Anton Baba did not have her.

  The downside was neither did they.

  * * *

  True to her word, Gleason got a call a couple of hours later from Star Davis’s go-between.

  “This is Officer Davis of the Nevada State Police. I’m calling on behalf of Miss Davis, no relation, to set up a pickup site for the r
eturn of her child, who is in your custody. I will have caretakers with me to aid in transport back to his mother.”

  Gleason began to argue.

  “How do I know if you are—”

  “Your responsibility toward the child is obviously secondhand, which does not assure Ms. Davis in any way that you have any interest in her son’s well-being. That’s how you know I’m the real deal. It’s exactly what she said to you. Now, you will have the child brought to a designated GPS location at 4:00 p.m. today. The child will be transported in a single car to that location without accompanying guards or helicopters. Do you have a pen?”

  “Yes,” Gleason said.

  “The GPS location is...”

  Gleason took it down, read it back to him to confirm, and then before he could say anything else, the line went dead.

  “Well, hell. The way she’s acting, you’d think we were the bad guys,” he muttered.

  He pulled up the number to the foster home where the kid was being kept, and as soon as they answered, he explained that he and his partner would be coming after Sammy within the hour and to have him ready, then disconnected and called his partner, Lou, only to find out Lou was in the ER with food poisoning. He called his boss, who told him to take a female agent with him instead.

  “Yes, sir, but I need an agent with experience with kids. Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she can keep a two-year-old happy for a long car ride with strangers.”