Hometown Christmas

by Joleen James

  Ruby doubled her efforts to get away.

  He laughed. "Yeah, you're going to be good in the sack. I like it rough."

  "I'm warning you," Tawney said. "Let her go."

  "Oh my God," Star said, coming out of the bathroom. "My water broke. I think I'm in labor."

  "What?" Brandi exclaimed. She jumped off the sofa and ran to Star. "Oh no. Don't panic."

  "Shut up," Mr. Tall said. He glared at the short one. "Get away from her. Now."

  The short one let go of Ruby. She went to Star, taking her arm.

  "Are you having contractions?" Ruby asked.

  "I've been cramping all day," Star said, "but all the books say that can happen close to the due date. I didn't think it was labor."

  "You're wet," Brandi said.

  "My suitcase is over there." Star gestured to her bag.

  Tawney grabbed the luggage. Star was doing an excellent job. Getting her pants wet had been an awesome touch.

  "Hold on," Mr. Tall said. "Bring the bag here."

  "But she needs fresh clothes," Tawney said.

  "I said, bring the bag here."

  Tawney wheeled the suitcase over.

  "Open it," Mr. Tall ordered his partner. "Make sure it's just clothes in there."

  The short one passed the gun to Mr. Tall. He opened the bag, digging through Star's clothes and toiletries with his grubby hands.

  "Lady shit," he said to Mr. Tall.

  Mr. Tall nodded at Tawney. She dragged the bag to Star. "What do you need?"

  Star said, "Just pick something comfortable."

  Tawney grabbed pajama pants and clean underwear and socks. She walked Star to the bathroom.

  The short one got up.

  "We don't need your help on this," Tawney said. "My sister is in labor. If anything happens to this baby, it will be on you two."

  The short one stopped, then walked to Ruby. "Any funny business and Red will pay the price." He smiled at Ruby, the sight gruesome through his mouth hole.

  Tawney went into the bathroom with Star. "Nice touch saying your water broke," Tawney said as she helped Star change. "Lay it on thick. I want to make them nervous."

  "Okay," Star said, but she sounded uncertain.

  Tawney made a great show of helping Star back to the sofa. Star moaned for effect.

  "I'm just going to grab a blanket." Tawney headed for the closet.

  "I'll get it," the short one said.

  "I know where it is," Tawney reasoned.

  "I think you are a little too eager to get in the closet," the short one said. "First the coat, now the blanket."

  "I agree," Mr. Tall said the words ice cold.

  Inside, Tawney groaned.

  The short one gave her a shove toward the sofa and went to the closet. He found the blanket and tossed it to Star, then started yanking coats, searching them. When he removed Tawney's purse, she forgot to breath. He dumped it out. Her small pistol hit the floor with a thump.

  "Well, what do we have here?" he asked, his beady eyes going to Tawney. He held her gun up. "Like this could do any real damage." He laughed, the sound deranged.

  Tawney's heart sank. The other two guns in the house were much harder to get to, plus they weren't loaded. She could possibly bluff if she could manage to get one of the guns, but bluffing was a risk to all of them.

  The short one walked to her and backhanded her.

  The blow set her backward, right onto Brandi and Ruby. One of the girls screamed. The side of Tawney's face throbbed. She tasted blood.

  "Try anything like that again, and you'll regret it," the short one said. "Next time I won't be so gentle."

  Tawney's fists clenched. Hate for him filled every fiber of her being.

  Mr. Tall stood. "I'm going upstairs to sleep. Do you think you can keep them in line for a couple of hours?"

  "Not a problem," the short one said, his eyes on Ruby. He passed Tawney's gun to Mr. Tall.

  Mr. Tall pocketed the weapon then made his way up the stairs. He seemed to lean heavily on the handrail. Was he just tired? Or was something more wrong?

  She couldn't stand to think of Mr. Tall or the short one on the bed she shared with Rick. If they survived this, Tawney would insist on a new bed.

  "Are you okay?" Brandi said to Tawney. "You're bleeding."

  Ruby examined the cut on Tawney's mouth. "I'm going to get her a towel and some ice."

  "No you're not," the short one said. "Sit down."

  "It's okay." Tawney wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "It's not that bad."

  "You're a monster," Ruby said to the short one.

  "That's right," the short one replied. "I am a monster, and you girls need to remember that. There's no need for violence if you all behave. The snow will stop, and we will be on our way."

  Tawney wished she could believe him. The girls hadn't seen their faces, so that was in the sisters' favor. They couldn't positively identify the men, although she knew she'd never forget their voices, or Mr. Tall's watery, red eyes and the short one's hard, mean ones.

  Maybe riding the storm out was the best option.

  Star moaned.

  Tawney didn't really need the diversion of labor anymore, not with her pistol out of the picture.

  She glanced at Star. Her sister's lips were pressed together in a hard line. Her fists were clenched. Was Star really in labor? No. Please, God, no.

  "Star?" Tawney asked the words unspoken.

  Star nodded, releasing a long breath.

  "Oh my God." This was real. There was nothing they could do. Even if they could leave the cabin, she couldn't bring Star out in the storm. Tawney did the only thing she could. She prayed for a long labor.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Two hours later, Mr. Tall emerged from his nap. He came down the stairs at a slow pace, confirming Tawney's suspicion that his wound was bothering him. Too bad. She hoped it hurt like hell.

  "More pain killers," Mr. Tall said to her. "Bring the whole damned bottle."

  Tawney grabbed the pills from where she'd left them on the kitchen counter, this time remembering to bring Mr. Tall a glass of water.

  Star walked a slow circle around the sofa. Her contractions were about fifteen minutes apart. She didn't complain, but every time a contraction hit, she stopped walking and placed a death grip on the piece of furniture closest to her.

  Since Tawney had never been in labor, she had no idea what Star's pain level was like, but judging by the concerned comments and looks Ruby and Brandi were giving Star, the pain had to be pretty awful. Yet another reason not to have a baby.

  Mr. Tall drained the water. "Got anything stronger than that wine I see?"

  "Just the wine," Tawney said.

  "Open the bottle and bring it to me," Mr. Tall ordered.

  "I'll take the other bottle," the short one said.

  "No," Mr. Tall barked, the word final. "You need to stay sharp. You can drink when we get out of here."

  For some reason, the short one listened to Mr. Tall. Right now, Mr. Tall was the closest thing they had to an ally. They were doomed.

  Tawney opened the wine, taking the full bottle to Mr. Tall. "Would you like a glass?"

  "No need." He lifted the bottle to his lips and drank.

  Animal.

  Star moaned.

  Tawney went to her, holding Star's arm to steady her. "Are you sure you should be walking? Maybe you should lie down?"

  "Walking is good. It helps," Star said. "I'm okay."

  "The contractions are getting closer," Ruby pointed out.

  "How close do you think we are?" Tawney asked.

  "Hard to say," Brandi said. "My labor was long."

  "It was," Star agreed. "Seemed like I waited all day at the hospital. I'm praying the same will happen for me."

  "My labor was long, too," Ruby said. "Thirty-six hours. I'll never forget it."

  "Shit, you're all mothers?" the short one asked with a laugh. "You all look too young and hot."

  Brandi rolled her eye
s.

  "Even you, brown eyes?" he asked Brandi. "You don't look old enough."

  "I married young," Brandi said. "I have a son who needs me. We all have children who need us."

  Tawney kept silent. It was fine with her if the men thought she was a mother. If having kids helped keep them safe, she was all for it.

  "Children mean husbands," Mr. Tall said.

  The short one sighed. "Any of your husbands going to come looking for you?"

  "You took our phones," Tawney said. "You do the math."

  "No one is driving in this storm," Mr. Tall said. "As soon as there's a break, we are out of here."

  Star moaned. "I don't want to have my baby here. I need a hospital, a doctor." Tears filled her green eyes.

  "Honey, it's going to be fine," Ruby said with a confidence Tawney was sure she didn't feel. "If it comes time to give birth, well, we've done it before. We will help you through it."

  "What if something goes wrong?" Star asked, her voice rising along with her anxiety. "Things go wrong all the time."

  "Nothing is going to go wrong," Brandi said calmly. "You need to relax and breathe through your contractions."

  "Maybe we should prepare for the birth," Ruby suggested. "Just in case. Clean sheets. Boil some water, find something to clamp the cord, sterilize scissors or a knife to cut the cord, that kind of thing."

  "Ain't no one touching no knife or scissors," the short one said.

  "You moron," Ruby shot back. "We are talking about the life of an innocent baby. Do you really think we will try and stab you with scissors or a steak knife? What good would that do when you have a gun?"

  "Supervise," Mr. Tall said to the short one.

  "I think it's a bad idea." The short one followed Tawney to the kitchen.

  Tawney put water on to boil. "What kind of clamp?" she asked.

  "I don't know," Ruby said. "Chip clip, something like that?"

  Tawney hunted in the junk drawer, producing a couple of small plastic clips with pieces of ribbon still attached. "How about these?" She held the clips up. "I think they came from balloons."

  "Perfect," Ruby said. "Sterilize them."

  When the water bubbled, the short one added the knife, scissors, and clips to the water until Tawney gave the order to remove them with the tongs she provided. The short one placed the items on a clean towel.

  Star cried out. "I need to sit."

  Ruby helped Star back onto the sofa.

  "The contractions are closer together now," Star said. "My belly feels so hard."

  "Your baby is on the move," Brandi told her.

  "I don't want my baby to move," Star cried. "What kind of a birth is this? There's a man holding a gun on us. We might die. I want soft music. I want Cade. Oh my God, what if I never see Cade again?"

  "Shut her up," Mr. Tall said.

  "You shut up," Star shouted, clearly out of her mind with pain. "You are ruining my birth experience." She ended on a loud scream of pain.

  "You shut up or I will gag you," Mr. Tall said menacingly. "Count on it, lady."

  Star glared daggers at him.

  "Star, it's not good for the baby when you get upset," Brandi said. "Let's practice your breathing."

  Brandi breathed deeply in and out.

  Star focused on Brandi, breathing with her sister.

  "Can I put on some music?" Ruby asked. "Please, it might help."

  Mr. Tall nodded.

  "There's an iPod in the desk and a mini speaker," Tawney said. "I'll get it."

  She went to the desk, sitting in the chair. No one stopped her. She opened the drawer, her fingers closing over the gun. Tawney slipped the gun into the waistband of her jeans, under her sweater, while at the same time taking the iPod from the drawer.

  "Hurry it up," Mr. Tall said his eyes on her.

  The short one came to stand over her. He yanked her up out of the chair.

  "I need that speaker." Tawney gave a head nod to the drawer.

  The short one grabbed it and followed Tawney to the kitchen. She hooked up the music, selecting the Christmas section.

  "It's this okay?" Tawney asked Star. A classic Christmas song played.

  Star nodded as she worked through another contraction.

  Tawney resumed her seat on the sofa. The short one wandered to the window, his attention on the snow.

  Mr. Tall's eyes were closed.

  The magazine for the gun was in the kitchen, in the big pot. She could get it.

  "I think I should heat the big pan of water. There could be a lot of blood to clean up if the baby is born." She looked to Mr. Tall.

  Star moaned, long and loud.

  Mr. Tall nodded.

  Tawney opened the cupboard where the big pot was kept. The short one was still at the window. Quickly, she reached inside. The magazine in her hand, she grabbed the pot, holding it in front of her as she slipped the magazine into her waistband.

  "Let me see that," the short one said.

  Tawney froze, but he merely looked in the pot to make sure it was empty.

  Well, too late! Ha!

  Tawney filled the pot with water and put it on the stove.

  She had everything she needed to fire the gun now if she had to. Using the gun was a last resort. They didn't need gunfire in the house, not when Star was about to give birth.

  No, they didn't need that at all.

  * * *

  Rick and Ed returned to the station for their lunch break. They'd spent the first part of their shift at the scene of an accident. Nothing serious, car in a snowbank, the couple inside shaken up but unhurt. They were finishing up lunch when a match showed up for the tattoo of the shooter in the robberies.

  Billy Clark.

  Rick studied Billy Clark's mug shot. In the photo he had a bald head and full, long beard. He'd already done time for robbery, grand theft auto, and battery. A real winner. Now he could add attempted murder to his sheet.

  Finally, they had something to go on.

  Billy's accomplice was still a mystery. Rick dug further, noting that Billy had a younger brother. Rick ran him, but the man was clean, no record.

  Rick continued to dig. The hours ticked slowly by. It was close to four a.m. His thoughts turned to Tawney.

  He hoped she was having a good time. He wanted her to be happy. It bothered him that she hadn't checked in before going to bed.

  In light of the problems they'd been having lately, maybe she'd just needed some space tonight.

  A gnawing in his gut kept him from believing she'd be that upset with him.

  Cade was right, something was wrong. It could be something as simple as the tower being down, or it could be something bigger. Either way, as soon as he was off shift he was heading out to the cabin, snow or no snow.

  If the girls were okay, well, no harm done. He and Cade could turn around and go home. He had no problem with that, but he had to know for sure that everything was fine before he could sleep.

  Ed brought him a cup of coffee, setting it on the desk.

  "Is it letting up out there?" Rick asked.

  "Nope," Ed said. "Slow night."

  "That it is." Rick took a sip of coffee.

  "Weather report says snow should stop by morning, six a.m."

  Rick nodded. "Good."

  "You worried about Tawney?" Ed asked.

  "Yeah," Rick admitted. "I’m going to head out after shift."

  "You should call Van Paul and see if he can run a plow out in front of you," Ed said.

  "Great idea, thanks," Rick said, "and thanks for the coffee."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Tawney didn't like the way the short one was looking at Ruby. She swore she saw him lick his lips. Ruby was oblivious to him, her attention focused on Star.

  "The contractions are seven minutes apart," Brandi said. "We should take a look soon and see if the baby is crowning."

  "No," Star said with a shake of her head. "I will not expose myself to them."

  "We need to see, honey." Rub
y blotted Star's forehead with a cool rag. "You're close."

  "No," Star said, the word sharp. "No, I'm not. I refuse to have my baby in front of them." She ended with a long moan.

  Tawney and Ruby exchanged worried looks.

  "What if they turn their backs?" Brandi asked hopefully.

  "No," Mr. Tall said.

  He didn't say a lot, but what Mr. Tall said was law.

  "Then my baby needs to stay in." Star hugged her belly. "Please stay in."

  "How about you and me go for a little walk upstairs?" the short one said to Ruby.

  Ruby didn't reply, but Tawney saw the worry in her eyes. None of the sisters knew Tawney had the gun. She could insert the magazine in record time if she had to. She was a great shot. She'd take out the short one first. With hope, one of the sisters would grab his weapon when he hit the floor.

  Tawney didn't consider the fact that she might miss. She wouldn't.

  "Leave her alone," Tawney said, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. Not while Star was in so much pain.

  "Breathe, Star," Ruby said.

  Star breathed through the next contraction.

  "How's the snow look?" Brandi asked. "It's almost morning."

  Tawney checked the window. "I think it's slowing down, but you'll have to dig the Jeep out."

  "I think that's a great job for you," the short one said, his eyes on Tawney. "At first light, you'll do just that."

  Tawney bit back a curse. Snow was piled up all the way around the Jeep and in the driveway. They'd never get out without a plow, but she didn't want to say anything.

  They were stuck here until the plow came for them.

  Rick would know it. He'd come in the morning, Tawney felt sure of it. If they could hold on a little longer. She prayed that Rick would get there before she had to use the gun.

  "I feel pressure." Star struggled to sit up a little higher on the sofa. "I don't want to feel pressure."

  "Honey, your baby wants to be born," Ruby said. "It's okay. Pressure is good. I still think you should let us take a peek."

  Star's gaze darted to Mr. Tall and the short one. "No."

  "What if we hold up a sheet, like a curtain?" Brandi suggested. "Or we could go upstairs and use the bed."

  Mr. Tall didn't speak.

  "Oh, come on," Tawney said. "Do you really want to watch the birth? Give my sister some privacy. We aren't going to try anything while the baby is being born. We would never risk our new niece or nephew."