by Sharon Sala
Wyrick rolled her eyes and hustled Jordan out the door, leaving the two men in shock.
The last thing she heard was one man saying, “How did she know your name?” and the other one saying, “I don’t know, but I gotta call my wife.”
Wyrick glanced at Jordan as they were walking back to the Jeep, but Jordan didn’t seem upset. Charlie was the one freaking out.
As soon as they got back in the Jeep, Charlie started talking.
“Girl, I have to ask, how did you know his name?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just heard it.”
“Is his girlfriend really pregnant?”
She nodded. “His wife is gonna be mad. Really mad. Him and Laverne didn’t practice safe sex.”
Charlie laughed out loud, which made Jordan blush.
“That’s what Mama says,” she added.
“Your Mama is one smart lady,” Charlie said. “Buckle up. It won’t be long before you’re with her again.”
Jordan was still struggling with how life would be now. Her friends would find out what her daddy did to her, and they’d talk behind her back.
But she was free of that place, and Mama was waiting, and that was enough. She took another sip of her Mountain Dew, and as she was pulling the blanket across her legs, she found a stray M&M in the folds.
“Score!” she said and popped it in her mouth.
* * *
Tara’s hotel suite overlooked the city of Lexington, much as her office at the law firm overlooked the city of Dallas. She was used to skylines and traffic, of seeing thousands of people passing below her window on a weekly basis and thinking nothing of them other than part of the throng in which she lived.
It was a gorgeous, sunshiny day, a good day for a reunion, but she was full of angst. She had no idea what Jordan had been enduring, and fear of the unknown was the worst.
She jumped when her phone rang, thinking it might be Jordan again. But it wasn’t. It was one of her clients, a wealthy Texan named Dwight Goodall. She started to let it go to voice mail and then decided staying busy would be easier than waiting, so she answered.
“Hello, this is Tara.”
Dwight’s voice boomed in her ear.
“Mornin’, Ms. Tara. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“No, no, it’s fine. What can I do for you, Dwight?”
“It’s more like, what may I do for you?”
Tara frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“Well, you know I play golf with your boss, and a couple of days ago he mentioned a bit about your daughter going missing, and he also happened to mention something in passing about some kind of cult called Fourth Dimension.”
Tara sighed and sat down on the side of the bed. “Yes, that happened.”
“So, the reason for my call is, me and Janie were watching CNN just now, and they were showing prisoners being taken into the jailhouse in Lexington, Kentucky, and the reporter said the FBI raided a cult called Fourth Dimension, and those were the people they’d arrested.”
Tara grabbed the remote and turned on the TV while Dwight kept talking. When she saw men coming off a prison bus in cuffs and shackles, she realized she was seeing men who’d been a part of Jordan’s disappearance.
Then she realized Dwight was still talking; she made herself focus.
“So I got to thinking, you might already know about that raid, and that these men had been arrested. I was also thinking that if it was me, I’d probably already be in Lexington waiting to get my girl back. How am I doin’ so far?”
Tara remembered Charlie’s warning not to tell anybody where she was, but Dwight wasn’t just anybody.
“You might be a good guesser,” she said.
“So, I’m also guessing you might have flown there, and that she hasn’t been returned to you yet.”
“You’re still on a roll,” Tara said and heard Dwight chuckle.
“Anyway, Janie didn’t think it was a good idea for the two of you to fly home on a commercial flight, in case the media was already doggin’ the parents, and I agreed with her, so I’m offering the use of my private jet to fly you both home. All you need to do is tell me when you’re ready to come back to Dallas, and I’ll send it to Lexington to pick you up.”
Tara gasped. “Oh, Dwight! That is the kindest and most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. I have been worrying a bit about that myself, and I will definitely accept the offer. Can I call you back tonight to let you know when?”
“Yes, ma’am, you sure can, and we want to send our best wishes for your girl, too.”
Tara was in tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Oh, honey, after all the litigation and court dates we’ve been through over the years, I am happy to be able to help. I’ll be expecting your call. You have a nice day now, ya hear?”
“Yes, yes, I will, Dwight, and thank you.”
She put the phone aside, returned to CNN and upped the volume, searching the faces as they kept looping the feed. The only one not dressed in regular clothing was a heavyset, middle-aged man with long hair, dressed in a long white robe. She guessed that would be the leader, whoever he was. His robe was dirty, and his face was bloody and swollen. She hoped it hurt. Then she glanced at the clock.
Charlie Dodge had said about three hours or so, and that time line was swiftly approaching, and so was noon. She picked up the house phone and ordered some food, enough to accommodate Charlie and Wyrick, too, and then started pacing again, wondering which would be the first to arrive—the food or her girl?
* * *
Jordan had been reading road signs for miles, counting off the distance still between her and Mama. When they arrived on the outskirts of the city, she threw the blanket off her legs.
“Is this Lexington?” she asked.
“We’re a ways from downtown, but yes, we’re basically in the city limits now,” Wyrick said.
Charlie glanced up in the rearview mirror at Jordan and smiled. “Won’t be long now,” he said.
“Mama’s scared,” she said and leaned back.
“That’s just because she’s afraid of all the things that could have happened to you,” Wyrick said.
“Are you scared?” Charlie asked.
Jordan nodded. Tears were rolling down her face.
“I’m different. I’m not the me I was.”
Charlie shook his head. “You’re still her daughter. That will never change.”
Jordan swiped at the tears and returned to her view out the window as they sped past houses and people.
“Charlie?”
“What, honey?”
“What will happen to Jud?” she asked.
“I don’t know for sure, but since he helped the Feds take down the cult, he’ll probably become a material witness when they get to trial and they’ll make some kind of deal with him about his sentence,” Charlie said.
Jordan was silent for a few moments more, and then she moaned beneath her breath and covered her face.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked. “Are you sick? Do you need to stop?”
“No, no, not sick,” she said, and then grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her chin. “I saw Jud’s face and I saw the Master’s face, too. They’re melting. Someone is going to kill the Master. They need him to be dead.”
Charlie was once again stunned by how she just blurted stuff out, and was wondering at her skills, but Wyrick was the one who asked.
“Who’s they, Jordan? Who wants Aaron Walters dead?”
“I don’t know...some man. The Boss. They call him the Boss.”
Wyrick typed Cyrus Parks on her iPad and showed it to Charlie.
“Is that man going to kill your daddy, too?” Charlie asked.
“No. He’ll do it,” Jordan whispered, her eyes open in a fixed and unblinking stare.
And then she pulled the blanket up over her face and didn’t utter another word until they pulled up to valet parking at the hotel.
Charlie gave Tara a mental high five for opting out of a high-rise hotel. This one was a simple, five-story building, and he knew the setup. First floor lobby and shops, and the other four were all one-or two-bedroom suites with mini kitchens.
“Jordan, we’re here,” Charlie said.
She laid the blanket aside, picked up her spear, and when Wyrick opened the door, got out.
Charlie was carrying her bag over his shoulder as he went to talk to the parking attendant, then he and Wyrick flanked Jordan as they headed for the elevators across the lobby.
Jordan’s injuries and the makeshift spear she was carrying drew some stares, but for the most part they went unnoticed. Once they reached the elevators, Wyrick pushed the up arrow. The doors opened and, as luck would have it, they entered an empty car. Wyrick pressed a button for the fourth floor and up they went.
Jordan was pale and shaking as they got out, and Wyrick reached for her hand and held it all the way to room 425.
Charlie knocked.
A few moments later, the door swung inward. Tara had no time to dwell on the wounds on her daughter’s face.
“Oh, honey! Thank God, thank God.”
“Mama,” Jordan said, and still clutching her spear, fell into her mother’s embrace.
Charlie closed the door behind him, then followed them into the living area.
Tara settled onto the sofa with Jordan tucked beneath her arm. She couldn’t stop touching her and kissing her, and yet didn’t know what to say without triggering an episode, so she kept to banalities.
“I knew everything happened really early this morning, so I ordered food and drinks. The bathroom is down there on your right. Please make yourselves comfortable.”
“I need to go, Mama. I’ll be right back,” Jordan said, but when she got up, Wyrick held out her hand, and Jordan reluctantly handed over the spear.
“You don’t need this anymore, remember?”
Jordan nodded. “But I need to keep it.”
Tara didn’t know what was going on, but she quickly agreed. “You can keep anything you want.”
Satisfied, Jordan walked into the bathroom and closed the door, but the moment she was out of sight, the questions started flying.
“What happened to her?” Tara asked.
“She’ll give you details when she’s ready, but the bottom line is, your girl fought them the whole time she was there. The man who called himself the Master is responsible for her injuries. It was punishment for breaking one rule too many,” Charlie said.
Tara immediately flashed on the man in the white robe and felt sick, knowing he’d done that to her baby.
“I saw him. On CNN. Being taken into jail with all the others,” Tara muttered. “Would he have been wearing a long white robe?”
“That’s him,” Charlie said, and then pointed at the spear in Wyrick’s hands. “I’m telling you this now so you’ll understand. The raid was supposed to be a surprise, but Wyrick warned us it might be difficult to surprise psychics, and she was right. By the time we got into the compound, some were already aware of our presence. The man you mentioned is Aaron Walters, the leader, and he was already running toward the girls’ dormitory when I first saw him. He knew Jud had given them up, which in his mind forfeited Jordan’s life. I saw the gun in his hand as he ran toward the dormitory. I tried to catch up before he got inside, and as I took him down, the shot went wild. But as I was coming through the door, I saw Jordan running toward him with that in her hand, pulled back like it was a spear. And all of the other little girls were belly down on the floor beneath their beds. She was coming after him, not running away. She has a warrior spirit, and her psychic skills are way beyond what you know. Go easy with her. The old rules she lived by won’t work anymore.”
Tara’s hands were over her mouth to keep from screaming. She didn’t know how to process this. What the hell had they done to Jordan that would put her in a mindset to kill?
Wyrick saw the fear and wanted to temper it.
“Jordan and I made a deal,” she said. “She gets to keep her makeshift spear, but only as a reminder of her strength. Not as the emotional crutch it could become. I suggested you two might find a way to mount it on her bedroom wall, and she agreed. I don’t know how you’re going to get that on an airplane, but I can promise you she won’t leave it behind.”
Tara sighed. “Then what happened to me this morning has become a double blessing. A wealthy client of mine has generously offered the use of his private jet to get us home. All I have to do is call him and his pilot will come pick us up.”
“Problem solved,” Wyrick said. And then the bathroom door opened and Jordan came out.
“Mama, I used your hair brush.”
Tara shook her head. “Don’t you always?”
Jordan grinned and then looked at the food. “I’m hungry. Can we eat?” And without waiting for an answer, she picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry and ate it in two bites.
Charlie laughed. “She does like chocolate. The smell of it woke her up on the way here.”
“You should see us on Valentine’s Day,” Tara said. “We both make ourselves sick. Please, come eat. I ordered enough for all of us.”
“I never turn down food,” Wyrick said and was on her feet with a plate in her hand in seconds.
“I want to wash the road off my hands first,” Charlie said. “Save some for me.”
By the time he came back, the three females were head to head around the table, eating and talking about anything and everything, except what had happened, and where Jordan had been.
Charlie got a sandwich and a cold drink and sat down with them. It was a good outcome to a dangerous case, but they didn’t linger. Jordan needed time with her mother, and it was time to go home.
For Wyrick, being able to sit and watch the love between mother and daughter was a beautiful thing. She couldn’t help but wonder what she would have turned out to be if her mother hadn’t been murdered and if she’d grown up like a normal kid.
But she let go of the thought before it turned into regret, and got up to get something sweet. The best meals always ended with desserts.
When it came time to leave, Jordan hugged Charlie fiercely.
“Thank you for rescuing me from the monsters, Charlie Dodge.”
He tilted her chin, looking deep into her eyes. “You are an amazing young girl. Don’t stop believing in yourself, okay?”
“Yes, okay,” she said and hugged Wyrick, too. “Thank you and your dragon for finding me.”
Wyrick cupped Jordan’s face. “It’s what we do.”
Jordan moved back to the food array as Tara walked them to the door.
“Thank the both of you again for bringing my girl home. You have my address for the final bill, and if ever you have need of a lawyer...”
“Duly noted,” Charlie said, and then they were gone.
They left the hotel without talking, retrieved the Jeep from valet parking, then began making their way out of Lexington.
“We’ll find a stopping point somewhere and spend the night, then drive the rest of the way back to Dallas tomorrow morning,” Charlie said. “That nonstop drive out here was hard.”
“You’re the boss,” she said and then opened her laptop.
“Only when you let me,” Charlie said, then saw her frown at the screen. “What’s up?”
“Do you want to take a case involving a stolen cannon?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Reply accordingly.”
Twenty-Two
Dinner was chocolate pie and sweet tea, because it was what Jordan wanted, but it wasn’t long afterward that she began to crash. This morning had been a nightmare, but tonight she was sa
fe in her mother’s arms.
Tara saw past the bruises on Jordan’s face to the exhaustion beneath and made a suggestion.
“Let’s change into pajamas and get ready for bed. That way, if you fall asleep watching TV, you’ll already be in bed. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jordan said.
Tara began looking around. “Where did Charlie put your bag? I saw him... Oh! There it is at the end of the sofa. I’ll take it to your room.”
Jordan followed, but when Tara put it at the foot of the bed, she stopped.
“I never unpacked it,” Jordan said.
Tara paused, then saw the look on Jordan’s face.
“What do you mean, honey?”
“I packed two sets of clothes, plus something nice, thinking we were going out for dinner, but after I was there, I slept in my clothes and left everything else in the bag. So I washed one outfit every night and put the clean ones on to go to bed, including my shoes, just in case I got a chance to escape. And, oh yeah... I started my period there.”
Tara’s eyes welled. “Oh, honey.”
Jordan shrugged and looked at the bag again. “I figured it out. When we get home, I don’t want to ever wear those outfits again, okay?”
“Absolutely,” Tara said, swallowing back tears. “Do you want to shower first?”
Jordan nodded, then dug her pajamas out from the bottom of the bag and took them with her.
Tara was so sick at heart. Jordan’s first step into becoming a woman, and she hadn’t been there for her. But it was also the first revelations Jordan had made about her life there, and the safer she began to feel, the better.
God, please give me the strength to hear her, and the wisdom to know what to say.
After Jordan showered and changed, Tara took her turn.
Jordan was in between the covers with the air conditioner blasting, watching TV on Mute, when Tara came out.
“Can’t find anything you want to watch?” she asked. “Maybe we can watch a pay-per-view movie. Want me to see what’s available?”
Jordan glanced at the bed in the other bedroom, then up at Tara.
