Love, Lattes and Angel

by Sandra Cox

  “That’s good.” I hop with the chair. It lands on the floor with a thump. In case someone is walking by I wait a few minutes then start again. Hop. Wait. Hop. Wait. It takes a while, but I finally manage to get near Piper. I have to hop in a circle around her so that our backs are facing.

  “You made it, Daddy.”

  “I did. Now comes the tricky part. I’ve got to rock this chair so it drops without landing on your mother.” Through all of this, Piper has been suspiciously quiet. Too quiet. I can’t lose her now. I can’t. “How’s your mom?”

  “She’s maintaining, though her heart is still working harder than it should have to.”

  “Your mom’s tough. She’s a survivor. She’ll be just fine.”

  “Yes, she will.” Once again, Angel has slid past the brave words to the terror I hide behind them.

  “Let’s do this thing.” I start rocking my chair. It takes a few moments but gravity kicks in and I’m arcing over.

  “You’re too close to Momma!”

  I put my weight forward and land with a crash a hair’s breadth from her. I close my eyes and wait for the noise to bring someone running. Seconds tick by then minutes. No one comes. I reach out with my hands. I can feel Piper’s heat but I can’t quite touch her. “Piper. Piper, wake up.” There’s no response.

  I try to inch the chair closer but her hands are still just out of reach. My chair rocks as the boat starts to pitch. Angel’s right, the sea is getting rough. Is it Mother Nature or Molita? “Piper.”

  No response.

  “Piper!”

  “Hmm?”

  “Back up an inch till our hands touch.”

  There’s no response.

  “Piper,” My voice is low and intense. “You have to save Angel.” It’s my trump card and I’m playing it. “Angel. You have to save Angel.”

  “How?” It’s a croak.

  My breath whishes out in relief. I’ve gotten through. “Inch backward till our hands touch.” Her progress is pitiful but she perseveres. After what seems an eternity, her fingers find mine. She lays there breathing heavily. Her pulse is racing through her wrists. I fumble with her ropes.

  The floor rocks beneath us. The sea is picking up. Even in the boat, the air feels damp and heavy. Something big is blowing in. I’d just as soon not be caught in the Devil’s Triangle in a storm again.

  I pick at the knots. My hand slips but I keep fumbling till they loosen. “Wiggle your hands out, Piper.” There’s no response. I take her hands and hold them in mine hoping to give her some of my energy. “Angel.”

  She begins to wiggle them, her motions jerky. The ropes slip away.

  “Now here’s the hard part, Piper. You’re going to have to untie me.”

  “I...can...do...it.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  With difficulty, she rolls over on her side, her breath thready. Her hands fumble with the rope then fall away. “Just give me a minute,” she pants.

  “Of course. All you’ve got to do is loosen these ropes. I’ll do the rest.” My nerves continue to jump. We’re close, but if someone walks in before we’re loose, I’m afraid they’ll separate us. Piper’s fingers keep slipping but she finally manages to loosen the rope enough I can pull one hand through. The coarse cord scrapes my skin as I jerk it loose, but I’m barely aware of the sting. I’m free! Her hands drop to the floor; her eyes close.

  I drop a quick kiss on her forehead, untie my feet, then Piper’s, and then untie Angel. I swing my arms and stomp my feet to get the blood flowing. I rub Angel’s arms and legs.

  “I’m okay, Daddy.”

  “Piper.” She’s lying on the floor. What energy she had, she used up untying me. She opens her eyes. I squat down beside her. “I know you’re not well, baby, but we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Go without me. I’ll only slow you down.”

  “You know that’s not going to happen.”

  “You have to get Angel to safety.” Her breathing is labored.

  Panic crawls through me. How much more can she take?

  I draw closer and I keep my voice low—not that it matters with Angel’s ability, “You listen to me. We’re all getting out of here. You. Me. Our daughter. If you stay, we all stay. Now are you coming?”

  She breathes in then breathes out. Her teeth clench. “Help me up.”

  “That’s the spirit, baby.” I drag her to her feet then try the door. Of course it’s locked. I put a chair under the door, pick up another one, and slam it against the tank. If I can break the glass, we can get out the chute that goes to the ocean.

  The Plexiglas is made to withstand pressure and doesn’t give. I hit it again. Nothing happens. Tension builds. Nerves jump under my skin. I’ve got to get us out of here.

  “Daddy, someone’s coming!”

  “Back in your chair, Angel.” I grab a chair and move behind the door. The door opens. Chair raised, I jump out and bring it down on Craven’s head. He crumples and I drag him in. I tie him up quickly, take off his shirt, and use it as a gag.

  “Let’s go.” Angel and I hurry up the stairs dragging Piper between us. We’ve almost reached the top when Stranger appears.

  “Leo! Jonas!” he calls. I let go of Piper, rush up the steps, and pop Stranger in the nose. He goes down like lumber. I rub my knuckles and grin. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

  I push him out of the way and grab Piper where she’s slumped on the deck. “Come on, Angel, come on.” We head for the rail, the deck bucking under our feet. What time is it? It has to be getting close to midnight.

  “Hey!” Stranger’s goons come hot footing across the deck. One slips and loses his footing as the boat rolls but he regains his balance and keeps on coming.

  “Over the rail, Angel!” She’s over in a flash. “Keep your mom’s head up,” I yell before I toss Piper over and head over myself. The moment before I jump, I feel a jolt of juice. Tased, I fall head first into the water.

  There’s a sizzle when I hit the waves, a hot sting then the tingling sensation is gone, and I shoot through the water after Piper.

  Chapter 30

  Piper

  Damp salty air fills my lungs and the sharp slap of the wind stings my face, just before Joel throws me over and water engulfs me. I drop, down, down, down. Then he and Angel are beside me pulling me up. We break water and Angel and I chuff in the black night as the waves rise.

  Stranger and his two goons are leaning over the rail looking for us, but as dark as it is, unless we bump into one of their cameras they’ll never find us. The thought is no sooner in my head then I smack into one.

  Angel grabs her dad’s arm and points to the one I bounced into. He signals that we are about to dive. I let the current pull me down. Angel and Joel both keep a firm grip on me and swim.

  I have no more strength than I did before but my mind is clearing, less fogged, and my heart—while still erratic—isn’t trying to thrum out of my body.

  As if they’re angry, the waves beat hard and wild. We stay underwater as long as we can and keep swimming. The vessel is still plowing through the waves behind us, no doubt following our progress by the cameras we sporadically hit when we surface.

  All of a sudden, the water stills, so we swim to the surface. The wind dies and the air grows quiet. A dark cloud moves and reveals the moon directly overhead and the moon in turn reveals us. A shout rises. “There they are.” The craft starts toward us.

  “Let’s go.” Joel’s hand tightens on my waist.

  “It’s almost midnight. Molita is calling the spirits and they’re responding.”

  We look at our daughter. The wind starts up again with a vicious twist. The waves, momentarily calm, rise.

  “We’ve got to get out of here.” The pulse in Joel’s fingers wrapped around me beats a fast staccato.

  I pick up on their urgency but my legs and arms don’t want to work. I hate the way my body has turned on me,
leaving me weak as a kitten. Joel hauls me along, as does Angel. Angel is shooting through the waves, pulling me with her. A torpedo comes shooting through the water, directly under me then is at my side.

  “Grab hold,” chatters the dolphin I share blood with. I grab her fin and we blast through the water, easily keeping pace with Joel and Angel. I clench my hands to hold on and trust I’ve got the strength to keep them together. Occasionally, my fingers start to slip and my little friend slows long enough for me to get a better grasp.

  Pressure is building behind us. We are getting caught in the backdraft of a growing wave. It rises higher and higher. The biggest one I’ve ever seen, a cyclone wave that happens only in the Triangle. As we slide down it, it continues to build. The boat is on the other side of it. When we hit the bottom of it, we shoot forward as if we were on a giant waterslide.

  “Oh my God,” Joel says reverently. “That sucker must be ninety feet.”

  I can’t even speak I’m so stunned. As we watch, it shoots straight down with a roar like a rocket launch. We ride the backlash. When it finally settles, we look back. There is no boat.

  My gaze crashes with Joel’s. Loud, ugly sobs tear loose from my chest. “We’re free.” In my mind, I hear Molita’s chanting that first night in the clearing, “When the time comes, destroy the evil that seeks her.”

  The time came.

  Joel pulls Angel and me into a hug. The dolphin circles, chattering.

  “Can you hear anyone?” I ask my daughter.

  Her voice is low, her features unbelievably sad. “I hear them dying.”

  “Angel...” I look at Joel. We’ll have to try and rescue them. My daughter can’t have that on her conscience.

  “They’re gone now, Momma. Dr. Stranger hit his head and died outright. I no longer hear anything from the other three.”

  “Then let’s go home.” Joel’s arm tightens around me. The dolphin chirps. I chirp back and place my other arm on her fin and we begin to swim. The water is still high and choppy but it’s quieting. The gray, foamy waves are subsiding to an almost lazy lap. The clouds are dissipating and the moon is high. The stars come out to light our way.

  My heart is trying to accept my dolphin friend’s blood. The seawater is helping, but my body is still at odds with it. The internal struggle with my organs has exhausted me. I let Joel and my dolphin friend do most of the work. I occasionally work up enough energy to kick my feet. Angel darts in circles around us.

  We are a good ways out from the island. In spite of my inability to swim on my own, we make good time, propelled by dolphs and a dolphin. We swim through the night, everything blurs at the edges. No one is talking. For me it’s too much of an effort. Their conversation gradually winds down and they concentrate on getting us home.

  I can’t figure out why I’m not better; I’m in the water. My heart is erratic but not as much as before. Unfortunately, my head wants to break loose from my body. “It’s only a little dolphin DNA.”

  “What?” Joel asks.

  “Nothing.”

  We continue to swim, one hour, two, time loses meaning. My limbs feel heavy.

  “We’re almost there. Look straight ahead, Momma.”

  The sun flirts with the skyline outlining the island. I slip my arm off the dolphin. We’re home. When we hit the shallows, Joel scoops me up in his arm. Put me down, you’re too tired to carry me. At least that’s what I mean to say but I don’t have the energy to force the words out. He carries me to the cottage, Angel holding my hand.

  As we enter, Tyler and Gramps come running. Gramps scoops up Angel and gives her a hug. “What’s wrong with her?” Tyler asks, hovering.

  “Pip, are you all right?” Gramps’ voice has a wobble in it.

  “She’s tired, Mr. Dunn. Dr. Stranger injected her with more dolphin DNA, and her body is fighting it. But now that she’s home, she’s going to be fine.”

  I try to reassure Gramps, but I can’t seem to find the energy. My head is nestled into Joel’s shoulder. His body is warm and his heart strong. If I could, I’d stay like this forever.

  The door slams. Joel turns.

  Molita.

  “We owe you a huge thank you. I’m in your debt.”

  Oh great. Someone else Joel feels indebted too. I had managed to forget their interest in each other. A thought surfaces and swamps me like the Triangle’s cyclone wave. Joel talked about us being together, but he never said he loved me. I let the darkness take me.

  * * * *

  I wake disoriented but better. Tyler is sprawled in a chair nearby. When I pull myself up, he comes awake instantly. “How do you feel?” He puts his hand on my forehead. “Fever’s gone.” His smile is wide, relieved.

  I swing my legs over the bed and wait for my head to explode. Nothing happens. I stand. My legs are a little wobbly and my heart has a tendency to speed up and slow down, but it’s no longer trying to crash through my rib cage. Relief floods me. “I’m better.”

  “Great. How about breakfast then lazing on the beach?”

  “Perfect.”

  Everyone joins us except for Joel and Molita. “Where are they?” I ask casually as I reach for a piece of toast.

  “They went diving for mollusks, Momma. I’m going to join them in a little while,” Angel says around a mouthful of eggs.

  “Go right ahead, darling.”

  In the end it’s only Tyler and I that go to the beach. After he spreads a blanket, I stretch out my legs, lean back on my elbows, and turn my face to the sun, soaking up the warm rays. “Just what the doctor ordered. This was a great idea.”

  “I have them occasionally.” He leans over and kisses me lightly on the lips, and winds a strand of my hair around his finger. “About the marriage thing.”

  “The marriage thing?” I grin at him.

  “You still want to, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Sure. Of course.”

  “What about Joel?”

  I guess my heart hasn’t settled down after all because it starts hopping inside my chest like a frightened rabbit. I look straight ahead. “What about Joel?”

  “You told me once before you had a bond with him. He’s Angel’s father and he’s a dolph.”

  I stand up and stare out at the ocean. Tyler rises too. “I can’t ever compete with that, Pip. I’m just a human guy in love with a dolph girl.”

  I turn and place my hands on his chest, over his warm beating heart. “You don’t have to.”

  He lifts my hands and kisses them. “I’m not sure you’re being honest with me or honest with yourself. But I love you like crazy and hopefully that’s enough. Maybe with time you’ll come to see I’m the better man for you. So what do you say? Shall we get married?”

  “When, now?” My anxiety picks up and my pulse gallops.

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  My mind skitters as if it’s caught in a maze, looking for a way out. “What about your family? They couldn’t possibly get here in time.”

  “We can get married now then get married again in the States.”

  I take a deep breath and settle. My dear, sweet Tyler. I put a hand to his cheek. He’s right. We should get married now. If I don’t marry him soon, I’ll do something completely stupid, like tell Joel I love him and beg him to love me back. And I can’t do that to Tyler, I just can’t. To give in to my feelings for Joel would be selfish in the extreme. “Of course, whatever you want.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” I place my lips on his, and if the kiss is sweet, where another’s leaves me breathless, so be it. There was a time Tyler’s left me breathless as well and hopefully sometime in the future it will again.

  * * * *

  The wedding doesn’t take place that day, of course. Even a small wedding takes some planning. But a week later, I’m standing inside a historic mission church waiting for the organist to begin. Sunshine is pouring through the windows bathing the stained glass and mak
ing it sparkle in a hundred different colors. The little church is filled with every variety of flower found on the island. Their colors lush, their fragrance spicy.

  The organ plays.

  My legs stiff and my steps disjointed, I walk down the aisle, clutching my nosegay, its spicy fragrance filling my senses. Like a magnet, my gaze draws to Joel who’s standing at the front of the church beside Tyler. Joel seems an odd choice for best man, but the options are limited. My heart beats harder and my breath comes in shallow gasps. Gramps’ hand feels warm against the skin of my arm. He leans over and whispers, “Your arm feels like ice. Pip, it’s not too late. You don’t have to go through with this.”

  Even my gramps knows. Am I making the mistake of a lifetime? He pulls me to a halt. Somehow we’ve arrived in front of the minister. Do I or don’t I?

  I’m trembling. I thought this was the right thing to do but it’s not. The minister straightens his robe and clears his throat. “Before these sacred rights begin, does anyone object to this marriage?”

  I’m going to have to straighten this mess out before I ruin Tyler’s life and my own. “I do.” The words come out of my mouth but they’re echoed by two masculine ones. My belly flutters and my nerves jump in surprise. Both Tyler and Joel have objected.

  Gramps smiles broadly.

  My thoughts fly in a million different directions then stop altogether as I look at Tyler, totally confused.

  He steps forward and smiles at me, a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve tried so hard to pretend you love me, not Joel. Or if you did that someday you’d stop loving him and start loving me, but I just can’t pretend anymore, Pip. It’s not fair to me and it’s not fair to you. I deserve a whole heart. I deserve someone who loves me the way I love you. I thought I could settle for less, but I can’t. I know this is a hell of a time to figure this out, but when you were coming down the aisle, you were looking at him, not me.”

  There’s so much sadness in his eyes, I can hardly bear it. “I’m sorry, Tyler.” My voice is a whisper.

  “Don’t be. Someday I’ll have someone who loves me the way you love Joel and it’ll be worth waiting for.” He places his lips gently on mine and looks at the minister. “I believe this is where you ask who gives this woman away.”