by Cat Gilbert
“I need a coffee.” I abruptly announced and managed to wiggle around Jonas, who didn’t bother to move, and hightailed it into the kitchen. I only had a minute to catch my breath before Jonas and Trinity came through the door behind me.
“Guys, I need some space here for a minute.” I said waving them off. “Just give me a couple of seconds.”
Surprisingly, they did an about face and headed back into the living room without saying a word. The kitchen instantly felt larger and I felt my pulse rate slow down along with my breathing. Was that a panic attack? I’d never had one before, so I didn’t know for sure, but whatever it was, I knew I didn’t want it to happen again. My hands were a little shaky and it felt like my hair was standing on end, but as I ran my hand over my head, everything felt normal. I picked up the coffee to pour a cup and the thought crossed my mind that perhaps now might be a good time to switch to decaf. Then again, nothing like that had happened before and I always hit the caffeine heavy. Shaking my head, I made my way back into the living room, only to find Jonas and Trinity sitting on the sofa, side by side, watching me.
“What?” I looked behind me, but didn’t see anything. “What?” I asked again, a little more firmly.
“You didn’t feel that?” Trinity asked, incredulous.
“Feel what?” I had no idea what she was talking about.
Jonas mumbled something under his breath.
“Watch your language,” Trinity snapped, jabbing him a good one with her elbow.
I hadn’t heard what he’d said, but Trinity obviously had and she didn’t approve. Mama D had strict rules on cursing and after being smacked for breaking them on numerous occasions, they had been engrained bone deep on Trinity for all eternity. Even so, I had never heard her call anyone else down on it.
He glared at her and promptly vacated his seat. He passed by the chairs and went instead to lean against the window sill, putting himself well outside her range. Trinity was glaring right back at him and he turned his back on her, focusing his attention out the window, ignoring her as she blew out a a heavy sigh and looked to me for support. I wasn’t sure what to do. Jonas was obviously rattled and Trinity, normally the epitome of professionalism, had just nearly broken his ribs. One minute they had at least been civil to each other and now they were at each other’s throats, the truce over practically before it had even begun. Something had obviously happened to set them off. I may have missed it, but whatever it was they had definitely picked up on it and it had shaken them both.
At a loss, I glanced from Trinity to Jonas, and saw him suddenly stiffen, setting off my inner alarm. Something was wrong. In an instant he was moving, drawing his gun as he whirled around, but he was too late. The lights went out, just as the front door was kicked open.
They were on us before we knew what was happening. Backlit from the emergency lights in the outside hallway, I could make out four of them, rushing toward us. I had an instant of indecision, then hurled my hot coffee in their direction, and dove to the floor as blue light streaked across the room. Tasers. They aimed for Jonas and missed, catching the chair he was behind instead. I heard a gun go off and prayed it was Jonas that had fired.
I watched in horror as one of the intruders grabbed Trinity and as she fought back, back hand her, knocking her onto the floor. As he drew back his fist to strike her again, I flung myself across the living room and into him, sending him sprawling. Jonas and two men were locked in a mass of flailing fists and kicking feet. For an instant, it looked like Jonas was winning, but as one man rolled away, I saw a glint of light bounce off the gun that appeared in his hand as he took aim at Jonas. Someone grabbed my leg and began dragging me across the room towards the door. Trinity was screaming and I watched in horror as the man rose from the floor behind her, a knife clutched in his hand. It was too late. There was nothing I could I do to help either of them as I was being dragged, kicking from the room.
“Nooooo!” My desperate scream was drowned out by an explosion. The windows shattered and I watched, transfixed, as shards of glass went flying through the condo, mere inches above my face. Cries of pain echoed off the walls as the deadly missiles found their mark, the metallic smell of blood filling the air. The hands gripping my leg fell away as an eerie silence settled over the room. I laid still, paralyzed by fear, terrified that Jonas and Trinity might be gone. Then I heard it, barely audible above the sound of my own breathing. Someone was there, moving quietly through the room. I waited, not moving, as he moved closer, weighing my options.
“Don’t hurt me, I’m on your side,” his voice quietly whispered in my ear, distorted and raspy.
Unable to see, I could sense him moving away into the darkness. Disoriented, I tried to shake off the confusion in my brain and concentrate, struggling to make sense of his words. My arms and legs felt strange and I had trouble catching my breath. Panic began to take hold as I listened intently for clues as to where Trinity and Jonas were. The silence was deadening and my heart began to hammer in my chest. I started to roll over, intent on making my way to Trinity, only to find I couldn’t move. My arms and legs were unresponsive, leaving me pinned on my back to the floor. My breath came out in ragged gasps as I realized how defenseless I was.
“Stop it,” his voice hissed out from the darkness and then suddenly he was back, hovering over me. “You’re safe. Try to calm down.”
Safe? My body began to shake uncontrollably and I felt the wetness of tears on my face. Where were Jonas and Trinity? Were they safe? I struggled to ask, but couldn’t seem to make my mouth work right, my lips unable to form the words. Oh God, help me! I prayed, as the man moved closer.
“You’ve been tasered. Do you understand me?” he whispered impatiently.
He reached over to brush hair from my face and I inwardly flinched, my brain refusing to accept that he trying to help me. Tasered? That would explain why I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. The blare of sirens in the distance began to filter through the haze of panic surrounding me, and I could just make out the sound of Trinity crying softly somewhere behind me. She was alive. Relief poured through me at the realization. Thank you, thank you.
“Trinity’s okay. Taylor, do you hear me?” It was Jonas, his big hand closed on my shoulder, giving me the reassurance I so desperately needed. “You need to calm down. You’re all right. Everything is okay.”
“I need to get her out of here,” the man next to me interrupted and I realized with a shock he was talking about me. “You can’t protect her. I can. It’s what I’m trained for.” I felt him shift position as the sound of sirens neared. “You and the girl coming or not, makes no difference to me, but I’m leaving.”
Suddenly, I was flung up over his shoulder and without hesitation he began moving to the door. He was taking me! “Jonas!” I silently screamed, still unable to form words, “Stop him!”
“We’re coming,” Jonas snapped out. Suddenly he was there beside me, and I felt the flutter of Trinity’s hand on my back as we moved to the doorway.
“Stay to the shadows,” came the command, and with that, we melted into the darkness, fleeing into the night.
WHAT SEEMED LIKE an eternity later, I was flopped onto the ground behind some bushes. The feeling was beginning to come back into my limbs, and although I was a long way from moving around, I definitely felt the impact. My abductor suddenly loomed over me, grabbed my chin and turned my face to look at him.
“Stay here and stay quiet,” he ordered, and then he and Jonas disappeared beyond the brush. Trinity crawled over, and curling into a ball, huddled close to me, shivering.
She was going into shock. Even in my confused state, I knew enough first aid to realize that and there was nothing I could to do help her. At least, for the time being, we seemed to be safe. I concentrated on trying to move and found, much to my relief, that with a lot of effort, I could move my arms and legs. The more I moved them, the easier it became, and within minutes I managed to roll over. Using my elbows to drag myself, I managed to
move enough to see through the bushes just in time to catch the sight of flames erupting from what was once my kitchen window. I watched in disbelief as within seconds, the whole condo was engulfed, lit up like a beacon in the night.
My involuntary gasp alerted Trinity and she crawled over to join me. Turning to look at her, I could see flecks of blood on her face reflecting the firelight and the tears in her eyes.
“What is going on?”she whispered, her eyes on the flames.
I didn’t bother to answer, as the scream of the fire alarms suddenly tore through the night and I found my attention focused on the exit doors, willing my neighbors out of the building. It seemed an eternity before the doors finally opened and people began making their way out to safety.
The sound of sirens joined with the fire alarms and the wash of blue and red lights against the buildings announced the arrival of police and fire crews. We watched in silence as the police attempted to sort out the distraught homeowners that were now pouring into the parking lot as the fire took hold and began to spread.
Movement caught my eye at the back of the building and I held my breath as two bodies separated from the crowd and started to make their way in our direction. Blankets covering their heads, I couldn’t be sure that it was Jonas and company, and decided to play it safe. Motioning to Trinity, we backed into the bushes as far as possible and waited. The two stopped on the far side of the bushes and stood watching the fire for a moment.
“It looks clear. Put these on and cover up your heads,” the man ordered, dropping the blankets to us. “Taylor, can you walk?”
“I have no idea,” I replied automatically, thrilled that I could form words again. Talking was one thing, walking something else altogether. The way my legs felt, I was pretty sure I would nose plant as soon as I tried, but was more than willing to give it a go.
“Trinity, help her up and see if you can keep her standing. It can’t look like anyone has been injured or we’ll invite help we don’t want.”
I managed to get into a sitting position and we covered ourselves as much as we could with the blankets. Looking into Trinity’s eyes, I could see the doubt and fear that I was sure was mirrored in my own. She nodded at me and together we began to rise. We somehow got to a standing position, but that was as far as my legs were willing to go. Teetering on what felt like a pair of stilts, I clung to Trinity for support.
“She can’t walk,” Trinity’s voice trembled. “What do I do?”
Within seconds, my abductor was around the bushes and pulled me into his side. With his arm around my waist, he took my weight off my legs and started moving slowly forward. Trinity followed him and before long, we became a group of displaced survivors, joining others as we moved through the parking lot.
“Do you have a plan, or are you just going to drag me around all night?” I asked none too nicely. “If you squeeze me any tighter, I won’t be able to breathe.”
“Would you rather I let you fall on the ground?” He had a point, but still, I needed some down time. It felt like my ribs were being crushed. “We’re headed to my van, but we have to go slow to not draw attention. If we run, someone might get suspicious.” He said it like he was talking to a two year old.
“Really?” I gasped, my patience and air running thin. “Then I’m going to need to stop for a minute to get some air.”
He paused and turned me into his chest, putting both arms around me. He smelled of smoke and sweat, but he was a solid surface, and my nerves were shot more than I wanted to admit. I watched the firemen over his shoulder as they geared up to enter the building, looking for anyone still inside, while others trained plumes of water on the building. I had a perfect view of the condos and the flames that consumed them and feared they would be too late to save much of anything. Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought of what had happened, how close we had come to being killed, how my home was gone, along with a lot of other people’s homes. How it was all my fault. They had come after me and were willing to kill innocent people to get me. Shivers ran down my spine as the burden of guilt overwhelmed me and I felt his arms tighten around me as if he could sense my lack of strength to go on.
“Did you have to set it on fire?” I asked quietly, not wanting my voice to carry to other groups huddled nearby. “All these people. What if someone’s still in there?”
“I didn’t.” His words were quiet, but his voice was tight. I had felt the jerk that had gone through him at my words and the tension that still remained there. “The fire was well under way when we got back to your place. We did pull the alarms though and helped get people out. That’s what took so long.”
He was acting as if I’d insulted him and maybe I had. So far, all he’d done was risk his life to help us, carry me out of the building, drag me through the parking lot, and was standing here now holding me up so I didn’t fall on my face, but that didn’t automatically make him my new best friend. I believed him, though. First because he did seem hurt that I thought he had done it, and second, because Jonas had been with him and I knew Jonas would have stopped him from risking so many lives.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling maybe I owed him that much.
“It’s all right,” came the whisper in my ear. “Can you move now?”
I nodded and he lowered me slowly, until my full weight was back on my feet and surprisingly, they held. I took a tentative step and then another. If we moved slow, I was fairly certain I could manage. He kept an arm around me and we started off again.
Jonas and Trinity had waited for us, and we joined them, moving as group away from the fire and the light it gave off. As the darkness closed around us, I had the fleeting idea that this must have been what Lot and his family felt like as they fled the city of Gomorra in the Old Testament. But unlike Lot’s wife, I accepted my fate. Life had changed in an instant, just as I had feared.
It happened because of me and what I was, but I was not the one who had done this tonight. I kept reminding myself of that as we made our way to the van. I was not the guilty party, but someone out there was. The need for justice that had always guided my life, guided me now. The guilty were out there. I would find them and they would pay. It was what I did. It was who I was. So I kept my eyes forward, and kept walking.
TWELVE
ONE OF THE great things about Little Rock is that you can be out of the city within minutes and out in the middle of nowhere before you realize it. As modern as the city is, the back woods are never far away. As soon as we had settled in the van, we headed west, and within minutes, we had left the lights of Little Rock behind.
The ride had been quiet, everyone entrenched in their own thoughts, as we made our way around the winding hills and back country roads. No one had appeared to notice us as we made our escape, as I thought of it, for lack of a better term or explanation, all attention being focused on the fire.
Trinity was asleep on the seat next to me. She had pretty much collapsed by the time we got to the van, shock having set in completely. Jonas had wrapped her in the blankets and secured her with the seatbelt. The shivering that had gripped her stopped, and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, which I was extremely grateful for. My mind was reeling with the impact that tonight’s events would have on everyone’s life, including my own. I was anxious to sit down with our rescuer, as I now referred to him, deciding he had graduated from my first impression as an abductor, and find out exactly what he knew. It was obvious, he knew more than we did and frankly, I found the fact somewhat scary.
Watching him as he drove, I still had no idea who he was or what he looked like. Having seen him only in the dark and the shadows, I only had the suggestion of size, and features. Nothing solid. Jonas was giving him the once over too, and the tension between them radiated through the van. Jonas may have played along with our new friend’s suggestions, but he didn’t trust him.
I could barely look at Jonas without my heart tearing in two. The implications of what he had done tonight were horrible. There were dead pe
ople back there, police work to be done. Jonas had inside knowledge of what had happened and yet he was here with us. He had turned his back on his profession and his oath to uphold the law. Maybe, they didn’t know he was involved, didn’t know he was on site, but I was afraid it really wouldn’t matter in the long run. Jonas knew he had been there. He knew he had left the scene and covered up evidence. Being a man of integrity, I had no idea how Jonas was going to reconcile things, or even if he could. I just knew that when I looked at him, my soul bled, because what he had done, he had done for me. So many lives changed and for what? I turned my head to stare into the darkness outside the window. It was easier than looking at these people, whose lives I had just ruined.
THE VAN SLOWED and we pulled onto a dirt track. As we bounced over the ruts and dips, I looked out the back window to see curtains of tree branches swing back into place, effectively hiding our passage. As we rolled to a stop, the dark outline of a house was just barely visible through the van window.
“Take the women inside,” the driver ordered Jonas. “I’ll move the van into the barn.”
The hair stood up on the back of my neck as the tension between them escalated and I held my breath as Jonas weighed his options, ready to move quickly, should he decide to take charge.
“Is there a problem?” It wasn’t a question, it was a challenge. I braced myself as I looked to Jonas for some clue as how to proceed. Seconds ticked by as they sized each other up. Finally, Jonas made his decision.
“No problem,” he said, never loosing eye contact with the other man.
“I thought you had sorted this out earlier tonight. Before it was too late,” the driver said, as Jonas opened his door and got out.
“Lets get something straight,” Jonas said, as he leaned back into the van. “Should I decide differently, it will never be too late.”
The driver nodded slowly at Jonas. “Understood.”
