Her Balancing Act: Quinlan O'Connor Book 3

by Alyssa Bailey

“Promise?”

  “I promise, babe.”

  Kelli nodded again and accepted his kiss before allowing herself to be driven off.

  “You’re getting better at that, man,” Liam said as he slapped him on the back.

  “Yeah, and I’ve taken a few pages out of the O’Connor book, which by the way, comes in a multitude of versions. I have to write my own as I go.”

  “Now you know why there are so many versions,” explained Liam.

  Looking over at Quinn who had gone back to studying the map that lay on top of his truck he said, “Now, let’s kick some butt and find Cheyenne, shall we?”

  “Oh, yeah, now you’re talking.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Cheyenne’s thoughts were jumbled. The good part about all this was there would be no discipline for a while. The bad part about that is it also meant nothing else would happen either. She was under no illusions that she would be under house arrest forever. She might as well have babies because at least she would have something to do. Hmm, babies with Quinn would be incredible when they decided to start. She knew she was the holdup. Maybe she would think about it. Cheyenne knew her brain was rambling, but she continued to let her mind go.

  Cheyenne was sleepy but wanted to try to stay awake so she thought back to what she had discovered and pieced together for Martin Spencer that afternoon. She couldn’t think. She just couldn’t. Her head hurt so much and trying to find another spot to uncramp her legs gave her such a wave of nausea she vomited. Her head swam. She was just going to take a quick nap while she waited for Quinlan.

  She heard moaning and realized it was her because she felt her head vibrate and chest rumble. She was worried. Cheyenne struggled to remember where she was. She tried to sit up, and her head twirled violently, causing her to dry heave. She felt the tears stream down her face, and she couldn’t have stopped them if she tried. She was so tired. So achy, she wanted her husband. Where was he? How long had she been stuck here? And where was here? She was so thirsty. She knew there was something she should remember, but she couldn’t.

  It was still summer wasn’t it, and yet she was getting so cold. Her head was beginning to pound noticeably after getting sick. Taking a careful breath to keep her head stable, Cheyenne began to hum. It hurt too much so she sang in her head. Even that seemed to hurt, but she needed to distract herself. She sang the love songs that came to her because she wanted to feel wrapped in Quinlan’s love. She ached everywhere. She needed to focus, and this would help. She went diving for peace inside herself while she waited.

  ***

  “Hey, why are you playing that station at a time like this, we don’t need the sap, man. Drives me crazy,” Liam reached over the center console to turn it off. Quinlan stayed his hand.

  “This is the music Cheyenne likes to listen to when she’s stuck on something, worried, or needs to calm down. She played it a lot these last few months. I had to find it so that I could play it if I need to help her relax.” Quinn shrugged, “Besides, I can pull her out of herself if I need to with this stuff.” Quinn turned it down low. “It makes me feel like she’s close by.” His voice cracked, and he took a deep breath to control his emotions.

  Liam nodded his head, and he kept his eyes on the road. It was all that was needed as they continued down the road when a call came in saying they had seen one of the vehicles they were searching for on the APB they had issued. They rushed to the spot.

  Shelby and Charles Rockland were driving away from Elk Ridge, Cheyenne, and the whole state with their ill-gotten goods when they rounded the corner and found flashing lights. Turning around as they approached the next bend before pulling up to the blocked section of highway, they retraced their path.

  Unfortunately, for the Rocklands, since they were the only ones approaching the roadblock, they were sighted a ways away. It was evident when they never appeared after the last bend causing the call to go out to stop them. Good thing country roads are well known in little towns like theirs. One deputy took off down the back road quickly followed by another so that the only other way out was blocked by them as they raced to beat their suspects merging onto highway traffic further down the road. They only had a few miles to catch up.

  There was another call fast on the heels of the car sighting. It stated they found Shelby’s vehicle up near the fertilizer factory. The facility had been abandoned some years ago. The call came out to contain what they hoped was a peripheral fire. When the firefighters got there, it was obvious that the car was newly arrived. There was no sign of nonuse. They thought someone was in the building that was burning but had not recovered anyone. The fire was easily contained but not before some damage to the building had occurred.

  The dispatcher shared the information with the sheriff. They were quickly able to identify the vehicle as Shelby’s car. Living in a small community was a blessing at times. The same gossip complaint that everyone knows everyone’s business was valid. Nonetheless, it sure saved a situation at times. This time, it created the call that sent rescuers to look again for survivors with a specific person in mind, one of their own, Officer Quinlan O’Connor’s wife, Cheyenne O’Connor.

  ***

  Parker went in one direction going after the Rocklands. Quinlan and Liam turned around again and headed out of town in another direction. The fertilizer farm was ten miles out of town. As Liam drove as quickly as he dared, Quinn thought about what would be the best move for them as far as how to find her.

  “I have a solid feeling that she’s there, Liam.”

  “Then she is, bro. Let’s take this one-step at a time. They will have probably have found her by the time we get there.”

  “I hope so, man, I hope so.”

  They drove in silence the rest of the way there with Liam thinking about how he would deal with Quinn if they didn’t find Cheyenne, or worse if she was hurt. He shuddered to think about the devastation if she was gone from them forever.

  In the seat next to Liam, Quinn was devising ways to find Cheyenne. He was sure that the rescuers would not find her if she doubted they were safe people. He had pounded that into her psyche and her sit-upon enough times that she had internalized the message. All individuals were not always safe, even in her sheltered world.

  As they pulled up to the site, they were relieved to find that the sheriff had filled in the blanks with the fire and rescue officers. The officers met the brothers and began filling in the blanks for them. While both men knew most of the rescuers, Quinn worked with them often. They considered him one of theirs as a community servant.

  “Have you found her yet, Sam?” Strength and hard-won control was showing through Quinlan’s tone and came out tight. “Your people have to say that I sent them so she will feel safe.”

  “You mean like, Cheyenne, Quinn is looking for you. Or Quinn sent me to find you? Something like that?”

  “Exactly.”

  ***

  Cheyenne woke up again and took a few moments to reorient as she tried to get through the wave of nausea. Noise, she heard noise, and she wondered who or what it was. It could be Shelby or… or… Charles… right, Charles. My head is so fuzzy…

  “Cheyenne, Quinn sent me.” Who’s talking? Quiet, I need to be quiet. Why? Right, in case they were out there, Shelby, in case Shelby comes. Play dead, I need to take control and be dead, just as they think I am.

  Cheyenne’s mind giggled, and it came out as a groan when she thought to take control of whatever this was. She had to be dead. Give up control. No. Don’t let them take control. What am I supposed to do with that control? Another moan that Cheyenne was annoyed hearing. Quiet, they would most likely leave me alone if they think I’m dead… Quinn, he told me to take control so I don’t lose control… “Cheyenne, where are you?”

  ***

  “Not yet, son, but we will. I have the dog on his way out so don’t you worry. Do you happen to have something that belongs to her when Gent gets out here so he will have her scent?”

  “I don’
t know, let me think, and I’ll check the truck then be back with you.”

  Sam watched Liam. Sam was a well-seasoned fireman who had also been in on the rescue of Katie. He had run fire and rescue for over ten years now and knew the O’Connor men and women came out for everything they could. Whether it was raising a burnt barn, battling a forest fire, or finding a lost toddler, they were always out there pulling more than their share. They were raising those kids Liam had adopted the same way. Anything he could do to help this family was just giving back.

  Sam waited as they worked on finding something in the pickup that would have Cheyenne’s scent. He shook his head when a familiar truck pulled up carrying Liam’s three oldest boys. Liam looked up and knew just what his boys were hoping to do, and he loved them for caring so much. Jon was a strapping seventeen-year-old senior in high school. Gideon, always his sidekick was a solid sixteen-year-old and Zack was pushing his way up at fourteen. Liam looked to see if any of the other boys found their way into the truck and Jon laughed.

  “It’s just the three of us, Dad.” Liam loved being called dad and would never tire of hearing these boys who had his heart, call him that. Blood had nothing to do with love, and while they didn’t have his blood, they were his, and he was theirs.

  “How did you know we were out here?”

  “Zach got the police scanner as a gift from Auntie Katie on his birthday,” disclosed Gideon. “She knew he wanted to be in some kind of public service.”

  “We’ve been listening, and when we heard about finding that car, we knew Auntie Cheyenne was here,” chimed in Zach.

  Jon continued as he stood his seventeen-year-old self firmly in front of his father. “We had to come, Dad, so don’t get mad. You know we had to come.”

  Liam nodded his head because he indeed did know they felt they needed to come and take care of the family. He was training them for just that way of thinking and would have been surprised, possibly a bit disappointed if he had not seen at least the older two.

  “Did you tell your mother or do I have to call her and listen to her complaints about the men in this family again?”

  At that, all the men laughed having all experienced the same conversation with Jocelyn.

  “No, sir, we told her and she agreed,” assured Jon. “But she wants you to text her when we get here.”

  Liam smiled again and pulled out his phone to do just that.

  “Hey, boys, it’s good to see you here. Does your mother know where you are?” asked Quinlan when he walked up to the pickup.

  “Yes, sir. So, now, what can we do for you? We’re here to help.” Gideon was always the first to get down to the real issue of things. His logical mind and well-informed thinking made him a good one to bring when there were puzzles of any kind to work on.

  “I’m looking for anything that your Aunt Cheyenne might have left her scent on. I was looking in my truck but so far, nothing. I cleaned the damn thing just a few days ago.”

  Zack jumped out to help his uncle while Jon and Gideon checked their pick up. Liam walked over to get any updated strategies they might have worked on.

  A few more minutes and Gideon said, “Wait, Jon, I might have something.”

  He rummaged further into the side door pocket of the pickup and let out a whoop of triumph.

  “Got it! I found it. Remember when we were working on that cradle to teen swing set for KC last weekend and Aunt Cheyenne brought us a snack and something to drink?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She took a napkin and wiped her face and neck with it because she said it was ‘hotter than blue blazes’ and she was drenched. She put it in the bag of trash, and I didn’t clean the pick up yet. I forgot it was here.”

  “Awesome, Gid, let’s get it to Uncle Quinn.” The napkin with Cheyenne’s dried sweat was found within moments of old Gent coming on the scene.

  “Dad,” asked Zach skeptically, “Gent is pretty old, can he do the job?”

  Gideon answered the question for Liam, “An old dog with a working sniffer is better than a young man in the middle of the scent pool.”

  “Gideon is right, old Gent will do just fine,” added Liam. They all prayed he was right.

  ***

  Parker’s phone rang just as he was climbing out of his car to see who was in the SUV they had stopped about 500 yards from the entrance to the freeway. Looking to see the ID on the screen he sighed, “Honey, I can’t talk right now, are you all right?”

  “Yes,” hiccupped Kelli, “I’m fine. I’ll call back later.”

  “Honey, everything is going well. I think we’ll have Cheyenne home very soon but I have to do things right now. I promise to call you when I’m done here. Are you alone?”

  “No, I have Cody here with me. He refused to go back to the ranch.”

  “Good. Okay, honey, gotta go, love you, and stay put.”

  He felt for her, but he had to stay focused. He wanted to be telling her the truth and to do that he had to concentrate. Parker walked to the back of the SUV and surveyed the irritated stances of the two people he most wanted to toss into a deep dark hole and walk away. Emotions aside, he needed to play it cool to make sure they were on the right track in trying to find Cheyenne at the old factory.

  As he approached the two, he could smell some type of accelerant. Not that they would need any because if it were the fertilizer plant, that place was its own fuel. The scent was subtle but there nonetheless. Then there was that distinct odor of dried manure. As though they had spilled the liquid accelerant and it had begun to reconstitute the manure. Ode de bovine, nice. His fellow coworkers were not as excited about the stench as he was.

  After trying to get some information out of the two crooks cum kidnappers, he decided that they had given him all he needed once they shared their perfume.

  “Get them to the sheriff. It will be a long time before they see the light of day.” Looking over at the two, he said, “Hope it was worth it. I’ve better places to be. There’s nothing here to see. There was a fire out on the road so am going to help with the cleanup.”

  Turning to walk away, Parker was almost out of earshot when he heard Shelby reply in a low snide voice, “If you think we stink, just wait until you get a whiff of Miss Goodie Two Shoes, what’s left of her that is.”

  Her husband kicked her shin to silence her, but it was all over anyway. Parker felt hope. They were done with the sweeping search, now, to get to Cheyenne. The fire was not much, and they had already done a search of the seared sections. No Cheyenne. However, he knew without a doubt, she was there somewhere. He picked up his radio.

  ***

  Who is that moaning? My head hurts so much…

  …Breathe, concentrate on breathing… the air is full of smell… Cheyenne could smell smoke and manure, and heat. Good, I’m not cold. Reaching to once again touch the pounding in her head, she didn’t feel any new blood… so that has to be good, right? Stay awake, Cheyenne. Breathe. God that hurt… Think of Quinn.

  The panic was resurfacing, and she concentrated on her breathing again. Breathe in, breathe out, what would Quinn say?

  She could hear his voice, was it real or in her head? Who cares, Cheyenne, just listen to it.

  “Listen to the sound of my voice, Cheyenne.” Then his tone changed as it would when they were playing. Were they playing? Had she forgotten her code to stop him? Did he not read her well enough? Something wasn’t right. She heard his voice again as it changed to that deep and commanding voice when she began to breathe quickly again. “Cheyenne, stop. Anois.” Irish? She didn’t speak Gaelic. “Breathe with me. Breathe in. Breathe out. Concentrate, in and out.” Oh, maybe she was dreaming, but she couldn’t ignore that tone. She tried to focus and just breathe. The air was clearer and lighter. Her chest was releasing and her head, was not pounding as violently. “That’s it, baby, that’s it. Slow even breaths.” His voice was lovely.

  As her head cleared, just a little, she felt in more control, reality slamming back as well. Quinn
couldn’t help her because he wasn’t here. She couldn’t breathe with him, and he couldn’t help her breathe because he wasn’t here. She didn’t know where he was. Why was it so hard to breathe? He didn’t know where she was. Her panic began to rise again. Think, Cheyenne, what would Quinlan tell you to do? She began to fade as she tried to concentrate in earnest. Fade to black… she giggled again as she lost consciousness.

  ***

  Now who is yelling? Clouds in front of her eyes, cotton in her mouth, and tribal drumming in her head. She finally broke past the barrier enough and was in the breathing zone again. Panic receding. Why do I hear Quinn as though he were here? Why is he directing me? What is he saying? He was coaxing her. Now he was leaning into her, caressing her. She needed him, his caresses.

  She could hear his voice so clearly that she yearned for his touch. Strange, I’m here in my mind but I know I’m not with him and yet I am. This isn’t sub-space because there is no pleasure but I’m floating, weightlessness is descending.

  Music, where is that music coming from, it sounds like my iPod. Maybe I’m dead or dying. This is all an illusion. Full thoughts crashed into her mind. Logical thought. No, wait, this isn’t a song I know so how can I hear it? It’s my music, but a new song. No, that song was at The Sting wasn’t it, the last time we were there? Or, the time I shouldn’t have been there. I need to sleep, just a nap…

  A dog? What’s a dog doing here? Shush, dog, don’t whine, don’t bark. NO! You’ll give away our position. Play dead, Cheyenne. Chuck is dead. What did Shelby say? They didn’t want to pay him to keep her silent. Loose ends? I’m a loose end. The dog is barking. Pretend you’re not alive and he will leave. Please leave dog… why am I hiding? I’m too tired to get up.

  There’s that groan again. Who is making that noise? Oh, I’m so tired, but the guys are here. Why are they here? What are they up to now? Wait! Where are they? I need to go home. I hear them but can’t see them. Where are the women in this family? I can even hear Jon talking. He is such a young man now. Liam and Jos did well with him. Well, they are good with all of them, but Jon graduates this spring. I’m going to miss him. Miss him; miss them. I’m going to miss them all. Where am I going? Quinn is going to be pissed. NO, something’s not right. A hot tear slipped from her eye. “Cheyenne, Quinn sent me to get you.” She heard her name and shed more tears. The thought that tears were good registered in her unconscious mind, somewhere.