Justice for Breeze

by Melissa Kay Clarke

  "We don't have time for that," Coal hissed.

  "But, she doesn't understand what's going on. She needs things she's familiar with. It will..." Breeze's mind scrambled for something to say. "It will... keep her calmer so she doesn't yell. I know you don't want her making a lot of noise."

  Coal glared at Breeze a moment and then at the struggling Lolly. "You do what you have to in order to keep her quiet, Breeze. This is your only warning. If you don't..." He let the air fill with the thinly veiled threat.

  She took a step and pulled the child from Flint's arms. Cuddling her close, she gently swayed back and forth. "Shh, it's okay. Don't cry. I've got you, Lolly-pop. Bees is here." She turned and slowly opened the dresser drawer to get some of her things. "It'll be ok," she whispered. Lolly nuzzled into the side of Breeze's neck, and she clung to her tightly. Breeze could feel her tiny body shaking in fear.

  "Come on, let's go!" Blaze cracked the door and glanced out nervously. "Don't you think we need to leave before someone comes?"

  Breeze continued to grab clothing, pretending to examine each piece as she laid it on the dresser as Coal growled and tapped his foot impatiently.

  Finally, he had enough and snatched a pile up, thrusting it into Blaze's hands. "Forget the rest. We're leaving, now." With a push to her shoulder, Coal herded them toward the door. Breeze stopped to pick up Neno, Lolly's little stuffed dog, from the bed. It would go far in keeping her calm, not to mention, to remind Lolly of her father and his friends. Before she could give it to her, it was yanked out of her grasp. "You know those aren't allowed," Coal growled as he shoved her harder. "Toys aren't permitted. The only playing children are allowed are the teaching games. You know this." Breeze stumbled but managed to keep from dropping Lolly or falling to the floor. As they left the room, she saw Coal throw the stuffed animal down on the floor. In her arms, Lolly trembled harder.

  "I don't want to go back." Lolly's whimpers broke Breeze's heart.

  "Me either," Breeze murmured. "Your Daddy will save us. Just be a good girl and don't give them a reason to hurt you. We'll be okay until Daddy comes to get you."

  As the door to the stairwell shut behind them, Breeze heard Coal laughing with Flint. "He'll never find you. Mother is getting everyone ready to move. By the time he realizes you're gone, we'll be in another state."

  Lolly sniffled, and it took all of Breeze's efforts not to give in and cry with her. She had to be strong for her little charge, but she also needed to keep her faith in Finch. She knew without a doubt, he would find them. It was just a matter of when.

  "And so, this morning, Breeze brings me a cup of coffee up from the restaurant while I was getting ready. I took a big old drink and about spit it out. She had put peanut butter in it!"

  "Peanut butter coffee? Dare I ask where she got the idea?" Olivia asked. "She hasn't been talking to Hick, has she?"

  "She saw people putting flavored shots in their coffee in the cafeteria and she knew peanut butter was my favorite thing so she put the two together."

  "Let me guess. You gulped it down, didn't you," Railroad smirked. "She's got you wrapped around her finger, man."

  Finch pulled at his right ear. "I didn't want to hurt her feelings, that's all. I can't wait for you to meet Lolly and Breeze," Finch grinned as he punched the button on the elevator. Behind him, Olivia and Annabeth glanced at each other with a knowing smirk.

  "It's all Livy talked about since you told her she'd been found." Bruiser hugged his wife against his side. "I have to warn you though. Auntie Nat is already making plans on spoiling her rotten."

  "After all she's been through, she could use a little spoiling. Breeze, too."

  "You've talked non-stop about her since you picked us up." Hick teased. "Is there a little something going on between you and the babysitter?"

  "Oh, God, if Toad was here, can you imagine how much teasing you would get over that?" Annabeth stepped into the elevator and pulled her suitcase behind. "You'd never hear the end of it."

  Finch groaned. "Yeah, no shit. Do me a favor and don't give him any ideas." He punched the button for his floor as the door closed.

  "Breeze is actually a really sweet girl," Railroad told them. "She's almost as protective of Lolly as Finch is. I don't think she's very comfortable, though."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "It's just the way she acts. Things surprise her, Livy. I haven't been around her a whole lot but what I've seen tells me she's led an extremely sheltered life. Things we take for granted are complete wonders to her."

  "Like chocolate," Finch finished. "You ever want to get on her good side, Hershey goes a long way."

  Bruiser snorted. "Most women like chocolate. A lot of men, too. I've known a few guys that would about trade their souls for it while on a mission."

  Finch wrinkled his nose as the doors opened. "Not me. It's okay, but give me peanut butter any time."

  "There's that." Bruiser chuckled.

  They made their way down the hall and stopped at the door with a tray sitting on the floor beside it. "Looks like she finally ordered some lunch from room service," Railroad observed.

  "That tray hasn't been touched," Annabeth pointed out. "They must be asleep."

  Something ugly tugged at Finch. "Maybe," he agreed.

  Pushing his key card into the slot, he opened the door. "Breeze? Lolly-pop?"

  Silence greeted them.

  Finch took a step inside then picked up Lolly's stuffed dog from the floor. That ugly feeling in his chest tightened. "Lolly!"

  Behind him, he heard Hick ask Railroad to take Livy and Annabeth next door. Bruiser was already checking the bathroom.

  "Clear."

  "Maybe they're down at your parent's room," Railroad said from the open adjoining door. "Or at the Nolans?"

  Finch turned and rushed two doors down. Knocking rapidly on the door, he shifted nervously as he waited for someone to answer. The door opened, and Steve nodded to him. "Hello, Asher. Are you looking for your parents? We were playing Canasta." He opened the door wider. "Come on in."

  Finch hurried in and looked around. "Have you seen Breeze and Lolly?"

  Steve's brows wrinkled as Finch's father stood from the table where they had been playing. "Not since this morning at breakfast. I thought they were going back to the room while you went to get the others."

  "She did." He lifted his hand with Neno in it. "They're gone, and she left her dog behind. You know she doesn't go anywhere without it."

  Behind him, Bruise was already barking orders to Hick and Railroad. "Check the hotel. Go floor by floor."

  "Dad, Livy and Annabeth are in Railroad's room. Could you go get them and bring them down here with you?"

  "Of course, Son."

  Thirty minutes later, the entire hotel had been searched, including the off-limits areas like the laundry and employees break room. They were simply gone. Now they were gathered back in the manager's office searching through security videos.

  "There." Railroad pointed at one of the screens. "Freeze the screen." Railroad leaned in and studied the image. "Yeah, that's the guy. I saw him talking to Breeze in the hallway yesterday."

  "Dammit!" Finch pulled out his cell and scrolled through until he found the number he was looking for. He waited impatiently for the call to connect. Sliding down the wall until his butt hit the floor he felt fear grip him once again. The moment he saw that tray and Lolly's dog, he knew something was wrong. Some part of him knew they wouldn't find them in the hotel. Now he had proof. He glanced at the screen showing the three men pushing Breeze and Lolly into the van as the call connected.

  "TJ? I need your help. Lolly and Breeze have been taken."

  Chapter 13

  "Let's go through it one more time."

  Finch's anger was simmering just below the surface. Biting it back, he glared at the officer who was sitting across from him in the San Antonio police department. "I've already told you everything I know. Why aren't you out there looking for them?"

&nbs
p; The door opened, and TJ entered along with another man carrying a folder. With a nod, the officer stood and walked out. Sitting at the table, TJ took the folder from the other one and placed it on the surface and tapped it. "We need to talk about this," he told Finch succinctly. "We got the autopsy report for Sarah Nolan." Motioning to the man standing behind him, TJ introduced him. "He's Cruz Livingston, FBI. I asked him to come in with me."

  Finch lifted his chin at the second man then motioned to the folder. "I'm guessing since you're here with that, then there's something going on."

  "You could say that." He flipped open the report. Shuffling around until he found the paper he wanted, TJ pulled it out and placed it on top. Turning it around, he pushed it toward Finch. "Do you know what this is?"

  Finch glanced down at the page. "Toxicology report."

  "Right." He turned it around. "Were you aware that Sarah was taking cyclosporine?"

  "I wasn't aware she was taking anything. You know she never regained consciousness. I'm not sure what it's for."

  "It's an autoimmune suppressor. It's normally prescribed for people with rheumatoid arthritis or severe cases of psoriasis. In a nutshell, it keeps the body from attacking itself, so it's also given to transplant patients to keep the body from rejections."

  "I didn't know she was sick," Finch frowned. Why didn't Sarah tell him?

  "Well, that's the thing. She doesn't have rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or an organ transplant." Cruz chimed in. "As far as we can tell, there's no reason for her to have it."

  That cold, sick feeling in Finch's stomach grew. "Then why was she taking it?"

  TJ looked up from the file and sat back. "That's a good question, but I have a better one for you. There were trace amounts of it in her system when she was admitted to the hospital." He pointed to the toxicology report. "But the autopsy report came back with triple the normal dose. We've checked the hospital reports and dispersion machines in the ICU. There were no patients requiring cyclosporine in the ICU for the four days Sarah was there. It wasn't administered or even stored on the floor."

  "And I was the last one to visit her before she died," Finch growled out. "Are you accusing me of something, TJ?"

  "We're just trying to get some answers, Finch."

  Cruz took a couple of steps forward and braced his hands on the table. "I took the liberty to have you checked out; looked into your records. You were deployed when Sarah and Lorelei went missing, and you were deployed when they were found. Being a SEAL doesn't make you infallible, but it does garner a certain amount of respect. Thank you for your service, by the way. However, I don't believe you had anything to do with her death nor the disappearance of your daughter and the woman she was with."

  Finch felt a bit of the tension in his shoulders melt. "Good. Are we done? I need to get out there and find them."

  TJ nodded. "We've put out an Amber Alert for Lorelei and issued a BOLO for the van. Unfortunately, it's nondescript, and the license plate came back stolen."

  A string of curse words erupted from Finch's mouth. He slammed his fist on the table and pushed his chair back. Leaping to his feet, he began to pace. "So, it's a dead-end?"

  "What can you tell me about the woman found with Sarah?" Cruz looked at the file again. "Breeze? It says here she has no last name. Don't you find that rather odd?"

  Every little piece of information Finch had about Breeze swirled in his mind. It was true she was different, but there was no way she was a part of this. Just the way she shielded Lolly as they were forced into the van told him it wasn't voluntary. He shook his head. "She's not involved."

  "Why do you think that?"

  Finch thrust his fingers through his hair. While it was true that he didn't know Breeze well, his gut told him she was good, through and through. "It was the way she behaved. Breeze is an open book; she almost can't help it. I don't think she would even know how to lie or mislead anyone. She has an innocence about her almost like she's a child, herself. I think she led an extremely sheltered life. Everyday things like telephones, elevators and automatic doors astounded her." He stopped and leaned on the table, staring TJ in the eyes. "Have you ever met anyone that had never tasted chocolate before they were an adult? Breeze hadn't. She didn't even know what it was."

  TJ looked over at Cruz. "That's the same vibe I got from her. At first, I thought she was trying to be sneaky, but the longer I spent with her, the more I was convinced she's naive. I agree with Finch; I don't think she's a part of it."

  Cruz pulled up a second chair, took out a pen and flipped over a piece of the report. "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you can about Breeze. I want every single thing she ever said, every odd action she took and anything that seemed unusual. If I'm going to go to my superiors with this, I need everything."

  Sinking back in the chair, Finch reminded himself it was all for Lolly... and for Breeze. Taking a deep breath, he spent the next hour going over everything he could think of about Breeze. Cruz stopped him from time to time to clarify some point or to ask another question. TJ filled in what he could as well. When he was done, the FBI agent dropped his pen back in his pocket and sat back.

  "I'll be honest with you. From what I've read, and what you told me, it seems Breeze could be a member of some sort of cult. I'm going to talk to a specialist I know in the Bureau and see if she has any ideas." Cruz shuffled the papers together and tucked them into the folder. Standing, he picked up the file and tapped it on the table. "In the meantime, there's a task force being assembled to find your daughter. TJ can take you down there. I'll be in as soon as I finish checking on a few things."

  Following TJ out of the room, Finch clenched his fists together. Finally, someone was taking action. If only they had done so hours before when he first reported them missing, maybe his girls would be back with him now. He stopped at the realization hit him. Yes, they were both his girls, Lolly and Breeze, and he wouldn't stop until he had them both home again.

  By the time Breeze faced the trailer housing Mother, sweat beaded on her forehead and ran in a rivulet down her spine. Taking a moment to compose herself, she muttered the mantra under her breath, but once again there was no calming. Beside her, Coal knocked on the door then turned away, taking Flint and a crying Lolly with him. All around them, people were busy packing up and loading everything into the trucks.

  "Come in, Breeze."

  Mother's voice carried through the wall easily. She winced then straightened her spine. It was just Mother. She could do this. She would do this.

  Climbing the three steps, she pulled the door open and entered the trailer. Inside, the windows were opened, letting in the fresh air, which did little to cool the too warm spring weather. Flowers decorated several counter tops along with candles that would be lit once darkness descended again. On the table next to Mother, a small box rested next to a paperback book. Did it say chocolate on the side? Did Mother know about that delightful confection all along? In a recliner, Mother lounged gracefully, watching Breeze. It was a curious combination of Outside and Family that never bothered Breeze until now. Behind her, the trailer door closed with a snick.

  The recliner reminded her of the one in the hotel room. Although Breeze didn't much care for it, Finch and Lolly enjoyed watching cartoons from the chair. The thought made Breeze's heart clench. It had only been a few hours since she last saw Finch, but already she missed him.

  A soft sigh passed her pinched lips as Mother let the foot rest down and stared at Breeze. Motioning for her to come forward, she waited until Breeze dropped to her knees on the soft carpet in front of her. Once she settled, Mother reached down and took her hands, squeezing gently.

  "It's good to have you Home, again."

  "Why? I don't understand. Lolly was with her father, where she belonged. Why did you have her brought back?"

  Mother's lips pursed. "Please call her by her rightful name."

  Breeze straightened her spine. "Her name is Lorelei Ashlynn Nolan or Lolly for short. She's the
precious daughter of Sarah Nolan and Asher Finchly. He is a good man, a strong man. He loves his daughter very much. You were wrong to take her away."

  "Insubordination. I don't know that I care for this new defiance you've acquired, Breeze. It doesn't become you or your station."

  "It may make me insubordinate, but it doesn't make you right. Mother, she needs to be with her father. I've seen them together; they need each other. Please, send her back home. I'll stay here, and I'll never say anything about it again, just please let her go."

  The deep sigh Mother let go was loud in the stillness of the room. Mother's eyes flittered over her features as she pursed her lips. "Do you know why you were chosen to be Gaia's guardian?"

  "I always thought it was because I'm your daughter?"

  "No. Who you were before and who I was before had no bearing on my decision. I don't show favoritism; you know this. The reason I chose you is that you have been through the training. You know what to expect and what is expected of her. But, most importantly, you were trustworthy, and you understood your duty. When Sarah left us, you took it upon yourself to follow. You could have come to Coal or me and told us she left. We could have gone after her ourselves. But you knew your place was with Gaia, and you stayed with her. That fact solidified my decision."

  She squeezed Breeze's hands. "When we discovered they were gone, Coal requested to go after you. I hesitated before granting it. Had I not, you would have been found and brought back, immediately. Lily was not strong enough for this life; she wasn't strong enough to raise Gaia. I thought you were, but now I wonder if I was mistaken. Having sway over the next Gaia is a huge responsibility - perhaps too much for a Wind. Traditionally, only Earth or Fire are given responsibility for the next leader of our Family. I had high hopes for you, Breeze."