[Piper Anderson 01.0] Three Seconds to Rush

by Danielle Stewart

  “Ha,” Olly chuckled, “you don’t strike me as some altar boy.”

  “Yeah,” Reid agreed, pressing down the path that seemed to be eliciting the most reactions from Yule. “What church would bother having a man like you in it? Not a man, a monster.”

  Yule flipped them off again and banged his head back onto the pillow.

  “I say he’s delusional,” Reid continued. “Call psych and have him checked out because he’s some drug addled fool who’s lost his mind. We’re wasting our time.”

  Reid turned to go, gesturing with his chin for Olly to follow. He assumed by now Olly understood the long game he was trying to play.

  “You’re probably right,” Olly agreed. “Just a nut job.”

  Yule made some more grunting noises and wrote frantically across the paper again. I am the blood. I am the word. We are the anointed.

  Yule threw the notebook at Reid, who bent down and picked it up. Upon reading the words, he continued on his path out the door. There wouldn’t be any other communication at this point.

  “Think we might have bailed a little early,” Olly admitted as he followed Reid down the hallway, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

  “No,” Reid said, holding the notepad. “He was done talking no matter what. Let’s let him stew a little bit. Let him realize whoever he thinks is coming to help him isn’t.

  “How do we know they won’t? Sometimes stuff like this gets pushed through channels, and I get a phone call to cut a guy like that loose.” Olly looked nervous, checking his phone again and again.

  “Even under these circumstances?” Reid challenged, rounding on Olly and shooting him a fierce look. “You can’t really think this guy will walk free again.”

  “If he does,” Olly said, splitting away from Reid to answer his ringing phone, “I’ll give you the first crack at him in the parking lot.”

  “Deal,” Reid said, pointing a finger at Olly as he headed back toward Tara’s room. Shooting a quick text to Willow with the new information he saw a cart pass by. Food. He hadn’t eaten since that morning and Tara probably hadn’t either. He’d grab her a sandwich from the late night deli around the corner as an added apology. The way he always did when they were children. That was how to win Tara over, feed her. Make her smile. Remind her she’s not alone.

  Chapter 32

  Tara’s dreams were filled with images of Wylie. His wobbly run as he teetered across the quiet backyard at Reid’s secluded apartment. His popsicle-stained lips and his cold kisses once the summer finally returned. A smile broke across her face as she woke to the idea of a new life. Finally, not having to face it all by herself anymore. She wasn’t sure how they’d navigate the custody battle but for the first time she had hope they could win.

  “Smiling?” a man’s voice asked too harshly for Tara to assume it was hospital staff checking in on her. “I don’t know what you’d have to smile about.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and a familiar face hovered above her. Todd Olden looked down on her with such disdain she lost her breath for a moment. His face was twisted and demonic.

  “What a waste you’ve been,” he said, stepping back and lowering himself into the chair by her. “And now because of dumb luck you’ll be free, and you’ll get him back. Even though you don’t deserve him. You ruined my son and now my grandson.”

  Tara was grateful for the space created between them, but her stomach flipped with anxiety. “Heroin ruined your son. And the ripple effect of it nearly ruined your grandson. But I promise you, Wylie will have a good life.” She sat up, looking at him earnestly. “I regret keeping both of you away from him. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and maybe I was wrong.”

  His eyes came up from the spot on the floor where they were fixed, and he glared at her skeptically. “Why did you keep him from us?” he asked, so pained it broke her heart.

  “TJ had very strong feelings about it. I was trying to honor what I thought he wanted. When I did try to let you in, you both came on so strong, and I felt like you were trying to take over. But this has been an eye-opening experience for me, and I don’t want to live the way we have been living. We were isolated and struggling, and life doesn’t have to be that way. I know that now.”

  “She’s too far gone for that,” Todd said apologetically, dropping his head down and shaking it angrily. “She won’t let this work out for you.”

  “Millicent?” Tara asked, knowing she was the stronger willed of the couple. As she thought all this through, she knew Millicent would be reluctant. “We can all talk about it. We can sit down, and we don’t have to go to court and make this a big ugly thing. We’re all adults, and I really believe you care about Wylie.”

  “We’d do anything for Wylie,” Todd stressed, standing again and moving toward the side of her bed. “We’ve already done so much for him. We can’t stop now.”

  Chapter 33

  “I get it, Willow, you want more, but that’s all I could get out of the guy for now,” Reid said, his phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear as he balanced a bag of food and a couple sodas.

  “It’s the Oldens’ church,” Willow blurted. “The words he said, the anointed. That’s part of their church. It’s very specific. And the phone calls. At least half of them went to a line registered to the church. It’s not tied to the actual building, but church funds pay the bill.”

  “Wait,” Reid said, freezing in front of the elevator. Are you saying the Oldens are paying Yule? They wanted Tara killed? No way. I sat with these people. They are normal, caring people. They aren’t murderers.”

  “There’s a big difference between being able to murder someone and being able to write a check to make sure it gets done. You’d be surprised who is capable of that. I’m telling you. They are involved.”

  “Shit,” Reid said, dropping the food and drinks to a splattering end on the floor. “Get cops over to their house now. Have them take custody of Wylie.”

  “I can’t just make that call. You need to get someone on your end to do it,” Willow replied frantically. “I don’t have that kind of pull here.”

  “Right,” Reid said, persistently pushing the button on the elevator and then opting to take the five flights of stairs instead. “I’ll get Olly on it. You come down here, and bring all the information you’ve got.”

  “I’m already on my way,” Willow promised as she disconnected.

  Reid pushed his way through the metal door at the top of the stairs and tried to get his bearings as he searched for Olly. The two uniformed officers were still outside Yule’s door.

  “Hey,” Reid called to them in such an alarming way that their hands flew to their belts and rested ready on their guns. “Where’s Olly?” he asked, charging toward them. “I’ve got new information. I need him to call something in.”

  “He hasn’t been back since he got the phone call,” one man replied. “We can call it in, just tell us what you need.”

  “I don’t know if my word is going to be enough. But it’s legit. I can promise you that. A kid is in danger, and I know if I could explain it to Olly, he’d be on board.”

  “We got it,” the taller man assured. “Olly told us you’re one of the good ones. He doesn’t say that about anyone. Whatever you need, we’re on it.”

  Reid gave them the address for the Oldens and the instructions to take Wylie into custody. “I’m not sure how they’ll react. If the allegations are true, then they are the ones behind the attempts on Tara’s life. They may be desperate.”

  “We’ll let the team know, and I’ll get Olly on the phone too so he can weigh in. That’s crazy shit,” the shorter man replied rubbing a hand over his bearded chin thoughtfully.

  “What’s going on?” another officer asked, jogging over.

  “Lou you’re supposed to be guarding the girl. Get outta here,” the taller officer said, shoving the baby-faced kid backward. He stumbled onto his heels and flailed a bit before grimacing.

  “I heard something come over the
radio and heard you guys hollering,” he defended, but his face was reddening with embarrassment. “It’s not like she’s alone. Her father-in-law is in with her.”

  “What?” Reid yelled, a shock vibrating through his body.

  “Yeah, he got there a few minutes ago. I checked his ID and stuff. He was clear.” The stutter in his voice and the way sweat began to instantly gather on the kid’s brow meant he knew he’d screwed up. Bad.

  “Stay on this door.” The taller man grabbed the kid by his shoulders and slammed him against the door. “Don’t move. Let no one in.”

  “Yes sir,” he said, shaking his head obediently.

  They all moved like a thundering herd toward Tara’s now unmanned hospital room door. Swinging it open they spilled in to find the room empty. Reid slid in farther, flinging the bathroom door open to find it empty as well. “Where the hell is she? They had her plugged in to all these machines.”

  “He pulled her IV,” the officer said, gesturing down to the small pool of blood and the dripping needle and tape.

  The tall officer stepped back into the hallway and began shouting. “Lock down the hospital!” Yelling into his radio he gave a hasty description of Todd and Tara as relayed by Reid.

  “I’ve got to find her,” Reid said, looking down the hallway left and right as an alarm and flashing lights began to overtake his senses.

  “They won’t get out of this building,” the officer assured. “This hospital has a state-of-the-art security system because of the high volume neonatal unit. They had two cases a few years back of babies being taken. This is a code black. I’ve been here when they do the drills. It’s top-notch. We’ll sweep every room, every floor. Just stay put.”

  The officers disappeared down the hallway, giving more commands into their radios. Reid would not stay there, because that was about the only place Tara definitively wasn’t. If Todd had taken her down the stairs there was a chance Reid would have bumped into them.

  A nurse ran by, a radio in her hand. “I checked,” she replied firmly. “The video shows they went into the stairwell four minutes ago but they haven’t been picked up on any of the cameras on the lower floors. Have them check the cameras in case they went up. Maybe he snagged someone’s access badge. That would get him into neonatal, psychiatric.”

  “What about the roof?” Reid asked, accidently pulling the woman backward more firmly than he meant to.

  “What?” she asked, looking frightened.

  “Could a badge have gotten him access to the roof?” He was barking at her, making the fear in her eyes grow, but he couldn’t control the urgency.

  “Who are you?”

  “Answer me!” he demanded. “The roof?”

  “He would have had to have a pass from either someone on the code black team or the building maintenance staff in order to get up there. I suppose it’s possible. But that wouldn’t make sense.”

  “Why not?” Reid pleaded.

  “Because there is no way down from the roof. It’s not an effective exit strategy. You can’t reach the street that way.”

  Reid’s heart leaped into his throat. “You can,” he corrected, “if you jump. Does your

  pass give me access? Are you on the code black response team?”

  “Yes,” she said, and he watched her clutch nervously at the badge clipped to her shirt. “But you can’t take it. Protocol is—”

  “With all due respect, ma’am—” Reid started but didn’t finish his sentence, instead he pulled the badge quickly off her and charged toward the stairwell. With adrenaline fueling his body he skipped three and four steps at a time until he reached the door leading to the roof. Swiping the card over the keypad it beeped and flashed green just as he shoved his shoulder into the metal door. He should have been thinking about the element of surprise, about being tactical but the idea of Tara up here, maybe literally hanging on for dear life overwhelmed his better judgment.

  “Tara!” he shouted, running to the waist-high brick wall that separated him from a fast plummet toward the ground fourteen stories below.

  “Reid,” Tara shrieked, barely getting the word out before a hand clasped over her mouth. Todd had a grip around her waist and another over her face, sloppily trying to keep her quiet.

  “Todd,” Reid said sharply but then leveled his voice and threw his hands up to show he had nothing that could be considered a threat. “Just stay right there, and let’s talk for a minute.”

  “No,” Todd shouted back through tears. “No I can’t. I have to do this.”

  “You don’t,” Reid replied. “I promise. I know it feels like you are out of options right now. But I assure you that isn’t the case. We can go back downstairs. We can explain that this is a misunderstanding.” The lies felt hollow and nasty on his tongue. But he knew this was always the first attempt. Take the consequence out of it. Make the situations seem like it is no big deal. But Todd didn’t look convinced.

  “You don’t understand. My wife. I have to call her and tell her this is done. That’s the only way this can happen. If not,” he said, sniffling and tightening his grip on Tara. “If not she’ll end it.”

  “End what?” Reid asked, taking a few small steps toward Todd and Tara.

  “All of it,” Todd said through a sob. “If I can’t do this, then she and Wylie will be gone. She won’t let anyone take him from her. If she can’t have him, no one will.”

  With that Tara’s body whipped around, the back of her head slamming into Todd’s face, stunning him long enough for her to pull away. Reid made his move, diving toward them, pulling Tara forward. But Todd managed to keep hold of the cast on Tara’s broken wrist, latching on with all his might like a scared child might clutch a teddy bear.

  “You don’t understand,” Todd pleaded. “I have to.”

  “Please,” Tara cried. “Please tell me where Wylie is. What is she going to do to him?”

  “She just wants him to be safe,” Todd cried, whimpering like a child, still refusing to let go of her casted arm. “We’ll all be together here or in the Kingdom.”

  “No, no, no,” Tara sobbed. “No, you need tell me where he is. He doesn’t deserve this. Please, he’s my baby. Please tell me where they are.” Before Todd could answer, the beams of multiple flashlights cut through the darkness in their direction.

  “Freeze!” A cacophony of voices and bodies struck them all at once and Todd was finally ripped away.

  “Wait,” Reid said, trying to break up the melee of flailing arms and barking demands. “He knows where the kid is. She has the kid, and she’s going to hurt him if we don’t find them fast. Let him talk.”

  “Please,” Tara begged, clawing at the most aggressive officers slamming Todd to the ground. “Please he’s the only one who can tell us where my baby is.”

  “Hey!” a booming voice called from behind them. “I will start tasering you bastards if you don’t back off.” Olly was banging his flashlight against the large metal duct work to their left until everyone was practically standing at attention.

  “Sir,” he said, pulling Todd to his feet and dusting him off slightly. “I’m going to ask you one time, so I don’t want you to answer until you’ve really thought about this, do you understand?”

  Todd opened his mouth to protest but Olly threw him a look that had him obediently nodding.

  “Good, good,” Olly said calmly. “I want to know where that boy is. Uh-uh, don’t answer yet,” Olly instructed when Todd opened his mouth again. “I need you to know if you feed me some bullshit answer, I will hang you over the side of this building. You’re a crazy son of a bitch who has done crazy things tonight. And all these guys will cover for me.” He looked around and every officer circled, nodding their heads in agreement.

  “I don’t care,” Todd said, still crying uncontrollably. “I’ll be with them in the Kingdom. If I don’t call her in five minutes, then the best thing you can do is toss me over the side of this building.”

  “No, no don’t answer yet
. I wasn’t done,” Olly scolded. “I didn’t say I would let go. If you don’t cooperate I will make sure you live. I will personally make sure you never have the opportunity to join them. I will watch you myself, every second of every day if I have to. You won’t be with them.”

  “You can’t do that,” Todd protested. “You can’t keep me from them in the Kingdom.”

  “It’s up to you,” Olly said, shrugging coolly. “Make the call. Tell your wife you did what you said you would do, and you’re going to meet her. That everything is going to be all right.”

  “It might already be too late,” Todd said, falling to his knees.

  “No!” Tara shrieked. “Please, Todd. I know you don’t want this. I know you love Wylie, and you loved TJ. Don’t do this because she’s convinced you it’s the only way. It’s not the only way.”

  Todd reached into his pocket, sending a flurry of officers shouting, but they quieted as he showed them his cell phone. “I do love him. I loved TJ so much.”

  “I know you did,” Tara said, dropping down to her knees by him. “I’m so sorry you lost your son. Please don’t take mine from me.”

  “Clear this area,” Olly ordered. “This man has a phone call to make.”

  Chapter 34

  “You’ll know when I know,” Olly said for the tenth time as he sat in his office chair and listened intently to the chatter coming over the wire via his earpiece.

  Tara considered smacking him if he gave that answer one more time. How was anyone, any mother, supposed to bear waiting to know the fate of her child? “Reid, I can’t take this,” she said, falling into his arms and pressing her face into his shoulder.

  “They’re doing everything they can,” he replied comfortingly, squeezing her tightly. “Willow’s there. She’s going to be with Wylie once they have him. She’ll stay with him every second until he’s back with you.”

  “We’ve got him,” Olly shouted, jumping up and high-fiving two other officers in the room. “He’s good,” Olly relayed to Tara who was still tightly clutching Reid’s arm. “They’re checking him out, but he looks completely fine. If he gets a clean bill of health, they’ll bring him right here.”