by Tia Lewis
Danielle pushed away from the door and came to join me on the bed, leaving room between us. “The day my daughter died, I thought my world was over,” she said, the emotion in her voice much like what I was feeling at this moment. “I wanted to blame everyone. I wanted to find out what I had done to deserve that hurt, to have my daughter ripped away from me before I had a chance to love her.”
She then looked at me. “I know what you are feeling Benji. I’ve been to that dark place before, and all I can say is that you cannot give up hope right now. I can’t tell you how many times I thought about giving up, committing suicide just so I could be with her. It was a dark time for me.”
I stared at her. “How did you get through it?” The hurt in my chest was only going to ease with Amelia’s smiling face staring up at me again. Otherwise, well, my heart would never beat again.
“A little hope,” she said with a sigh. “A great deal of soul searching and finding a reason to live. It wasn’t easy.”
“What if they don’t find her?” I asked, my voice breaking. I couldn’t live without that little girl now. They could take all the fucking medals and belts, take my fucking gym, but take my daughter? I wouldn’t be able to function.
Danielle reached over and took my injured hand in hers, her fingers lightly touching the swollen flesh. “We don’t think like that until there is nothing left. I wager whoever has taken Amelia is going to give her back. I don’t think their intentions is to hurt her in any way but rather hurt you.”
I laughed darkly. “They are doing a fucking good job at it then.”
The door flew open before Danielle could reply, Tony’s face looming out of the darkness. “They are on the phone.”
“Shit,” I said, pushing off the bed and racing down the hall, where the detectives were huddled around their machines. Hannah was holding my cell phone, her face white with worry as she handed it over. “I- it was ringing so I answered it.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as Henderson adjusted the device on the counter, nodding to me to answer the phone. Lifting the cell to my ear, I prayed that this was going to be the beginning of the end. “This is Benji.”
“Take one hundred thousand dollars to the corner of Thames and Charton. Place in the trashcan and await further instructions. You have two hours.”
“Wait,” I said, the voice unfamiliar. “I want to talk to my daughter.”
“Your two hours have already started.”
“Listen, you fucker,” I began, but the line was already disconnected. I threw the phone onto the counter, ignoring the clatter as it slid off the slick surface and hit the floor. “Shit!”
“You did good,” Henderson said, removing his headphones. “We are already working on a tracer. Do you have that kind of cash on hand?”
I shook my head. I might be doing pretty good in terms of business, but one hundred g’s? I had nothing like that.
“It’s alright,” Henderson said, pulling out his phone once more. “We will get it.”
Danielle came up to me as my apartment became a flurry of activity. “Don’t worry, they contacted you. That has to be a good sign.”
“He wouldn’t let me talk to her,” I said softly, feeling ill. “What if she’s already.”
Danielle put her finger on my lips, shaking her head. “No, don’t think like that. She’s fine. In two hours, she will be back in your arms, and we can put this whole thing behind us. I’m going to check in with the station. Let’s get someone to look at that hand of yours.”
I watched as she walked away, impressed by how she was handling the situation. Hell, she was doing it a great deal better than I was right now. Two hours. I had two hours to sit and wait until I could go drop off the money and get my daughter back. It was going to feel like an eternity.
Exactly two hours later, I dropped the money in a duffel bag into the trash, my eyes darting around to see anything remotely suspicious. “Good Benji, now back away,” the voice in my ear stated. I held up my hands and backed away, wishing the fucker would show his face. I wanted nothing more than to pummel his face in.
“Walk slowly back Benji. Good, you are doing good.”
The negotiator on the other end of the speaker piece was top of the line according to Danielle, and if it came down to a hostage situation, then he would be the man of the hour. But right now, all I was doing was dropping money into a trash can and hoping for the best. Only the first layer inside the duffel bag was actual money, the rest just paper cut to resemble money. The cops were hoping that once the kidnapper came out to retrieve the money, they would be able to arrest them and save Amelia. I only cared for the latter. Once my little girl was back in my arms would I worry about who did it.
The cops had talked with the other fighter, and he had denied doing anything like that, as well as the rest of his team. I hadn’t doubted it. That would be the dirtiest thing alive, and if he had done something like that, he would lose his title and his career. It would be a dumb ass move on his part.
So, they were back to square one, and I was on pins and needles to await my fate.
“Come on back now Benji. We got it from here.”
I nodded and walked back to the inconspicuous floral van parked on the curb with direct sight to the trash can, climbing inside. Danielle greeted me first, squeezing my uninjured hand comfortingly. “You did good.”
I let out a breath, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. “I feel like I a total failure.”
“You’re not,” she said firmly, the events starting to wear on her. I could see the strain on her face, feel her weariness. “You’re doing a great job.”
I didn’t say anything, looking at the monitor that showed the trash can, willing the kidnapper to step out. I wanted to see who he was and find out why the hell he had done it. After I held my daughter for a very long time, I had already decided that she and I would go away after this, maybe to the beach for a week or so. I wanted us both to forget this ever happened.
“We have movement.”
My eyes tore to the other monitors, searching for someone that looked like a kidnapper.
“False alarm, we got a homeless person.”
“Shit,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. This was stressful.
“I’ll be right back,” Danielle said, sliding the door open before disappearing outside. I didn’t say anything, knowing that she was in full cop mode right now and that was just fine. I didn’t know what I would do without her right now. Once I knew Amelia was safe, she and I would be having a talk about the future.
“What the hell is she doing?”
I looked up at the tech that was monitoring the screens on the van wall, seeing Danielle moving past the trash can. She looked as if she was on the trail of something. “Shit,” I said, throwing open the door and stepping out as well. I couldn’t let her be out there by herself, no matter how many police officers were watching her.
Danielle
I gripped my gun tightly in my hand as I walked along the edge of the shadows, wondering if my eyes had played tricks on me. I had seen the small shadow on the screen not far from the trash can we all had been watching, and for a moment, I had thought I had willed that shadow there. We all wanted to find Amelia, and it was possible that my mind was searching desperately for anything to help find her and bring her home safe. Without her, I didn’t think Benji would survive.
But for now, I was wondering if I had seen anything at all. I had inserted myself into this investigation, and so far, no one had attempted to pull rank and pull me from the case. I was going to ride it for as long as I could and hope that it would have a good outcome. I would deal with any circumstances around my career later on. I really didn’t care as long as Amelia was back where she belonged. At the moment, that was all I could think about. I needed to find her.
Clearing the next alley, I blew out a breath as I saw nothing but a trash can in the alleyway. In my plain clothes, I looked nothing like a cop and more like a crazed woman
with a gun in my hands. That was enough to get me shot. Thank goodness I had decided to put on my vest before climbing into that van today. That was one thing I refused to go into the field without. Now, though, I could feel its heaviness as it pressed against my chest, constricting my breathing and causing me to sweat profusely under my shirt. It was a hassle to wear one, but it could very well save my life one day.
Inching toward the second alley, my heart stopped in my throat as I saw a red shoe peeking out from the corner. No way. They wouldn’t be that stupid to do that. Amelia had been wearing red shoes when I had seen her earlier in the day. What if she was? No, I refused to think about that.
Right as I got up to the corner, Amelia’s chubby face peeked around the corner, her expression happy as she saw me. “Oh my god,” I breathed, bending down to pick up the child. A quick assessment told me she was unharmed, smelling like baby powder and something sweet. “Are you okay sweetie?”
She made a sound, and I blew out a breath, holding her close to me. We had found her. I couldn’t believe it had been that easy. Something was up. It was never that easy, but I was going to get her to safety nevertheless and try to figure it out later on.
“Danielle!”
I looked up to see Benji running my way, giving him a tremendous smile as I showed him Amelia in my arms. “I got her!”
He continued to run, the look of panic on his face as a shot rang out, shattering the still evening. I froze, shielding Amelia with my arms as I waited for the blow of the bullet. Benji stopped within inches of Amelia and me before he went down onto the pavement, Amelia crying in my arms and squirming to get to her daddy now that she had seen him. “Benji?” I asked, hurrying over to him with his daughter in my arms, my heart in my throat when he didn’t respond. “Benji!”
A cop in their blues rushed toward me, his gun drawn and I handed off Amelia as I dropped to the pavement, my hands frantically attempting to find the bullet wound on Benji’s body. His shirt was starting to turn dark, and I felt the warmth of the blood on my hands. “Benji, oh dear god.” He had been shot. He couldn’t be shot. It was me, the cop, who was supposed to take a bullet, not Benji. Why had he run out? Why hadn’t he just stayed where he was safe?
His eyes fluttered but didn’t open as I finally found the source of his bleeding, pressing my hands against it to stop the flow. There was a hole near his shoulder, and I didn’t know if the bullet was still lodged on the inside or if was a clean shot but it didn’t matter. Benji was bleeding, and I was struggling to stop it. “Hang on love. I got Amelia. She is safe, and she wants her daddy. You have got to hang on.”
“Parkman, what the hell?”
I looked up, tears streaming down my face as Henderson dropped next to Benji, his hands pressing against mine as he realized what I was doing. “He’s hit. We need to call for an ambulance.”
“Already on their way,” he said briskly, worry on his face. “What, how did you know she was there?”
“I-I don’t know,” I said anxiously, my eyes only on Benji, the worry really starting to set in as the blood started to stain our hands. Benji was also starting to turn pale, his breathing shallow and my heart lodged in my throat at the thought of what could happen on this street. I couldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t let him die on me. We had just found each other. “Come on Benji. Stay with me, love.”
It wasn’t but a few seconds before the paramedics took over, having to pry my hands away from his body and forcing me back so they could get to work on him. I stared at my bloody hands, trembling now as I watched them work, helpless. Henderson draped his jacket over my shoulders, and I realized that I was trembling, not from the cold but from the worry of what was going to happen to Benji. What if he died? Amelia couldn’t lose two parents. She couldn’t lose her daddy, and I couldn’t lose the man I loved. He was strong. He would make it.
“He is strong,” Henderson stated, making me realize I had just spoken the words aloud. “He’s going to make it Parkman, especially since he has you in his corner.”
When they loaded him into the ambulance, I climbed in, daring anyone to question me for doing so. I wasn’t about to let him die on me on his way to the hospital. The paramedic just handed me a wet cloth to wipe my hands, monitoring Benji’s vitals and starting the IV that would keep him alive until we could get some blood in him. Henderson climbed in as well, and we were off, the ambulance speeding toward the hospital, but I was vaguely aware of the ambulance even moving, not sure what to do or say. I took Benji’s cold hand in my own, holding it up to my cheek to warm it so that he knew I was there. “Please,” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Don’t let him die. I’ll never ask you for anything ever again if you save him for me. I love him so much.”
Henderson’s hand touched my shoulder comfortingly. “He’s gonna pull through, don’t you worry.”
I looked up at the detective. “I, I just left Amelia. Will you see to her?”
He gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Amelia’s safe. I turned her over to one of the detectives I trust. She’s going to take her to Hannah until we can get the right people to interview her.”
I nodded, wiping away the tears as I looked down at Benji. At least she was safe and taken care of. I would be hugging her to death later on, but right now, her daddy really needed me more. “Why did he do that? Why did he jump in front of that bullet?”
“If he hadn’t, you and Amelia would be dead.”
My head shot up, and I looked at Henderson. “What?”
Henderson swallowed hard as he looked down at Benji. “He overheard the police chatter, and I think he realized what was going to happen as soon as we saw you find her. I don’t know how he knew, but he shot out of the van like he was on fire. If he hadn’t, you or Amelia would be dead.” I felt the new wave of tears start to flow down my cheeks, unable to believe that he had done that. He had saved my life and that of his daughter’s. It was the ultimate sacrifice.
The ride to the hospital was short, and before I knew it, they were wheeling him to surgery, leaving Henderson and me at the door, unable to go any further. I turned, and Henderson took me into his arms, awkwardly patting my back as I cried on his shoulder. “He’s going to be okay. He’s a tough son of a bitch.”
I couldn’t get the words to form on my tongue. Benji had to be okay. He had no other choice. If he died, I didn’t know what I would do.
Hours later, we all waited in the surgical waiting room, anxious to hear how the surgery went. Tony and Hannah sat across from me, the expressions on their faces scared me somewhat as if they expected the worst news. Amelia was amazingly unharmed, having checked out fine during her physical exam. No trauma that they could see. Now she was in the safe hands of Henderson’s wife, who had offered to watch the little one since everyone close to Benji was in the waiting room presently.
Paul and Sarah huddled in another corner, Paul’s stern expression the stuff of nightmares. Travis and his wife Julia were in the other corner, all somber in the fact that it had been hours and we still hadn’t heard a word. I couldn’t believe when they all filed into the waiting room, giving me hugs even though they barely knew me and keeping me company during this long process. Benji had some great friends, and I hoped to God that I could tell him just that.
“I can’t fucking wait any longer,” Travis finally said, throwing his paper coffee cup in the trash as he stood. He had just sat down a few minutes before that when Julia had told him that his pacing was making her dizzy. Clearly, Travis wasn’t used to any kind of waiting. “They have to tell us something.”
“No news is good news Sweetheart,” Julia said, rubbing his back in an attempt to calm him. “Benji is a tough guy. He will be fine.”
I looked down at my hands, my nails still crusted with Benji’s blood. I wanted to say the same, yet I had been the only one in this room to see the amount of blood he lost, the way he looked as they had wheeled him back to surgery. It would be imprinted on my mind for a long time.
>
The door opened, and we all looked at it anxiously, seeing the doctor in the doorway. “Mr. Lomns’ family?”
“That’s us,” Tony said, gripping Hannah’s hand tightly, concern on his face. “All of us.”
The doctor nodded, pulling off his surgical cap as if he had seen everything before. “Mr. Lomns lost a lot of blood. The bullet nicked one of the major arteries in his shoulder. I repaired it best I could and can’t guarantee that shoulder will ever be back to one hundred percent but that will be up to God and Mr. Lomns once we start testing out that shoulder. The bullet did a lot of vascular damage, and he will probably struggle with some feeling in that arm for quite some time.”
“So, he’s alive?” Paul asked, going straight to the point. The doctor nodded, and I felt my knees weaken, falling back into the chair. Benji was alive. So what if he didn’t have great use of that arm? He was alive, that was all that mattered.
“He’ll spend a few days in the hospital,” the doctor said. “He’s in intensive care right now and the next twenty-four hours will really tell the tale. I can say that he’s stable and his vitals look good.” He then drew in a breath, looking quite tired. “We only allow one visitor at a time. Who wants to see him first?”
“Danielle,” Tony said, surprising me. “She’s his girlfriend.”
I looked around the room, tears springing to my eyes. They all knew what Benji and I had been dancing around for the longest time. “I…”
“Go on,” Tony replied, giving me a nod. “He would rather see you than our ugly mugs anyway. Just tell him that we are all going to visit so he can be prepared.”
“Thank you,” I said softly, following the doctor out of the room. They had just given me another reason to love this group like family. It would have been easy for them to make me step aside, but clearly, they understood our feelings better than we probably did ourselves. Well no longer. I was going to tell him exactly how I felt. The doctor took me down a long hall and into the restricted area, the sounds of beeping machines and smells of antiseptics hitting me hard and reminding me of earlier times, times that didn’t have a good outcome. Pushing that thought aside, I forced myself to focus on the present. “He’s unconscious,” the doctor explained as he halted in front of the room. “We will wake him up tomorrow once we get all the blood in him. You’re going to see a lot of tubes and machines, but all of that is normal given the condition he was in. He can hear you so make sure that you speak to him, let him know you are there. It’s all part of a good healing process.”