Texas Tornado

by Lani Lynn Vale

  Well, shit. Isn’t that part of who I am as well? To make sure that children are always put first? Why would this be any different? Then the truth hit me. If he had another baby, he wouldn’t want another one to deal with...would he?

  “What happened?”

  My head was hurting from our conversation and my aching mouth, but if James was willing to talk, I would listen. I did let go of his beard though, and he buried his nose into my hair.

  “She’s been attacked. She’d filed with the lawyer she contacted that I was the father, and left my information down in case of emergency. Well there was an emergency, in the form of him nearly beating her to death at a stoplight, and I have power of attorney now that she’s clinically brain dead. Her ex-husband found her, I’m assuming, but the man was never apprehended. She’s not doing well at all, and they haven’t gotten any brain activity from her in over three days. They’re only keeping her alive at this point because of the baby.” He said sadly.

  “Jesus.” I whispered.

  “Yeah, that’s only the beginning. We have the other thirty-four women to worry about that we’ve relocated. Unless Teal fucked up, which I know damn sure she didn’t, we’ve got a leak. They’re about ten people besides ourselves that know that information, and the locations of all of them, as well as their new identities, aren’t even kept on record.”

  “Who makes the new identification for you?” I asked.

  “IDs?” He clarified.

  At my nod, he answered. “I don’t know. That’s something that Sam’s taken care of. I do know that we have more than one man who does it. We change after every three women. However, Sam’s already aware of what’s happened, and he’s looking into it. If it turns out that it was the man we went to for Teal, we’ll have to relocate the other two women just in case. I have a feeling that Teal’s ex was looking for her specifically, and he has a lot more reach than she’d told us about. She knew that, knew that he’d find her. That’s why she went to so much trouble to name me the father.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I agree,” James rumbled, sounding sleepy.

  However, in the next instant, his body tensed, and I knew something was wrong by the way he froze against me. All his muscles tensed

  “Mr. Allen? I’m Roderick, would you like me to help you...”

  I don’t know how it happened, nor what happened, but in the next moment, the report of gunfire echoed throughout the tiny hospital room. A nice little hole, the size of a penny, entered into the man’s chest almost exactly where James had been shot just a few short weeks ago.

  The gun in James hand lowered slowly, and screaming started in the hallway.

  Somewhere in the aftermath of James shooting the man, Sebastian showed and pried the gun from James’ hand. Wiping the gun off on the black t-shirt he wore, he fired once more into the man in nearly the same place, ejected the clip, removed the bullet from the chamber, and tossed them all into the bathroom before closing the door.

  “Knew he’d come here, stupid bastard. Just meant to be here in time.” Sebastian smiled at the two of us.

  James cursed and made it to his feet slowly before peering at the man who was bleeding out on the floor.

  I took a closer look at the man on the floor and finally noticed the numerous tattoos on the man’s forearms, neck and head. “What the fuck?” I asked.

  Oh, and did I mention the huge ass shotgun?

  “Now’s not the time for that, Shiloh.” James said distractedly.

  Jesus Christ, I really had to work on this talking thing. Then again, I would think that two grown men would think more of me than to say ‘want to fuck’ in the middle of this kind of dilemma. I mean I was kinky, but I wasn’t into doing it with dead people in the room.

  “Everybody on the ground! No excuses. Get the fuck down.” A man’s voice called from the hallway.

  Was that expected of me? Because if it was, I’d hurt myself. So would James. However, that turned out to be an unnecessary thought when Sebastian scooped me up from the bed and laid me gently down on the ground, following me down once he had me there comfortably.

  “Keep your mouth shut.” Sebastian whispered.

  James’ body hit the floor beside us way less graceful than I would’ve thought, and he grunted in pain, which was the only thing that kept me from punching my brother in the gut. Son of a bitch thought he was funny, too, if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

  My perch on the floor was all kinds of precarious.

  I couldn’t lay my face down because my jaw hurt too badly. I couldn’t use one of my hands because it was in an L shape plastered against my body, and my foot was stuck underneath me.

  I had no traction to do anything to try to get comfortable, and when men rushed into the room, some dressed in police uniforms, and others dressed in hospital security uniforms wielding guns, it became very uncomfortable, very fast.

  “Get off her, you piece of shit. She should still be in bed. She’s about four hours post-surgery on her leg and jaw, if you hurt her any more than she is right now, I will have your goddamn badge.” James snarled from beside me as he was restrained by another officer.

  The hands on my back lightened, and I was supremely grateful.

  “Help her in to bed. She’s no threat to you.” James snarled again.

  I couldn’t see him because of the officer standing beside my head, but I could see Sebastian as he was rolled over onto his back, cuffed arms underneath him. He had a twinkle in his eyes, as if he had a secret.

  “Alright, boys. Back away from these men and my daughter. I’m Silas Mackenzie with the CIA. My credentials are...”

  My father’s voice surprised me, but the man’s boots at my face twisted in surprise, accidentally kicking me in the process.

  And you guessed it. Right in the kisser.

  The burst of pain flashed through me, vomit rose in my throat, poured out of my mouth, burst through my clenched teeth, my nose, and maybe even out my ears.

  I puked and then dry heaved for nearly a minute before the pain in my jaw calmed down enough.

  I was proud to see that the man that kicked me in the face now had puke on his shoes, as well as a new bruise on his face. He looked incredibly remorseful, but that didn’t help the waves of agony that were rolling through me with each pulse of my heart.

  “Goddammit! I told you to fucking watch her you stupid piece of shit. You’re fucking done.” James snarled from his back, straining to get to me.

  The arms that were wrapped around me were my father’s as he smoothed the hair from my face, wiping my face off gently with a cool towel.

  “Page the nurse. Tell her to bring some medication in here for her pain.” My father demanded of someone.

  I was crying, but the look on James’ face had my tears slowing until I was looking at him with wet cheeks only. He looked agonized, as if what he’d done inadvertently caused me to be hurt. Once my tears had stopped though, he calmed, somehow composing himself enough to stop struggling himself.

  The sharp pinch of a needle entering my arm brought my attention to the nurse, the same one that hated me for some reason, punched a needle into my arm a little too hard, and I lost the battle with consciousness.

  ***

  James

  “Simmons is gone. I don’t care what you have to do, but you make him gone. He did that on purpose. He was standing a little more than a foot away from her face. He didn’t kick her on accident.” I hissed to Silas, and then turned to The Captain, making sure they both understood my standpoint.

  “We’ll look into it...” The Captain started to say before I interrupted him.

  “No. He will be gone. It’s either him or me. You decide.” I gritted out between clenched teeth.

  Partly because I was in a lot of pain from my own gunshot wound, and secondly, I didn’t trust myself to start yelling the rooftops down.

  When I’d seen Glen entering the room, at first my eyes didn’t quite comprehend what I was seei
ng.

  I’d been lying in bed with Shiloh for a little over two hours when she’d finally woken. I’d been getting the run around by the nurse for going on half a day about Shiloh’s progress, and the nurse kept telling me that she was still asleep.

  Since I was in no place to argue with the woman, I let her be, knowing she’d get a hold of me as soon as she was able. Which she’d done, but I’d promptly screwed up by not acknowledging her. I was in shock. I hadn’t believed Teal when she’d said that she was too important to be let go. That her ex-husband would find her no matter what she did.

  I’d been naïve. I’d thought I knew this world. Thought I knew the kind of scum that inhabited this earth. Teal had been an innocent, and to know that she’d been beaten to within an inch of her life, absolutely shredded me. I’d brought the concerns to Sam, but we’d done everything we could possibly do, short of killing off the ex, which wasn’t what we did.

  Until now.

  With Shiloh asleep on the bed next to me, and Teal being kept alive halfway across the country, I knew that I wouldn’t stand by and let this happen anymore. Something had to change.

  I’d been thinking about the changes that needed to take place when Glen walked in. Although dressed as an orderly, the shotgun in his hand was unmistakable.

  It was gut instinct, on top of raw need to protect the woman I loved, that made my hand act. The gun became an extension of me. It took all of six seconds to get the gun in my hand, aim, and fire. It was only divine justice that the bullet had hit Glen in the same spot as he’d had a sniper take me.

  The Captain’s vehement speech to Detective Howell brought me out of my musings. “Larson’s wanted on attempted murder of a police officer, kidnapping of a woman, attempted kidnapping of a child, and numerous other things, Officer Howell. We have the testimony of his brother and his girlfriend. The man is guilty. What Mr. Mackenzie did was acceptable.”

  “Jesus Christ. You realize this is a colossal clusterfuck. This facility prohibits firearms on the premises. He had to get a gun in here someway without passing through a metal detector. Which means he entered illegally, and purposefully carried a firearm into the facility. That’s a violation of the law, and the hospital has the right to press charges, which they are doing.” Detective Howell gritted out through clenched teeth.

  Technically, me and every other member of my team had done the same in the past week, as well as the past four years all together. I didn’t go anywhere unarmed, and that includes lying flat on my back in a hospital bed.

  It was another two hours before they moved us to my room, the charge nurse opting to let Shiloh and I share a room until our stay was over with, since Shiloh’s was now a crime scene.

  Sebastian was arrested for the possession of a firearm, and since he had priors, they kept him, denying him bail.

  Shiloh slept.

  I guess it was good that at least one of us could. I was fucking exhausted, but my mind was on a hundred different things, going in one hundred different directions.

  ***

  Two days later

  “They’re releasing you, but not me?” Shiloh asked.

  Well, to the best of my knowledge, that’s what she asked. “Yeah, but I’m not going anywhere, honey. I’ll be here until you get to go home, too.”

  “Good,” she hesitated. “You should go home anyway, spend some time with Janie. Get her used to having a new sister.”

  I looked at her. I was thinking the same thing myself. Nonetheless, I knew something was bothering Shiloh, minus the fact that her brother was still in jail.

  Pressing the button on the side of the bed, I waited for it to lift me up fully before I turned completely towards Shiloh, who was laid back in her own bed, looking even more pitiful than she had two days ago. I couldn’t wait to cuddle her, hold her close to my chest, and feel her sleeping next to me again.

  “Tell me what’s wrong, honey.” I said softly.

  Instead of talking, she started to type on her phone in a furious burst of motion. Moments later, my phone buzzed.

  Shiloh: I scared that I’m going to be a bad mother.

  I read the message, and then looked up into her eyes. “You’re kidding me, right? Just four days ago, you kept my own daughter safe from a man that broke your jaw, leg, and arm. How do you think Janie would’ve faired if you hadn’t been there, made sure that she was all right?”

  I waited for her to reply, but she didn’t, only staying silent.

  “What about when Lyle and his mother died. I distinctly remembered you being so upset, so outraged, that you wrote a letter to the editor. Which, might I add, everyone and their brother cut out and framed.” I stated.

  Shiloh: What if I don’t love that baby as much as he or she deserves?

  At that absurd statement, I burst out laughing. Her scowl only making me laugh all the harder.

  “You’ll love the baby as much as our own, as much as Janie, when we finally have it.” I managed to wheeze.

  She threw her empty water pitcher at me, and I caught it reflexively.

  Painfully, I stood, and walked to the edge of her bed, clutching my discharge papers in my hand.

  Thankfully, she was propped up into a seated position, enabling me to reach her mouth, which I captured with my own.

  “Ewww,” Janie squealed from the doorway, making my lips lift into a grin before I pulled my lips away.

  Shiloh’s eyes were dancing with mirth at being caught by my six year old, but she looked excited, too.

  She hadn’t seen Janie since the day she was taken. Both of us felt that it’d be better until some of the bruises faded from her face, and she was able to take a full shower to wash away the blood from her hair. We’d felt that Janie would be better off if Shiloh looked better, and was dealing with her pain level better.

  Because, let’s face it, Janie was a very active six year old, and she wasn’t easy on injured people. She didn’t know how to be. Which was why when she launched herself at me, Silas caught her in midair and twirled her around his head.

  “Easy there, midget. Your daddy just had a hole put through his body. He hurts. You’ll have to be gentle with him for a few days.” Silas explained patiently.

  Janie looked at me, and then over to Shiloh. “What’s with that cast color? Who picks white?” She finally asked.

  Shiloh snickered, and then looked over to me, waiting for me to explain. “Shiloh didn’t get to pick it. Guess you’ll have to decorate it for her to make it pretty.”

  “I can do that. I’ll need my Sharpie’s.” She said with a determined expression. “Daddy said you broke your arm again. I told him he should buy you a horse so you didn’t have to walk and fall anymore.”

  I closed my eyes, thinking how nice it would be to have the innocence of a child, and the ability to recover from a traumatizing event only days after it happened.

  Sadly, I knew I would remember this for a while. Maybe even the rest of my lifetime.

  Although I knew I could bear it. Having Shiloh and Janie would make anybody question their sanity, but that was my life. I looked forward to hearing what new cuss words Janie learned while helping the guys at the shop. Or what would come out of Shiloh’s mouth next. I only had one thing I had to make sure to do. That was to embrace the crazy.

  ***

  Later that night

  My door opened.

  Thinking it was only the nurse, I didn’t react to the intrusion. I was used to it. Frankly, I didn’t think it was even possible to ‘recover’ well in the hospital. How does one get better when they don’t even let you sleep and eat properly?

  Turning my head, I was startled to see a frightened, tiny form slipping into the room, and doing her best to close it behind her, despite the little mechanism at the top that kept you from closing it except at the speed it wanted.

  “Jolie?” I rasped with sleep still clinging to my voice.

  She turned sharply, gasping. Why would she be surprised when she was the one to enter my r
oom?

  “Are you okay?” I finally asked as she stood there like a frightened rabbit.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to not being afraid all the time. You startled me. I thought you’d be asleep.” She finally answered.

  “Can you explain that?” I asked.

  She walked slowly over to the chair that was beside my bed and sat.

  “I don’t know if James ever told you about the bullying I’d received in high school...” She asked, looking over to me for confirmation. At the shake of my head she continued.

  “I was bullied quite badly after the accident with James’ best friend. After a while, I just couldn’t take it anymore and left. There was a small incident of an older senior nearly raping me, and I just broke. I left, ran. Lived on the streets in Austin for over eight months before a man found me.”

  She swallowed hard.

  “I was young and impressionable. I thought the man loved me. Then the man loaned me out, bet me like a fucking stack of chips at a poker game to pay, I guess you could say. Glen Larson was one of the ones at the table, and once that bet was made, he made it a mission to win. And win he did. I wasn’t too in the know, to be honest, of what kind of person the man I’d been living with for about four months was, but I learned quickly in that week I had to spend with Glen Larson. Stole some money from Glen to get away, and left. I’ve been running for about six years now. I thought that after five years of no one even looking for me, that it would be safe to come home when my Aunt died and left me her house. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

  I absorbed that news for a minute. “So, what was all that shit you were trying to do with James?”

  She shrugged. “Glen. He wanted you. Told me if I got you alone that he’d consider the money I stole from him paid in full. But I didn’t want James hurt, so I tried to wiggle myself between the two of you. Once I learned what they were planning to do to you, I backed off. That’s when I truly started to try to get a hold of the police, but James just kept telling me to go away. Same with Max. I didn’t know whom to trust. God I was so fucking scared.”