Daniel’s eyes quickly snapped open and he sat up in confusion. “What the hell?” he mumbled. Just as quickly, he spotted Wheeler and scrambled to his feet. “What are you doing in my apartment, Barstow?”
He hopped in place and Wheeler glanced at the man’s leg cast. This was going to be easy.
“Just paying a friendly visit to see how you’re getting on,” Wheeler drawled.
“Well, I’m fine. Now get the hell out before I call the cops.”
“I am the cops, idiot. And anyway, what are you going to call them with? I don’t see a phone here and something tells me that your wife has your cell, huh?”
Daniel moved his body protectively in front of the cradle and reached out to turn off the television, his eyes never leaving Wheeler. “Get out, now. Or you’ll be sorry,” he said between his teeth.
Chuckling, Wheeler grabbed the other crutch and threw it at Daniel. “Why don’t you try to make me, cripple boy.”
Daniel growled as the crutch bounced off his chest and tumbled to the floor. Not taking his eyes off Wheeler, he bent and fumbled for it. When his hands grasped it, he waited a few seconds, motionless. Wheeler chuckled again in derision, watching as Daniel’s anger rose to the surface.
“Like I said, Barstow, leave, or you’ll pay for this. In blood.”
“What a cute little baby. It’s a little girl, isn’t it? Sure looks like a little girl to me … all cute and cuddly.” Wheeler moved closer.
Daniel let out a loud howl and swung the crutch with all of his might. It connected with the side of Wheeler’s face and sent him stumbling backward. He yelped as he crashed into the blinds covering the window by the front door. God damn that hurt!
Daniel nodded. “Now get out or there’s more.”
Oh, hell, no. He was not going to be beat up by a guy in a cast. Wheeler shook his head to clear it and leaned against the wall, his chest heaving. Slowly, his face contorted into a red, beefy mask of anger. He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. A thin stream of blood slipped from his lips and ran down his chin. He reached inside his mouth and pulled out a tooth. Trembling, he cupped it in his hands and stared at it. “You son of a bitch! That was one of my front teeth!”
“I wish it was all of your ugly-assed teeth, Barstow. And unless you want the rest of them knocked out, too, do what I told you to a few minutes ago. Get the hell out!” Daniel yelled.
Wheeler glanced down at the brat, who had fallen quiet when the fight began. The little baby’s face was screwing up again and in a matter of seconds, impressive wails burst out of his tiny mouth.
Wheeler shoved his tooth in a pocket and covered his ears. “Shut that little monster up!” he yelled, “Dammit, my head hurts!”
Daniel looked at him and smiled in derision. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a man, Barstow. You couldn’t beat up a ten year old,” he said in a deliberate voice.
Slowly removing his hands from his ears, Wheeler narrowed his bloodshot eyes. “What did you just say to me, boy?”
“Let me translate for you since you seem to be somewhat challenged. I said you’re a fucking sissy. That’s what I said.” Daniel gave him a cold smile, reached back and rocked the cradle. “So now that we’re finished here, you can leave.”
Wheeler stared at him for a few seconds, and then suddenly lurched forward. “I’ll kill you,” he screamed as he knocked Daniel backward onto the floor in a frenzy of fury. Wheeler found himself at an immediate advantage because of Daniel’s leg, and he soon had him straddled with one of the crutches pressed against the other man’s throat. “I’ll kill you,” Wheeler repeated, spitting saliva and blood into Daniel’s eyes.
Wheeler tightened his grip and pushed down, and watched with an impassive stare as panic mounted in Daniel’s eyes. The baby wailed at the top of its lungs.
He watched with wonder as Daniel’s eyes went wild and began to get large. And then snorted in satisfaction as his eyes fluttered and then closed. Good. Almost finished.
He let up pressure on Daniel’s neck and waited. Well hell. The man was still breathing. Too bad, but then again, Wheeler didn’t relish the thought of being wanted for murder. Throwing the crutch onto the sofa, he heaved himself up and wiped his bloody hands on the cushions.
“Sweet dreams, fucking sissy,” Wheeler muttered.
Little Daniel Day had stopped screaming and his breath came in short hiccoughs. He raised his little arms and whimpered. Wheeler snickered and reached down. “You don’t know a thing, do ya, pal. All you want is someone to take care of you. Well, I have a perfect new mommy for the job. Carly Foster. You already know her, don’tcha, pal?” He lifted the baby out of the cradle and held him against his bloody chest.
Looking around the room, he spied a diaper bag and a can of baby formula on the kitchen table. He grabbed them, hooking the bag over his aching shoulder. Better be safe about it; Carly would not like it if he neglected the little shit. It was already bad enough that he was missing a front tooth. She wouldn’t like that for sure, but he could make it up to her in other ways.
Walking back to the living room area, Wheeler reached out and kicked Daniel square in his cast. “So long, asshole. And you should be thanking me. I’ve just granted you a lifetime of peace and quiet.” Daniel grunted, but didn’t open his eyes. Grinning, Wheeler slipped out of the front door and swaggered to his truck.
• • •
Carly chewed on a thumbnail as she surveyed the shoes through the display window. Her head hurt, and she was exhausted. It was taking all of her energy not to burst into tears yet again. The mall was crowded, and incredibly loud. Wincing, she hugged her purse to her chest and glanced up at Ross.
“Do you like any of these, sweetie?” he asked in a patronizing tone.
Carly pointed to a pair of bright red spike heels. “Those. I think I’ll buy those and wear them every day for the rest of my life. That way, if I ever run into Freddie I can kick him in the crotch with every ounce of strength I possess.” She gave a bitter and walked into the store.
Ross sighed and followed her. “Carly Foster. My little vigilante.”
“I like that one, Ross. Vigilante. Has a nice ring to it. I’ll have to consider changing my middle name.” Carly wandered around the store, her fingers brushing over the display shoes.
“Come on, sweetie. You don’t really want spike heels. In fact, I don’t think you’re going to buy anything today. Let’s just go. We could still make it to the airport … ”
“No,” Carly shouted. The tears she had held in check sparkled in her hollow eyes. “So quit trying to convince me.”
Ross sighed in exasperation and raised his hands. “Fine. I give up. Let’s just get out of here, then, before you make a scene.” He grabbed Carly’s arm and began to haul her back to the entrance. They had barely made it ten feet out of the store when his phone rang.
“Better answer that,” Carly muttered and shrugged free of his grasp.
“This is Ross,” he answered. “What? Slow down, Sophie, you’re not making a bit of sense. Danny said what? Are you sure?” Ross gasped and sank down on a bench in the long, wide mall corridor.
Carly paced and frowned. “What’s wrong now?”
Ross waved her away impatiently. “Just hang on. We’ll be there as fast as we can. Have you called the FBI yet? Uh-huh. Does Danny need an ambulance?”
Carly stopped in her tracks and lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she whispered, “Wheeler.”
Ross glanced up at her and nodded. “Just stay there, Soph,” he said into the phone. He hung up and reached for Carly’s hand. “We’ve gotta go. Now. That bastard has the baby. And he hurt Danny.”
Carly’s face turned white and she gripped Ross’s arm. “Please tell me this is just a bad dream.”
“I wish I could. We have to get over to the apartment.”
He started running. “This is my fault. All my fault.”
“No. Don’t blame yourself, Ross,” Carly jerked on his arm until he stopped. “There’s no way you could have prevented this. And I know why Wheeler did it. There’s only one thing he wants. Me. And the way I feel right now … well, let’s just say that I am primed and ready to go after him. I’m so angry I could tear someone’s face off right now. And all the better if it is him.”
Ross began to run again. “We can’t use you as bait, Carly. That’s stupid. And besides, Asher would kill me.”
She jogged beside him, reaching her hand into his pocket for the car keys. “I could care less what he thinks, frankly. I’m doing it, Ross. Even if the FBI doesn’t want me to, I’m doing it.”
Ross frowned, but said nothing. They ran to the parking lot and stopped by the car, panting. “Fine,” he said finally. “But I won’t let you do it unless the FBI handles it.”
Carly jumped into the car and started it. “Get in. The sooner we get to the apartment, the sooner all of this will be over with, and the sooner Wheeler Barstow will be in jail.”
• • •
During the drive, Carly felt Ross glancing at her, but he held his tongue. That was probably because she did look angry enough to rip someone’s face off. She was going to tear Wheeler to pieces. Carly pulled into the parking lot, spraying gravel and screeching tires. She unsnapped her seat belt and jumped out of the car.
The apartment door swung open and Sophie ran out sobbing, tears streaming down her face. “He took my baby! He took my baby, Ross,” she screamed as she threw herself into his arms. Ross held her tight and glanced at Carly. She knew her face was a mask of fury.
“Calm down,” he mouthed. Carly nodded.
“He won’t have him for long, Sophie,” she said in an even tone. “Have the FBI arrived yet?”
“Yes,” Sophie answered, her voice trembling, “They’re in there with Danny.”
Ross took Sophie’s hand and led her back to the apartment. Inside, Danny sat on the sofa, his head in his hands. Three FBI agents stood in front of him, frowning.
“And then what did he say, Mr. Day? Did he give you any idea where he was going?” one of the agents asked.
“No,” Daniel answered in a hoarse voice, “I blacked out. Dammit!” Suddenly Daniel stood up and raked his hands through his hair. He stumbled on his broken leg and sat back down. His eyes were wild, and an angry welt covered the front of his swollen neck. He raised his hand to it and croaked, “If he does anything to hurt my boy, I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”
“He won’t hurt him Danny,” Carly said. She leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed. “All he wants is me. And I’m going after him.” She braced herself for the protest.
“Oh, God, Carly, no,” said Sophie. She grabbed Carly’s arms. “You can’t do that. What if he got you, too? What then?”
“He’s not going to. And besides, using me is the quickest way to find him.” Carly narrowed her eyes and glanced at the FBI agents. “Your best chance is to send me after him.”
The agents looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. “Fine. Let’s set up the equipment and we’ll let you call him,” said an agent. “But you can’t go in without a wire,” added another.
Ross cleared his throat and hugged Sophie to him. “It’s settled, then. If you will all excuse me, I have to make a phone call myself.” He slipped out into the parking lot.
“Who’s he calling?” Daniel asked.
Carly sighed. “Your wonderful brother, I suspect,” she retorted. “But I don’t want Asher anywhere nearby when we catch Wheeler. It’ll just complicate things. And he won’t follow orders.” She shot a determined glance around the room. One of the FBI agents nodded and followed Ross out to the parking lot.
• • •
“What’s this about his brother?” asked the agent.
Ross sighed and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “He’s in love with Carly. Man, the entire situation is ridiculous. This is going to sound like a soap opera. I doubt you’ll believe me.”
“Try me,” the agent said, “All situations like this sound like a soap opera. That’s why so many of them end up as tragic TV movies of the week.”
“Well, this is not going to end up as a tragedy. We’ve worked too hard this summer for everything to turn to shit.” Ross cleared his throat and filled the agent in on the details.
• • •
Asher sat in a window seat, staring out at the heat waves rising from the tarmac. Carly hadn’t called him. No doubt Ross couldn’t convince her to because she was the most stubborn woman on the face of the planet. And the most angry. Asher slid down the window shade and reached for his phone again. Glancing around to make sure there weren’t flight attendants nearby, he turned it on to check for messages one last time before the plane took off.
The phone came to life with a little chime and he scrolled to his voice mail. There were six new messages. His eyes widened in surprise. Just then, the plane lurched forward and began to taxi. He groaned with frustration. It was too late to go back to the terminal, even if he wanted to. He glanced up. A flight attendant was beginning her safety demonstration. Asher hunched in his seat and began to play the messages.
Ross’s voice was tired and full of trepidation. “Hey buddy. I hope you’re not in the air yet, because we have a situation here. Now don’t freak out, but I’ve gotta let you know that Wheeler really has done it this time. Um … how do I say this? Okay, there is no easy way. He took the baby, Asher. Kidnapped him.” Ross paused. “Hang on, buddy. I have to go for a second. Hopefully next time I call, you’ll pick up the phone.”
Asher’s stomach sank as he closed his eyes and brought the phone to his forehead. Why? Why was this happening now? The minute he left for the airport, he knew that he was leaving his family … and the love of his life unprotected. It was selfish. Purely selfish. He groaned again and looked at the phone. He had to hear the rest of the messages, no matter how horrible they were.
“Sir? You have to turn that phone off right away. I made the announcement about that fifteen minutes ago.” The frowning flight attendant stood in front of Asher, her arms crossed.
Asher opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it when he saw the resolute set of her mouth. He leaned back instead, his gaze flicking over her determined expression. He gave a low chuckle and then winked at her. “No problem, Miss. Sorry about that.” He flipped the phone shut and slipped it into his pocket.
She blushed. Wagging a finger at him, she replied, “Charm will get you pretty far, but I’ll be watching you. Keep that phone off.”
Still grinning, Asher waited for her to walk down the aisle, and then flipped the phone open again. The next message was worse than the one that preceded it.
“Hey Buddy. Why is your phone off? You must be on your way. Well, then, this isn’t gonna do any good, but if I don’t tell you, you’ll rip my legs off when you get back.” Ross sighed. “God, you’re gonna be pissed. Okay … Carly is going after Wheeler. The FBI has it all set up, and she’s wearing a wire. They know what they’re doing, Asher, and it will probably be all over by early this evening. Stay on the plane and do what you need to do, okay? It’s really important for you to clear all that up. You owe it to Carly, buddy. All right. I’ll call again in a few minutes just in case you answer. Bye.”
Asher listened to the remaining messages. All of them were Ross, wondering why he didn’t pick up. He turned off the phone and opened the window shade again. The Albuquerque airport flew by and soon they were airborne. He was exhausted, but half tempted to get off the plane the minute it landed in Dallas and turn right around and book another flight straight back to Albuquerque. But Ross was right. He had to trust the FBI. It was vitally important to his and Carly’s future that he make it to Paris by tomorrow morning.
He folded his arms and willed the international flight out of Dallas to be on time.
Somehow, he was able to fall asleep for the two-hour flight, but it was restless slumber, plagued with disturbing dreams. He woke with a start as the plane bounced down on the tarmac. “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Dallas-Fort Worth International. The local time is 7:24 Central and the temperature outside of your window is an impressive 102 degrees. Please remain in your seats until the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt signs and … ”
Asher rubbed his eyes, ignored the rest of the speech coming over the loudspeaker and pulled out his phone. He dialed Ross. There was no answer. He cursed under his breath, scrolled to Sophie and Danny’s number and then hesitated. Should he? Maybe it would just upset them. They had to be pissed that he’d left right as he was needed most. Well, at this point, he didn’t care. He had to know what was going on. Carly answered on the first ring.
“Asher, don’t call this number.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Carly? Thank God. What are you doing with Sophie’s phone?” He frowned. “Never mind. I’m just making sure you’re okay. Ross told me what’s going on, and I have to say … ”
“I know what you’re going to say and I don’t have the time to deal with it right now,” she cut him off. “Besides, this line has to remain clear. I’m waiting for Wheeler to take the bait and I’m expecting this phone to ring any minute.”
“Fine. I’ll get off. But please promise me you’ll let me know the second it’s over. Okay?” Asher rubbed his aching forehead and waited. “Carly?”
“I’m not going to promise you anything, Asher. Promises and you are like oil and water. They do not mix.” She blew out a breath. “Ross will call you.”
Heart to Heart Page 114