Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  She leaned forward and concentrated on breathing; trying not to think about the two shots she’d heard. She closed her eyes as the tears fell onto her lap.

  Another smell filled her nostrils. A different animal smelling of cigars and tangy after shave.

  Teri opened her eyes and found herself staring into the cold eyes of the second man she’d seen when she’d found Colin’s body. She felt her throat tighten. Panic clutched her gut, but she couldn’t move. This man was much more menacing than the others. His close cropped hair was silver at the temples and his eyes a steely blue, devoid of any trace of humanity.

  The student group was leaving. Teri moved slightly as though to follow, but a slight shake of his head stopped her.

  In a moment, they were alone together in this darkened place.

  He stood and held out his hand to her, a hand with a shiny scar across the back.

  She cringed away from his touch but stood, swaying slightly. She held his unreadable gaze, staring up at him.

  “Your photos don’t do you justice,” he said in the raspy voice she remembered so well. Slowly, he reached into his breast pocket.

  Teri held her breath.

  He drew out a silver cigar case and opened it.

  “I don’t think you can smoke in here,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t think of it.” He extracted a small hypodermic needle and jabbed it into her thigh.

  Teri stared down at the syringe and screamed, but it came out as a whimper.

  “Now, my dear, you are going to come along with me and you will behave yourself.” His voice rasped, but his tone was silky and solicitous.

  Bile rose from her core as the room spun around dizzily. She swayed and the man took her arm to lead her from the reptile house. He clasped her close to his side, embracing her as Angel had when they had walked on the River Walk. She glanced around in hopes of getting someone’s attention, but found she was incapable of speech. Her legs felt heavy. She stumbled, but her abductor kept her from falling. He stopped to set her sunglasses down on her nose and pull the baseball cap lower over her face.

  “Come, my dear, we have business to discuss.” He walked with her toward the exit.

  #

  “Angel! Over here.” Arturo motioned to his son.

  “I can’t find her. She just disappeared.” Angel stopped beside a primate cage filled with curious monkeys.

  “If you can’t find her it means the bad guys can’t either.” Arturo turned around in a circle. “Where are the police? Can’t they help?”

  “Tolliver is booking Ludwig. I winged Altman and he’s on his way to the hospital with a police escort.” Angel circled the monkey cage. “Teri doesn’t know they’ve been captured. She’s still running scared.”

  “What about the tracking device? It’s still working, isn’t it?”

  “I gave the monitor to you back at the car,” Angel said impatiently running his fingers through his hair.

  Arturo patted his pocket. “And I brought it with me.”

  Angel grinned at him. “And to think I almost made you stay at home.” He motioned to his father who dug the device out of his jacket.

  He expelled a sigh of relief as the blinking dot appeared on the small screen. He frowned.

  “What’s the matter, son?” Arturo came to look over his shoulder. “Maybe she’s going to the house.”

  “I couldn’t be that lucky,” Angel said. “She’s going toward the exit. Let’s catch up.”

  The two men started running in the direction Teri was heading. Angel couldn’t wait to hold her. He’d almost lost her. Now they could return to New York and see what they really had between them.

  #

  Teri felt curiously unafraid, though she knew the man who held her upright had absolutely no compassion in his heart. She concentrated on placing one leaden foot in front of the other. She stumbled, slipped and scraped one knee on the pavement. Her abductor jerked her upright, but she sank down again. She closed her eyes and felt the rough pavement grate against her cheek.

  This is the answer; passive resistance. Didn’t it work for Gandhi? No, it was sit-ins in the sixties.

  “C’mon! I know you’re faking. Get up,” he hissed against her ear. He pulled on her arms but she remained limp.

  Several people stopped to see what was happening. A heavy-set woman stepped forward.

  “I’m a nurse,” she said. “Can I help?”

  “No! No, she’s fine.” He pulled her to a sitting position. “She got too much sun.” He picked her up and carried her away from the gathering crowd.

  Teri’s baseball cap fell off as he tried to lift her high enough to avoid the turnstile at the exit. An elderly guard smiled and swung the crossbar aside to allow him to pass more easily.

  They moved from dense shade to bright sunlight. It shone down relentlessly, bringing a rush of perspiration to her brow.

  The man was breathing hard.

  She hung limply, but her knee throbbed and blood oozed from her scrape.

  The pain awakened her and her sense of peril. Teri opened her eyes and realized she was being lugged across the parking lot adjacent to the zoo’s entrance.

  A couple unloading a stroller from an SUV turned to stare. A toddler pointed as they passed.

  She heard the beep of a remote opening a locked vehicle nearby and she was jostled to a standing position, leaning against hot metal.

  The man opened the car door and folded her onto the backseat. The interior was oven-like.

  She heard another door open and the man turned on the ignition. The air conditioner spewed more hot air into the airless vacuum. The vehicle was moving and Teri slipped into her former lethargic state.

  If I could just keep my eyes open...

  #

  Angel picked up the baseball cap. His adrenalin surged as he scanned the milling crowd. Where are you?

  The guard at the exit smiled and nodded to them.

  “Did you see the woman who was wearing this cap?”

  The old man nodded.

  Angel took a deep breath. “Tell me where she went!”

  The old man nodded and pointed to the crossbar.

  “Are you telling me she jumped over this bar?” Angel felt his face redden as he glared at the guard.

  “No. The man in the suit carried her out. I opened it like this. See?” He demonstrated his previous performance.

  Angel’s pulse quickened. “What man?” he demanded.

  “The big man in the suit. He said she was suffering from the heat.”

  “Did you see where they went?” Arturo asked.

  “To the parking lot. He carried her all the way to his car and helped her inside.”

  Angel ran to the parking area while Arturo gathered a quick description of the vehicle.

  When Arturo caught up with Angel he said, “He said it was a black Mercedes and it headed east.”

  Angel stared at a drop of blood on the pavement. His jaw tightened. “Let’s get the car, Pop.”

  #

  Teri was lying on a soft surface. Someone was speaking but couldn’t understand the words. She inhaled the odor of the fabric under her face. It smelled like people. Lots of people.

  Cautiously, she opened her eyes. She was in a room sprawled face down on top of a bed. The fabric of the bedspread was wet. Teri had been drooling.

  The man who’d abducted her was talking on the phone. His voice droned on. She caught a word here and there.

  “...not what I expected...arrested Hugo and...that detective shot Frank. He could be dead for all I know.”

  Teri kept her head down. Clem was safe. She should have let Angel handle things. He would never have allowed her to get into this mess but, at least she’d gotten Clem back.

  The man paced as he talked. He came close to the bed and seemed to be looming over her.

  “No,” he spoke gruffly into the receiver. “She’s out of it. No, I didn’t hurt her, but she’s the only one who knows where the money is. I’
m not letting her get away with it. Yes, I’ll bring it to you when I get it.”

  Suddenly the door burst open and she heard yelling. Teri opened her eyes and saw Angel with a gun. The man had his hands in the air and Angel pushed him to the floor.

  My Angel’s here. Teri felt a rush of gratitude as she closed her eyes again and dozed.

  #

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Some time later Teri was awakened by a bright light. A paramedic held her lid open, flashing a small penlight in her eye.

  Angel rode in the ambulance with her and she learned later that Arturo followed close behind driving Angel’s rental. Teri was checked out in the emergency room, her knee wound cleaned and stitched closed, and she was released a few hours later.

  It was dark when they pulled into the driveway at the Garcia household. Isabel wept when Angel and Arturo brought Teri inside. She went from her husband to her son with tearful reproaches.

  “We’re fine, Mom,” Angel assured her.

  “Arturo, I was so worried.” She wrung her hands tearfully as she spoke.

  “Isabel,” Arturo took her hands in his. “Everyone is fine. We got Teri back and she’s fine.” He gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

  Angel’s sisters and brother gathered around, everyone talking at once.

  The scene had a dream-like quality for Teri. She felt detached, as though observing from a distance.

  She caught Angel’s attention over the head of the family clustered close to him. She was still a little woozy and she felt nauseated. It occurred to her that she hadn’t eaten a bite all day.

  Angel steadied her. “Teri’s tired and I’m putting her to bed. He guided her to the foot of the stairs and then carried her the rest of the way to his room.

  Elena and Rosario followed close behind.

  “Step outside, big bro,” Elena said. “We’ll take over from here. Mom’s been cooking since noon. You’d better make nice with her or you’ll be disowned.”

  Angel smiled at Teri, “I’ll be back.”

  Rosario and Elena helped her out of her grimy clothes. The ER doctor had ripped her jeans all the way from hem to mid thigh and she had several stitches in her knee. Rosario brought a basin of warm water and helped Teri wash.

  Teri unfastened her bra and the folded piece of paper fell to the floor. Elena picked it up and started to open it but glanced up at Teri. Teri held out her hand and Elena dropped it in her palm. Teri swallowed with difficulty as she closed her fingers over it.

  The last remnant of Colin. She held it a moment before placing it on the bedside table. Teri slid her arms into the pajama top Rosario held open.

  When Angel returned with a plate piled high with food, Teri was clean, dressed in a pair of borrowed pajamas and tucked into bed. Rosario sat holding her hand and Elena brushed her hair.

  “Looks like you’re in good hands,” he said softly.

  “I am,” she said. “You’re not the only angel in the Garcia family.”

  “The other angels need to leave now,” he said pleasantly.

  When they were alone, he sat on the edge of the bed and arranged the tray over her lap. “I told Mom not to give you so much food but she had to do her part.”

  “That’s very kind. I’ll eat what I can.” Her hand shook when she reached for the spoon but Angel took the implement from her. He unfolded the napkin and spread it over her breast.

  “What kind of soup is this?” she asked.

  “Caldo. It has meat and vegetables. Very healthy.” He scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

  “Ummm, it’s great. More gruel please.” She opened her mouth and closed her eyes.

  Angel leaned in and grazed her lips with a kiss before poking the next bite in.

  “I could have lost you today,” he said. “I can’t believe you took such a chance.”

  “Do we have to talk about it now? It’s over.”

  “I hope you’re right. We’ll talk tomorrow when you’re rested.”

  “I can hardly wait.” Not! She opened her mouth for more caldo.

  #

  Angel fed her as much as she could handle before her fatigue won out. He snugged the quilt around her, feeling thankful that he had been able to rescue her. He carried the tray down to the kitchen, took a beer out of the refrigerator and opened it.

  Arturo sat smoking a cigar on the back stairs. He motioned to Angel to join him.

  “Hey, Pop.” Angel sighed heavily as he clapped his father on the shoulder and took a seat on the wooden steps.

  “It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it, son?”

  “Talk about your understatements.” He took a sip of beer and grinned at Arturo. “You handled yourself pretty well out there, you know, for an old guy.”

  “I had to back you up, didn’t I?”

  They bantered back and forth for a few minutes.

  Arturo blew a stream of smoke into the air. “What’s next? Are you going to stick around for a while?”

  “Can’t. My Captain is expecting me to climb on a plane tomorrow with Teri in custody.”

  “Why, Angel? What has she done?”

  “She’s a witness and she fled from a crime scene. She has to answer a lot of questions.” Angel tried to sound casual but his stomach clenched up with concern.

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  He blew out a breath of air. “I think so. All she needs to do is tell her story and she’ll be fine. She hasn’t done anything wrong. She ran away after finding her...a friend dead. She was in fear for her life.”

  “I’ll pray for her, son...and for you.”

  “Thanks, Pop.”

  “You and Teri, what next?” Arturo turned to give Angel a hard stare. “Do you have future plans with her?”

  “Only time will tell. She’s amazing, you know?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I almost lost her, but she was determined to save Sister Clement.”

  “Pretty brave act for a skinny little chica.”

  Angel snorted. “Her head may be hard but her heart is soft.”

  “That’s not a bad combination. Are you going to marry her? Your mother wants grandbabies.”

  Angel’s chest constricted. “I’d love to oblige, but there are roadblocks.”

  “One wouldn’t guess that to look at the two of you. I’d bet money that she’s deeply in love with you.”

  “We’re out of our element here, Pop. When we get back to New York City we’ll see if she feels the same way.”

  Arturo sent him an incredulous look. “You think she’s going to stop loving you?”

  “Maybe. Here in San Antonio, I’m her rescuer. I’ve protected her.” Angel shrugged his shoulders. “In NYC, I’m an underpaid cop and she’s a very rich and beautiful woman. I’m not kidding myself. She can do a lot better.”

  “I doubt that. You’re a good man.” Arturo’s voice grew thick with emotion. “I’m proud of you.”

  They sat in comfortable silence while Angel finished his beer, praying that Teri’s feelings ran as deep as his own.

  #

  The next morning Teri awoke to find herself in Angel’s embrace. This was the best part. She wished the moment would never end, but when Angel opened his eyes and kissed her forehead, she knew what was coming.

  “Time to go home,” he said.

  She nodded and swung her legs off the side of the bed. The floor felt cool and secure beneath her bare feet, yet she couldn’t find the impetus to stand. She gazed around the room slowly. The time she’d spent here had been brief but memorable. The Angel photographs stared down at her.

  “Let’s get a move on, Mia.”

  Teri glanced up at him, smiling. “Yes, Sir.”

  He flashed her a grin before heading for the bathroom with his shaving kit.

  Teri picked up her jeans from beside the bed. They were torn and bloody from her fall and the emergency room doc had shredded them. She wadded them into a ball and stuffed them in the trash can. Her only other choice was a sundress. She sli
pped it over her head and smoothed it down her hips. She sat on the edge of the bed to search for her sandals. Her eyes lit on the slip of paper Colin had packed with the money.

  Teri reached out to tweak the list off the nightstand with two fingers. Unfolding it carefully she searched the rows of numbers. What did they mean? Why had Colin placed this list with the money?

  Teri opened the metal tackle box she used to store her paints and brushes. She tucked the folded list under the unopened Thalo Blue. She hadn’t had occasion to use Thalo Blue up until now. Might as well make good use of it.

  Angel returned, looking fresh. He dressed and gathered their things. Since Colin’s blue bag was gone, along with most of her clothing, Teri stuffed her few remaining belongings in Angel’s bag.

  He loaded the car and they ate breakfast for the last time with the Garcia family.

  “I wish you could stay,” Isabel said. “We were just getting to know Teri and we never get to see enough of you, Angel.”

  “Christmas,” he said. “I’ll see you at Christmas time.”

  “And Teri?” Isabel asked, fixing her with the inquisition stare.

  He hesitated a fraction of a second. “Teri can come, too.” He stroked her thigh under the table.

  She laced her fingers in his. He drew her hand up to his lips. A flush crept over her cheeks as she felt the weight of his family’s collective gaze upon her.

  After breakfast all the Garcias trailed out to see them off. Teri and Angel were hugged and kissed and a few tears were shed. He waved and backed out of the driveway.

  “You are so lucky,” she said.

  “Yes I am,” he agreed, giving her hand a squeeze.

  She smiled and squeezed him back. “I mean your family. You’re fortunate to have so many people who love you.”

  Angel’s dark eyes sent a smoldering message. “You know, they love you, too.”

  She shook her head, sadly. “I don’t deserve it. I took some chances yesterday.”

  “If you’d trusted me, we both could have avoided a lot of unnecessary risk.” Angel shot her a reproachful glance. “I was supposed to protect you.”