Chapter 24
His ex-wife answered on the second ring. “Can you make it quick, Sam? I’m busy.”
“I just want to talk to my kids,” he told her. His teeth and jaws were beginning to hurt. Why was everything conspiring to piss him off? He forced his mouth to relax. Talking to her was always a lesson in patience.
“Megan isn’t here.” Sam heard her yell for Sammy. “Here Sammy.”
“What’s up, Dad?”
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but his throat closed before he could. This was a feeling he’d had only once before. Before he was deployed to Afghanistan, he tried to tell his wife how much she meant to him. A lump had formed in his throat, but words hadn’t been necessary. She’d seen it in his eyes. Of course, that was back when they were happy together. Before he’d been blown up and returned angry. Before the PTSD, the fights, and the divorce.
He wasn’t going to some foreign land where people didn’t care about the freedoms he was trying to help bring to them. This time he was going to save his girlfriend.
“Dad?” Sammy asked.
“I-I’m here, Son,” he forced the words out. Sammy couldn’t see his eyes, so words would have to be enough. “I know I haven’t talked with you for a while, and I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s all right, Dad. I’ve been busy with school and baseball practice. Coach has been pushing us pretty hard this year. He says we have a real shot at the championship.” There was a pause as Sam tried to come up with something to say. “Dad, are you okay? You don’t sound good.”
“Sound well,” his ex-wife corrected in the background.
“I’m fine,” Sam said, knowing he sounded anything but fine. “I’ve got a lot of stuff going on right now, and things have been difficult. It’s good to hear your voice, though.” Sam had to swallow. The lump in his throat wasn’t going away and this wasn’t getting any easier.
Sam’s phone beeped, indicating someone was trying to call him. A quick glance showed that it was Latoya. He still needed to call her and let her know he wouldn’t be in today, but it could wait. Family was more important right now.
“Are you going to war again? I didn’t think they’d take you, after . . . you know.”
Sam tried to laugh, be it came out as more of a groan. “No. I have something I need to take care of that I’m not looking forward to.”
“Oh, okay Dad. Well, I need to get to practice, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“I love you, Son,” Sam got out past the lump.
“I-I love you too, Dad.” Sammy’s tone was uncertain. Sam cursed himself for not saying it more to his children. He resolved to do it more often after today.
“Is that all?” His ex-wife got on the phone.
“I’m sorry for not treating you better when we were together,” Sam offered.
“What’s going on Sam?” she asked. Sam’s chest warmed to hear the concern in her tone. It was a welcome change after the years of yelling and screaming.
“Nothing,” he lied. “Just give Megan my love, okay?”
He hung up the phone before she could respond. His vision blurred. Sam blinked several times to clear his eyes.
His phone rang again, but Sam ignored it. He was in no position to talk to anyone.
“Mr. Mendez?” Captain Gomez’s voice called out.
Sam cursed as he wiped his eyes before turning around. He wasn’t going to be caught teary eyed before this officer.
From the look Gomez gave him, he wasn’t fooling anyone.
“We’re going to find out who did this, and get her back,” he told Sam. “But you need to know that in most cases like this. . . .” He trailed off, but Sam knew what he’d been about to say.
In most kidnapping cases, the victim didn’t live long.
“They want her for something,” Sam told him. “I don’t know what,” he quickly added seeing the look in the captain’s eyes, “but I think they want her alive.”
“Well, if you think of anything, don’t hesitate to call.” Captain Gomez handed Sam a business card. “And don’t do anything stupid. Let us do our jobs, Mr. Mendez. I know you want to help, but we're the ones trained to do this sort of thing. You’re more likely to get in the way.”
Sam took the card, but said nothing. What could he say? He wasn’t going to lie and claim he was going to do nothing but wait. He was a trained soldier. Shot up, maybe, but he'd seen and survived more blood than ninety percent of the cops working for Mendez would ever imagine.
They locked eyes for a few moments. Sam was the first to look away. Despite knowing how irrational it was, he didn’t want Gomez to read his thoughts.
Or maybe it wasn’t so irrational, considering everything else going on.
“Stay in town, in case we have any questions for you,” Gomez told him.
Sam grunted. He turned his back on the captain and went back into the hotel.
Brock was holding Subie on the bed when Sam entered. The paramedics had left while Sam was on the phone.
“Don’t let her lie down,” Sam chided Brock. Hadn’t the kid been listening to the paramedics?
Subie opened her eyes and sat up, holding her bandaged head. Brock muttered something under his breath, but sat up as well. Subie looked around. She sighed in relief at seeing that they were alone.
“Is there anything you might know, anything you might have heard while they had you?” Sam asked. “Anything that might have slipped to let us know where they took Tamara?”
“Back off,” Brock stood and got between them. “She’s told us all she knows.”
“It’s okay, Brock,” Subie said. She placed her hand on his arm and gently pushed him to the side. “He’s just worried about his girl. I’ll bet you were a handful while I was gone.”
Brock looked at his girlfriend and then sat next to her. “I was a total wreck,” he admitted. “I’m surprised Sam didn’t shoot me to keep me out of the way.” Brock pulled her into a fierce hug.
“I thought about it,” Sam said. He didn’t tell him how tempted he was after the jock had knocked him to the ground.
Subie looked at Sam when she could break free of the hug. “I’ve been trying to think of anything they might have talked about, but I don’t know. I’m sorry, Sam.”
Sam struggled to hide his disappointment. He had pinned his last remaining hopes on Subie knowing something, anything, which might lead him back to Tamara.
“Well, if you think of anything, just let me know,” he told her.
Sam grabbed the bag with the food they’d picked up earlier in it. His burger was cold, but he didn’t think he’d taste it.
Tamara had been missing for only a few hours and she’d only been in his life for a few days. Now that she was gone, she’d left a huge hole.
“Sam?” Subie said in a soft voice as he walked out the door. He turned to look at her, hope blossoming in his chest. “The only thing I can remember is them talking about how saltwater was bad for them, but they needed it for whatever they were going to do.”
Hope turned to disappointment. There was no shortage of saltwater in the Florida Keys.
“Thanks,” he told her. “If you remember anything else. . . .” he left, going to the other room.
He grabbed the pillow Tamara had used last night. It still had her scent on it.
Sam finally let his emotions out. He thought back over the last few days, trying to find some clue to where they might have taken her. He thought about the way she would smile when they talked. How she’d tried to seduce him that first time coming out of the shower. She’d been so skinny back then. She’d fleshed out at an unnatural speed after that. One more thing about her that made her unique.
Was she really some sort of angel? Sam still found that hard to believe. But what else could explain everything that’d happened? She hadn’t been burned when pulling the pan out of his oven with her bare hands. She’d recovered physically from being washed up on the beach faster than. . . .
The beach!
Subie had said something about saltwater being a problem for them. Is that how Tamara had lost her memory? Literally falling out of heaven and landing in the ocean. . . .
Sam cursed his lack of religious knowledge.
He jumped to his feet and went next door. Maybe they took her to the beach where Brock and Tamara had found the ritual site.
He pounded on the door and Brock answered.
“I think I know where they are,” he told them. “I’m going to the beach. Subie, give me a call if you remember anything else.”
Sam turned to walk away, but Brock gripped his shoulder. “I know I wasn’t much help last time, but I’m going with you.”
“What about Subie?” Sam protested. The kid hadn't just been useless, he’d gotten in the way.
“I’m going with you,” she said, getting to her feet. Sam was surprised to see how steady she was. He’d expected her to still be slightly dizzy after the blow to her head. Sam had only given her head a cursory glance when they’d found her unconscious on the floor. He’d been more concerned about Tamara at the time. He knew Tamara must be suffering. “I want to get those bastards back for what they did.”
Sam knew he should turn and leave them both behind. They would be more of a hindrance than an asset.
“Get in my way and this time I will shoot you,” Sam told them, meaning every word.
He left them there to consider his words. He rode down in the elevator alone, but they showed up as he was waiting for a cab. For better or worse, they were going to save Tamara together.