Chasing Thunder (38 page)

She couldn’t think, sputtering under the unrelenting assault of the water. He peeled away each of her stealth weapons, which landed with clangs on the tiled floor. He used her own switchblade knife to cut away her top, baring her skin for his lascivious gaze. His teeth clamped down on her tender neck as she coughed and gasped for air.

“You’ll never be clean, will you, you dirty whore?” he growled into her ear. “Stained with ink. Corrupted by man. And all you can do is bark at my feet like some dog that has lost her bone.” His hand slipped between her legs to grab her roughly. “They were so hell-bent on making you a soldier that they never bothered to make you a lady. Guess that’s up to me now.”

She struggled against him as he held her directly under the spray. She kicked and used her elbows, until finally she used the back of her head to knock him square in the nose. He stumbled backward, his hold compromised. She twisted herself free and spun to face him. With a ferocious thrust, she slammed him up against the shower stall. She stooped to retrieve her knife, but before she could raise her arm and unapologetically plunge it into his black heart, she was dragged backwards out of the stall by two burly men in black clothing and expensive tennis shoes.

Dominic Isbecky stood, cut off the water, and emerged from the stall. He watched as she struggled against her two new captors, who held her so roughly that each arm was twisted almost out of its socket. Isbecky’s coal-black eyes were merciless as he faced her. “If you refuse to be a lady, I’ll settle for a pet.” He glanced at the two men. “Take her to the Magic Room.”

28. SWEET CHILD OF MINE

S
nake brought Kid a soda out to where he was sitting in the emergency room waiting area. Kid said nothing as he took it. Mad Dog’s leg shook a mile a minute, tapping away the nerves they were all feeling as they waited for news on Baby. The situation only got worse when the Rothchilds arrived, complete with PING camera crews in tow. Snake remained standing next to Kid and Mad Dog as he watched the made-for-TV drama unfold.

Stuart Rothchild took immediate control. He scowled at the young, frazzled Hispanic girl at the desk. “We were told Haley Roberts was brought to your hospital. We are her parents and demand to see her.”

“Yes, sir,” she said as she reviewed the records, none of which showed anything on a Haley Roberts. When she tried to convey this information to Stuart, he stood taller, spoke louder, and derided her even more.

“You need to check your records again,” he instructed. “Haley Roberts. H-A-L-E-Y.
Si habla
English?”

Just as Snake started for the desk, a large ebony goddess stepped in behind the admittance desk clerk. “Is there a problem here?”

“This man,” the clerk started, but was interrupted again as Stuart bypassed her completely.

“My name is Stuart Rothchild,” he announced, as if it should mean anything to the woman staring him down. “We were told our daughter was shot and brought in for emergency care.”

“What’s your daughter’s name?” she asked.

He took a deep breath before he said through clenched teeth, “Haley Roberts.”

She looked him up and down before she referred to the list on the younger woman’s desk. “I don’t see anyone by that name.”

Katherine joined her husband at the desk. “She was being held by the Hard Candy Killer. She was shot at a
gentleman’s
nightclub,” she added, as though that last bit of information was enough to make her swoon.

Just as the older woman put two and two together, a doctor emerged through the sliding doors. “Scoggins family?”

Immediately Snake, Kid, and Mad Dog rushed to him. The older woman turned to the Rothchilds. “You might want to talk to them,” she said before she ambled off.

They rushed to where the ER doctor on call was apprising Snake about Baby’s condition. “Excuse me,” Stuart interjected. “We are Haley’s parents.”

The doctor was confused. “Haley?”

Immediately distrustful, Kid glared at the Rothchilds. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Snake put his hand on Kid’s shoulder. “Come on, Logan.”

“The name we were given was Baby Scoggins,” the doctor said, but Snake shook his head.

“That’s the name she goes by. But these are her parents.”

Stuart glared at Snake like he was a bug that needed stomping with his shoe. “And who are you?”

“Cooper Scoggins,” Snake said. “Friends call me Snake.”

Stuart sneered at him. “Figures.” He dismissed him immediately and turned back to the doctor. “How is Haley?”

PING loomed nearby, recording everything. The young doctor tried to herd them to a private corner, but the gossipmongers were relentless. Snake took matters in his own hands. “Get a real fucking job,” he said. He backed them off with nothing more than his intimidating demeanor as he advanced, daring the cockroaches to take a shot. When they finally decided to stand down, the doctor turned back to the Rothchilds.

“She’s stable. We were able to stop the bleeding. She was shot in the shoulder. It was a clean shot, missed the collarbone, but her lung collapsed. She’s also lost quite a bit of blood. We are admitting her to a room upstairs. I’ll let you know when you can see her.”

“We want to see her now,” Stuart insisted. “She’s a runaway. Perhaps you’ve seen us on TV each and every night, pleading for her return?”

The doctor was unimpressed. “I understand your concern. But she is getting the best care possible, sir.”

Richard Bennett joined the hodgepodge group. Stuart turned to him immediately. “We need to get back there and see Haley. Please do something.”

Richard glanced at Snake. “Is your friend their daughter?”

“No,” Kid and Mad Dog said in unison, but Snake nodded quietly. Richard showed his badge to the doctor.

With a sigh, the doctor led the Rothchilds through the sliding doors. Kid glared at Snake. “How could you do that? You know what they did to her.”

“No, I don’t,” Snake said. “And neither do you. She’s their daughter, man. They have a right.”

With an exasperated sigh, Kid turned on his heel and stalked away. Mad Dog followed.

Richard turned to Snake. “Now that we’ve solved the mystery of their daughter—” he started.

“You want to know what’s happened to yours?” Snake finished.

“Is she okay?” Richard asked softly.

“Well, I can’t rightly say,
Dick
,” Snake said. “I’ve been here cleaning up this mess for you.”

“I know you think I’m your enemy,” he said. “I know she thinks I’m her enemy. But I’m not. How many more people have to get hurt, Cooper?”

Snake shrugged. “You tell me. This maniac has been on the streets since he murdered Pops more than ten years ago. Seems to me this whole mess could have been avoided completely had you done your job right the first time.”

Richard studied him. “What do you mean?”

“M.J. got a call earlier from Dominic Isbecky. He gleefully announced that he was the one responsible for Joe’s death, right before blew the shop to kingdom come. And now he probably has M.J., too. But don’t you worry about a thing, Dick. The Wyndryders are going to settle this old score our way.”

He started to walk away, but Richard pulled him back. “Don’t make me arrest you, Cooper.”

Snake advanced on the older man until they were nose-to-nose. “For what? For loving your daughter more than you ever did?”

“She could get killed.”

It was the worst thing he could have said. “That’s been her curse since she was four years old. You didn’t care then. Don’t pretend like you do now.” Snake let that sink in before he said, “Now arrest me. Or get the fuck out of my way.”

Baby hovered in and out of consciousness under the heavy pain medication she had been administered. When Stuart and Katherine Rothchild entered her little section of the ER, a curtained-off cubicle that was easily one of the scariest places she had ever been in despite it all, she thought it might be a dream. Yet another nightmare to make an already upsetting situation all the more terrifying. But Katherine threw herself over the gurney where Baby lay, jostling her shoulder and making her cry out in pain. “Oh, honey,” Katherine crooned. “Thank God we found you.”

Baby’s eyes widened as she watched Stuart approach behind his wife. “How did you find me?” she asked quietly.

“Does it matter?” Katherine asked as she brushed Baby’s hair from her face. “Look at you,” she said as she took in how her daughter had changed herself so drastically from the person she used to be. “Did they make you do this?”

Baby shook her head. “I wanted to do this.”

Katherine patted her hand. “You were scared. But you don’t have to be frightened anymore. We’re here. And we’re going to take you home.”

“I am home.”

Katherine chuckled. “Don’t be silly. I know we had a fearsome quarrel before you left, but I’m still your mother. We’re still your parents.”

“How long was I gone before you realized it, Mom?” Baby asked. “Did you have time to call the camera crew?”

Katherine sighed. “Haley,” she started, but Baby cut her off.

“Haley’s dead. I’m Baby now.”

Stuart loomed over the gurney. “According to the law, you’re Haley. And you’re coming home.”

She stared daggers into his soul. “That’s what you think. You can take me back to North Carolina, but nothing can make me stay.”

Stuart nodded as he pulled up a metal and plastic chair. “You’re probably right about that. You left before. We can’t stop you from leaving again.”

Her eyes narrowed as she waited.

“But it would be a damn shame to put your new friends through all that trouble.”

“What trouble?”

“Hiding you. Taking care of you. Do you really want to see them thrown into jail for harboring a runaway? Or worse,” he added with that damnable gleam in his eye.

She scoffed. “You can’t prove anything.”

Stuart’s eyebrow arched. “You think not? How old is your pal, Snake? Grown man, keeping you hidden away, changing your appearance.” He glanced at her wrist tattoo. “Scarring your body with some kind of brand. Let me guess. He has the very same tattoo somewhere on his body, too.” Her eyes widened. “Meanwhile he ignores every news conference in which we begged for you to come forward for your own safety. Now you’re in a hospital with a gunshot wound.”

Her eyes fell. What he was suggesting was diabolical, but it was right up his alley. She knew he could use his money and influence to taint a court trail and punish Snake for nothing more than being the kind of father figure Stuart Rothchild was incapable of being.

He played his ace when he said, “Plus, there’s always Dr. Greensworth.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. “I hate you.”

He smiled. “I know. Kids always hate their parents, especially when they’re doing what needs to be done to protect them.”

“You are not my parent,” she hissed.

Katherine smoothed her hair. “Don’t say such upsetting things, Haley. Not now. Not when we were so lucky to find you before something horrible happened.”

Baby stared aghast at her mother, who remained blissfully unaware.

“You look absolutely parched, sweet pea. Let me go get you something to drink.”

She left Stuart behind, who was quick to sidle up to the space on Baby’s gurney that Katherine vacated. She scooted as far away from him as she could get. If he touched her, she knew she’d come unglued.

His eyes were cold and hard as he stared down at her. “You’ve put your mother and me through an awful lot these last couple of months, Haley. But I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. You come home. You keep your nose clean. And I’ll let you stay in contact with your little friends here.”

“No, you won’t,” she said softly.

He let that comment slide with a humorless smile. “But if you make this any harder, I guarantee you’ll never see any of these people ever again. All it takes is one phone call to Dr. Greensworth.”

“And you’ll have me committed?”

“That file has been a private family matter up until now,” he said in a soft voice that made her skin crawl. “But any further erratic behavior and you’re likely to prove his case.”