Sworn to Protect (7 page)

Chapter 9

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.

Flannery O’Connor

Danika finished brushing Tiana’s thick black hair into a ponytail. Her daughter’s dark eyes danced in anticipation of the station picnic. Today the off-duty Border Patrol agents and their families would gather for a picnic at Cascade Park. Luckily, Danika had a rare Saturday off. Despite the broiling temperatures guaranteed for this Saturday, heat would not stop the fun and games—including softball and volleyball—and all the good eats. Danika could almost smell the barbecue and taste the mounds of food that she didn’t have to prepare.

What a great bunch of people. Block parties and church picnics were okay, but Border Patrol functions allowed her to be herself with no pretense. Most of her neighbors had no idea she worked for the Border Patrol. She changed into her uniform at the station and back into street clothes before she drove home. Many agents did the same. They strove to protect their spouses and children from disgruntled illegals or pro-immigration activists or drug smugglers. Their children were not told what they did when “at work,” and spouses kept the information to themselves. No point advertising their controversial position in a community largely Hispanic.

Danika kissed her precious olive-skinned little daughter. They’d be worn-out this evening, but today would be a memory maker. She snatched up the ice chest and her softball glove and handed Tiana the sunscreen and mosquito spray. They were off for the day. Sandra chose to stay home for a little rest and time alone, which she highly deserved. She always seemed to notice when Danika and Tiana needed special mommy-daughter time.

As soon as Danika and Tiana arrived at the picnic site, Danika spotted Barbara and Nadine. She wanted to at least be cordial, but she and Jacob hadn’t spoken since their last blowup. How would he feel if he found her talking to his wife and daughter? Nadine’s suspected drug abuse drove Danika to see for herself, to look into her niece’s eyes and hope they were clear and bright, sparkling brown pools of youth and vitality. Danika saw the effects every day—strung out users who thought they had control over their habit. The thought of Nadine ending up in the same viper pit made her physically ill.

Holding firmly to Tiana’s hand, Danika strolled toward Barbara and Nadine, who were sitting in lounge chairs under a huge live oak. Danika didn’t pray as much as she should, especially since Toby was murdered. But Jacob and Barbara’s family were in desperate need of strong intervention.

Barbara looked her way and smiled. Danika relaxed slightly and waved. She had missed talking to her sister-in-law this week and finding out what those sweet kids had been doing. Between ball practice, swimming lessons, and whatever else Barbara arranged for their summer fun, Danika was always eager to listen. Her own growing-up days had been spent in a rigid environment filled with dos and do-nots. This way she vicariously relived what she’d missed.

Tiana released Danika’s hand and ran toward her aunt. Taking a deep breath, Danika turned her gaze to Nadine.
Please, sweetie. Be clean.
The closer she walked, the bigger Nadine’s frown, until Danika stood face-to-face with the two. Stomach twisting, Danika swung her attention to her niece.

Glazed eyes. Dilated pupils.

She was high.

“Isn’t this a beautiful day?” Danika said.

Tiana hugged her aunt, then reached for Nadine. But the teen’s interest had been snatched by something going on in another direction.

“Naddie.” Barbara’s voice lowered.

The teen rolled her eyes and offered a light tap to Tiana’s shoulders. “I’m going to see what the girls are doing.”

“Don’t leave the grounds.” Barbara raised her chin.

Something had happened, but what? A hundred scenarios rolled through Danika’s mind. None good.

Barbara watched Nadine walk away. Tears filled the woman’s eyes, and she clamped down on her lower lip.

“What’s wrong?” Danika asked.

“What isn’t?” Barbara brushed a mosquito from her leg.

“Do you want to talk?”

“I hate to bother you when you have your own life.”

“I’m here and I’m listening.” Danika took the empty chair where Nadine had sat and pulled Tiana into her lap.

“It’s hard to know where to begin.” Barbara avoided eye contact. “This morning I told Jacob I suspected Nadine of drug abuse.” She took a deep breath, and Danika took her hand. “He called me a liar. I dared him to search her room, never thinking he’d actually do it. Nadine witnessed the whole thing. He tore her room apart, dumped out drawers, everything. Anyway, he found pills under her mattress, ones she called oxycotton. She admitted using them to cope with ‘life.’ He wanted to know where she got them, and she refused to say. I don’t need to tell you about the shouting that followed.”

Danika wanted to ask if Jacob and Barbara had discussed help for their daughter, but knowing Jacob, he wasn’t finished with his lecture and ensuing punishment. He’d demand to handle it his way. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

Barbara reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue. “Prayer is the best thing you can do for this family. You were right when you questioned my Naddie, and I should have spoken up sooner. I suspected she was using something for a few months, but I couldn’t bring myself to approach her. Where does a teen find street drugs? She goes so few places. I still find it incredible to believe.”

“Why—”

Barbara shook her head. “Don’t berate me. I get enough criticism from Jacob.”

“Oh, honey, I don’t want to upset you.” Danika felt her throat tighten, and she reached for Barbara’s hand. “Jacob’s hurting from finding out about Nadine.”

“According to Nadine, he pushed her into using. She’s repeatedly cried to me about how he won’t let her have friends or go places. My goodness, she’ll be a senior this fall, and he wants her playing Barbies. I purchased her a cell phone, but Jacob doesn’t know about it. I thought that concession would help. It did for a short while, but she’s miserable. And so are the other kids.” Barbara glanced to where Jacob was practicing softball before the game. “He accused me of turning the kids against him.”

Danika believed every word. Jacob made life intolerable for those he loved at home and his peers at the station. She wanted so much for her brother-in-law, but he had to make the first step.

“I can’t take much more. What he’s doing to the children is forcing me to make a decision.”

Divorce.
Barbara didn’t need to say the word. Danika had feared the split for several months. “Can I have Nadine’s number? Maybe I can call or text-message her.” She reached into her purse and wrapped her fingers around her phone to input the information. Barbara gave her the number with a reminder that Jacob could not find out about it. “Thanks. What about help for Nadine’s problem?”

“I’ve been sitting here thinking about the services offered by the Border Patrol, church, and the community. Not sure which option would be the best. I’d like for the counselor to be Christian.”

“My counselor prays for her patients.”

Barbara tilted her head. “I thought you stopped going.”

“I did, but this week I scheduled an appointment for Tuesday night. She sees patients as late as nine o’clock, which allows me to get Tiana to bed.”

“Would you write down the name and number?”

Danika reached back inside her purse and pulled out a small notebook to jot down Shannon Perry’s information. “You’ll like her. She listens with her heart, and her method is to help the patient find their own solutions to their problems, not give orders.”

“Nadine is stubborn. She’d butt heads with someone else telling her what to do.”

Like her father. “This sounds like a good fit and definitely worth a try.”

Barbara gasped. “Jacob is heading this way.”

“Great. I’m out of here.” Danika stood. For a moment she thought she’d stay and have a face-off with her brother-in-law, but that meant Barbara would take the brunt of his temper. “Please call me.” She took Tiana’s hand and strolled toward the snow cone machine for a treat before the softball game.

Her little angel sensed where they were going and quickly signed “snow cone” and “blueberry.”

Danika stopped and bent to the little girl’s side. She held her close and let the tears flow freely.

“Mommy cry,” Tiana signed. Confusion etched her delicate features.

“Just sad.”

“Aunt Barbara?”

The little girl’s perception did not surprise Danika. “We’ll pray for Aunt Barbara and all of her family,” Danika signed. Her spirit ached for Jacob’s family and where the turmoil would lead if he refused to get help along with his daughter. Danika prayed Tiana would be able to withstand the pressures of a sometimes-cruel world.

* * *

Sandra’s cell phone woke her from a rare Saturday afternoon nap. With her eyes still closed, she reached for the phone and pressed it against her ear.

“Sandra, this is Lucy.”

She should have looked at the caller ID before answering.

“Did you think about what I need you to do?”

“No thinking about it. The answer is still no.”

“I can make it worth your trouble.”

Sandra had enough to do without adding more work from a woman she detested. “I’m not interested.”

“You used to want your family here. I can make it happen—no cost.”

Lucy’s sweet voice—as artificial as a politician’s promise—grated against her nerves. “So my nieces can clean toilets for free until you write off your investment? Or my nephews run drugs? What about my seventy-year-old mother? What would she do for you? Forget it, Lucy. My loyalty is to Danika and Tiana. And remember, whatever you threaten, I can make it worse for you.”

“You’re nothing but a poor maid and babysitter to Danika. She could easily replace you. I’m offering to help you rise above the status of an illegal wetback.”

“My status is my choice.” Sandra disconnected the call. She closed her eyes with the intent of going back to sleep, but her mind raced with Lucy’s interference in her life.

She may be illegal, and her conscience may attack her on a daily basis for deceiving Danika, but she no longer had to bow to Queen Lucy.

Chapter 10

They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.

Psalm 112:7

Danika slowly swung her legs over the bed to get ready for work. She ached all over from the softball and volleyball games the afternoon before, and she spent five days a week at the gym. Her body simply could not handle all of the twisting and turning—and falling—anymore.

Sunday.

When she was better in church attendance, the Sunday shifts depressed her. The high point of her week had been worshiping with her husband and their baby. Then Toby died, and if she was scheduled to work on Sunday, it didn’t really matter. God as a priority fluctuated depending on the critical issues in her life. She still believed. She prayed. She talked the walk, and yet she held back from trust. Sad, but true. Yesterday’s conversation with Barbara had been one of those times when she’d asked God to intervene in her sister- and brother-in-law’s lives in hopes He would smile favorably on them, unlike He’d done with Toby.

A phone call to Nadine had gone unanswered, as well as a text message. Danika empathized with the girl’s heartbreak over a father who couldn’t seem to grasp the importance of a relationship with his daughter.

At the station, Danika changed into her uniform and grabbed some coffee before muster. Those who had been at the picnic looked tired, but the laughing and teasing about the games and the fun indicated how much the agents appreciated family time together.

“You missed me winning the horseshoe championship.” Felipe’s dimple deepened. No wonder Becca drooled at the sight of him.

“Didn’t want to take your trophy.”

“Trophy? I won a dinner for two at Chili’s.”

Revenge time. “How sweet. You’re asking me out, aren’t you? When did you want to go?” Danika swallowed her laughter.

His reddened face was priceless. “Uh, I’m not sure. What I wondered—”

“My free nights?” Danika was getting even for all of his merciless teasing. He’d laughed the hardest when she ate dirt sliding into third base yesterday. “This week or next?”

“Well, my point is—”

“A movie too? I’d love it, Felipe. You’re such a sweetheart to think of me.”

“Could you slow down a minute?”

“Sure. I’m just excited about a real date.” She shrugged. “I’ve known you were interested in me for a long time.”

His jaw had fallen to his boots—more like a little boy who’d just dropped his ice cream cone. “I’ll think about a movie . . . and get back with you later in the week.” He headed for a couple of his buds.

“Felipe?”

He slowly turned. “Yeah.”

“I’ll e-mail Becca’s phone number when I get home.”

He gave a thumbs-up and grinned—generously. “I had that coming, but you did look real good grabbing for third base.” He started to walk away, then whipped around, his face devoid of any humor. “Did you hear the latest?”

She knew exactly what Felipe referred to. “You mean about the cartel possibly having FBI and DEA bulletproof vests?”

He nodded. “They have the money to get whatever they want. How do you tell the good guys from the bad?”

“Same way you tell the corrupt police from the cartel.”

He leaned against the lockers. “Right. Ever wonder when it will spill onto our side?”

“Every day.” She studied him a little closer. “What’s the news on your cousin?”

“He’s back across the border where he belongs. And my great-uncle disowned me.” He shook his head. “I told Chief Jimenez about it this morning.”

Danika offered a grim smile. “Is that what happened to your windshield?”

Her cell phone rang.

“Better answer it,” he said.

She wrestled with letting it go to voice mail, but Felipe pointed to her phone and walked away. Not recognizing the number, Danika almost opted for the caller to leave a message, but it could be Nadine or Barbara calling from a different phone.

“Danika, this is Alex Price, the doctor at McAllen Medical.”

A delicious tingling spread through her. “Hi. What can I do for you, Doctor?”

“Alex.”

“Okay, Alex.” She caught herself in the middle of a giggle. How stupid. Utterly stupid, like a junior high girl.

“I was wondering if you’d like to meet for coffee or lunch or something this week. Maybe breakfast.” He sounded as nervous as she did.

“I suppose that would be all right.” Her heart thumped. She had Tuesday and Wednesday off.

But before she could suggest a day, guilt for laying aside her widow’s clothes assaulted her. Toby had been gone only two years. Was she betraying him? Was she even ready for this? “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Finding the time to socialize with the demands of my job and my daughter is tough.”

“I understand.”

“Thanks, though, and I appreciate the call.” Danika clipped her phone back onto her belt. Too soon to wade in up to her neck. Maybe next year or the year after.

The clock showed five minutes to eight. She spotted Felipe talking to a couple of other agents and waved. Perhaps they’d have time to talk later.

Agents took their seats at the rectangular tables while the supervisor, Agent Oden Herrera, took his place at the front of the room. The buzz of conversations softened to a low hum. Jacob sat at a table on the left side, his usual spot. She prayed again that he and Barbara were able to have a sensible conversation after the picnic and make concrete plans to help Nadine.

“Apprehended nearly fifty illegals last night.” Herrera crossed his arms over his chest. “One of them was another Zeta. Not sure what’s going on with the gangs, but keep an eye out. Our sources say retaliation against the Border Patrol is imminent. Thanks to the Border Patrol along the Rio Grande, the tricks used by the smugglers are falling by the wayside.” He took a sip of his coffee and pointed to the wall map. “Right here, near sensor 215, we found a man and woman shot in the head. Most likely drugs. No identification.”

* * *

Jacob couldn’t concentrate on muster with the truth about Nadine ringing in his head. The horrible accusations they had thrown at each other kept repeating like an obnoxious mockingbird, and the other kids had heard every word. He’d tried to sleep on the family room sofa, but his racing thoughts barred any rest. The idea of lying next to Barbara, who had betrayed him to his children, made him want to stay as far away from her as possible.

Memories of Nadine filled his mind all night. He remembered when he learned Barbara was pregnant and that their first child would be a girl. They didn’t have a cent in the bank, but he had his job as a Border Patrol agent and plenty of dreams to last a lifetime. As the weeks went by, Barbara urged him to touch her bulging stomach so he could feel his baby girl move. When Nadine chose to enter the world, he was there to welcome her. Barely six pounds, she struggled to breathe. Within an hour, the doctors had rushed her to surgery for a damaged heart. He and Barbara had prayed until there were no more words or tears left. But little Nadine Marie Morales fought to live.

Jacob had promised Barbara and Nadine that he’d always be there to protect them. Later his promise extended to Kaitlyn, Amber, and Jake Jr. He’d done a good job until two years ago. That was before he became disillusioned with the politics and policies of the Border Patrol. Or maybe his disillusionment was due to the inept police who couldn’t find his brother’s killer.

What had happened to Nadine? Seventeen years later, his little girl despised him and used prescription drugs to balance her problematic life. His Naddie had chosen to escape reality instead of confronting life with the same fight that had carried her when she was a few hours old.

Barbara was someone he no longer recognized. She barely tolerated him, and his children fled to other parts of the house when he entered a room. No wonder his doctor had upped his blood pressure medication.

Shaking off the lack of sleep, Jacob snatched up his keys and headed to his assigned vehicle for the day. He didn’t talk to any of the other agents, and the last person he wanted to see was Danika. She and Barbara were in this thing together to discredit him to his family and peers. But he’d prevail. He wasn’t a loser. Not yet, anyway.

The morning wore on with the signs leading nowhere. His mood plummeted.

His cell phone rang, and when he saw it was Barbara, anger surfaced again. He’d have given both arms for it to have been Nadine.

“Jacob, we have a problem.” Her voice trembled.

“What’s wrong? Out of bread and milk?”

“Keep your sarcasm for another day,” she said. “Nadine has run away. She’s taken her clothes and left a note.”

This had to be a ploy on Barbara’s part. His daughter would not leave home. Would she? “What did the note say?”

“You’re not going to like this. But since you asked, I’ll read it to you: ‘Mom, I can’t live with Daddy any longer. I’m tired of waiting for him to change, and he just gets meaner. I tried to be patient and be strong for Kaitlyn, Amber, and Jake. But I can’t. I’m sorry.’”

“Did you put her up to it?”

“Why do you say such cruel things?”

He heard the belligerence, the disrespect. He should be used to it by now.

“Sensor tripped at 210,” the radio blared.

“I have to go.” He disconnected his phone and responded to his radio. “I’m on it.”

Jacob sped up his truck. He didn’t want any backup. What he needed was to sink his teeth into his job and forget the stacked-up garbage at home. He’d call Barbara as soon as this situation was handled. Perhaps they could discuss the whereabouts of their daughter without a fight.

A Border Patrol truck raced behind him.

Jacob cursed. “Go chase your own illegals,” he muttered. “These are mine.” He knew his attitude was wrong. That wasn’t the way the BP worked together; they were a team.

A woman stepped out from the brush, saw his truck, and disappeared into the thicket on the opposite side of the road. Jacob slid the truck to a stop. Grabbing only his keys, he took out after her. He caught sight of a man who grasped the hand of the woman. Together they ran, shoving aside tall grass and brush in an effort to lose the BP. If there were more illegals, they were well hidden. Adrenaline flowed, pumping through his veins more powerfully than the anger that had nipped at his heels all morning.

Jacob shouted the canned phrase for them to stop, hoping it would bring them to a halt.

The woman dropped a plastic bag. No doubt containing all of her personal belongings.

He closed the distance between him and the couple. With his chest heaving, Jacob allowed all his frustration to propel him a few more feet. He reached out and batted the woman’s shoulder, throwing the couple off balance and tumbling into the brush.

Jacob seized the man by the shoulders and sank his fingers into the thin flesh of both of the man’s arms. He yelped and tried to shake off Jacob’s hold. The woman screamed.

Jacob yanked the man to his feet and slammed a fist into his jaw. The sound of flesh grinding flesh should have alerted him. He knew better. He knew to stop. But he seemed to be fueled by the blood streaming from the man’s face and his own knuckles. Shouts from the two agents behind him startled him, but Jacob tuned them out and swung another punch into the man’s abdomen.

The agents seized Jacob’s arms and dragged him from the man’s body. Jacob struggled, curses falling from his mouth like an old man’s dribble.

“What are you thinking?” Bud said, a veteran agent who had attended the academy with Jacob. “Look at his face.”

Jacob’s gaze flew to the blood-covered man. Horror over what he’d done swept through him. In the sweltering heat, he shivered. What had happened to him? His record had once been impeccable—until two years ago.

“I’ll take him to the hospital,” Jacob managed. He watched Bud help the illegal to his feet. The woman clung to the beaten man and wept.

“Don’t think so,” Bud said. “We’re driving back to the station to report this.”

Realizing he’d beaten a defenseless man sent an acid cocktail to the pit of Jacob’s stomach. He’d violated this man’s rights as a human being. And his fit of rage may have destroyed his hope for salvaging his career. His failure to control his temper would slip right into place with his inability to lead his family.

“Nadine has run away.”

Jacob forced his attention on the distraught woman. She glared at him as though he were a rabid animal. Her dark eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. If he still had one.