Part 21 (1/2)
Sitting fifteen feet in the air, Kristen calculated the best way to the ground then picked her way carefully from limb to limb. Five minutes later she was sucked close to the house, considering her next move. She could walk out the front gate, but Ryland Archard was a cop. What if he had an alarm on his iron gate? So far Brodie didn't know she was gone, and she meant to keep it that way for as long as she could.
The hole in the hedge took a long ten minutes to find, but it was a perfectfit. Looking back, Kristen could see Brodie standing in the yellow kitchen, seethat he was talking on the phone. So much for not using the phone, she thought.
His obvious lie brought a wave of fear racingthrough her. Fear that, as a mother, she had abandonedher child in a dangerous situation and now she would pay dearly for that error. The fear made her anxious, and Kristen began to run. Keeping an eye out for trouble, scanning the streets block by block for a cab, she headed into the heart of New Orleans.
Near Ca.n.a.l Street, she hailed a cab. Grateful when it pulled to the side of the street, she climbed in and shut the door.
The cab driver turned.
Kristen sucked in her breath and started at the man's s.h.i.+ny bald head. She grabbed for the door, had it openwhen the cabbie said in thick New Orleansfas.h.i.+on,”How y'all doin' this evenin', miss? Where to?”
Kristen hesitated, remembered a similar situation that had caused her to needlessly panic. She relaxed back in the seat, then reached up and fingered the blackbangs on the wig that covered her head.
”You feelin' all right, miss?”
Kristen nodded. ”Jus' fine,” she drawled. ”Take me to the women's shelter on Carmel Avenue, please.
Carmel in Algiers.”
”That's the only Carmel there is, miss. Y'all will be there in fifteen minutes.”
True to his word, fifteen minutes later, Kristen paid the cab driver with the little bit of money she'd found on Margo's dresser. As the cab droveoff,she hurriedup the stairs to the shelter. She was inside, heading for her old room when she glimpsed the back of a man just turning down the corridor ahead of her-a big man. Her heart in her throat, Kristen hurried to the end of the hall. When she got there, no one was in sight. Thinking she was again overreacting, she reached for the doork.n.o.b to her old room. She was ready to burst inside, when common sense returned. What if Amanda was sharing Sister Marian's room? What if this was now someone else's room?
Kristen took a deep breath, then rappedsharply onthe door. She heard footsteps coming toward the door and she tried to relax. The door opened, and there, toher surprise, stood Blu, wearing a scowl. A moment later he said, ”I overlooked one thing. You're a good mother. Of course you would want to check on Mandybefore she went to bed. My mistake.”
Kristen heard the words, dismissed them as she scanned the empty room. Convinced her daughter was in another room, she demanded, ”Where is she?”
His face was void of emotion. Kristen wrapped her arms around herself and took a step back. ”I said, where is-”
”Sit down, Angel.”
The way he said the words, dread and fear grabbedKristen by the throat and squeezed. She shook her head, tried to speak. She backed up, tried again to say something.
She heard Blu swear, then he was moving toward her. ”Breathe,dammit, you're going to pa.s.s out if you don't.”
He gripped her arms, shook her. Air filled Kristen'slungs as she fought to regain her freedom. He let go, then stepped away from her.
”You promised me!” Kristen couldn't hold back the tears. ”Where's my daughter? d.a.m.n you, Blu! Where's Amanda?”
This hadn't been part of his plan, and Blu hated to think of what that meant. Now he would be forced to tell her the truth. He said, ”You were suppose to stay at Margo's place. You were-”
”Where's my daughter?”
Blu braced himself for the hate that was about to fill her eyes. ”Salva has her.”
”Oh, G.o.d! Oh, G.o.d!”
As her knees buckled, Blu caught her and eased her down onto the edge of the bed. She bent over holding her stomach, and started to moan. Blu watched, helpless to do anything for her.
”I knew it. I knew no one would be able to stop him from taking us back. Oh, G.o.d. Amanda... He's got Amanda.”
Her pain was sharp, her hate as she gazed up at himwas sharper, slicinghim into pieces. ”I hate you! Hateyou!”
”You have that right.” Blu kept his voice steady. ”But you can hate me from Margo's house. Right now I've gottoget back to theDemon's Eye,” he said. ”I haven't answered Maland's demand yet, and-”
”What demand? How dare you do anything without discussing it with me? Haven't you done enough to me? To us?”
Blu stayed where he was, let her vent.
Suddenly she was on her feet. ”Amanda is my child! My life! My future! Oh, G.o.d, he has her.”
She broke down again, and Blu had all he could do to not reach out to her,tohold her. But she would push him away if he did. He knew that there would never be another chance to hold her, to kiss her, or to tell herthat he loved her. He'd always wantedto tell her that.
”I want to see the demand.” She stuck out her hand, her pretty brown eyes clouded with tears.
Blu pulled the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded it, read it with shaky hands. He waited, wasn't surprised when the frown came. She looked up, still scowling. ”He wants to trade Amanda for me? I don't understand. It must be some kind of a trick.”
Blu shook his head. ”It's no trick. He doesn't want Mandy. Why would he want someone else's child?”
”What?”
Blu hadn't planned to tell her anything until she was free of Maland. Now he knew he had no choice. ”Your name is Kristie Aldwin. You're nineteen. You'll be twenty next month. July ninth. You grew up on your grandfather's fis.h.i.+ng boat near Crawford's Corner. When you were sixteen you were seeing a guy named Benjamin Frank. I believe he's Mandy's father. You were kidnapped off his boat in the middle of a storm. Ben Frank drowned. They found his body. They never found yours.”
He decided to forget about Curt and the role he'd played in Angel's kidnapping for the time being. She was already looking at him as though he'd lost his mind.
”Salvador Maland is an international slave trader, among other things. But he didn't kidnap you to sell you like the others. With you...” Blu shrugged. ”He liked what he saw and decided to make you his. Ironically, he's Taber Denoux's brother-the man I helped put away last year. That's why he had my picture.”
”And Amanda is Ben's baby? You're sure?”
”I don't have solid proof. But yes, I believe that's true.” Blu hesitated, then came clean. ”My old boss, Patch, has a lot of contacts in low places. He was able to get the information for me.”
”And he just gave it to you because you asked?”
Blu didn't answer.
”Of course not. I'm being naive again, aren't I? You no doubt went out and pounded some poor man's face...” She sucked in her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. ”Oh, G.o.d, you did, didn't you? It was the night you came back to theNightwing bleeding and in a sour mood.”
Blu didn't deny it, there was no reason.
”Why didn't you tell me this sooner?”
”I planned to give you the files when the time was right.”
”And when was that going to be?” She held up her hand. ”Never mind. I've heard enough. I want you out of here. Go!”
Blu didn't move.
”I said, go!”