February 2021 #3
“Maybe tell him next time you see him.”
Second grunt. “So.” Sam clipped the word. “What’s going on now?”
“I am across the stupid—yes!” she announced happily. “I am now across from the office, on a landing, and there’s an open door about four flights down.”
“Four flights!” Sam yelled. “That is a long way to fall!”
“Yes, but my balance is pretty good when I’m not being yelled at,” she patronized him. “Now all I have to do is get my ASP Baton out of my boot and—okay, here we go.”
We heard what had to be metal stairs under her feet.
“You have an ASP Baton?” I asked her.
“Yeah. George got me a Talon Infinity 50cm after he trained me.”
I glanced over at Sam.
“They certainly have done a good job watching out for her and arming her,” Sam told me, and I saw his scowl, but there was hurt there as well.
“Uncle Aaron and George do a great job,” she agreed with her father. “But you’re the one who started me on this road, Dad, and if I wasn’t talking to you right now, I’d be freaking out.”
Oh, she knew her father well, the words he needed, the love. I’d have to squeeze her when she got home.
“I’m not doing anything,” he mumbled, sounding a bit morose.
“You always keep me from losing it. If I can hear your voice, I know everything will be fine. I just need to be calm.”
“That’s right,” he agreed, all puffed up, his daughter restoring him with her simple words. He was her father; no one could ever take his place. “Now what’s happening?”
“I’m almost—oh! Could you guys call the police so I don’t have to hang up on you?”
“I took care of that already,” Sam told her. “I texted the office, and they should be there.”
“I don’t see any—Ian!” she squealed. “Daddy, I see Ian!”
Sam collapsed onto his recliner then, head back, eyes closed, and I saw the shaking. He’d been holding it together for his kid, but now that she was safe, he could show how scared he was.
“Hey, guys, Ian wants to talk to you, so I’m to let you go,” she informed us before she hung up.
Moments later, Sam leaned forward and answered his phone, putting it on speaker. “Doyle?”
“Boss,” Ian Doyle addressed Sam. “I have three guys in custody, and I have your minivan parked at the other end of the lot here. What do you want done?”
“I don’t want those guys knowing who Hannah is, for starters.”
“Of course.”
“Have the cops take them to the police station. You take Hannah there yourself and stay with her until I get there.”
“Will do. I’ll let you talk to your daughter. Hold on one sec, she’s showing a couple of the guys her baton and—crap.”
“Crap?” Sam asked him.
“It’s fine, it’s—Pazzi, you piece of—why would you try and take the baton?” Ian yelled.
There was a scream in the background right before––
“Hi,” Hannah greeted us cheerfully, “I’m fine. I’m going to the police station with Ian.”
“What’d you do to Pazzi?” Sam asked her, and I saw his very evil grin.
“I think he thought I was—I have no idea who he thought I was, but he tried to disarm me using one of the techniques you taught me, Dad, but that’s not right. He can’t just take something that isn’t his without at least questioning me first.”
Sam snorted. “Is he all right?”
“I think so, but he hasn’t gotten up yet.”
“Have Ian call me.”
“No. Here, he can use my—oh don’t be a baby,” she rushed out.
There was a bit of muffled noise and then, “Boss?”
“Is Pazzi hurt?”
“You should ask if I’m hurting, having this ridiculous flower in my ear.”
Sam chuckled. “Seriously, is he all right?”
“I’m gonna say yes, although at the moment he’s sort of…I dunno…writhing.” I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh. Ian Doyle was a bit deadpan in his delivery. “She got him in the gut, the small of the back, and the back of the knee.”
“She’s fast.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I’ll see you in a bit.” Sam hung up, then stood and walked to the base of the stairs before turning and looking back at me. “I’m gonna call the boys and have them pick up the van and drive it home.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I hope they got something good at GameStop to cheer Jake up.”
“Me too.”
Sam came down a few minutes later in a collared shirt under a thin cashmere sweater, both tucked into chinos, and heavy hiking boots. He got his peacoat out of the hall closet and headed back to give me a kiss.
“Did you freak the boys out about Hannah?”
“Yeah,” he answered matter-of-factly, bending to kiss me. “But then I made it all better. They’ll be home shortly with the van. I told Jake to park on the street until I get home. My car goes in the garage, not his.”
“Yessir,” I said, putting my hand on his cheek as his lips met mine.
When he broke the kiss, he smiled at me. “I’ll make breakfast tomorrow for Valentine’s Day, you make dinner, and the kids can do lunch, all right? That’s a kick-ass Valentine’s Day right there.”
I made a face.
“It is. I get everybody here with me, I get you beside me on the couch, and we can watch that Mr. Darcy movie Hannah likes so much.”
I snorted, and he kissed my forehead.
“And besides, I get Valentine’s Day sex, so bonus for me.”
“You realize it’s only sex, right?”
“It’s never only sex,” he scolded me. “God. Try and be a little more romantic, willya?”
I gasped. “You did not just say that to me!”
He was laughing as he walked out the door.
That’s it. I hope you all had a wonderful, safe Valentine’s Day. I’ll see you in March. Everyone stay healthy.