Callan
W hen the hospital called to tell Cash and him what happened to Mercy, just about lost it. They had only been home for a few hours and he knew that leaving Mercy and Katie was a big mistake. He was tired and the sound of getting some rest sounded like heaven. He and Cash never imagined that Mercy’s crazy, former boss would try to kill her and take Katie. They were both dressed and in Cash’s pickup, heading to the hospital just a few minutes after receiving the call. The thought of someone else having their daughter made him sick.
Jackson was on his way into the hospital and Emily was with him, ready to demand that she see Mercy. He knew that their girl was in good hands and from what the doctor told them; she was lucky that the bullet had just grazed her thigh. If Lisa was a better shot they would be facing the unthinkable.
“Can we go any faster?” he barked at Cash.
“I’m already going ninety in a fucking forty, Cal. I’m just as nervous as you are but we have to try to keep our heads on straight. Mercy is probably going to be beside herself with worry. Our top priority needs to be finding that lunatic that took our daughter and getting Katie back.” growled in frustration. He knew that Cash was right but the last thing he wanted was to remain calm. He wanted to tear someone apart, but he also knew that wouldn’t help get their daughter back.
He sighed, “I know man. I’m just pissed that we left her in the first place. My gut was screaming at me that one of us should have stayed with them, but I let my exhaustion talk me into going home. I’m madder at myself than anything else.” looked out the window, the thought of their baby being out in the world without them made him feel half crazy. They had to find the lunatic that took her, there was no other option.
When they got up to Mercy’s room, the local police detective tried to keep them from going in and Cash nearly lost his shit. Jackson ducked his head out and waved them through. Cash and he immediately went to find Mercy, who was crying in her bed. They had her leg wrapped in a bandage and propped on a few pillows. “Baby,” crooned, pulling her gently into his arms. It felt so fucking good to hold her and know that she was safe. Her sob nearly gutted him. The only reason he released her was so Cash could pull her into his body. She willingly took the comfort that the two of them tried to give her.
“Little one,” Cash whispered into her ear. “We’ll find her.” Mercy nodded and lay back in her bed wiping the tears from her face.
“She took her. Lisa took my baby.” Jackson cleared his throat drawing their attention.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened, Mercy? I know this is hard to re-live, but time is of the essence. The more details you can give me the better chance we will have of finding Katie.”
Mercy nodded and took a few deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. never realized just how strong his girl was before, but these last few weeks showed him what a fighter Mercy is. “I woke up to Lisa standing in the doorway holding Katie.” Mercy’s voice caught when she said their daughter’s name. “Lisa was talking in circles about how I didn’t deserve to have a baby and that our relationship was disgusting.” She looked from Jackson back over to where Cash and stood beside her bed.
“How could she say that? She doesn’t even know us, little one.” Cash tried to soothe her, but Mercy wasn’t having it.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Cash. She does know you.” Mercy looked back over to Jackson as if it was easier to talk directly to him instead of Cash. “She is Jasmine’s younger sister,” she whispered.
“Fuck,” Cash cursed, running his hands through his long hair. could see Mercy’s despair at having to tell Cash Lisa’s identity.
sat next to Mercy pulling her into his lap. She buried her face in his shirt and cried.
“Who the hell is Jasmine?” Jackson barked.
“It’s a long story but a few years back I was involved in a poly relationship, and it ended badly. Jasmine didn’t take the news that I wasn’t in love with her well and she overdosed at my apartment. I found her dead in my bed.” Cash paced the floor taking up most of the room with his big body.
“Lisa said that you killed her sister and that she wouldn’t let our baby grow up with a monster for a father.” Mercy hid her face in ’s chest, and he didn’t miss the hurt on Cash’s face.
“She is right,” Cash whispered. “I killed Jasmine. I should have seen the signs, but I was too busy to notice that she was hurting. If I had just paid attention to her pleas for help she’d be alive today.” Mercy pulled free from ’s arms and tried to stand from her hospital bed. Once she put weight on her injured leg, it buckled. Cash caught her in his arms lifting her against his body.
“You need to stay in bed, little one.” Mercy wrapped her arms around his neck refusing to let him lay her back down.
“No Cash, I won’t let you blame yourself for Jasmine’s death, it wasn’t your fault. She made that decision, not you. You followed your heart and I’m so glad that you did otherwise, we wouldn’t have you.” Mercy reached over to , and he took her hand.
“We need to know if you have any idea where Lisa might have gone with Katie. Did she tell you anything that might give us a lead, Mercy?” Jackson asked. listened as Mercy went over her encounter again with Jack and another officer. They were going to call into the FBI since the case involved child abduction and the thought of having extra hands helping to find his daughter brought him some relief.
Mercy finished retelling her account of the morning and leaned her head against his chest. He knew that every second that ticked by their daughter was getting further away from them. just wanted the whole nightmare to be over.
“How about you, Cash? Can you give us any insight as to where Lisa might have gone? You knew her family, I assume?” Jackson waited Cash out for an answer and could tell that Cash felt bad for this whole messy ordeal.
“I didn’t know Jasmine even had a sister, Jack.” Cash ran his fingers through his unruly hair. “Jasmine told me that she was all alone out here. Her mother died when she was just a kid, and she didn’t know her father.” Cash’s voice cracked on his last thought and knew that he was thinking of their daughter growing up without a father. had the same tormented thoughts. Their daughter needed them, and he was itching to get out there and look for her. They lived in a small town, someone had to know where Lisa took Katie.
“Lisa said that Jasmine was all she had left,” Mercy almost whispered.
“I have officers questioning the rest of the staff to see if anyone knows where she lived or if Lisa has any friends or family in the area,” Jackson said on his way out of the room.
“Wait, what the fuck are we supposed to do?” called after him.
“You are supposed to stay put and make sure that Mercy is taken care of,” Jack barked. didn’t like the idea of sitting around to wait for something to happen. Katie was his daughter and that gave him every right to be out looking for her.
Cash stood and crossed to the door to face Jackson, “I think I have an idea where we should look.” Jackson seemed to be all ears at Cash’s new information. “Lisa said that Jasmine was all she had left, well maybe she went to visit her sister.”
was lost, “I thought you said that Jasmine is dead.”
Cash nodded, “Yeah, but if Lisa is planning on leaving town with Katie, wouldn’t she visit Jasmine’s grave on her way out? If she is doing this all for her sister, doesn’t it stand to reason that she’d want to pay her respects before she heads off-grid?” Jackson nodded and pulled out his radio. He fed the information to every cop and detective on duty, conveying the directions that Cash gave him to the graveyard where Jasmine lay at rest.
“You’re with me Cash,” Jackson barked. Cash looked back to where Mercy sat on her hospital bed, worry etched in her beautiful face and knew his friend was torn about leaving her.
“I’ve got our girl, Cash. You go and bring Katie back to us.” nodded towards the door and Cash smiled back at him.
“Will do,” he promised and followed Jackson out the door. just hoped like hell Cash was right because if Lisa was able to get out of town, they might never see their daughter again.