Not in the Cards Read online

  “Put those flames out!” Someone called from what seemed to Delta to be another planet.

  Suddenly, someone was beating her and trying to roll her over. The flames, must have followed her, and like leeches, stubbornly clung to her jacket and jeans.

  “Her legs are on fire! Get those flames out!”

  Someone kept trying to move her, but Delta reached a burnt hand out and managed to knock them away. Whether she was fighting the fire or the hands that grabbed at her, she did not know. Nothing was clear to her now, except the burning of her clothes and her lungs.

  One arm held the bundle under her jacket, while the other flapped around, hitting, pushing, slapping anything and anybody who came near. To Delta’s buzzing ears, and aching body, the fire, now personified, was eating away at her.

  “Hey, what’s she got in that jacket?” Someone else asked. The words were slow and laborious, and very distorted. She knew she wasn’t far from visiting the Land of the Unconscious, and struggled to keep some sense of her immediate surroundings.

  “Shit, Con. I think it’s a kid!”

  “A what?”

  Through clenched and watery eyes, Delta saw the black edges of unconsciousness silently overtake her.

  “A kid. She’s holding a kid.”

  “Well, get it away from her! Hey! Move that hose to the other side!”

  With grays turning to black, Delta knew if only she could pry her swollen eyes open and see what was happening... But the smoke, the heat, the intense pain made everything an incredible blur. Suddenly, her body no longer felt tangible to her. She floated, the noises about her melded together and almost sounded like soft melodies. She had even relinquished whatever it was she had been holding onto. Funny...she couldn’t remember….

  “...on his way.”

  “...Get that stretcher over here, now! I swear to God, you people are moving in slow motion tonight!”

  “...gasoline, sir...”

  “...explosives...”

  “...and she’s alive as well...”

  As the last vestiges of her consciousness faded away, it was no surprise to hear a familiar voice ring through the cacophony of blurred sounds tripping violently through her head.

  “Storm, it’s me. You hold on, you hear me? You just hold the fuck on.”

  “Con?” Delta choked out, before immediately giving in to a coughing spasm. Her chest felt as if a thick, steel band surrounded it, and squeezed every time she tried to draw breath.

  “Shh, Storm, don’t talk. The paramedics need to check you out. You’ve got to stop fighting them, okay?”

  If Delta answered, she wasn’t aware of it. All she could feel was her body being lifted and something wet flowing over her face. And as the paramedics worked over her, Delta wondered how much longer it would be before she stopped fighting and just let herself fade to black so she could rest. It reminded her of not wanting to throw up—fighting to keep the vomit from coming up.

  Maybe it was no coincidence that the only image in her mind’s eye was that of a golden key sitting at the bottom of an ocean.

  And just as she was losing the battle to stay awake, Delta heard one more voice close to her ear, but not the one she had expected.

  “Delta? It’s me, Carducci. Oh, man, say something.”

  Swallowing against the desert her throat had become, Delta searched for the words she wanted to say to him before just letting the black unconsciousness sweep her away.

  Delta thought her eyes had been glued shut. Every muscle in her body ached and her face felt puffy and swollen. As her memory cleared she remembered fighting her way through the inferno with a little girl in tow. A little girl?

  Opening one eye, she realized she was in a hospital.

  It began to trickle back to her: the porno ring, Dice’s maniacal grin, the kidnappings, the red Camaro, the burning house that threatened her life even more than Zuckerman had.

  “She’s waking up,” came Connie’s soft voice. Hadn’t Connie been there when Delta catapulted through the window? Didn’t somebody push or pull her through the fire? The events were a jumbled blur through her throbbing head, and she knew it was useless to try to put them together just now.

  Now. What time was now? How long had she been in that hospital room sleeping under painkillers and watchful nurses? Time, space, sequence, were all out of whack for her. The only comfort was that Connie was near. Near enough, in fact, to be holding Delta’s hand.

  “Del, sweetheart, it’s Megan. Can you hear me?”

  The words sounded like they were being spoken through a cardboard tube. Swallowing the tiny drop of saliva she could muster, Delta opted for nodding until she could find her voice. Breathing slowly, she felt the pain in her chest from inhaling hot air and poisonous smoke.

  “You’re in the hospital and you’re going to be okay. Do you understand?”

  Why was Megan talking to her like she was an idiot? Her eyes were closed and her body ached, but she wasn’t a moron. Nodding, Delta worked on lubricating her parched throat.

  “Are you in any pain, honey? Can I get you anything?”

  It was so good to hear Megan’s voice, worried and scared as it was. She wondered how long Megan had been with her; how long had she sat there waiting for Delta to come to?

  “Water?” Delta forced out. She heard liquid being poured into a plastic cup, before someone guided it into Delta’s hand.

  After carefully leaning forward to take a sip of the cool, comforting water, Delta rested her head back on her pillow and sighed. The water calmed the aching, scratching sensation she’d felt since waking up.

  “Anything else?”

  Delta nodded. “The little...kids,” she rasped, her throat feeling like someone had rammed a flaming sword down it.

  “They’re fine, sweetheart. You saved their lives.”

  “All?”

  “Yes, my love, all.”

  Delta raised her head and tried again to pry her eyes open. At first, everything blurred, and the glare of the fluorescent lights reflecting from the harsh hospital walls hurt her already painful eyes. Somehow, the pain faded when she looked at the faces of the two most important women in her world sitting on opposite sides of her bed, both looking like they hadn’t slept in weeks—neither, she knew, would have been willing to leave her bedside.

  As Delta focused on Megan’s tender eyes, she closed her own and sighed. “I lied,” Delta said. The voice was not her own. It was harsh and husky, like that of someone who had been smoking for fifty years. Even those two simple words burned. “I said I’d be right back. I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, Delta.” Megan started to reach for her, then stopped. Instead, she laid a hand over Delta’s chest and whispered, “You have nothing to be sorry for, my love.”

  Stroking Megan’s hair with one bandaged hand, Delta glanced over at Connie, who forced a grin. Connie looked more scared than Delta had ever seen her.

  “I...” reaching for the cup of water, and smiling at Connie who brought it closer for her, Delta sipped it before continuing. “I scared you and left you at Harry’s. I’m sorry.”

  Raising her head so she was nose-to-nose with Delta, Megan sniffed back her tears. Two years of love and laughter flowed between them like the fluid flowing through the IV into Delta’s arm.

  “You always scare me, silly. If you apologized every time you did it, that’s all you’d ever have time to say.”

  Delta grinned. It made her head pound more. “Yeah, but this time I cut it a little too close.”

  Megan nodded. “Yes, you did.”

  Reaching her free hand over to Connie, Delta gazed for a long time into the quiet brown eyes staring down at her. She had scared Connie, too.

  “I’m okay,” Delta said, gently squeezing with her gauzed hand.

  “Yeah? Well, a few hours ago, you came too close to looking like a crispy critter.”

  Delta nodded. “I don’t think I ever want to be that hot again.”

  “I’ll second that.”


  “I’m okay, Con.”

  “Well, Storm, okay seems to be your trademark these days.” Taking Delta’s wrapped hand between both of hers, Connie held it like one would a baby bird. “If you were bucking for hero status, you’re there.”

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind.”

  Connie grinned. “I know. How are you really feeling?”

  Throat and eyes burning, muscles aching, head throbbing, and hands scorched, Delta had never felt worse. She was certain she had burns in other places, but was still too doped up to actually feel it.“Like a half-cooked shish kebob.” Lightly touching the back of Megan’s hand, Delta suddenly noticed the bandage covering her right hand and immediately felt her face and head and found more gauze. “The real question is, how am I really?”

  Megan touched Delta’s face and smiled warmly. “You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met, that’s how you are.”

  Delta shot a look over to Connie, who nodded.

  “Physically, you’re fine. Other than a few strands of singed hair, and some second degree burns on your legs and arms, cuts and lacerations on your face and bruises here and there, you can consider yourself one lucky woman.”

  Delta inspected her body. “That’s it? It feels like I spent the night inside a microwave.”

  Connie nodded. “I’ll bet. Your jacket kept you from being fried alive.”

  “Then why am I hooked up to the bottles?”

  “Dehydration. The heat from the fire dried you like a fossil. It was a lot hotter in there than you think.”

  Delta sighed. “I don’t want to know how hot it was. Believe me, it was hot enough.”

  Megan brought Delta’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “But you made it out okay and that’s the important thing. You saved lives, my love. Precious little lives.”

  “Then, you’re not angry?”

  “Angry?” Megan scowled. “About what?”

  “About dinner. I really bailed on you when it—”

  Megan placed her fingers over Delta’s mouth. “As always, Delta Stevens, you were as unpredictable as the shifting wind. And, as usual, you did what you thought was best under the circumstances. And, as usual, it paid off. How could I be angry with someone who risked her life to save children she didn’t even know?”

  “But we had so much to talk about.”

  “Yes, and we’ll still have that talk. But for now, I just want you to rest and relax and know that I’m right here.” Megan tapped Delta’s chest with a manicured finger.

  Like some kind of shaman medicine, Megan’s words touched her spirit and radiated through her body, easing the aches and pains from her ordeal. If her heart was okay, her body would follow.

  “I...needed to hear that.”

  Megan grinned gently and set Delta’s hand down. “I know. But right now, we need to focus on getting you out of here.”

  Nodding, Delta looked down at the IV in her arm and consider just for a split second, removing it herself - then realized that regardless of the movies, it would be a dumb and so, so, so painful thing to do. “Right. Tell me about the kids.”

  “The children are a little shaky from the combination of drugs and smoke inhalation, but otherwise, they’re fine. I would imagine you’ll become quite a folk hero on the reservation.”

  Delta tried to smile, but her face didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Suddenly, she remembered the Camaro. “Sal...”

  “Don’t worry about Sal. Josh said it was insured and he was more than happy to help.”

  “But we didn’t catch anybody, did we?”

  Connie shook her head. “No, we didn’t, but you saved lives, Delta. That’s all that matters, and it’s something Sal and her buddies understand all too well.”

  Delta looked thoughtfully at her hands. “I’ve seen them in action, Con. You have remarkable taste in friends.”

  Connie brought one of Delta’s hands to her lips and gently kissed it. “Yes, I do. So don’t sweat it. You were great.”

  Looking up from her burnt hands, Delta’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe. Does the captain think so, or did I nail down the lid to my own coffin?”

  Connie shrugged. “Beats me. I’ve been too worried about you to care less what the almighty captain thinks. But don’t you worry.”

  “Besides,” Megan added, “you’re a headlines grabber, my love. Look.” Holding the Los Angeles Times up for Delta to see, Megan beamed proudly.

  Off Duty Cop Saves Kidnapped Children from Fiery Death. The subtitle to the headline read, Officer Delta Stevens of River Valley P.D. Saves the Day. “The River Valley Reader ran the story on the front page.”

  Delta bowed her head. Even that little action hurt. She knew there were others at work this very minute trying to keep her butt out of the sling for this one. Looking up at Connie, Delta’s left eyebrow rose in question. “Did Alex get that headline run?”

  Connie nodded. “I think so. She called and told me she would do whatever she could to keep you out of trouble on this. You know she’d never let you go down without a fight.”

  Delta smiled. This time, her face worked. “No, she wouldn’t.”

  Clearing her throat, Connie bent over, kissed Delta’s forehead, and started for the door. “I’ll give you two some time alone and see just how long we can keep the wolves at bay.” Opening the door, Connie hesitated a moment. “Storm?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Cheer up. You’re never going to have to find out.” Watching Connie disappear out the door, Delta told Megan, “She’s my best friend.”

  “Yes, she is. And she just about drove herself mad with worry.”

  Delta reached for Megan’s hand. “I’m glad you were here with her.”

  “Well, someone had to be strong, and it didn’t look like it was going to be her. Actually,” Megan lightly touched Delta’s gauzed hand, “taking care of Connie forced me to be braver than I would have been.”

  “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be so worried.”

  “Honey, I worry all the time, you know that.”

  “Yeah. I guess I do some pretty crazy things.”

  “Yes, you do. And I love you anyway.”

  “Enough to understand why I left you at Harry’s?”

  “Yes.”

  “Enough to believe me when I say that I support your decision to go on the internship?”

  Megan leaned back. “Don’t be ridiculous. How can you even think of letting me go at a time like this? You really are crazy. Maybe that bump on your head scrambled your brains.”

  “Meg—”

  “No.” Abruptly standing, Megan stepped away from the bed. “I won’t hear any more. I’m not going and that’s final.”

  “Meg, look. I’m a little charred around the edges, but I’ll be back to work before the weekend. I’m fine. Really I am.”

  “Delta Stevens, you can be so pigheaded.”

  “Pigheaded? I thought I was being supportive and understanding.”

  Standing with her hands on her hips, Megan shook her head in exasperation. “If you weren’t sitting there like a piece of overcooked meat, I’d put another knot on your forehead. God, even in a hospital, you can be such as ass.”

  Delta smiled. “Then that must mean I’m okay.”

  “The hell you are. You’re just a bigger pain in the butt, that’s all.”

  “Maybe, but I’m your pain in the butt.”

  That did it. Fighting a battle she knew she couldn’t win, Megan smiled. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I want you to get some rest.” After tenderly kissing Delta’s lips, Megan paused over the large bandage on Delta’s eyebrow before gently laying her lips on the gauze.

  Hugging Megan gingerly, Delta realized she was exhausted and light-headed. “If the captain’s out there, you better send him in. I’m getting a little tired.”

  “You sure you want to see him now?”

  Delta nodded and lean
ed back against her pillows. “Better now than later. I just want to get it over with.”

  “Do you think Alexandria was able to help?”

  Grinning and feeling the last of the painkiller wearing off, Delta nodded. “You can bet she’s the one responsible for the front page story.”

  “Well, she owed it to you, didn’t she?” Turning around, Megan blew Delta a kiss. “You’ve got five minutes with your precious captain, and that’s it. If he doesn’t say what he needs to say in that time, tough shit. If you won’t take care of yourself, then I’m going to. You got that?”

  Delta smiled as she saluted. Her head throbbed and her eyes were beginning to hurt again. “Five minutes. After that, I promise to rest.”

  “Good.” Walking back and kissing Delta on the lips, Megan held her breath. “I do love you.”

  “I know. Me too.” Watching Megan stride out the door, Delta thought how good it was to be alive, no matter how shitty she felt. And boy, did she feel shitty.

  “Was Lady Luck with me or what?” Lifting the covers Delta surveyed her bandaged legs. Her shins were wrapped in the same kind of white gauzy material as her hands, but other than that, she could detect no major injuries. Reaching her hand up to her head, she carefully worked her fingers under the bandage and felt the egg-shaped bump protruding from her the side if her forehead… another injury inflicted by that nasty plate glass window. In the middle of the bump sat a huge gash about three inches long stitched together.

  “Great. Now I have just the perfect accessory to wear with the scar on my thigh.” Running her fingers down her thigh to the place where Elson Zuckerman had imbedded a Chinese throwing star, Delta involuntarily winced. At thirty years old, her body resembled Joe Namath’s knees.

  As Delta finished her checklist of injuries, there was a light knock on the door, followed by the head of Captain Henry.