Cast the Cards

Savannah opened her eyes expecting pain, but instead experienced a peace unlike any she’d ever known. A soft white light surrounded her body. Glancing down, she saw her arm was healed and her clothes weren’t stained with filth and blood. The area surrounding her was lush and green. She peered around what appeared to be a park. Tree branches swayed in the wind, yielding groups of pink cherry blossom petals that fluttered down onto the grass.

“Hello?” Moving in a circle, she peered into the distance but saw nothing but land. She began to walk, cresting a hill, the field of soft-yellow daffodil, blue bonnets, heather, and red and yellow Indian paintbrushes took her breath away.

“Where is this place?” she whispered to thin air.

“The in-between.”

She spun around to see Clark. “Am I dead?”

“No, but you are gravely injured. Whether you go back is up to you.”

The words rocked her. “How bad off am I?”

His face twisted into a mask of despair split seconds before it smoothed over. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“If I stay do I get to remain here with you?”

“This is just a stepping stone. Heaven is so much better.” He grinned. The combination of joyful and wicked made her purr.

“Do I have to decide now?”

“Yes, honey. Your body is ready to give. Flight or fight?” Leaning forward, he ran his fingers through her hair. “No matter what you choose I’m always here to support you.”

The words made her choice easy.

Chapter Thirteen

An unknown number appeared on the screen of his cell phone. A million different ideas ran through his mind. Answering, he lifted his trembling hand up to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Carey, you need to get here ASAP. Vannah is fading fast. Those bastards took her down with a shotgun blast to the back and a rifle butt to the head.”

“Where are you?”

“An old abandoned warehouse. The killers are dead. Right now I’m the only thing keeping her grounded, but I can’t hold her to the in-between indefinitely.”

“I hear you, keep talking.” He jogged back inside the room.

“I need a trace on this number! Agent West managed to subdue the kidnappers, and she’s hurt badly. Hang in there, West.” He feigned acknowledgment as the people in the room burst into activity seemingly at once. “Just rest, conserve your energy, and stay on the line.” His voice cracked. What are we going to find when we get there? He questioned his decision to leave once more. When he’d emerged from the woods by himself he’d contacted the station and waded back in, ignoring their request that he wait for back-up. On the scene within minutes they’d discovered a trail of blood and disturbed debris that told them she’d been taken. Immediately he’d known her best chance of survival was locating her, so he’d come back to the station to work with the techs and try to contact Clark.

“We got it!”

The rattle of information registered but his head dreamed up images of Vannah lying in a pool of her own blood. A streak of red running from the corner of her mouth. Her brown eyes, glazed and unseeing in death.

“Sergeant!”

“Yeah?” Snapped back into the present, he turned to face Officer Rodriguez.

“You here with us?”

He met her gaze and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get out of here.” Turning from the computer, he jogged for his squad car.

The twenty-minute drive was done in ten with the wail of sirens and the flash of blue and red clearing their path. When they pulled up into the empty lot the only vehicle was a white van with dark-tinted windows.

How many others have they taken in this thing who never saw the light of day again? Slamming the car into park, he stepped out.

He fell back, allowing Rodriguez to point as they approached the building. His emotions were running high, and he refused to compromise his people. Guns drawn, they entered the dilapidated stone building. Gutted on the inside, planks boarded the window, blocking the light, but large spotlights were set up to illuminate. As they traveled farther inside he spotted a hospital gurney. A silver tray lined with what appeared to be surgery grade equipment rested on a blue towel.