Bad Moon Rising

In seconds they started the engine and drove from the house. Amber lay on her side so the blood drained out of her mouth and not down her throat. Floating in and out of consciousness made the trip seem short. They ushered everyone into the old house by the huge boulders, and Amber stayed with the other women in one cluttered room obviously used for storage.

Finding a spot on the floor at one corner, She sat with her back against the wall and knees high so she could rest her arms and head on them.

When the room and house filled with smoke, she crawled into the small closet and pulled a dozen old shoeboxes to the front, then she curled on her side behind them. A small space among the boxes allowed her to see into the room, and as the smoke deepened and the other women cried out in panic, Amber remained silent and watchful.

The largest black man opened the door and yelled, “Get outside!” He yelled again in Spanish, “Afuera!”

The women hurried out of the room, and the black man took one more look around before following the women. She’d escaped their clutches, at least temporarily.

She heard sounds of fighting outside. The smoke burned her eyes and breathing it made her head spin, but to leave was to be captured again, so she stayed hidden.

A few minutes later, she heard someone coming into the house. Praying it wasn’t the Kiowa or one of his men, Amber peered through the small crack and at the same time heard what sounded like a familiar voice outside. Her heart beat faster. Ronny’s here, she thought, and she knew it would be all right.

~*~

“Then Hondo found me, and I followed him outside and hugged your neck.” Amber said.

Hondo said, “Do you have any idea what happened to Troy or Bodhi?

“Troy?” Amber shook her head, “I didn’t know Troy was anywhere around. He’s here?”

“He and TJ teamed up to hunt for you and Bodhi, along with us.”

“Who’s TJ?”

“The tall black one with silver hair.”

“The one they shot.”

“Yes.”

As we waited for the authorities and Derek Pozza, my phone rang. It was Derek. I said, “Hey.”

Derek said, “You ready for this? Troy called Sylvia and said he’s rescued Bodhi. He’s driving to L.A. right now, taking her straight to Sylvia at the mansion.”

My mouth hung open. I closed it and told Amber and Hondo. Hondo shook his head, “The guy’s Jason friggin’ Bourne.”

When Derek arrived, we had the chance to brief the authorities, with Amber telling her story. Afterward, we followed them to the station and signed our statements. We also had one of their paramedic-trained officers treat Amber and do an excellent tape job on my ankle. All of it took almost three hours. Afterward, we followed Derek to the car rental where he dropped his rental off and climbed into the driver’s seat of the Navigator. “Everybody ready?” he said. We all nodded, and Derek drove us to Los Angeles.

We arrived at Sylvia’s mansion as five or six vehicles exited through the open gate. Another two-dozen or so cars remained in the parking area. I said, “What’s with all the visitors?”

Derek said, “I imagine they came to see Bodhi.”

That made sense, but it still felt odd to me. I’d have thought Sylvia would want a good deal of solo time with her daughter after the ordeal.

When we entered the mansion, another dozen people mingled there, all sipping champagne and dressed in suits and evening gowns. Amber whispered to me, “What’s going on?

“I don’t know.”

We found out soon enough as they descended the grand staircase together. A tuxedo-wearing Troy smiled as if he’d won an Oscar.

Bodhi and Sylvia flanked him, and Troy had an arm locked with each of the women. Sylvia and Bodhi wore elegant dresses. Bodhi’s eyes had that deer-in-the-headlights look to go with a fixed smile. Troy beamed between them. Sylvia spotted us, and then blinked back tears as she looked at Derek.

We met them at the bottom of the stairs, and Troy said, “I would like you to meet my wife and stepdaughter.”

Derek looked like someone punched him in the stomach. He turned to Sylvia, “You’re married?”

Troy said, “The joy of me rescuing Bodhi and bringing her home to Sylvia; it let us know how much we loved each other and how much we wanted to be a family. Sylvia and I decided not to put it off a second longer.” He pulled the two women closer as he said it.