Breathe (32 page)

D: Meetings are taking longer than I thought they would. Won’t be able to make it to lunch. Please give your parents a hug for me.

K: Of course. No worries. I will tell them.

D: Having fun?

K: It’s enlightening to say the least.

D: No blood bath?

K: Surprisingly no. Go back to work. Love you. xx

D: Love you too. xx

“That your man?” I turned towards my dad who was studying the names on the 9/11 memorial. I walked over and slipped my arm through his. Lily and momma were walking around to the other side to see the Freedom Tree.

“Yes I guess that’s what you’d call him.”

“He seems like a nice enough guy.”

“But?”

He turned and his blue eyes were serious. “I have never been much of a father.” He held his hand up as I tried to protest. “I haven’t. I know that. I let Crystal organize and run my life. I worked so much while you were growing up that it was easier to leave the household and you to her. I made excuses, saying she knew better how to be a mother than I did, that maybe you needed a firm hand cause lord knows you are a lot like me and I could have used one.”

“Dad, its fine.”

He shook his head, turning his head to watch the water flowing into the square hole where Tower 1 used to stand.

“No, it’s not. I have missed so much because I was content to let someone else make my decisions for me, to decide what was best for my child. I wasn’t there when Sean died, or any number of other things because of her inability to accept your mom, and you in turn because you are a piece of your mom.” I stayed silent throughout all of this, wondering what it had to do with me and Daniel. Finally he turned back to me. “I think Daniel is wonderful, and clearly calls them like he sees them. He isn’t going to stand back and let someone hurt you or the kids without going through him first and I admire him for that. You need someone who puts you first in all things and he will. Just remember that you are strong without him. That you are choosing to live with him but you have and can live without him if needed. The second you get too comfortable is when you start losing you and start just being one in a couple.”

I finally understood what he had been trying to tell me. My father was strong, but not strong enough to be himself when he was with Crystal. He allowed her to overshadow him for so long that he just got too comfortable at the expense of his own ideals. I always knew he loved me, which was something I never doubted, he just didn’t know how to live without her and the comfort she represented. He didn’t want me to lose me like he did himself. I reached up and kissed him on his bearded cheek.

“Daddy, I discovered that a long time ago. I lost myself in Sean and nearly lost him in the process. I won’t make that mistake again.” I looked over towards were Lily and my mom were chatting with a group of tourists. “Daniel, isn’t the same as Sean. He is a lot more intense but…” I searched for the words I wanted.

“He is more perceptive and accepting of all your weaknesses as well as your strengths?”

I smiled and nodded. Who says my dad didn’t know his daughter? Sure he had been a workaholic when I was growing up and never fully put Crystal in her place when it came to me but when he realized how close I was to having a nervous breakdown at seventeen, he did what he could to protect me from her, taking me to my mom and setting up a way for me to finish high school away from her. He gave me the peace, the love, and the protection he was able to. It might have not been enough but it was all he was able to give, and at the end of the day I had forgiven him a long time ago. He was my father, he loved me and I loved him. Beyond that nothing else mattered.

We walked arm in arm over to where the girls were and we all trooped out to the car to head to lunch. Before we knew it Josh was headed to the airport to drop both of my parents off. We hugged goodbye, and my momma teared up as she always did.

“We will come out soon and visit momma don’t worry.”

“I know you will. I still miss you though.” She pulled me in for another quick hug then grabbed her bag from Josh, pulling him in for a hug as well. He looked a little shocked and I cracked up laughing as she went down the line, giving all the security hugs. She lingered a little longer on Nathaniel before patting him on the head like a little puppy even though he was at least a foot taller than her and could easily bend her in half. She walked through the revolving doors leaving them all staring after her.

“She always was a hard act to follow.” My dad pulled Lily and I into tight hugs before shaking each of the security details hands. They responded a little easier to that. He then grabbed his bags and walked through the same doors my mom had minutes ago. Lily placed her arm around me and I hugged her sideways.

“I think I like grandpa a little better without Grandma Scott with him.”

I smiled but didn’t respond, changing the topic instead. “Ready to go kick some major ass in class?” She groaned but after seeing her in action last week I knew it was all an act. Lily was stronger and smarter than anyone gave her credit for. Lord help the man who chose to reign that girl in. We piled back into the SUV and Josh drove to the gym. Nathaniel and Jane checked the place before we were allowed to enter then Jane cleared the locker room so we could change before class.

“I can’t wait until they find that crazy woman so we can go back to normal lives.” I couldn’t agree more. Nothing had happened since the last envelope at the hospital and I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was making me nervous as hell but I was not about to let on to Lily.

“Dante and Josh are on it. They will find her, it’s just a big city, a lot of places to hide around here.” I yanked my hair back into a tight ponytail, grabbed my gym bag and waited for Lily by the door. I saw Jane standing right on the outside of the door and Nathaniel leaning on the wall directly opposite the door. I am sure Josh was already in the room where the classes were going to be held. I was also definitely ready for this psychotic woman to be found and put away somewhere.

Once Lily was ready all four of us walked into the class. Once it started I was able to forget about everything but what was going on right now. All the stress and tension went out with each punch and each kick, each screaming muscle.

“Nice Kathryn! Now focus and do it again!” Kyle was trying to kick my ass but the frustration, and fear that was eating at me kept me pushing harder and harder. Sweat streaming off my body as I pushed it to the max. When he called a halt an hour later my arms and legs were screaming at me. I walked in circles to cool down a bit more, accepting the bottle of water Nathaniel walked over to me.

“Good job Ms. James. You scared me a little bit and I have been doing this for years.” I smiled up at Nathaniel; I would say that was the best compliment of the day.

“Thanks.”

“What about me?” Lily walked up and leaned her sweaty body against mine.

“You Lily.” He looked over at her and there was a glimmer of something in his dark eyes before they turned hard. “Need better form.” He turned and walked away quickly. I looked down at Lily’s face and she was frowning in his direction.

“He is a certifiable jackass.” She stood up and walked to her bag, grabbing it up off the floor and stomping off to the showers. I wondered what had happened between those two but thought better of it than to ask. When I walked out of the classroom Lily was arguing with Jane about going into the showers before she had a chance to check it.

“Did you not stand right here the entire time we were in class?”

“Ye miss but…”

“Did anyone walk in that looked remotely like that psycho?”

“No one has been in there but..”

“Then. Move. Out. Of. My. Way. NOW!”

Jane moved. Even I didn’t pick fights when Lily was in that kind of mood. I glanced down the hallway and saw Nathaniel watching her from where he stood by the front doors. He had a pensive look on his face before he turned and looked out the windows. His legs shoulder length apart, his arms crossed. He definitely looked like a bodyguard, someone I wouldn’t want to mess with and I was thankful for his protection but I was starting to feel there was something else between these two, something I wasn’t sure I approved of.

Lily was 17 and had seen a lot of the world but there were still things she was naïve about. Nathaniel had seen war and the ugliness that came with that. They came from different but very similar worlds. I didn’t mind the age difference, but life difference was a very different thing. I shook my head and sighed, I would worry about that tomorrow. For now I needed a shower before we grabbed dinner and took it back for Tyler who probably hadn’t fed himself and Daniel who should be home by then. Lily stomped out of the showers just as I was about to walk in. She had taken a record-breaking shower, her face was clean of makeup as per usual but she hadn’t even taken time to put gloss on. Her hair was soaking wet and pulled up in a ponytail.

“Jane, you and I are going home. Nathaniel and Josh can stay here with momma.” Jane followed quickly behind. Lily paused by me and gave me a quick kiss before storming out the front door. Nathaniel followed and saw the two of them going at it outside. I knew I needed to get in the shower but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the whirlwind that was my daughter right now. Her temper was fierce but even I hadn’t seen her loose it so completely for a very long time. Jane waved down a cab and all three of them climbed in.

“Well I guess it’s just you and me kid.” I turned to Josh who was equally shocked as me by what just happened.

“She is a hot tempered one isn’t she? I guess she was bound to with two red headed females as her role models.”

I must have had a glint in my eye when I looked at him because he raised his hands and laughed. I grinned back and punched his shoulder. He winced and rubbed it as I walked away.

“Call a Chinese order in and we can grab it on our way home.”

“Chinese? Can’t I call burgers and fries?”

“Whatever. Get me a grilled chicken salad with fries if you do.” I walked into the shower area with my gym bag turning to see Josh pulling out his phone and walking outside to make the call. I smiled and turned back around to get out of these sweaty clothes.

The warm water felt wonderful on my sore muscles. I moaned and hung my head underneath the spray, letting it pound on my shoulders, loosening up the tightening muscles. I heard someone come in but they didn’t come near the cuticle I was in so I finished my shower, humming softly to myself. Today Reba McEntire’s
I Am A Survivor
was playing on repeat in my head. I softly sang a few of the lines as I rinsed the rest of the body wash off my body and rinsed my hair one more time for any lingering conditioner. I turned off the water and dried off quickly. I had just finished getting dressed when the lights went out in the locker room.

“Hey someone is in here! Turn the light back on please!” I fumbled with my shoes and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder in the dark. I held my hands out in front of me and made my way over to the wall. I found the light switch and flicked it on seconds before the back of my head was grabbed and thrown into the wall in front of me.

Bright lights flashed in my vision but my body was primed for a fight. I heard the rustle of jeans to my right so I kicked out in a sideways roundhouse, connecting with someone and they cried out. They stumbled back long enough for me to orient myself and turn around. I was facing a man about 5’10”, shaggy brown hair, tattoos covering his arms and neck. He was covered up but I was pretty sure the tattoos continued down his chest. He was wearing janitor’s clothes, and there was a yellow mop bucket behind him.

(Kathryn)

He snarled and lunged at me again, trying to use his obvious advantage in height and muscle to subdue me but I was not going down easily. I used his momentum and a sharp uppercut followed by a gut shot and a sweep of my legs to knock him off his feet. His head hit the mats so no damage was done…yet.

“You bitch. You dare to threaten my daughter? I will kill you and your family for that.” He did some weird ninja jump and came to his feet. I was taken slightly aback by the sudden movement allowing him to grab my throat and start squeezing. He got up in my face and started whispering the things he and Lynn were going to do to my kids, relishing every detail.

That was the wrong thing to do. Instead of making me the sniveling, frightened mess he expected me to be it pissed me off enough to focus on the few classes Krav Maga classes I had taken, the multiple self-defense classes, and the years of kickboxing. I stepped as hard as I could on his instep, loosening his hold on my throat enough for me to take a deep enough breath.

This had just changed from a get out before I get hurt too much to a stop him from being able to get to my kids. I grabbed his one of his fingers that was still around my throat and yanked it as hard as I could backwards, hearing it snap as he howled. I used that to bring my knee up, again with all the strength I had in me, between his legs. As his body folded around the area I used the momentum of his fall and the strength in my legs to knee him hard in the nose, feeling the crunch as I connected. He was a bloody sobbing mess on the floor and I thought I was done but out of the last stall that had an OUT OF ORDER sign hanging on it a blonde fireball came storming out, claws out and an unholy scream ripping out of her throat.

I stepped back, momentarily stunned at not only her appearance but the voracity with which she was coming at me. I had seconds to react and the adrenaline from the first fight was still pumping hard. I took a few running steps backwards into the more open area of the locker room, away from the wet floors of the shower area. She followed, lunging towards me, her nails catching the side of my face before I could swing to the side and allow her momentum to move her past me. She spun but I had plenty of time to finish my spin and kick her square in the stomach. She flew back into one of the benches, flipping backwards. She started screaming as she scrambled to her feet. I stayed in the center of the room, waiting for her next move.

The door to the locker room started jiggling and I heard shouts on the other side. Either Lynn or her accomplice Andrew had locked the door. She smirked over at me.

“Your body guard can’t get to you. It’s just you and me bitch. Whoever, wins this gets the prize.” It was my turn to smirk.

“Seriously? Is that was this is about? You truly think that A) you can take me and B) that Daniel will want anything to do with you after all this? You are even more delusional than any of us gave you credit for.”

She snarled and launched herself off the bench; easy enough to step away from making her loose her balance. I didn’t want to hurt her, trying to bide time until Josh got through the door. I moved with her as she lunged at me again, dodging her attempts, which were puny at best.

Suddenly I felt a hand close around my ankle and when I looked down Lynn took that opening to grab a handful of my wet hair and yank as hard as she could, causing me to fall backwards. She growled in my ear as she held me tightly by the hair. Andrew still had a hold of my ankle so I used the other foot to kick out and smiled grimly when I heard another crack and howl before he released me. I felt the cold press of steel against my throat and I refocused back on Lynn. She had a small knife to my throat; it was sharp enough that just the smallest movement of swallowing caused a trickle of blood to roll down my throat and into the collar of my shirt. Now she had my undivided attention and she knew it.

“Not so quick or arrogant now are you?”

I knew I had to switch tactics and my mind raced to try and find something, anything to get me out of this situation. The hand maneuver I used for Andrew would work but as tightly as she was pressing that knife to my throat and the fact that she had already cut me, deeply from the amount of blood streaming down my throat made me nervous to try that. She hadn’t cut the main artery but she was uncomfortable close to it. One false move and I would bleed out before anyone could get to me.

“Lynn. Do you really think Daniel will go back to you after you have terrorized my kids? Would you forgive someone who terrorized your daughter?” Clearly that was not the way to go.

“Your kids are nothing to him! He doesn’t give a flying fuck about your kids.” But suddenly she loosened the hold of my neck; relief was only momentary however because I felt the agony of it as she stabbed me in the back twice in quick succession. I bit my lip, refusing to cry out and give her any satisfaction even that much. With her hold loosened and her distracted taking her stabs I gathered the last bit of strength I had and whipped the entire force of my body back and sideways with a roundhouse that caught her in the ribs. I heard and felt the crunch of her ribs breaking and the force of the kick had her flying into the benches on the other side of the room this time hitting her head against the lockers just as two shots were fired from the outside of the door and Josh kicked it in with Kyle and two other instructors behind him.

They all surveyed the room. Andrew was again a whimpering bloody mass on the floor and Lynn lying unconscious, one of her legs still hanging off the bench, the knife laying a few feet from her hands.

“Well Kathryn, I would say you graduate from every self-defense class ever.” Kyle spoke first, grinning at the carnage that lay before him.

“Josh?” He turned towards me, his gun slowly lowering to the floor.

“Kathryn?”

“I think I am going to pass out.”

(Daniel)

I walked out of the last interview of the day, pulling my phone out of my pocket and turning it back on. It was dying and I forgot to grab my charger before I left this morning. I have ten missed calls all from Joey. He left one voice message. As I wait for Mandy on the sidewalk I listen to it.

“You bloody fucking bastard where are you? Call me immediately when you get this.” Mandy walked out with her massive bag that she always hauled around with us everywhere and never allowed me to carry for her. I was curious about what exactly she had in there but slightly terrified for the answer so I never asked. She was talking to our driver as she walked over to me.

“The driver is stuck in traffic on 86
th
and Park Avenue. He will be here in about five minutes.” I nodded absently as I pressed speed dial for Joey. Something felt off with his voice and I didn’t want to wait until I got to Kathryn’s in case it was an emergency. He answered on the first ring.

“Bloody hell!! Daniel. What the fuck?!? You need to get here now!”

“What are you bloody talking about Joey? Give my head peace and stop shoutin’. What is going on?”

“Lynn got to Kathryn, she is in surgery at Mount Sinai Lost a shit ton of blood, just get…” The phone went dead as it slipped out of my hand and shattered on the ground. I yelled at Mandy to tell me where the hospital was. She pointed down the block.

“It’s about 12 blocks that way, straight down.” I looked at the bumper-to-bumper traffic in front of me, and at the honking mass that was just inching along. Without another word to Mandy I took off running, dodging pedestrians, sliding around the cars waiting in the intersections, zipping in around the multitude of scaffolding that seemed a permanent fixture on any New York street. I died a thousand and one deaths before I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance as it pulled into the hospital another block ahead. Dante was waiting by the entrance to the hospital so he could take me to where everyone else was.

“Did you run all the way here man?” I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. He stopped at the vending machine and grabbed me a cold water. I thanked him in a whisper as he led me down the hallway to set of doors. He pushed through and Cora jumped up, running over to me. I caught her tiny frame in my arms, sloshing some of the water out of the bottle. Joey grabbed it before it all spilled and set it on the desk beside the door.

“Thank god mate.”

“Where is she?”

“Still in surgery.”

“What happened?” Josh stepped up to answer that question while Joey peeled Cora away from me. He led her to the chairs and she sank back down, covering her face with her hands. For the first time since I have known the woman she was a mess. Her hair was sticking out in several different directions and I was pretty sure she had two different pairs of shoes on but I turned to focus on Josh.

“Jane checked the locker room before the girls changed before the class. She stayed right by the door the entire time they were in class. The only person who went in was an old bent man with solid white hair, glasses and a beard. He went in and out within a few minutes pushing a mop bucket. Lily came out of the class all in a tizzy, refusing to let Jane recheck the locker room before she entered. She was only in there maybe five minutes before storming back out and demanding Jane take her home. Her and Nathaniel got into it because he was assigned to her not Jane. The compromise was I stay behind with Kathryn who was heading to the showers and the two other guards went with Lily, feeling like she was acting erratically and seemed more of a security risk.” I glanced over to Lily who was sitting stone faced next to Tyler across the room. They had isolated themselves from everyone else, sitting side-by-side hands clasped between them. She met my eyes and flinched, her lips quivering but she straightened her spine and bit her lip. So much like her mother.

“Another ten minutes went by and I heard a faint howl coming from the direction of the locker room so I moved closer. A few more seconds went by and I heard it again right before a banshee screaming. I swear to god that is what is sounded like. I tried the door but it was locked, by that time I heard what was definitely a struggle and I tried to break down the door but those damn things were solid. Silence had fallen in the locker room and I knew that didn’t bode well. Kyle, the Krav Maga instructor and two more had come up by then and were also trying to get the door open. I told them to all step back, pulled my Beretta and shot two shots through the lock then kicked the fucker open.” He turned to Joey and Cora’s kids, apologizing for the cuss words. Then came back to me to finish the retelling. The way every eye was on him, I realized he had waited for me to tell everyone the story.

“When I walked through the door Andrew Miller was a bloody mess on the floor making some ungodly whimpering noises and Lynn Collins was unconscious against the lockers one of her legs thrown over the bench. Kathryn stood in the middle of the room covered in blood but after looking at Andrew I thought it was his until she turned to me and told me she thought she was going to pass out. No sooner had she said it then she crumpled like a piece of paper. Almost like she just sat down. One of the instructors had already called the cops and ambulance while we were trying to get in the room so they were on their way. Between me and Kyle we were able to find the wounds, two stab wounds to her back right side and one deep cut to the side of her neck.”

The list of her injuries finally drove me to my knees. I grabbed the side of the desk and slid to the floor. The room spun a few times before settling back down. Surprisingly it was Tyler that came to my side. He didn’t say anything just sat next to me. Lily followed immediately behind him. The three of us huddled on the floor together, silently giving each other support. Once he had my attention again Josh continued.

“They brought her here immediately. She has lost a lot of blood and they couldn’t get it to stop so they took her straight back into surgery. On the way to the hospital I called Dante who called Joey who was at the townhouse with the kids. They brought them here immediately which was good cause the doctor asked for a family donation of blood and they were both her same blood type. “I glanced over at the kids, just now noticing the bandages on their arms. They smiled grimly without any sparkle.

“Lynn and Andrew are in police custody but here somewhere as well. Lynn has three broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, and a broken leg. Andrew won’t be breathing very well for a while. She broke his nose, wrist and ankle, and caused some severe trauma to his groin area. Now here we are.”

No more words were needed. We all sat silently, watching the minutes tick away into hours. Mandy swung by at some point and dropped a new phone off for me and she went out to get us food that no one touched, but appreciated anyway. Kathryn’s kids and I eventually made our way from the floor to three chairs against wall. I had Lily on one side and Tyler on the other. The room was full of people waiting to hear something. I looked around, marveling at how quickly these people dropped everything to be here for Kathryn and her kids, for me. All of the security detail were here as well as the three gym instructors that helped Kathryn. I vaguely acknowledged the arrival of John and Alex Hendricks, then Taylor and her family, and finally Dr. Jacobs and his wife. You could hear a pin drop even with all those people, when the sound of squeaky shoes could be heard moving closer we all tensed and looked towards the door.

A woman with black hair and bright blue eyes walked in and surveyed the room, surprised. She came forward briskly.

              “Family for Kathryn James?” Tyler and Lily stood up, pulling me with them. A lump formed in my throat at the simple gesture and I blinked a few times to rid myself of the annoying moisture gathering behind my eyes. “She is out of surgery, she pulled through okay. She lost a large amount of blood and needed two transfusions. Thankfully both her kids were perfect matches. Easier to take from family then try to use blood from the bank. One of the knife wounds was clean through, the other nicked her kidney so we had to go in and repair all the damage. The cut on her throat was deep but again didn’t cut any arteries or nerves. She as extremely lucky, each wound half an inch either way and it might have been a different story. She will be in ICU for a few days. Only two visitors at a time, only one allowed to stay overnight. I will have a nurse come get you when she is out of recovery and settled in her room.” She stood there silently in case any of us had any questions but we all stood shocked to silence so she turned and walked back out.