There was a long pause. So long that for a second Jonah thought he’d lost the call, but then to his ever-growing gratitude to god, Cami spoke again. This time her voice sounded choked, as if she were holding back tears. It was a feeling he could more than relate to. “Honest?”
“Honest.” He closed his eyes for a brief second and wished the truth of his words would lend her comfort wherever she was. “I love you. We’re a team, remember? Us…”
“I didn’t want to believe…but I wasn’t sure, and Cousin ReShaunda sai—”
“It doesn’t matter what she told you. It was all lies. I would never ever give you up or ever stop looking for you.” Speaking of which, Jonah needed information and fast. They could work on their communication later, when Cami was home and safe, where she belonged. “Now tell me where you are?”
“I don’t know. Some hotel. I’m not sure where.”
Jonah covered the mouthpiece of the cell and whispered to Tisha, “Call Sergeant Busch and let him know I have Cami on the phone.”
“Okay.” Tisha grabbed her phone and began to dial.
Satisfied help would be on the way soon, he took his hand off the cell and turned his attention back to Cami. “Is ReShaunda there?”
“Yes, she’s in the other room. I waited until she went to sleep and took her new cell out of her purse. She broke my phone. She said it was an accident but I don’t believe her.”
Neither did he. “Where are you now?”
“In the bathroom. I didn’t want her to wake up and catch me.”
That explained the muted tone. “Smart thinking. Are the girls okay?” After all, it wasn’t just his child missing. Eddy had been beside himself, sick with worry over what his wife had done and concerned about the safety of his daughters.
“Yes. They’re asleep too. Cousin ReShaunda keeps making us take medicine at night. I keep telling her I don’t feel sick, but she says we have to because of the pig flu.” Jonah’s blood ran cold at the thought of ReShaunda drugging the girls. Was there nothing she wouldn’t do? “Tonight I just pretended though. I waited until she wasn’t looking and spat it in my soda can.”
“Good girl.” He couldn’t even imagine the courage it took for her to do what she’d done. He knew if she was going to get out of there safely, she was going to have to go even further. “Cami, I’m going to ask you to do something, but you’re going to have to be very brave and very quiet. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She answered without hesitation.
“I want you to try to sneak out of the room and make your way to the office or front desk, whichever the hotel has. Can you do that?”
“I…I think so.”
“Good.”
Tisha leaned toward him and softly spoke. “I have Sergeant Busch on the line. He’s sending a squad over now, but he’ll stay at the station to be liaison between us and the police in whatever city she’s in.”
“Great.” Jonah took a deep breath and offered up a quick prayer before continuing with Cami. “Now listen to me carefully. On the count of three, I want you to quietly open the bathroom door and make your way out of the room. No matter what, don’t hang up. When you get to the front desk, you tell them your name. Tell them you’ve been kidnapped, and then hand them the phone. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Kidnapped?”
The concept didn’t appear to have registered with her and he worried it might be too much for her to handle. “Yes, but it’s going to be okay.”
“But…but what if she wakes up?” Fear clouded her voice now.
“If she wakes up before you make it out of there, I want you to scream at the top of your lungs and don’t stop until someone comes to hear what it’s about.” He hoped wherever they were staying the walls would be thin enough for her to be heard and someone would care enough to check.
“I’m scared.” Cami’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“I know, baby, I know. But I also know you’re a brave girl and you can do this.” He filled his voice with as much confidence as he could muster. All the same fears she had he had as well. Because he knew if ReShaunda woke up and stopped her, Cami might not have another chance to contact him.
“I love you, Uncle J.”
“I love you too, baby. Now go on, do what I told you. One. Two. Three.”
He closed his eyes and took Tisha’s hand in his, holding tightly to her as their daughter made her way to freedom. Together they listened as the door to the bathroom creaked open. As she made her way over to the front entrance, he mouthed “Pleasepleaseplease” over and over in a silent plea for divine grace. His stomach soured as he envisioned Cami creeping across the room to flee for safety. It was the longest few seconds of his life, and just when he felt as if he would vomit from the stress of it all, he heard the sounds of a heavier door opening and then the pounding of Cami’s feet as she started to run.
“Go, baby. Run,” he encouraged, not sure if she could hear him but needing to say it nevertheless. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but he felt as if a huge weight were lifted off his shoulders.
He heard Tisha say, “She’s out,” presumably to the sergeant, but Jonah kept his attention focused on Cami. Nothing would be right again until she was safe back with him.
“I need help.” Cami’s voice was frantic. “My name is Cami Mitts and I’ve been kidnapped. You need to call 9-1-1 right now.”
“What?” A slightly confused and sleepy voice asked, “Is this a joke?”
“No, here, talk to my Uncle J.”
The line was empty for a second then filled by a harassed-sounding man. “Hello. Hello. This is Pauly Wonter at the Motel Six in San Ysidro. Tell me what’s going on here?”
“First let me tell you this is no joke,” Jonah said in a firm, no-nonsense tone. “My daughter was taken three days ago. Her kidnapper is still in your hotel.”
The clerk’s earlier attempt at professionalism quickly disintegrated and gave away to pure shock. “Oh shit.”
Jonah couldn’t have agreed more. “Exactly. I need you to call the police and let them know to contact Sergeant Busch of the LAPD. He has all the information they’ll need.”
“LAPD! Christ on a cross. Is this real? Like really real?”
“Yes,” Jonah reiterated firmly. “Very. We’re talking life or death here. Time is of the essence, Mr. Wonter. You need to make that call.”
“Of course. Of course, I’m dialing now.”
That was wonderful, but there was still one more important thing that needed to be done. “And, Mr. Wonter.”
“Yes.”
Jonah’s tone brooked no arguments. “Hide my daughter.”
Chapter Fifteen
It was past three in the morning before Jonah and Tisha walked through the door to their home again. Thanks to Cami’s bravery and the benevolence of Mr. Wonter, ReShaunda had been taken into custody, hazy but unharmed.
The police told them ReShaunda had been too out of it to really comprehend what was going on. From the contents of her purse, Ritalin wasn’t the only drug she’d been popping as if it were candy. Apparently there was something really wrong with her. Everyone on scene agreed, which resulted in ReShaunda being taken to the hospital under police guard instead of directly to jail.
Tisha had a feeling ReShaunda would be spending a lot of time in hospitals for many years to come. Although it would have been her personal preference for ReShaunda to be behind bars, Tisha was satisfied with the other woman being locked in a padded room.
The only thing that could have possibly pleased her more though, would have been if Tisha had been given the opportunity to have five minutes alone with ReShaunda. Just five minutes would have made Tisha a very happy woman. But since no one in their right mind was going to allow that, Tisha had to bide her time because one day, maybe many, many years from now, ReShaunda would be released, and when that happened, Tisha would be there to welcome her home.
Until that day came, Tisha was going to live in the now and be thankful every day for the gift of a second chance they’d been given with Cami.
Despite their late arrival home, the house was packed with friends and family. Cami, who was normally so outgoing and vivacious, was a little overwhelmed by all the attention and spent most of the night smiling into Jonah’s side. And seeing how Jonah seemed hell-bent on keeping Cami within spitting distance of him, it worked just fine. Cami had been back only a few short hours, but Jonah had yet to let her out of his sight. Tisha was willing to bet he wouldn’t be doing it for a long time to come either.
After agreeing to give an interview the following day with the news crews, who hours earlier seemed not that interested in their story, Jonah quietly excused himself and Cami from the room, leaving Tisha to thank everyone and kick them all out. Not that she minded though. She knew Jonah and Cami needed some time together and she didn’t begrudge them a second of it.
With Nance’s help, she straightened up and packed the already-stuffed refrigerator with the mounds of food people had brought over. Tisha would never understand what brought out the chef in everyone during a crisis, but she was grateful they wouldn’t have to worry about making lunch or dinner for the next few days.
Once everything was put away, Nance left. After locking up, Tisha made her way upstairs and followed the sound of muted voices to Cami’s bedroom. From the sweet scent of vanilla permeating in the air and the way Cami was snuggled in her bed, eyes at half-mast, Tisha could tell the little girl was bathed and ready to go to sleep. But as she suspected, Jonah seemed far from ready to let her go.
Quietly, she walked across the room and rested her hand on his shoulder. Without taking his gaze off Cami, Jonah placed his hand over Tisha’s. They remained that way, silent and vigilant until Cami’s eyes finally drifted closed and her breathing evened out into a calm, hypnotic rhythm.
“We’re very lucky, you know.” Tisha was a glass half full kind of girl.
“I know, but I still can’t help—” Jonah abruptly stopped.
Tisha knew exactly what he was thinking. The “what ifs” still plagued her too. Moving in front of him, she knelt and reached up to stroke his face. “It was awful, I know it was. But she’s back with us now. So many parents aren’t as lucky as we are.” Too many.
“You’re right. I know it. ” He lifted his head and reached out to draw her close. Leaning down he brushed his lips over hers. “What would I do without you?”
“That’s going to be one of the questions of the ages because I’m never going to give you a chance to find out.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Tisha rose back to her feet. “Now come on, let’s go to bed. We’re both tired and we should get some sleep.”
“I am tired, but…” Jonah stole another glance at Cami, who was sleeping soundly, unaware of the worries watching over her. “I don’t think I can leave her yet. Eventually, but for now…”
As much as she wanted to protest, Tisha knew she’d be talking just to hear herself speak. Besides, it wasn’t as if she could blame him. “I understand. I’ll be right back.” Tisha slipped out and headed toward Jonah’s bedroom. Once there, she made short work of stripping the quilt off the bed and grabbing two pillows. When she was done, she returned to Cami’s room. “If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad…”
“I’m not that stubborn.”
“Right,” she said as she sat on the floor next to his feet. Tisha propped a pillow behind her then covered her legs with the quilt. “You’re not stubborn at all.”
Laughing softly, Jonah brushed the back of his hand against the side of her cheek. “You know you don’t have to stay in here too.”
“You should know by now I never do anything I don’t want to do.”
“True.” A quick smile flickered across his lips. “The floor isn’t exactly comfortable and the bed…”
“Jonah.” Tisha reached up and pressed her finger across his lips. “Shut up. You’re going to wake our daughter.”
As predicted, it was an uncomfortable evening. She tossed and turned most of the night, trying her best to get comfortable on the hard, wooden floor. Even though her body demanded the padding of a bed, Tisha stayed in the room with Jonah and Cami, refusing to leave her family’s side in their hour of need. Tisha wasn’t the only one who slept fitful. Cami’s night was also far from restful. At one point during the early morning, Tisha woke to hear Cami whimpering. Before she could rise, however, Jonah was already up and over to the side of the bed. She heard him murmuring softly, calming the agitated girl within a few moments. When he finally returned to the floor, Tisha wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his back. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Just a bad dream. I expect they’re the first of many to come. As are the all-nighters.”
Even though his voice was tired and wary, Tisha knew without a doubt that no matter how little rest he got, Jonah would camp out beside Cami’s bed without uttering a word of complaint. “You are such a good dad,” she whispered so as not to disturb the sleeping child.
“Some days I wonder.” He groaned as he turned in her arms to face her.
“I don’t.” There were a lot of things in life Tisha questioned, but that wasn’t one of them. In fact, the dedication he’d shown to Cami only made Tisha want to see more of that side of him. “I can’t wait until we have more.”
“More?” His voice spiked as if the very idea was scary. Tisha didn’t blame him, but at the same time she refused to let ReShaunda be more than a footnote in the book of their life. “I don’t know if my heart can handle it.”
“Of course it can.”
“Oh…well, maybe. The fact you’re an only child is in your favor.” Jonah raised himself onto his elbow and peered down at her wearily. “You don’t have any weird cousins I should know about, do you?”
Tisha had to think about that for second. “Weird, yes, drug-addicted baby snatchers, no. But they don’t live in California anyway, and besides, we’re not close.”
“How about we keep it that way?” Jonah settled back down beside her. “I think one whacked family member is enough per family.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Hell, we don’t even have to invite them to the wedding.”
Jonah stifled a yawn before replying. “Promise?”
“Do I get my babies this way?” she teased.
“Yes.” His quick answer had her smiling.
“Then I promise.”
“Okay then, but before we think about expanding our brood,” Jonah grimaced as he shifted again, “let’s think about installing carpet.”
“With lots of padding.”
“Oh yeah.”
* * * * *
The sound of Cami’s laughter wafting into the kitchen from the living room brought a smile to Jonah’s face. His girl was home. Happy and content as if the last few days had never happened. After a very rough night, where she’d tossed and turned, she bounded out of bed bright and early this morning, in what seemed like seconds after he’d finally gotten back to sleep and asked if she could invite a couple of friends over.
Her resilience astonished him. If he’d gone through the drama she had, he’d still be in a corner somewhere, nursing a beer. But not his daughter. Cami was as happy as a lark. She’d been beaming since the moment she woke up, talking a mile a minute, as if words were going to go out of style. Despite that though, he still had every intention of making an appointment for her with a therapist. Whether she knew it or not, she needed someone to talk to and he was going to do everything in his power to make his family whole again.
Speaking of family, there was still one very important part of his family who’d yet to make it downstairs this morning. From the contented sigh Tisha had murmured happily as he eased her into their bed before coming downstairs, he was willing to bet she wasn’t going to be budging anytime soon. It had been a brutal couple of days, and if anyone was entitled to a little sleep, it was Tisha.
They way she’d been by his side through the whole horrible ordeal made him love her even more. And if he hadn’t already proposed, he’d have dropped to one knee when she’d brought the pillows into Cami’s room last night and done just that. She was a keeper, plain and simple, and he’d be a fool to ever give her up.
“Jonah, breakfast is ready. Would you like me to make you a plate to take to Tisha?”
Jonah glanced over at Margie Valencia, the mother of one of Cami’s playmates, and smiled. “Yes please.” He looked at the mini buffet on his counter, rubbed his grumbling stomach and moaned. “Make it a big one, and I’ll share it with her.”
“Will do.” Margie smiled and grabbed a plate from another parent whose daughter was in the other room with Cami. When the women had come over with the kids this morning, they’d taken one horrified look at Jonah’s rumpled clothes and overly stubbled jaw and ordered him back upstairs to shower.
It was an offer too good to resist. His daughter was home and safe, the least he could do to thank everyone around him was shower. In all honesty, he couldn’t remember the last time he had, an admittance that shamed and embarrassed him equally.
When he came back downstairs, feeling refreshed and less gross, they’d already been in the process of making breakfast. For a man like Jonah, who wasn’t much of a cook, it was a welcome relief. He could have warmed up something in the refrigerator, god knew, there was enough in there to choose from, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially one bearing hash browns.
After super-sizing the portions on his plate, Margie handed it to him, along with a steaming cup of coffee. “I made it with two sugars and no cream, just the way you like it.”
Jonah frowned. “The way I…”
Margie blushed and looked away. “I remember from…”
“Oh,” Jonah wished he could recall her being over, but truth be told, the time without Cami was a blur. Her comment though, reminded him there were a slew of people, friends, neighbors and strangers he owed thanks. Somehow, thanks didn’t seem as if it were enough though. But it was a start. Putting as much warmth and gratitude in his smile as he could muster, he raised his cup to her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Margie cleared her throat and smiled shyly at him. “Can you call the girls in here to eat?”
“Of course.”
With a parting smile, he headed into the living room where he found the three girls huddled together around the coffee table. The sight before him gave him even more hope that things were going to be just fine. The girls were laughing and joking, playing cards, some simple game they’d played time and time again in this very room, in this very spot.
“Ha, ha, I won,” one of the girls proclaimed, and the other two groaned with good nature.
“Time for breakfast, girls.”
Cami eyed him warily. “Did you make it?”
“No.” He winked. “I didn’t want to traumatize you more.”
“Good.” She looked around at her friends then back at him. “It could have been embarrassing.”
Jonah chuckled. Yes. Everything was going to be fine. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now go eat before it gets cold.”
Laughing, the girls rose to their feet and headed into the kitchen. Instead of following behind her friends automatically, Cami stopped in front of him and peered up at him with her head tilted to the side. “Breakfast that doesn’t come in a paper bag, friends before noon. I don’t suppose I can expect this sort of treatment every day, huh?”
He pretended to give it some thought. “I’m going to say no, but I’m willing to bet you can milk it for a while.”
“Cool.” Cami took off after the others but stopped halfway and came back to Jonah’s side and wrapped her thin arms around his waist.
The out-of-the-blue action caught him off guard. He did his best to return the embrace while still holding on to the plate and coffee cup. “Not that I’m complaining, but what’s this for?”
“Just because,” she said, pulling back and looking up at him. “I love you…Dad.”