As I sat there listening to what seemed to be escalating into an argument, I tried to focus on it, but the pain in my head caused my concentration to abandon me, leaving my mind to wander off wherever it so desired. My recent thought of wanting aspirin seemed to be its favored destination, and it made a beeline to it. Self-preservation was trumping everything else.
As I dwelled on the desire to be pain free, I vaguely remembered Ben mentioning earlier that he had a bottle of the over-the-counter painkiller on hand if I needed it. Soon I found myself wondering if it was possibly stashed somewhere in the van. Logically, I knew it was one of the last things I should be putting into my body at the moment, but the growing migraine had pushed me to the point of no longer caring about doctor’s instructions. I needed something to at least dull the ache because it was now well past the point of being ignored.
I remained motionless for a moment, now ruminating over whether or not the mere act of moving would only serve to make the pain worse. If it did and I managed to find the aspirin, no big deal, but if I couldn’t locate the meds, then I was going to be royally screwed. I weighed the two options as carefully as my throbbing brain would let me then decided to take the chance. Unfortunately, my decision to do something other than just sit here and suffer came too late to do any good. The second I opened my eyes and started leaning forward to begin my quest turned out to be the exact same second the side door of the van flew open with an unceremonious grind and thump.
Angry words instantly blasted through the interior, centered directly on me. “What in the name of God do you think you’re doing, Gant?”
I looked over to see Captain Barbara Albright glaring at me, her gaze a mixture of anger and insistence. The identity behind the mystery voice now became painfully apparent.
“I told you to back off!” Felicity shouted from behind her. “Leave him alone!”
Peering past the angry cop who was now blocking the opening, I saw Ben latch onto my wife just as she started forward. Then he pulled her back before she could literally assault the woman.
“Storm,” Albright spat the words without tearing her eyes away from me. “Cuff that bitch and get her out of the way right now.”
If I hadn’t been hurting so much I think I would have been surprised by her blatant use of profanity, mild as it was. It was definitely out of character for the holier-than-thou Albright. Of course, what I heard next was no shock at all considering that it came spewing from the livid redhead behind her.
“ Fekking saigh! ” Felicity growled. “ Pog mo thoin! Damnu, Ben, let go of me!”
“Look, Captain, I’m not gonna cuff ‘er…” Ben insisted. “There’s no reason for it.” Then he quipped, “I’ll try ta’ keep ‘er from kickin’ your ass, but I’m not makin’ any guarantees.”
“I gave you an order,” she told him.
“Yeah, but I’m not takin’ it.”
“Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Albright wheeled around and reached beneath her coat.
My friend snorted and twisted so that he was between Felicity and her. “Not happenin’… There’s no reason for this ta’ get ridiculous. Listen, you need ta’ just calm down and give the man some room like she said.”
Of course, with all of this commotion confined to a small space that just happened to be more or less surrounded by cops, the altercation had attracted more than a little attention. Without even trying I counted three state troopers and two sheriff’s deputies descending on us already and wouldn’t be surprised if more showed up at any minute.
“What’s the problem here,” one of the uniformed officers asked.
Albright waved her badge in the air and announced, “I’m Captain Albright… I have it under control. I’m just asking Mister Gant a few questions.”
“You know you aren’t even s’posed ta’ be here, Captain,” Ben said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re on administrative leave.”
She disregarded his comment and ignored the growing turmoil. Instead, she wheeled back around to face me and demanded, “Answer me, Gant.”
Felicity suddenly let out a banshee screech, there was a heavy thump, Ben yelped, then I heard him snarl, “Goddammit, Felicity, don’t fuckin’ kick me again! And stop squirmin’ or I will cuff ya’!”
One of the deputies leapt forward and grabbed my wife by the arm and wrenched it back then immediately began slipping his own handcuffs from his belt. My wife let out a pained scream as he continued twisting her arm in an attempt to subdue her. I could also see that one of the troopers had unholstered his taser and was holding it at the ready.
“Goddammit! Just back off for a minute!” my friend barked as he muscled the deputy away while keeping an arm hooked around Felicity. “And, you, put that damn thing away! There’s no reason for this to get stupid.”
The whole situation was heading south in a hurry, and none of it was helping my head in the least. My already foul mood was souring even further, and it definitely wasn’t going to be a good mixer for the volatility forming right before my eyes. Unfortunately, my head was hurting too badly to allow me to give Albright anything other than an honest, gut response. I simply stared at her and said, “I was looking for some aspirin. Got any?”
“Get out here!” she demanded, motioning for me to exit the van.
“Captain, I’m tellin’ ya’,” Ben insisted. “Ya’ need ta’ just back off. You don’t understand what’s goin’ on here.”
“I can still have you suspended, Storm,” she shot back.
“That’s a two-way street,” he countered. “You know you aren’t supposed ta’ be here. All it’d take would be a phone call, and you’d be in more hot water than you could stand. You know I’m right.”
She didn’t reply but turned to look at him. I could only imagine the glare he was receiving.
He held fast and said, “Whaddaya say we just call a truce before this gets any uglier.”
The standoff had multiplied by several more uniformed officers, and I knew my friend wasn’t going to back down. Something told me Albright wasn’t going to budge either.
“Let me handle this,” I called out to the serious detriment of my headache. Slowly, I twisted in the seat, so I could face Albright. She turned back to face me, wearing a look of disdain. I carefully leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and held my head between my hands as I muttered, “What is it you want from me, Barbara?”
I knew from past experience that she hated it when I called her by her first name, but I wasn’t in the mood for honorifics at the moment. Especially those I felt were undeserved. If she wanted a one-on-one with me, then that was what she was going to get-raw, unabashed, and as close to being on my terms as I could get.
“I want to know what you’re doing just sitting there?” she snapped. “You’re supposed to be helping find my niece.”
“What makes you think I’m not?” I asked, my voice a pain-wracked mumble.
“You’re just sitting there,” she insisted. “And you sound like you’re intoxicated.”
“I wish I was, but I’m not. I’m just in a lot of pain.”
“Well don’t expect me to feel sorry for you.”
I snorted then said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I can’t believe you’re just sitting there,” she repeated.
“And exactly what is it you do when you pray?” I asked.
“Don’t you dare compare my religion to your Godless heathenry.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “You know, I’m not even going to waste my breath explaining to you everything that’s wrong with that statement. However, I am going to say this: We both know you hate me, but we also both know that you’re the one who insisted on my being here. My guess is that your love for your niece outweighs your contempt for me. In any case, here I am. Now do Judith a favor, back off like my wife asked and just let me do what I do.”