BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (126 page)

"Get her down here, or - I'll go get her!" he threatened.

"Listen to me Shawn! I'm not denying you anything concerning her! But her safety has to come first! Before all else, she has to be safe! You - cannot - keep her safe, Shawn!"

Reaching the end of his patience, he rushed towards the door, Charlie moved before him blocking it. "Can you slow up, and hear her out - think about all of this before you act?"

Shawn showed his teeth as if smiling, but Charlie was not fooled, "Get the fuck - out of my way!"

"Or else - what?" She challenged him, willing to do whatever it took.

"SHAWN!" Deidre yelled, "You're letting your emotions rule you, we're not doing this to go against you Shawn. No matter how badly you'll want to protect her, you won't be able to! You can't!"

He turned from Charlie, red in the face. He'd never struck a woman the way he knew he would have to, to handle her, it went against everything in him, if she were a man, she would be out cold by now. "Is somebody gonna have to get hurt before I get my daughter down here?"

"Shawn, to the people that would hurt you, her, it's all about the money. Billions Shawn, they see the possibility of billions, you can't stop that kind of greed - they will do anything, to get her from you! Anything!"

Shawn stared at her with harsh, fiery eyes, fighting and biting his tongue from saying more to hurt her feelings, yet the force within forced it out of him anyway, "God! I should have avoided you like the plague!"

"Well you didn't - had you done so - there would be no Angela." She pushed back.

With his teeth bared, he bit out, "I've been taking care of her since the day she was born! I'm her father and no one cares more about my daughter, than me!"

"Bullshit Shawn, don't give me that! You don't love her more than I do and I'm not going to stand here and let you say that you do! I'm still her mother! I gave birth to her, I wasn't the best of mothers, but I don't love her any less! If I let you take her away from here, out of this house, out of my protection, she's another one I could lose, I can't let that happen."

"You can't possibly believe that I would leave here without her! I can't-..."

"Man are you even trying to hear what we're saying here?"

"YOU - shet the fuck up! This is my goddamn daughter we're talking about! Who the fuck are you to-..."

"Man you obviously don't give a damn about her welfare because you're not even trying to understand-..."

"You know what, I'm hesitating to knock the fuck out of this chick behind me, but with you - I could give a shit!"

Jeremiah stepped forward, "You can come give it a try, big man."

Shawn went for him, Deidre jumped between them with Charlie doing the same, she faced Jeremiah, Deidre faced Shawn, "Stop - stop - stop! I mean it! Have you gone crazy!? This is not going to help! I need everyone to just calm - down. Please!"

Both men were breathing hard, glaring past the women at each other. Deidre hated what she had to do, but she could see now, that Shawn would not listen otherwise. He was red, angry, on the verge of losing all patience and control, before he went too far to hear her, she had to bring it all home, or else, they would get nowhere with him. She'd laid awake the preceding night thinking over and over again, what would it take to bring him around, and it finally came to her.

"Look at me Shawn, look at me, not him." She asked softly. He did, on the verge of rebuking them once more, she stopped him with her words. "Shawn, you want her so bad, that you're willing to risk the life of your wife, and unborn son to have her? Hm? Does it not matter to you, that by taking her back with you, you could very well be signing Sylvia's death certificate? Think about that will you, because obviously - you haven't. If you can live, with the possibility of Sylvia dying, of your unborn son, dying - maybe Shawn, even her own son and daughter, dying - just so you can hold onto Angela - while I'm right here - where you can come anytime to see her - can you, live with that? If that doesn't matter, if they - don't matter - but just you winning against me, if that's all that matters - I don't know what else to say to you. Know this, those people, whom ever they are, that want Angela - will not fight fair, they will play dirty and do whatever it takes to get her from you. What if she's with Sylvia when they go for her? Is Sylvia going to give her up without a fight? I've gotten to know her a little bit, something tells me, no - she won't. You didn't see me Shawn, how they left me - but I'll tell you, only replace me with Sylvia - pregnant and peppered with more gun shots than they'll be-..."

"SHUT UP! Don't say that!"

"I have to say it Shawn! Because that's what we're talking about! You act like you don't get it! You cannot keep Angela safe - and Sylvia safe - that baby safe - her son safe - her daughter safe - all - at the same time! You are only one man Shawn, and you're not Superman, you're not. Only God knows, how many there will be if they should go for Angela. We're not talking about local punks and jerks, some isolated ding-a-ling that you can just knock out! You take her from here, you risk the lives of your other family! Is that fair to them? Huh Shawn? Is it fair to even consider risking their lives because of - my money - the Wherringtons? Leave her here Shawn, it will be just like it was before, but better. I'm no longer under their roof! I know where I went wrong, I'll do whatever I can to make things right for her here. Hell, I'll even bring her to you - you won't have to come to her. Anytime she wants to see you, you want to see her, but you have to see-..."

"Shut up! Just - please! God! Oh God! She's my daughter!" Shawn felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach from a blow he'd not seen coming. "Do you know what you're asking me to do?!"

"Yes, I do. Her - or them Shawn. What's it going to be? Because if it makes no difference to you, if they live or die - then, you take her Shawn, take her! And if we're right - you will have no one to blame - but yourself! I hope to God, should it happen, that you can live with yourself. Open the door for him Charlie - the rest is up to him."

Charlie did as she was told, backing away.

The rage and agony that tore through him threatened to send him to his knees. Tears rushed to his eyes spilling over, he doubled over, bracing himself on his knees before them, "She's my daughter - how - oh God... oh God please." His stomach hurt. He sniffed and stood up glaring through his tears at Deidre. Now that the seeds of possibilities were planted, it grew with maddening speed within his imagination. Sylvia dead. Shot - killed - gone. Mundo and Crystal, possibly the same because he made them come home. He knew them, they both had the kind of fight and integrity that no matter what, they would do all to protect her. Finally, there was Darren and Isaac. The horror of what could happen to them, was the undoing of his fight, he couldn't do it, he couldn't risk them, no matter how badly he wanted his daughter back.

Finally, he spoke, his voice tortured, "Do you know - what - you've done to me? How can I-..." He swallowed back the lump in his throat, "... where's my daughter?" He squeezed out instead, he didn't know what else to say.

"She's upstairs, in her room." Deidre softly replied, wiping at her own tears, she loved him, to see him in pain, hurt her as well - it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Does she know?" He asked in the door.

"Yes."

He turned and walked away from the library down the hall to the stairs, stopping, he wiped his hand over his face, clearing his throat, taking a few deep breaths. Sniffing, he made his way up the stairs as if an old man, struggling with every step he took. At the top of them, he looked down the hall and saw which room was hers, before it, a young guy, in a chair, playing with a PSP. He cleared his throat to get his attention as he approached.

"Are you supposed to be guarding my daughter?"

"Yes sir." Ivory answered without looking up, playing the game.

"Don't you think that will distract you from doing so?"

Ivory sat the game down and stood, he smiled, his hand out, "Hi, I'm Ivory Saitama - your daughter's bodyguard."

Shawn reluctantly reached out and shook his hand, "You know who I am?"

"Of course, besides hearing you downstairs, I know all the people that have access to her. You, more so than anyone sir." Earlier, when they had been arguing, part way through, the door had opened for him to look down and see his daughter peaking out at him, a young and beautiful, hazel eyed angel, pretty as he'd ever seen. "Your dad?" He'd asked her. She had nodded yes, her eyes swimming with tears.

"What other people?" Shawn asked, bringing his attention back to him.

"The family sir. McPhersons - yourself, your wife, daughter and son. I've been briefed. Your daughter is safe, she's under my protection."

"How old are you?" Shawn asked.

"I'm twenty-six. Young enough to take on whatever comes her way."

Shawn stood staring at the young man before him. He figured him to be 5'10 maybe over by a bit. He was very fit and toned, not overly large, but limber looking, as a gymnast would be. Broad across the shoulders, whip cord strong body, he was part Asian, Shawn could tell by his eyes and hair, and part black by a few of his other features. He reminded him of Mundo's friend, Japa-black, or, Tatsuya Jun who had gotten into a fight with Jake. Only, this guy was the better looking of the two.

"I'm gonna go in and see my daughter now."

"By all means sir, go right ahead, I'm not here to block you."

"Thanks." Shawn opened the door and walking into the room, noticed the lights were off with only the sun coming into the room from the windows. He looked around the room for her, to find her sitting in one of them on the window seat. The way she used to be when he would come to get her when it was his turn. He felt weak and hot all over from the thought of having to return to that arrangement once more. He stood across the large room, decorated with all the very best for her. As he stood, she slowly turned from the window, finally able to make eye contact with him. Neither said a word, and for the moment, stayed as they were. Unable to keep away, Shawn made his way across the room to the window seat, sitting next to her. His heart hammered away at him like crazy having to face the fact, that he had no choice but to leave her. He must have sat for 3 long minutes that felt like an hour before he turned his head to look down at her.

"You - know what's happening?"

"Yeah." She answered softly.

Again he stopped. Trying not to cry in front of his daughter, even so - she could see his struggle, his face was ravaged by his torment. He looked so tortured she knew what she had to do. She had cried herself dry earlier that day, had lain in bed, plotting once more her escape, anything rather than being forced to stay there. Twice she'd been tempted to call Sylvia, she had promised that she would always be able to stay with her. In the end, she hadn't called, because if people would hurt her father, they might hurt Sylvia too. Now, looking at her father, she couldn't cause him more stress, how could she put him through what she had before, running away? There was no hope, she had to accept that this was her life. She stood from the seat, put her arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap, holding him as if he needed the comfort the most. That made it worse, he gripped hold of her tightly, rocking, trying with all his might to speak and tell her how sorry he was, but the words would not move pass the boulder size lump in his throat. Every time he went to open his mouth to say something - tears fell from his eyes, choking him. He finally gave up trying to speak and just held her, rocking. He couldn't think, not one thing came to mind to get them out of this.

He stayed with her in the room for hours, stressed by the fact that when he left, it would mean leaving her behind. He ended up laying with her in her bed, thinking, stroking her hair until she dropped off to sleep there. When he knew that she slept, he eased himself away from her and off the bed, leaving the room. Coming down the stairs, he couldn't look at anyone, didn't say a word, because he still couldn't speak.

"Shawn..." Deidre called to him. He ignored her, left her home, left his daughter.

*

Chicago...

At the scrap yard, while Lucas went out to do tow jobs and bring in a totaled vehicle - Lydia spent time on the phone making inquiries with the police as to what they needed to do about reporting someone they felt was missing. After she was passed around from one department to another and put on hold three times, she finally reached the person who had the correct information. She made out the list - hoping and praying they were overreacting, but something in her gut deep and disturbing told her they weren't. It had been well over two years ago they'd heard from him, close to around the time Armundo had his car accident. She shook her head, upset by the prospect of having to go down to the police station to make out a missing persons report, but - before they did that, she was instructed they must do something else first.

They had to look over the books of photos sent to them by the city morgues. There were hundreds of dead John Does, too many of them black, that had not been identified or claimed by family. Lydia felt sick at the thought of having to do that, but it had to be done first before a file of missing persons could be opened. When Lucas returned, she would have to tell him what they would have to do before any paper work was done. It just so happened to be an opening for them if they wanted to go to the police station late that afternoon - wanting to get it over with, Lydia booked it. It was close to 2pm by the time Lucas returned to hear from her what was explained by the officer she spoke with.

He'd stood in the doorway looking at her and trying to resolve himself to it within his mind.

"What - what time we gots to be there?"

"By 4, first we need to go by the house, so I can pick up the most recent photo of him, bring it with us, in case we don't find him in the books."

Pausing a moment more, Lucas nodded, "We bes' get to goin' then." he turned from her yelling out into the yard for his helper, Roy Lee. He came right away, "Yeah Mr. Martin?"