Delta Stevens 1: Taken by Storm (15 page)

“Police! Don’t move! Get your hands where I can see them!” Delta demanded as the group of three women and one male turned to her. Delta quickly took an inventory of the layout of the hotel. There was one hallway, a door for the stairs, and an elevator. From where she stood, she could cut someone down coming through the hallway without taking any heat herself. For the time being, crouched in front of the door, Delta was safe.

“What’s going down?” She asked, eyeballing the tiny huddle.

The four people exchanged glances. Delta understood that the code of the streets took precedent over her demands, so she lowered her weapon slightly.

“A friend of mine works here. I came to help.”

Before anyone could reply, a woman burst out of a room and ran down the hall. “Where is that fucking ambulance?” she cried.

Suddenly, the hackles on Delta’s neck stood up. “Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?”

The woman who came running into the room pointed down the hall. “Some bastard just beat up one of the girls. She’s hurt real bad.”

“Are there any more men in here?”

The group shook their collective heads. “They all took outta here as soon as they heard the screams.”

Still gripping her weapon, Delta turned to the reception desk. “Call the cops. Tell them that there is an off-duty officer on the scene already.” As Delta lowered the gun, she motioned with her head for the woman to take her to the room.

“She’s usually more careful than that,” the woman explained.

“Who?” Delta felt the cold tingles run up and down her arms.

“Her name’s Megan.”

Suddenly, Delta wheeled around, slipped her gun in the front of her pants, and ran for the reception desk. Without asking any questions, she dove over the counter and slammed her hand down on the phone. “Don’t call the cops. Just get an ambulance here, fast. Whatever you do, do not contact the police.”

The man at the desk grinned. “I never had any intention of it.”

“Good.” Whirling around, Delta started down the hall.

“She’s in room 102,” the woman said, pointing down the darkened hallway.

“Is there anyone in there with her?”

The woman nodded. “Hey man, we know how to take care of each other.”

Delta’s eyes narrowed. “I can see that.”

Pulling her automatic from her waist band, Delta slowly turned the knob to the room.

“Hey, you don’t need that thing,” the woman whispered, nodding her head to the gun. Delta ignored her and quickly pushed the door open.

“I’m a cop,” Delta said not harshly, pointing the gun into the room. A young black woman of about eighteen stood over the crumpled heap on the bed, holding a compress to the battered face.

For a moment, no one moved. The two women in the room standing next to the bed turned to face Delta, but the third one, who was holding the towel, continued wiping the face with a blood-splattered towel.

“We ain’t done nothin’ ”, a heavyset woman said, moving slightly away from the bed.

Delta nodded. “Relax. I’m not here to bust anyone. I came to help.” Approaching the bed, Delta’s stomach leapt into her throat. She recognized the slender hands with their tapered fingernails. In the flash of an instant that it took her mind to register that the woman on the bed was indeed, Megan, Delta placed her gun into her waistband and dropped to her knees.

“Shell be okay,” the black woman offered, handing a towel to Delta. “You Officer Stevens?”

“Yes.” Taking the blood-soaked towel from her, Delta smiled gratefully.

“She hollered through the door for me to get you. How you know she needed you?”

“Instinct.” Turning back to the heap on the bed, Delta tried to calm her nerves. She had seen mutilated babies, raped women, and battered spouses, but none of it prepared her to see the ravaged face and body of someone she loved.

“Oh God,” Delta murmured, looking down at the swollen and bloodied face of Megan. Had it not been for her beautiful hair, Delta wasn’t sure she would be able to recognize the woman laying on the bed.

Delta gently applied the cloth to Megan’s face and made sure she was still breathing. “The ambulance is on its way,” someone said from behind them.

Megan’s face was puffy and blue around the eyes, and her mouth continued bleeding from a large gash in her lower lip. A bump on her forehead appeared to grow right before Delta’s eyes, and a gash on her left cheek ran a jagged edge from her temple to her chin. Instantly, Delta knew Megan had taken several hard blows from a man wearing a large ring. Looking at her arms, Delta took notice of several small cuts, most likely from the same ring that had hit Megan’s face.

Whoever had done this would pay. Whoever had poured the poison into Miles’s life and taken him away from her would face justice. It was war now, and Delta promised not to stop until they were all brought down hard. They, whoever they were, would pay - if not with their blood, then with their freedom.

Brushing Megan’s hair away from her bloodied face, Delta heard the sirens in the background.

“Megan? Megan, honey, it’s me, Delta. Can you hear me?”

Delta felt slight pressure from Megan’s hand.

“The ambulance is on its way. You’re going to be okay. Can you understand me?” Again, the hand pressed into Delta’s, only stronger.

“You’ve got to be okay. I need you.” Turning to the black woman, Delta asked, “Does anyone have any idea of what happened?”

The woman shook her head. “We heard Megan screaming, came running, and scared him off.”

“Was it a trick?”

The woman shrugged. “I don’t think so. Megan’s real good about picking guys. She don’t usually hop with a kink.”

Nodding, Delta returned her attention back to Megan.

Hearing the sirens get louder, she leaned over and lightly kissed Megan’s forehead. Inside her soul, Delta felt her anger dance with the gentle love she was feeling for Megan. The wiring in her spirit felt crossed, as bitter emotions lay in the same bed with love and kindness. “Hang on, baby,” Delta whispered in Megan’s ear. “They’re almost here. Don’t even think about leaving me now. We. . . haven’t even played chess.” Delta looked down at Megan and saw her crack open one swollen eye.

“Don’t leave me,” Megan forced through bloody lips.

Delta shook her head. “Not a chance. I haven’t stood you up yet, have I?”

Megan tried to grin, but the pain stopped her. “You . . . won’t . . . believe,” Megan whispered, reaching her hand up to Delta.

“What?” Delta leaned closer to Megan’s lips. “I won’t believe what?”

Licking her cracked and torn lips, Megan groaned in pain. “The tattoo . . . he had the tattoo.”

As Megan lapsed into unconsciousness, Delta cradled yet another battered loved one who had stepped in the way of the murderous blue machine.

As she gazed out into the dark, wet night outside, and the cold winter air anchored itself inside her, Delta calmly swallowed the anger stuck in her throat.

They had declared war on her.

And soon, they would feel her response.

Twitching herself awake, Delta quickly sat up in her chair. The harsh glare from the white hospital walls bounced like acid into her eyes, making her squint. Leaning over, Delta gazed down at the deeply sleeping Megan. She looked much better than when Delta got to her at the hotel. Her lips and cheek had been sewn up and the bump on her head had receded a bit, but the puffiness and bruises only worsened. Reaching out, Delta gently stroked Megan’s face with the back of her hand. The knowledge that she wouldn’t be in here if she didn’t know Delta, burned like a brand on her heart. The disease was spreading to innocent people, and it was time to bring it to an end.

As Delta rose to stretch her stiff body, Megan stirred.

“Hi,” Megan whispered, forcing a grin that crossed only half of her face.

“Hi, yourself,” Delta answered, gently sitting on the side the bed. “How’re you feeling?” Taking Megan’s bandaged hand, Delta lightly held it.

“Like a million bucks . . . that just went through a paper shredder. Oooh, my head is playing the drums.”

Delta brought Megan’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of it.

“You scared the shit out of me, you know.”

Megan barely nodded. “Afraid you’d never have the chance to beat me at chess?” Megan’s lips barely moved as she spoke.

Delta grinned. “Yeah, that too. But don’t talk. I know it must hurt.”

Megan’s eyes filmed over. “Do I look like shit?”

Smiling at her tenacity, Delta nodded. “A little piece. The doctor said you have a concussion and some cracked bones, but you’re still in one piece.”

Megan smiled her half grin and turned to look out the window.

“What is it? What can I do?” Delta felt the sting of helplessness.

Looking back at Delta, Megan reached out and pulled her to her chest. “Hold me, please. Just hold me.”

Wrapping her arms carefully around Megan’s shoulders, Delta rocked her slowly, kissing her forehead.

After ten minutes, Megan pulled far enough away so she could see Delta’s face.

“You don’t need to tell me about it now,” Delta offered softly.

Megan shook her head. “No one has ever been there for me like you were. I remember calling your name, and the next minute, you were beside me.”

“I’m just glad I was there.”

Megan squirmed a bit. “But I want to be here for you.”

“Shhh. You are.”

Megan shook her head again. “That’s not what I mean. Del, they’re after you. The guy who beat me up came looking for the matchbooks.”

“What?”

“In between punches, he saw a book of matches on the table and grabbed them up. After he looked inside and found nothing, he swore, threw them on the floor, and started hitting me again.”

“Is that all he was after?”

“No.”

Delta pulled away to look her full in the face. “What is it?”

“I may not have had all my marbles in place, but I vaguely remember him warning me to keep my nose out of their business and to tell you the same.”

Delta’s blood froze. “Oh Megan, I never meant to—”

Megan pressed her fingers to Delta’s lips. “Don’t. Being with you these last few days have been the nicest in my life.”

Delta winced. “But I shouldn’t have asked you to get those names. I shouldn’t have endangered you.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re the only one of us who gets to do that, is that it?”

“No, but—”

“But nothing. I want to be a part of your life, Delta, and if that means taking a few bumps and bruises along the way, then so be it.” Wincing again, Megan lightly touched her torn lips.

Delta looked down at the bandaged hands and fought back the tears. “It shouldn’t be this way.”

“What shouldn’t? Our love? Damn it, Delta, if we tried to follow all the rules, then arrest me now, because that’s what rule number one would tell you to do.”

Holding Megan tightly, Delta allowed a single tear to fall from her eye. “I never meant for you to get hurt.”

“No, and you never meant to fall in love with a prostitute either. Things happen, Delta.” Pushing Delta away so she could see her face, Megan brushed away the tear. “We happened. Are you sorry for that as well?”

“No. Never.”

As much as it hurt to do so, Megan grinned. “Well that’s good news. For a moment there I thought you might dump me.”

Placing a kiss on Megan’s good cheek, Delta sighed. “Not a chance.”

Megan leaned back on the pillow and sighed heavily.

“I’d better let you get some rest.”

Megan smiled, but her eyes were closed, and she was very pale. Leaning over the bed, Delta kissed Megan’s forehead. “I love you, Ms. Osbourne.”

Megan grinned. “And I love you, Officer Stevens.”

“How is she?”

Delta stepped through the door and into Connie’s outstretched arms.

“She’s a trooper.”

Connie closed the door and escorted Delta to the kitchen and handed her a cup of coffee.

“Our tattooed killer, or someone wearing the same one, beat her up and warned us to stay out of it.”

“Did she get a look at him?”

“No. He was wearing some kind of mask.”

“They’re after you now.”

Plopping down in a chair, Delta rubbed her tight shoulders. “Yes, they are. Only I don’t think they realize I’m not one to scare easily.”

Connie stood behind Delta and rubbed her shoulders.

“They must be tailing you. How else would they know about you and Megan?”

Delta closed her eyes and tried to relax her shoulders.

“Could be they’ve bugged the phones. My guess is my inquiry into the missing dope. I’ll bet that’s got them scared.”

Connie stopped rubbing Delta’s shoulders and sat in front of her. “They could have killed her, you know.”

Delta nodded. She didn’t want to think about what could have happened. “It was a warning.”