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Devil Dog
(n) noun:
A nickname bestowed on U.S. Marines by German soldiers during WWI because of the ferocity with which Marines fought - they were like “hounds from hell.”
Adam
I held Daphnie’s limp body in my arms, beginning to sob as I pulled her close. My heart shattered in my chest. The love of my life was gone, and the ache was overwhelming. Everything around me faded as I looked at my lifeless wife.
“Adam,” I could hear someone say. “Adam.” I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t flinch.
“ADAM!” I broke out of my trance and saw Chad kneeling in front of me.
“Adam, we have to get out of here; you need to let go of Daphnie.”
I shook my head as I returned my gaze to Daphnie’s face.
“Adam.”
“I can’t.”
“Adam, please.”
“I won’t let go of her.”
Chad sighed and abruptly stood up. After a few minutes, I could hear a baby crying when he kneeled next to me.
“Do you hear that? That’s your daughter; she needs you right now. Be there for her,” Chad pleaded.
I reluctantly loosened my grip on Daphnie and gently placed her on the floor. Chad quickly placed Nightingale in my arms and took Daphnie’s limp body away.
I looked at my daughter as she whimpered in my arms. Did she know her mother was gone? How would we get through this?
I opened my eyes and found myself in bed. I turned around to look at the clock and saw it was four in the morning. I sighed as I sat up. I hadn’t slept in weeks. Dr. Charles quickly diagnosed me with insomnia, but I knew that wasn’t the reason I couldn’t sleep. How was I supposed to sleep when Daphnie wasn’t in my arms?
I decided to get ready for the day before Nightingale woke up. I quickly showered and threw on a dress shirt and slacks. After feeding the dogs and letting them out to relieve themselves, I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for Nightingale and myself. Once I finished packing everything we’d need for the day, I checked on Nightingale.
Ace was at the foot of the crib while Nightingale was squirming around, laughing. Ace immediately sat up as I walked into the room.
“Out,” I commanded.
Ace whimpered and reluctantly followed orders as he went downstairs. He was extremely protective over Nightingale, constantly hovering and never leaving her side. I found it strange; he wasn’t like that before.
“Good morning,” I cooed as I picked up Nightingale. “Are you ready for the day?”
Nightingale began to tap my face with her hands while smiling. I pulled her close to me and tucked her head under my chin. It had been three months, two weeks, and four days since Daphnie died. Was I doing a good job at parenting so far? I knew what to do, as Daphnie and I would take turns or work together when caring for Nightingale, but I worried I wasn’t doing anything right.
“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s get you ready.”
It was chilly outside, so I dressed Nightingale in a sweater, corduroy pants, and UGG shoes. After getting her dressed, I fed Nightingale some oatmeal and ensured she burped well before putting on her jacket and securing her in her car seat. I put on my coat, grabbed our bags, picked up Nightingale’s car seat, and headed out the door.
“Come on, Ace.”
The SUV was warmed up, so I put Nightingale inside as quickly as possible. I put our bags in the trunk, and Ace sat in the passenger seat. It was a long drive to the office due to traffic. I hated that I had to go to work, but someone had to ensure everyone was doing their job. At least I wouldn’t be driving around to all my hotels and restaurants; that was an all-day task that took me away from Nightingale, as I would leave her with Ben.
As I drove, my phone rang; I turned on the Bluetooth and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Adam! It’s James.”
“What did you need?”
“I was checking if you were still coming for dinner tonight.”
Shit.
I had forgotten Lockwood had invited me for dinner.
“Is it okay if I bring my daughter?”
“Of course! I know Jen would love to meet her.”
“Thank you. What time should I be at your house?”
“Six o clock.”
“Okay. See you then.”
“Bye.”
Two weeks after Daphnie’s funeral, I reached out to my squad members. So far, they’ve all been patient with me. However, Lockwood was a little pushier and insisted I go to his house for dinner. I was surprised I agreed; it made me wonder if Daphnie would be proud of me. I hoped she was looking down with a smile. Once I pulled up in front of the hotel, two lobby men stepped out to assist me. I turned off my car and put Nightingale in her stroller while the lobby men got my bags from the trunk and let Ace out.
“Thank you,” I said as I handed one of the men my keys.
I pushed Nightingale inside and to the elevator. I ignored everyone who greeted me, wanting to get to my office and get all my meetings over with. Once I stepped into my office, Ace sat on the side, and I put Nightingale in her playpen next to my desk. I logged onto my computer and looked at my calendar. As I was looking over my schedule, there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I called out.
In walked the head of security at Cook County Prison. He seemed distressed.
“Good morning, Mr. Carter.”
“Good morning, Lieutenant. What’s the update?”
“Alexandros has a tough attorney, and he won’t budge until Alexandros is put back in Protective Custody. He’s threatening to go to court.”
“Well, I can’t say I blame him,” I bluntly said.
Alexandros was initially supposed to be in prison in Pennsylvania. I had him transported to Cook County Prison, where he was placed in Protective Custody due to his status. I paid off several people to take him out of Protective Custody and paid off the guards to spread rumors that he was incarcerated for trafficking children. I assumed the past several weeks had been hell for him, considering at least sixty-eight percent of male felons have experienced some form of early childhood trauma.
“No, you can’t,” the Lieutenant said. “I’ve spoken with my officers, and the reports they’ve given are quite disturbing. Alexandros has been taken to the hospital eight times within the past three weeks, and medics have been called twenty times since he was taken out of Protective Custody. He’s traumatized, Mr. Carter.”
“My wife and daughter were traumatized when Alexandros kidnapped them.”
The Lieutenant remained quiet. What could he say?
“Lieutenant, I’ll let you in on a secret. Doctor Phil Sweetheart was the surgeon who saved Alexandros’ life. As I’m sure you’re aware, he has a sick side business he’s trying to expand. Looking at Alexandros’ bank accounts and insurance records, you can see that doctor Sweetheart was never paid. Meaning they have some sort of deal. Considering Alexandros has connections to the stock market and the rumors that he’s involved with the Greek mafia, doctor Sweetheart may want to make connections. After all, aren’t there suspected mafia and cartel leaders in Protective Custody?”
“Yes,” the Lieutenant sighed. “There are. They manage to still communicate with their workers and run their business from behind bars.”
“Which is exactly why Alexandros needs to stay out of Protective Custody. No matter how severe his current circumstances may be.”
“A judge won’t take your word for it. Do you have proof that doctor sweetheart was never paid?”
“Yes. I can email a copy of everything to you tomorrow morning.”
“Great.”
The Lieutenant stood up and shook my hand before exiting my office. I groaned as I fell back in my seat. I would need to reach out to Abijah. I hated that woman and wanted nothing to do with her, but if talking to her meant Alexandros would continue to suffer for killing Daphnie, then so be it.
I sighed as I looked at Nightingale; she was sitting up and looking at me with a smile while shaking her rattle, making me smile. I couldn’t believe Nightingale came from me; she was so full of joy and could lighten up my mood with a laugh or smile.
When Nightingale reached out, I stood up.
“You want me to pick you up?” I said in a baby voice.
I dramatically hoisted Nightingale into my arms, making her laugh.
“I love you,” I cooed. “Daddy loves you.”
“Dada,” Nightingale blurted out.
I couldn’t help but smile as my eyes filled with tears.
“Yeah. Dada.”
There was another knock on my door.
I put Nightingale back in her playpen and sat back down.
“Come in.”
The door slowly opened, and the front receptionist walked in, holding a dish.
“What are you doing here, Delilah? You should be working.”
“I made this for you,” she held out what looked like a pecan pie. “It’s all organic so that Nightingale can have some too.” She fluttered her eyelashes when she finished speaking, making me disgusted.
“You’re fired.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Get out of my office.”
“But why?” Delilah pouted.
Why did I let HR take over hiring people?
“NOW.”
Delilah ran out of my office with a petrified look on her face. I looked at Nightingale and saw her laughing. I chuckled and started typing an email, ensuring Delilah would never work at a luxury hotel again.
After several more meetings and an excruciating phone call with Abijah, my day was finally over. I looked at the clock and saw it was four-thirty. I packed up all the empty food containers and put away Nightingale’s toys before securing her in her stroller and heading out the door.
I dropped Ace off at home and headed to Lockwood’s house. As I pulled into the driveway, my phone rang. Seeing who it was, I knew I had to take the call.
“Lieutenant. You received the information already?”
I’m surprised Abijah moved so quickly on that.
“No,” the Lieutenant said with worry.
“What is it?”
“Alexandros escaped.”
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for checking out my story. I’m looking forward to this sequel. I have so many ideas in mind, and so many surprises are in store for you all. Comment your thoughts on this chapter, and please remember to vote.
Love you!
