“Easily done. Anyone can see that girl would be better off anywhere but where she is. The driver was a cautious type, took off slow up the drive. Dare say your little rocket here can catch them before they hit the resort.”
With a nod, I pressed my foot down on the gas and 004 roared in response, taking off up the drive a lot faster than when I’d come down it earlier. From what Axel had said about Calla, she was already in distress and would need careful handling to get her from the vehicle and inside. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need to pop the trunk to get her out as Axel had suggested, but it may come to that in order to get her out of the car and inside the safety of the resort. Shifting gears quickly, the two miles between the gate and the main building had never felt so long as I rushed to catch them.
When I caught sight of the black SUV parked in front of the main entrance, I slammed my palm on the steering wheel with a curse. Dammit, I hadn’t been fast enough. Skidding to a stop on the grass behind the big black Ford Explorer, I made sure I was far enough off the gravel that 004 wouldn’t be in anyone’s way until I had time later to deal with her.
With my instincts screaming at me, I didn’t even pause long enough to wind up the window before I was out and rushing over toward the vehicle and resort entrance. My gaze locked on the man with his hands on his hips running his mouth a mile a minute, as he glared up at Moses and Dax who stood side by side on the bottom step, blocking access to the resort.
Moses, Derek’s right-hand man, made an imposing sight with how he was standing, ramrod straight, legs apart, arms crossed over his broad chest as he glared down at the suit in front of him. His dark skin and darker eyes, thanks to his Native American heritage, gave his frown a sinister edge that would have any man with half a brain checking his tone. The fact Moses was deaf and didn’t speak only added to the stoic tough-guy thing he had going on. Mostly he used ASL to communicate, but he was also excellent at reading lips so he knew exactly what was being said to him. Dax stood beside him mirroring his pose, making sure there was no way anyone was getting past them and up those stairs. His cowboy hat sat low enough to hide his eyes, but the tightness in his jaw gave away his mood. When he looked my way, his head lifted enough that I could catch his gaze. The fire burning hot with fury gave me pause, even though I knew it wasn’t aimed my way. He nodded toward the SUV before he returned his focus to Jack, letting me know they didn’t need my help with the councilman.
My gut clenched at what might have happened if Jacqui hadn’t given me the heads up Calla was coming and I hadn’t warned Derek of the incoming trouble. With how much of a prick Jack was, he may have not even allowed their vehicle onto the property. Dax and Moses certainly wouldn’t have known how important it was that Calla stay.
A man I didn’t recognize so assumed to be their driver, stood beside the front of the Explorer, his gaze scanning the area. The hard look in his eyes as he took in everything going on had a shiver running down my spine, reminding me of Elita’s men. Her soldiers. This man was more than simply a driver and bore watching closely.
As I approached the open rear door, he smoothly stepped between me and the vehicle, his stance that of a vigilant alpha male ready to defend.
“Whoa, stop right there. Who are you and what do you want?”
Between his current protective attitude and how he’d reached out to Jacqui to get Calla help, I figured he was more concerned about Calla’s wellbeing than his boss’s orders. If I’d clocked the man correctly, brutal honesty was what would get me past him the fastest.
“My name is Dr. Eric Maestro. I work here at Rawhide Ranch. I’m also a friend of Dr. Jacqueline Stringer from Pieces to Peace. She called me earlier to let me know Calla was on her way and would need me.”
The man’s frown deepened. “He’s been threatening this place on her for months, you part of the research facility? You the one who’s planning on turning her into a lab rat? Thought better of Dr. Stringer than to be tangled up in that type of shit.”
Jacqui’s questions about what really happened at Rawhide came back to me. Clearly the not-so-good councilman Bosman had heard “research” and his twisted imagination had drawn some pretty nasty assumptions.
“While there is a research facility here, and I do work there, it’s not the kind that does the type of experiments that involve cages, cruelty and scars. Everything that happens at Rawhide Ranch is about protection, safety and consent. We research ways that neurodiverse people can live their best lives. Our focus is on helping people. There are nolab ratsin any way, shape or form at Rawhide. Never have been, never will be. There’s no way Derek, the owner, would allow it, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be here if he did. Now, are you going to let me help Calla or not?”
He stared at me for a few moments before, with a firm nod, he moved out of the way, revealing the interior of the car. As soon as I caught sight of what was happening, I rubbed my chest with a wince. That poor girl. Calla was deep in the grip of an autistic meltdown. Tears tracked down her red face as shethrashed around the rear row of seats that held her captive while her mother, who was in the middle row was facing her daughter and trying to placate her without any success. Clearly no one had given her mother any sort of advice or training on how to deal with a meltdown. My heart broke for both of them as each time Calla’s mother reached out to her daughter, Calla would flap her hands violently and knock her away.
Rubbing a palm over the back of my neck, my frustration grew. With how deep into this meltdown Calla was, I knew it was too late to do anything that might limit the duration or intensity. Prevention really was the best treatment for meltdowns in autistics. This would be a case of waiting until the storm passed, but that couldn’t happen here in the car. I needed to get her inside where she’d be safe before her stepfather tried to do something stupid to deal with her. My instincts screamed that he’d caused this girl harm before and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. Mental images of him dragging her kicking and thrashing from the car and dumping her onto the gravel had me clenching my jaw, grinding my teeth.
Thanks to the bullshit he’d been filling her mind with, gaining any sort of trust from her was going to be difficult. She needed something familiar, something she associated with safety to ground her enough that I could get her from the car to inside the resort’s lobby. Frowning as I ran over options, I settled my hands on my hips. The moment my fingers brushed over my phone in my pocket an idea flared to life.
Chapter Five
Eric
Pulling out my phone, I returned my attention to the driver.
“I’m going to need you to handle Calla’s mother, get her out of the car.” His expression darkened but I cut him off before he could throw any more accusations. “I’m not going to do a damn thing to hurt that girl. I’m going to video-call Dr. Stringer and have her talk to Calla. There’s no way to stop her meltdown, but if I can show her she’s safe here, gain a little trust, she’ll hopefully let me get her out of the car and inside. Got a dark, quiet room set up for this exact purpose that’ll allow her to come down in her own time.”
Some of the ice in his gaze melted and he nodded. “I’ll handle Ruth. There are phone holders on the back of the headrests. Guess the rental company set this car up for families. You should be able to slide your phone into the one in front of Calla.”
I dialed Jacqui into a video call and she answered on the first ring, her worried face filling the screen.
“What happened? Is Calla alright?”
Frowning I shook my head. “I didn’t get back to the Ranch before they arrived. Calla is currently in the rear of a car having an explosive ASD meltdown.” I pinched the bridge of mynose, trying to come up with a contingency plan in case Jacqui couldn’t get through to her. “Her mother has been in the car with her, but Calla won’t let her near her. Since she’s never met me before, I won’t stress her out more by trying anything. But she knows you, associates you with safety. I need you to help her trust me enough to get her out of the vehicle and inside. I have a sensory room set up and ready for her. She’ll be comfortable and safe, have everything she could need while she deescalates.”
Empathy and sadness filled Jacqui’s expression before her professional mask dropped into place. “I agree, she needs someone she knows. That is familiar. Oh, that poor girl. Approach her slowly, startling her won’t help things. Let her see it’s me on the phone, hear my voice. Hopefully, she’ll be able to hold the phone. If not you’re going to need to hold it in her line of sight until she can.”
“Actually, got another idea on that. There’s a holder on the headrest. I’ll see if she’ll let me get close enough to put the phone in there. I think it best I leave you two alone for a bit.”
She nodded. “That’s even better. Yes, giving me some time alone with her would be ideal. I honestly don’t know if she’ll be able to hear me enough for me to explain anything to her, but I’m willing to try.”
The driver moved in front of me and took Calla’s mother’s wrist in his palm with the intention of gently guiding her from the vehicle.
“Come on, Ruth, you need to come with me. Leave Calla with the doctors who can help her.”
