Get it Back ~ Chapter 15

A strange, almost unnatural silence seems to cover the entire town of Llanview...strange even for the middle of the night. Todd listens to it, as he sits on the bottom steps of the curved staircase in his darkened penthouse. No sounds, no movement...just a sense of something about to happen...as if everyone, everywhere, is holding their breath for some reason.

A bit dramatic...but still, that's the best way he can describe it. He sighs, running a hand through his hair. He can feel fatigue in every part of his body...the urge to lie down and sleep unusually strong tonight. But he shakes it off, racking his brain yet again...trying to figure out where the hell Starr could have gone. The very thought of his beautiful child out on the streets alone is enough to make him get up and start pacing.

Amazing, he thinks, how she just...poof...disappeared. Not even tall enough to ride the big rides in the amusement park yet...and already, she had the ability to vanish without a trace. He suddenly wonders if his talent for doing the same thing got passed to her, in some genetic code, somewhere in her DNA strand.

Yeah...what ELSE did I pass down to her...? he then wonders, walking over to the big window...staring out at the town that's holding its breath. Somewhere in the mess of buildings and lights and people below is little, not-so-little Starr. A chill runs through him at that, and he thunks his head against the thick pane of glass...scared for her...really scared. He remembers her angelic face, with disbelieving eyes...staring at him and Blair in absolute horror.

Deep down, he always knew he would see Starr look at him like that...ever since she was born, he knew it was coming. But still, nothing prepared him for it. Every single misdeed and all of the guilt, shame and responsibility that had built up over his life---and Blair's, too, no doubt---all of that, transformed into a white-hot spotlight...and turned back on them in one concentrated blast, powerful enough to burn a hole in the world.

That's the best way he can explain it...and as he thinks back over every painful thing he's ever had to endure, nothing comes close to that look. The city lights blur suddenly, as tears fill his dried-out eyes. He wipes them away like any guy would, quickly, and roughly, with a hard sigh. He sniffs, trying to suck it up like a guy...like a man...like the grown-up that he's supposed to be.

SLAM! The glass vibrates as Todd punches it, in a sudden surge of guilt-laden frustration. Then he pushes away from the window, pacing around like a big cat in a cage...anxious, and getting desperate for a solution. If anything happens to Starr, he knows...that's really it for him. It was bad enough that Tea was in such a terrible condition now...and that he was at least partially responsible for it.

He freezes. Tea...

"Oh my god..." he whispers, to himself, as the idea just about explodes in his head. "Fuck!!" he curses to himself...realizing that he should have thought of this hours ago, as he storms out of the penthouse, and stabs the call button on the elevator.

*****

The same weird silence permeates the diner, and Carlotta's little apartment...where Tea lies on the couch...this time, with Starr attached to her, nestled in with all her clothes and shoes still on. She breathes loudly, her nose stuffed up from all the crying she's been doing. Unconsciously, Tea rubs her arm, soothing her as she sleeps lightly.

Neither them, nor Carlotta, hear the noise downstairs...the breaking of glass, as Colin punches a hole in the door. He freezes at the sound, looking all around; and waiting a moment, before moving again. He unwraps his towel-covered hand, shaking the bits of glass off...then he reaches in, and unlocks the deadbolt. He steps inside, wrapping his hand back up in the towel...then, with a deep breath, and a little prayer, he hauls back and punches a hole in the inner door.

Upstairs, Tea's eyes flutter open at the sound; and she makes a face as she lifts her head a little, listening.

Downstairs, Colin freezes again...waiting...listening, too.

Tea sighs, not hearing anything else...and not even sure what it is she might have heard in the first place. She listens for another moment...then shakes her head, dismissing it. She looks at Starr, clearing some hair out of her face. Starr stirs a bit, nestling closer in...making sure her hands are touching her, as if to prevent her from leaving. Tea smiles, sadly...planting a kiss on the girl's head, before settling back down and closing her eyes.

Colin reaches in, quietly turning the other deadbolt...then he steps inside, careful not to make any noise while removing the towel from his hand. He looks around at the dark, empty diner, and spots the door leading up to Carlotta's apartment. He takes another deep breath, walking over to it. His gloved fingers hover over the knob...

...then he steps back, closing his eyes and thinking. What am I doing? he asks himself again...looking down at his clothes, all body-hugging and black, like he was some kind of professional thief. Never in a million years did he imagine he'd be doing something like this. But, here he was. And...why am I doing this again? he asks himself...oh yeah...the money...and because...

...because I have nothing left to lose.

He thinks of Tea, and the hell she's been through. But then, another thought occurs to him...whether she stays in Llanview and lives in seclusion for the rest of her life, or disappears to parts unknown...her mental and emotional baggage would always be with her. Besides...it's not like he's going to harm Tea...all he needs to do is keep Todd busy until Blair runs off with Starr. Then he brings her back, safe and sound. He sighs at that, his conscience still nagging at him...the good part of him wanting to just get back in his car and go home.

But as soon as that thought crosses his mind, he thinks of the mess Todd made when he took Nora away. Nora, who had been in much worse physical shape than Tea...and who still meant a great deal to him. Todd had swiped Nora from him the way a big kid takes a toy from a smaller kid. Snatch it, play with it for a while, and then dump it when the novelty wears off. That was Todd...the biggest bully on the playground. One who desperately needed to be taught a lesson...and somehow, he thinks that maybe, just maybe...Tea would agree.

Decision made, Colin reaches for the knob and turns it...opening the door to the stairway, and to a world of trouble.

*****

Blair walks back into the house, throwing her purse down on the table. She peels her coat off and trudges into the living room, collapsing on the couch. Hearing the noise, Suzanne comes downstairs.

"Mrs. Manning?"

Eyes covered with one arm, Blair sighs. "Yeah, it's me...did Todd call?"

Suzanne walks in, sitting down on the edge of a chair. "No...haven't heard anything."

"Sssshhhit."

Suzanne eyes Blair, feeling guilty...like she's keeping important information from her. But still, she's not sure if it's relevant...and if she should break Starr's confidence. She sighs, folding her hands in her lap, wringing her fingers anxiously. Blair stays quiet for a moment...then she sits up, rubbing her tired eyes. She sees Suzanne's nervous fidgeting and makes a face.

"What's wrong?"

Suzanne looks up, releasing her hands. "What? Nothing."

Blair's back goes up instantly, and she squints...zeroing in on her. "Suzanne, if you know something...if you have ANY idea where my girl is, you'd better speak up. NOW."

"No, I...I don't. I have no idea. I'm just so worried about her," the girl replies...but not very convincingly.

Blair takes that in, still watching her like a hawk. "Where exactly did you two GO earlier?"

"What, to eat, you mean? Well, we, uh...we...went to that diner in...Angel Square," Suzanne says carefully, thinking it's okay to tell that much truth...but then Blair's face suddenly changes...from suspicious to worried.

"Wh-where?"

Suzanne swallows hard. "Umm, that...diner...Carlotta Vega's place. Starr really likes it."

"Oh, god..." Blair drops her head back, closing her eyes. "...she wanted to see Tea, didn't she?" she asks, but she already knows...and when she looks back at Suzanne's guilty face, her stomach drops to her knees.

She starts to breathe noisily, starting to panic. "Ohgod...oh, no...no, no, no..." she says, jumping up. Suzanne looks on as she runs past her, into the foyer to grab her purse.

"No...goddammit, I KNEW IT!! No...please..." she whispers, dialing her phone with shaky hands.

*****

Todd's car screams down the deserted streets toward Angel Square...his eyes darting back and forth, scanning...feeling more alert now than he's been in days. He still isn't a hundred percent sure that he's right; but as he gets closer to Carlotta's, as he turns the idea over and over in his head, he becomes more and more convinced of it.

"Please...please..." he mutters under his breath, as he turns corner after corner, working his way down. His phone starts ringing in the passenger seat, and he grabs it without even looking, flipping it open with one hand.

"Yeah?"

"TODD!! It's me...I know where she is!!"

He reacts only slightly as he drives on, mostly at her panicked voice. "Yeah, well, so do I...I think. I'm on my way down to Angel Square right now. Think she might be with Tea."

Blair slaps a hand over her forehead, crying now. "Oh, god...Todd, please hurry...get down there!!"

He makes a more concerned face at that. "Yeah, I'm going...what's the matter with you??"

"JUST GET DOWN THERE!!" she suddenly yells, and Todd nearly goes off the road, rubber burning as he slams on the brakes.

"What the---Blair? Blair??" he starts, but then realizes that she's hung up on him.

He rolls his eyes, muttering more curses to himself as he tosses the phone back onto the passenger seat. He lets out a frustrated breath through clenched teeth, flooring the gas again.

*****

Carlotta stirs in her sleep...hearing some weird noises, she opens her eyes, sitting up a little. Then she sits up taller, becoming more aware of...something. She looks over and sees that her bedroom door is wide open now; and she makes a face, as she throws the covers off, about to get up...

...when suddenly, everything goes black, as a towel gets thrown over her head. She starts to scream, but a hand quickly covers her mouth. She struggles against the person dragging her out of the bed and across the floor, flailing about, screaming through the towel.

Colin tightens his grip on her, his other arm around her midsection, as he pulls her over to the closet. He opens the door and blows out a few breaths...then in one move, he lifts her straight up off the ground, and half-pushes, half-tosses her into the closet. Carlotta flies in the air for a second, then hits the back wall, hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Stunned, she slides down into the mess of shoes and boxes on the floor. Colin watches her for a second...then slams the door shut.

Carlotta lies crumpled up on the floor for a moment, getting her breath back...then she shakes the towel away from her face. She pulls herself up, slowly, feeling her way around. She hears more noises outside...and she grabs the knob, trying to open the door...but it catches on something, and won't move more than an inch or so. She pushes harder, but the chair that Colin has placed just under the knob is keeping it shut. Carlotta breathes faster, starting to cry with panic as she jams it, uselessly...

...then she stops, listening...suddenly remembering. She starts banging on the door with all her might, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Ohmygod...TEA!!! TEA!!!!!"

But by this time, she's screaming at an empty apartment. A trail of strewn blankets and pillows, magazines and papers from the overturned coffee table...and Starr's backpack...lead up to the front door, standing wide open now.

*****

Todd drives through the quiet streets of Angel Square, its mostly Hispanic residents asleep and dreaming...two things he never could get the hang of. He turns the last corner, onto Esperanza Street, seeing the diner up ahead...and something else. He squints, trying to see what it is...

...little red lights...from the rear of a car, parked right in front of the diner.

"The hell is...?" he whispers...getting closer, as the car sits there, idling. He can't see anyone in it...but somehow, he just knows...

...this is NOT good.

And as soon as that thought crosses his mind, the red lights get brighter...and the car peels away from the curb, tires smoking and squealing. Todd's eyes widen at that; and for a second, he's not sure what to do. He watches the car fly down the street and turn the corner...then he looks over toward the diner as he passes it, slowing down a little.

He sees the broken glass on the pavement...and the hole that's been smashed in the door. His mouth falls open, and he immediately floors the gas, speeding off after the car. He looks everywhere for it, down every side street, every alley...getting more panicked as the seconds pass without a visual.

"SHIT!! Goddammit!!" he curses, banging on the steering wheel as he speeds along, looking mostly to the sides...unaware of, and unable to see the car pulling up behind him, fast.

Driving with the headlights off, Colin grins as he pulls up on Todd...knowing full well Todd's going nuts trying to find him. He starts cracking up as he gets closer.

"Yoo-hoo...back heeere..." he whispers, all sing-songy, as he grabs the control for the lights and pulls it.

Up ahead, Todd is suddenly blinded by the high beams behind him, and automatically hits the brakes. Colin's eyes widen, and he goes for the brakes too, but he's not fast enough...

SCREEEECH...BANG!!!!

Metal crunches loud, as the two cars collide...vaulting Todd's car forward as Colin's car bounces backward from the impact, finally lurching to a stop. Colin's chest hits the steering wheel...

...and in the backseat, an unconscious Tea and Starr both fly forward...Tea landing on the floor, and Starr landing on top of her. Colin sits back from the wheel, gasping...his chest and ribs burning with pain. Then he turns and looks at the two on the floor...heaped up, and out cold...but otherwise unhurt. He looks back at Todd, whose car has spun around.

Todd sits in his car, shell-shocked...frozen...and not sure what the hell just happened. He feels like the world is spinning around him, and he closes his eyes, gripping the steering wheel until it stops. When he opens his eyes again, he sees the other car facing him now, with its crumpled front end. He stares at it for a second...then slowly, unbuckles the seat belt.

Colin watches as the door opens, and Todd steps out into the street. He swallows, slowly getting his breathing back to normal...the pain in his chest lessening somewhat. Then he glances around at the dark apartment windows...realizing that someone must have heard the noise, and is probably calling the cops by now. No time to play... So he takes his foot off the brake, to see if the car is still functional. It rolls forward, and he turns the wheel to see if it responds. It does. He brakes again, and it still stops. He looks back at Todd, who's standing there by his car, staring at him...but still unable to really see him. Colin grins...then looks back at Tea and Starr...then back at Todd, making a clicking noise with his mouth.

"Well...time to go," he says, to no one in particular...then he floors it again.

Todd stands there frozen for a second...and then realizes that the car is coming right toward him. He tries to get back in his own car, but Colin narrows the distance, fast...and all Todd has time to do is jump out of the way, before Colin's car screams by, barely missing him. Todd goes right over the hood of his own car, falling down hard on the other side. He hears the other car's tires screeching, as if rounding a corner...but by the time he manages to pull himself up, it's gone. Todd breathes roughly, each inhalation feeling like a punch in the gut as he stands there, alone on the street with his bashed-up car.

*****

Carlotta sits in the dark, on the floor of her bedroom closet...knees up to her chest, her head buried as she cries. Because she knows, she just knows...that whenever she manages to get out, Tea and Starr will be gone. Why else would anyone want to break into MY apartment...it's not like I have anything worth stealing.

A rustling sound outside makes her lift her head. She puts an ear to the door, listening to the floorboards creaking with someone's footsteps. She hesitates to yell, thinking maybe it's the same person coming back for some reason...but after a few more seconds, she realizes she has no choice.

Outside in the living room, Todd picks up the lamp that was knocked over and turns it on. The light reveals the mess he's standing in...books, papers, pillows, cushions and blankets strewn everywhere. Obviously, someone had broken in and ransacked the place. His eyes move over everything quickly, looking for what, he's not sure...but he knows when he finds it, as his scanning eyes stop on Starr's backpack, lying there on the floor with everything else. He grabs it, then looks around again, wildly.

"Starr!!! STARR!!!" he yells, opening every door he can find. But as he half-suspects, no one is there. Not even Tea...or...

"HEY!!!! HEY!!! OVER HERE!!!!"

Todd jumps at the sound of Carlotta's muffled voice, calling to him from somewhere in the apartment. He follows the sound of her banging into the bedroom...flipping on the light, he sees the chair tilted back under the closet doorknob, keeping it shut. It shakes as she bangs on the door some more.

"PLEASE HELP ME!!! LET ME OUT!!!" she yells, frantic, as Todd moves the chair away and opens the door. Carlotta immediately shuts her eyes, momentarily blinded, as Todd reaches down and grabs her arms, pulling her up. Carlotta blinks as her eyes adjust and she recognizes him.

"Todd...what in the HELL...are you DOING?! You out of your mind?!!" she spits, jumping to a logical conclusion already, as she pushes away from him. She runs into the living room and sees the mess...then she whirls back around to face him.

"You...UNBELIEVABLE...sonofaBITCH!!! How DARE YOU break into MY home and---"

"Wait a minute...hey-hey-HEY!!!" Todd interrupts, louder than her, forcing her to clam up for a second. He holds Starr's backpack up to her.

"*I* was just looking for STARR. She ran off...and I thought she might be here with Tea, so I---"

"So you, what...have them stuffed in your trunk now?!!! Sick bastard..." she says, as she darts out and down the steps...running right over all the broken glass as she throws open the front door. Todd rolls his eyes a bit as he follows her out, standing there as she opens every door of his car.

"Tea?? Starr??" she calls, as she reaches in the driver's side and pops the trunk. She looks...but of course, it's empty. She shakes her head, starting to cry again as she sits down on the curb.

"Ohgod..." she whispers, burying her head. Todd sighs, reluctantly sitting down next to her.

"NOW do you believe me?" he asks, quietly. Carlotta just sobs harder for a second...then she catches her breath. She wipes her face, sniffling.

"Well, SOMEBODY broke in...SOMEBODY dragged me out of bed and threw me in the closet...and SOMEBODY took them."

"Yeah...I ran into that somebody. Actually, he ran into me," he replies, gesturing to his smashed bumper. Carlotta looks over at him, really looking at him for the first time that night. He stares intently at the little pink backpack in his hands, looking terrible...dirty, sloppy and exhausted.

"I was pulling up, and I saw the car just sitting there," he continues, still staring at the pack. "...then he took off, and I followed him...lost him somewhere...must've ducked into one of the alleys, 'cause next thing I know, he's behind me, high-beams in my face. I slammed on the brakes, and he slammed into me...almost ran over me getting away."

Carlotta covers her mouth in horror. "Who...who would do this? I don't understand..."

Todd considers the question, turning Starr's bag over in his hands, feeling the lightness of it, the soft fabric. Quick flashes of things pass through his mind...then one thing in particular, which sticks...

...Blair's crazy, panicked phone call. Then Carlotta's soft voice breaks his train of thought.

"I'm...look, I'm sorry I yelled at you, Todd. I, uh...I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. I'm sorry."

He looks up at her, with a strange preoccupation in his eyes. She sighs, heavily.

"Thanks for letting me out."

He takes that in...then nods, just barely. He sniffs, standing up, and offering her a hand. She takes it, reluctantly...then he pulls her up, and helps her back inside.

To Be Continued