Disclaimer: These characters belong to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox.  No infringement is intended or profit made from this work. I'm just borrowing them for a bit and I promise to put them back when I'm finished. Whether or not they'll ever be the same again is anybody's guess.

Chapter 10

Miranda’s office had been organized chaos since her return from the airport that morning. She was determined to be home for dinner early so that she and Andréa would have ample time to talk while the twins finished their homework. To that end, Emily had been shuttling people in and out of her office with the precision of a veteran air traffic controller lining up arrivals at JFK.

Emily had just hung up from alerting the accessories staff that they were up next when Nigel walked through the doors.

“Who’s in with her, Emily?”

“The features staff right now and accessories are on their way. I do not understand why she chose tonight to leave early. This is insane!” the first assistant hissed.

“You might want to keep the accessories people out for a minute or so. Some people are on their way up to see her. It’s important.”

Then the accessories team pushed through the doors, all talking at once. Emily winced and shushed them as she turned to Miranda’s schedule on her computer. She felt Nigel stiffen beside her, looked up and gasped.

Two grim-faced NYPD officers, the Elias-Clarke Director of Security and an obviously injured Roy walked into the office. Emily leapt to her feet and pushed through the doors into Miranda’s office.

“What do you mean, barging in like this? What part of ‘I am not to be interrupted’ do you not comprehend?” Miranda rose to her feet in outrage.

“Miranda, I know, I’m sorry, but there are some people who need to see you right away.”

‘Tell whoever it is out there that…”

“Miranda! It’s important!” Emily’s bark stunned even her boss into sudden silence and a quick jerk of her head sent the features staff scurrying for the safety of the outer halls. As the last of them filed out, Nigel showed the new arrivals in.

Miranda’s widened eyes locked on Roy and never moved; taking in his rumpled suit and the burgeoning bruise on his face, even as the Division Commander introduced himself.  “Ms. Priestly, I’m Commander O’Neill of the Central Division and this is Captain Ryan of the Commissioner’s office. Ma’am, there’s been an incident at the Park.”

Miranda’s flawless complexion went white but her eyes never left Roy’s as Nigel gently guided her back into her chair. Finally, she tore her eyes away and stared at the police officers.

“What happened to my girls?” she said in a tone so lethal that both men felt it in their guts. The tabloids hadn’t been wrong; this really was a woman to be reckoned with, a power broker of the city whose word could make things happen. Immediately.

“Ms. Priestly, ma’am, someone kidnapped your daughter, Caroline.”

Emily’s cry registered only as a background noise as the room swirled around Miranda. “Is she…is she…?”

She looked at her driver again as he squatted beside her and took her hands in his. Her mind registered that he had never deliberately touched her before.

“Miss Caroline is fine, ma’am. She’s not hurt. Cara had Miss Cassidy; she was never in danger. But we got Miss Caroline back. Andy and I stopped them. Miss Caroline is just fine. She’s scared, and so is Miss Cassidy, but they’re okay. I’ve got the car downstairs and I’m going to take you to them right now. So you’ll need to get your coat and come with me.” Feeling how icy her hands were, he continued to reassure her.

Emily dashed out to get Miranda’s coat and bag as Nigel pulled the officers aside and introduced himself. “Are there more of them out there? Is this over?  Are they going to try again? Are the twins safe?” he asked.

“We don’t know at this point, Mr. Kipling. Our people have secured the scene and her daughters are in no immediate danger, but we haven’t had time to interrogate the perpetrators. We don’t know the scope of their plan yet.”

Nigel decided quickly. “Then I’m going to arrange for additional security until you determine that all the danger is passed. Can you make sure that your people know private security will be arriving shortly to protect Ms. Priestly and her family?”

“Do you have a firm in mind?” asked O’Neill.

“We use Whitehall Security.”

O’Neill nodded approvingly. “They’re the best. All former Secret Service, FBI and State Department Office of Protection. I’ll let our people know to expect them.”

“Where is everybody? Where do I send them?”

O’Neill pulled out a Blackberry and quickly brought up a map of Central Park. “They stopped the van right about here. On the connecting drive north of the North Meadow ball diamonds. Not the 97^th Street Traverse, but the northern connecting road.” Nigel went out to make the call as Emily hurried back in with Miranda’s things.

Miranda stood and Emily helped her on with her coat. Terror for her daughters made her heart freeze and her insides were like writhing snakes, but her head began to function again. “Emily, you’d better come with me. I’m sure I’ll need you. Bring your laptop. Nigel can take care of things here.” She turned her attention back to the officers. “My daughters are safe? You’re sure?”

“On my life, Ms. Priestly, they’re completely safe. We have maybe fifty officers around them right now and your Mr. Kipling is arranging for private security too. Ma’am, we’ve got cars waiting downstairs to get you back to them as quickly as possible.”

“Roy is my driver. He will take me, as usual.”

O’Neill flushed quickly. “I’m sorry, ma’am. What I meant was that our cars will escort you and your driver back to the scene. If you’ll come this way, please.”

Roy led the group out of the office where Emily was shrugging into her coat and barking orders at the second assistant. Nigel hung up the phone and took Miranda’s hand as she paused in front of him. He kissed her cheek and said quietly, “You go take care of your family. I’ll take care of things here and call you later. A security contingent will meet you at the Park.” Miranda nodded mutely and the entourage headed for the elevators.

The ride down in the elevator was silent and tense as Miranda tried to process the enormity of what she had just been told. Her hands and feet felt like blocks of ice and her insides were, if anything, worse that before. Her chest was tight and she could barely breathe. Caroline! Her baby…nearly stolen from them…from her. Unthinkable! A wave of white-hot rage surged through her when she thought of some inhuman…some sonuva…some motherfucker…laying hands on her child! As quickly as the rage surged, nausea followed and she grew even paler. Forcing herself to breathe deeply she fought for control. She could do her daughters no good if she didn’t focus. She had to maintain control. She could go to pieces when she had the girls safe at home. Not until.

“Roy, I assume Andréa will be tied up with the authorities for the rest of the evening. But we’ll need to secure transportation for her if the police can’t escort her home.”

“Andy won’t be talking to the police any time soon. I just hope she’s still at the Park when we get back there.”

Miranda’s eyebrow arched nearly to her hairline and her voice cut through the elevator like a laser. “And why wouldn’t Andréa still be at the Park? Don’t tell me she would leave the girls to go back to that paper of hers and write the story!”

Roy’s eyes were remarkably gentle as he looked squarely back at her. As if he knew how close to the edge she really was despite outward appearances. Softly he told her what he had dreaded to relay. “Ms. Priestly, they had guns. Andy was shot rescuing Caroline.”

Her involuntary cry was bitten back sharply but Miranda’s knees sagged as if she had been struck. Emily and Roy grabbed her elbows to support her as she fought the gorge that rose in her throat at the news. The police officers held the elevator doors open and watched open-mouthed as moment-by-moment, inch by inch she fought and clawed for control. Visibly trembling she forced herself to calm her breathing and slowly straighten to her full height. She took a deep shuddering breath and nodded once to her employees. They released her and she closed her eyes. When she opened them a minute later her facial expression was composed and regal. She nodded to the officers and they moved out of the elevator. Captain Ryan later said it was the most awesome display of self-control he had ever witnessed.

As they entered the main lobby, building security guards closed ranks around them as an escort to the waiting cars. The need for it was apparent as the group swung out of the elevator lobby and hundreds of flashes and television lights exploded on the plaza. Several other police officers were waiting for them at the doors and forced a path through the mob of paparazzi for Miranda as the press screamed questions at her. Her expression never changed nor did she acknowledge any of the frenzy surrounding her. To all outward appearances she was, indeed, the Ice Queen the tabloids had always accused her of being.

Miranda glanced at the curb as they crossed the plaza. There was a radio car ahead of her silver S600 and an unmarked car behind it. Four motorcycle outriders waited to ferry them through Manhattan traffic. And then Miranda looked closely at her $145,000 automobile.

The passenger side headlight was missing and the chrome trim bent and dangling. The right front quarter panel and bumper were caved in and the entire right side had heavy scraping, dents and paint damage. There was what appeared to be shrubbery caught in the front grille and the tailpipe was dangling precariously. Miranda’s eyes swept over her vehicle and then went to Roy’s purpling face.

“Roy, once we get in the car I believe you ought to tell me what happened to the car.”

“Yes, ma’am. As soon as we get moving I will.”

A security guard opened the rear door and Miranda slid inside. Emily and Roy trotted around and entered the driver’s side doors. In a moment, both police vehicles sprang to life, lights flashing and sirens screaming. The motorcycle outriders swept them forward and onto the street. Traffic Division had done a masterful job of clearing a route for them and the small convoy roared through mid-town and up Sixth Avenue at close to fifty mph.

“Roy? I assume you’ve called your wife and informed her that you are safe?”

“Yes, ma’am, I have.”

“You will have your injuries examined at the first opportunity.”

“Yes, ma’am, I will.”

“Very well. I believe you were going to tell me what happened to the car.”

“Yes ma’am. Cara had been watching practice from a bench with the dog. I had the car parked behind the practice fields in a parking area next to a ball diamond. I saw Cassidy run over to Cara and I saw Caroline start to. Then people started yelling and pointing. Cara rang my cell and screamed that Caroline had been taken and put in a gray minivan. I could see it, but I couldn’t get out of the parking area in time to catch them. But I don’t think they knew the Park very well because they missed a turnoff that would have taken them right out of the Park and into the city.” He paused to take a deep breath before continuing.

“I realized that the only way they could get out of the Park was to take the connecting drive to the west side. And I could see Andy running toward that road across the field. So I drove across the softball fields and across the soccer fields and through some shrubs to try to get to the curve in the road before the van did. Andy nearly made it; she was only a couple of steps from catching them when they got past her. All I could do was step on the accelerator and try to block the road so they couldn’t get around me. Then Andy could catch up. I blew through the tree line and broadsided the van. We both spun out, but the van was more unstable. They hit a tree and Andy got there and started smashing the van’s windows with her bat…”

“Her bat?” They slowed as they entered Central Park on the 97^th Street Traverse. What seemed like hundreds of flashing lights were visible in the distance.

“Yes, ma’am. Andy stole a baseball bat from somewhere. And she was shouting Miss Caroline’s name and smashing windows. I was trying to get out of the car but I was so dizzy…I couldn’t see. I guess I hit my head. But I finally got out and started to go help her. She had one of them down on the ground and was yelling at Miss Caroline to run away when the other one pulled a gun. He aimed at Miss Caroline and Andy…Andy threw herself in front of him. Then he smashed her in the head with the gun. She went down to her knees…God, I was trying to get to her but I could hardly walk…and he pointed that huge gun right at her and suddenly Patricia attacked him and…”

Miranda’s eyebrow was once again nearly at her hairline and Emily’s eyes were as big as saucers. “Patricia? OUR DOG? Attacked an armed gunman who had tried to shoot Caroline and was about to shoot Andréa?”

“Yes ma’am. She nearly tore his throat out protecting Andy.” Emily looked at Miranda and saw her almost smile at the thought. “So Andy and I dragged the dog off him and the others started to arrive. I think the lacrosse coaches got there first and held the kidnappers for the police. Then the Mounted Police got there and then Cara and Cassidy and all the Dalton parents got there and the girls were hugging Andy but she was bleeding so badly. The coaches finally got her to sit against a tree and tried to put pressure on the bullet holes.”

“Bullet holes?”

“Yes, ma’am. I think it was only one shot but it must have gone in and come out. She was bleeding out her chest and her back.”

They were almost at the scene, and officers waved them up onto the grass verge. Roy brought the Mercedes to a halt across the road from an ambulance and the paramedics and people grouped around a nearby tree. He trotted around the car and opened Miranda’s door. She stepped out of the car and gave it another long glance as she did. The flash of cameras and the bright lights of TV news crews captured it.

“They’re over by that tree, ma’am.”

She turned to face Roy and pointed to his cheek. “You will have this looked at immediately. Emily will arrange for a car service to pick up your wife and deliver her to you at the hospital. I will have the dealership pick up the car and deliver a loaner for you to use until ours is repaired. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And Roy?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

She reached out a trembling hand and gently touched his bruised face. “Thank you. Thank you for my daughter.”

He straightened visibly and smiled broadly. “Yes, ma’am.”  The cameras caught it all.

* * * * *

Andy was cold; colder than she remembered being in a long time. Part of her refused to acknowledge that she was seriously hurt and should let the twins go, and the other part was whimpering in pain and wanted her mother. She continued to hold both girls as best she could and convinced herself that as long as she did, they would be calm and safe. Cara hovered nearby, giving statements to the police and keeping an eye on the girls too. Patricia was still sprawled across her legs with an amiable canine grin on her face. The paramedics continued to fuss over her, starting IVs and checking her vitals frequently. They kept wrapping blankets around her and the girls trying to warm her up but it wasn’t working. She watched yet another parade of flashing lights careen into the park and head in their direction.

But this parade had one car in it without flashing lights. Andy let out a relieved sigh as the battered Mercedes pulled up across the road and Miranda, Emily and Roy got out. Miranda exchanged a few words with her driver and then made a beeline for the girls.

Andy pressed one last kiss on the red heads and said, “Here’s your mom, girls.” They hugged Andy briefly, then jumped to their feet and flew into Miranda’s arms. As soon as they did, the paramedics swarmed over Andy.

The most powerful fashion arbiter in the world dropped to her knees and crushed her daughters to her in a fierce embrace. It was quite a while before she stopped murmuring, “Are you all right? Are you sure you’re all right?”, finally satisfied that she hadn’t lost either of them.

Caroline was still shaken and Miranda and Cassidy both held onto her. A thoughtful police officer had dragged a bench over for Cara to sit on while they waited for Miranda to arrive and she finally settled the girls there with their nanny and their dog before turning to Emily and giving instructions about the Mercedes and Roy’s wife.

Then, turning back to her girls she asked, “Will you be all right here for just a minute? Cara and Emily and Roy are right here. I need to go check on Andréa and see how she is.”  

At this, Caroline’s eyes teared up again. “He shot her, Mommy. He was going to shoot me and she jumped in front of him and he hit her and he pointed that gun right at her head and…” Miranda and Cassidy wrapped her in their arms.

“Shhh, darling. Don’t. It’s all over now. He may have pointed the gun at her, but didn’t our Patricia save her? Just like Andréa saved you? Try not to think about that, darling. It’s all over now and you’re perfectly safe. Mummy will be right over there checking on Andréa. Is that all right?” The sniffling child nodded and Cara took Miranda’s place in the hug as Caroline watched Miranda cross over to where the paramedics were securing Andréa to a gurney.

IV lines snaked everywhere and portable monitors beeped. The edge of a large, bloody bandage showed through a gap in the blankets Andy was wrapped in and most of her head was swathed in bandages as well. She was frighteningly pale and she had started to shiver. The paramedics were moving far more rapidly now, urgency beginning to drive them. Miranda leaned over and looked down at the beautiful young woman.

“If you didn’t want to come to dinner you could have simply told me, Andréa. You didn’t have to go to these lengths to get out of it.”

Andy tried to smile but it was tremulous at best. “Didn’t…want…to…get out…of it.”

To her horror, Miranda felt her eyes well with sudden tears. “Please tell me you’re all right.”

Andy said quietly, “I’ll be fine. I just probably… should have let them take me to the hospital… sooner. But I didn’t want to leave the girls…”

“I got here as quickly as I could once they told me what happened…Have you called your parents? You don’t want them to hear about it on the news.”

“I called them… earlier. My… mother is hysterical. Dad was trying… to calm her down.”

“Do you want me to fly them here?”

“No, they’ll just make me crazy.”

“Andréa, they’re your parents. They should be here. Let me call them and arrange it. It’s the least I can do.”

“Miranda,” Andy’s eyes closed as her vision blurred, “You don’t have to…”

Miranda very tenderly touched her cheek. “Yes, I do.”

A paramedic interrupted. “Lady, we’ve got to transport her right now. We need to get her into an ER.”

“Which hospital?”

“New York-Presbyterian. They’re not the closest, but they’re the regional trauma center and that’s what she needs right now.”

Miranda nodded and leaned back over Andy. “I’ll get your parents here and make sure that your doctors are…”

“Miranda? Just get the girls home… where they’re safe. I’ll be okay.” Andy’s voice was growing weaker.

“Thank you, Andréa. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Miranda pressed a quick kiss on Andy’s cheek and whispered, “We’ll have that talk very soon, I promise.”

Andy just smiled as the paramedics loaded her on the ambulance.  When it left in a roar of diesel exhaust and wailing sirens Miranda returned to the bench and her girls.

As she sat down between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders they watched as four highly polished, slightly ominous-looking black SUVs pulled up and some very serious looking men climbed out of them, all attired in dark suits. Their security contingent had arrived.