Chapter 5
Sam drove around as if he was unsure what his next move should be. We were stopped at a light and I glanced at him. He looked around at the cross street, his thumb tapping the steering wheel and a thoughtful look on his face. I'd seen that one before, and I knew he was worried. Before I could say anything, the light changed and he drove for a couple of blocks. He pulled into the parking garage on the left side of the street, found an empty space near the bottom, and parked.
"What are we doing here," I asked.
He held up a hand as he punched in something on his cell phone in his other palm. From where I sat I could hear an ominous tone and the muffled words of a recorded voice. He closed the connection, grumbled under his breath, and tried another number. He got the same results. Staring out the windshield at the building across the street that glowed from the bright sunlight, he didn't move for a long time.
"Sam, isn't it risky to stay in one place for too long?" He didn't reply, so I unbelted myself and reached across the space between us, turning his face with a gentle movement of my hand. "Sam, what's wrong?"
"I don't know what's going on. I tried calling my friends, and I get a recording that their numbers don't exist." He was trying so hard to remain calm and collected for me, I just wanted to kiss him and make it all go away.
But I didn't. I reined in my thoughts and said, "I think we need to talk about that. Fiona and Jesse's numbers..."
"How do you know I was calling them?"
I smiled. "Who else would you call for help? Michael is God knows where right now."
"I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to see anything in season seven," Sam smirked, causing me to laugh. His pained expression didn't abate, however. "Nina, I don't understand what is happening. Tell me."
"I know as much as you," I responded. I turned my body so I faced him, took his fidgeting hand off the steering wheel, and held both in mine. As I spoke, I looked him straight in the eye so he knew I was telling him the truth. "I don't know how it happened, but somehow you wound up coming here from the fictional TV world of Burn Notice. Obviously, those Russians somehow made it through as well. Michael, Fiona, Jesse, and Maddie are all still there, as far as we know. You're not going to be able to contact them."
"Back at your apartment you tried to tell me that and I thought it was ridiculous. You know it all sounds impossible," Sam muttered and pulled out of my grip. He resumed staring at the mall across the street. "Prove it to me."
"Prove it to you? How can I?" An idea flashed in my brain and I snapped my fingers. "I have an idea! Drive to Michael's loft!"
"Mike's loft is burnt, and it's not safe."
"Well, if the Russians know that, do you think they'll look for you there?" He shook his head and I nodded mine with a smirk on my face. "There you go. So drive, or I'll trade places with you and take you there myself."
"Sheesh, okay!" Sam put the car in drive and got us out of the parking garage. It cost us a dollar for parking no longer than ten minutes, but that's the breaks. I didn't say a word and let Sam take the route he knew, because I was half curious to see if it matched the layout of the real Miami.
Within minutes we were parked across from the loft, or the lot where the loft used to be. From where we sat, we had a clear view of the river. Sam left the car running, and he was so flabbergasted at the sight that I had to put the car in park for him.
"Wh-where is it?"
"It was torn down recently," I answered. "Although, the building you knew as the loft was only used for exterior shots from the air. The interior was all done on a sound stage."
Sam turned and gaped at me, his eyes searching for my sanity. "A sound stage? Seriously? You expect me to believe that?"
"Yeah, I know it sounds strange even to me, I guess." I sighed and pressed my head into the back rest, wishing I would wake up. But that wasn't happening. "I wish I knew what to tell you, how to explain your being here in my world."
Without a word, Sam started the car and shifted it into drive. After one last look at the empty lot and a sad shake of his head, he drove away. I knew where he was going next. Part of me wanted to stop him, but I knew it was the only way to get him to see that this wasn't where he was supposed to be. I had no idea what we would do after that. Sam parked the car along the curb at Maddie's, or what passed as Maddie's house in the establishing shots on the show. He yanked the key out of the ignition and threw open the car door. I had to hurry to keep up with him as he approached the back side entrance.
I waited at the bottom of the steps while he opened the screen and rapped on the inside door. No one answered. There was a car in the driveway, so someone was probably home. He banged his fist on it again.
"Maddie! Maddie, open up!"
I was getting concerned about the amount of violence Sam might be willing to use against that door, so I stepped up to his side.
"Maddie! Come on, it's me, Sam!"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone peer through the sheers on the dining room windows, and footsteps pounded into the kitchen. It was an older woman, but she looked nothing like Madeline Westen, or Sharon Gless for that matter. She stared at Sam, her eyes wide and scared. I waved and smiled in an effort to put her at ease, if only a little.
"Who are you," she asked through the barrier.
"Who are you? Where's Maddie?"
The woman's face transformed from fear to annoyance. "If you're some of those Burn Notice fans, go away! I'm tired of giving tours of my house!"
"What?" Sam glanced at me with a furrowed brow and a frown. "What is she talking about?"
"This is what I mean, Sam. This isn't Maddie's house, it never was in real life. On the show it is."
"Please, just go away," the woman begged. "You can take pictures of the front, but stay off the grass!" She shut the curtains on the window, and our audience with the homeowner was finished.
"This isn't really Maddie's house." Sam said it as if he'd just awakened from a dream. "I... I..." Shock was starting to set in. He staggered off a step and found his footing on the ground, and I was running again to keep up with him as he hurried to the car.
"Where are we going now?"
"Elsa's hotel," Sam said. "I know it's a risk, but if it's not really hers... No, I can't believe that. Come on, let's go!"
We found the building that Sam knew as Elsa's hotel. It was a hotel, but it had a different name. We entered the lobby and he looked around, his head swiveling back and forth so quickly I thought he would get whiplash. With each minute that passed, I noticed the wrinkles in his forehead deepened and a sense of despair emanated from him. My heart ached and I was sorry that I started him on this sick tour to prove that he wasn't on TV anymore.
"None of these people, the staff, are familiar," Sam said, and I could hear the despondency in his tone. "What the hell is going on?"
"I'm sorry, Sam. This is the real world. Elsa doesn't exist here."
The dark look he gave me made me take a step back. I was about to apologize for putting him through this rude awakening, but he whirled and rushed out of the hotel with me on his heels, silent again. If he had it in his head to go to Elsa's mansion, I was sure I would lose control and scream at him to stop torturing himself. It was time to face facts, and maybe use some of my contacts to find a safe place for him until we could figure out a way to get him back to the television. That sounded so strange to my inner self, but that is exactly what needed to happen.
By the time we reached the gate of a mansion that Sam knew as Elsa's, I was ready to call it a day, go back to my apartment, and wake myself up from my foolishness. But first, I had to stop Sam from trying to find a way over the fence and into the complex. On the off chance that I wasn't going crazy, I had to prevent the man from winding up in jail or worse.
"No way, mister, I am not gonna let you do that," I ground out through my teeth as Sam started climbing a brick wall. I grabbed his pants pocket and my other hand found his waistband. With all my strength, I pulled.
"Let me go! You're gonna rip off my pants, you know," Sam said as he hung from the top, trying to swing a leg up to straddle it.
I grabbed the swinging leg and brought it down as I responded, "I don't care. I'll do it and leave you in your skivvies. Either that, or you come down peacefully." I grunted and pulled harder. "That's my final offer!"
"Ninaaaa," Sam cried. His hands slipped off the capstone and he fell.
I was his soft landing. My teeth jarred as my backside made contact with the edge of the sidewalk and my body flopped onto the concrete. A muffled crack led to the sensation that made my head feel like a bell that had just been rung, and a sharp pain ran through me as I lay there stunned.
"Oh god, Nina. Nina, are you okay?"
"Ohhhhhhh," I moaned. "I'm awake, but that's about all I can say."
"Jeez, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" He sounded as if he was about to break into tears.
I opened my eyes and for a few moments there were two Sams. They blended into one, and I tried to shake my head, but it hurt too much. "It wasn't your fault. I'm the one who pulled you down."
"Yeah, but it was my idea to scale the wall." His face was a mask of seriousness as he checked me over. "Looks like you're okay, except for maybe a bump on the head. I should take you to the hospital."
"No, I'll be fine."
"No. You're not a fugitive, you'll be okay going there. Come on." He gave me a hand to get me on my feet and all the time his eyes never stopped checking me for injuries. "You steady?" His hands spanned around my waist.
"Maybe a little. Really, I'll be okay. We just need to find someplace where we can hole up for a few days and rest."
"Okay, but first, you're going to the hospital to get checked out. I am not gonna be held responsible if something happens because you didn't go." His face was only inches from mine when he looked deep into my eyes and said, "Don't make me carry you, because I will." A hint of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth, and I found it so sexy. Too bad I wasn't equipped to deal with that at the moment.
"Fine," I grumbled. "You win. Just promise you won't let them keep me overnight. We need to keep moving and find a safe place." I smiled. "I think I know just the location, too."
"Great. We'll worry about that later."
Sam continued to grip me in his arms as he led me to the car, and I felt like an angel held me in his wings. My feet were light, dancing me across the narrow strip of grass to the vehicle.
"Nina. Nina!"
I smiled, and I think I told him I was in heaven, my body floating. On the fringes I heard voices. One sounded like Sam, and he was very worried about me if the tone was any indication. "I'm fine, Baby," I said before drifting off to sleep.
