by J. L. Drake
I felt my back stiffen a little. Here we go.
“Dr. Roberts, if you want to get inside my head, you can. I have nothing to hide. You don’t need to ask probing questions. Just come out with them.”
He nodded politely and offered for me to follow him outside onto the patio. We took two seats that looked over the lake.
“I appreciate you offering to be so open during this session. It will make things a lot easier on my end.”
“Okay.” I shifted uneasily and wondered if I was ever going to get past being questioned about my background.
“Why don’t we start from the beginning? Share your childhood with me.”
I took a deep breath and let it go for Mike. I shared my most personal moments with a stranger because that was what I needed to do to make sure Mike and I could marry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Mike
The aftermath of what happened with the Esteban family and their house was slowly starting to trickle in. Our North Rock team informed us the damage had really shaken up the drug side of the cartel world. Word spread that Denton Barlow was behind it all, so now we waited to see if he actually took the fall or not. Daniel’s idea to plant a body that resembled Catalina worked perfectly. I didn’t even want to know where he found an available corpse, but Daniel was resourceful that way. The town already had a memorial for her, and as strange and upsetting as it might sound, it was the right call to ensure her freedom. Of course, we hadn’t shared all the details with her. She had enough to deal with. Just like we had with Savannah, we’d trickle the truth out as time healed her wounds.
The loud sound of ice in the blender pulled me back from my thoughts.
“What are you doing?” I rubbed my neck. Man, I was tired.
“This is Catalina’s first session with Doc Roberts.” Lexi poured more than half a quart of tequila over the crushed ice in the blender. “She’s going to need this.”
“True,” I laughed, then yelped, “Son of a bishhhh.” as I turned around and found that horrible Furby in my face.
“Sgot you!” Brandon giggled, “Ukle Johns give cookie.” He tried to tell me the story.
“Lies!” John laughed from the other room.
I snatched the Furby and pointed at his mother. “Your son is a cookie junkie, you know that, right, Lex?”
“Like father, like son.” She poured the margarita into four glasses. “I blame Savannah.”
“Me too.” I snickered and glared down at the addict. “You’re a pawn in this sick game, little man. You know that?”
“Scookie?” His small hand came out and waited for his payment.
I scooped him up and brushed his hair away from his face. “I just so happen to know where your father hides the good ones.” I made my way over to the pantry. “He thinks he’s so sly, hiding them in the pasta box, but little does he know we all sneak them when he’s in his office.”
That gave me an idea. I grabbed the Furby and held it up to his son’s mouth.
“B, say ‘my cookies!’”
His little eyes lit up; he loved this game. “My scookies!” I laughed at his little monster voice.
“Up top.” I got him to high-five me. “Now we wait to hear your daddy shriek like a little girl.”
Lexie cleared her throat in a warning Keith was coming.
“Our secret, right, B?”
“Screcret!” He giggled and ran off with two cookies in his grubby hands.
“Hey, babe.” Lexi bought me a moment to slip out of the pantry, and I nonchalantly grabbed a water from the fridge.
“Hey.” He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her neck. “Mike, Doc is finished.”
“Oh?” I peeked out to the living room where she and Doc where chatting.
“FYI, man, I want the CliffsNotes of that meeting.” Keith laughed as he unfolded from his wife. “She had me cracking up in the car on the way here. All about how she thought I was taking her to the woods to be murdered. Well, actually, I believe the operative word was whacked.”
“Sounds like she and my sister need to spend some time apart.” My sister had a flare for the dramatic.
“That’s what I said.”
“Mr. Irons?” Elena appeared in the doorway in an oversized hoodie and yoga pants. “I just wanted to thank you again for helping my family escape. We should be able to leave soon. This is a really beautiful place,” she spread her arms to encompass the property, “but we need to go.”
“Please, Elena, call me Mike, and you’re very welcome. You and your mother are welcome to stay as long as you need to, but I totally understand.” We’d had this same conversation three times now, but I understood her need to get it out of her system before she could move on. “How’s your mother?”
She shrugged. “She’s okay. Luna’s death has taken its toll on her, and on me too, but we’ve been working with the doc and Frank. We will, of course, keep our end of the deal.”
“I don’t doubt it. Are you hungry?”
“No,” she shook her head, “Lexi helped me get something earlier.”
Lexi shot her a smile, and I was happy to see it. Once again, her walls had come down. Lexi was the most complex of the three wives. She had spent years hating life and hunting her parents’ killer. She had even joined a gang and dated the ringleader to find out the answers she believed were true. I was pretty impressed by her.
Doc Roberts had an incredible effect on those we brought to him for help. We were extremely lucky to have him on staff. He traveled, whenever he was needed, between our two safe houses, Dusk and Shadows. The incredible work he did with our rescued kidnap victims was the secret to them being rehabilitated enough to live a normal life again, especially after such extreme fear and violence destroyed who they were.
“Elena,” Catalina called through the room, “is that really you?”
Elena broke down in tears and nearly jumped in Catalina’s arms. “I never thought I would see you again!”
“Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.” Elena pulled back and moved her shiny eyes to me. “She’s the reason I survived that hellhole. She’s a legend.”
“Oh, yeah?” I was interested. Catalina certainly wasn’t like any other woman. I took pleasure in the thought that I would have a lifetime to hear her story, and that made me a happy man.
“Yes. When I arrived at the house, I heard the stories about the dark angel.” She reached out for Catalina’s hand. “The dark angel had the blood of a monster but the heart of a saint. It was said she tended to their bruises, fed them when they were starved, and held them when they cried. Sometimes she even helped girls escape. I thought it was just a story of hope, until one day I saw her, in the study with her mother, and I saw the wings on her back. I knew she was the one, and the legend was true. She had returned, and now look,” she started to cry again, “we are free.”
“Yes, we are.” Catalina hugged her again, and I had to cough as I felt my own emotions bubble to the surface. My girl continued to amaze me.
“I should check on Mama and let her know you are here.”
“Okay.” Catalina let her go and dried her cheeks. “I needed that.”
“Here.” Lexi handed her a large margarita, which instantly changed the mood. “The first session is always the hardest.”
“First?” Catalina looked at me for help.
I shrugged. “We all have to see the doctor a few times a year, and since you are a part of this world, that means you too.”
“Super.” She sipped the drink and squinted at how strong it was.
“Wait for the second sip. It goes down like butter,” Lexi said, laughing.
“Mr. Irons, may I see you a moment?” Doc called me over, and as I walked by Catalina, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll be back.”
I followed him, and Keith joined us as we went down the hallway and into my office. Cole was patched through on speaker phone, since he was traveling th
is way but didn’t want to miss the outcome of the session.
“Should I be worried, Doc? My wedding is in a few weeks.” I pointed politely to a seat, as the doctor never liked to be anything but formal.
“It was quite interesting. I found more similar traits between Catalina and Lexi,” he adjusted his glasses as he pulled out his iPad to retrieve his notes, “as they both were around a lot of violence. Catalina, therefore, handles her PTSD differently than, for example, Savannah would. Savannah shut down, lost trust, stopped eating, and lost the ability to function with people, whereas Catalina could roll with it, if you will, since violence was a normal thing to see.”
“Is that a good thing?” I tried to follow.
“Yes and no.” He glanced up at me. “You just need to watch her and report to me if you see any changes. She hasn’t dealt with her mother’s death but seems to have accepted her brother’s. Their deaths were completely different. The brother knowingly walked into danger, while her mother was an innocent used as a shield by her own father to protect himself. That is a lot for one head to absorb. Not to even mention the violent death of her father and uncle and the end of their entire family. I still need to work on that with her.”
“Okay.”
“Now, her overall personality is quite entertaining.” Doc laughed unexpectedly. “And I know the importance of this. She is still more than willing to hand over her family’s information to you.” He turned toward the phone where Cole was on FaceTime. “You might be interested to know she grew up with Denton’s family.”
“What?” Cole moved closer to the screen. “We have never found any information on his family.”
“I won’t hand over secondary information, but I do believe it would be important to speak with her on that.”
“Will do, thanks.” Cole started to type an email as Doc looked back at me.
“Honestly, Mike,” he removed his glasses and turned off his iPad, “if I may speak candidly.”
He waited for me to agree. “Please do.”
“Catalina is a wonderful woman who has been through a lot. She fought like hell to do what she felt was right. Personally, I feel she is a blessing in disguise, not only for you but for the Army.”
“So, you trust her?” I knew how important that was for both of us, that they trust her like I did.
“I do, without hesitation.”
“Agreed.” Daniel popped on the screen next to Cole. “When she called me, she was trying to do the right thing. I could hear her nerves, but she fought through them and gave us every last shred of information she could before we hung up. I think Catalina might be what we’ve been waiting for. Between her, Elena, and Martina, we just might be able to take down a major part of the cartel.”
“So, you’re saying…?” I needed to hear him say the words.
“I’m saying you found a gem in the unlikeliest place.”
“Mike,” Cole took over the camera, “I would like her to live at Dusk, and she should be supervised on her outings for precautionary reasons. Just because we removed her immediate family doesn’t mean there isn’t more out there, and it doesn’t mean she didn’t gain any enemies after all this.”
“We need a club.” Savi snickered from behind them, and we all broke out in laughter.
“Great.” I felt the world lift from my shoulders, and the release was an incredible rush. “Now what?”
“Now,” Doc continued, “you go marry the woman you love.”
Later that night, the Logans arrived, along with Mark and Mia, and John and his twin sister. Abigail and June would arrive tomorrow morning, and I couldn’t help but notice Doc Roberts looking a little more put together than normal. Of course, Mark noticed and needed to make it a thing, but Mia quickly put a stop to that.
Catalina continued to be in awe of everyone but fell into step with the other girls very quickly. I did notice a few times she’d excuse herself and wander down the hall, but I thought she just needed a moment. We could be a lot, and Catalina hadn’t been around a big family in years. Our family wasn’t even big, it was huge, and no doubt very overpowering.
I, on the other hand, relished it. I missed my little Livi and found myself on the floor roughhousing more than talking with the adults.
“Hop on.” I was on all fours and waited for Mark’s twins to climb on for a ride. Of course, Brandon was right there wanting his share of my attention. I really did spoil that little dude.
“Sseat.” Before I knew what he was doing, he jammed a peanut butter finger in my mouth. “Syummy, Kuncle Ike.”
My stomach rolled, and I tried not to think about how his hand was fuzzy from God knew what.
“Thanks, B, I wasn’t hungry, and I don’t think I will be now for a few days.”
“Ride, pony, ride!” one of Mark’s twins shouted as they both yanked at my hair. I bucked and wiggled beneath them and basked in their giggles of delight. I spotted Catalina across the room, watching me with a smile. Something about her look told me she was honestly happy to be here. Never did I think I would find love…or find a love that could work in my life.
“Ahhh!” Keith shouted from the kitchen. “Mark, I swear to God!”
I tossed the twins off my back, grabbed Brandon, and ran over to Catalina.
“What?” She grinned and tickled B’s tummy.
“What did I do?” Mark shouted over everyone in the room.
“This!” Keith held up the toy and the half-eaten pasta container.
“I had no part in that, man,” Mark moved closer, “but I would like a cookie.”
“No!” He snapped the lid closed.
“Remember our secret,” I warned B, who with his tiny mentality was putting the situation together.
“Daddy!” Brandon suddenly shouted. “Me scookie?”
“He’s had, like, twelve today,” Lexi piped in.
“You can have a cookie if you tell me who made you do this,” his father countered.
Brandon looked back at me and wiggled to get down. He clumsily walked across the room and raised his arms for his dad to pick him up.
“Scookie, me,” he said again, and I saw Keith crumble.
“Who made you do this?”
“Kuncle John.”
I let the biggest laugh go, outing myself to everyone, but I didn’t care. That little boy was on my side.
“It’s on, Irons.” Keith handed his son a cookie.
I noticed Catalina had slipped out after John and I started our normal banter. I found her on the deck looking over the lake.
“Hey,” I came up beside her, “everything okay?”
“More than.” She looked down. “I never imagined a family could be like this. I’m just trying to let it sink in, that’s all.”
“I understand.” I drew her to me and hugged her tightly.
***
Our wedding day came all too fast, yet not fast enough. I wasn’t nervous; I was just ready. I’d waited my entire life to find the one, and now that I’d found her, I couldn’t wait to make her officially mine.
With the wooden box in hand, I knocked lightly on the door, and my sister answered with disapproval in her eyes.
“Yes?”
“I need to see Catalina.”
“No.”
“Is she dressed yet?”
“No. But, Mike, there are rules.”
“I respect that, but let me in. I have something for her.”
“Hang on.” She slammed the door in my face, and I cursed at her manners. “Okay, the coast is clear.”
I found Catalina in front of a vanity, make-up and hair finished. I itched to touch her silky white robe. I swore my heart skipped a beat.
“Hi.” Her face glowed. “What are you doing here?”
“I have something for you.” I held out the box to her as her eyes brimmed with tears.
“How? How did you get that?”
“I had a little help. Before the last bomb went off, that is.” I opened her mother’s jewelry box a
nd pulled out a pink pearl necklace, the same one her mother wore when Catalina was born. “Something borrowed.” I hung it around her neck and awkwardly fastened the tiny clasp.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as her delicate fingers clasped the pearls.
“I can’t believe you did this, Mike,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
“You gave up a lot and still will by marrying me, Catalina, and you have no idea what that means to me.”
I wanted to kiss her, but I could wait. I wanted to do this right for us. We both deserved it.
“See you up there.” I kissed the top of her head, and despite my sister’s fake anger about their schedule, she did give me a hug as I was about to leave.
“You’ve set the bar high for any man I might find, big brother. Thank you for that.”
I full-on lost my voice as her words hit me in the center of my stomach.
“You will stay single forever.” I kissed her cheek and looked back at my soon-to-be wife.
Just as I closed the door, my mother stood in front of me with a shoebox sized present of her own in her hand.
“Sweet Jesus, Mom,” my heart jumped in my throat, “never sneak up like that.”
“Don’t curse, Banner.” She pushed the box in my hands. “I have something for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I grinned like a child because my Mom always gave great gifts. I lifted the top, and my stomach twisted, and tears came to my own eyes.
Dammit, I was doing so good today too.
A bride and groom troll set lay nestled in black tissue paper.
“I know you don’t need them anymore, as you have wonderful friends and now a wife, but it makes me happy to give them to you. It somehow completes their happiness too.” She pointed at the little dolls.
I couldn’t speak. Shit, I could barely think. My mother always knew just how to squeeze my heart and make me feel so incredibly loved all at once.
“I…” I cleared my throat. “This means…” Where the hell was my voice? “Thank you, Mom, they are perfect.”
She grinned through a tear-soaked face. “I’m so proud of you, son, and you chose a wonderful woman to share your life with.”
