Beau

by Dale Mayer

  He shot her a side glance as he pulled into a parking spot. “What are you talking about?”

  “You can’t try to forget me already.”

  He shot her a disbelieving look, exited the medic truck, and slammed the door. As soon as he made it to the back doors, he opened them. “We’ve got like a dozen kids in here,” he yelled as a medical team raced toward him. He told them, “More vehicles are arriving.”

  The doctor in front of him nodded. “Are these kids okay?”

  “I think so,” he said, emphasizing the think, “but I don’t have any way of knowing.” He held the door, and they carefully moved each one out onto a different gurney and took them inside.

  Danica watched the process and thought they should have piled four kids on each gurney, especially if they were all family. But she imagined the doctors wanted to set up stats on each and every one of them. These kids had probably never seen a civilian doctor in their life or off the compound even. They had to be terrified.

  And, sure enough, an awful lot of blubbering and wide-eyed glances were going on. One little boy had his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, holding himself so tight that she wanted to hug him. But, with so many vehicles and so many medical personnel and so much chaos going on right now, she stayed out of the way and sat in place and waited for Beau.

  Not that he was planning on coming back. For all she knew, he was taking off, and that was it.

  Disgruntled, she kept thinking about all the things that he’d be happy to get rid of, and she knew she was likely at the top of the list. That wasn’t fair. She’d hardly even known him. But he was something special, and she didn’t want to lose track of him. And, if he didn’t understand that she was something special too and meant for him, well, then she would have to make sure that she made it clear.

  Patrol cars and dozens of police officers arrived. She watched as all the women and children rescued from the burning compound were led into the hospital, one at a time. She couldn’t imagine how much paperwork would be generated by this visit, but it was paperwork that needed to happen.

  As she sat here, watching the chaos around her, she was startled to see a familiar face beside her. It was Asher. She looked up at him and smiled. “I hardly even got to say hi to you today,” she said.

  He just laughed. “I thought you were pretty strict about keeping your eyes on Beau.”

  “Absolutely. I have no shame,” she announced.

  He just shook his head. “Well, if you don’t quite understand the response you’re getting from Beau, it’s because he’s looking at you with a side eye, trying to figure you out.”

  “There’s no figuring me out,” she said. “He just needs to open his arms and accept me.”

  At that, Asher went off in great big chuckles. “You’re good for him.”

  “Well, it’s not like he’s having a tough time being in my life or anything.” She shrugged. “But what do I know? He’s hardly talked to me.”

  “I have too,” came the manly voice from behind Asher.

  She looked up and gave him a sunny smile. “There you are,” she said. “Like I told you before, you can’t forget me that fast.”

  He just sighed. “I’ll take her into the hospital,” he said to Asher, as he picked her up once more.

  Asher obediently moved to the side, but his grin was wicked as he looked down at them. “Are you staying in town then, Beau?”

  “We’re done, aren’t we?”

  “We are,” he said, “but I’m not sure if delivery is part of the job.”

  “Find out for me, will you?” he asked. “Her feet need to be checked over.”

  “I’ve walked on them some since they got clean, but I added more cushion before I did,” she said. She swung her feet around so Asher could see the bits and pieces of sweatshirt tied to the bottom.

  He cast his glance from her feet to her face, back to her feet, and shook his head.

  “Well, I had to do something,” she said. “I couldn’t just let them bleed all over the place. Speaking of which,” she said, her voice dropping, “those two men who got blown to bits are still up there.”

  Asher nodded, his face a little more distant as he said, “Understood. I guess that’s not a pretty sight.”

  “I was more concerned about predators, but now the fire may get to them,” she said. “I don’t know who those men were, but surely their families want to know or maybe even wish to deal with the remains. Not sure enough is left there that anybody wants to pick up though,” she admitted.

  “We’ll handle it,” Asher said. “A lot of military personnel will analyze the scene.”

  “Not until that fire’s put out, and there may not be anything left to find by then,” she said. She looked down at her clothing and said, “I’m a mess.”

  “Finally,” Beau said, “something that makes sense.”

  She gasped, looked up at him, and smacked him lightly on the cheek. When he shot her a look, she grinned and said, “Well, I can’t kiss you. That’s all I could reach.”

  He groaned and said, “You really do say the damnedest things.”

  “No,” she said, “I say honest things.”

  “Things that just blurt out of your mouth without any forethought.”

  She tossed a glance over his shoulder to see Asher standing there, grinning at the two of them like a madman, his hands on his hips beside the vehicle. “Asher thinks we’re crazy.”

  “Asher thinks you’re crazy,” Beau corrected, but his voice was gentle.

  She snickered. “Crazy is as crazy does.”

  “I never did understand that saying.”

  “Nothing to understand,” she said, “because you’re just the same as I am.”

  “Not in a million years,” he said.

  Not sure if he was trying to insult her or not, she straightened up as much as she could, using his neck to shift her position in his arms and said, “Insulting me won’t work either.”

  “Does anything work?”

  “To what? Shut me up?”

  “Yes,” he growled. He stopped to let some people in and out of the hospital’s doorway.

  She nodded. “There’s one thing that’ll work.”

  He looked down at her and asked, “What?”

  “This.” She raised up, placed her lips over his, and kissed him gently. She could feel the response from deep inside his soul. She pulled back ever-so-slightly, smiled into his shocked eyes, and said, “That is guaranteed to work.”

  One of Beau’s hands grasped the back of her head, and his head was lowered until their lips met yet again. This time she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with more enthusiasm. When he finally pulled his head back and stared down at her, she beamed. “See? You’re getting it,” she said. “A little bit longer around me, and you’ll understand me completely.”

  Just then somebody stood by them and said, “Excuse me?”

  Beau looked at him and sighed. “Yes, can I help you?”

  It was an orderly or a doctor—she had no idea. They all seemed to blend into one another when they wore the same scrubs.

  He said, “I have a wheelchair for her.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m perfectly fine where I am, thanks. Just point me toward a bed.”

  “We’re a little short on beds,” he said apologetically. “That’s why the wheelchair.”

  She groaned and said, “Really? I’ll have to wait to get my feet looked at, won’t I?” She turned to Beau and said, “It’s your fault you know.”

  “And why is that again?” he asked with a heavy sigh.

  “Because I don’t think I need to be here. Just take the padding off, and, if the rest looks good,” she said, “my feet will be fine until tonight.”

  “The doctor who told you that is involved in trafficking dozens of women,” Beau said. “Are you really trusting his medical expertise with your feet?”

  Instantly, the smile fell from her face. “I didn’
t even think of that.” She stared at her messy, sweatshirt-covered feet and said, “Do you think he did something to hurt me?”

  She was dumped unceremoniously into the wheelchair while Beau immediately crouched in front and, pulling a knife from his pocket, cut off the sweatshirt that she had used to help protect her feet. A scalpel fell to the floor. He picked it up, looked at it then at her. She grinned and shrugged.

  The orderly moved him out of the way a little bit, took off the bandage, and checked out her feet for himself. He frowned, looked at Beau, and said, “They don’t look half bad.”

  Just then the corporal came over with a doctor at his side. The doctor took a quick look and said, “These were recently treated, right?”

  “A little over an hour ago,” she said, “but by the same doctor who helped move all those kidnapped women overseas into the sex trade.”

  Immediately the doctor’s face darkened. “Right,” he said. He crouched before her and said, “These look fine. We’ll just get them rebandaged.”

  She pulled the bag from her pocket and said, “Beau can do it. I’ve got the supplies right here.”

  The doctor nodded, said, “You’re good to go,” and he headed back into the chaos behind him.

  She smiled at Beau. “See? They’re fine.” He quickly bandaged them back up again, dumping the bloodied sweatshirt and gauze in the garbage. She groaned and said, “Do you know what I would do for a bath?”

  “Not likely,” he said, “not with your feet like that.”

  “Well, maybe it would help them,” she said. “They could soak for a little bit.”

  “Maybe.” But he didn’t sound very optimistic. He led her back to the parking lot, where Asher stood, talking to a couple men.

  He took one look when he saw her and asked, “Is she good to go?”

  “I’m good to go,” she said before Beau had a chance to say anything. “The feet are fine.”

  “Correction. The feet don’t need to be rebandaged now,” Beau stated. “There’s nothing about her that’s fine.”

  She looked up at Asher and grinned. “He’s upset that I kissed him.”

  Asher’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Why would he be upset?”

  “Because I told him it was the only way to shut me up.”

  At that, Asher laughed again. “You two are hilarious.”

  “We are, aren’t we?” she said complacently. “But I sure wouldn’t mind getting to a hotel where I can maybe get a bath. I’m soaked and dirty. I haven’t been clean for days.”

  “To the hotel then,” Asher said. At the beep, he glanced at his phone, read the instructions, frowned, and said, “They’re setting up more women at a second hotel. So that’s the one where you’ll be.”

  “Of course,” she said. “I don’t get the first-class treatment. I get the leftovers.”

  Beau just groaned, scooped her up in his arms, and said, “You’ll get a room and a bed. Be happy.”

  “Does it come with food and a bed warmer?”

  He shot her a look, but Asher grinned like a happy loon.

  She then realized she was in a pickup. “Oh, I like this truck,” she said.

  “Good,” Asher said, “it’s ours.”

  “For how long?”

  “Till tomorrow,” he said cheerfully. “I rented it for overnight.”

  That shut her up for a moment. “Nobody thinks about the logistics required to come up here and to take down a compound of crazies like this. But I really do appreciate you guys coming and looking for me.”

  “So thank your father,” Beau said. “He’s the one who set the wheels in motion.”

  “And how sad is that?” she asked. “What about all those women before me? Don’t they have families who can sound the alarm?”

  “I rather imagine most of them have a whole lot less family than we’d expect, so they don’t have many people who can sound the alarm,” Asher said. “The kidnappers typically picked the most vulnerable women available. In this case, they also wanted clean, nice young women, no addicts, and, in a couple cases, preferably untouched women.”

  “A couple really young girls were in that new group,” she said quietly. “They looked pretty traumatized.”

  “They’re lucky they’re alive and safe and have been rescued,” Beau said. “I have no idea if we’ll have any way to track the other women or not.”

  “Have you guys stopped the ship yet?”

  “It’s been impounded at the yard,” Beau said. “But, of course, the crew knows nothing and has no plans or paperwork to say they were willing to take on a couple dozen or more women.”

  “Of course not,” she said, “and, on top of that, all the cult records are likely burning to hell in that damn fire too.”

  “But we do have the four men who escaped,” Asher said. “I’m sure one of them has a whole lot more information than the others are willing to provide.”

  “If you offer them a deal,” she said, “that’s quite likely. The cops should probably find out if any of them have a laptop or something with them. That would be important. Especially talk to Mackey. He’d likely remember the women. He checked them over …”

  “The cops are on it,” Beau said. “It’s not up to us to cross the Ts and dot the Is.”

  “This must drive you batty,” she said. “How can you not get closure on all this?”

  “The closure we get is knowing that we finished our job,” Beau said. “Lots of times, when we worked on special missions, we never really saw much closure. We did the piece of the job that we were told to do. That was our closure.”

  “You know that I’ll watch the news like a hawk to make sure that these guys are put away for life. Although I might end up having to testify too.”

  “It would be interesting to follow through with that,” Asher said, “but the courts can take a long time.”

  “Maybe,” she said, “but I doubt Anchorage’s crime rate is quite the same as, say, Chicago or Detroit or New York.”

  “You might be surprised,” Beau said. “Besides, they’re still trying to pick up all the pieces, and, until they have all of those, they won’t even know what charges they can bring.”

  She nodded. “Okay, fine,” she said, “but the person they should be looking for is Nania. She was part of the trafficking. She’ll know where the bodies are buried.”

  “Right,” Beau said, pulling out his phone. “Another woman cooperated too.” The pregnant mother with her four kids in the tunnels that he had saved just in time.

  She listened as he made a phone call, letting somebody on the other end know that bodies were buried at the corner of the compound too. She stared at him in shock. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “A couple women didn’t make it or were too difficult, and I think one man. I’m not exactly sure now.”

  She sagged back and thought, “Oh, my God, what a nightmare. I guess I don’t really care about the details, but I want to know that whatever money the cult gained and now has been confiscated goes to these kidnapped women, so that they can have a decent life, plus that every effort is made to recover the women who have already been taken to Europe.”

  “Not Europe, Asia,” Beau corrected. “And, if there are any documents, the police will find them.”

  “They should contact the shipping company and see when the other women went overseas and who they dealt with over there,” she said.

  Asher laughed. “Again you need to let the people who deal with this stuff all the time deal with it.”

  “Maybe,” she said, “but, all too often, they don’t deal with it, and it ends up just being half done.”

  “Well, there will be advocates for these women. I’m sure they’ll work hard to fight for their sake,” Beau said.

  Just then they drove up to a hotel, pulled into the side lot, and parked.

  As soon as they parked and shut off the engine, Beau hopped out of the truck, reached in, slid an arm underneath her knees and around her back, picked her up,
and gently maneuvered her from the truck. She threw her arms around his neck with abandon. He was still trying to adjust to her free spirit; she was so different than the other kidnapped women when he’d first met her. She wasn’t even including herself mentally with the victims. She’d already moved on. It was as if she was really coming into herself. Or, much more likely that, now she was out of a dangerous situation, she was thoroughly enjoying every moment of life.

  Of course, his mind instantly went to other areas where she’d made it obvious that she was interested and willing. He, however, wasn’t sure of the sensibility of her thinking right now. He could hardly say that she was still in victim mode or confusing this with gratitude. It all had to do with sampling life to its fullest, as far as he could tell. The trouble was—and he would be the first to admit how different this was for him—he didn’t want just a one-night stand.

  They walked into the hotel, Beau still carrying Danica. Asher went to the reception desk to find out what the deal was, and they were given two rooms, one for themselves and one for her. She smiled. “Look at that. I’ll have a bathroom to myself,” she said.

  “Is it that important?”

  “Only the bath part,” she said. She sagged against his arms when they stepped into the elevator. “It’s a good thing I don’t weigh very much,” she said. “All you’ve done is pack me around like a two-year-old.”

  “You’ve mentioned that a couple times,” he said, looking down at her. “When you’re my size, somebody your size doesn’t make much of a dent.”

  “Your size is perfect,” she said. “I’m just small.”

  “Well, if you’d eaten your veggies when you were little …” Asher said.

  She gurgled with laughter at that. “I love my veggies,” she said, “at least now. I eat mostly rabbit food.”

  “Of course you do,” Beau said.

  “Let me guess. You’re a meat-and-potatoes guy.”

  “I’m a food guy,” he said. “I’m not really too fussy about what. I just like lots of it.”

  “Food,” she said, rearing her head. “Oh, my God, do we get a meal?”