Homecoming

by Heath Stallcup

  Matt turned slowly to the large metal filing cabinet in the corner of his office and pulled open the top drawer. In the back of the drawer behind his personal copies of the squad members personnel files were three framed photographs. He felt the familiar cold of the frames as his hand pulled them out, and he fought not to open his eyes. He had long ago memorized every line, every shade, every detail…yet his eyes betrayed him. He could feel them misting as he stared into the last photos taken of JoAnn. Although the picture was printed in black and white, he knew the color of her hair. He knew every fleck of color in her eyes. He even knew which of her bottom teeth was slightly crooked.

  Matt laid the picture frame down and stared at Molly’s picture. This one was taken when she was only five. Or was she six? She wore twin pigtails and her front teeth were missing. She smiled so big. She couldn’t wait to show daddy that she’d lost her front teeth. The tooth fairy was going to come and visit her that night.

  The third photograph was of JoAnn and Molly together. Molly had nearly doubled her age, JoAnn looked remarkably the same. Her hair was a little shorter. Matt realized that perhaps those streaks weren’t put there on purpose. Perhaps she had actually aged a little. He ran his fingertip across the photo, outlining JoAnn’s jaw, her lips, her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” his whispered voice cracked when he spoke. “I couldn’t protect you.”

  He sniffed back a tear as he stared at the last photo of JoAnn that would ever be taken. Molly appeared so full of life. They both did. How could they…how could…just…how?

  He didn’t realize the tear had escaped until it splashed upon the glass of the frame, and he jerked his head up and looked around. He pulled out a tissue and quickly wiped off the glass and began slipping the photos back in the rear of the drawer. As he reached the last one, the black and white of his wife, he paused and stared into her eyes one more time.

  “She’s out there, ya know. According to people I trust, she’s supposed to be my mate.” JoAnn’s image didn’t say anything in reply. He almost seemed shocked that she didn’t crawl out of the frame and rip into him. “She’s supposed to be my ‘Fated Mate’ whatever the hell that really means.” He stared at JoAnn’s face and felt the hot tears run down his cheeks. “This isn’t right, Jo-Jo. She took you from me. You and Molly and now…” he choked on his own words as he stared at her image.

  Matt felt suddenly ill and quickly slipped the photo back into the cabinet with the others. He shut the door and flipped the lock shut. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

  Matt stood in the dimness of his office and stared at the ceiling. He took one, two, three deep breaths and was so tempted to dig out one of his hidden bottles of Scotch. He stepped to his desk and sat back into his chair, his mind numb but still racing, although none of it registering.

  With head in hands once more, he fought not to lose control of his emotions. He whispered to himself, “What am I supposed to do now?”

  Matt froze and dared not breathe when he heard a distinct voice in his mind tell him, “You need to heal.”

  His head snapped up and he stared around the room. “Jo-Jo? Is that you?” He listened intently, but all he could hear was the air moving through the ducts of the ventilation system. Matt stood slowly and looked around again. “Please, Jo, if that’s you…” He strained his ears to listen, trying his best to use his wolf abilities that he’d ignored for so long.

  But there was nothing.

  He fell back into his chair on the verge of sobbing once more, convinced that he was either losing his mind or that his imagination was playing tricks on him. As he sat slumped in his chair, he could almost feel JoAnn’s calming hands on his shoulder, soothing him.

  *****

  Laura struggled against the tape they used on her hands, but it did no good. The hood that was slipped over her head completely blocked her vision and the only indication she had of where they might be going was the fact that she had never left the beach. She was about to try once more to pull away when she was roughly lifted and deposited into what she could only guess was a boat by the wooden bottom and the way it rocked when her weight hit it. She felt the others climb in and soon heard a small engine come to life.

  “Where are you taking me?” She fought to keep any fear from her voice but knew the wolves would have already smelled it.

  Her question was met with a quick smack to the back of the head. “Shuddup already.”

  She did her best to try to keep a bearing but soon found it impossible. The continuous rocking of the small craft with the waves had her more concerned about motion sickness than the direction of travel. She swallowed soda-tinged bile as it rose in her throat and tried to take deep breaths through the thick material of the sack over her head. “At the risk of getting smacked again, I think I’m about to be seasick.”

  Her captors said nothing as the small craft continued on its journey, and she continued to fight the nausea swelling within. “I’m serious here, guys. I’m about to toss cookies.” She turned her head in either direction hoping somebody would assist her. “Look, guys, I don’t know my way around here and even if I could see, I doubt I could find my way back. Please, just take off the hood. I really think I’m going to be ill.”

  Hope sprung within as she felt hands grasp her shoulders and still her. Then she heard the engine die and felt the boat strike something hard. Perhaps a wooden pier? Moments later she was lifted up and handed off to another set of strong hands that stood her on more solid footing. The feelings of nausea weren’t entirely gone, but they subsided greatly as she felt something solid beneath her feet.

  Laura’s shoulders slumped with weakness from the nausea and she waited in place while the others disembarked. Once the party was ready, she was pushed roughly in the direction they wanted her to go. “All you had to do was ask.”

  Another smack to the back of the head was her reply. Laura ground her teeth as she wished she knew the identity of the guy who liked to hit women. Wolf or not, the one thing she would put at the top of her Bucket List would be the neutering of a certain werewolf.

  The party marched for what felt like forever. Laura distinctly felt vegetation rub against her pant legs. She felt rougher, rockier soil under her feet. She almost felt, at times, that they marched in circles, except the terrain was constantly changing. Hills and wooded areas were obvious. Rocks and sandy soil she could identify. She was beginning to wish that she had the stamina of her captors when she was finally pulled to a stop and her legs pushed out from behind her. She landed hard on her knees and waited. She dared not speak or faced getting smacked in the back of the head again.

  Laura strained her ears and could hear murmuring in the background. A woman’s voice, Jennifer’s most likely, was arguing in a heated whisper with another…a male. Laura felt fatigue all the way to her bones and was at the point where she wished they would either kill her or let her loose so she could take a nap. Her body ached in places it shouldn’t and her hands had lost feeling kilometers ago.

  “Why have you come here?” a male voice asked.

  Laura lifted her head and tried to zero in on the direction. “Could you let me loose please?”

  “I asked you a question, human.”

  “And I asked for a little common courtesy. I’m obviously not a threat. You said it yourself. I’m a human. You’re surrounded by wolves.” She tried not to let her aggravation reflect in her voice. She failed miserably. “Look, I’m exhausted, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, and my feet are killing me. Not to mention, one of your smack-happy hounds has given me a headache like you wouldn’t believe. So, if you want a little cooperation from me…”

  “Does she always talk so damned much?” the voice asked in irritation.

  She felt the sack pulled roughly from her head and had to shake her hair out of her face in order to look around. She immediately took in her surroundings. She sat at what appeared to be the edge of a rain forest or jungle. A large clearing had been made and an estate erec
ted for a very well-to-do person. Large men patrolled the grounds, obviously security. Four men surrounded her, two on either side, and the man in front of her bore an uncanny resemblance to Jennifer. If that was her real name.

  The man leaned down and invaded her personal space. “I asked you a question.”

  “And I’d really like to get some circulation back in my fingers.” Laura tried to smile, but she was almost certain it came across as a scowl.

  The man rolled his eyes, and his mouth twisted up in anger. He pulled out a rather large spring assisted knife and flipped it open in front of her face. In the blink of an eye, he reached behind her and sliced the tape holding her hands together. “Now, answer the questions.”

  Laura pulled her hands in front of her and rubbed some feeling back into them. As she suspected, her fingers were a nice shade of blue. “What was the question again?”

  The man’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer and spoke slowly, “Why have you come here?”

  Laura nodded, as if suddenly understanding. “I came here,” she answered just as slowly, “because a bunch of big, dumb, muscle-bound dogs dragged me here against my will.” She stood on wobbly legs and stared at the man. “Trust me when I tell you, I’d much rather be back at the beach sipping a Mai Tai.”

  She watched as his face slowly turned red, and he turned to Jennifer who was stifling a smile. “Is she…do you…” He waved his hands animatedly. “Tell me why I shouldn’t let the boys just eat her now?”

  Jennifer shrugged. “I tried to tell them, but they wouldn’t listen.”

  “This was your idea, remember?” The man turned to Laura again. “This is your last chance, human. Tell me the truth or I will let my boys use you as a chew toy.”

  Laura narrowed her gaze at the man and squared her shoulders. “I told you the truth. Your ‘boys’ brought me here against my will. And if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to go back to the beach and—”

  “Why are you in Belize?” he shouted.

  “Oh.” Laura stood back and placed her hands on her hips. “You should have just asked that in the first place.”

  “I am asking that now.” He was losing his patience, and Laura felt it best to stop goading him.

  “I came here to talk to her.” She pointed at Jennifer.

  “What about?”

  Laura gave him a suspicious look. “And who are you to her?”

  He ground his teeth together and pointed a finger at her. “I am her father!”

  Laura cast a glance to Jennifer who simply nodded. “Very well, I came here to talk to her about what happened back in the States. And about the man who keeps following her.”

  “Her captor, you mean.” The man’s voice held venom.

  “Potatoes, Po-tah-toes. The point is—”

  “The point is, he was her captor. You work for this man. That makes you part of the problem.” He nodded to his men and one of them grabbed her about the shoulders and pinned her in place. “Chew toy it is.”

  Jennifer jumped between her father and Laura, “No, Papa, I told you, she has information that I need.”

  “Bah! She has nothing that you need. She can be disposed of and nobody will miss her.” He made a motion to the man and Laura was lifted from her feet with a squeal. “She will be taken care of. You are safe now, my dear.”

  “But, Papa!”

  Laura squirmed around on the man’s shoulders, “I have information about her Fated Mate!”

  Both Jennifer and her father spun instantly and stared at the tall, dark haired human. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me.” Laura continued to hit at the man’s back until he turned around. She was now facing the wrong way. “Put me down, dammit!”

  Jennifer pulled her father aside, “It is possible, Papa. When I was there—”

  “What?” He pulled Jennifer closer and lowered his voice. “What happened?”

  She shook her head in confusion. “I-I just…when I turned, I saw my reflection.” She lifted her eyes to his and he knew.

  “Who is it?”

  Jennifer shrugged. “I do not know. There were a handful of people there. I know of at least four men.”

  Her father placed a hand on each of her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. “This is a very unfortunate twist, my dear.”

  “Why is that, Papa?” Her confusion was evident as she searched his face.

  “I am about to take steps to attack those who held you.”

  *****

  Jack settled into the private quarters that both he and Nadia shared. He closed the curtains of the window and sat down on the floor next to the bed. Reaching under the large wood framed bed, he pulled out an ornately decorated, hand carved box. Sliding it in front of him, he carefully opened the lid and stared at the bundle inside wrapped in simple cloth. With both hands he carefully lifted the bundle out and placed it onto the floor, then slid the box out of the way.

  Very carefully, Jack unwrapped the cloth and lifted the large polished stone from its wrappings. He placed the stone gently on the floor and smoothed the textile beside it. Jack closed his eyes and recited a short chant that he had been taught, then blew lightly on the cloth. Slowly, letters began to appear on the cloth, taking shape and forming words then sentences.

  Jack held the cloth up to a candle and tried to look through the letters. There was something else to this…if he could only…oh yeah! Taking a corner, he gently folded one side across to the other. Then he folded it the other way. Jack lifted the cloth again and looked at the flame through the gossamer material. The letters that had previously made no sense to him now created words that he could read. Jack quickly read the lines and committed them to memory.

  He picked up the polished stone and rubbed it while repeating the phrase he learned from the material. Please work. He continued to rub the stone and soon saw an illumination appear within the stone itself. Jack continued rubbing the stone, and without warning, it became transparent.

  He placed the stone gently on the ground and spoke into it, “Loren? Are you there?”

  He waited patiently until the Wyldwood’s face appeared in the stone. “Chief Jack, it is a pleasure to see your face again.”

  “And yours as well, my lady.” Jack made a slight bow to her with his head, and she repeated the gesture.

  “To what do I owe the honor, Chief Jack?”

  “I’ve come to ask a favor once more.” He couldn’t tell if she was totally displeased or not, but he pushed on. “The favor I ask is purely a personal one and not for myself.”

  Loren still appeared unfazed. “Speak to me of this boon, Chief Jack.”

  “I’m in need of some hired muscle, and I’m hoping you can reach out to some mutual friends of ours.” Jack smiled as he spoke.

  *****

  Little John waited for the second verification on the vampire threat along with the rest of his team. While he waited, he mulled over the different things Spalding had said to him. Making him part of the squad regardless of what Apollo wanted, accepting him the way he was, taking him based on his abilities and not just how well he played with others…it all seemed a bit opposite of how Apollo painted the teams.

  John glanced at his watch and pushed away from the wall he was leaning on. He searched out Spalding who was going over final checklists with the Duty Officer. Jericho Jones would be their Mobile OPCOM liaison. He was packing his own gear for the AC-130 that would serve as the Command in the Sky and a launch point for any drones that may be needed.

  “Need a hand?”

  Both men turned when Little John offered, and Jericho shook his head. “Just finished up, but I appreciate the offer.” He finished securing the large metal storage box with the nylon straps along the back of the HUMVEE truck, then slapped the side. The driver started the truck and rolled out of the hangar. “You ready?”

  John nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

  “Good, we expect a secondary any minute now. The second spotter arrived a little bit
ago and is en route to the location. Best grab your gear and be ready. The Huey will be here shortly.” Jones whistled and another HUMVEE roared to life. He jumped into the passenger side and gave both men a thumbs-up as the truck pulled away.

  Spalding turned to John and assessed the man’s cool demeanor. “I take it something is on your mind.”

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “Well, you’re obviously not nervous about the op. You aren’t overly excited.” Darren gave him a sideways smile. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were debating which movie to pick on TV.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Cool cucumber, all the way.” The sarcasm wasn’t missed.

  “So what’s on your mind?”

  “I was just curious…why the total turnaround?” Spalding stopped in mid-step and turned to give him his full attention. “I mean, according to Apollo, if I don’t play well with others, then I’m a liability. But you? You’re cool if I just do my job. That seems…”

  “Counter-intuitive?”

  “Counter something.” John’s eyes watched his team leader carefully but detected nothing that indicated the man was being misleading.

  “Let’s just say, I once knew a guy a lot like you. He was pretty quiet, kept to himself a lot, but in the thick of things, I wouldn’t want anybody else to cover my back.”

  “Who is he?”

  Darren shook his head. “Who was he.” He inhaled deeply and stared off into nothingness for a moment. “He was a friend of mine.” His voice dropped to nearly a whisper as he remembered the Padre.

  “What happened to him?” Little John watched Spalding’s features harden slightly. “If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

  “No, he…” he paused trying to find the right words, “he met his end trying to defend us all from a very bad character. He and another operator were cut down in the process. We don’t really like to talk about it.”