Protecting Alabama (SEAL of Protection Book 2)

by Susan Stoker

  You might be thinking that I spent an awful lot of time remembering every single thing you did for me, and you’d be right. I only remember because you’re the first man to do anything like that for me. Every single thing you did left its mark on me. I only wish I’d realized before now it was all payment for services rendered. I wish I’d known you were paying for me to sleep with you, I would’ve said no thanks.

  I’m sorry I misunderstood. My fault. I hope I’ve returned everything. I wouldn’t want to be accused of stealing from you.

  –Alabama

  Abe realized he’d been rubbing his chest while he’d been reading her letter. He knew he should be pissed at her. The Alpha man inside him wanted to punish her for throwing all of his gestures back in his face. On the surface, sending the money seemed like a petty thing to do, as she’d stated, but Abe knew Alabama well enough to know how much he’d hurt her. She was only trying to protect herself.

  He leaned down and gathered up the money tucking it back into the envelope. He’d return it as soon as he could. In the meantime he’d have to figure out how he was going to help his woman.

  “Help me, Wolf. Help me find her.”

  “You got it, Abe.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  They’d been searching for Alabama for two days straight, with no luck. It was amazing how someone could just disappear. Abe would’ve been impressed, if he hadn’t been so worried about her. Even Tex hadn’t been able to dig up any reliable information to help find her. It was as if she’d disappeared off the face of the earth.

  The team had split up around the city, each of them taking a different section. They hadn’t found her, but they’d heard stories. The first time Abe had heard someone talking about Alabama, he’d been excited, thinking they were close, but it wasn’t the case.

  They’d gone into a small “mom and pop” grocery store with Alabama’s picture asking the owners and workers if they’d seen her. They had. The clerk explained how she’d purchased five packets of those cheap packaged noodles college students were notorious for buying. Five. The total came to a dollar and forty two cents. She’d counted out the money from the change in her pocket. The clerk went on to tell them how he’d noticed her because after she’d made her purchase, he’d watched her walk across the street, kneel down next to one of the local homeless guys and give him one of the packets, and apparently the rest of the change she’d had in her hand.

  So they’d left the store and tried to find the homeless guy. They hadn’t found the exact person, but they’d talked to two other homeless women who’d said they’d met Alabama. They’d told Abe how sweet she’d been to them and how they’d let her stay with them on the street one night.

  Abe was going out of his mind. He had over a thousand dollars of her money in his pocket and she was literally sleeping on the street and eating freeze dried-fucking-noodles. He wanted to howl his frustration. His woman shouldn’t be living like that. She should be in his bed tucked in next to him. Safe. But he’d put her on the street. Him.

  That night, after another day of searching with no luck, Wolf was fed up. “Jesus, we’ve had better luck finding terrorists inside third world countries! It’s time to stop messing around. We need to trick her.”

  “No way,” Abe immediately protested, not liking the thought of deceiving Alabama in any way.

  Wolf immediately countered, “Do you want to find her, Abe? Or do you want her to spend another day and night on the street eating who knows what, meeting who knows what kind of people?”

  Hell, when he put it that way, Abe was all about doing whatever Wolf wanted to do if it meant finding her. “What do you suggest?”

  “We need to get her back with her lawyer. Alabama trusts her. We need to talk to her and get her to set up a meeting. Hell, she needs to meet with Alabama anyway. She has to get her to sign the papers acknowledging her freedom and the fact the case against her as been dropped. We have no idea if Alabama even knows Adelaide and Joni were arrested for making false statements. Those security tapes proved Alabama didn’t steal anything and that Adelaide and Joni set her up from the start.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I’m not sure you should be there when we meet with her, Abe,” Benny said.

  “Oh hell no!” Abe said vehemently. “I have to be there. I started this and I’ll finish it. I need her.”

  At the anguished tone in his friend’s voice, Benny relented. “At least let us make sure she won’t bolt before you can talk to her.”

  Reluctantly Abe nodded. He knew as well as the others did, if Alabama saw him first, that’s exactly what she’d do, bolt. He deserved it, but he just hoped she’d give him a chance to grovel. “All right, set it up. Let’s do this.”

  It was two days before the lawyer could manage to get word to Alabama, and another day before the meeting was set up. The SEALs were impressed with the lawyer. As much as they hated it, she was able to find Alabama within forty eight hours.

  Abe didn’t care how she’d done it, just that he’d finally be able to see Alabama. He hadn’t slept well since he’d realized what an ass he’d been. He fell asleep each night wondering if she was okay, and he’d wake up wondering the same thing each morning. His commanding officer was getting fed up with him and his team. They’d been worthless at work, and everyone knew something had to give. Abe didn’t give a fuck though. Alabama came first in his life now. Before work, before his country, before everything.

  Abe paced the hallway at the homeless shelter waiting for Wolf to give him the all clear. Alabama was supposed to meet with her lawyer in ten minutes. They all held their breaths hoping she’d actually show up.

  The plan was to let the lawyer talk to Alabama first and break the news about the charges being dropped. Once she did that, Wolf and Dude would enter the room and let Alabama know they were there to talk to her. Once she settled from their arrival, Abe would go in. They had it all planned out, but no one knew what her reaction would be to it all.

  Alabama was tired. She was dirty, sore, hungry, and perpetually scared out of her mind. Living on the streets was scary. It wasn’t like the movies where everyone you met was nice and concerned about your welfare. People were on drugs and desperate and wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to get what they wanted. It wasn’t all Pretty Woman-esque either. Alabama had been trying to avoid a local pimp for the last two nights. She knew if he could, he’d have her flat on her back working for him in no time.

  She’d spent as many nights here in the shelter as she could, but when she’d heard Abe was looking for her, she’d bolted. She didn’t want him to find her. It’d hurt too much. She was trying to figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get there.

  When she’d heard her lawyer was needing to talk to her, she agreed to meet her today. Alabama couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Riverton, but she had to make sure she was in the free and clear to leave. As much as she’d like to get out of town now, she knew she’d never make it far if she was wanted for skipping bond and leaving the state. So she’d stuck around.

  The last time Alabama had talked to her lawyer, the woman had been convinced the charges would soon be dropped. She’d told Alabama there was a security camera in the Realty building. She’d point blank asked Alabama if she’d stolen anything. At Alabama’s firm shake of the head, she’d simply nodded and said, “I didn’t think so.”

  Alabama thought at the time it was pretty sad that a jaded lawyer had believed her with no questions asked, and Christopher, the man who’d told her he loved her, hadn’t even given her a chance to explain. Alabama refused to let her mind go back down that road again. That part of her life was over. She was moving on. Of course it was easier said than done, but she was trying.

  Alabama sat in the chair at the table in front of her lawyer. She’d left her suitcase near the door as she’d walked in. She felt dirty. Hell, she was dirty. She hadn’t had a proper shower in days and her hair needed washing, badly. All she wanted to hear was tha

t she was free to go, and she was out of here.

  “Alabama, I’ve got great news,” her lawyer gushed, not making her wait. “Those security tapes showed just what we thought they would. Adelaide and Joni planted the money on your cart and it’s all on tape. I just got back from the District Attorney’s office and all the charges against you have been dropped.”

  She paused, as if waiting for Alabama to leap up in joy or something.

  Alabama just sat there. Whoopee. She was innocent. Big deal. She’d been innocent the entire time. She was glad at the decision, however, because it meant she was free to go. She tilted her head at her lawyer as if to ask, “Are you finished?”

  “I’m not done.” She’d interpreted Alabama’s nonverbal head tilt well enough. “There are some friends of yours here who’ve been looking for you. I agreed to let them join us in our meeting today.”

  At her words Alabama leaped to her feet. No! She didn’t want to see anyone. She couldn’t.

  Just as the lawyer finished dropping her bomb, Matthew and Faulkner walked into the room. Their eyes took in everything about her with one glance. They saw her battered bag by the door. They saw her tired, haggard appearance. They saw the panic in her eyes.

  “Sit down, Alabama,” Wolf said sternly. “We want to talk to you.”

  Alabama didn’t want to sit. She wanted to go. She glared at her lawyer. Why had she done this to her? Alabama had thought she’d liked her. Dammit.

  Faulkner came over to her and firmly took hold of her arm and led her back to the seat she’d just vacated. He sat on one side of her while Matthew sat on the other side. Faulkner put one arm on the back of her chair and rested his other on his knee. Matthew just turned his chair toward her and put his elbows on his knees and leaned toward her.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” Matthew asked softly. He wanted to touch this broken woman in front of him, but knew it wasn’t his place. This was Abe’s woman. He had to try to fix what Abe had done. Granted, Abe hadn’t told them exactly what had happened when he’d gone to see Alabama at the station, but obviously whatever it was had broken Alabama. When she didn’t answer him, Wolf looked up at Dude for a moment then tried again.

  “Okay, dumb question. Of course you aren’t all right. Hear me out, okay?” Not giving her a chance to agree or disagree he continued. “I’ve known Abe for most of his adult life. We were in BUD/S together. BUD/S is where we learned to be SEALs. I’ve saved his life and he’s saved mine. Several times over. He’s the one who got me to get my head out of my ass when I was ready to leave Caroline. He made me see I was being stupid and letting my head get in the way of my heart.”

  He stopped to reach over and take Alabama’s hand in his. He noticed how much dirt there was under her nails and he winced. Jesus. It wasn’t fair.

  “He fucked up, Alabama.”

  At that, Alabama raised her head and looked at Matthew for the first time. She’d expected him to plead with her to forgive Christopher. To tell her what a great man he was. To take his side and tell her a sob story about what he’d been going through. She was ready for that. She could resist that. She wasn’t ready for Matthew to so bluntly disparage his friend.

  “Yeah, I know. You thought I’d come in here and tell you all about what a great guy he is and how you should take him back. Hell, I do think you should take him back, but I’d totally understand if you didn’t. He made a huge mistake, Alabama. He knows it. You know it. We know it. But what you don’t know is how much he regrets it.”

  When Alabama started shaking her head he squeezed her hand.

  “I know. Regret doesn’t change what happened to you. It doesn’t change the fact you lost your home, that you spend three nights in jail. It doesn’t change the fact you’re currently homeless and penniless. It doesn’t take away what he said to you, the hurt you feel. But it could change your future. What Abe won’t tell you is the real story about how he came to be known as Abe. I will. If you’ll listen…”

  Alabama didn’t want to. She really didn’t want to. She wanted to hate Christopher. She wanted to despise him, but she couldn’t. She loved him. Still. Even with what he’d said to her, she still loved him. She remembered every second they’d spent together. She remembered all the nights they’d spent loving each other.

  Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She was scared to death, Christopher could hurt her. He had hurt her. But if there was a one percent chance she’d get him back, she’d have to take it. She tilted her chin at Matthew to continue.

  “Good girl. I’m so proud of you. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met…well except for my Ice.” He smiled so she’d know he was teasing her. Then he sobered and continued.

  “When Abe was a little kid, he didn’t know his father very well. The man would come to the house, then leave for months at a time. Abe never understood what was going on. That sort of thing would be confusing to any little kid. When he was eleven his dad left and never came home. His mom told him he’d died. It didn’t really hurt Abe because he didn’t know his dad that well. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he’d found out his mom had lied to him. She’d lied to protect him, but it still changed him fundamentally.”

  “His dad had a second family. Yup, a whole second family. He spent most of his time with that other family and not with Abe’s. He’d come home every now and then to pretend, but then he’d be off again. He’d been killed when the brother of a third woman he’d set up and had kids with found out about his double, well triple life, and shot him. Abe wasn’t upset with his mom. They’re still close to this day, as you know. But the fact his father had lied to all of them, hell had lied to three different women and a total of eight kids, did something to him.”

  “Abe told me all of this one night when he was completely drunk, mind you. His dad’s betrayal helped to formulate the man he is today. It’s true he doesn’t like it when people steal, but it’s more the lies he can’t abide. Here’s where I try to explain what happened that day. Please know I’m not excusing his behavior in any way shape or form. But it might help you understand where his head was at.”

  Alabama didn’t know if she wanted to hear it. This whole situation was crazy. She looked over at Faulkner who’d been sitting with his arm on the back of her chair the whole time. He simply nodded at her, encouraging her. Faulkner’s jaw was tight and he looked pissed. Alabama didn’t think it was at her, but the control that oozed out of every pore of Faulkner’s body was daunting. Alabama turned back to Matthew.

  He continued. “As you know, we’d just spent ten days in a third world country hellhole. I can’t tell you what we were doing or why we were there, but as I’m sure you can guess, it wasn’t to be diplomatic and “talk” to anyone. But while we were waiting to get home, Abe and I talked. This was the first mission since you guys had gotten together. He was missing you and worried about you. It drove him crazy because he’d never felt that way while on a mission before. He made mistakes. Nothing that would get him or us killed, but mistakes nevertheless. It was eating at him. We talked about how to handle it. I did the same thing on my first mission after getting together with Caroline. He was glad to be going home, to you. We hadn’t had much sleep. In fact, I think he’d been awake for forty four hours or something like that. He went home straight to you, and the two of you probably didn’t get much sleep that night either.” Wolf smiled.

  Alabama blushed. Wolf didn’t comment on it, but squeezed her hand. “We’d just gone over the mission and discussed the mistakes that were made. He was feeling raw. He felt as if he’d let us all down. Then he heard about you, what you’d allegedly done. He was running on adrenaline and about three hours sleep in the last three days. He’d just learned how many mistakes he’d made because he’d been thinking about you and not about the job. He wasn’t thinking straight, and he was hurting and embarrassed. He couldn’t separate what his dad did in his mind, with what you were accused of. I know what he said to you was unforgiveable, Alabama. We’re all pissed at him.”

  Alabama looked up at that. She was embarrassed all the guys knew what had happened, but she also suddenly felt bad for Christopher. These were his friends. She was a newcomer to their group, shouldn’t they be on his side?

  “Can you forgive him Alabama?”

  Alabama looked down at her lap. If it hadn’t happened to her she could’ve forgiven him in an instant. But it had happened to her.

  Faulkner squeezed her shoulder without a word and got up from the chair next to her and left the room. Alabama looked over and saw that her lawyer had also left. She took a deep breath and looked at Matthew.

  “I don’t know.” She whispered, answering Matthew honestly.

  “Try, Alabama. Try. True love only comes along once in your life. That man loves you. He’d die for you. Trust me. I know.” Matthew stood up, took her hands in his, kissed the back of both, ignoring the dirt, and left the room.

  Alabama sat at the table thinking. What should she do now? She had no idea. She was a free woman, but still didn’t have any money to her name. She looked toward her bag which she’d left by the door and gasped.

  Christopher stood by the closed door silently watching her. How long had he been there? She watched as he slowly slid to the ground and finally came to a rest with his back against the door, his legs drawn up in front of him. He didn’t say anything, but continued to stare at her intently.

  Alabama stood up on shaky legs and crossed to the other side of the table. She wasn’t scared of him physically, but putting distance between them was the only thing she could do at the moment to feel safe.

  Abe cringed at her actions. He closed his eyes briefly then opened them again. “I deserve your mistrust. I do. I know it. But it kills me to see it. If it takes me the rest of my life I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

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