As they scanned for men, I crept to Annie’s door.
She was sound asleep. If I woke her, would she scream? She was probably high. I scooped her limp body in my arms and raced her out of the room before she could wake.
Her eyes opened, startled. But she didn’t say anything; just gave me a silent smile and wrapped her arms around my neck. My heart almost pounded out of my chest. Recognition lit those hazel orbs and instead of screaming like I feared. Her trust almost brought me to my knees.
Vic threw a flash bang. The stun grenade detonated. A blinding light and booming sound would render her captors helpless so we could make our escape.
Once outside the room, I saw the pimp cowering in the corner. The drummer was reaching for his gun but clearly disoriented.
It wasn’t worth the risk.
I turned toward Kyle. “Send it.”
Kyle killed them both, two shots to the head, two shots to the heart.
Done. Let’s get the fuck out of here.
Vic went in front of me and Kyle had my back. I walked out of that house, holding Annie. My heartbeat drummed in my chest.
She was finally free.
We dashed into the car, then hightailed it out of there.
“My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission.”
We’d done it. “Annie, you’re safe. They’re dead. You’re free.”
Her eyes, which had seemed so disturbed on the night that I had met her, were soft, almost filled with an inner glow. She teared up, holding my hand and refusing to let go. But I didn’t want to let go of her either. I meant what I’d said: I wanted to make sure that Annie’s pain had ended for good and that I would always be there to protect her. But I knew that our time together would be short. And I couldn’t be responsible for someone else’s safety when I’d be fighting a war a world away.
10.
We took Annie straight to the yacht and got the fuck out of Aruba. Kyle started up the boat and we headed back to Curaçao. I was grateful that I didn’t have to be alone with Annie. I wanted to focus on her recovery and not any feelings she might develop toward me since I’d rescued her.
She hadn’t said much on the car ride, just sat there dazed and crying. Overwhelmed, no doubt.
Once we boarded the ship, I took Annie up to the living area. “Annie, these are my friends, Kyle and Vic. Vic’s a medic; he’s going to help detox you. I bought you clothes and supplies.”
She blinked rapidly, scanning the tiny room. She wore a tattered shirt that skimmed her thighs and black panties. She was skinny, almost deathly so. She swayed with the movement of the boat, a little disoriented, probably in shock, confused. Her flat black hair hung around her face and she hugged her arms tight to her chest. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper and cracked with emotion. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I can’t ever thank you enough. I never, ever thought . . .”
She bit her lip in an attempt to stop the tears that shone in her eyes. She looked vulnerable and doll-like in the soft light of the room. I pulled her to me and just held her close, her small frame tucked into my large one. She felt fragile in my huge arms, breakable. I took a steadying breath to stem the rising urge to keep her there, a feeling that pissed me off as much as it confused me.
“Hey, why don’t you take a shower? We aren’t going anywhere.”
She didn't respond for a few moments, instead she tucked herself more closely into my embrace. I was loath to let her go, enjoying the feel of her soft body against mine when she took a step back. She walked slowly into the bathroom and shut the door.
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I don't know what the fuck I’d expected her reaction to be. I guess I thought she’d be running around ecstatic, kissing and hugging me, but her dull calm threw me. I had to remind myself that she was an addict, and that the reality of her freedom hadn’t sunk in for her yet.
I opened my duffel and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, throwing back a quick shot straight from the bottle. What the fuck had I gotten us into?
If this had been a movie, we would’ve whisked her to the embassy, her parents waiting to greet her. I’d have a hero’s welcome. We’d profess our love to each other and go on to live happily ever after.
But this wasn’t a movie. This rescue was off the books. There was no embassy in Aruba—the closest one was in Curaçao—and it was closed because it was the middle of the night and on a weekend. And our victim was a heroin-addicted prostitute.
Vic took meds out of his bag. “So it’s going to be rough, especially for the next seventy-two hours. We’ll keep her comfortable.”
I heard the shower water run. What was going through her head now? Her family, her friends, me?
Kyle laughed. “Dude, you pulled this off. Do you get how crazy this shit is? I mean, she’s been missing for five years, presumed dead. I never doubted you. Are you going to claim the reward?”
Three hundred thousand dollars. I made around sixty thousand a year. A pittance considering the fact that I risked my life every day. Killed for my country. Could die for my country. I could use that money. I could buy my mom a nicer house. Maybe save up some for my retirement, when I’d probably be so physically and mentally fucked up that I wouldn’t be able to hold down a job. But I didn’t want a cent. That's not why I did what I did. Why any of us did.
“Nope. Not going to touch it. I hope to hell Annie will keep our involvement out of the press. But I’m prepared to face the consequences if our command finds out.”
“Take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates.”
We’d already covered this ground—I wouldn’t have brought them into this if I were going to go shouting about it from the rooftops—but it was done now and they needed to know I was committed to that.
“Well, I doubt they’d discipline us for saving an American girl who was sex trafficked. The media would have a field day with that. ‘Navy SEALs punished for saving America’s Sweetheart.’ I say you collect the reward. I’ll take my share. I need a new truck.”
“What-the-fuck-ever, man. You’re loaded with all your NFL money. Anyway, not going to happen.”
“I do not advertise the nature of my work nor seek recognition for my actions.”
Annie emerged from the bathroom, her hair wet, her skin bluish. She sat at the table and ate some chips we had out.
Kyle, Vic, and I just sat there in silence, staring. What the fuck do we do now?
After a sip of water, she burst in tears.
I went over and sat next to her. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. I don’t know what to do, who I am. I mean, I’m a drug addict. I’m a prostitute. My family won’t want me back. Look at me! To get a clean vein I’ve been shooting up in my feet! What man is ever going to love a former hooker?”
Fuck. I had mentally prepared myself for her anxiety and detox, but I didn’t want to give her any false hope. Being rescued was the easy part; she would need to rebuild her life.
I took a deep breath, knowing that I needed her to hear me. “No man is going to judge you for something that was beyond your control. And your parents love you. They’ve been looking for you non-stop. I’m sure they’ll help you every step of the way. We’re going to detox you here; I have this boat for two weeks. Then I’m going to take you to the embassy. But we need to get you healthy first.”
Her chin quivered. “I can’t. I need it.”
I pulled her chair to me. “You survived five years of unspeakable hell. You can do this. We’re going to help you. I won’t leave your side.”
Vic took her into the bathroom, tested her for STDs, HIV, and pregnancy. The tests gave instant results, and we were all grateful and, well, shocked when she tested negative for everything. Vic rationed out her drug cocktail: immodium, suboxone,
Xanax, vitamins, potassium. He gave her the first dose and she downed the pills with a glass of water.
I held her hand. “I think you should sleep if you can.”
She nodded her head and leaned into me. I picked her up off the chair and carried her to the bedroom with the queen bed. I’d planned to crash on the floor next to her. I pulled a blanket from the closet and set it down on the floor for me.
“Patrick, can you hold me?”
I couldn’t say no. It was her first night free in five years. She needed me to get her through her transition. “Sure.” I wrapped my arms around her and she cuddled up into my chest and fell asleep. I felt like if I moved at all, I’d break her. She was fragile, small, and weak. She rolled over and I was spooning her, her tight ass grinding against my cock. This was going to be a long night.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent the night in bed with a woman instead of darting away in the middle of the night. I fought sleep as long as I could, looking over at the slight girl in my arms, praying that she would be okay.
11.
The bed shook and awoke me from sleep. My first thought was that it was an angry wave, but it was Annie shaking. She ran to the bathroom and vomited. Vic gave her more meds and she calmed down for a bit. He went to the living area to watch satellite television and Kyle was on the deck manning the ship.
I warmed some chicken broth in a mug and handed her a banana, which was about the extent of my cooking skills. “You need to eat. Here.”
She took a sip of the broth and relaxed into the chair. “I thought I was dreaming. I can’t believe I’m really free. When we moved islands, I thought that my one chance was gone forever. How did you find me?”
I studied the girl sitting in front of me. She already looked different to me than she had when I’d last seen her in the brothel. She seemed lighter, like a weight had been lifted from her soul. But her skin was pale and her hair was lifeless. She still had a long way to go before she fully returned to the land of the living. “I went back to the brothel in Curaçao— it was burnt to the ground. We searched the island for you and Kyle got a tip that you girls were moved to Aruba so we came here but couldn’t find you. You’d told me that the last thing you remembered on the ship was being in the elevator with that drummer. He was playing at a bar and I followed him. I thought I saw you in the window, so I took a chance and here we are.”
Sweat dripped from her forehead. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing. How can I ever thank you? My dad, he has money. . .”
I raised my hand up. “Stop. I’m not interested in money. In fact, the only way you can thank me is never mentioning our involvement in your rescue.”
She winced. “Oh, okay. I get it. You don’t want to be associated with me. I understand.”
“That’s not it. We all need to be anonymous to do our jobs in the Teams. And this was off record; we didn’t get permission from our command. We could get disciplined and ruin our careers.”
Her eyes closed and her jaw was shaking. “So I have to lie about how I was rescued?”
“I’m not asking you to lie. But I’d prefer you leave our names out of it. Our names and pictures can’t be plastered over the media or we’ll get kicked out of the Teams. We can’t exactly go undercover if the world knows our identities.”
She took a small bite of the banana. “I get it. I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”
I touched her shoulder. “Hey. Don’t say that. I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry about any of it. How I met you, that you told me your name, that I found you. I’m only sorry that I didn’t torture the motherfuckers who took you.” I paused … Did I owe her an apology for hiring her to blow me? “Look Annie, I’m not an asshole. I’m a SEAL. I was meant to be in that brothel that night, to find you, to save you. We’d been deployed for seven months, I don’t have a girlfriend or a wife. I’m not a cheater. I didn’t mean to disrespect you or anything.”
She laughed. And for the first time I saw a sexy glint in her eye. “Don’t apologize. You saved me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Maybe I even enjoyed it.” She glanced down at my pants.
I had to remind myself that she wasn’t flirting with me—that her words came from some kind of survival mechanism where she was probably taught to come on to the clients to get better tips. My thoughts turned to how great it would feel to have her moist mouth wrap around me again. I tried to push the memory of the blowjob she had given me out of my head.
Her eyes seemed distant. “Kyle didn’t have to kill Jose.”
“Are you fucking serious? I wished I’d popped that motherfucker myself, but I was carrying you. My only goal was to get you out of there. How can you even say that?”
I couldn’t read her. Her mouth was turned downward in a frown yet she was nodding her head. “Jose wasn’t that bad compared to the others. He took care of me.”
This poor fucking girl was identifying with her aggressor. I’d studied that shit. “Annie, he was a fucking pimp. He sold you.”
“I know. But sometimes he was nice to me." She laughed and it was hollow. "Sorry, it’s just hard for me.”
Jesus, this girl needed some serious psychotherapy. I knew she’d be messed up, but she seemed to care more about Jose’s well-being than her own.
“Can I go on the deck?”
“Of course. You don’t have to ask me permission to do anything. You’re safe here. They aren’t going to find you. But you’re not leaving this boat under any circumstances. Once you’re better, we’ll take you straight to the embassy.”
Pushing herself off the chair, she walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek. “I know I’m safe. You’re here.”
She climbed down the stairs to the deck and just stood there in the breeze, breathing in the Caribbean air. I wanted to ask her a thousand questions, about her life before she was taken, about the horror she had endured, but I was in too deep already.
12.
“Pat! Pat!” I jumped up from the floor. Annie was pacing around the cabin.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Her hands trembled, her teeth clattered. “I need a fucking fix. Can you get me some smack? Maybe we can sail back and find a dealer. Just a little? I can’t do this. I can detox at home! My dad will send me to one of those Hollywood country club kind of rehabs.”
“No fucking way am I going to score you dope. And if you haven’t fucking noticed, we’re in the middle of the goddamn ocean.”
Vic opened the door to our room and tried to hand her more meds, but she pushed them out of his hand and they scattered on the floor.
Vic bent over to grab them but I stopped him. “Pick them up,” I said calmly but firmly.
“You can’t fucking tell me what to do,” she hissed. Her pupils were dilated and she had sweat beads on her forehead.
Kyle came in from the living area. He was about to speak, but I signaled to him that I would handle it.
I still didn’t raise my voice. “I said pick them up, Annie. Don’t make me ask you again.”
She cackled. “I don’t have to listen to you. You don't fucking own me. You’re no hero—so fucking pathetic you have to pay for a blowjob from a whore. You’re no better than my pimp. At least he kept me high. At least he could stomach fucking me. I know you want me. What the fuck is your problem? Can’t get it up?”
My muscles quivered. I wasn’t going to engage with her. She was detoxing. I had to remind myself this was normal.
“Pick them up now! That’s a fucking order.”
She spat in my face then crawled on the floor and got the pills. This wasn’t Annie, this was Star. Like a fucking Jekyll and Hyde.
Vic handed her water and she downed the pills. Then she went into the bathroom, slammed the door, and started the shower.
“She’ll be fine. You guys can go back to bed.”
Kyle spoke in a quiet voice. “This is normal, man. My cousin went through this. He fucking jumped off a balcony trying to score.”
I gave a h
eavy nod. I couldn’t imagine having her family see her like this. So I accepted this project with no reservations.
Seventy-two hours had passed. The paranoia had set in; her withdrawal was brutal to watch. She flipped from being a sweet yet reserved girl to a paranoid drug fiend. Through it all, I just was there for her, gave her anything she needed except heroin, talked her down from the highs, up from the lows.
“The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men.”
Her behavior didn’t upset or concern me. I knew she would get through this. She'd gotten through worse.
Kyle, Vic, and I were crammed in the living area, watching television. It didn’t even bother my brothers that they had given up their entire vacation leave to help this girl. I was thankful for them, for my training, for my ability to have the tactical skills to save Annie.
Annie awoke and walked into the living area. Vic handed her water and her meds, and she just pushed back her crazy hair and gave me that crooked smile I had first noticed in the lineup that day.
“How you feeling?” I didn’t know which Annie she would be today.
She nodded her head. “Good. Better. I’m sorry about the other night.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Vic and Kyle headed down to the deck. I wanted to go and hang out with them.
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Why are you doing this, Pat?”
“Doing what?”
“Helping me detox. You could’ve just dumped me at the embassy like this.”
I hated being questioned about my motives. “Your parents have been through enough; I didn’t want them to see you like this. It’s the right thing to do.”
“So that’s it? You’re going to take me to the embassy and I’ll never see you again?” Her voice trailed off.
“Yup. That’s the plan.” Truth was, I was stationed in Coronado, so when I came off deployment, I could technically see her again. Her family lived nearby in Encinitas. But that wouldn’t be a good idea. I trained sometimes eighteen hours a day and spent my time off at SEAL watering holes, like Danny’s Palm Bar & Grill. She wouldn’t find me hanging out at the country club with her friends, that was for damn sure.
Invincible (The Trident Code) Page 5
