“River didn’t die in Afghanistan. He’s alive and here in Manchester.”
“You are still legally married to River then. You can have your marriage to Jude annulled!” Joel insisted, and Marseille pressed her finger to her lips.
“Dad, you can’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Something happened in the middle east, something bad. No one can know that River is alive. Promise me you won’t say a thing.”
Joel’s face was a mask of confusion.
“Where has he been? Was he a POW? Is he wanted for war crimes?”
“I don’t think so, but he’s been vague about what happened. I glean that he was taken in by Afghan men who helped and protected him and he somehow returned the favor. I don’t know what that entails, and honestly, I don’t want to know.”
The last part was a lie; she desperately wanted to know what River had done but that was a matter for another time. If ever.
“I don’t know what to do,” Marseille confessed. “I love Jude, I do, and I know he loves me but what we have is nothing compared to what I have with River. And dad, that could be lost too. I have no idea if River is the same person I married.”
Joel sighed deeply.
“Marseille, you have to know that we were not happy when you decided to marry Jude. We knew you were devastated after what happened to River and were rebounding with his friend, but it was beyond that.”
Joel paused and shook his head, lowering his hazel eyes slightly.
“There was something about Jude which made us all leery. Your brother hated that he couldn’t keep a job, your mom just hated his attitude, and I found something in his eyes disturbing. But for whatever reason, you saw something in him, and he seemed to be doing right by you, even if he couldn’t hold a job. He seemed to be a broad shoulder, and you two relived your times with River together. I guess it was inevitable that you would get together.”
“Dad – “
“Let me finish,” Joel rushed on. “Please.”
“Okay dad,” she relented. “Go on.”
He took a long pause and swallowed deeply.
“Has Jude ever told you the reason he left the army?”
Marseille’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she shook her head.
“No…” she replied. “I know he had a terrible time after River was lost. I assumed he had seen enough death for one lifetime.”
Joel took a shaky breath.
“What I am going to tell you I have known for a long while, but I was never really allowed to say anything. But since you are trusting me with something so valuable, I am going to do the same for you.”
Marseille waited expectantly for him to continue.
“Now I don’t want you to get angry I never informed you of this before. Again, you have to understand that I am not supposed to know this but…”
“Dad, please tell me what you’re trying to say,” she begged him. “I need to rip it off like a bandage. One quick sentence.”
“Do you remember Captain Robert Lanski?” Joel asked, and Marseille swallowed, nodding.
“I think you always remember the name of the man who tells you that your husband is dead,” she replied dryly.
“Captain Lanski and I ended up playing doubles in tennis one afternoon at Derryfield Country Club. Tennis led to lunch, lunch led to drinks, and suddenly he and I realized we had you in common.”
“Small world,” Marseille commented. “But that’s not earth-shattering news.”
“When Captain Lanski learned you had married Jude Galvin, he very nearly dropped dead on the floor of a heart attack.”
“Why dad?”
Joel’s face went ashen, and he shifted his gaze.
“After they delivered the news to you that River was MIA, Jude was released from the army dishonorably.”
Marseille blinked.
“Why?” she whispered. “What did he do?”
Joel’s lower lip began to quiver, and he hung his head.
“The captain did not get into the specifics, but he hinted that there was a very dark side to Jude, one that most people did not see. I always wondered, with he and River being so close, if River had seen that side of him.”
Marseille frowned.
“I will ask River about it, but I’m sure if he thought I was in danger, he would have said something immediately. He was shocked we had gotten married, but he wasn’t scared for me.”
Joel nodded slowly.
“Okay, honey,” he replied quietly. “But let it be known for the record that even if River is not worried for your safety, I have been since the day you brought that guy into our house. Make the right choice but make it safely.”
A pang of fear sliced through her.
Why would Jude have lied to me about why he left the army? Does it have something to do with River?
Marseille knew she had to go back and talk to her first husband.
“Thanks, daddy,” she breathed, rising to give him a kiss. “Don’t forget – not a word to anyone.”
He nodded, his light brown eyes clouded with concern.
“I don’t want you to do anything without letting someone know. I would prefer it be me.”
“Okay, daddy.”
“Promise me, Marseille. You’re the only daughter I have…that I know of anyway. I did a tour in Vietnam you know.” He winked jokingly at her, sticking out his tongue.
She laughed and kissed his weathered cheek.
“I promise, daddy. Thank you for always watching out for me.”
“That’s what family does, honey.”
As Marseille got back into her car, she thought of her father’s last words.
“That’s what family does.”
Her father was right.
Family is the most important thing. Jude has always claimed his family was dead, but he lied about the army. What else has he lied about?
Marseille intended to find out.
Chapter Eight: Helmand Province, Afghanistan - 2009
“Hey! There he is, Mr. Married Asshole!”
The men cheered as River wandered toward them, his blush apparent amidst his dark coloring.
A round of congratulations filled his ears, and he beamed happily at the squadron.
“How was the wedding night?” Jude leered. “Give it to her in a different hole or have they all been done before?”
Jude didn’t even see the punch to his face before it landed him flat on his back on the dusty floor.
The men cheered and clapped River on the back but he was already straddling Jude, his fist raised for another blow.
“What the hell, Cortez?” Jude screamed, covering his face. “Get off me!”
“If you ever talk that way about my wife again, I will murder you. Do you understand?”
Jude scowled but nodded.
“Jesus Christ, Cortez, it was just a joke,” he muttered.
“Was it a joke when you stole her picture from my bag?” he snarled. “I’m onto you, Galvin. I don’t know what sick obsession you have with my wife, but you better get over it. I’ve let it go this far because I thought maybe the heat was frying your brains. It stops now. Understand?”
Jude lowered his eyes furiously but did not answer.
“That’s enough, Cortez,” Captain Gehers interjected, pulling him off Jude. “And Galvin, you need to learn to shut your goddamn mouth before you get yourself killed.”
River rose off Jude and glared.
“Get rid of that picture of Marseille,” he said warningly. “I would say give it to me, but God only knows what you’ve done with it.”
“I said that’s enough, Cortez!” The captain yelled. “Not another word out of your trap.”
He obeyed, but as Jude was helped up to his feet, rubbing his cheek, the men locked in a stare so hateful, the others stepped back to escape its afterglow.
He was driving himself crazy pacing around his room in the Squirrel Trail Motel. He felt like the establishment was aptly named as he peeked out the window, wa
iting for any sign of Marseille.
He desperately wanted to get out of the room and get his hands on an internet connection. He needed to find out what he could about his former army nemesis, find out what Jude had been doing over the past years.
Now that he had found his way back to Marseille, he had to find a way to ensure she escaped Jude Galvin’s obsessed clutches.
He had this planned from the minute he saw her picture, River realized. But how could he have ever imagined that Jude would stalk Marseille and eventually marry her.
How could Marseille have been so blind to him?
River had known that Jude was a danger for a long while, but it was a different place the middle east. He had discounted Jude’s sometimes erratic behavior as nature of war.
He could not have foreseen how things would turn out.
And now Marseille is married to that psychopath.
River knew it wouldn’t matter what he told his wife about Jude Galvin; she would chalk up his words to jealousy. There was no point in explaining Jude’s obsession with her spanning almost a decade.
She would wonder why he hadn’t told her about it before and the reasoning was the same then as it was now; he didn’t ever want Marseille to feel anything but one hundred percent safe.
If she feels at risk with an American soldier, where will she ever feel secure? He had thought.
In retrospect, he should have told her, but it was far too late for regrets. He had to get Marseille away from Jude.
Obviously, his unbalanced personality hasn’t manifested itself yet but it will. He can only keep his true nature hidden for so long.
River worried what Jude would do if Marseille tried to leave him.
He’s gone this far trying to get her; how much further will he venture to keep her.
River wanted to get online and find out what he could about Jude.
I am hardly in a position to plan a counter-attack against Jude Galvin. I can’t even show my face. If I am ever discovered, and they found out what I did…
He thought again of Anwar and wondered if he and the others were safe. He had done everything he could to ensure they would not face retaliation for his actions but how could he know? He would never see the men who saved his life again.
Maybe I will in another life, he thought sadly. Maybe I will see them all in another life.
One more image popped into his mind, the picture of an American soldier with his throat cut, bleeding to death as he stared at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes.
His name was Elan Jennings. He was twenty-six years old.
“I’m so sorry, soldier,” he whispered aloud to the long-dead boy who laid dead alone in Maymana.
A shaky breath escaped him, and he turned again to look out the window, waiting to see Marseille’s car.
Suddenly he remembered something; he had her credit card.
A credit card which Jude knows nothing about, he thought, a wry smile on his lips. Maybe she always knew there was something about him…
River grabbed the phone book from the nightstand and found the number he was looking for instantly.
“Yes, I need a taxi to the Squirrel Trail Motel on Valley Street. You take credit cards I assume?”
He hung up and waited anxiously for the cab to arrive, wiping his palms on his pants. He wished that Marseille had left her number. There was a concern that she would come when he was gone and worry he had taken off.
She has to know that I will never leave her again. She has to know that I will always protect her.
He was on his way to prove it.
When River appeared back at the Galvin residence, the Toyota Camry was in the driveway, but Marseille’s blue Kia was not.
Jude is home, he realized. It took every fiber of his being not to kick down the front door and confront his former comrade.
You can't-do that. If you weren’t a ghost, it would be a different story but you are and you can’t. You have to wait for Marseille to make her move and simply be nearby when she gets rid of him.
He stood around the side of the house and took steady breaths to calm himself.
River knew he shouldn’t have come back to the house, but he felt like Jude needed to be watched.
God forbid he suspects something.
He thought of what Marseille had said about Jude growing suspicious.
Has she had to hide other things from him over the years? He wondered, but he pushed the thought from his head. Whatever Marseille had done in his absence was moot. She didn’t know he was still out there looking for her.
The fact that she married Jude so quickly afterward shows how out of her mind with grief she must have been. I can’t fault her for anything she’s done. She’s my angel. She always has been.
On a whim, he had unlocked the side door when in the basement the previous night. It was just a preemptive gesture, knowing he would likely be leaving the house at some point and would want to re-enter without Marseille knowing.
It was still unlocked, and he slipped inside, waiting on the landing, listening.
River pressed his ear to the wood of the door and heard nothing, but he needed to proceed with caution; the living room was directly to the left of the basement door off the foyer. If Jude was sitting in the front room, River would be seen immediately.
He listened for the sound of the television, but he heard nothing. Suddenly, there was a flurry of footsteps as feet ascended the stairs above his head and River could tell Jude was racing up to the second floor.
He cracked open the door and cautiously peeked his head out as if he was in combat.
The coast was clear and silently, River crept out into the entranceway. Suddenly he heard Jude’s voice pipe down the stairs.
“No, baby, I told you I’m coming Saturday as I promised.”
River froze in his spot and listened to Jude’s end of the conversation.
“I’m going to tell her about us tonight and Saturday, I’m moving in with you just like we talked about…”
A cold fury enveloped River, but then it was replaced with relief.
If Jude was really leaving Marseille for another woman, this could be a blessing in disguise.
But something didn’t feel right to River.
He continued to listen, the hairs on his arms beginning to prickle.
“No, Norah, it will just be you, the baby from now on and me. There’s no need to threaten me with that…I know, babe. I hate that you think you can’t trust me. I’ve always wanted to have a baby with the woman I love after all…yeah, I’ll see you this weekend. And Norah, you haven’t told anyone else about us, have you? Good, no, I want it to be a surprise to everyone. We’ll have party…I love you too.”
River’s blood ran cold.
He knew that Jude was not going anywhere and that whoever Norah was faced a big problem.
The issue was, how could he warn her?
He ducked back into the basement landing as he heard footfalls heading back toward him.
“Mars? Are you home?”
River pressed his back against the wall and waited.
“Mars?”
He heard the front door open.
“Oh hey! I thought you were working a double today!”
River’s pulse began to quicken. Marseille was home which means she may have gone to the motel looking for him. He had not heard the car pull up.
I have to get her out of the house. Tonight.
“Has anyone stopped by here looking for me?” Marseille demanded, and River could hear the catch in her voice.
She went by the room.
“Like who?”
There was an equal edge to Jude’s tone, and suddenly a thick wave of tension almost suffocated him.
“Like anyone,” she snapped. “Any human person, Jude.”
“No,” he drawled sarcastically. “I didn’t know you were expecting anyone.”
“I’m going out,” she said shortly.
“Mars, what is wrong with you?�
��
“I hate being called Mars,” she retorted. “You would think that after five years of marriage, you would know that.”
The silence was thick and awkward until River heard her car start up again and back away down the driveway.
“I will kill him, Marseille,” Jude suddenly said aloud, and for a terrifying moment, River thought Jude was talking to him. He instantly realized he was thinking aloud.
“I will kill anyone who stands between you and me.”
River heard the front door slam close, and a moment later, another car engine started.
He realized with fear that Jude was following his wife.
River prayed that Marseille was not going to the motel, but he had a bad feeling that was exactly where she was headed.
What the hell am I going to do now?
There was only one thing he could do; go back to the Squirrel Trail Motel and try to avert a disaster. If Marseille did show up there and there was a scene, River could intercept or call the sheriff.
All I know is that until Marseille is safely away from that psychopath, I can’t let him out of my sight.
River ran all the way back to the motel, not wanting to waste another minute waiting for a taxi.
He didn’t have a cell to make the call on the run, so he sprinted the two and a half miles to the spot, breathing heavily when he arrived.
To his mixed relief and chagrin, neither the Kia nor the Camry were anywhere in sight.
He ran into his room, half expecting Marseille to be there but of course, she wasn’t.
Dammit. Where did she go? And did Jude follow her?
There was no way of answering his own anxious questions except by staying put and waiting for Marseille to materialize.
He again cursed her for not having given him her cell number.
It was going to be a long night of waiting.
That evening, there was no spontaneous drifting off to sleep. He flipped through the channels on the television, walked his room like a caged tiger and peered out the window every three or four minutes, hoping for a sign of Marseille.
But as night fell darkly over Manchester, it became apparent that Marseille was not coming.
He was furious with himself for letting Jude out of his sight, but he had to believe that Jude would not hurt Marseille – at least not for the time.
The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance Page 8
