by Dale Mayer
While she was trying to figure out how to answer her mother, a text came in. She read it and frowned. “Theresa wants to move the meeting off base. She’s still having a hard time and doesn’t like the military aspect of the location.”
Her mother frowned. “That makes no sense. It’s not like you were kidnapped from the base or by the military. You were rescued by SEALs so that should make her feel better?”
There often wasn’t much in the way of rhyme or reason for feelings. Sometimes one had to just go with their gut. “I’m okay with it either way,” she said. She quickly texted Theresa back. After several more rounds of messages, they set it up for noon the next day.
“Good,” she said, putting her phone away. “That’s done. It should be the last step then I can forget about this mess too.”
“Is the media calling you?”
“All the time,” Sasha said cheerfully. “And I’m ignoring them all.”
“Greg called while you were overseas, did I tell you that?” she asked abruptly.
“No you didn’t,” Sasha said. Outside of an inner disquiet she was happy to note that the news didn’t cause her any distress. Greg was over and done with. She didn’t want anything more to do with him.
“And he called the day after you returned,” her mother added quietly.
Sasha took a deep breath. Typical that her mother hadn’t told her right away. Always waiting for the right time to slip those little zingers in. Then again, until Sasha had a new partner, her mother would consider the old one better than none. Unlike Sasha. Greg was no longer a part of her life and never would be again. “Odd, I wonder why?”
“He wanted to see you,” her mother said. “He was really distraught to hear about the kidnapping.”
“I wasn’t impressed myself,” Sasha said with a smile. “Just glad it’s over with. If he calls again, just tell him I’m fine.”
“Tell him yourself,” Mom said. “You need to face him.”
“Maybe, but I don’t have to do it while I’m facing other stuff,” Sasha said firmly but gently. “He had lots of time to see me before I left.”
“Did he or did you push him off every time?”
“What would you have me do, Mom? Forgive him?”
“That would be a start. You loved him deeply.”
“I did.” Sasha stared at her hands, surprised to find that the phone was back out of her pocket and being turned over and over again in her fingers. “That was before he betrayed my trust.”
“We all make mistakes.”
Sasha smiled. “Forgetting your homework on the desk is a mistake. Calling a friend a bitch when you’re upset with her is a mistake. What he did was make a decision.”
*
Cooper walked the fitness room, swinging his arms back and forth to loosen them up. Since returning from Turkey he’d been keyed up. As if waiting for the other shoe to drop, which was stupid. He was always going out on missions and never had this feeling. He didn’t know what was wrong this time, but the more he looked at Dr. Sasha’s kidnapping he had to wonder what the terrorists planned to do with her and her colleagues? Kill them as an example to the rest of the world? Sell them to the highest bidder? Or use their skills for their own people?
And why this group. There were a lot of volunteers at the refugee camp. Interesting that they kidnapped only the US medical staff. Maybe they thought by taking out key personnel their actions would have more impact.
His movements slowed as his mind twisted and turned on the problem.
“Now what’s on your mind,” Evan asked as he adjusted the weight on the barbell he was working with. “You look like you’re trying to solve the problems of the world.”
“Why only medical personnel?”
Markus sat up as he recovered from doing his crunches and said, “Good question.”
“Maybe that was random chance, and they were just taken because they were American?” Evan said as he turned to look at Cooper. “Although to randomly grab four doctors seems not random at all.”
He studied his two friends. “And they were snatched from different parts of the camp…”
“Wait, how do you know that?” Markus hopped to his feet and grabbed his towel to wipe his face.
“Sasha… Dr. Childs said she’d been working in the one area but on the opposite side of where David and Theresa had been working. They did have a schedule at the clinic but her day was shot to shit as she was basically kidnapped and forced to go see a young pregnant woman who was too scared to go to the clinic.”
Markus frowned as Levi, who’d been pumping iron on the far side, walked closer. “Yalta?” Markus asked.
“Yes,” Cooper answered. “Jamel obviously had something to do with it. But why these four?”
“I heard your question.” Levi wiped his face with the towel in his hands then threw it around his neck. “The only reason to steal medical personnel is if you need their skills. If they just wanted to make an example of these people, any American volunteers would do.”
“Or because you want the refugee camp to suffer as well,” Markus suggested.
“Which if they’d taken all the personnel it would have, but they only took, what, a third of them?” Cooper stood with his hands on his hips. “But losing that many doctors was obviously hard on those left behind, and how hard would it be to attract more if they can’t keep the ones they have safe?”
“None of this answers the question as to why these medical personnel were snatched versus others.”
“Someone knew who they were, where they’d be working and determined they’d be the easiest to grab,” Levi said. “Jamel was paid to keep his clients informed of the doctors’ whereabouts, but they did the choosing. In order to choose, they had to know what the choices were. That Jamel couldn’t help with.”
In a grim voice, Cooper said, “So in other words, someone knew who was at the camp – and he chose the ones he wanted.”
Chapter 13
The next day was bright and sunny. Then she lived in California where it was either sunny or sunny smog. Today there were blue skies and that was a blessing. It also did a lot to lighten her mood. Her mother’s words about Greg calling had drifted into her dreams making her toss and turn all night. She’d woken in a sweat.
Stupid. She pulled into the coffee shop that had a back room to rent for meetings and parked. This location was much nicer than the base where she’d be looking over her shoulder, afraid Greg had somehow found her. It’s not that she was afraid of him but neither did that mean she was looking forward to seeing him again.
And the last thing she wanted was a confrontation.
She locked her car and walked into the front of the restaurant. A hostess greeted her.
“I’m having a meeting here today. Not sure if the back room is booked or not.”
The hostess said, “I’ll go check.” And she hurried away.
Sasha surveyed the patrons wondering if Theresa was sitting at a table waiting for her. She hadn’t recognized any military vehicles outside. Then again, they should be only meeting one person after all the rounds she’d done so far. She was surprised she needed to see anyone anymore. Surely she’d answered every damn question imaginable already.
The hostess returned. “The back room hasn’t been booked yet, do you want to do it now?”
She waffled. “I’m not sure what plans Theresa has made already. Maybe just give me a table for four and we’ll make that decision when the others arrive.”
“Sure. Follow me.” The hostess led the way to a table by the window.
“This is perfect. I can watch for the others this way. Thanks.”
“Can I bring you a coffee while you wait?”
“Thank you, that would be lovely.” The waitress hurried off, leaving Sasha studying the other patrons. Theresa should be here soon. She pulled out her phone and checked for a text. Nothing.
The coffee came immediately. She sipped it while she waited. The time passed slowly but she was
in no rush. She’d known the appointment would take an hour or so. It would be nice to see Theresa again too. She hadn’t gotten to know her well at the refugee camp, but they’d naturally gravitated toward each other over there. Although Theresa wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. Then neither was Sasha at that point in her life.
She drank her cup of coffee and waited.
Theresa never showed.
Neither did the interviewer. An hour later, after several texts having been sent and none returned, she got up and paid for her coffee. She stood outside and studied the parking lot. What had happened to Theresa? She walked to the back of the lot, but it didn’t offer any clues. Feeling like she’d mistaken the time or date, even though she’d read the texts several times, she walked to her car.
Once again in an odd mood, she drove slowly back to her house. Empty and alone, she wandered through the main floor wondering what could have happened. If only Theresa hadn’t shown up then Sasha would have assumed she’d forgotten or had something delay her. But for both to not show meant it was likely her mistake. Surely that had been the correct place? But again she’d checked the texts. Feeling like an idiot and sorry as now she’d have to finish the interview on the base, she walked into the kitchen to make herself some lunch.
She should have just eaten at the restaurant. She hadn’t been hungry then and still wasn’t, but it gave her something to do while her mind stressed over the missed meeting.
Opening the fridge, she pulled out the fixings for a sandwich. She grabbed a board and reached for the knife in the butcher block.
To find it missing.
Her heart stalled.
She snagged up her keys, purse, and phone and bolted outside to her car. She hopped in and hit the locks. Then she turned on the engine and backed out of her driveway without even thinking about it.
She never questioned her intuition. Her mind said, Run. She ran. Once out of the driveway, she turned the car around so she was on the far side several houses down where she could look at her house.
Inside she could hardly breathe. Her fingers shook on the steering wheel. She gasped for breath and desperately tried to calm down. What the hell was going on? She felt like she’d fallen down a rabbit hole.
She stared at her house and had to question what she’d seen. Then there was her over-the-top reaction to a missing knife. She’d only been home a week so knew it was likely a PTSD response, but that didn’t explain the instant warning to run.
Images of the terrorists shooting their driver, the ensuing panic – Ron. She rolled down her window, took large gulps of fresh air.
Who could she even call? Not the police – not when the knife was likely in the dishwasher. Oh God. What if that’s all it was? But there was no way she was going inside to check.
Cooper? Could she call him?
Maybe.
He might think she’d overreacted. Then again, did she give a damn?
Hell yes, she did. She liked him. A lot. He was a good man. She’d seen inside him a year ago in more ways than one. Seen his insecurities. His worries that he’d never regain his full strength. Never be able to return to the work he loved.
He’d worked his heart out to get back into the best shape he could. He’d called her after passing his physical and being back on active duty. He’d been so damn happy.
She smiled. And stared down at the phone in her hand.
To call him would be to ruin that. He’d see her as she really was. Someone who wasn’t perfect or anywhere near as wonderful as he’d made her out to be.
And although that might hurt and be a demoralizing scenario it was nothing to the cost of her life.
Was she sure her butcher knife had been in that block? Why hadn’t she checked the dishwasher?
Because it never went in there.
It wasn’t supposed to go in because of the wooden handle.
That didn’t mean she hadn’t done it without thinking. She wasn’t herself these days. She knew that. She was running on no sleep and her nerves were strung out. She’d avoided self-medicating herself but was one small step away from sleeping pills. She had to get some rest. But when she closed her eyes and slept, nameless faceless thugs threw hoods over her face and carted her away.
Everything in her world stemmed from that experience.
She opened her phone and called the receptionist at her office – the one she had yet to return too. They knew she was back, but not more than that.
“Cherry, this is Dr. Sasha. Can you look up a patient’s record for me? I’m looking for the contact information for Cooper Braxton.”
Her receptionist squealed. “Oh my gosh. It’s you. Are you okay? We heard about you being taken hostage.”
“I’m fine,” she reassured the young woman who’d worked at the clinic longer than Sasha had. “I’ll be in next week, but in the meantime if you could get me that information…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Hang on…” Cherry bubbled away with the news as she searched for the information. “Sandra is pregnant and due in three months, Chelsea is engaged, and I have a new boyfriend,” she spouted out randomly. “It’s been an exciting couple of months for all of us.”
“Yes, very exciting.” Sasha missed the office staff. They were all generous, outgoing people. And had yet to step inside the building to let them know she was fine – because they’d ask questions she didn’t want to answer.
“Okay, I have the information.”
“Email it to me, please,” Sasha said. “Sorry I don’t have time to talk, I’m in a hurry.” And she didn’t want to chit chat about her adventures.
She hung up.
It took less than a minute for her phone to beep with the incoming message. “Thank God.” She opened the message and clicked on the phone number inside.
It started to ring. And ring.
Shit. She stared at it, frozen.
His answering machine kicked in.
She made a strangled sound and hit cancel.
And breathed deep.
She was overreacting.
Just a stress induced panic attack.
She should go inside and forget this foolishness. She actually got as far as opening her car door, but the thought of going inside her house made her stomach heave.
Crap.
She collapsed back inside the car, tears starting to burn in the corner of her eyes.
Her phone rang.
She stared down at it.
It was Cooper.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
*
Cooper let the phone ring through to voicemail. He wasn’t sure of the number but someone had called him. It could have been a pocket dial, but he figured in his line of work it was better to be safe than sorry. He waited for the voicemail to kick in. When it did he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That muffled exclamation had to be Dr. Sasha’s voice. He was sure of it. Dr. Sasha had called him. Hope tempered with reality as he immediately called her back. “Sasha? I see you called, but I missed it. Call me back please.” He left it at that. Terse but friendly. Concerned but not worried.
At least he thought so. But her voice had been strange…
“New girlfriend,” Markus teased.
Cooper studied his phone, wishing he’d managed to reach her. “I wish but this one is a little out of my league.”
“Oh, who is it,” Markus said with a frown. “Don’t think of yourself that way. You are second to nobody.”
“It’s Dr. Sasha.”
“Did you say Dr. Sasha called?” Levi asked.
Evan joined them then. And Cooper realized there wasn’t going to be anything private at this point. He explained.
“She’s a hell of a doctor,” Levi said in a respectful tone. “She’s helped a lot of men here.”
“I heard that,” Markus said. “I haven’t had to see her professionally thankfully.”
“You have her number, do you?” Levi asked, a quirky grin on his face. “Are you into sharing?”
“Hell, no.” Cooper’s response was instant and heartfelt. The other two laughed.
“Besides,” he said. “You two aren’t looking for permanent and the doc, well she’s no one’s plaything.”
“No, she isn’t. The doc is good people,” Markus said quietly. He slapped Cooper on the back. “But if you ever change your mind… Or if it doesn’t work out for you…” And he took the closest exit. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
Levi nodded at the direction he went. “Markus is good people too. He needs someone in his life again.”
That’s when Cooper remembered Markus’s first wife died in a diving accident. She’d gone to Hawaii to scuba dive with her sister and had drowned on their second dive. He winced. “Yeah, he does. He’s come a long way.” Markus had been so dark and morose before but had apparently found some measure of peace.
“We’ll need to see if we can hook him up,” Cooper said speculatively.
“Ha, he’s only interested if you’ve got some of The Keepers type of magic. He’s looking for what Mason and Swede have.”
“Aren’t we all?” Cooper shook his head. “And it’s not just those two, it’s all five of them. I’m starting to feel like there’s something wrong with me, and I’ll never get the same chance.”
Evan snorted. “I saw her cling to you.” He tapped the cellphone in Cooper’s hands. “This is your chance.” And he walked away too.
Levi nodded. “Don’t mess it up or else a few of us will step up and try our hand.”
Evan was single. Levi was divorced. Same as Sasha. Cooper had avoided that pain by avoiding getting married. The trauma hurt. At least that’s what he told himself. In truth he hadn’t met anyone he wanted to go that distance with. Cooper had had several long-term relationships, but that was before he joined the SEALs and way before his injury.
He was staring at his friends when his phone rang in his hand.
Dr. Sasha.
“Sasha?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m afraid not.”
