by Dale Mayer
“Look at the last text. It’s from her.”
The text opened up.
“Help me please.”
*
Cooper parked outside the hanger and with Sasha at his side and David dragging his heels he waited until the truck pulled up beside them. Shadow hopped out with Hawk. Another vehicle pulled up right afterwards. This time Swede exited along with Markus.
Sasha beamed at them all.
David shrunk into his jacket.
“Are they ready for us?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah.” And Cooper ushered David into the hanger where the others who’d been in Turkey waited.
Levi stood, his face cold and hard and so damn dark that Cooper was even feeling it. Levi was above all else a fair man. But this situation was so not normal.
“Local police?” Mason asked from Levi’s side.
“Not yet.” Cooper pulled out a chair for David to sit down. “And you’re right. They are likely the ones to handle this, but I’m not sure. You’ll have to hear the rest. David believes she’s being held on a tanker in international waters out of the bay.”
Levi barked, “Why?”
David waved his hand around as if they’d all go away, then he said, “It’s something she said. Her husband’s brother worked on a tanker. And Harken threatened to take her out and deep six her in the ocean at one point in time when they were fighting.”
“Anything more?” Levi’s tone was low and deep. His gaze was locked on the doctor.
“I said she mentioned having connections. That could have been because her husband worked for the Turkish military,” Sasha said quietly. “I don’t remember her talking about the shipping industry though.”
David twisted so he could look at her. “She didn’t talk much but there was one thing that wasn’t allowed and that was adultery.”
The air filled with the question of why she’d taken that step then…
“So she has an affair, the husband finds out and gets angry and punishes the wife. Makes sense. But then why try to kidnap the other three doctors?” Swede pondered out loud.
But Cooper got it. “Camouflage.” He studied David. “Even better, he could make this into a terrorist hit against the Americans at the same time.”
There were several sighs as everyone fit the pieces together.
“So wait, Ron and I were taken to hide the fact that David here was the target?” Sasha said in outrage.
“And Theresa. She’d have been killed. It’s the only way the husband would be free of her permanently.”
Sasha shook her head. “It’s too elaborate.”
“Why? He had access to the camp, knew he could find someone there like Jamel to help. All Harken needed was a way to arrange your transport after you were picked up.”
“It’s just too…” She didn’t have words.
“David?” She turned to him. “Is this what you think happened?”
He frowned. “I know she was terrified of her husband. Worried what he might do…worried he might have been behind the kidnappings. One of the reasons we’d meshed so well was she went along with my passion for work. She’d be able to travel with me, and we’d be together all the time instead of apart most of the time. But that’s all changed now, she was terrified of leaving the country again,” he admitted. “She’s really traumatized. And not thinking straight.”
Cooper interjected, “When did you last see her and what was the conversation like?”
“It was yesterday,” he admitted. “Late in the afternoon. I’d hoped to spend the night with her, but she got a text from her husband and became very antsy. She told me it was all over and to leave. So I left. But I didn’t go far. I took another room in the same hotel, as I had no place to go, and drank myself silly.” He stared at the men. “When I got up this morning she’d checked out already.”
He handed over his phone and said, “Then I got a text from her.”
Swede picked up the phone and quickly clicked through it.
“So was she just avoiding me all this time,” Sasha asked. “Why set up the meeting with me and not show up.”
“She got cold feet,” David said.
“About what? You’re both adults. If you choose to have an affair that’s between you two.”
“I told her to let you know she was okay, but she was scared as she couldn’t explain her behavior without taking that irrevocable step. She wasn’t sure what to do so did nothing.”
“So I worried when I didn’t need to.”
“That’s not true,” Cooper said. “What about your house?”
“Oh my God, I forgot about that.” Sasha stared at him then slumped in place. “Was I being followed? The house watched? But for what purpose. None. So why vandalize my house?”
“What’s this about your house,” David asked, puzzlement wrinkling his forehead.
Markus quickly explained, adding, “Unless once again her house wasn’t related to this issue.”
“Yet the destruction sent her racing out of the house. Leaving it empty. Where had you planned to go before Cooper stepped in to help?”
“To my mother’s house most likely.” At their nods, she said, “Or a hotel.”
She studied their faces and saw something move behind Cooper’s gaze as he shifted from her to the others. He asked, “So it is him?”
Markus nodded. “He’d be my number one choice.”
“And mine,” Swede said. “We’ve all seen it before.”
“Okay, enough of this talk.” Sasha hopped to her feet, walked over to Cooper and stood in front of him. “Who do you think broke into my house?”
“Greg.”
Chapter 23
She gasped. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he figured it would send you back into his arms.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t go.”
“But did he know that? How big is his ego? Would he have believed you’d go back to him when you were in need? Didn’t you say he was close to your mother? And your mother wanted you to get back together with him?”
She stared at Cooper, her thoughts moving at lightning speed. “That’s awful.”
“But believable?”
Shadow stepped up. “What is his ego like? Does he think you’d go back to him if you had the chance?”
Her throat closed up. “But he was unfaithful. Why would he think I’d sign up for that again?” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t.”
“Did you love him?” That was from Swede.
She nodded and bit her lip. “I did. But he betrayed me, so obviously he didn’t love me. And if I did give him another chance I could never trust him. In many ways that would be so much worse. I need to know he’d be there for me all the time not just until someone better came along.”
At that she heard the strangled gasp from behind her.
David.
“I’m sorry, David.” She walked over to give him a hug. “That didn’t come out right.”
“No, maybe it’s true though. I don’t know. She was hot and then cold and then… I don’t know.”
“So is she missing or is she just avoiding you?” Levi asked in exasperation.
“Maybe the better question is, is the husband in town?” Swede said, walking over from where he’d gone to look at the computer. “His brother’s ship is out in the bay. He’s registered as being on board.”
There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at David. He shrugged. “I can only tell you what she said to me.”
“Would he really kill her because of an indiscretion?” Evan asked.
“Absolutely,” Levi said. “It happens all the time. That truth, however, does not make it a fact in this case. She might have changed her mind and returned to Turkey. I presume that camp was close enough that she could hop back and forth to see her husband, but why then did she leave from the US?”
“We were hired through an organization Ron is associated with. They handle all visas and the agreement covers a
irfare to and from the US. Maybe she was planning for the future. By signing up from here, she had a guaranteed escape from the camp – and therefore from her husband. That way she could get away in case she needed to.”
“A company here?” Cooper asked. “What’s the name of it?”
She frowned and turned to David. “Do you remember?”
He shook his head. “My contract is different. I work with Ron and he runs so many projects I tend to move from one to the other. Theresa might not have been hired through there either. Her husband is a Turk and quite likely she received priority placement as well.”
“Did you know her before going to the refugee camp?”
He nodded his head. “Yes, I did. Saw her a few times but not in years.”
Sasha stood up. “So we’re getting nowhere again. I’m going to go see Ron. Maybe he can shed some light on this mess.”
“Just so you know,” David stood up, his throat working, “Ron is Theresa’s father.”
“What?” Sasha stared at him in shock. “I didn’t know that. Okay, so this is officially a soap opera.” Sasha sat down hard. “I’m presuming Ron was against her marriage and didn’t like her husband?”
David stared at her in surprise. “No, he didn’t. They couldn’t stand each other. Why?”
It was Cooper who answered. “Because it was Ron who was shot. As if there was something personal behind it.”
“But it could have been any of us,” Sasha murmured, her thoughts flinging backwards to the nightmare as it happened. “If her husband was in the group, Theresa didn’t appear to recognize him or anyone.”
“The terrorists might have been primed ahead of time as to who he was. Maybe targeted him for that reason,” Cooper added in a quiet voice.
“Why didn’t she say something,” Sasha asked, tears filling her eyes. “Even when he lay dying, she didn’t let on that Ron was her father,” Sasha cried.
“She was devastated but was afraid of bringing attention to herself.” David flipped his phone back and forth several times. “Her stress level was off the wall. She’d planned to see someone for counseling.”
He studied Sasha. “I would have backed off if she’d told me what was going on. I only wanted to keep her safe. Keep her alive and healthy until we could be together.” His gaze turned hopeful. “Maybe she’s gone into hiding to avoid her husband. If he’s here, he can’t stay indefinitely.”
Sasha had no words of wisdom to offer. There was so much going on. Information they needed and didn’t have available.
“She’s a good doctor,” David said. “Not brilliant, but solid. There are few enough of those out there.”
Sasha stood up abruptly. “I’m going to go see Ron. If anything develops, then please tag me so I’m in the loop.”
“No you won’t, at least not alone,” Cooper said easily. “No being alone until we get to the bottom of this.”
There wasn’t any point in arguing, and truthfully, she was happy to hear that. She nodded abruptly. “Fine, be a hero.”
She smiled at the others. “Good-bye.”
The chorus of farewells had her grinning. Until she got outside and saw the Jeep – and the reminders overwhelmed her. “What will happen with David?”
“He’s free to go. He didn’t do anything. He’s worried about Theresa with good reason.”
“But there’s nothing I can do right now and I need to just…do something normal.”
“I understand. So we’ll go and see Ron, maybe visit your mom and then figure out what’s next.”
And damn it if his voice didn’t turn smoky and dark. She shivered and wondered briefly if they shouldn’t divert to his house instead.
He turned on the Jeep and drove to the hospital. “Let’s go see what he has to say.”
“I doubt he knows anything…”
“We at least need to check it out.”
Ron was awake and happy to see them. Until he heard the news. His face took on such a gray cast Sasha wondered about contacting the doctor on the floor. She had no idea what medications he was on, but the last thing they needed was for him to have a heart attack. Theresa was his daughter and finding out she was in danger had to be a blow.
“Have you seen her since our return?” Sasha asked.
“No, I haven’t,” he said softly. “She’s not happy with me.”
Ron stared out the window. “I didn’t approve of the marriage and knew she wasn’t happy. But neither did I approve of her hooking up with David. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the man, but I didn’t want her to be another of his short relationships and neither did I want her breaking her vows.” He turned to face Sasha.
“I would, however, condone a divorce. Her husband is an ass and treated her terribly, but she wouldn’t see it. What was I or anyone else going to do? She always treated me as a casual friend rather than her father in public.” He shrugged. “I wanted her to return to the US with me but she refused.”
“Maybe she changed her mind.” Sasha explained their working theory.
He frowned. “If she was short on money, I’d have helped her out. Would have happily bought her a return ticket.”
“But the contract gave her a flight home, allowing her to leave without him knowing…” Sasha frowned. That flight home wasn’t going to help much if she had nowhere to hide. “Of course, this is only conjecture.”
“No, it makes sense,” Ron said. “Her husband can’t travel to the US. Not legally, so he wouldn’t be able to follow her. When she was here for a visit, I took her over to the office. I’m sure that’s when she considered the notion.”
“He can’t come here?”
“No, he has a record. So he’s not allowed in the US.”
“And his brother?”
“He has two. The middle one works in the shipping industry and he travels the world on freighters. I think the younger one has worked with him but not sure that he still does.”
Cooper opened his phone and texted Swede. “Let’s make sure they know he can’t come over here.”
“But that doesn’t help get her back,” Sasha added quietly. She glanced at Ron and added, “Her brother-in-law’s freighter is docked in the bay.”
“We have to help her.” He tried to get out of bed and groaned.
“Right idea, wrong pronoun,” Sasha said. “You have to heal. She’ll need you to be there when we get her back.”
“Right idea and wrong pronoun,” Cooper calmly repeated. “I will be helping to get her back again. You, however, will not.”
She glared at him.
Ron chuckled. “I’m so glad to see you found someone, Sasha. You look very happy.”
She snorted. “Then you’re blind.”
Ron grinned. “Generally I see people very clearly.”
*
Cooper watched Ron, looking for any deception. But he couldn’t see any. A man dedicated to his work and likely at the expense of his family. Then again his daughter was in her late thirties and well past the point of needing a father to be there at every corner.
He nudged Sasha toward the door. The hour was late.
“Bye, Ron.” She smiled at him as they walked out. “What’s the rush?”
“I thought you wanted to go to your mother’s as well tonight.”
“Not sure I do,” she prompted. “I’ll have to explain your presence in my life, and that won’t be easy as she’s still looking for Greg to return.”
“Maybe having me there with you will help to change her mind,” he suggested, liking the idea for that reason alone.
As they walked toward his Jeep she appeared to reconsider and pulled out her phone. “Okay, I’ll see if she’s going to be there.”
“Or just arrive unexpectedly so she doesn’t have time to let your ex know you’re coming.”
Sasha laughed. “That works too.”
They arrived at her mother’s place twenty minutes later to find her sitting outside in the lawn. She beamed when she saw her daughter.
<
br /> Then her gaze caught on Cooper and she frowned. “Hello,” she said slowly. “Who are you?”
Cooper stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m a friend of your daughter’s.”
Instantly the other woman’s gaze turned speculative. “Nice to meet you.”
“It should be,” Sasha said. “He’s one of the men who rescued me, Mom.”
She turned to Cooper and said, “This is my mother, Caroline.”
“Nice to meet you, Caroline.” He put on just enough charm to smooth the awkwardness but not enough to make her suspicious.
“I see,” her mother said, but it was obvious she didn’t see at all.
“We were at the hospital visiting Ron and thought we’d stop by to say hi,” Sasha carried on breezily.
Her mother smiled warmly. “And I’m so glad you did. Can I make you some coffee?”
“Sure, that would be lovely.”
Caroline got up and went inside leaving Sasha and Cooper alone. “That went well,” he murmured, barely keeping his grin back.
“Like hell,” Sasha muttered in response. “Well, I’d best go face the music. She’s motioning at me from the window.”
Cooper glanced over and sure enough she made a hard motion to her daughter then seeing Cooper watching, she gave a small wave and turned away.
“I can go, talk to her,” he said.
“No, you can’t,” she hissed. “How do you explain this?” She motioned between the two of them. “Us?” She stood up, shaking her head.
“I could explain,” he said.
She spun around and studied him. “How? What would you say to her?”
Her mother stepped out at that moment. “The coffee is dripping.”
“Thanks, Mom,”
“I’d hoped you’d have come inside with me so I could show you my new dishes,” Caroline said, a faint rebuke in her voice.
“Sorry.” But Sasha’s voice was completely unrepentant.
Cooper decided they could do this dance forever or he could shake it off. “She was afraid you’d ask questions. So I’d just like to clarify that we are seeing each other. I care for her very deeply. Your daughter is a very special woman, and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.”
Sasha stood frozen beside him. Caroline stood with her mouth open in shock.
