"Cheating bitch," I said under my breath.
The sliding glass doors of the terminal opened up to the salty Pacific Ocean air, billowing around North Island.
I took in another breath right before I heard her voice again. "Look, there aren't any cabs. Let me take you home."
I exhaled the calming breath, noting the lack of cabs that usually lined up in front of the terminal. "Fine," I replied reluctantly.
It would be faster than trying to call a cab, and ultimately I just wanted to get home to see Sierra.
"Great, I'm parked right over there," she said pointing to the first row in the parking lot.
I didn't reply, except to follow five steps behind her.
"Where are you coming back from?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"Can't tell you. OPSEC. Surely one of your new boy toys hasn't let you forget the rules," I replied sternly.
Her long brown hair blew in the wind as she shook her head. "Can't we move on from that, Chance?" she asked, stopping in front of a blue Chevy Malibu.
"Get over what?" I asked, moving toward the passenger seat.
She clicked the car unlocked. "Get over the cheating. I've grown up since then. Can't we be friends?"
"No," I replied.
"So, you're still mad at me?"
"No…I don't know…it doesn't matter," I said, stuffing my bag in the back seat before sliding in the front.
"It does matter," she said, starting the car.
I turned to her. "Listen, I appreciate the ride home, but that's where it ends. I've moved on and I hope you have too."
She pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay…well…I see I'm not going to get anywhere with you—"
"No, you're not," I interrupted.
The quiet drive off the island seemed to awkwardly last forever. I tried to look out the window as much as I could, but the blazing San Diego sun made that pretty hard, so I was relegated to either keeping my eyes fixed on the road or at my clenched fists. Over the bridge and an exit later, we were pulling up to my apartment complex, where I caught a glimpse of my front door hanging off one hinge.
"What the fuck?" I asked, sitting up in my seat. "Stop the car!"
She slammed on the brakes and turned off the car. "Oh my goodness."
I jumped out of the car, running straight into the apartment, clearing each room as I searched for Sierra.
"Sierra!" I yelled, but there was no one in the house to respond.
I made it back to the living room, slowly eyeing the evident signs of a struggle.
"Fuck!" I yelled, kicking the ceramic lamp lying on the floor, shattering it into a hundred pieces.
"What did they steal?" Nicole asked, standing at the door.
"Sierra."
"What?"
"They stole her. They stole, Sierra."
"Who's Sierra?"
"My girlfriend," I said, pulling out my phone to call her.
She marched into the house. "How do you know she just didn't leave?"
"She wouldn't do that."
"Well, how do you know?" she persisted.
"Because she's not like you!" I yelled angrily.
NICOLE
I took a step back as my eyes began to fill with tears. I knew why he was mad, but it didn’t make his words hurt any less. After all, that was a year ago, and I would've thought by now he would've gotten over it…at least a little.
I turned away from him so he wouldn’t see me wipe away the few tears which had already begun cascading down my cheeks.
Fuck. I thought I was stronger than this.
"Um…I—" I stuttered.
CHANCE
"I'm sorry. This isn't your fault." I said with regret in my voice.
She shook her head. "I understand."
I punched in Sierra's number, watching as Nicole wiped her cheeks.
"Who are you calling?" she asked with a cracked voice.
"Sierra," I said, holding the phone up to my ear.
The call went straight to voicemail. I hung up and called again. Again, the call went straight to voicemail. "Fuck!"
"She's not answering?"
"It's going straight to voicemail."
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you right now?"
"Like I said, she's not like that."
"I'm a woman. I know women. Maybe she just needs some time. Did you get into a fight or something?"
"No. The last time I spoke with her, she had just found out we were having a girl, and she was so happy. Why would she leave if she was happy?"
"Are you telling me you got a girl pregnant?"
"Yeah, a couple months."
"You're gonna be a dad?" she asked in a low, disappointed voice.
"I know…crazy huh?" I asked, hovering my thumb over the redial icon.
She shook her head. "Well, I'm sure she'll call when she's ready."
"I still have to call the police about the break in," I said, rubbing my forehead.
She stretched out her hand. “Here let me do that for you."
I shifted my gaze from the phone. "Why are you trying to be so nice?"
"I'm not an animal, Chance."
"I never said you were."
"And I'm not an evil bitch."
I didn't reply. I didn't think it was the appropriate time to voice my opinions on the matter.
"I might be self-centered, but I'm not evil. We had our differences, but I still care about you," she said, pulling out her own phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"The police. I'm going to stay and help you until this Sierra person answers your phone call."
"I don't need you to."
"I didn't ask. Besides, you just got home from where ever you just came home from and I'm sure you're tired. I remember how tired you used to be after those long trips."
I don't know why I didn't try harder to oppose her offer. I guess the confusion and heartbreak were clouding my better judgment. Why would Sierra leave without telling me, and why would she leave with our baby? Suddenly, the life-choking realization came to me…what if she'd been tracked down by her brother?
"Hello, I need to report a break in," Nicole said over the phone as I marched into the bedroom.
The fastest way to prove my theory wrong would be to check out the closet. If it was empty, then I knew she had left me. Slowly, I went back into the bedroom toward the closet, almost afraid to look. No matter the reason…she was gone.
My eyes widened as I pushed the door to the closet open, and there, just as clear as day was my answer. She had left. There were a few shirts still dangling off the side of a hanger, and a shoe or two left, but other than that, it was bare.
The anger in me swelled, my fist clenched, and before I knew it I had punched a hole into the drywall next to the closet doorframe.
"What was that?" Nicole yelled from the living room as I pulled my hand from the crumbling wall, leaving streaks of blood along the way.
"Nothing. It was nothing."
"You might wanna come out here. I can see the red and blue lights outside."
I wiped the blood from my knuckles and made my way to the living room, glancing over my shoulder at the empty closet one last time.
The officers swarmed the apartment for hours, taking pictures, collecting fingerprints and other evidence, asking question after redundant question. I felt like I was having an out of body experience, and after the long trip from Afghanistan, all I wanted to do was close my eyes.
"Mr. Carmichael, we're going to get out of your hair. We will take all this evidence and let you know if anything comes up," the detective handling the case said.
"I'm sorry, I forgot your name," I said, stretching out my hand to shake his.
"It's Detective Morrison," he replied, taking my hand.
"Will you call me if you find her?"
"With all due respect, with the empty closet, and no blood or tissue evidence, I'd have to say…it looks like she trashed the house and left you."
"
But why?"
"I don't know, sir, maybe she was overwhelmed with the baby."
I shook my head. "You don't know her."
"You're right. I don't, but I've been doing this job for a long time, and I've seen this time and time again. Women like her are nothing new to me."
"Women like her!" I echoed angrily.
The bustling in the room stopped, and all eyes were on me. Nicole laid her hands on my shoulders, squeezing them tightly. "I apologize, Detective. Chance is just under a lot of pressure right now, especially having just come home from Afghanistan," Nicole said calmly.
"Yes, well…" Detective Morrison's words trailed as he clicked his pen closed and stuck it back into his pocket.
Honestly, I didn't care what he had to say. He didn't know Sierra, not like I did, and if stares could kill, he would've been in body bag at the back of a coroners van speeding down the street right about now.
"We will leave you to take care of him, ma'am. Looks like your level-headed enough to keep him in line."
Instantly my body went hot, but before I could lunge at him, Nicole dug her nails into the flesh of my shoulders, snapping me out of the hurricane I was about to unleash on this man.
"Will do, Detective," she said, smiling at him.
The detective whistled and twirled his finger in the air. "Alright folks, let's wrap it up, and let this war hero get some rest," he said with a smirk on his face.
Nicole dug her nails even deeper, restraining me, until the procession of cops vacated the apartment.
She moved in front of me, resting her hands on my chest. "Listen, there is no need to go to jail over this. I'll help you clean up and we can go from there."
Deflated, I hung my head between my shoulders, and nodded. "You're right."
"I know I am," she said, patting me on the chest, grinning slightly.
"I'm just going to fix the door tonight, and I'll get the rest of this tomorrow."
She moved toward the kitchen. "Do you still keep the tools in the bottom cabinet?"
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my chin as I kneeled down to look over the door hinge.
"Here you go," she said, handing me a bag of tools.
"Thanks," I replied, wrapping my fingers around the straps of the bag, accidentally touching her hand in the process.
NICOLE
The touch sent electricity careening up my arm and throughout my whole body, instantly making me wet. I ached for him, and all the things I knew he could do to me…all the things he used to do to me. I was so stupid to have cheated on him, and if I could take back the last year, I would do it in a heartbeat. But that was the crux of life, wasn't it? There was only moving forward. No do-overs. No returns. Until now, of course. This was my do-over, and I was seizing the moment. My eyes narrowed as I gazed down at him, taking in his chiseled body.
CHANCE
She looked at me with those eyes of hers. The same eyes that used to make me give into any of her crazy desires.
I shook them out of my head. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry," she said with a seductive smile.
I didn't reply. This conversation would bubble up emotions I wasn't prepared to deal with. Not right now. Not right after losing Sierra.
"I appreciate you staying with me through all of this, but I got things from here," I said, picking up the door as I tried my best to reach for the screwdriver. "Fuck!" I yelled, aggravated with the situation.
I was beyond frustrated and fatigue had started to set in.
"I can see you got this," she said sarcastically, grabbing the screwdriver from the bag.
She positioned the door hinge back in place and drove the screws in while I held the door in place.
"Thank you."
She turned the screwdriver one last time and stood, dropping the tool back in the bag. "I think that'll do 'er. You're probably gonna have to call the super to get a professional in here."
I let go of the door and stepped back, swinging the door back and forth to test how sturdy it was. "I think it'll be fine."
"Okay, well let me get some food going," she clasped her hands together, strolling toward the kitchen.
"No. You don't have to. I'm pretty tired from all the traveling, and it's damn near two in the morning," I said, standing next to the door, hoping she would take the hint.
"Oh. Okay then. I guess I'll go," she said with disappointment in her voice, picking up her purse on her way to the door.
I nodded. Even though I appreciated her help, I wanted to be alone. I wanted to stew in my own self-pity, without having to entertain a woman who had already broken my heart.
NICOLE
Awkwardly, I walked out of the door as he waved and shot me half a grin before closing the door behind me. Standing there for a moment, I contemplated knocking on the door again. I wanted to run back in and rip his clothes off; bribing him the best way I knew how…the only way I knew how to bribe a man. But with the loss, it was too soon for all of that, and it would probably drive an even bigger wedge between us if I pushed too hard.
He would accuse me of being conniving, and really, he would be right. So I did what any self-respecting woman would do, I got in my car and drove home to soak away my yearning for him.
I hadn't really realized how much he meant to me until right now.
God I missed him.
CHANCE
Turning back to the mess I was left with to clean up, I exhaled loudly.
"Fuck it. I'll do this shit tomorrow," I said under my breath.
I snatched a beer out of the fridge and plopped down on the couch to wallow. Settling into the comfort of the couch, I took another swig of the cold liquid, before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep. Hoping beyond hope sleep would help me forget my pain, but even in my dreams I couldn't escape it.
I found myself lying down on the beach, watching as the waves crashed onto the shoreline. A shadow fell over me, and instinctively I knew it was Sierra. I turned from the ocean.
"Sierra," I said, scrambling to my knees.
But the shadow was gone, and in its place were two coffins, one being small enough for a baby.
Sierra's voice streaked through my head. "Help us, Chance! Why aren't you helping us?"
THE NEXT DAY
"Sierra!" I woke up in a cold sweat, panting, gasping for air.
I knew she needed me. I felt it in my bones. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I heard a knock at the door. The time on the cable box said 9:07 a.m. and I wondered how that short dream had translated into seven hours of sleep.
NICOLE
I stood at the door, nervously adjusting my hair. I knew it was early, but I wanted to be the first person he saw when he woke up. He was going through a lot right now, and I wanted to be the one to console him through his trying time. This was going to be my best chance to get him back.
The only thing I had to worry about would be keeping my attitude in check. Every time he brought up Sebastian, I would need to bite my tongue so he could see the change in me.
I pulled out my mirror and took one last glance at my eyeliner and lipstick, making sure it was just how he used to like it. I almost couldn’t believe I had to go to three different stores to even find the same color.
Autumn Mist…who even comes up with these names?
"Perfect," I said under my breath, sliding the mirror back into my purse before I knocked on the door again.
I waited a few minutes, but he didn’t answer.
Maybe he's still asleep?
CHANCE
There was a second knock at the door.
"Fuck. It's early as fuck," I said, taking another drink of the warm beer, swirling it around my mouth in place of mouthwash. "Shit, that's nasty."
I moved toward the door only to find Nicole standing on the other side.
"What are you doing here so early? Don't you have work or something?"
She strolled in. "Not today. I took the rest of the week off so I could keep you company. I came to
take you out to breakfast," she said adamantly.
"I don't want—"
She interrupted my opposition. "I know you don't want to, but you need to. And you need to clean up this mess," she said, looking around the apartment.
"I'll get to that later. What are you really doing here?"
"I told you."
"No. That's not why you're here." I closed the door and walked back to the couch. "You forget…I know you."
She threw her purse on top of some mail on the side table. "People change."
"People don't change, Nicole."
"Oh really? You're telling me you haven't changed?"
"I'm not saying that—"
She interjected, "I've been through some things, with some less than savory people. Things I don't want to talk about, so believe me when I say I've changed," she said, picking up some of the pillows off the floor.
"I guess," I said, shaking my head as I sat down.
"Why do you say it like that?"
"I dunno, maybe I'm still a little salty from Sebastian. He's dead by the way," I said, rubbing my five o'clock shadow.
She paused from picking up the knick knacks strewn about the floor. "What? When?"
"Fuckin' Mexico. A few months ago."
"What about—"
"Everyone's gone. I'm the only one who survived. At least I hope I'm the only one who survived. If those poor bastards are still there," I said, shaking my head. "Well, let's just say I'd hate to be them."
"Damn."
I shook my head.
"Well at least you're safe."
"I only survived because she risked her life to keep me alive," I said, smelling the beer before taking another drink.
"How'd she do that?"
My face cringed as the bitter liquid ran down my throat. "Ahhh! She's the sister of the asshole who held me captive. She smuggled in food when he was out, the rations kept me hanging on long enough to attempt an escape, and escape she actually helped me with. Without her..." my words trailed as I shook my head.
Betrayed: A Bad Boy Military Romance Page 4
