Freedom_A Captivating and consuming contemporary romance

by J Grayland

  “I know, I get it you don't have to explain to me, but you do have to explain it to her and I'm telling ya now there is no way she will agree,” Jax says shaking his head.

  “Well, I guess I’ll have to be gentle and convince her then,” I said with a smirk.

  “Ha, you? Gentle? Now that I can’t wait to see”.

  The following morning I gave Paxton a call giving him the go-ahead to get the wheels in motion to bring Casey back to Portland on the quickest flight possible and this is when it came in handy to still have contacts in the service that were always willing to help me out if need be and this was one of those times, and fingers crossed I wanted to be out of here by Friday. That would give me three days to keep Casey on the base and hopefully safe. Jax was going to stay behind and finish out the contract securing the other civilians on base, although we both new Casey was the target here not the others, but whatever logic told us we never reneged on a job and we had never cut out on a contract. That's why the company had such a high reputation because we had high standards, when King Security International took on a contract, that contract was honored, whatever the circumstances were. After I made the call to Paxton I went to have a chat with Commander Simons who I am guessing was not going to be too happy about the plan I had set in motion, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want to have an international kidnapping scandal happening on his base either. I wasn’t expecting too much opposition from him, but the Doc, now that’s a whole other kettle of fish, so now all I had to do was face the kettle and try and hook myself a fish and reel her in.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Casey

  Waking early, I started off the day with a quick run around the base. It was something I had only taken up while being here, I thought it might help me to de-stress and give me something to channel my frustrations into; the stupid thing is all the frustration I was feeling was caused by the person who was supposed to be making me feel safe, Nate… Such an infuriating person and so egotistical, his personality was like a rollercoaster so up and down I didn't know if I was Arthur or Martha. Every time we had to speak to each other he seemed to show a whole new part of himself, he was actually more wishy-washy than the drum on a washing machine and it was driving me nuts.

  Feeling sweaty when I got back to my room, I grabbed a towel, toiletries, and some clean scrubs and headed down for a shower. A few people had come down with the flu bug and Commander Simons had decided that some flu shots should be given out and I was that lucky person picked for today. Needless to say, this day was going to be long and hot as usual.

  By 2 pm that afternoon I was reminded by the deep rumble coming from my stomach that it needed some fuel, so I headed down to the mess hall to see what culinary delights they had on offer today. Grabbing a bottle of water and one of the biggest well- stuffed chicken salad sandwiches that I had ever seen I took it back to the small area that sat behind my room. Just after I first arrived here I managed to drag a chair out here and at this time of the day the wall of the building that housed my room gave it perfect shade from the blazing sun. Flopping down into my pilfered chair, I pulled my sunglasses down from the top of my head, then pulled my iPod from the pocket of my scrub pants sliding my finger over the screen to the music icon and pressing play on an Enigma album. With my earbuds in, I relaxed back into the chair and devoured the chicken sandwich like a starving animal, washing it down with the water. Leaning my head back against the chair I closed my eyes and felt my body relax as the warmth in the air spread through my body. I was just starting to drift off into a nap when, for some reason, I felt a presence near me. Opening one eye with a squint I saw Nate looking down at me. “You know if you fall asleep there you'll get burnt.”

  Letting out a sigh I said, “What do you want Nate?”

  “Just to talk.” Sitting up, I pulled the earplugs out of my ears and pressed the pause button on the iPod.

  “You like to talk a lot don't you?” I said.

  Nate lifted his hand and scratched at his head. “Not really, well not usually, but I don't normally have so much resistance from someone I’m trying to protect,” he said with a slight grin.

  I put my hand over my heart “Aww, you make me feel so special now” I said, with a bite of sarcasm.

  His boots crunched on the gravel as he crouched down in front of me. Looking into my eyes he paused for a moment then said: “Maybe that’s because you are.” That statement caused me to look away from his gaze just for a second before I stood up and collected my rubbish.

  “Spare me the bullshit and honey Nate and get to the point,” I said wearily.

  When he stood up he towered over me with his huge frame and as I looked up into his icy stare I saw that little muscle twitching at the side of his jaw, which I had now learned meant he was losing his patience. “Why are you so damn aggressive woman? Every time I want to talk to you, Bang! You get defensive. What the hell have I done to offend you? Is it my driving? My face? Do I smell?” he said lifting up one of those wonderful defined muscular arms and taking a sniff under his armpit.

  Letting out a deep breath of exasperation I placed my hands firmly on my hips. “Hmm, where should I start? Number one,” I said lifting my hand up displaying one finger to him, “Decision to leave family and friends and go the other side of the world? A big one.” Raising another finger I continued. “ Number two, choosing to leave my well-established job to come here? Stressful.” Holding up another finger I said “But the condescending look on your face when you came to pick me up at the airport?....Priceless” I said putting a firm emphasis on my last word before I continued. “I came out here to help, I didn't ask for a personal bodyguard and I am sorry that you got stuck with that job, but that doesn't mean I have to put up with your hot and cold personality fluctuations. One minute you’re looking at me with daggers in your eyes and the next minute you’re trying to have a friendly conversation with me, and to be honest, it is doing my head in.” He stared at me until his lips curved into a smile, which only managed to make the situation worse. I looked down at my feet and shook my head exasperated. “See, now you think it's all funny.” He took a step closer to me and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

  “Sorry, you look really angry and hostile but all I can hear is you talking in that weird accent and saying things that are just going straight over my head.” Looking at the grin on his face made me cave and admit defeat, his smile made my own lips curve into a matching one.

  He took a step closer “Is that a smile I see Doc?”

  “You are so frustrating,” I said in almost a whisper, then he took another step closer until he was now standing right in front of me.

  “So can this frustrating man share a coffee with this crazy Aussie?” he asked, bending down a little so he was looking into my eyes until I gave him a nod.

  He guided me over towards the mess tent, the palm of his hand gently touching the base of my back, and then he grabbed two cups of hot coffee from the machine and gestured towards a table outside. “Okay, first things first, what does quote “doing my head in” mean exactly?” he asked, taking a sip of the hot brew.

  “It means that you are driving me crazy,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Ahh, I see, well I know what that feels like,” he said with a knowing tilt of his head then he extended his hand out towards me and said “Let's start again? Hello, I'm Nate King and I am here for your protection for the duration of your contract.” With a smile, I placed my hand on his large, strong hand and gave it a gentle shake.

  “Hello, Mr. King nice to meet you. I am Dr. Casey Tyler.” When I looked down at my small hand in his it felt warm yet rough and magnetic, tiny prickles of what felt like static electricity lightly tingled along my palm and up my fingers, making me quickly pull my hand from his. I heard him breathe in a hiss of air and looking up I see his eyes searching my own until I picked up my coffee and took another sip, looking down into the cup and breaking that awkward feeling.

  “So” Nate
started “I guess I owe you an apology in regards to our first meeting? I...Err... guess I was a little pissed at the time, but not at you,” he held up his hands in a defensive manner, “Just at the situation.”

  “Situation?” I queried and he rubbed a hand down his face and started to look… uncomfortable.

  “Look you’re an intelligent woman Casey and I don't want to beat around the bush with you.”

  “Then please, don’t,” I tell him.

  Nate's eyes seemed to flitter around everywhere like he was searching for the right words until he said “I know I’ve said this before but I think there is something more going on here than you think, so many things are wrong; out of place; I had my brother Paxton look into IMA and although it is a legit company it's the CEO I have my doubts about.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked slightly confused.

  “The CEO of IMA is a man called Robert Peterson and he has a very questionable past. I haven't had much to do with him so I'm going on the information my brother Paxton has found so far.”

  “So, if you haven't had much to do with him, how did you come to work for him?” I watched Nate's body instantly stiffened at my words and the look he gave me was one of disdain. Then he slowly said “I do not work for anyone Casey. A while back he got my crew out of a bad situation with some transportation and he asked me to come here and return the favor, and yes before you go there, he was checked out and cleared until he took over as CEO for IMA, and that's why I need to know as much as you know about what happened at your end. Like how did you get the contract? Who hooked you up with IMA?” Thinking back and trying to remember every detail I absently run my tongue over my bottom lip. Looking up at Nate he closed his eyes for just a second and said “Please don't do that” gesturing to my mouth with his eyes.

  Ignoring his comment, I told him of how a co-worker had taken a contract with IMA and how they talked about what a fantastic experience it was, and how it had sparked my interest, so he passed on the information to me and I had contacted IMA and left my details. “Then what happened?” Nate asked.

  “They called me in for an interview and I had to go through an evaluation process and paperwork, you know credentials, resume psych evaluation and that was it” I finished and took another drink from my coffee.

  He looked frustrated as he ran a hand over his face in thought “Ok, so what about mutual friends with this co-worker?” He seemed to put emphasis on the word co-worker almost like he hated the sound of the word.

  “Maybe on social media, I do have a lot of co-workers on my Facebook page.” I shrugged nonchalantly but the look of disgust on his face made me sit back in my chair.

  “If there is one thing I hate the most it’s social media,” he said through clenched teeth. “It is the easiest way for someone to find out all your personal information.”

  “That's why it's called social media so your friends and family can keep up to date with what's happening in your life,” I said.

  “Exactly” he pointed at me “It's not your family and friends that are the problem. it's every other mother fucking stalker slash psychopath that also knows what you’re doing and where you are.” Now he had me running my own hands down my face in exasperation.

  “You’re right, but this situation is not something that comes up in my life all the time. This is an unusual predicament, I mean shit this is nuts, it’s like something out of a book or a bad dream.” The fast thoughts that started to run through my head also made me start to fidget in my chair and I felt the slow coldness of anxiety starting to form in my lower stomach, that was quickly manifesting into something bigger, I felt a light sheen of sweat starting to flush over my face, and I became aware of the rapid beats of my heart thumping in my chest. I saw Nate pull his chair closer to mine, then he placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. “Casey? look at me” I heard him say, but I couldn't, my breathing was getting faster, the thoughts running through my mind were rapid and sharp and my breathing was trying to keep up the pace.Closing my eyes I tried to slow my breaths down. I needed to get control now or my thoughts would take me back where I had no intention of letting them. My eyes flew open with the barking command of Nate’s deep voice “Look at me” instantly my eyes locked onto his, “That's right now slow that breathing down and keep looking at me, don't think of anything else just me, here, and now okay?” I nodded and put all my concentration on his face, mapping every line, every tiny scar and every mark, and as my breathing slowed, my mind started to clear and it started to process and organize itself into a clearer thinking pattern and I could feel myself climbing back up from that familiar dark, deep hole I had been in many times before.

  “I'm okay” I shrugged at the grip of his hands on my shoulders.

  “You know that's twice now that I have seen you start to have a panic attack and you don't seem to be the kind of woman who rattles easily, so where were your thoughts going just then?” he asked with concern.

  “Nowhere, I err… had a couple of anxiety attacks when I was younger, but I haven’t had one for years…..until I came here.” The words came out in almost a whisper and Nate sat back in his chair.

  “Yeah well, I guess I can understand that, after all this isn’t the kind of place you would come to have a good time, it would cause even the toughest of people some anxiety it can be stressful and daunting.” His voice was a lot lower now but the way he spoke made me feel like he was talking to a teenager that had gotten herself into something bigger than she expected.

  “I didn't come here for a good time,” I said through narrowed eyes, “I came because I thought I might be able to do something right for once in my life, you know? Give back to others. I'm not some stupid bimbo that thought I would be coming to a holiday resort out in the desert to get a good tan.”

  “I didn't say that,” Nate said defensively.

  “No, but it's what you were thinking. See this is why we cannot talk on a normal level to each other Nate, in one breath you’re concerned and respectful and within a split second you turn into an arrogant, condescending, egotistical dick.” When I stood up he placed his hand on my forearm and forced me to sit back down. Smiling, he said, “I can assure you I will take that onboard Ms. Tyler but before you take off on me again please for once can we finish this conversation? Damn it, woman,” he sounded exasperated but I really didn't care. I just sat and waited for him to speak because the less I had to talk to him the better. Crossing my arms over my chest defiantly I said, “Fine. Talk” He shook his head, took a deep breath and said “I know you’re going to be pissed at me for this next question but it needs to be asked, I need to know if you have any personal relationships going on at the moment, you know a boyfriend or any close relationships with a co-worker?”

  “Nope,” I answer quick and sharp.

  “No current boyfriend, no one been paying you more attention than what's normal? At work? Back home?” He continued.

  “Nope.”

  “So there's nothing else you have to tell me?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

  “Like?”

  “Well I’ve seen you using the base phone to make personal calls, so what about any family?”

  Shaking my head, arms still crossed and with pursed lips, I said “Nope” and now he looked pissed. Abruptly he stood, rubbing both his hands at the back of his neck, “Goddamit, Casey give me something here” he pleaded. I looked up into his face and directly into his piercing eyes.

  “Like what? I have nothing to give you I have no family, no boyfriend, no lover, I can’t give you something that's not there. I’m sorry Nate.” Getting up and turning, letting him know I had nothing more to say I walked back to the med building, leaving him standing there.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nate

  Sitting back down on the chair I watched as Casey walked away. My stomach dropped down into my balls, the way she looked up at me with those multifaceted colored big eyes of hers and told me she had no-one, made a lump form in
my throat that I found so fucking hard to swallow. This woman, so intelligent, so stubborn and tough, yet so sad.. and distant... so fragile.

  “Fuck” I swore to myself. What the hell was I doing? What the hell was she doing to me? I didn't even know anything about her, she was so secretive and hidden, so why was I so drawn to her like a fly getting pulled into a web? Holy shit, when she placed her small hand in mine when we first sat down, there was a spark I felt it, and I saw it in her face she had too. So what the hell was that? Jesus! I needed to remember that she was a client and just a client and I needed to keep that straight in my head. I don't do this; I do not let anyone in...Ever...it's just business.

  By the afternoon my temper was starting to fray. I had been mulling over our conversation the whole time. Never in my life had a woman had me this mad, so I went over to the med tent to try once again to talk to her about us leaving for Portland on Friday. I wanted to give her plenty of time to process it because I knew I was going to have another fight on my hands, but when I got to the tent I was told that she was in surgery, so I ended up grabbing some food from the mess tent and going back to my own tent to eat and wait for her to return after her shift was done. The last time I looked at my watch it was almost eleven pm and I must have dozed off because the next thing that I remember was hearing her voice quietly talking to someone. Sitting up, I strained to hear more. Who was she talking to? Lifting the flap of the side window slightly, I could see her standing at her door, and leaning with one arm against the other side of the door was that fucking muscle headed Brit, Mike. Watching them talk, I could see her attempting to close the door, but Mike moved his arm down to now rest against it, stopping her from moving it at all. The smile on her face dropped and turned into a scowl as she brushed his arm off the door and attempted to close it again. This time Mike moved closer into her room and she placed both her hands on his chest and I saw her mouth say that little word “ NO,” and that was enough to have me out of the tent and jumping up onto the small balcony and wrapping my hand around the back of that smug little fucks neck, pulling him away from the door. I turned him towards his own room and shoved him so hard he stumbled into it “I'm not sure what language you speak but usually in any language when a woman says “ NO” it means back off.”