“Why would I want that?” I was staring at Noah now. It was my decision, but I needed someone to give me a reason to want to wake up and be part of the world again.
“Because then it becomes your choice.”
“My choice?” My voice was so soft, but it felt like saying any louder would draw attention.
“Your choice if you want to touch or be touched. Your choice if you want to love or be loved. Your choice if you want to say to hell with the world and people and live on an island. Your choice.”
I felt my lips stretching in a smile. How long had it been since I felt a glimmer of freedom in my life? My choice, I was missing that and didn’t realize until now.
“I want the shot.” Nicolas and Damon smiled at me like I was a child, and they were my happy parents.
Nicolas came over and administered the shot. I waited, but nothing happened.
“Nothing happens immediately. It will be there when you’re ready.” Damon told me.
“What now?”
“Now we need to go get Cole.” Noah stood up and reached for my hand. “Thank you.”
I owed them thanks too. “Thanks for taking care of me and being willing to talk to me.” They both smiled at me. It had been a long time since the smile of a male didn’t make me shake in fear, but theirs made me feel comfortable.
“Noah,” Nicolas said. “We took care of Seth. He will live.”
“Thank you.”
Noah led me out being careful not to touch me. I wasn’t sure where we were. It looked like a little shack on the outside, but the inside held several rooms. He led me to an older car.
“Sorry not a limo,” he said as I put the seatbelt on.
“I like it. There’s no driver to pry or to report where you went or what you did.”
“I like that part too.”
We lapsed into silence. I wanted to ask questions like why you would save me or even get involved. What was going to happen after we got Cole? Are you taking me back home? All valid and I didn’t want to ask one of them. What I really wanted to know was were Noah and Cole an item. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift off knowing that it was the one question I didn’t have a right to ask.
*~*~*~*
My stomach dropped when we entered the FBI building. I wanted to be almost anywhere else except here. The minute the door opened there were eyes on me. They thought they knew me. Funny how you could be reduced to your case file as if the person in the file wasn’t a living breathing entity. That was me, case file something or other.
“Can I help you?” One of the agents asked as we stepped into the room.
“We’re here to see special agent Johnson. He’s expecting Leigh Taylor Anderson.”
“Your name?”
“He won’t need it.”
I watched as Noah stared the special agent down. I didn’t know what Noah did but whatever it was the man in front of him wasn’t going to intimidate him.
I felt them before I saw them. They felt like evil to me. Has anyone ever walked by you and immediately a part of you screams danger and tries to run away? I don’t mean the occasional teen in a hoodie or someone from a different race. No, I’m talking about the person everyone sighs at when they see him, but you know he is evil personified. It’s a feeling that crawls over your body and invades your bloodstream. That’s the evil I’m talking about.
I turned my head to see them. Markovic and Robertson were staring at me. I didn’t need them to say a word I understood. I better get with the program, their program, or they would make me regret it. I already knew the type of punishment they like to hand out.
The agent at the desk picked up the phone and then told us to follow him. We walked into an office that was spacious with a nice view out the window.
“Thank you, Peterson.” The agent left and closed the door behind him.
“Ms. Anderson, it’s nice to see you again.” He stood but made no effort to leave his desk or stretch out his hand.
“Special agent Johnson, nice to see you again.” I was thankful he didn’t try to touch me.
Noah arranged three chairs together and pointed to the middle one for me to sit. I sat wondering why he wanted me on that one.
“Ms. Anderson—.”
“Leigh please.”
“Leigh, we have someone in custody that is accused of kidnapping you. I wanted you to come in so we could settle what happened to you today.”
I looked around the room trying to figure out what I was supposed to say. Agent Johnson never acknowledged Noah unless he was invisible. I shook my head no, he was very visible. Okay, so no names them.
“The male you have in custody was to meet me at noon. I was unresponsive when he came. He took me from what appeared to be a dangerous situation and brought me to see a physician.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said I was in a drug-induced coma.”
Special agent Johnson reached for the phone on his desk.
“Do you plan to go back to your house?” His hand was hovering over the phone.
Was I? Where would I go? What would I do if I didn’t go back?
Noah leaned over to me. “You can always come with us.”
Why would I do that? “No, I’m not going back.”
The relief in my chest amazed me. I was never going back. Special agent Johnson nodded his head and pressed the intercom button.
“Send Markovic and Robertson in here. Also, send the prisoner from interrogation room one in here. Get the form ready for his release.”
It didn’t take long until there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Robertson and Markovic walked in. “Johnson, you wanted to see us?” Robertson greeted.
“Have a seat.”
Markovic sat across the room from me. Robertson took the chair next to me. Noah stood up and pulled me to my feet switching seats with me. I smiled at the way he was protecting me.
“I spoke with Ms. Anderson, who assures me the prisoner in custody didn’t kidnap her. I’ve already ordered his release.”
“Leigh forgive us our mistake. Someone at the house must have misreported it. You know that we are concerned about you. It won’t be a problem to take you back home.” Markovic said.
“That won’t be necessary.” I hated myself and that small, timid voice that came out my mouth. I could feel their eyes drilling into me. They promised me that I wasn’t going to like what happened next.
“We insist,” Robertson said. “The court says you need someone to watch over you.”
“Robertson is correct. The court doesn’t say who it must be. They simply have to be older than you and responsible.” Johnson told me.
There was another knock on the door. Johnson called out for the person to enter. Cole walked through the door. I wanted to throw myself into his arms, and I wasn’t sure why.
He looked at Robertson, and I tensed up waiting for a confrontation. He picked the chair up on the other side of Markovic and crossed the room placing it beside me. I was surrounded by Noah and Cole. I relaxed; I knew it was stupid. They made me feel safe. No one had ever walked into the house that I privately thought of as the fortress and my prison and cared enough to take me away or help me escape.
I took Cole’s hand and Noah’s hands. “Special agent Johnson my two heroes helped me to escape and get medical treatment. Will staying with them suffice?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t do that Leigh. You need to be around familiar things to keep your anxiety from rising. They won’t know how to treat you.” Robertson said. His hand dropped to his belt a subtle threat. In the early days, he used it on me. I was told that the courts had agreed that capital punishment was the only way to reach me. In my defense, I was held captive for six years. I believed what anyone told me, especially if it meant bringing me pain because that was all I knew.
“I’m going to do it, anyway.”
“Markovic, Robertson, you no longer need to concern yourself wi
th Ms. Anderson.”
They got up. Whatever they wanted to say was left unsaid as they exited. Once the door was shut, a noise came from the ceiling.
“It’s a white-noise machine,” Cole told me. “It also scrambles electrical signals. No one can see or hear us, and your phone won’t work.”
I nodded because they seemed like reasonable precautions to me.
“Watch out for Markovic and Robertson. I have long thought they were dirty, but I have no proof that will stick.”
I wondered if corporal punishment would do the trick. I was aware enough to know it was my word against his.
“I won’t ask where you’re going. Take care of her.”
The look in his eyes bothered me. He knew I was damaged goods, but I didn’t need his pity.
“We’ll take care of each other,” Cole said standing.
It made no sense, but the thought that I had a part to play made me feel like I could belong.
Chapter Twenty-one
Cole
I spent the morning and even a part of last night when I wasn’t claiming Noah being surprised that I met my third. Our third. I kept wondering how my life could fall together so nicely. I went from being pleasantly surprised to knowing something wasn’t adding up when we got to Leta’s house.
I knew we missed something. So, I put my backup plan in motion. Every single team that went after fuckin’ Naresh missed something. I didn’t think we were that much better than those that came before us.
“Thank you for taking me to the bank.” Leta was sitting on the second king-size bed in the room. She was huddled against the wall.
We were staying in a different motel. Angel made the switch for me when I passed off Noah and Leta to him to get her medical attention.
When we left the FBI building, she asked if she could go to the bank. My first instinct was to say no. I turned to look at her. Her shoulders were stiff, and her eyes were downcast. She was expecting a no. It made me stop and think. Was I like all the other people in her life who thought they knew better than her?
I found a branch of her bank that stayed open later and took her. We made it with fifteen minutes to spare before they locked the doors for the day. When she told the employee sitting in one of the offices what she needed, he told her it couldn’t be done. That’s when she requested to see the bank manager. The Manager suggested she come back the next day.
“Call the bank president.” Her voice was low, but it was laced with steel. I turned to look at Noah, who shrugged.
Someone coughed in their hand when she said that. She asked again, but they refused.
“I need a phone.” She looked over at Noah and me. I took my phone out and gave it to her. She hesitated then dialed.
“David Ming? Hi, this is Leigh Taylor Anderson.”
I watched as she nodded and made small talk. “The reason I’m calling you is that I’m in a branch of your bank. The bank manager refuses to honor my request. It may take a while. I’ve decided to put a hold on all my accounts and have them transferred to a bank of my choosing tomorrow.”
My phone is made to dampen the voice of the person on the other end. He screamed so loud that I heard him.
“I believe he wishes to speak to you.” She turned the phone over to the bank manager.
I don’t know what he said. I do know that not one employee left until they had taken care of what Leta needed to be done.
“I was brought up being taught how to protect my money as well as make it grow.” Leta’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
Her lips softened into a smile. Not the new smile she was trying on but an old smile that came from her soul tinged with happiness and flavored with sadness.
Today was another example of power. What she brings to the table is different from Noah or me. I could tell her how powerful she was, but she’s not ready to hear it yet.
“When will Noah be back?”
He went to the store to pick up drinks and snacks for the room. Then he was going to pick up food because his mates hadn’t eaten all day.
“He will be back soon.”
“Should I take a shower?”
“Do you want to?”
“I… I haven’t had a choice in so long.”
The contradiction between the shy female in front of me and the female who knew exactly what needed to be done at the bank reminded me of how far she still needed to go.
“Maybe you should think it over.” She nodded her head, and I sat at the small table in our room. I didn’t want to lay down.
“I won’t be scared if you stretch out.”
I rose and walked over to the bed that wasn’t that far from the one she was huddled on. I wasn’t sure I believed her, but I could see the steel stiffening her shoulders. After I took off my shoes, I stretched out. I could feel her eyes roaming my body.
“How long have you been here?”
I never told her I was an alien, but I wouldn’t humiliate her by acting as if I had no idea of what she was asking me.
“Several hundred of your years.”
She nodded her head as she finally relaxed. The fact that she took it in stride made me proud of her. I saw glimpses of the female she would grow into. I knew she was strong. The weak didn’t survive abuse. It always surprised me when I heard the comment about someone being weak and having gotten caught up in an abusive situation.
One didn’t seek out abuse. It happened to you even when you were keeping your eyes wide open. My past tried to rear its ugly head. I pushed it back down. Neither Leta nor I needed that coming between us.
“Cole?”
I looked up to find her arms wrapped around her legs and her head lying on her knees.
“Leta?”
“I want to take a shower and get a haircut.”
My heart jumped just once, but I knew we were on the right track. She looked like a limb that had fallen asleep. Now it was painfully waking up. All I cared about was her waking up.
“The haircut will have to be tomorrow.”
“I know.”
She climbed off the bed and went to the bags that held the clothes and supplies we bought before we came here. Then she disappeared into the bathroom. I listened to the sounds on the other side of the door. They brought me peace.
I looked up when Noah walked in his hands filled with bags. The ache in my chest, the one I said was just my imagination disappeared when he walked through the door.
“Hey, love.” I went to him and drew him into my arms. How did others function when they were away from the one they loved? I couldn’t imagine having to leave him alone for hours at a time. How would I survive if… when Leta became a part of us?
“I missed you too. Where’s Leta?”
“Taking a shower.” I took the bags he was holding. He went to get the rest of what was in the car.
He came back with a large box and then went back for bags that were filled with pasta. The aroma made the motel room smell good or at least better.
We both turned when the bathroom door opened.
“Hi,” she smiled at us.
I heard Noah groan; I kept mine in. Leta was small, but she looked taller than she was yesterday. Her body was boyishly slim. I knew it was because she didn’t eat. I also knew that she didn’t want to bring attention to herself. I spent years trying to escape detection. Her hair was black, but it looked like she had cut parts off using a pair of scissors. Maybe to discourage anyone from talking to her. What stood out were her eyes. They were a smoky gray making her face look mysterious even with every attempt she made not to look attractive. She was in a pair of pajama’s that said, ‘what are you looking at.’
“I’m jealous that you got to the shower first.” Noah gave her a wide smile and swung his eyes to the bathroom. She laughed, and he put the food on the table.
“Are you hungry?” he asked her.
“Not really?” She cocked her head like it was a question, not an answer.
“You have to eat.” I was
scared that she was going to waste away. Noah told me what Damon and Nicolas told them as Leta dealt with the bank. I hoped they gave her something that would increase her appetite.
I took the mini frig that Noah bought and plugged it in.
“Noah, did you buy cleaning supplies?” Leta asked him.
“Yeah.”
She grabbed them and had the frig cleaned out in no time. “Now we can use it. Well once it gets cold. That will take a while.”
“At least four hours,” I read from the manual.
“Then we should eat.” Noah pointed to the chairs.
He made my heart happy. Our caretaker was back even Leta looked at him as if she missed him. Dinner was a quiet affair. Each of us wrapped up in our thoughts as we ate.
I cleaned up after we were done.
“I’m going to take a quick shower,” Noah told us.
“Leta you can lay down if you want. I’m going to lay here and wait for Noah before I turn the lights off.” I liked that human custom of a honeymoon. It didn’t look like I was going to get one of those with Noah.
When he came out the bathroom, I went in realizing I probably shouldn’t change in the main room. When I came out, both beds were occupied. Neither of them were asleep although they weren’t talking. I turned off the light said goodnight to Leta before climbing into the bed with Noah.
The comfort of having him in my arms settled my racing heart. Whatever we went through to make Leta ours would be worth it. I stroked Noah’s hair listening for both his and Leta’s breathing to change. I wouldn’t go to sleep before they did. An hour later, we were still awake.
“What’s wrong?” It was a general question either one of them could answer.
Chapter Twenty-two
Leta
I was in a strange bed. It set off my nerves. Every time I thought I was close to going to sleep; I would twitch or roll over. I shouldn’t be here. Then the thought of my house would come back to me. The people who I hated that were waiting inside for me. The abuse that I suffered at their hands after suffering so much abuse before them.
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