Her Vigilant Seal

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “That’s great. Brenda’s a lazy skank.”

  Sophia laughed at the disgust in Clint’s voice.

  “I sure don’t ever want to get on your bad side.”

  “You never could. Even if you broke up with Mason, I would still think highly of you. You’re a good person.”

  Sophia stared into Clint’s sincere eyes. It was amazing how her entire self-assessment had been put on its ear since meeting Mason.

  “Thank you, I think you’re pretty wonderful too. As a matter of fact, I made some cherry pie this morning.” His face broke out in a grin, his hazel eyes twinkling.

  “Did I say good person? You’re a goddess!” Sophia looked up as the door tinkled, and saw six people coming in.

  “Oops, looks like some early customers for lunch. I’d better get a move on.”

  Sophia looked around for Brenda but she was nowhere to be found. After thirty minutes of handling the customers on her own, she went out back and saw Brenda and Tate smoking cigarettes and talking.

  “Brenda, I need you to help me, the lunch rush is starting.”

  “She’s taking her break.” Tate sneered.

  “Brenda, you’ve already had a break and your lunch break,” Sophia said, ignoring Tate.

  “I’ll be there in a few.”

  “I need you now.”

  “I said I would be there when I’ll be there.”

  Sophia mentally counted to ten.

  “Brenda if you don’t come in now, you’re fired.”

  “You can’t fire me. Who else is going to work at this shithole?”

  “I’ll find someone. Are you coming in or not?”

  “Fine.” She threw her cigarette on the ground and stomped it out.

  Sophia held the door open for her and Brenda flounced in. Before Sophia could follow, Tate grabbed her shoulder.

  “I was talking to her and it was important.”

  “So is her job.”

  “You think you’re so high and mighty. You’re nothing.”

  “Get your hands off of her.” Clint picked Tate up like he weighed nothing and Tate was on his back on the parking lot. “Sophia, you need to tell me if you’re going anyplace other than the bathroom or the kitchen, remember?”

  “You whore. Are you sleeping your way through the whole army?”

  “The Navy. I’m sleeping my way through the whole Navy. Get it right.” She turned to Clint. “Thanks. I’ve got to get back inside. Can you come with me?” She really didn’t want Clint wasting anymore of his time on this piss ant.

  “Bowers, you weren’t supposed to be coming around the diner anymore. Expect a visit tonight.” Clint glared at the man on the ground and then turned back to Sophia.

  “What was that about?” Sophia asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Sophia watched as Tate ran towards his car like the hounds of hell were chasing him.

  Before the day was over Sophia wasn’t at all surprised to find Clint in back helping Peter with all the dishes. Usually all of Mason’s men couldn’t stay still in the diner, they had to be doing something, and they all ended up doing KP. Peter loved this new program.

  Her phone rang and she was happy to see it was Mason.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Well then, I’ll get the cherry pie and brownies with ice cream ready.”

  “Oh yeah, it’s Clint who’s there today. For some reason I thought it was Darius.”

  “Good for you. You’re remembering who likes what desserts. I’m so proud of you,” Sophia teased.

  “I’m bringing your favorite dessert for you.”

  “Yum, I love Almond Joy.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Brenda yelling into her cell phone. She walked past where Sophia was sitting and she heard her telling Tate to go to hell, and that they were through. Apparently their time in paradise was over. At least for today.

  “What was that?” Mason asked.

  “Nothing, just the usual. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up and then her phone rang again.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “No I remembered everything.”

  Sophia slammed down her phone. Fuck! She’d thought since Clint had blocked the last number she was done getting these calls. Her hand was trembling.

  “What? Trouble in paradise?” Brenda asked, echoing her earlier thoughts.

  “Isn’t it time for you to leave?” Sophia asked.

  “You have to pay me.”

  Sophia got up from the booth and made her way back to the desk in the kitchen.

  “So is your SEAL finally kicking you to the curb?” Brenda asked as they went through the swinging door. Clint and Peter looked at one another and Sophia ignored her.

  “Just take your paycheck and leave.” Sophia handed Brenda an envelope.

  Brenda grabbed it and stormed out of the kitchen. When the bell over the front door rang all three of them sighed in relief.

  “That bitch is twisted,” Clint said.

  “Her last day can’t come soon enough,” Peter agreed.

  Clint’s phone rang. He flicked the water off his hands, grabbed a towel, and then pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it. Immediately Sophia could tell it was bad news.

  “Is everything all right?” Sophia asked after he hung up.

  “I need to catch the next flight to Dallas.” He was looking at his phone, obviously searching for reservations. Within five minutes he was on the phone.

  “Mason, it’s Clint. I have a situation. Lydia is back in the hospital. I can’t stand the thought of her going through another bout of pneumonia without me again. I can catch a flight out of Orange County if I leave now.”

  Sophia watched as he listened intently.

  “Yep, Peter’s here. Great, you’ll be here in twenty? Okay, I’ll have them lock up behind me.”

  As soon as Clint hung up she went up to him and gave him a strong hug. “I’ll say a prayer for her. Please call and let me know how she’s doing, okay?”

  He nodded, his eyes anguished. He turned to Peter.

  “Don’t worry, son, I’ve got this. Go take care of your lady.” Clint shook Peter’s hand and they followed him to the back door and locked it after he left.

  They went back into the kitchen to finish the cleanup.

  “So who is this Lydia?” Peter asked.

  “I haven’t really asked, but from what I’ve gathered, they rescued her on their last mission. She was badly injured and Clint carried her for days to safety.”

  “Well I hope she’s all right. I know when Ruth was sick I was a basket case.”

  “I remember,” Sophia teased. “She just had a head cold.”

  “But you made her a pineapple upside down cake, which is her favorite, and brought it over to her. She still talks about that. You’re a good girl.”

  Sophia blushed. They looked up from the sink when there was a sound at the back door.

  “Clint must have forgotten something,” Peter said.

  “I’ll go.” Sophia grabbed a towel. The door from the back opened and there stood her attacker from the alley holding a gun.

  “I knew your watchdogs would eventually leave you alone. I just needed patience. I’ve finally gotcha, girly.” He smiled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Peter pick up one of the knives out of the dishwater. As Krill moved closer, Peter lunged, and a shot rang out.

  Sophia screamed as she saw Peter lying on the floor blood pouring from his chest.

  “Stop screaming!” He was standing right in front of her. She could smell his breath, see his eyes.

  Dead eyes. She was going to die. Oh God, she was going to die. He hit her and everything went black.

  ****

  “Peter?” Mason recognized the number, but all he heard was heavy breathing. “Peter? Answer me man.” Still nothing. Mason was still fifteen minutes away from the diner. “Peter?”

  “Shot. Took Sophia.”r />
  Ah fuck. No.

  “You’re shot and someone took Sophia?” Say he got it wrong.

  “Yes.” It was just a gasp of air.

  “Hang on Peter, I’m getting you help. You did good man.”

  Mason hung up the phone and dialed 911.

  Thirteen minutes away.

  Twelve minutes away.

  “No, I won’t stay on the phone. Get to Omega Grill in San Clemente. A man has been shot.” Mason hung up the phone.

  He voice dialed Drake.

  Ten minutes away.

  “Pete’s been shot, Sophia’s been taken.”

  “Where the fuck is Clint?” Drake demanded.

  “On his way to the Orange County Airport, Lydia’s sick.”

  “He’s closest, I’m calling him back. The rest of us will be at the diner as soon as we can.”

  Six minutes away.

  Finally he was there. Cop cars were everywhere. He pulled up next to Sophia’s baby blue Cadillac. Peter was being loaded into the ambulance. He rushed up to talk to him, pushing past the officers who tried to stop him.

  “I’m family,” Mason said.

  Peter shoved off the oxygen mask.

  “Son,” he gasped out. He couldn’t be doing too badly if he could play along with Mason.

  Mason bent down close to Peter. “Do you know where he took Sophia?”

  “No. He knocked her unconscious and dragged her out of the diner. I didn’t tell the cops. I knew you boys would be the best ones to find her.” Mason replaced the mask over Peter’s mouth.

  “Take care of my dad,” he told the EMT as Clint came running towards him.

  “Mason, what…”

  “Not here.” Mason grabbed his arm and led him away from the ambulance and the prying eyes of the police. He pulled him towards his truck.

  Mason’s phone rang. It was Drake. “Clint there?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good, he was the closest. The rest of us will be there between five and forty minutes depending on where we were when we got the call.” Mason looked at Clint. There was no conflict on his face. He was there and ready for action. He had his laptop out and was doing something.

  “Mase, are you keeping it together?” Drake asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He took her, he didn’t kill her. That’s good news,” Drake said, stating the obvious, but it made Mason want to cry, throw up, or kill his friend.

  “Gotta go.” Mason hung up.

  Clint had his computer booted up and was keying in something Mason had no chance of comprehending.

  “Good, her cell phone is on. I’ve got a GPS signal.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s heading north on Pacific Coast Highway.” They looked at each other. It was good news she was moving. Krill had plans for her. All she had to do was survive until they got there.

  “Can you arrange for my cell phone to track her cell phone?”

  “Hand it over.” Mason gave it to Clint. The man was amazing. After he was done he did the same thing with his phone.

  They got in Mason’s truck and Mason took the Five Freeway to Newport Beach, and then turned west towards PCH. Clint used Mason’s phone to keep track of the signal and used his phone to inform the team of their whereabouts.

  “Faster, they’ve stopped,” Clint said urgently.

  “Where are they?”

  “Costa Mesa.”

  Clint gave Mason directions. They pulled up to a very small storage unit. The gates were closed. Mason gave a grim smile when he saw the chain and padlock. He went into the back of his truck and pulled out the industrial sized wire cutters and easily cut the chain.

  The yard was small and not wanting to alert Krill, they ran instead of taking the truck. In less than a minute they saw a white minivan parked outside one of the units. Krill had the storage door open. The inside of the unit was eerily empty.

  Mason motioned for Clint to come around from the back side. He waited a minute for him to get into position. Then he called out.

  “Hey asshole, remember me?”

  Krill stilled. He squinted into the sunlight trying to make out Mason’s features. Then he calmly opened the sliding door to the minivan and Mason started at a dead run towards him. Clint was running quietly towards the other side of the vehicle.

  When Mason got there, Krill had a broken beer bottle against Sophia’s neck and she was awake.

  “It’s almost perfect. I thought about getting a knife but I wanted to replay the night exactly. Too bad Dooley’s not here.”

  Mason shuddered. The man was evil.

  “Let her go.”

  “All I have to do is press in. This is right at her jugular. She was supposed to be some fun the last time, and then die. Now she’ll die and quit causing me so many problems.”

  Mason could see Clint at the open driver’s side window.

  “If you kill her you’ll never see the inside of a prison.”

  “Seeing her dead first will be worth it.”

  Mason gave an imperceptible nod and Clint took his shot. Sophia started screaming as she was splattered with blood, and Mason jumped in and pulled her out of the van.

  “Sophia, I have you baby.” She kept screaming and thrashing. Mason had to hold her and repeat himself a couple more times. Abruptly she stopped.

  “Mason? Oh God, Mason!” She sank into his arms. Then she started to cry and clear off the splatter from her face. He yanked off his shirt and wiped all the gore he could.

  “Oh baby, I’m so sorry this happened. I have you. You’re safe now. I’m so sorry. You’re safe. I love you so much.”

  She shivered and clung to him. She looked up at him as he cleaned her face like he would a child. He pulled her into his lap and cradled her head to his chest and just let her cry.

  “I was so scared but I always knew you’d come. I never doubted it for one moment.” Something settled inside of him.

  “I’ll always come for you Sophia. I’d die if something happened to you. You’re my world.”

  Epilogue

  Four Months Later…

  “Get a move on Billy, we’re going to be late.”

  The door to her brother’s bedroom flew open and he had a backpack slung over one arm and his wetsuit over his other. She winced as she saw the state of his bedroom. Part of her thought she should get on his case to clean it, but she was just too happy having them living together to sweat the small stuff.

  “I saw that.” Billy grinned at her.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “The fact I’m considering calling the Hoarders TV Show?”

  “I’ll clean it when we get back from Mase’s house on Monday, I promise.” Sophia smiled. When Billy Anderson made a promise, he kept it.

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “Come on, we don’t want to be late. I can’t wait to meet Mase’s parents.”

  “I’m going to need help loading the car with the desserts,” Sophia said as she headed to their new apartment’s kitchen.

  “Already done, Soph. While you took a zillion hours primping, I loaded my surfboard and the mountain of desserts you baked. You look awesome. Mase’s tongue is going to be hanging out.”

  Sophia blushed. She was wearing a new yellow halter summer dress with red heels. Ever since she started going to counseling she found she could sleep and eat, so she filled out the dress a little bit better.

  “Thanks, I needed to hear that.”

  “So let’s go. Tonight we eat and tomorrow we surf. It’s a perfect weekend.” Sophia grabbed her overnight bag and looked over the apartment before locking the door. She still couldn’t believe it belonged to her. Thank God for Ashley’s lawyer. He’d made her dad start paying child support for Billy so they could afford a new place, and she was going to start taking college courses again. Everything was turned off, and she shut off the last light, and then closed and locked the door.

&n
bsp; Yippee! She got to go to Mason’s house for the weekend. She was more excited than Billy.

  ****

  “You know my birthday is the day after Halloween.”

  “I know, Mom. Ever since I was fourteen I’ve never forgotten your birthday,” Mason said as he hugged his petite mother.

  “Let’s never speak of the day again.” They both laughed. He was so happy having his parents, Billy, and Sophia in his house for this first weekend in November. He looked over to where Sophia was helping Tony with his eggplant parmigiana.

  “Mason, you’re not paying attention.”

  “What Mom?”

  “I said I know what I want you to get me for my birthday this year.”

  “Okay. But I already bought your gift.”

  “Well return it. I want a daughter.”

  “You just met Sophia today, how do you know you want her as a daughter-in-law?” His mother pulled him out of the kitchen, through the crowded living room, and onto the front porch.

  “Mason, let’s be serious for a moment. I have never seen you happier in your life. I know how much your career means to you. It has given you a wealth of satisfaction. I couldn’t have been more proud. But listening to you on the phone for the last few months has warmed my heart. You are head over heels in love with this girl, and everything you’ve told me about her is true. She is such a good person and she is just like me.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Mason asked, really curious. He loved his mom to death but she could be a bulldozer. He didn’t see where Sophia was a lot like her.

  “Sophia thinks the sun revolves around you the same as I do.” Mason’s heart clenched as he saw his mom’s eyes water.

  “You got it wrong. I know I’m the lucky one because I have the two best girls in the world who love me.”

  “Sweet talker. You get that from your dad.” He hugged his mom, so happy she and his dad were here for this special occasion.

  “So do you have the ring?” She gave him a knowing grin.

  “You’re sure I’m going to propose today?”

  “I didn’t raise a stupid man.”

  Mason laughed.