Isabella's Submission [Fate Harbor 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  She had tried a job doing medical transcription at home once, but all those hours alone were worse than having to occasionally deal with Paul Murphy’s wife. She liked most of the customers who came in to the truck stop. Some were out of line and made her uncomfortable, but there were always a couple of waitresses and busboys available to extricate her from unpleasant situations before they escalated.

  Her next call was to Shirley Peirson. She had already talked to her when she was in the hospital, but those two conversations were a little foggy. Apparently, Caleb had been by to visit her while she was in the hospital, and the two of them had had a long talk. When Isabella told Shirley that she planned to return to her apartment and job by the following Monday, Shirley scoffed.

  “Shirley, the doctor said as long as I didn’t overdo it, I could go back to work on Monday,” she protested.

  “That’s not the part I’m questioning, I just don’t believe there is any chance you’ll be returning to your apartment.”

  One of the things that Isabella most appreciated about Shirley was that she never minded Isabella’s long pauses. Most people thought they had to fill the dead air, but not Shirley. She realized that Isabella was processing and she would speak when she was ready.

  “Do you think my not returning to my apartment will be my decision or theirs?” Isabella finally asked.

  “Oh child, I want it to be yours, I really do.” Isabella gripped her phone tightly. She realized how important these next few sentences were to her. “But Isabella, you know I want you to be happy. I have always wanted what’s best for you, and these are good men. If you’re happy, if you’re loved and cared for, then I’m happy.”

  “Well, maybe one day, Shirley, maybe one day.” She realized that the door to a possible new future had been opened this afternoon. But no matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t really see herself with these men. Not because it was a ménage, but because deep down, she knew that they wouldn’t really want her, at least not for anything long-term. “In the meantime, I am coming home to my apartment. The doctor said that the swelling and pain should be gone within one to three days, so I don’t see any reason for me not to go home.” Shirley let out a whoop of laughter, catching Isabella completely off guard.

  “What, Shirley?”

  “If you think those men are letting you go back to that apartment, you have another thing coming.” Isabella considered both Shirley’s tone of voice, and the fact that she had lived a considerable number of years longer than herself.

  “You were married for quite a while, weren’t you, Shirley?”

  “Thirty years. Even though he died ten years ago, I still miss him every day. Considering how often he would be gone, and for how long, it’s surprising really.”

  “What did he do, that he was gone so often?”

  “I thought I told you. He was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. When I could, I went with him, but often times he was gone for months at a time. He retired after putting in his twenty years, and we came to live here in the Northwest. He took a part time job at the Fate Harbor marina and I started teaching full time in town.” Isabella could hear the wistfulness in Shirley’s voice as she talked about her deceased husband.

  “So mark my words, girl. You won’t be going back to your apartment.” Isabella frowned at the phone in her hand. Then she heard Shirley’s laughter.

  “You’re slow on connecting the dots today, aren’t you, honey? Do they have you that hot and bothered?” Isabella almost dropped the phone. It was a close call. She was forced her to grab the gadget with both hands, as she heard Shirley’s intensifying laughter.

  “My husband was a military man, just like Leif and Caleb. I know the type, protective as hell, domineering as hell, possessive as hell. And you’re tangling with two of them! Thank God they aren’t Navy men! You should be able to handle two Army men.” Isabella couldn’t think of anything to say. Everybody had just lost their minds today. Everybody. Including her.

  “Shirley, I will be going back to my apartment.” Shirley’s laughter stopped, and Isabella couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction that went through her. Isabella didn’t always have a lot to say, but when she did say something, everyone knew she meant it.

  “Isabella, don’t you think you’re pushing yourself?” Shirley asked good-naturedly.

  “Maybe a little bit, but I will be careful. I don’t want to reinjure my ankle. I will use caution and good sense.”

  “Like you did when you hurt yourself in the first place?” Shirley jibed.

  “Shirley, I know I made a mistake trying to climb the fence, but everything else I had to do. The children will be here soon. I just called to let you know I was doing well and I will be at school on Monday.”

  “Don’t hang up yet.” Isabella waited.

  “Honey, I know this is a lot for you.” Shirley paused. “Leif and Caleb, I mean. Please know that you can call me at any time.” The older woman’s voice held such deep caring and concern. Was Shirley more worried about Isabella’s situation with the men than she was saying, or had the support always been there and she had never noticed it?

  “Shirley, that means very much to me. You, of all people, know how much it truly means. If I need to talk, I will call you. I promise.”

  * * * *

  She was wearing a dress. It was just a simple white shirtwaist dress, but against her honey-toned skin, it was spectacular. Caleb wasn’t the only one staring at Isabella and he wasn’t happy about it.

  “Charlie,” he said in a very low voice. His friend ignored him, continuing to stare at Isabella from their post at the grill. They were of similar heights, but the resemblance ended there. Charlie had strawberry-blond hair and the blue eyes and ruddy complexion that went with it. Caleb knew that Charlie hated the description “strawberry blond,” so he used it as often as he could in front of Charlie. Looking him over, Caleb decided that Charlie was built like the wrestler he had been in high school and college. But mention the hair color to him, and he got red in the face, ready to throw down. Not quite the temperament one might want in a sheriff, but few people knew the right buttons to push.

  “Charlie,” Caleb said louder, and Charlie finally turned to him. “She’s off limits.”

  “She’s my witness, isn’t she?”

  “She’s our guest who’s injured. She’s recuperating and she’s a hero. You get five minutes with her to ask a couple of questions. Are we clear?”

  “That’s crap, Samuels. Lives are at stake. These children’s parents need to be rescued and she’s our best bet at finding them.”

  Caleb looked at his childhood friend, searching for holes in his argument, but couldn’t find any. What’s more, Charlie had done a great job keeping the state police away from Bella while she was in the hospital. He had stonewalled everyone, saying she provided him statements already so that she could recover in peace. Meanwhile, Charlie had gathered statements from all of the children, who were actually the best source of information. The fact that Charlie spoke Spanish fluently was a big help. That was just one more reason why Caleb didn’t want Isabella spending a lot of time with him. Neither Leif nor he spoke Spanish, just some Farsi.

  Charlie looked over at him and grinned. Even though he had wrestled, Charlie had played on the same football team as he and Leif, and he could read Caleb pretty well. Right now, Caleb was not hiding his feelings for Isabella well at all.

  “So you’re saying that you and Leif are thinking of settling down?”

  “I’m saying that you’d better stick to questions about the case only.” Caleb knew he sounded like a dick, but he really didn’t care. Some things were worth sounding like a dick.

  “I can’t help it if women are seduced by my Irish charm.” Charlie gave him a broad grin.

  Caleb gave him a huge grin, as Leif’s hand came down hard on Charlie’s shoulder behind him.

  “It would be wise if your charm and your wayward eye was put safely away tonight, my friend.” Shit. Caleb might
have sounded like a dick, but Leif sounded like he was measuring Charlie for a coffin. Charlie must have thought the same thing because all humor left his face.

  “Jesus, Leif, I was just having a little fun.”

  “I suggest you direct your fun at something else, Meade.” What a great pair they were, the dick and the psycho murderer! Charlie glanced sideways at Isabella, and then looked back at both of them.

  “I’m really happy for you guys, you know?” Just like that, the situation was diffused because they both realized their friend was sincere.

  “It’s not a done deal.” Leif scrubbed his hand through his hair.

  “Yeah, but at least you’ve found her. You’ll figure it out. I still have to find mine.” Caleb knew just how he felt.

  “Look, Charlie you—” Caleb was interrupted as two of the little boys ran up chattering in Spanish, clearly arguing and looking to Charlie to act as their arbitrator. Caleb looked up to see two more groups of makeshift families had arrived while he, Charlie and Leif had been talking. Ilsa Johansen had probably let them in. What was worse, is that he had been so busy mooning over how beautiful Bella looked, and staking his claim with Charlie, he hadn’t introduced Bella to any of the adults caring for her charges. Instead she was seated at one of the picnic tables with Carmen and Victor, just watching the activity. So not only was he a dick, he was an asshole as well.

  As he made his way over to the table, three women approached. Leif’s mom, Mrs. Johansen, was definitely giving Charlie the stink eye as she advanced, flanked by Josie Booth-Reynolds and Karen Hart. He thanked God that Leif’s sister wasn’t here yet. Otherwise, Caleb’s manhood might be at risk. He arrived just ahead of the ladies, standing behind Bella with his hand on her shoulders when they stepped up.

  “Hi, ladies, it’s great that you could be here.”

  “Of course we’re here! Cleo wanted to see you. Mara and Sela couldn’t make it.” Josie squatted down in front of Bella and gave her a big hug. Caleb saw Bella freeze up at this simple gesture he’d seen women do thousands of time.

  “I’ve been dying to meet you, Isabella. Those three kids are precious, and you saved them.” Josie’s eyes filled with tears and she hugged Isabella tighter, then she backed up.

  “How have the three girls been doing?”

  “Sela and Mara had appointments today with a counselor. My husband Sam took them. He’s a social worker. Meanwhile, little Cleo just insists on being carried everywhere by my other husband, Chance. It’s convenient that Cleo wants him to carry her, since he can’t resist her.” Josie laughed. “I see how it’s going to be with our daughter, Lissa.”

  It was obvious Isabella wanted to ask Josie more questions, but she refrained since Carmen and Victor were sitting with her. “Hi, I’m Ilsa Johansen. I’m Leif’s mom.” Ilsa also bent down and hugged Bella. Caleb looked over to see Leif manning the grill, well out of the line of fire. Just as well, Leif’s mom always loved Caleb best anyway.

  “Hey, Mrs. J. Isn’t Bella great?” Caleb ventured.

  “I suspect she’d be even better if she had a glass of lemonade in her hand and a pillow under her leg. I think a couple of somebodies were busy holding a pissing match with the sheriff, instead of taking care of business.” Yep, he was a dick and an asshole.

  “I’m fine, Caleb. Please, come and sit with me.” God, even her voice was calming, but it so turned him on.

  He kissed the top of her head and felt Isabella freeze up again. “I’ll be right back,” Caleb said as he winked at Carmen and Victor, relieved to see Mrs. J smile at last. He brought back three lemonades for the two kids and Bella, as well as a pillow. He found her surrounded by children. One of the two infants was in her arms and she looked beatific. He carefully lifted the injured leg that she’d perched on the bench seat of the picnic table, placing the pillow under it. He knew the lemonade wouldn’t be touched until she had talk with all of the children, who clearly adored her.

  Some of the kids were crying, and Caleb knew they were talking about their parents. Bella seemed to know the right things to say to them. But then, of course she would know. Charlie sat down cross-legged on the deck and started talking to the kids, and some of them crawled onto his lap, as well. Charlie wasn’t doing anything but keeping scared kids happy, speaking in their native tongue, but Caleb couldn’t help being jealous. He had never been so thankful as when Leif announced chow was ready.

  Dinner was a big hit. He could see that Isabella had calmed down a lot, after meeting the people who were taking caring for the children. Besides Leif’s parents, Karen Hart and her two husbands had come, along with Josie and her two husbands, Elise and her husband Ed, and Butch and Betty Hutchins. Isabella looked sad to see them all go after dinner. She’d enjoyed a long talk with Josie and Chance. They filled her in on how Mara and Sela were doing. Apparently, there had been some physical and sexual abuse at the camp, but Isabella managed to extract the girls before they were raped. Still, they’d been bruised when she had rescued them and were obviously traumatized. Sam Booth had arranged for both girls to see a counselor while they were staying with them. The last guest remaining from the gathering was Charlie Meade.

  The interview started out rough. Charlie assumed that he knew everything, since he had spoken at length to all of the children. But Victor and Carmen Velarde had left out a large piece of the puzzle. Their older brother, Pedro, had recently joined a large Mexican gang in Seattle. Shortly thereafter, he got in over his head and was kidnapped by a rival gang who used him as a hostage to get his family to leave Snoqualt for Wilama.

  “What the fuck! Why in the hell didn’t Carmen or Victor tell me this?” Charlie exploded. Isabella flinched. It was clear that the big man was in a rage.

  Caleb, who was seated next to Isabella, put his arm around her and gave Charlie an icy squint. “You will keep a civil tone in your head, you big Irish bastard.”

  “Caleb, this is a lead we could have been pursuing for four days. You know how important this is to the case! If the kids hadn’t told us, then Isabella sure as shit should have!” Charlie jumped up off the coffee table where he had been sitting and started pacing around the living room.

  “Isabella, tell me everything you can about this.”

  “Pedro is just a boy. He just turned sixteen. His parents tried to get him to come to our school, but he is very unhappy. He thinks that his parents should have stayed in Mexico and that his brother and sisters will just be disappointed in their schooling, because nobody will hire Mexicans to do white people’s jobs. I’ve never met Pedro, but Victor adores him and has told me everything he has said.”

  “He doesn’t sound unhappy. He sounds like an angry, selfish little prick.” Charlie sat back down on the coffee table facing Caleb and Isabella, with Leif at his back.

  “He has to be very unhappy to have left his family and joined such a violent group, Sheriff Meade.” Caleb loved the pissy way she tossed out Charlie’s title.

  “Please go on, Miss Caramena.”

  “Charlie, don’t be an asshole,” Caleb admonished his friend’s snotty tone of voice.

  “I’m sorry, Isabella, I’m just tired. I’ve been working this case almost nonstop since Caleb and Leif called me. I just wish I had known about Pedro from the start.”

  “I’m very sorry, Sheriff. I should have realized that the Velarde children would not have told you about their brother’s involvement.” Caleb grasped Isabella’s hand.

  “You couldn’t have known, Bella, and you were sick in the hospital. What’s more, we don’t even know for a fact that he was kidnapped. This could have been something that his own gang concocted. Getting workers for the fields is often a way for gangs to make money. Sometimes they smuggle people over the border to traffic them as itinerate farmworkers. But kidnapping those who came in to work the fields through legitimate work visas just makes their job easier.”

  “Yeah.” Caleb watched Charlie pat down his shirt looking for his pack of cigarettes. It had been over twenty
years since Charlie quit smoking, but when he got stressed, he still involuntarily looked for a smoke. “Okay, Isabella, let’s go over the rest of the story. Hopefully, there aren’t any other surprises.”

  Charlie walked Isabella step by step through every detail, starting with that first phone call, and ending with Caleb and Leif finding her in the motel room. As she recounted the events, rage, admiration and abject fear warred within Caleb, with fear finally winning out. Rage, he was used to. Determination went with rage. There was no doubt in his mind that the missing parents would be rescued and the people responsible would be found and dealt their just reward. Amazement went with admiration. How could this woman sitting in front of him, this woman who was damn near half his size, who had no combat experience, deal with a tactical battle situation better than many trained men he served alongside? Resolve went with fear. This was never happening again! Isabella had been on her own too long, never having anyone to rely on, and that was over.

  * * * *

  Caleb and Charlie walked to the door, leaving Leif in the living room with Isabella. He just stared at her. At some point during the interview, she had pulled one of the pillows from the sofa onto her lap and started picking at the fringe. She continued doing that even now, not meeting his eyes. Smart girl.

  Caleb walked back into the living room, looking between the two of them. He gave Leif a dark look. He wasn’t taking it. Leif was done. He didn’t bother to glare back. He watched as Caleb sat down beside Isabella and put his arm around her. Caleb intended to offer her comfort and a warm place to land. Caleb hadn’t seen what he had seen.

  “Isabella.” Nothing. Leif wasn’t really surprised. He had never heard her talk so much. It had been hard for her. The only time she was willing to be the center of attention was in front of a group of children, and even then, she did her utmost to make it about the children. No this woman did her best to fade into the background. How a woman as stunning as Isabella managed to fade into the woodwork at will boggled his mind, but she did it.