Rescuing Casey

by Susan Stoker

  Casey’s eyes opened wide in the dark night, not that it helped her see anything. Beatle was hard under her leg. He shifted his hips and she couldn’t help put press harder against his dick. She felt it twitch under her leg.

  “We’re both dirty as fuck. We smell like we’ve been rolling around in the dirt for days, which I suppose we sort of have. You’re hurt and worried, and I don’t give a fuck. Seeing you bare yourself for me earlier today would’ve been a dream come true if it wasn’t for the situation. I’ve dreamed about you standing in front of me and slowly taking off your shirt while I watched. The thought of you standing before me wearing only a pair of panties, then sliding them down your long legs, is almost more than I can stand. All my cock wants to do is bury itself deep inside your hot, wet cunt.” Beatle’s voice had dropped, and he was practically whispering now. The desire was easy to hear in his voice.

  “You are not a mission, sweetheart. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. This isn’t a result of me rescuing you. It’s you. And me. I’m going to get you safely out of this jungle and back to the States because I want to explore whatever this is with you. You might not feel the same, but I aim to do what I can to try to make you come around to at least giving me a chance.”

  “It’s not just you,” Casey said, bravely shifting her leg to feel his erection once more. “I…want to explore whatever this is with you too. But…I’m not sure how it can work with you living in Texas and me in Florida.”

  “Thank fuck,” Beatle breathed, then moved her leg off his hard cock. “We can figure out logistics later. First things first—getting out of this jungle. Tomorrow is gonna suck,” he said bluntly. “We’re gonna move hard and fast to get to Guacalito. From there, we’ll meet up with the others and figure out our next steps and how to get to San José. The capital is bigger and it’ll be easier for us to get lost in. We’ll be able to blend in with the tourists better there than in one of the smaller cities.”

  “We won’t have to walk there, will we?” Casey asked.

  “To San José?” Beatle clarified.

  Casey nodded.

  He chuckled. “No. Hollywood or one of the others will get us a ride. We’ll probably have to spend a bit of time in the capital, but if I know your brother and Ghost, they’ll do whatever they can to get us clearance to leave as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Costa Rican officials are going to want to talk to you. Since you were kidnapped on their soil, they’ll at least go through the motions of trying to investigate. We haven’t talked about exactly what happened yet, but I don’t want you to worry about meeting with them.”

  “Will you…” Casey paused, then took a deep breath and continued. “Will you be there with me?”

  “Absolutely. Nothing could keep me away.”

  “Because you want to know what happened?”

  “Yes, but more importantly, I want to be there to support you while you recount it.”

  “Thanks,” Casey whispered.

  “You’re welcome. Getting you to San José will also give me a chance to get you to a real doctor.”

  “I don’t want to see a doctor here,” Casey protested, then shuddered. “I just want to go home.”

  “I know. But I’ll make sure whoever Ghost finds is on the up and up. I’m not going to let anyone do anything that will hurt you further.”

  Casey swallowed and the tears threatened again. She felt so…off. Crying wasn’t like her. “Okay,” she said softly.

  “I know your life is in Florida,” Beatle said, “but there are schools in Texas too.”

  Her breath hitched in her throat at his implication.

  “I can’t exactly change where I’m stationed, and that sucks, because I don’t like that you’d have to be the one to sacrifice if things work out the way I want them to. We’ll take it slow. Date long distance for a while. Talk every night via Skype and the phone. I’ll take leave and come see you, and maybe you can make it out to Texas here and there too.”

  “I’d like that,” Casey told him. It wasn’t as if she’d thought they were going to land back in the States and immediately get married, but hadn’t thought he’d come right out and say that he wanted to keep seeing her, either. Not after two days of knowing her.

  “Sleep, Case,” he ordered. “Tomorrow will be a long day. I’ll give you as many painkillers as possible, but you’re going to have to make yourself eat something in the morning. And drink throughout the day.”

  “I will,” she told him. “I just had a momentary pity party. I’ll be better tomorrow.”

  “Don’t ever hide how you’re feeling from me,” Beatle said. “I want to know how you’re really doing. I might not be able to do anything about it, but don’t ever think that you’re whining. Okay?”

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  “Good.”

  “Troy?” She didn’t know why she’d used his real name, but it popped out.

  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

  She could hear the feeling in his words. He obviously liked it when she called him Troy. “Thank you for finding me.”

  “That’s something you don’t ever have to thank me for, Case. Now sleep.”

  * * *

  Beatle held Casey tightly long after she fell into an exhausted and uneasy sleep. He and Truck had talked before he’d joined her in the hammock and agreed that they’d pushed her too hard. She wasn’t strong enough to be tromping through the jungle. They’d misstepped there. Since she hadn’t complained, they’d assumed she was fine. She wasn’t.

  He’d heard Truck talking to the rest of the team on the radio earlier. The plan was just as he’d told Casey. They’d turn and head in a straight line for Guacalito. If someone got in their way, they’d simply kill them. It was more important to get her back to the States than to search for her kidnappers.

  But the feeling that he’d missed something nagged at Beatle. The entire kidnapping wasn’t like anything they’d ever experienced before. Whoever had been the mastermind behind it was smart, but Beatle knew no one was perfect. The kidnapper had left breadcrumbs somewhere. They could be tracked.

  But as he’d told the woman in his arms after her mini-breakdown, there was time to figure out the who and why later. His main concern was Casey.

  He was more relieved than he could say that she seemed to want to see where a relationship between them could go when they got back to the States. They had a lot of hurdles ahead of them. He was stationed in Texas and her job was in Florida. He couldn’t exactly up and move…unless he quit.

  The thought of leaving his teammates hurt, but the thought of never seeing Casey again hurt more. He’d fallen hard and fast and wasn’t ashamed to admit it. He’d seen how happy his teammates were with their women, and he wanted that for himself. With Casey.

  She hadn’t lied, they were both pretty rank, but it didn’t matter. She was alive and in his arms; he didn’t care what they smelled like. Beatle kissed Casey’s forehead and closed his eyes.

  His dreams were filled with horrific visions of finding Casey in the hole, but this time he’d been too late. Of her dying in his arms as they hiked through the jungle. Of her stepping into a bullet ant mound and screaming in pain.

  After each vision, he jerked awake, only to find her sleeping safe and sound in his arms. Right there and then, in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle, Beatle vowed to figure out who had kidnapped her and the other women, and why.

  “I’ll make sure you always feel safe,” he whispered.

  He didn’t sleep any more that night, simply held the amazing woman in his arms tightly and watched over her.

  Chapter Twelve

  They didn’t make it to Guacalito the next day, but they made good progress. Casey knew both Beatle and Truck were keeping a close eye on her, making sure she was eating, drinking, and trying not to push her too hard. Which she appreciated more than she could say.

  They’d camped for another night without any issues. Then they’d started out once more.

&nbs
p; When they’d been walking for several hours, Beatle stopped them.

  “We’re close, sweetheart,” he told her gently. “I’m going to scout ahead and meet up with Hollywood, Coach, and Fletch. Get the lay of the land.

  The thought of seeing the town of Guacalito again made Casey’s breath catch. She’d loved the little town when she’d first seen it. The people who lived there had welcomed them with open arms. They’d seen many researchers from the university over the years and liked the tourist dollars they brought with them.

  The thought of any of the men or women she’d met betraying her…that hurt. Had one of the townspeople been behind their kidnapping? Someone who didn’t like the Americans coming there? Something niggled at the back of Casey’s mind. She tried to concentrate on whatever it was, but before she could bring it into focus, Beatle was speaking.

  “Stay here with Truck, Case. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll be in contact with him, so if you guys need to move, I’ll find you. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay. Go. Do your thing. The faster you meet up with your teammates, the faster I’ll get that shower I’ve been dreaming about.”

  The smile that spread across Beatle’s face was worth her forced lightheartedness. The truth was, she hated the jungle now. Everything about it. And she felt horrible about that. She’d spent her life wanting nothing more than to immerse herself in the sounds and smells of the jungle. Studying bugs meant everything to her. Still did. But now she’d have to change her focus from insects that thrived in the jungle, to those that lived elsewhere.

  But being on edge, on the run, and having to make sure the creatures she’d once adored wouldn’t kill any of them, had ruined her joy for the forest. The pain inside felt as if she’d lost a person she loved.

  Pushing back her morose thoughts and vowing to speak to her friend, who happened to be a psychology professor, when she got back to Florida, Casey tried to smile at Beatle.

  She must have been in her head for too long, because when she focused back on Beatle, his smile was gone. He leaned his forehead against hers and tenderly grasped the nape of her neck in his large hand. Her hands came up and clutched the sides of the vest he wore.

  They didn’t say anything, simply held on to each other. Finally, he pulled back and kissed her forehead tenderly. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, then turned and strode off into the jungle, disappearing within seconds.

  Casey sighed and stared at where she’d last seen him. There was a lump in the back of her throat and she felt off-kilter. He’ll be back. You need to get a grip. In a few days, he’s going to walk out of your life and there’s no guarantee you’ll ever see him again. He’s just doing his job. This attraction is probably a result of the danger, stress, and adrenaline.

  As if he could read her mind, Truck said softly, interrupting her internal pity party, “I’ve never seen Beatle like this before.”

  Casey turned her head and looked at the large Delta Force soldier next to her. He gestured to the small stool Beatle had left.

  Wanting more information about Beatle, but feeling shy, she asked, “Really?”

  When she was seated, Truck sat on his own stool. “Really.”

  “Mmmm,” Casey said. She liked Truck, but didn’t really know him all that well.

  “You remind me of my Mary,” he said out of the blue.

  Casey’s eyes widened. “Mary?”

  “Yeah. She’s literally one of the strongest women I know. But she’s also stubborn. Doesn’t like to accept help from anyone, least of all me. Even when she needs it, she fights me helping her.”

  Casey bit her lip. Yeah, that sounded a lot like her. She loved her parents, but they’d raised her to be a little too self-sufficient. She’d learned how to change a tire when she was twelve. She was driving herself to high school activities as soon as she had her license. Her mom did everything she could to make sure her daughter was independent.

  Aspen had helped. He didn’t coddle her, as some big brothers did to their little sisters. Oh, he’d protected her when a boy at school didn’t take her refusal to date him well, but for the most part, he’d had his own stuff going on when they were teenagers.

  It was hard for her to ask for help. Really hard. Besides, she knew a lot of people who had tough lives. Bad marriages, struggling to make ends meet, special needs children, chronic illnesses…the issues she had didn’t come close to stacking up. So she’d learned to muddle along as well as she could on her own. There were times she ached to have someone to share her life with, but for the most part, she didn’t mind being single. She had a good job, made decent money, and was content to hang out with and talk to the other professors at the university.

  “I’m just used to doing things on my own,” Casey said lamely, when the silence between her and Truck had gone on too long.

  “So is Mary. But she’s learning that it’s okay to lean on someone else. That having someone help you doesn’t mean you’re weak. That the sharing of a burden actually makes you stronger in the long run.”

  “I’m glad she has that,” Casey told Truck.

  “Yeah. I’m doing what I can to break down her walls and let her see that her past doesn’t have to define her future, and that the people around her love her and would move heaven and earth to be there for her.”

  “You included?”

  “Especially me.”

  “You love her?”

  “With all my heart.”

  “She love you?”

  Truck hesitated, and Casey’s heart broke for the giant man sitting next to her. It was more than obvious he wanted to say yes, but after a moment, he shrugged. “I’m not sure she even likes me all that much some days. But ultimately it doesn’t matter. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s healthy. And if, after she gets that clean bill of health, she walks away, it’ll hurt like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. But she’ll be alive. The alternative is unacceptable.”

  Casey couldn’t imagine anyone not liking Truck, but she had a feeling he was leaving out a lot. A thought struck her. “She’s not rejecting you because of your scar, is she?” The question came out a bit more brusque than she wanted it to, but she couldn’t help but feel pissed that the unknown Mary might reject the amazing man in front of her because of the gnarly scar that bisected his cheek and pulled his lips down into a perpetual frown.

  Surprisingly, Truck smiled. “No, Casey. She doesn’t give a shit about my scar. I think I annoy her just by being in the same room as her. But…I’m taking heart from the fact that she’s slowly getting less and less prickly around me. I’m going to call that a win.”

  “I don’t know your Mary, but I have to say, if you love her, she has to be worth the fight for her heart. She’ll come around. How could she not? I haven’t known you very long, and if I didn’t feel the,” she hesitated, trying to come up with the right word, “pull toward Beatle that I do, I’d probably do everything in my power to get you to notice me.”

  He chuckled. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. Anyway, as I was saying earlier, you remind me of her. You’re both stubborn and think you can do everything, get through everything, on your own. There’s nothing wrong with accepting help, Casey. Whether that’s from Beatle, or your parents, or even from a shrink when you get home.”

  She flinched at the mention of the shrink.

  “I know, you don’t want to talk about what happened, but you need to. You have to. The Army hasn’t always been proactive about getting soldiers help after they’ve been deployed, but they’re getting better.”

  “I’ll talk to Beatle.”

  “That’s good, you should, but it’s not the same as talking to a clinical psychologist. Someone who’s trained on how to help you.”

  Casey thought about Truck’s words. She knew he was right, and she’d even told herself the same thing earlier, but she hated the idea of even thinking about this country again once she’d left it. “Okay,” she said softly.

  “Think about i
t,” Truck told her. “You work at a university, there has to be a medical facility on campus, right?”

  She nodded.

  “You might feel more comfortable talking to someone there. Or if you want to keep your work life separate from what happened, you can find someone at a nearby hospital. But the important thing is to talk about it with someone qualified to help you.”

  “The other girls will need help too.”

  “I agree. I think the ambassador was taking his daughter back to Denmark, but Kristina and Jaylyn will need help getting their lives back to normal too.”

  “I’ll call them when I get back,” Casey said immediately, her mind already whirling about how to help her students. “Maybe we can all go together for some sessions. I have a colleague at the university who teaches psychology. She’s also licensed, and volunteers at the student health center anytime there’s a suicide or other incident on campus.”

  “That sounds good,” Truck agreed. “Just don’t be too stubborn to get help,” he implored. “Do it right away too. Sometimes the longer you wait, the worse you can get.”

  “I will. Thanks, Truck. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. Now…you gonna be okay with a few days in San José?”

  She looked over at him then. His blue eyes were piercing in their intensity. He was way too big to comfortably fit on the little stool, but he sat there, his knees up around his waist, waiting for her answer.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I don’t know exactly how this is gonna go when we get there, but I suspect it’ll be like what we’ve done in the past. We’ll check into a hotel and wait for the authorities to get their shit together. That could take a day or a week, there’s no telling.”

  “A week?” Casey gasped. The thought of having to stay in Costa Rica for another week made her skin crawl.