by Susan Stoker
And she was ninety percent sure that was what she wanted to do. She’d fallen head over heels for Beatle, and it seemed as though he felt the same way about her. It was impulsive, and maybe stupid, but it felt right. She didn’t have to decide right this second though, she still had at least a month left of summer before she’d have to tell her dean one way or another.
“Are you guys going back over the tapes again this morning?” Casey asked. She knew the men on Beatle’s team had already viewed them once, but hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Beatle had told her the village had been deserted, and the tapes hadn’t shown them anything to make them think otherwise. No one had ducked behind a hut, and there weren’t any revelations that would lead them to whoever had orchestrated the kidnapping in the first place.
“Yeah. I’ve got a funny feeling we’re missing something.” He leaned forward and ran his thumb over her forehead. “It’s nothing for you to stress over,” he said as he tried to smooth out the worry lines that appeared on her face.
“What do you want for lunch?” Casey asked, trying to change the subject and do as he requested, not worry.
“Anything works.”
“Is it okay if Annie joins us?”
“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.”
Casey grinned mischievously. “I wasn’t sure if you had…other plans…for your lunch hour.”
“As much as I wish I could keep you naked and in this bed forever, even I know that isn’t possible,” Beatle teased back. “Besides, I’ve heard that anticipation is a great aphrodisiac.”
Casey ran a finger down his side and over to his belly before he caught her hand in his. “Sleep, Case. I’ve set the alarm for seven to give you plenty of time to get ready and eat before your brother gets here.”
“Thanks. Beatle?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I’m happy.” There was so much more she wanted to say, but that would do for now.
His eyes sparkled as he smiled down at her. “Me too, sweetheart. Me too. See you later.”
“Bye.”
Beatle leaned forward and kissed her gently, lovingly, then he was gone.
An hour and a half later, the alarm went off and Casey grudgingly got up. She got up way earlier when she was teaching, but she’d gotten lazy in the last couple of weeks. Sleeping in was a luxury she enjoyed. Even when Beatle had to get up before her, she found that she had no problem falling back to sleep.
She got up, showered, dressed, and was eating breakfast when her phone rang.
Thinking it was her brother or Beatle, she was surprised to see Kristina’s name pop up on the display.
“Hey, Kristina, what’s up?”
“Hi, Dr. Shea. You have a minute?”
Casey looked at her watch. “I’ve got about fifteen of them.”
“Oh, okay, um…”
Casey’s brows came down in concern. It wasn’t like Kristina to beat around the bush, and if she was calling this early, even though it was an hour later in Florida, something had to be up. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, nothing’s wrong,” Kristina said. “I’m sorry to be calling. It’s just that, we’re here.”
“Here?” Casey asked. “Where’s here?”
“Texas. Killeen.”
What the fuck? “What? Why?”
“Doctor Santos said that she thought it’d be good for us all to have some sessions together. That you’d help me and Jaylyn cope with what happened.”
Casey’s hand clenched into a fist. She’d told Marie that she’d talk with the girls, but over the phone. And they’d come all the way to Texas? Was she crazy?
“When did you get here?” she asked Kristina.
“Yesterday morning. I wanted to call you right away and let you know we were here, but Dr. Santos said that we needed to get settled in first. We’ve been having some sessions with just us. Thinking of questions we want to ask you, stuff like that.”
“Does Marie know you called me?”
“Well, no. She said she was going to call you later today.”
Kristina sounded so insecure and uneasy, Casey rushed to reassure her. It wasn’t the girls she was upset with. It was Marie. “It’s fine. I’m glad you called me. As I said earlier, I’m on my way out, so I can’t meet with you guys this morning. Probably not this afternoon either. Go ahead and tell Marie you talked with me and let her know I’ll call her later today. Okay?”
“You’re not mad?”
Casey sighed. It wasn’t that she was mad, especially not at Kristina, but she was weirded out, frustrated, and pissed at Marie. She was incredibly confused about why the other woman would drag two college students halfway across the country to talk to her when that absolutely wasn’t necessary at all. The whole thing was a massive red flag for Casey. Something wasn’t right—and she definitely needed to talk to Marie and ask her what the fuck she was thinking.
“I’m not mad,” she told Kristina. When someone knocked on the door, Casey quickly said, “I need to go. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks. Later, Dr. Shea.”
Casey clicked off the phone, her mind in turmoil as she went to let her brother in. He didn’t seem to notice anything off, and they were on their way to her psychologist within minutes.
Twenty minutes later, Casey was sitting in a chair in front of the man she’d been talking to for the last two weeks. Doctor Eddie Martin was a black man in his late forties, and Casey had been comfortable with him from their first meeting. He was slightly overweight and usually wore jeans and sweaters when they met. He was as nonthreatening as anyone she’d ever known and had a calming presence about him. His hairline was receding slightly and he had a habit of stroking his goatee when he spoke. He’d demanded she call him Eddie, and had let her talk to him at her own speed, not insisting she recount every detail of her ordeal.
She’d kept a lot of the specifics to herself, but ultimately, Eddie reassured her, he didn’t need to know them to help her.
After a bit of small talk, Casey got down to what was bothering her. “I got a call the other day from a colleague back in Florida. She’s a psychologist as well. She was super interested in what happened to me, even flat-out asked if I had been raped. She’s counseling two of the women who were kidnapped with me and wanted to do a group session. I was okay with talking with them over the phone in a group session. But this morning, I got a phone call from one of my students, and she said that they were here in Texas, in Killeen, and that Dr. Santos brought them here so we could all meet in person.”
“And you’re not okay with that,” Eddie said.
“I am and I’m not. It’s just weird. I don’t understand what she’s doing.”
“You’re right. It does sound unorthodox. Have you asked her?”
Casey shook her head. “No. I told Kristina I’d call Marie later today.”
“I’m happy to sit in on the session if you want me to.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll tell Marie that I’d like you to join us.”
Eddie leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “Other than being stressed about your colleague’s impromptu trip, you seem more settled than the last time I saw you.”
Casey knew she was blushing, but smiled. Eddie had a way of asking questions without actually asking them. “Yeah. You know, Beatle…the soldier who’s been staying with me? Helping me feel safe at night?”
When Eddie nodded, she went on. “He and I…well…let’s just say we’re not just sleeping together anymore.”
“And you’re happy about this.”
“Yeah. Extremely so. But I’m worried that our entire relationship is a result of what we went through together. It was pretty intense.”
“We talked about this, Casey. As long as you keep the communication channels open and that possibility is on the table, I think you’ll both know pretty soon if that’s all there is between you. But you’ve been living together since you got back in the States, right
?”
“Right.”
“And have your feelings changed about him? Or do you think his have changed toward you?”
Casey shook her head.
“So, my advice is to just go with it. Of course things are good now, the relationship is new. The sex is new and presumably good?”
Casey blushed harder, but nodded.
“Relationships are easy in the beginning, but as you get to know each other better, things will become clearer. It’s not how you started the relationship, but what you do when you’ve been together for a while that matters. Just like every relationship. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but as long as you communicate with each other, you have just as much of a chance of it working out than anyone else.”
Casey thought about that. Eddie was right. Just because they’d met while she’d been kidnapped didn’t mean they wouldn’t make it. She certainly fell hard and fast for Beatle, just as he had for her. And her feelings hadn’t diminished since they’d gotten back to Texas and had settled into a more normal life. Of course, she wasn’t working and he felt as if she was still in danger, but still.
They shared dishwashing duties, had argued over who was going to pay for the things she needed beyond what Kassie had already given to her. They liked way different television shows, and he could be up and ready to go in minutes while she took a lot longer. But they were both morning people, weren’t picky eaters, she loved his friends, and they were definitely compatible in bed.
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Eddie said, sounding pleased with himself.
Casey chuckled.
“Now…you said last time that you thought there was something you were forgetting about your kidnapping…do you still feel that way.”
She nodded. “Yeah. And interestingly, Marie, my colleague, said something about blocking out important details because of the trauma.”
“It’s definitely possible,” Eddie agreed. “Do you want to try to go through it again? I know we tried the hypnotizing route and found out that you’re one of the twenty-five percent of my patients that can’t be put under, but maybe if you aren’t trying so hard, you can relax enough to remember something else.”
“I’m willing to try if you are.” Casey felt bad that she couldn’t be hypnotized. It would make remembering whatever the hell her brain was trying to hide much easier. She moved over to the couch and lay back, getting comfortable.
Thirty minutes later, Casey was just as frustrated as she’d been before she’d gotten to Eddie’s office. She’d remembered more about the day she and her students had been taken, but there was still something missing.
She remembered yelling, and a voice that sounded different from the native Spanish speakers around her but couldn’t bring the voice or the words that were spoken into focus.
Eddie reassured her that they’d keep working together and he was confident she’d eventually remember. The fact that she’d been as successful as she had been in remembering things so far was a good sign.
Casey left with a promise to contact Eddie later about the session with Marie and the girls.
Blade drove her home and they arrived at the same time as Beatle. He’d come home early for lunch because he wanted to see how her session had gone. Annie was zooming around the yard in her new tank. She’d made some sort of obstacle course, and was currently driving over piles of sticks, logs, and even a few bricks.
“She’s gonna break that thing,” Blade muttered.
“Yup,” Beatle agreed. “And Fletch’ll just get really good at fixing it for her. Hell, Annie will probably be just as interested in seeing how the thing works and fixing it as she is in driving it.”
“That’s true. I’m out of here,” he told them. “Case, you good?”
“I’m good. Thanks for the ride today.”
“Anytime. See you back at post?” he asked Beatle.
“Yup. I’ll be there in a bit.”
Casey watched her brother stride to his car and back out of the driveway, waving at her and Annie as he left. Emily was sitting on the front porch talking to someone on the phone, and she gave them a distracted wave as they headed up to the apartment. Annie didn’t seem interested in joining them, and Casey couldn’t help but be relieved she’d have Beatle all to herself for a while.
Beatle put his hand on the small of her back as they walked and Casey couldn’t stop the small shiver that ran through her body at the feel of his hand on her. She always felt safe with him around her.
They went up to the apartment over the garage and she and Beatle made a quick lunch. They’d just finished eating when Casey opened her mouth to tell him about Marie being in town, and that she’d brought Kristina and Jaylyn with her, when Beatle’s phone rang.
“Sorry, Case. It’s work.”
“It’s okay.”
She listened to his short conversation with Ghost, and her stomach clenched when she realized that he had to go back to the post now. The videos had finally been analyzed by the techs, and Ghost wanted the entire team back now so they could review them once more.
“You seem tense,” Beatle said as he hugged her in the doorway.
Casey tried to relax. “I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk. Tonight, when I get home, I’m making that a priority. Okay? No more excuses on either of our parts.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.”
Beatle kissed her gently on the lips, then brought her into his embrace once more. “Me too,” he said into her hair before pulling back. “See you later.”
“Bye, Beatle,” she said, then watched him go down the stairs, get into his car, and back down the driveway. She had the odd thought that she’d made a mistake in not telling him everything about Marie during lunch. For not insisting that they take five minutes to talk about it. “Tonight,” she whispered to herself. “As soon as he gets home.”
Then she shut the door and went back into the kitchen to deal with their dishes from lunch.
Chapter Twenty
Beatle frowned at the screen of the iPad in front of him. He’d been back at work for a while. He’d been ignoring the good-natured jibes and teasing from his friends. They’d all been in his shoes, and he didn’t give a shit if they knew he’d rushed home to be with Casey. She was amazing, and he couldn’t get enough of her. He loved everything about her. Her generosity, her strength, even things she considered to be faults…being scared of the dark, a messy cook, and indecisive when it came to what she should wear each day.
But now his mind was completely occupied by what he was watching. The tapes from their arrival in the Costa Rican village had come back from tech and had been enhanced. The team had already watched them once, but they were re-reviewing them. They’d spent the morning going over the audio and nothing in particular had stood out. It was only their own voices and the natural sounds of the forest.
It had been difficult to see the video of Casey’s rescue again, to see her back down in that hole, but ever since he’d watched it that morning, the hair on the back of his neck was standing up.
“What are we missing?” Beatle asked rhetorically as he scrolled the video back to the moment when he saw the faint trail leading to where Casey had been stashed.
“Wait. Go back,” Truck ordered. He was leaning over his shoulder, watching the video from behind Beatle. “What did you pick up there?”
Beatle scrolled back a little bit and they watched as he walked down a path and leaned to look into the abandoned well. It was empty, with just a bit of water at the bottom. They watched on the video as Beatle picked up the piece of green hose that was leading from the well into the jungle. Beatle tugged on the hose then dropped it and started back the way he’d come.
“Play it in slow motion from here,” Truck ordered.
Beatle didn’t even hesitate. If his teammate was onto something, he would do whatever he wanted.
The two men watched in silence as Beatle discovered the slight pa
th and walked down it. They watched as he called for assistance and began to remove the vines.
Truck brushed Beatle’s hands away from the controls and scrolled back once more. When the video got to a specific point, Truck stopped it and pointed at the screen. “What’s that?”
Beatle leaned forward and squinted at the screen.
Suddenly everything clicked into place.
“Holy shit.” He looked up at his friend. “Is that possible?”
Truck nodded. “Yeah, unfortunately, I think so.” He clicked play, and they watched as the video resumed in slow motion. Truck gestured to the screen in a couple more spots, pointing out things they’d all missed the first couple of times they’d seen the tape.
“We were so focused on Casey, we missed it,” Truck said.
“I’ll get Ghost and the commander in here. See if you can get this on the big screen,” Beatle told his friend. “We need to make sure what we’re seeing is really what we’re seeing, or if we’re simply projecting what we want to see.”
Within ten minutes, the rest of the team was assembled in the meeting room and Beatle was playing the video once more. He let it play once at normal speed, then slowed it down. Without him or Truck pointing out what they’d discovered, Hollywood noticed it. Then Ghost.
Within moments, all of the men had seen it and agreed with Beatle and Truck’s original assessment of the situation.
“This was planned,” Coach said with disgust.
“The hose from that abandoned well was delivering water to her hole,” Fletch summarized. “We didn’t see that hole in the board, and we thought the hose was just another vine. Casey was smart enough to create the filter out of her bra to catch the water, but without that hose, she would’ve been dead within days. There’s no way she would’ve lasted as long as she did without it.”
“Whoever did this wanted her to survive for as long as possible,” Blade said, the anger clear in his voice. “This was mental torture at its finest. Almost as devious as those ISIS bastards.”
“I bet those planks of wood at the bottom were placed there on purpose too,” Hollywood surmised. “They kept her mostly out of the water, again allowing her a better chance of survival.”
