Wounded at the Lake

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  She went to Thor and hugged his neck. “When will we find out?”

  “Tomorrow. I’m going to take care of the dogs. I’ll leave Thor with you.”

  He called Dirk two hours later to tell him the dogs were taken care of. He could take the night off.

  Coop turned down dinner and went to his room. Memories swallowed him: Lori walking into his room, him holding her, them making love.

  It was another sleepless night.

  The next morning, he took Thor to the specialist.

  Doctor Hopkins had been right on target. Thor was put on steroid drops for the eye, three times a day. If all went well, the dog wouldn’t lose his sight, but the chances of him getting a clean bill of health for the military were slim to none.

  Shorty took over the treatment. “You have enough on your plate,” she told Coop. “And I don’t mind at all.”

  She was right. Getting Kass ready for the military in a week was pushing it. He and Dirk put in more hours on the training field than usual and decided to take on cases they dreaded at the office: the divorce cases, the follow-my-husband-I-know-he’s-cheating, cases. But they needed the money.

  Coop was busier than ever.

  Matt had, of course, found Lori. She was working at a car dealership. The agents who took her statement told Matt she looked wonderful and seemed happy.

  Did that mean she didn’t want to see any of them again? She’d given them the name of the thug who got away and the FBI put a bulletin out on Zane Malin.

  Coop’s hard work made it somewhat easier to sleep. At least now he fell into bed too exhausted to think of Lori.

  One morning two weeks later, Matt requested an early meeting to tie up loose ends on their multiple cases. Coop tried to beg off to no avail. Matt wanted both of his brothers there and it couldn’t wait.

  Coop rushed through the exercises while Dirk tended to the food and water. They skipped training. Without changing clothes, Coop walked through the doors of his PI firm by seven. If they didn’t hustle and get an abundance of new cases, their business could go under. After starting a pot of coffee he went to his office.

  He didn’t know what Matt found that was so important they needed a private meet. According to what Coop had been told, the cases against Mallory and Natane were coming along just fine. Several smugglers had been brought in and arrested. Dozens of illegals were sent back where they came from. The child sex-slavery ring was shot to hell. Even though the FBI hadn’t found Shafer’s thug, Zane Malin, the other guy, Julian Vincent, was going down for kidnapping and attempted murder. Matt was busy trying to find what else he could be charged with. Shafer was dead. The sisters exonerated. ICE Agent Harper was happily back at work. Christie would make a full recovery. Coop tried to think of what was missing.

  Lori had her life back. Maybe not the life she was accustomed to, but one without her ex. She was certainly young enough to start over.

  Every thought of her brought a painful twist to his gut. Why couldn’t he get over her?

  Dirk walked into the office. “I smell coffee.”

  “Bring me a mug, will you?”

  He was back in less than a minute and put Coop’s mug on his desk before he sat down. “Know what this is about?”

  “Not a clue. I’ve gone over every aspect of my case and yours. They’re both wrapped up. What’s left is in the hands of the FBI.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “That’s what you get for thinking.” Matt laughed, as he strolled in.

  “This had better be good,” Coop groused. “I don’t get enough sleep as it is.”

  “Back in a minute.”

  He was back in less, a mug of coffee in hand.

  “Spill it, Matt. And I’m not talking about the coffee.”

  “In a minute. Look,” he leaned closer. “I know you’re both stressed about your business. With Thor’s eye problem, you’re doubly worried. But Coop, you’re not acting yourself. I tried to figure out what else could be bothering you. Then it came to me. You’re in love with Lori, yet you haven’t made any effort to see her.”

  Coop ground his teeth. Didn’t he hear enough of this from Shorty?

  “Look at the situation from Lori’s point of view,” Matt suggested. “She was taken to the lake never to return. When she wakes up, you’re there. She doesn’t know you. Doesn’t know anyone. Yet she made a life with us—with the family. We all fell a little bit in love with her. She didn’t know who she was until the day she heard Shafer’s name, then she went to his house as fast as she could to save your hide. No one but Lori would do that.”

  “She’s happy now. That’s what your guys told you. Why should I upset her life? Hasn’t it been screwed with enough?”

  “No one knows about her life with Shafer. I would think you would want to.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you love her.”

  “Maybe if you asked Lori a few questions, you’d get a reasonable answer,” Dirk put in.

  “You, too? Is that why we’re having this meet? To gang up on me?”

  “You’re our brother.” Matt frowned. “And you’re one unhappy son-of-a-gun. We don’t like it. If Lori is right for you, go to her, talk to her.”

  “When I’m ready, I fully intend to talk to her, but the lady is way too young for this crippled SEAL. You guys should know that.”

  Matt leaned back and crossed his arms. “You’re kidding.”

  “It’s an excuse,” Dirk put in.

  Coop had heard enough. He loved his brothers, but they were interfering in his personal life. That was not acceptable. He stood. “I have work to do.”

  “Sit down,” Matt stood as well.

  Coop crossed his arms, but didn’t budge. They were approximately the same height, but Coop had a few pounds on Matt. Not that he would be easy to take. Matt could hold his own in a fistfight any day of the week. But he’d have a hard time getting the best of Coop.

  “It’s two against one,” Dirk said, standing with Matt. “Sit down and stop being so damned stubborn.”

  “Shit. I’m too freakin’ tired to take on both of you.” He sat down. “Leave me alone. At some point, I’ll talk to her.”

  “Fine,” Matt said. “I hope you don’t wake up one day and realize you’ve waited too long. My agents tell me Lori’s boss is divorced. They were classmates. And according to the guys, not bad looking, plus he flirts a lot.”

  “I don’t think it matters. Is that all? Or do you have something else to discuss?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. Would you like to know what the name Natane means?”

  No one answered.

  “Female child. I think the corporation’s main focus was the child sex-slavery trade.”

  “Sons-of-bitches,” Coop muttered. “Glad they’re out of business.”

  “Amen,” Dirk echoed.

  “We also did a thorough investigation of all of the attorneys’ offices who took care of Natane’s interests, but couldn’t find anything to charge them with. However, they’ll be under our scope for a good long while.”

  “So you don’t know why Bertram met with the attorney, Caswell?”

  “Caswell claimed he was a client. Since we didn’t find a file on him in their office, we doubt his story. Believe me, the FBI isn’t turning loose of this one.”

  “Good. Then that’s it. Cases closed.”

  “Not quite. Remember Mallory’s kid, Ason? Supposedly, he was being groomed to take over at some future date.” Matt paused. “Hence, the How to run a sex-slave/smuggling business file. It was a learning tool for the kid.”

  “We had that one figured out. So where’s the kid and what other tidbit do you have for us?”

  “Ason has disappeared, probably holed up somewhere with the thug, Malin. We’ll find them.”

  “Anything else?” Dirk asked.

  Matt grinned as he reached into the pocket of his black suit jacket. “It took a while to find, but there were rewards offered
from ICE for bringing the smuggling operation to a halt, another from the FBI for closing down the child sex-slavery ring. I think these two checks will put your business in the black.”

  Neither Coop nor Dirk touched the envelopes.

  “What?” Matt asked.

  “What part did you play in the reward?” Knowing Matt had the means to give them millions if he chose didn’t mean they had to take it.

  Matt’s eyes gleamed with disbelief. “If you think I used either the Montgomery Trust, or my own funds to back up the checks, you’re wrong. I wouldn’t do that. You should know me better than to ask.”

  Matt was right, Coop thought. Matt was too honest to pull something that underhanded regardless of whether or not he wanted to. He knew if he offered his brothers money, he would be turned down.

  “You did have something to do with it, though, didn’t you?”

  Matt grinned. “If you mean did I make inquiries into the possibility of a reward, then yes, I did. Shoot me.”

  Coop got up, went around the desk to give Matt a hug around the shoulders. “Pays to have a brother in high places.”

  “Open your envelope,” Dirk said, as he tore into his. “I want to know how rich we are.”

  Coop did as asked. “Not rich, brother. But comfortable enough to screen our clients.”

  Dirk whistled when he looked at the check in his hand. “This will do nicely. I hope these babies mean we can slow the divorce cases down a bit and put ourselves back on the payroll.”

  “It means just that.”

  “Alleluia!” Dirk shouted.

  “I’m out of here,” Matt said. “We’ll be pulling people in for questioning and making arrests for a long time.”

  “At least Christie is on the mend.” Coop sighed in relief.

  “And the three girls found in the basement under the salon are back with their parents,” Matt added. “Seeing that was awesome.”

  “Let’s hope we never have another case like this one,” Coop added.

  On that they all agreed.

  Alone, Coop had to admit that Matt was right. He wasn’t happy. Instead of feeling better, each day he suffered more. With these checks, their monetary situation had improved. The military was happy with Kass and the two new dogs looked to be excellent for training. The ophthalmologist was satisfied with Thor’s progress. Coop should feel good. Everything in his life was going in the right direction.

  Though Lori was in his dreams and in his heart, she wasn’t in his life. And wouldn’t be. But she was in his mind.

  He remembered her smile—those glorious eyes—her face. He remembered how she lit up when she was with the dogs, not to mention those mouth-watering goodies she’d made.

  It was time to have that talk. He got up and walked out of the office.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  By the time Coop pulled into a parking space at Quinlin Motors in Tyler it was almost noon. He would take Lori to a quiet place for lunch and talk.

  A good plan, or so he thought. He got out of his pickup and walked to the glass wall and doublewide doors. A glance through the plate glass window showed Lori sitting behind a circular desk in the center of the showroom floor. Foot traffic would automatically bring customers by her desk. His heart melted, she looked wonderful. He couldn’t see much from where he stood, but a tall guy in a suit and tie leaned over the desk talking to her. The smile on her face and the way she held her head told Coop she knew him.

  Was the guy her boss, or a flirting customer?

  Now that Coop was here, his bravado from early morning faded. He looked again. Lori looked happy. There was a glow about her he hadn’t seen before. Was it because of the guy?

  His insides tensed.

  “May I help you?” A voice behind Coop startled him. Some SEAL he was. He whipped around to see a slightly overweight salesman with a badge that read Dave, smiling at a presumed prospective client.

  Coop’s glance went back to the window and Lori. She was shaking her head, but the man was being insistent. It was time to stop second-guessing himself and confront her.

  Nodding to Dave, he opened the door and stepped inside.

  Lori saw him instantly. She started up from her chair, her eyes sparking his way, a smile starting on her lips. Ten seconds later she sat down with her head bowed, covering her face with her hands.

  The man turned to see Coop, looked back at Lori, then shifted around to face Coop. “May I help you?”

  Coop ignored him. The man was too smooth—too professional. Hair too perfect, clothes without a wrinkle. Was that the kind of man Lori was drawn to?

  He looked down at himself. In a pair of old jeans, a sweatshirt that was old years ago, plus needing a haircut, he knew he didn’t compare to the man glaring at him. The wear and tear of the last few days without Lori, wondering about her, dreaming about her, was eating on him. This morning, dark circles ringed his bloodshot eyes. He looked like hell.

  He started to turn around and leave. Hell’s Bells! He was here now and he had to uncover the mystery of Lori’s past. Then he would tell her to keep in touch and leave.

  He stalked around the desk, took Lori’s hands from her face, and used one to draw her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  “You can’t come in here and order my employees around.”

  The boss, huh? Too damned bad. Lori grabbed her purse with her free hand and followed Coop out. “I’m going to lunch,” she called over her shoulder.

  Neither said a word as Coop opened the passenger door to help her in, went around, climbed into the driver’s seat, and started the motor. He left Quinlin Motors and headed out.

  They traveled in silence.

  Taking Loop 323, he kept driving. He had no idea where he was going, but a restaurant was out. He wanted total privacy. He took University off the loop and drove onto the UT Tyler campus. Because of the holidays, there were few students out and about either jogging or biking, and even fewer cars. He pulled into one of many empty spots in front of the library and parked. The modern tan building made a nice backdrop to the evergreens and flowerbeds scattered here and there around it.

  Lori turned to face him. “I’m sorry, Coop.”

  “For?” He didn’t know whether he was angry, frustrated, curious, or what. But he had no idea where to start the conversation.

  “For everything.” Tears came to her eyes. She brushed them away. “If I had known, I never would have stayed with you at the homestead.”

  “Tell me how you got involved with Shafer?” It would be a good place to start. Maybe then he could understand how a woman like the Lori he knew could live with a person like Shafer for five years without blowing his head off.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m not in a hurry.” He pushed back his seat as far as it would go to stretch his legs while at the same time, work out a cramp without being obvious.

  “Why don’t we walk?

  “It’s cold.”

  “I’m all right.”

  Coop grabbed a windbreaker from the backseat and handed it to her. She put it on without a word and climbed out of the truck.

  Though cold, it was a beautiful day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A light breeze scattered dry leaves down the sidewalk. A few students were about. Laughter rang out every so often.

  “When I was young, I was a naïve fool, unable to think straight. I couldn’t wait to graduate and leave home. While growing up, I watched how hard it was for a single mom to raise a child alone. I didn’t have the things all the other kids had, like pretty new clothes or a nice, new dress for the prom. There were days when we had nothing to eat except mac and cheese.” She took a deep breath. “Back then I believed in fairy tales. When I met Donald, I thought my dream had come true. I was working with a catering company by night, as a salesperson at a large department store by day, and one night we catered a large dinner at his house. He came to the kitchen to compliment us on the food and we met. After that I didn’t have a chance.”

&nb
sp; “He swept you off your feet.”

  “And more. He had it all: money, a beautiful home, and he promised me everything. He told me he loved me and that I would never regret marrying him.” She gave a sardonic laugh. “Little did I know he wanted a young, gullible, woman he could mold to his liking.

  “He had to teach me everything. He hated my East Texas accent, so I had to take elocution lessons. A twenty-one-year-old twit purchased my clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Every day he found a way to tell me I was stupid.”

  “How did that go over?”

  “For a while I thought he was right. My friend Mel convinced me otherwise and helped me further my education.”

  ‘How?”

  “Donald gave me a few hundred dollars a week for spending money. Only I couldn’t go anywhere without one of his bodyguards. When I met Mel for lunch, the bodyguard would drive me there and back. If I went shopping for personal items the man was right there. When I saved enough for a laptop, Mel bought one, stuck it into a large purse she pretended to give me as a gift. I took online courses from the University of Houston until I earned my degree. I had it mailed to Mel’s apartment so Donald wouldn’t find out.”

  “You were a prisoner. There must have been some way to get away. Why didn’t you?”

  “Mel helped me find an attorney and I was in the process of doing just that when all hell broke loose.” Tears welled again.

  What sounded like a hundred bells pealed a Christmas tune. “What the hell?”

  “You get used to it after a while.”

  They stood and listened for a few minutes as the tune Silver Bells rang into the clear, crisp, air.

  “I like it.” And it took Lori’s mind off of her horror story. He wanted to punch the man senseless. Too bad Mallory had taken care of that detail.

  “Tell me what happened the day all hell broke loose?”

  They moved to one of the many benches in the plaza and sat down. A few students were scattered here and there, some eating lunch, others holding hands.

  “I was going to meet Mel and not come back. I didn’t tell her in case it didn’t work out, but I was sure of my plan. Only I never made it out of the house. When I saw the door to Donald’s office was open, I went in. Big mistake. It was the one room in the house I was never allowed in. I wanted to find something I could give to my attorney to make the divorce a sure thing. I didn’t have a clue about Donald’s business, but I didn’t trust him not to pull one of his tricks. Plus, he’d told me dozens of times he’d never let me go, I was his perfect wife.” She sighed. “And I was. I did everything he asked. When I found a flash drive attached to his computer, I exchanged it for one from his desk drawer, pushed it in my boot and hurried out, thinking that if I had something important I could blackmail him and he would leave me alone. Only Donald was right there. Both of his bodyguards were with him. Donald grabbed me, pulled my hair, and searched me, screaming every second. He had no idea I had the flash drive, but I had been in his office so he figured I had to know something. Then he laughed, told me he knew I wanted a divorce, and it would never happen. He pushed me toward the door and told his thugs to get rid of me, he never wanted to see me again. I had never seen him so angry.”