He didn’t know why thinking back on that incident bothered him so, but he also couldn’t shake it off. As he stared at Abby, he didn’t like one bit of where his thoughts were going. Would she defend whoever did this to her, too? “I need to talk to her, find out what the hell she was doing in the middle of a war zone dressed as she was, in the shape she’s in,” Eric snapped.
The doctor shook his head. “Captain, let me get her stabilized, calmed down, rehydrated, get some food into her. I know you need to speak with her.”
“When?”
“Couple of hours.”
Eric walked around the doctor. Abby’s eyes were drooping.
“Captain, we need to get her moved to one of the beds.” Lieutenant Lynn glanced at the doc, waiting for his okay. “Abby, they’re going to move you.” Eric touched her arm, which was resting on the table beside her.
She turned her face up to Eric and then started to get up.
“I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you,” Eric said.
“You want to talk to me, don’t you?” she asked bravely, but the tremble in her voice betrayed the strength she was trying to exude. He had to wonder, really, who and what she was.
“I do. But don’t worry about that now. The doc and lieutenant here are going to get you settled.” He watched her, and she said nothing, staring at him unforgivingly until she dropped her gaze.
“Okay,” she said. The response seemed so unreal and artificial, as if she had said it because he expected it.
Eric turned to leave, but something stopped him, making him turn and watch. What was he looking for? He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about her that bothered him, something that wasn’t right.
“Abby, we’re going to help you sit up. Let’s take it slow, and then we’ll get you settled in a bunk,” Larry said.
Eric listened to the doctor as he and the lieutenant helped her sit, and she glanced over at him in the doorway as if she knew he was standing there watching her. There was a sharp connection between them in that second that had his heart thudding as if the earth had just opened up and something was reaching up to pull him under. Despite every dark, murderous, ugly thing he’d seen and been part of and tasted over the years, this situation absolutely rocked him.
It was he who turned away, he who shut the door and stood in the empty passageway and breathed to clear his head and shift his thoughts to where they needed to be: here, commanding this ship and meeting with Joe, the one man he could trust to do some serious digging and unravel the mystery surrounding this woman’s dramatic arrival.
Chapter Two
There was something about that first step through the steel gray of the hatch and onto the deck, at least for Eric. His body was jolted by the power and sway beneath his feet, seeing the open water, feeling the spray from the sea. The scent of the humid salty air sharpened his mind as the destroyer once again resumed patrol in the Gulf. He realized everything moved on, continued, as there was no time to sit and absorb what had happened. It was life, and he dealt with it. He did what he had to do and moved on. He based his entire existence of walking, sleeping, and running his ship on that motto, except this time he’d been shaken by the sight of Abby and plagued by her haunting blue eyes. They seemed to reach inside him as though he’d been plugged into a socket, and it rattled him. He should have just walked away, let the doctor deal with her, and then gotten her off this ship. His ship. He didn’t want or need any distractions. Drama was all around them, and they didn’t need any more, because something this close to home was a distraction none of them could afford.
Two uniformed crewmen were at the boat launch. One was kneeling, running his hands over the dark rubber, while the other was complaining and swearing over the shit job they’d been assigned. Normally, Eric would have kicked their asses and reprimanded them, but he found himself just watching. They had no idea he was even standing there. It was amazing sometimes, the difference in the crew, how they responded when he wasn’t around.
The pounding of feet behind Eric had him turning to Joe, who strode confidently toward him.
“Captain,” he said in his deep voice, and the two sailors jumped. The tall, lanky one flushed. “You two find anything?” Joe asked the sailors as he gripped his hands behind his back.
“No, nothing on here, nothing in it,” the sailor still on his knees muttered.
“Pack it up, then,” Joe ordered. “You three, back to your stations,” he shouted at the midshipmen who lingered aft of the launch. Joe was a tall man, with light brown hair, and, as he’d heard whispered by many of the female crew, there was something attractive about his boyish smile, restrained charm, and the way he genuinely cared about everyone. The fact was that half the female crew were panting after him and ogling him when he wasn’t looking. Eric knew Joe had the women dropping all around him, but Joe wasn’t the flirt some men were in the Navy. He always made it known he was happily married to his first love. Maybe that was why women still pursued him, because of his loyalty.
Eric had known Joe for years—he was the only person Eric would trust with his life. “So what did you find out?” Eric asked as he stared back out at the miles of open water.
“Not much. There’s been no report of any boats in the area: fishing, downed ship, nothing,” Joe said as he shook his head. “It’s as if she just appeared out of nowhere, which is damn odd considering where we are. You talk to her yet?”
Eric pressed his lips together and shook his head. “No. Later.”
“How is she?”
“Pretty banged up. Someone did a number on her, bruised ribs, dehydrated. Doc’s getting some food into her now. I’ll go back in a couple of hours.”
“What about the baby?”
Eric squeezed the back of his neck with his hand. He’d never thought of having kids, because he’d need a woman for that. And with his track record… it would be a one-way road to heartbreak. He wasn’t going there. But being faced with a young pregnant woman on his ship was doing all kinds of things to his peace of mind and taking him places he didn’t want to go. He certainly didn’t want to admit to anyone how much it bothered him. “Doc said its heartbeat is strong. He doesn’t want her getting worked up, wants her to rest for a few hours.”
Joe squinted and shook his head. “Captain, do you want me to get a hold of Intel, make some inquiries about her?”
Even in the humidity, Eric felt a bone-deep chill creep up his spine. Just the mention of Intel brought a wave of uneasiness that sat like a lead ball in his stomach. At times, they were the scum of the earth, feeding you what they wanted you to know, sharing only what was needed. The last time they intercepted a boatload of guns, one of his crew had been shot. Apparently, whoever had been getting the Intel wanted it to happen, but they had conveniently forgotten to inform him. He hated their games and how they operated. He stared down at the swell of waters below and then glanced aft to view the wake of the ship before squeezing the rail with his large hand. “Make it un-official, Joe. Anti-official. I want to talk to Abby first and get a better sense of the situation. There’s something about this that just isn’t right.”
Joe stood right beside him. He had heard before that they looked so much alike, that could have been brothers, although Eric was a little taller and not as nice. He’d been accused by his commanding officers of being too damn hard to read. Personally, he considered that a compliment. Obviously, so had others in the Navy, the ones that mattered, because he’d been promoted faster in rank than others his age. Being a success in the Navy was his biggest and only accomplishment at thirty-five. For Eric, it was his entire life, his only reason to live, and this gave him peace when out on deployment. On land, he became depressed. He often wondered if this was because he had no one waiting for him on shore.
So why was he so distracted by Abby? He shook his head and muttered out loud, “Damn, you know she was worked over pretty good. Blond, blue-eyed pretty young lady. Did you notice?”
Joe cross
ed his arms and shot a piercing look at a few curious crewmen who were passing by and listening in on what they were saying. “You two got nothing to do? ‘Cause I’ll find you something!” he shouted at them. They started, came to attention, and then scurried away through the hatch. “Yeah, I noticed. What are you thinking?”
“Look at where we are. I’m hoping I’m wrong.…” Eric stopped midsentence, as he didn’t want to put into words what happened to women in these parts.
“Yeah, but if you’re not, find out from her, and then we’ll need to contact the embassy.”
Eric turned around and leaned his back against the rail. More and more crew lingered and appeared on deck. “Let’s finish this in my office,” he said. He didn’t wait for Joe to respond, knowing his friend would follow his lead. Joe closed the cabin door behind them as Eric took a seat behind his polished dark wood desk. The leather chair swooshed when he leaned back, and he rubbed the scratchy bristles of his cheeks and groaned. He still needed to shave. He looked a mess, and he was one to always be neat and tidy, something he insisted from everyone aboard his ship. Even their uniforms had to look shipshape.
His cabin was large and spacious, with dark carpeting and a separate sleeping room. Across from his desk on the other side of the room were a sofa and chair where they held their daily department head meetings. The furnishings resembled those that could be found in the office of a CEO of a large corporation. The ship was new, and all the amenities were first rate. It was deceiving: every time he walked into this cabin, he could almost believe he was entering a five-star hotel, until he looked up and was rudely jolted back to reality by the gray pipes and cables weaving their way above his head. He had laughed the first time he saw them.
Joe slid out the upholstered chair on the other side of the desk.
Eric wanted to kick himself for being this rattled. “So what are we going to do about her?” he said, only realizing after the fact that he had spoken out loud.
“Can you fly her off to the Vincent Carrier? Or maybe to Bahrain?”
Eric dropped his feet to the ground hard and leaned forward, resting his arms on his extremely neat desk. “You know what? Right now, she stays here. We’ll decide where she goes after I talk to her and the doctor,” he snapped a little too sharply.
“What’s really bothering you about this? Eric, I’ve known you a long time, and I woulda thought you’d transfer her off or have me make the arrangements. You’ve never given a woman a second glance.” Joe was one to cut through the bullshit, and he was right: Eric was not one to become emotionally attached.
“Shit, Joe, I’m not a monster, but evidently whoever did this to her is,” he barked.
“You’re right, but we don’t know the whole story.”
Eric didn’t expect that from Joe. He stared at his friend, wondering just what the hell was up with him.
“You should let me talk to her, Captain. Let me handle this.” Joe was really pushing it.
Eric thought about it, but there was something different about Abby. Something had happened, and he didn’t feel right letting anyone else talk to her. “No.” He jabbed a finger at Joe. “What I want you to do is notify command, let them know where we found Abby. Tell them that as soon as we have more details, we’ll fill them in. Then get in touch with some of your contacts in Bahrain, unofficially, of course. I want to know what boats were in the area. Have them pull up satellite, and find out any information about this girl, if anyone saw her aboard the boat and with whom. You and I both know what she most likely escaped from, but I want all the cold, hard facts, because right at this point, we really don’t know anything.” Raising his steely hand, palm forward, he stopped Joe from leaving his chair. “One more thing.” He gestured toward the door. “Make sure the crew keeps away from her. I don’t want some curious young sailor wandering down there, so post a guard outside the door of sickbay. Make it clear to the crew that she’s off limits.”
“As you say, Captain. How soon are you planning on getting her off this ship?”
This time, Eric wouldn’t look at his XO but swiveled his chair around and stared out the port window. “That’ll be all.”
Joe hesitated and gave a chuckle that was something between a groan and irritation as he slid back his chair and stood. For a moment, Eric could feel his gaze burning into him as if he wasn’t finished and had something more to say. “I’ve know you for a lot of years, Eric, and you’re a damn hard man for anyone to read, except me. I know you better than you think I do.” Then he left, leaving the door open behind him.
Eric wondered for a moment what he meant by that. Sometimes, it bothered him that he shared everything with Joe. As pointed out by a staff shrink, he didn’t like to share anything about himself: his abandonment issues, his lack of commitment. This was a window into his soul that any enemy could use to overpower him, get in his head and fuck with him. Even friends with loose lips said and shared things without thinking, and Eric swore he didn’t want anyone getting that close to him again. But as his thoughts swept over to Abby, a vulnerable picture of her all alone, a flow of questions surrounding her arrival consumed him.
Where did you come from? Who are you? What happened to you? Who did this to you? They were dark and ugly, the thoughts that crept in, from the possibility of terrorist links, to a trap, to this girl being tortured and abused willingly just to fool them. But that last part didn’t feel right. Eric knew deep down that his first thought had to be to his crew and ship’s safety, and his responsibilities wouldn’t let him dismiss the thought that this whole thing could be a trick. The enemy did absolutely despicable things and wasn’t above using a pregnant woman.
Eric picked up the pile of reports awaiting his approval on the side of his desk. He flipped impatiently through the pages of information. Sighing in frustration, he threw them down while silently wanting to kick his own ass for this distraction, because Eric didn’t allow distractions to ever interfere with his duties. He lived and breathed this ship and the Navy. He did what he needed to do and pushed away everything and anything that pulled him from his duties. He often frowned on the married sailors who’d get a letter or email from home and lose it over something they couldn’t deal with from this distance, yet here he was, doing the same thing. He shook his head, disgusted with himself and swearing under his breath. He tossed the papers in his drawer, pushed away from the desk, and marched out determined to have his little chat with Abby right away.
Chapter Three
A tall guard was posted outside sickbay. If there was one thing about Joe, it was that he followed through on everything asked of him without hesitation. Eric nodded to the guard as he opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. His hand was still pressed against the steel door when he caught sight of her. For a moment, he found it difficult to breathe as he gazed over her lying on her side, propped with pillows nestled in one of the bunks. A sheet had been draped over her, but her slim bare legs were sticking out, her right palm resting easily on the mattress. White tape covered the entire surface of her small hand, which held the plastic tube of an IV in place. Her eyes were closed, and she was an absolute picture of innocence and peace. A picture of life-to-be. He hated to wake her and found that watching her this way stirred something in him. He felt something jam his throat until it felt oddly uncomfortable. He’d closed himself off for years, and he’d been able to control his caring for anyone at a snap of his fingers. He could shut it down and move on, and he’d had to do that. It was too painful to care, to want, and then have it all ripped away from him and told he was worthless.
He didn’t know what made him look over, but he spied Gail Carruthers, second-class hospital corpsman, on duty. There was something about her that set his teeth on edge. There were those he tolerated and could put out of his mind, but her, she seemed to know which of his buttons to push, and it was as if she went out of her way to stomp on each one. In fact, she was doing it again now. She wasn’t acknowledging him and his authority as captai
n. She stared at him as if he wasn’t there. What the hell? He took a step toward her and was about to strip her down and yell at her, reminding her of her position, when he glanced at Abby again and paused mid-step. He couldn’t and didn’t want to upset her. “Where’s Lieutenant Saunders?” he growled at the short, mousy-looking corpsman.
“He went down to the wardroom. He’ll be back at twelve hundred,” she replied, as if he was just another sailor and no one of importance.
The captain blinked again and gripped his hands behind his back, and it took a minute to register in his head that she hadn’t addressed him as required. Why, this arrogant chit was about to get the dressing down she so deserved! He stared down on her, watching her feeling the fires of hell burning inside him, and he knew he had to be shooting sparks from his eyes. He felt his face burn and cheek twitch as he contained what he really wanted to do- throttle her! He knew he was close to the edge, and any sailor who had pushed him to this point would have wished to be anywhere other than forced to stand in front of him, sweating and pissing his pants.
But this woman didn’t seem to care. She stared at him, then glanced away as if he was keeping her from something important, as if he were an insect. His mind was spinning as he tried to remember who she was and what the hell she was doing on his ship. He growled inside, but it was a rustle from Abby that had him hesitate and stifle the urge to toss this corpsman in the brig until she learned some respect. “How’s Abby?” He gestured toward Abby with a subtle tilt of his head.
“Her vitals are stable, sir.” Carruthers had one of those obnoxious screechy voices, and she spoke a little too loudly, considering where she was.
Danger Deception Devotion The Firsts Page 51
