Hiding Catherine

by Jennifer Becker

  Chapter 13

  In recent news, the police have found another victim identified as thirty-three-year-old Deborah Sampson, a local San Antonio resident. Witnesses say she was last seen two days ago walking home from work, but had not been reported missing.

  Unlike previous victims who appeared to have been buried alive, she appears to have drowned. Police have commented that it appears that the victim did not die from accidental drowning. This makes the fourth victim this month. Police have not commented if they have any leads on who this killer might be, or if the victims are connected somehow.

  What we know is that all the victims are the same age and height with dark brown shoulder length hair. Police are urging women who fit this description not to go out alone, and always stay in well-lit areas.

  "So, are you going to tell her?" Ortiz asked the next morning on their morning run.

  "Tell who what?" Alex, AKA Sledge, another of their teammates asked on the other side of Charlie.

  "I will," was his only cryptic answer, not bothering to answer Sledge's question. After a restless sleep and second-guessing himself, Charlie was not in the mood for talking. He just wanted to do his ten mile run then get to the base.

  "The PX lady," Ortiz told Alex. "Bulldog here has a girlfriend, and he's looking into her ex’s background."

  "Ortiz, that's enough." Charlie snapped at him. He didn't keep secrets from his team, but this was something personal. He should never have confided in Ortiz. He could keep a secret from the entire world, but not from his teammates.

  "That lady you ditched Oreo and Viper for?" Alex looked at him puzzled. "Why would you look into her ex's background?"

  It seemed he would have to tell them what was going on to keep them off his back. It also pertained to their situation with Panama. He looked around to make sure they were alone on the street before answering. "I have reason to believe her ex had something to do with the kidnappings at Fort Hood over the last year. Not only that, but I think he might be our mole. I’m having Tex look into him.”

  "No shit?" Alex asked stunned.

  "No shit."

  "Is your girl involved too? That’s why you're checking into her background?"

  Charlie stopped dead in his tracks and slammed Alex up against a brick wall and pierced him with a deadly look that made most grown men cower in fear. Alex didn’t look like he was cowering, but he looked worried. "One, she has a name, it’s Catherine. Remember it and use it and only it. Two, she's not involved, it's her ex and I'm looking into his background, not hers." Truth be told he was using her background to find the ex, but that was irrelevant.

  "What do you need us to do?" Charlie loved these men like brothers. They didn't question what he was doing, only asked what they could do to help. Even while he was pinning his teammate to the wall. Charlie took a deep calming breath and reminded himself this man was his brother, and he couldn’t hurt him. Even when he couldn’t control his yammering mouth. Charlie eased the pressure off his chest, and stepped back.

  "Nothing, I'm having Tex look into things. Once I get info back, we'll make a plan. For now, we train for the charity event, and by the way, I'm having a barbeque at my house next weekend, and I will be inviting Catherine to meet the team."

  “She’s got you so pussy whipped,” Ortiz joked and cuffed him on the shoulder. Charlie turned the same deadly look he had on Alex towards Ortiz. He saw red and wanted to ripe his friend apart. He didn’t know when he turned so violent towards his teammates, but at the moment he didn’t care. He would ring Ortiz’s neck.

  "Yo, Bdog you know you can't kill him." Alex nudged him, then looked over at Ortiz smiling at them broadly now as he pulled out a cookie from his pocket.

  “I didn’t mean any offense, Charlie. I was just testing you. You keep saying she doesn’t mean a lot to you, but you're acting the opposite.”

  Charlie barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Ortiz for his juvenile test before he whipped his head around to glare at Alex. "Bdog?" What were they in a motley crew? What was next, matching tattoos and piercings? He was putting the kibosh on that quick.

  "Yeah. I shortened Bulldog." Alex smiled with pride at his new name choice.

  “Well, un shorten it. It's Charlie, Bulldog, or Sir if I'm feeling in the mood. Nothing else." Ugh, Bdog? Kids these days. Charlie shook his head at him in shame.

  "Sorry, Bulldog," Alex said chastened.

  Charlie nodded his head to him. Ready to be done with his run and quit these two for a while, Charlie ran again at a quick pace that would make it difficult to hold a conversation.

  By the time he made it home, he was drenched in sweat and could barely breathe. It wasn’t because he was getting old, but because he had added an extra three miles to his run, and refused to slow down. The end justified the means as Charlie was saved from having to talk for the rest of his run.

  After a quick shower, he made it to the base. He tried contacting Midas, but the bastard had his phone off. Charlie couldn’t figure out if he was ignoring him or out on another mission already. It wasn’t unheard of to go out on missions back to back. He was glad he contacted Tex now. Regardless, he would get answers. His Commander called him into his office to go over an upcoming mission they would be leaving for within the next week. At the look of apprehension on his face, his Commander asked what was the matter. Charlie explained to him he was following up on the previous mission, and his concerns about sabotage and another possible leak.

  “That’s not your job, Bulldog. You were sent in as backup. Nothing more, nothing less. That was an isolated incident. You are being sent to a completely different country and a completely different situation. You’re gathering intel not rescuing hostages.” His Commander was in his early fifties and had no plans to retire until he was kicked out. He was a no bull-shit kind of guy. The man was married to his job and serving Deltas and a stickler for rules. The fact that Charlie was questioning him was pissing him off. Charlie had never questioned an order before, but until he heard from Tex or Midas, he worried what he would be sending his team into.

  “Sir, our teams were set up.” He tried reasoning with his Commander. The Commander had to understand that the leak could have come from anywhere. Few knew of the mission, so the suspect list was small. He wouldn’t risk his team if he could help it.

  “That’s a direct order, Captain. The other team is looking into the matter. You have enough to worry about. You have a charity race to win at the end of the month, and now a mission to plan for.” The Colonel said heartlessly. Charlie’s plea fell on deaf ears. That was all his Commander could talk about. The race this and the race that. He wanted to represent his team as best he could, but he was more concerned about keeping his fellow Deltas alive then winning a race.

  “Yes sir,” Charlie bit out as cordially as he could and left his office. He bypassed his teammates who looked at him questionably, but he shook his head at them and walked briskly outside needing some fresh air. It was overcast, and the dark, thunderous clouds looked ready to rain upon him. Bring it on, he told the brewing storm. The air was cool, and the wind whipped around him. It was reminding him of the night he met Catherine. Thinking of her eased some of the tension from his shoulders. He no longer felt like punching a wall at the injustice.

  Charlie pulled out his phone and called Catherine. He had seen her last night, but he already missed her. He still needed to tell her he was looking into her ex but not over the phone. She deserved to hear it from him face to face.

  “Hey, what’s up?” She answered in her deep husky voice that had him instantly getting hard. Not wanting to sport a woody for all the world to see, Charlie made his way over to his jeep as the first of the rain drops fell.

  “I wanted to see how you were.”

  Catherine chuckled at him, and he could almost see her rolling her eyes. “Given the fact I saw you last night, I’m fine. What’s wrong?”

  She was already so attuned to his moods; it was crazy. “Everything is fine. I wo
n’t bore you with the details. I wanted to hear your voice.”

  “You know you can tell me anything, Charlie. Women invented the word fine. It is never a good answer.” She wasn’t willing to drop the issue.

  He was ready to say to hell with it and confess everything, but decided against it. One, he wanted to do it face to face. And two, they weren’t on a secure line for him to go into any details. “I know but there are certain things about my job I can’t tell you. Ever. It’s not because I’m doing something bad.” He assured her at her silence, knowing she was thinking about her ex and all his secrets, “but because I swore an oath. I promise I will always tell you what I can. And tell you when I can’t say something.”

  Catherine was still quiet, and Charlie pressed the phone close to his ear to see if she was still there. “If you say you’re not doing something illegal, I trust you.” She finally said slowly.

  That small admission made his heart skip a beat. For her to trust him after such a short acquaintance had to be monumental and he would do all in his power, so she would always see him that way. “Thank you, Catherine. I know it can’t be easy for you to trust me just like that.”

  “Just don’t ever give me a reason to doubt you, Charlie. I don’t give second chances.”

  He would make it a point to never give her reason to. “I won’t. Listen, I’m having a small get together at my house next weekend. Will you come over and meet my teammates?”

  The silence on the other end was longer than the last time. “Catherine?” He asked concerned. Had he pushed her too soon?

  “I’m here.” She finally said. “I’ll come. Let me know the time and what to bring.” She sounded shaky.

  “Babe, if you’re not ready just let me know. The guys aren’t going anywhere. We can always do this when you’re ready.” The more he thought about it, the more he did want her to meet his teammates. They were more than teammates to him. They were his brothers. If she needed more time before meeting them, then he would give her that.

  “No,” she quickly assured him. “I want to meet them.”

  “Great,” Charlie felt like he accomplished something great, but he didn’t know what. Catherine was an enigma to him, and he couldn’t wait to figure her out. One minute she was warm and the next cold, then in a blink of an eye she was bright and bubbly again.

  “I have to go. My shift is about to start. Text me what time, and I’ll be there.”

  “Am I going to see you before then?” If he didn’t know better, he would think that she was rushing him off the phone. That wasn’t like her.

  “I can’t this week. Or maybe even next week.” She panted like she was walking briskly. “I have a few double shifts I’m pulling this week. I’m afraid I close every night until Friday, and I’ll be too tired for company after that. And I don’t know my schedule yet for next week.”

  Charlie was concerned she was overworking herself and would make herself sick, but he was hardly her keeper; he couldn’t tell her what to do. “Be careful. I don’t like you working so much.”

  “I’m fine, I’ve been working since I was old enough to work.” It wasn’t an excuse, but he’d let it go for now.

  “Now who’s the one throwing out the word fine? Alright, I’ll see you next Saturday. I’ll text you a time once I figure it out, and don’t worry about bringing anything. We’ll have everything covered.”

  “Until then. Bye, Charlie.” He heard the smile back in her voice and it eased the pressure in his chest that something was wrong with her. As attuned as she was to his moods he was learning hers. She had been panting like she had been running from something. Or someone. He had heard about the reports of the women being buried alive and now drowned and left for the police to find. He knew the description of the women matched Catherine. While she was on base, or with him he knew she was safe. But what about the times he couldn’t be there? Like his mission, he had to leave for soon. Another thing he would have to tell her about soon. The list kept growing. Next weekend he promised himself. After the barbeque, he would sit her down and explain. By then he should hear from Tex. Everything would work out.

  Chapter 14

  Catherine had been running late for work when Charlie called her. She smiled when she saw his name come across her caller ID. She answered it and put him on speaker. When he suggested that she come over for the barbeque next weekend her brain ceased to function. Meet his teammates? It wasn’t like meeting your boyfriend's parents, but they had just started dating, or at least she thought they were, it was too soon to meet them, right? It was only a barbeque she scolded herself. It wasn’t like he would propose. There was nothing for her to worry about. She trusted Charlie and knew he would never put her in an awkward situation. When had she trusted him so easily? After Martin, she would have thought she would warier of people but around Charlie all she felt was safe. She trusted him completely, or she wouldn’t have allowed him to do all those wicked things to her body last night that still made her blush.

  Her legs rubbed together remembering him down there, and she could feel the friction from his beard there too. Before she embarrassed herself too much, and needed a fresh pair of panties she didn’t have readily available, Catherine told him she would go. She didn’t know how she felt about meeting all those big brawn men but for Charlie, she would go. The way he talked about them told her they were more than teammates to him and their acceptance of her was important.

  Charlie asked if he could see her during the week as Catherine got out of her car, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She felt like someone was watching her. The morning paper hanging in front of her door came to mind. And the doorbell ringing and no one was there. Was someone following her? Impossible. She knew no one here except Charlie and she doubted he was there plus she didn’t see his jeep. She looked around the parking lot but couldn’t see anything that stood out. Maybe she was being paranoid. Martin. No, he didn’t know where she was. He couldn’t get to her anymore. She had turned him in after the prison break attempt so MP’s would know to be on the look-out for him.

  “Catherine?” She could hear the worry in Charlie’s tone.

  She tried to appear casual as she made her way to the front door, so as not to draw attention. “I can’t this week. I have a few double shifts I’m pulling this week. I’m afraid I close every night until Friday, and I’ll be too tired for company after that.” She was already exhausted thinking about it, but one girl was on vacation, and they were short staffed, so she had offered to pick up the slack. Her body would be drained by the end of the week, but it would be a nice check.

  She hung up with Charlie and ducked behind her register and put her stuff away. Nadine glared at her from her register but said nothing as she rang a customer up. Catherine clocked in relieved she was only five minutes late and dove head first into the start of her long day and week.

  * * *

  Every night after work, Charlie would call her to talk to her on her way home, making sure she was staying safe and awake through her drive home. At first, Catherine thought he was being overbearing, but by the third night she was close to falling asleep behind the wheel; she was thankful for him calling her. They weren’t long conversation. Just long enough for her to make it home and climb into bed. She was too exhausted for anything else. She couldn’t wait for the Saturday barbeque to see Charlie. It had been four days since she had seen him; she missed him so much. Talking on the phone wasn’t the same. Since that Monday morning heading to work, she hadn’t felt like someone was watching her, but she kept an eye out. There hadn’t been any more newspaper clippings either. She had been overreacting.

  By the time the Saturday barbeque rolled around Catherine was elated. She not only got the next two days off, but she was finally going to see Charlie and meet his teammates. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a button up blue blouse. She applied a little makeup, mostly to hide the bags under her eyes, and drove to Charlie’s. When she arrived, she saw several large trucks and a m
otorcycle parked in front, but one space was left open in the driveway, she assumed for her. Such a sweet guy.

  Her palms felt sweaty as she carried her bag that carried four homemade pies in it, to the door. She didn’t know what she was so nervous about. She had seen his friends before, though that had been at the PX and not at someone’s house. She knocked on the door before she could chicken out and had to wait a moment for Charlie to open the door. His beard was fuller now, but he kept it trim. She could still see his scars under the hair, but it wasn’t as noticeable as before. The baseball cap was gone, and she could see his hair was swept off to one side looking messing like he just got out of the shower and brushed it over and left it. Her perusal of his person ended when his warm piercing green eyes locked with hers. Her stomach did a flip and her sex clenched. Did the man have to look so damn good? “Hi,” she sighed.

  “Hi,” his deep voice wrapped around her. “Come on in, everyone is already here.”

  Charlie took the bag from her arm and escorted her in. Catherine looked down at her watch and back at him. “Am I late?”

  “No, not at all. The guys have been here since this morning and refused to leave.” He chuckled. He set her bag down on the kitchen island and peered inside. “What did you bring?”

  “I smell pie,” Ortiz called out from the backyard, and made a beeline for the kitchen, pushing two men out of his way.

  Catherine smiled at seeing the six foot three tall Latino walk inside the house like he owned the place and bypassed her for the bag. He tried pulling the bag towards himself, but Charlie grabbed the bag and pulled it back. “Don’t you have an Oreo in your pocket you can eat?”