Samantha placed her hand on Raleigh’s shoulder, and he winced in pain. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah baby, pulled stitches a little when I threw the phone. Damn it to hell!”
“I mean are you okay about Jared?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Sammie. To be honest, I don’t know. I just know my oldest friend in the world is dead. Beside him being a traitor, he was coming clean and trying to make things right. I never wanted this, and I definitely didn’t want to see his wife die. She not only killed herself, but she killed her child.”
Raleigh’s face changed from anger to despair when the realization that not only did Semeana die but she took with her Jared’s child. “My god, Sam, she killed her baby! Was that because of me? Did I do this?” Raleigh’s eyes filled with tears as he thought of what his final words had been to Jared—how he had promised to protect his friend’s wife and child and how he had failed in that promise.
Samantha wrapped her arms around Raleigh as he leaned into her. It was the first time she had seen him weep, and there was nothing she could do to take the pain away. As she sat holding him, he looked up at her. “I swear, Samantha. I will protect you and I will never let anything happen to you. If I lost you I would die inside.”
“Raleigh, you aren’t gonna lose me. I swear to you I will be right here by your side. I am not going anywhere,” she said as she kissed his cheek. “I know you don’t want to, but we have to get cleaned up and in uniform to get over to the detention center in an hour.”
“Yeah, I know. So many things are swirling around in my head right now. One of which is having to tell Jared’s family. I don’t want to tell them over the phone, and I don’t want some stranger doing it, either. After we finish up at the detention center, I want to catch the first flight back to Alabama to see Jared’s parents. It should come from me, not some recruiter in the area. Would you go with me, Samantha?”
“Baby, you do not even need to ask. Once we get to the detention center, I will make the calls to get a military hop back to Alabama, okay? Don’t worry, I got this,” she said as she got up from the bed and made her way into the shower. “Will you be okay for a few while I jump in the shower first?”
“Yeah, I will run some coffee and go down the hall and grab you a Diet Pepsi.”
Raleigh grabbed a pair of sleeping pants out of his bag and threw them on as he heard the shower come on. Grabbing his key to the room, he walked out and headed to the machines just a few doors down from their room. As he rounded the corner to the snack area near the elevator, the door opened and out walked Kristen, who was smiling and lunged forward to wrap her arms around Raleigh’s neck.
“What the fuck are you doing here? And get the fuck off me,” he said.
“Baby, I am here for you. Don’t you know I love you and we have a baby on the way?”
“Kristen, you know for a fact that baby is not mine. You probably have no idea who that baby belongs to, and that’s the sad part. Because not only do you not know but that baby won’t know, and I feel bad for the child already. I am not trying to be ugly. It’s just that you let a good thing go so you can play around, and now that you can’t play around, you figure you will try and rope me back in. Ain’t gonna work, sister. I already know the truth. Now get the fuck off me!” Raleigh said as he flung his arms out of her grasp.
“You are going to treat the mother of your child like this? What? Are you fucking that slut I saw you with last night? How can you do this to me?” Kristen screamed at the top of her lungs. “You are mine, Raleigh Fitzgerald, and I swear if I can’t have you, no one will!”
Soon the doors to the elevator opened and two hotel security men stepped off. Raleigh was attempting to calm Kristen down when hotel security asked, “Sir, can we help you?”
“Yes, please. This young lady is not a guest here and has been following me. Can you escort her off the premises?”
The security guard grabbed Kristen, who was screaming she was pregnant and would sue the hotel if they didn’t take their hands off her. They pulled Kristen into the elevator and Raleigh thanked the security officers as the door shut. Grabbing the soda, he headed back down the hallway to his room. When he unlocked the door, he saw Samantha was already out of the shower and wrapped in a towel.
“What took so long?” she asked.
“Oh, trouble with the machine. You know me and technology,” he said, laughing as he handed her the Diet Pepsi. “Here ya go darlin’. Nice and cold. I am gonna grab a cup of coffee and jump in the shower myself. Won’t be long.”
“Thanks, babe!” she said, popping open the soda and taking a sip. “I really needed that. I am a little dehydrated from the beer and amazing sex last night.”
***
Samantha
The trip to the detention center was eerily quiet, and Samantha worried that Raleigh would lose his temper with the soldiers as soon as they arrived. But he seemed calm as he helped her out of the truck. Making an excuse to rush inside to use the bathroom, Sam gave the soldiers inside a heads up that the Chief was beyond pissed and to make sure they had all their ducks in a row so he had no excuse to tear them a new asshole.
Once Raleigh had made his way into the detention center, Samantha was already in the waiting area. “I sent for Major Chambers, Chief,” she said as she stood at attention. They might be sleeping together, but in public, especially around the other soldiers, she could not let it show that they had something going on the side.
She wanted so much to be clinging to him at this very moment to show she was there to support him; she knew this had to be one of the toughest things he had ever had to do. He was going to have to identify his best friend then tonight they would fly out to Alabama so he could break the news to Jared’s family. This was the part she knew Raleigh hated. To lose men was one thing, but to lose his best friend and someone he had known his entire life was another.
When Major Chambers came in the two men hugged, then the major asked Raleigh and Samantha to follow him as they walked through the various hallways and locked security doors to a room on the far end of the Detention Center. It was the building’s morgue, where two bodies lay draped in white sheets.
Both men were silent as they stepped closer to the first body, a larger body that Samantha assumed was Jared’s. The doctor greeted them, then grabbed the corner of the sheet and exposed the head. “Is this Sergeant First Class Jared Thompson, sir?” the doctor asked Raleigh.
***
Raleigh
“Yes, that’s him. Do we know what happened, Doc?” Raleigh asked.
“Yes, Chief. From the wounds on his knuckles and the various bruising on the body, it appears the sergeant was attempting to fight off his attacker. The wounds and bruising on the neck would suggest the sergeant hung himself, but from the defensive wounds, it would appear the sergeant had help. This is a murder, not a suicide. It is the same with the other body except she has bruising in the abdominal area as well as cuts and abrasions on her legs and arms. These were murders, no doubt about it.”
Raleigh stood stone-faced as the doctor covered the bodies again and looked at Major Chambers. “Well, there goes our only lead. What the hell are we gonna do now?”
Major Chambers looked over at the doctor and asked, “Do you have that letter you pulled off of Sergeant Thompson?”
“Yes, sir. Just one moment.”
“You are both gonna want to glove up,” the doctor said as he handed the letter to Major Chambers, who handed it to Raleigh.
Dear Fitz,
I don’t know how much time I have. I’ve been getting threats, but I wanted to make sure you got this. It’s not safe for you or that female sergeant so watch your six. When you killed Saheed Al-Balshera, you opened up a huge can of shit. His younger brother, Muhammed Jahan Al-Balshera, is now interim leader until he can prove himself, and I promise you he will attempt to prove himself by getting the guy that killed his brother. I left a safe deposit box at the Fort Bragg Post Office that details th
e organization’s plans for the next year. As I told you earlier today, they have plans to get a hold of a drone and will get themselves an American pilot if they have the chance. There is everything you need in that safe deposit box. It details all their plans including thefts, storage facilities, and where the money goes. Get to that box and watch your six; there are more of us serving in uniform than you know. Those along with names are also in the box. I want to say I am sorry for everything and I beg you to get Semeana safe. Despite what you may think I do love you like my own flesh and blood and I did all of this not for me but to save you, initially anyway until I fell in love with Semeana.
Love you brother,
Jared.
Chapter 9
Raleigh pulled the chair out and sat motionless, reading the words over and over until the page began to blur the longer he stared at it. “Is this all that was found?” he asked as he handed the paper back to Major Chambers, who then slipped it into a clear evidence bag.
“Yeah, and Tommy’s copy of his Quran,” Chambers answered.
“Where was the note found?”
“We found it folded up in his shirt pocket. Whoever it was wasn’t too observant. We found the letter right off. The Quran was lying on the floor just under his feet.”
“Really?” Raleigh questioned. “Well, we know for a fact it wasn’t Jared. Being a devout Muslim, he would know it is not permissible to place the Quran on the floor or in low places. It had to have been the assailant. Did y’all bag the Quran, too?”
“Yeah, the tech has it, and they will dust it for prints once they get it to the lab,” Matt replied.
“Good. Let me know what y’all find out, as soon as you find out.”
“Roger that, Chief,” Matt said as he started towards the door.
“Hey, Matty, do you know who is leading the investigation here?”
Major Chambers paused for a moment then grabbed the evidence bag. “I would think one of the Feds will show up eventually, but for right now, it will be me, as well as the supervisor here at the dentention center, Captain Anthony Butler.”
“Okay, good. Sergeant O’Hara and I will run over to the Post Office and see what we can find out in this safe deposit box. I am gonna need you to get the general to fax over a release so we can get into the box. Can you do that, Matty?”
“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Matt answered. “See ya in a few.”
Matt left, and Raleigh and Samantha followed closely behind. After saying their goodbyes to Matt outside, the pair left in Raleigh’s truck to head for the post office on the other side of Fort Bragg.
***
Samantha
“Are you hungry, Sammie? We can stop by the Burger Barn before we head to the Post Office. It is getting to be about lunch time, and they will probably be shutting down for lunch anyway.”
“Yeah, I could eat something. How are you doing?” Sam asked, hoping that Raleigh would open up even if it was just a little bit.
“I’m good, Sammie. Really, I am,” he said as he reached over and touched her hand then clasped it in his. “Can’t really go into detail now, baby, but I promise once we are back at the hotel we will chat. I promise.”
Samantha looked at Raleigh, his eyes so full of pain and sorrow. “Okay darlin’, I am gonna hold you to that,” she responded, squeezing his hand to tell him everything would be okay. “Let’s eat. I’m starving,” she said, getting out of the truck. Raleigh joined her at the front of his truck and they walked into the Burger Barn.
“Are we eating inside or are we getting this to go and find a nice quiet area to picnic?” Sam asked as she walked toward the counter to place her order.
“I like the way you think,” he said, leaning close to her ear. “There’s a nice quiet park with a pond just down the road a bit. Let’s get it to go.”
***
Raleigh
Raleigh pulled in and parked the truck under a tree closest to the big willow that sat just off the bank of the small duck pond. Jumping from the cab, he reached behind his seat and pulled out a blanket then went to help Samantha carry some of their lunch.
Walking ahead of her, Raleigh smiled an evil grin and said, “Just under that tree right there, Sammie, is the place I bring all my women. Then I have my way with them.”
“Wait, what?” she quickly snapped back, standing firmly in one spot. “I am not one of ‘your women’!” She had turned around and started heading back to the truck when she heard Raleigh spitting out a loud, victorious, belly laugh.
“What’s so funny, Mister Fitzgerald?” she said, her voice almost ripping through him.
“You, darlin’. Don’t you know by now that I am not the ladies’ man you think I am?” he said, walking toward her and stopping just close enough to cup her cheek. “Baby, I’ve only been here fishing. This is my favorite spot, and you are the first woman I have ever brought here. But damn if you don’t look cute as hell when you get jealous.”
She stood for a moment and leaned her head into his hand. When he leaned in to kiss her, Samantha pulled back and punched him in his arm. “Don’t do that, Raleigh,” she said, then realized she hit him in the shoulder where he had been shot.
“Oh my gosh, Raleigh, I am so sorry, hun. I wasn’t thinking.” Raleigh flinched and rubbed his arm, acting as though she had really hurt him. When he looked down at her, a smile crept over his face and he laughed.
“I’m fine, darlin’,” he said as he pulled her in under the willow tree and kissed her. “Don’t ya know it takes a lot more than that to hurt ol’ Fitz?”
His kiss deepened, and Samantha met his kiss, forgetting they were both in uniform and in public, but it almost didn’t matter to her anymore. Right then, it was just her and Raleigh. The rest of the world didn’t matter, at least not for that moment. Samantha pushed away from Raleigh, worry finally overtaking her that somehow, they might be seen.
“Aren’t you worried someone will see?” she asked him, his arms still wrapped around her waist.
“Nope, the willow does a good job of hiding what’s going on underneath.” He pulled her back to him. “Now come here and give ol’ Chief a big kiss,” he said playfully. Samantha pulled away, and Raleigh gave chase around the tree.
“We need to eat lunch, Raleigh. It’s getting cold.”
“It’ll keep. Now come here, Ms. O’Hara, let me show you how much this old willow hides.” Raleigh stood, looking right at Samantha. Lifting his jacket, he unbuckled his belt and started to unbutton his uniform pants.
“Raleigh, no! Oh my gosh, you are crazy,” she said laughing. “No, don’t do that.” Just as the words left her lips, Raleigh dropped his pants around his ankles and started toward Samantha.
“Come here, li’l darlin’. I wanna show you something,” Raleigh said, his pants still wrapped around his ankles, his boots keeping them on as he began to do a bit of a hop and run toward Samantha.
She finally stopped and walked up to him. “You are a crazy one, aren’t you, Mr. Fitzgerald?” she said as she moved closer to him. “Maybe that’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You make me laugh and you make my heart smile. You make life fun. Now pull your pants up before someone sees. Please,” she begged.
“Fine, darlin’! I’ll pull ‘em back up, but I ain’t happy ‘bout it,” Raleigh said with a sweet yet southern pouting banter in his voice.
“Oh, baby you’ll get over it, I promise. Now let’s spread out this blanket and eat. I am starving.”
“I am going to take my jacket off. It’s hot as blue blazes out here,” Raleigh said as he unzipped his jacket and laid it on the blanket, finally sitting down across from Samantha. She had already made herself comfortable and had started pulling their food from the paper bag.
“That actually sounds like a really great idea,” she said as she unzipped her jacket and laid it on top of Raleigh’s.
They sat for a few moments and watched the ducks swim and listened to the sounds of birds chirping and cars whizzing past the smal
l park. Samantha finally broke the momentary silence.
“So, after we retrieve the contents of this safe deposit box, what then?” she questioned as she bit into her burger and waited anxiously for his response.
Smiling back, he flashed her a wink. “Changing the subject, I see,” he said, laughing.
“No, I am just wondering how long I gotta wait before I can get you naked again is all.”
Raleigh loved her bluntness and honesty and smiled as he responded to both questions. “First, darlin’, we are gonna look at all the evidence then bag it. Depends on the contents that will decide what we gotta do next. As for gettin’ me naked, ya just had me naked and made me put my clothes back on,” he said, grinning, waiting for the response he knew was coming.
Samantha quickly snapped back, laughing. “Oh yeah, and it was quite spectacular if I say so myself, but I meant in private, not out in public for the whole world to see.”
“I know. Guess you will just have to wait a bit longer, darlin’.” He leaned over and Samantha met his kiss.
Pulling back for a moment she looked into his eyes. “You, Mr. Fitzgerald, are a little shit, and I love it. Better yet, I love you.”
Raleigh’s smile crept across his face. He looked back at her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Baby, I love you, too. We should probably finish up soon, so we can make it over to the post office right when they open back up.”
“Okie dokie,” she replied, and Raleigh laughed as he chewed the last bite of his burger and tossed the wrapper into the bag.
***
Raleigh stood for a moment and stared at box number 1266, holding the small key in his hand. Samantha stood close to him; the post master had excused himself from the secure room just moments before. “I should’ve known Jared would pull something like this,” he said just under his breath.
A Warranted Box Set Page 24