Charlotte

by Angela Rush

  Charlotte quietly surveys the room. Is she uncomfortable with all these men around her? After what she has been through, it might make her afraid. Dude walks up to her and places the tray on her lap. He makes sure everything is open and ready for her to eat. A glass of water is on the tray as well. Charlotte reaches out for it. Her hand trembles violently as she tries to bring it to her lips. I grab the glass from her hand before she can spill it. Lifting the cup to her lips she takes a small sip. All eyes in the room are watching us as I feed her. She looks like she wants to just disappear. She looks up at Dude and whispers her thanks for the food.

  “There’s no need for thanks, sweetheart. We are just glad you are able to eat something. I wasn’t convinced you would pull through the day we found you in the jungle.” Dude states frankly. Others verbalize their agreement with grunts. She reaches out to get the fork on the tray, but I swat her hand away and proceed to feed her. The men seem to settle in, content to watch.

  “I heard you all discussing the gun runners. I need to tell you what I know about them.” Charlotte relays to us between bites as I am feeding her. “I overheard them talking about a big shipment of guns and drugs set to cross the border in Texas. They didn’t know I spoke or understood Spanish, so they spoke freely in front of me. They know the officers, their schedules, and when they change out. They are going to kidnap members of their family and use them to get the officers to let them bring everything across. It’s set to happen sometime soon, but I didn’t get an exact date. They seemed to be very certain they would be successful.”

  “When did you hear all this?” Wolf asks.

  “I sorry, I’m not sure it’s been several days, a week maybe. I had a hard time keeping track of the time.”

  “That’s understandable.” Deadeye replies. “How many men were keeping you captive?”

  “Most of the time there were only three men, but they had company the day I overhead about the shipment.” She shivers as she remembers the men that were there that day. “There were 3 other men there that day. They only stayed a short time. I think that one of my captors, Asshole, was related to one of the other men. The leader of the newcomers called him brother and asked why they were there. Asshole replied that it was a family hideout and he had as much right as anyone.”

  “Asshole?” Straw inquires as the men all chuckle.

  “Yeah, I didn’t know their names, so I named them in my head. The other two I named Tweedledee and Tweedledum as they seemed rather simple.” Charlotte replied with a slight blush of embarrassment at her explanation.

  “Can you describe the men, especially the leader?” I ask. I don’t want to upset her, but she may be able to shed some light onto the men we are dealing with.

  “He was evil looking. His eyes were black and cold. It was like looking at Satan, himself. He had short black hair and a mustache. He was fairly tall as far as men go. He was fairly slim, but muscular.” She shudders again as another memory flashes in her mind.

  “What did they do to you?” I ask, but not sure if I can handle what she might revel. She just shakes her head. I place my hand gently on her chin and turn her to look at me. “Tell me love, what has you so rattled and shaking.” I softly command her to answer me. She closes her eyes and taking a deep breath relates what happened.

  “I was just remembering Asshole offering me to the leader, Satan. Thankfully he had declined saying he didn’t have time to fuck a filthy American in a tool shed, but to bring me to him in a few days and he would break me in.” Her voice was soft, but everyone heard what she said. My eyes dart to my men and see the same look of revulsion that I feel. Once again, I have an overwhelming urge to hunt those men down and give them a slow painful death at the hands of the best trained soldier America has to offer. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep the anger at bay, but I need to try for her sake.

  “Mother fucker!” Cookie exclaims.

  “Bastard!” Tank mutters. Several others swore at Charlotte’s announcement.

  Charlotte clamps her mouth shut as I try to place some of the pasta meal into her mouth. She shakes her head in protest as I try again. It concerns me. She isn’t taking in enough to sustain her much less heal her battered and broken body.

  “You need to eat to build your strength up.” I state firmly, using my Daddy voice that gets Brian to comply with any request.

  “I know, but I just can’t.” She whines. “It’s been months since I have had anything remotely decent to eat. I truly appreciate your concern, but I don’t want to get sick. I hate throwing up and in the shape I’m in at the moment I don’t think I could stand it. God, it would hurt my ribs so bad.” She declares with fresh tears in her eyes. She looks up to the twelve pairs of eyes boring into her with concern and empathy. It’s all over now. The tears flow freely down her face as a sob escapes her lips.

  Chapter 7

  Charlotte

  The men all clear the room as Hawk takes me into his arms again trying to soothe me. I feel like such a child. I need to get it together. The last thing they need is to be worrying about a mess of a woman. But when I saw the concern and empathy from these hardcore badass Alpha males, it was all over. The tears were again flowing freely. Once my tears have abated, Hawk wipes my face gently.

  “You ok now, love?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I can’t seem to stop them once they start.” I tell him.

  “It’s completely reasonable. You have been through a lot over the last few months and you are hurt, in a foreign country, and with a group of strangers. But know this, we will do our very best to get you home to your family and ensure that you are never hurt again.” Hawk says with such intensity that I shiver under his stare.

  “I know and I am so thankful that God put you on that trail when I needed you so desperately. I don’t think…No, I know I would not have survived what they were intending to do to me. I’m not strong. I know that. I would have given up and fallen into the despair they wanted me to so they could control me.”

  “I know you don’t want to relive what happened, but you need to talk about what happened to you. What they did to you. I am here and I will listen all day if you will just talk to me. Get it out. It will make it easier to move on from this nightmare.” Hawk tells me as he gently runs his hand up and down my back as I lay my head on his chest. He has his chin resting on top of my head. I decide I need to reassure him that I wasn’t raped. I know that’s what he is thinking. I take some deep breaths to steady my nerves and begin to tell him about my ordeal over the last few months.

  “They beat me daily. They mostly only gave me water but occasionally brought some bread or raw vegetables. They didn’t seem to want anything other than to make me hurt at first. The day you found me something had changed though. After Tweedledee had beaten me again, he let me know that things were going to change that day.” I say as I settle further into Hawk. Running my hand over his chest to distract me from the awful memories running through my head, I decide I need to get this over with and tell him what had happened that last day.

  “After the beating they usually left me alone for the day, but that day he said it was time to teach me how to be a good girl. They were going to give me to Satan, and he wants obedient women. Tweedledee said he was going to show me how be good and do what the man wanted. He said a lot of shit that I won’t repeat. I’m sure you can imagine.” My voice wavers as the memory vividly plays out in my mind. “He groped me and bit my breasts. He proceeded to remove my pants and underwear… I tried to get away, but my hands and my feet were chained to the floor. I managed to crawl a few feet away, but once he had his pants down, he pulled me back to him.” I shudder and my voice hitches as I try to continue to relive the nightmare.

  “I’m so sorry, love.” Hawks says as he continues to run his hand down my back trying to soothe me. It takes a few moments before I can continue.

  “I could feel him at my entrance. He had me from behind and his fingers were digging into my hips. I w
as so scared. I knew he was going to rape me and there was not a damn thing I could do to stop him. Just when he was about to penetrate me, Tweedledum began shouting outside and jerked to door open to the shed I was in. He ranted in Spanish and the man behind me suddenly jumped up and righted his clothes. He pulled me to my feet by my hair and pulled my pants back up. They secured my hands and feet again with the zip ties, then they drug me out to the jeep and threw me into the back. The whole camp was in chaos. I guess they must have heard or seen you guys coming through the jungle. The rest you know.” I finish.

  “You weren’t raped?” Hawk asks. “I saw the bite marks on your breasts and the bruises on your hips and thighs. I was sure that the worst had happened.” His voice is soft and quiet.

  “No, I wasn’t.” I reply. “Thanks to you.”

  “Thank God!” Hawk declares as he lets out a huff. He had apparently been holding his breath as I related my story. “While they may not have completed the act, you were still violated. I hate that those bastards touched you. I want to kill them all.” He seems so sincere. I decide I need to tell him everything.

  “You kept me sane.” I say as I raise my head and look into those gorgeous eyes. I go on to explain when he frowns at me in confusion. “Do you remember meeting me in the airport back in San Diego?”

  “Yes, how could I forget you? You were so sincere when you came up to us to thank us for doing our job.” Hawk says while rubbing his hand over my cheek.

  “Well, I remembered that day too. While I was laying in that shed, getting beaten, I let my mind drift to you and your green eyes. I know this will sound crazy, but I felt a connection to you that day when you touched my arm. I would fantasize that you would come find me and save me from the nightmare that had become my life. I kept thinking about how kind you were. I knew that you would help me if you knew what was happening and where I was.”

  “I would have been here sooner if I had known, love because I felt a connection, too. I’ve thought about you too since that day.” Hawk pauses for a moment, then asks, “Is that all you fantasized about? Me coming to rescue you?” He looks down at me with heat in his eyes. I blush and lower my eyes.

  “A girl has to have some secrets.” I smile coyly in answer to his question. There is no way I’m about to tell him all the dirty thoughts or the dreams I have had since meeting him in the airport that day.

  Hawk chuckles and says, “I’ll take that as a No. Good.” He shifts me so that I am laying on my back and he is leaning over me.

  “Are you ok like this? I don’t want to hurt your ribs.” Hawks says as he shifts our bodies some more. He frowns down at me in concern.

  “I’m ok.” I say then laugh. “I’m more than ok like this.”

  “Good. Tell me about these fantasies. Maybe I can make them come true.” Hawk is looking at me so intensely that I can hardly breath. His green eyes are boring into me like he can see into my soul.

  “Umm…I think I will let you try to guess what they were.” I say breathlessly. He just continues to stare at me with his intense gaze for what seems like forever. Then as if he has made some sort of decision, he nods then closes the distance between us.

  He brushes his lips over mine. Gently, testing my reaction. His lips are perfect just as I had dreamed, they would be. His kiss is soft and gentle at first. He pulls back to look at me. I slide my hand behind his neck and pull him down for another kiss. He runs his tongue over my lips, begging for entrance. I part my lips in answer and he devours me. The kiss deepens. He angles my head so he can get the access he wants. Our tongues dance and tease one another. I feel my nipples harden as my breast rub against his chest through the thin fabric of the t-shirt. A moan escapes my lips, but he consumes it with his mouth. My hands have wondered down his broad, firm back. How long we feast on one another I’m not sure as time seemed to stand still. After a long while, but yet still seems too soon, he pulls back to look into my eyes.

  “Was I close, love?” Hawk asks with humor in his eyes. He laughs as all I can do is nod at his question. My breathing is a little labored, and goose bumps have formed on my skin. His erection is pressing into sex. I suddenly realize I have opened my legs wide and allowed him to seat himself between them. He moves to get up and I realize he means to call this make out session to an end.

  “Wait…um are you going to be alright?” I inquire as he gets off the bed. My gaze has drifted to the bulge in his pants that is easy to see. He adjusts himself, before saying.

  “I’ll be alright for now, love. You need to rest and heal. I shouldn’t have taken things this far. You have been through something horrible and I don’t want to make it worse. I’m a patient man. I can wait for my release until I can be inside you. I want to feel your heat and wetness around me as I take you. I want my dick buried in so deep that we are one when I come inside you. I will make more of your dreams come true later, when your ribs are healed. We can’t do that right now. It would hurt you, but make no mistake, when you are healed, there is nothing we won’t do.” Hawk says with determination. I am again blushing like a teenager.

  Hours later as I lay in bed alone trying to sleep, my mind replays everything over and over again. He has left to go talk to the others and formulate a plan to get me out of here and back home so I can heal. I wonder, does he really want to be with me? Why would he? I’m no beauty queen. He’s seen my stretch marks from carrying my babies, and he doesn’t even know me. We don’t know anything about each other, he seems sincere though. He’s been so kind and concerned for my well being. And Lord! The way he talked to me. No one, not even my husband has ever dirty talked to me like he has. My mind can’t seem to think clearly when he is around.

  Hawk and the man called Wolf enter my room leaving the light off they take the chairs beside my bed. They must think I am asleep because they continue their conversation in hushed tones.

  “Tex says the gun runners have moved their shipment further north about 75 miles from here. He is getting in touch with Commander Hurt to let him know what is going on with the shipment and that we now have a civilian in our care.” Wolf informs Hawk.

  “I hope for her sake they call us off this mission, so I can get her home. She has been through enough already and I won’t risk her getting hurt while we are trying to take out the target. I know my first duty should be to the mission but since she literally fell into my life, she is all I can think about. I find myself putting her first above all else. I have never felt like this about someone before. I’ve been drawn to her since the first day I saw her. I met her at the airport the day we arrived in San Diego. Did I tell you that?” Hawk says.

  “No, I didn’t realize you knew her from before.” Wolf says.

  “Well, I didn’t really know her, but she came up to us in the airport to thank us for our service. It was the day we arrived to start this mission. She was so sincere and cute as hell. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I kicked myself for not asking for her number. Then boom there she is laying on the jungle floor tied up, beaten, and unconscious. It’s like fate has laid my destiny in my lap. I have to take care of her, make sure she is safe, and that those bastards never hurt her again.”

  “You want to make her yours, don’t you?” Wolf asks with a chuckle.

  “Hell, yes she’s mine. She just doesn’t know it yet. I have hinted at it, but I don’t want to push her right now after all she’s had to endure in the last 2 months.” Hawk declares. “Once I get her back to the States and she’s healed though, all bets are off. I will move Heaven and Earth to show her we should be together.”

  “We have all been there, man. When I met Ice, I knew I couldn’t leave her behind. I only hoped she would feel the same about me. Thank God she did, and we have been happily married for a couple of years now. I know how you feel. My guys and I will do all we can to help you take care of her. You know we will. Tex will get the word out and I am sure Commander Hurt will pull us out to get her home for medical treatment. I know you are stationed at Riverton for
the foreseeable future, at least until we resolve this Lopez situation. If she is willing to stay in the area, you are welcome to bring her to our house until you can get settled somewhere in a place of your own. We have a small apartment in our basement. I know Ice would be thrilled for you two to stay with us for a while.”

  “Wolf, I don’t know what to say except thanks.” Hawk says with a puff of breath. “I really appreciate the offer. I’m not sure what will happen once we are back in the states, but I might take you up on that temporarily. I know I could stay on base, but since we aren’t married that would be not be an option for her to stay with me while we are here. Camp Lejeune is our primary base. My son lives nearby with my parents, so once we are done here, we will be headed back to North Carolina.”

  A knock at the door ends their intense conversation. I am completely freaking out. I am flattered and amazed that he is planning a future with me, but can I leave my little hometown behind to move to another state to live with a man I just met? I’m not sure, but at the same time the thought of leaving him to head home leaves a hollow pit in my stomach. Deadeye and Mozart enter the room.

  “Tex has heard back from Commander Hurt. They are going to pull us out. They have another SEAL team on their way to the new location. The helos will be here at 0400 to extract us from the drop site. We need to load up now in order be make it there in time. Commander wanted to pull us out under the cover of darkness. He thinks it will be safer.” Mozart informs the men.

  “Ok, CSMO and load the Humvees. Once they are loaded, I will get Charlotte up and ready for travel.” Hawk says to the men. I hear them agree and the room clears out quickly. I open my eyes and peer around the room. I am alone. It’s time to see if I can move around on my own.

  I manage to get up and make it to the bathroom. I empty my bladder and wash my face. By the time I make it back in the bedroom, Hawk is there looking perplexed. He sees me wobbling back into the room and hurries to my side and assist me back to the bed.