Defending Sophie

by P. J. Fiala

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There's a bed and breakfast in town that I've looked at over the years. I've always wanted to own one then life got away from me. But, the bakery is successful and I enjoy having people around and baking, eating with them, then doing my own thing during the day. So, I'm going to buy it and run it and the bakery."

  "Oh, wow, Gigi, that's just fantastic. You're going to be so darned busy, but I'm so happy for you." Sophie jumped up and ran around the table to hug Gigi.

  "It's because of you, Sophie. You made me realize that life can get out of your control even when you don't do anything wrong. I have the opportunity and I'm going to take it. There may not be another."

  Gaige swallowed the giant lump that just formed in his throat. Gigi was right, when opportunity comes along you have to take it, there may not be another chance. He wasn't going to risk letting this opportunity go with Sophie either. He couldn't. Silence fell around them and he noticed everyone looking at him. "Congratulations, Gigi. I didn't mean to withhold congrats. Your comments about opportunity made me think of something else."

  "Well, thank you all. Now, let's eat before dinner gets cold."

  "Wait!" Sophie held her wine glass up. "To Gigi's new adventure."

  They toasted Gigi, ate an enjoyable meal, and chatted about the bed and breakfast and all she wanted to do with it. He barely heard a word as his thoughts were on clearing Sophie and repairing her Army record so he could bring her home to GHOST.

  Chapter 40

  "Okay, I've found one rape complaint at Fort Stewart at the time Killian was stationed there. It was three years ago but after the charges were made, nothing happened, then Killian was stationed at..." She looked down at the piece of paper she'd written her notes on. "Fort Lewis in Washington state. The complaint was made by Carlee Brown."

  "Okay, let's find out where Carlee Brown is now." Gaige instructed.

  Hawk responded then, "I've got one too at Fort Riley around five years ago by Gayle Stout. Then he was transferred to Fort Stewart about six months later. Nothing came of the report."

  "Okay, find her." Finally, they were on to something. He continued searching his bases until his phone rang.

  "Jared, tell me you've got something."

  "I do. I hacked into Balfreed records and found out each ring has an ID number imprinted on the inside of the band, up in the setting so it doesn't get worn away. So, I hacked into Crowne Jewelers records, which by the way, was child's play, and found the ID number associated with the ring they have. I was able to match it to a purchase five years ago at Fort Riley to a Rand Gillman."

  "That's a new one."

  "Purchased on June 13. I'll send you the purchase record. He paid a hefty sum for it. Close to thirteen thousand dollars. The notes on the purchase were that he wanted a real ruby not a simulated stone."

  "Thanks, Jared." Ending the call, he turned to Sophie and Hawk. "The ring was purchased by Rand Gillman."

  Hawk began typing and both he and Sophie waited. "Found him. He's here. In California."

  Gaige set his laptop aside and went to look over Hawk's shoulder. Scrolling the page of Rand Gillman, a picture populated on the screen and Gaige's stomach twisted. "What the fuck?"

  Sophie jumped up and ran around the desk. She gasped as her hand flew to cover her mouth. They stared in disbelief for a long time, no one saying anything.

  Finally, Sophie mumbled. "He looks just like Reed Killian. But younger."

  Disbelief. "What the fuck is going on here?" His head spun a bit, his mind tried catching up with this crazy bullshit.

  "Log into the Military records database and see if there is a Rand Gillman listed as military personnel." He leaned over and kissed the top of Sophie's head. She stood stone still disbelief clearly in her eyes. "Hey, search for Carlee Brown, 'kay?"

  "Yeah." She whispered.

  He watched her walk around the desk and sit opposite Hawk. She picked up her phone and began searching. Earlier, when he got out of the shower, he called Josh at the compound and had him overnight a new laptop, set up with their search capabilities for Sophie to use while they were here. Maybe it would be hers to keep. That was a discussion he hinted that the team would have, but part of him pulled back thinking it was too soon and her life was in too much disarray at the moment. He wanted her to want to be with him, not feel as if she had to. That was more important than anything for a long future. He was at a loss to figure out how to know without doubt that she wanted him for him. How did anyone ever really know?

  "Oh no!" Sophie cried out. Hawk stopped searching and looked over to her. He walked around the desk to see what she was looking at on her phone.

  Reading her phone screen some puzzle pieces were coming together, but not in a good way. Looking over at Hawk, he said, "Carlee Brown is dead. It appears to be suicide."

  Hawk sat back in the chair dismay in his eyes. "This pattern is not only smarmy, its deadly. I've got to find Gayle Stout."

  Hawk went back to searching.

  Sophie swallowed but squared her shoulders and mumbled. "We're going to get this fucker."

  "That's my girl." He was proud of how strong she was. The total package right here, brains, beauty, and brawn.

  He continued his search of bases for rape reports and found two that had been reported at two different bases. One in Texas and one in Florida. It seemed Killian was a serial rapist and the Army continued to move him around to keep him instead of locking him up. He remembered a similar mission they'd been on when he first came on board with GHOST. There was a bad egg in uniform, not raping women, but stealing from them. Mementos, undergarments, necklaces and personal items. The behavior was thought to be the beginning of sexual deviant behavior by taking mementos to see if he would get caught. But he also was watching these women, borderline stalking. Instead of locking him up, the Army moved him around because they didn't want the bad press. He ended up killed in action in Afghanistan during deployment. This smacked of the same thing, move him around to keep the bad press down.

  Then he remembered, “Serial rapists generally take trophies from the bodies of their victims. Later, they can hold a trophy when they relive a rape. They usually have a signature. Serial killers do all of the same things. We need to find out if things were taken from these women.”

  Sophie looked up at him. “That’s true. How do we find this out?”

  "Gayle Stout committed suicide a month after reporting her rape to command," Hawk reported.

  "How."

  Hawk rubbed his forehead with his fingers, then ran his fingers around his tired eyes before looking over to him. "Found in a garage with her car running."

  Sophie's anger bubbled to the surface. "This is ludicrous! This bastard is raping then killing the women who report it and getting away with it. We've just got to stop him. Even if it means he needs to die instead of trusting the system."

  She stood and paced around the living room, clearly too agitated to sit.

  "I have to agree with you, Soph, he must be stopped. But we have a new player in the game and that is Rand Gillman. Who is he and why was it the stone from his ring that was in the car Kate was found in?"

  Hawk chimed in. "There are no military records for a Rand Gillman, but I found him on social media. Says he was born twenty-four years ago in South Carolina." Leaning back in his chair Hawk locked eyes with him. "Remind me, Gaige, isn't that where you were stationed for AIT and that's where you met Killian?"

  "Yes, it is. So you're thinking Rand Gillman is Killian's son?"

  "According to his pictures and his friends, his mom is Irene Gillman. She's married and Rand has a brother and sister who look nothing like him. And mom is dark hair, dark eyes. Rand looks nothing like his mother. I'd bet, after Rand was born, Killian may or may not have made support payments for the kid, but he's certainly never claimed him as far as I can tell so far."

  Standing to get his blood flowing again, he looked over Hawk's shoulder at the social media pictures Ran
d Gillman had posted.

  "Does it say why he's here on his social media?"

  "Working at a hospital in Riverton."

  Sophie stopped pacing and faced them. "So he'd have access to drugs."

  Chapter 41

  She was going to make sure he didn't rape anyone again. No matter what she had to do, but what did his son have to do with it all? Was he the rapist? Or the murderer? Just when it seemed they'd found the answer, more questions popped up. Her head swam with the facts.

  Undressing for bed, she slipped her arms through a loose fitting t-shirt Gigi had given her in the stack of clothing. She was grateful for the clothing and for Gaige giving her a phone, but she missed her things. Her apartment sat empty now, all her clothes hanging in her closet waiting for her to claim them. Hopefully anyway. The first of the month, when rent was due, would be coming shortly. But the fact that they'd reported her as AWOL may give authorities permission to go in and confiscate her belongings. That would be another shit show she'd have to deal with. It never ended it seemed.

  Reaching behind and braiding her hair she watched fireflies buzz around outside, playing as they created twinkle effects in the darkness. It was pretty here. Gigi had found herself a nice little place to heal. She'd have to do that when this was all over, find a place to heal. The first thing she wanted to do is plant a tree for Kate. Actually for Kate and Tate. They never found their way to each other in life, she sure hoped they did in death. And that brought her thinking around to Gaige. She didn't want their story to be one of Kate and Tate. Never finding their way together in life. They had a chance now, how deep did they delve while her life was in such turmoil? Again the questions piled up.

  "What are you thinking about?" Gaige entered the room from the bathroom, freshly showered, and smelling fantastic. He still wore the Cattleman’s cologne, she loved it. He smelled like a spa but manly.

  Taking him in, the whole of him, standing across the room from her. No shirt on, his muscles prominent, his abs clearly defined. He'd always worn his hair cropped short, she'd assumed at first because of the military, but he'd been out for close to twenty years, so it must just be his style. He wore it well, it fit him in some way. Short, clean and precise. But oh so handsome.

  "I was thinking I hope Kate and Tate have found each other in heaven because they never found their way to each other here on earth."

  She saw him swallow. He stared at her, indecision in his expression. Finishing her braid, she secured the band and let her hands drop to her sides as she watched him wrestle with his thoughts.

  "We should talk. I was undecided about it earlier, but we have some time alone now, we should take it to sort a few things out."

  Suddenly it felt as though her legs wouldn't support her. Walking to the end of the bed, she slowly sat and waited to hear his words. He was undecided if they should talk which meant he didn't want to be with her for the long haul. Her stomach rolled at the thought of him saying the words, but it would be better to know and not think there could be anything more than just the now. Right?

  She couldn't respond with words, her throat felt so tight and the blood thrumming in her ears seemed to amplify. This was it. All these years she'd thought, someday. That was likely to end now. She'd survive, wouldn't she?

  He came to sit beside her on the end of the bed. She felt it dip under his weight but couldn't look at him. He turned his body, his right leg folded and laid on top of the bed to face her. His fingers tucked under her chin and gently pulled her face to look at him.

  "I want you to look at me when we have this conversation."

  Ohmigod, he wanted to watch her destruct.

  So slowly she felt slothful, she turned, folded her left leg so it laid on the bed, her bare leg parallel to his, the contrast between the two was stark. Raising her eyes to his, the intensity of his look nearly brought tears to hers.

  "I've been stupid. All these years, Soph. All these fucking years I dreamed of you. Thought of you and wondered what it could be like with you. But something held me back from picking up the phone. I told myself at first it was because of Tate. There's this bro-code where you don't go and he was my best friend. The only brother I've ever had. Ever will have. I ignored even you for him. Then you married, I got engaged, and I made my mind up that it wasn't meant to be."

  Could he hear her heart breaking? Couldn't he hear it?

  "When Tate died, you were still married and we were both hurting. And then, the years passed and we lost touch. And I thought of you so much, but I couldn't bring myself to call you."

  He reached forward and took her hands in his. His large strong hands had touched and held her so sweetly last night and this morning again, her heartbeat increased. She could feel the heat climbing up her torso as the dreaded words came closer to being said.

  "Then you called me. You were in trouble and needed me. On the flight here I wondered about it. After all this time, you called me. I told myself not to get revved up and excited because you were in trouble and of course you knew I would help you. GHOST has developed into an organization with so much to offer and, yes, you'd know that.

  He stopped talking, swallowed and cleared his throat. Here it comes. Blinking furiously to stop the tears, she struggled to breathe.

  "But I dreamed of Tate last night. He just kept popping into my subconscious laughing. He looked happy and alive. He didn't say anything, he just kept showing me random pictures of him and us and the two of you in happy moments. Of both of us laughing at your mom’s 45th birthday party and Christmas that same year. I worried all day about what that meant. That he was reminding me that you are his sister. Was it a warning to not destroy the bro-code? Then Gigi said she couldn't let an opportunity pass her by. I now honestly believe Tate was trying to tell me he approves. He's happy that we're together."

  She felt the lone tear slide down her face, but she couldn't let his hands go.

  "I think that's what it was, Sophie. I believe Tate was telling me he approves. I don't want to let this opportunity pass us by. But I don't want you to be with me because you need my help, you have it, always, no matter what. I want you to want me for me because Sophie, I love you. I always have. I always will of that I'm convinced."

  A sob tore through her body, it came out louder than she'd intended, but the relief ripped through her so fiercely and so fast she had no control.

  Her hands covered her mouth to keep the cries from coming again and again. She closed her eyes and the flood of tears continued to pour out.

  He gently pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Wrapping hers around him she reveled in the warmth and strength of him. She could feel his heart beating rapidly as if he'd just run a marathon, but she took a moment to compose herself. Finally, when she thought the words would come without sobs, she whispered. "I thought you were going to tell me you didn't want to be with me. I was trying to be so brave."

  He pulled her away from him to look into her eyes. His thumbs brushed under her eyes, feeling tears and swiping them away. "Say again."

  "No, I don't want to say that. I love you, too, Gaige. And not to sound like a parrot, but I always have and I always will."

  Chapter 42

  Relief. Euphoria. Overwhelmed with...what? Love? Probably.

  Staring into her sparkly brown eyes, her lashes spiky and wet with her tears, her smile grew, changing the stern hardened look she'd worn a few minutes ago to one of unparalleled beauty and light. She'd just blossomed in front of him and it was like witnessing a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. Stunning.

  Her hands framed his face and pulled him closer. Watching her eyes close before her soft full lips touched his was a joy. The shock that ran through him as her lips molded to his was like the first time and in a way it was. They'd declared their love, she felt the same way he did and it was powerful. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her down, rolling so she landed on top of him, his lips never leaving hers. Her legs framed his, the weight of her body on h
is like the best blanket on earth. Her elbows rested next to his shoulders, her hands circling in his hair. Their bodies touching from head to toe. Perfect.

  He dove his hands into her braid, felt down to the bottom, pulled the band free and began freeing her hair. The warmth from her body brought the aroma of her hair into full bloom and he inhaled taking that smell into his lungs. Once all of her hair was loosened, he slid his hands into it and brought it around so it's silk veil framed their faces. Sliding his hands down her back and to her ass, he squeezed her firm globes and pulled her tightly into his body. A thrill ran through him when she moaned into his mouth and her hips arched and fell in a rhythm as old as time. His cock had hardened in a nanosecond the instant their lips met, but having her move against him, seeking more from his body, well, that just made him crazy.

  He felt something lacy covering her ass, digging his hands under the fragile fabric, he fisted the little strip from the thong and ripped it apart, she pulled her lips from his.

  "I just bought these."

  "When?"

  "When you bought the condoms."

  "I'll buy you more."

  Wrapping his arms around her once more, he rolled so he'd be on top of her, his body not interested in playing it slow tonight. He lifted his head to look into her eyes, but first he saw her silky hair fanned across the bed in a messy array of curls, catching the light. He had always enjoyed her hair, it was always beautiful, thick and shiny. The richness of the dark color complimented her skin and eyes. Looking down into her face she wore a sultry smile that caused fine lines to crease at the corners of her eyes and he got the feeling she was assessing him. Then the little vixen bit her bottom lip and he wanted to do that, so he bent his head down and nipped her lip, sucking it in slightly then nipping once more.