Lilly exhaled. “What do you mean you aren’t coming? I was planning this out. A few days off, some down time together so you can see the town, check out my place.”
“I just can’t go right now. Something came up.”
“What?”
“Lenny.”
Lilly chuckled. “I thought you broke things off with him and needed some time away and to talk.”
“Well… he kind of convinced me otherwise,” she said, and Lilly could sense the humor in her voice. She put it together fast.
“Is he there with you right now in bed?” she asked.
Mary chuckled, and then she could hear her voice crack. “I told him everything, Lilly. That’s why I’m calling last minute. We’ve been together day and night the last few days.”
“I’m happy for you, Mary. I truly am.”
“I want you to meet him though. Like maybe in a few weeks we can re-plan a trip?”
“Definitely plan on it. I’ll let you two go. Be safe. Love you.”
“You be safe, as well, and I love you, too.”
Lilly ended the call and leaned against her black Mustang outside of the dojo. She had just finished a class and was going to check with the sheriff about Azra. The doctors were doing some tests and making sure that the bleeding had stopped, and no surgeries were needed. She wasn’t waking up for too long, and the doctor had debated about an induced coma if the bleeding didn’t subside. It may be a few days before she could even see her and talk to her again.
Just then, a big blue pick-up truck pulled up right beside her car. The side door opened and one of the three men she saw the other day stepped out of it. He looked her over, and she looked him over, too. The man was good looking, older, and had a pretty intense expression on his bearded face.
“Morning,” he said as the side door opened, and another guy got out. He was just as tall as this one with brown hair, as well, dark brown eyes, and a chiseled face. They wore military blue t-shirts and carried gym bags.
“Morning.”
The driver came around the other side of the truck. He looked her over, too, and gave her a nod. “Morning,” he said in a deep, fierce tone that was all commanding and business.
“Morning. It’s pretty hot in there, be sure to hydrate. Lou is on a rampage today,” she said and started to turn, but the one guy was in her way.
“You work out here?” he asked her with an attitude, and she thought maybe he was one of those macho guys who didn’t accept women who were tough or could be in the military. Yet it didn’t piss her off like years ago. She must have become desensitized to it. Maybe.
“No, I just come by to look at the eye candy,” she said and opened her car door. The other two chuckled.
“What?” the one guy asked her. He placed his hand on her car door, and she stared up into those intense brown eyes, then looked at his crew cut hair and well-trimmed beard. He looked pretty intimidating.
“I’m kidding. You asked me like I shouldn’t be here or something.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant it’s intense in there.”
She raised one of her eyebrows up at him, and he seemed flustered.
“Not that you couldn’t handle it,” he said, eying her over. She rolled her eyes and went to get into her car
“I don’t mean it like that.”
His friends snickered.
“I think you got our buddy a bit flustered, ma’am,” the other guy said, and this one exhaled in annoyance.
“I’m Colt,” the one who seemed tongue-tied said.
“Have a nice work out, Colt.” She dismissed him and got into her car, despite feeling like she didn’t need to blow them off because they were very good looking and totally up there in rank if she had to guess. She felt attracted to them, interested just from eyeing over their bodies and seasoned expressions. They were good looking, sexy, fit men, and she didn’t need to shit where she ate.
She started the engine as they stood there looking at her, and the one guy, Colt, looked pissed. She gave a wave and his expression changed, and she didn’t know why she did that or led him on, but she couldn’t help but to giggle.
“What in God’s name am I doing?”
“What do you mean he brought in a new interpreter?” Sheriff Lantern asked Caden.
“There was a raid at some big shot’s party and penthouse in New York City last night by ATF. The drug task force thought they were closing in on these dealers soliciting drugs and prostitution, when several women were found unconscious in a room. Raped, assaulted, and when one of them gained consciousness she was able to tell authorities that she was abducted from night club in New Jersey weeks before. She was transported to a warehouse, beaten, and told that she was being sold and needed to comply with her owners or she would be killed. She described a similar process to what Azra did, and now Ledkin says he wants this situation to be handled by who he chooses, and no outsiders.”
“Why the hell does it matter so much if it’s Lilly? She’s done a great job, and Azra seems to trust her.”
“I know,” Caden said, “and he’s trying to get to the bottom of this. Ledkin is in contact with ATF, they’re looking into this drug dealer and his associates, and meanwhile we’re trying to find out more about Azra and why she was taken and if this is all connected. We’re following a trail that is zigging and zagging.”
“Well, it’s a process, I’m sure, and hopefully something gives sooner than later.”
“I’ll keep you posted. Right now, I’m following a lead on a missing woman from a nightclub in Dallas. It may be nothing, but since this happened it’s like the case is leading to this being not only international but national. I still don’t understand why Azra and her sister’s friend were taken from Cyprus to America, unless it was a specific order.”
“Jesus, Caden, I hate to think that there are people out there that do this shit.”
“Or people that place the orders. Makes me want to find them all and arrest them.”
“Well, hopefully we can find those who took and hurt Azra and her friend. Let me know if you need anything more from me.”
“I will.”
A few days had passed, and she was still feeling antsy and annoyed at being removed from Azra’s case by that CIA agent. Lilly finished up at the dojo. She was feeling a bit extra aggressive and annoyed because she had been told that the CIA agent brought in a different interpreter. He wanted to keep things under his control and with his people. She didn’t understand why he would reject Lilly’s help, especially if he did a little digging and found out a bit about her experience and capabilities. It made her question his intentions in this case, and her gut clenched. Then she reminded herself that she was not an investigator but just a social worker with experience beyond most in this field.
When she heard a vehicle approach, she was shocked to see the deputy patrol car pulled up alongside her car. Sure enough, Deputy Brian Vega got out.
“You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said as a couple of the guys headed out of the dojo. Lou’s brother, Fogerty, approached. They said hello, and then Fogerty leaned against her car and next to her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“How do you two know one another?” Fogerty asked.
Lilly chuckled. “I just met him a couple of days ago.”
Brian stood a few inches taller than Fogerty, but they were both just as big as one another and filled with some serious muscles. A woman could get palpitations around such military types, but not her. She was used to being surrounded by eye candy in the Army.
“Don’t waste your time, Brian. She doesn’t date. Keeps us all guessing, wondering which guy she will let into her heart.”
“You are so full of crap. Don’t you have some place to be?” she asked.
Fogerty stood straighter. “It’s like that, huh?” he asked.
“This is police business,” Brian said, and she felt a bit upset at that statement. She found the deputy to be pretty good
looking and was definitely attracted to him, but it had been years since she had sex, so maybe she was just craving it. After being injured and recovering from her gun shots, the last thing she wanted to do was show a body with scars on it.
“I’ll leave you two to talk police business,” he said and then winked at her. “See you later tonight at Mulligan’s?”
“Maybe,” she replied, but both she and Fogerty knew she wouldn’t show up there. She hadn’t been there once since moving here. She kept to herself, and when she wasn’t working or training, she was reading and researching the best aspects of counseling.
“So, police business. What’s going on? I was going to call the sheriff to see how Azra is doing.”
Brian looked her over, and she felt it everywhere. For a guy who was only interested in business, he sure seemed to be giving off a different signal.
“There’s been some changes. That CIA agent got a new interpreter as you know, and last I heard it wasn’t going too well. Azra has been sleeping a lot and closing up. The woman is not empathetic, you know, typical government trained to come in and handle things with a name and number attitude. Plus, they’re planning on moving Azra to a safe location, contacting the family, and taking over the case.”
She stood up straight, upset about it and about not helping out with Azra. “Seriously? So, that’s it? I can’t even see her again and wish her luck?”
He licked his lower lip. “We’re all a bit upset about it,” he said and looked away. She didn’t think as she reached out and touched his forearm. He was leaning that hand on the butt of his gun. He shot his head up to look at her.
“I know you were pretty shaken up by the scene. She took an immediate liking and trust to you.”
He placed his hand on her hip, and with them this close, making physical contact, she felt her temperature go up several notches.
“To you, as well, but I guess there isn’t much more we can do.”
She pulled her hand away, and he stepped closer, nearly pressing against her and the car. “You did really well with her. I can’t believe that we never met one another before.”
“I guess the town isn’t as small as we think.”
“No, it’s kind of small, but when I’m not working, my team and I are busy with other things.”
“Like?”
“Warrior’s Way, helping with construction, and other things.”
“I met Toby once. It was work related. My boss, Shannon, she deals with them a little more when things are needed.”
“What exactly do you do, aside from working out here with a bunch of soldiers?” he asked and squinted.
“A regular dojo doesn’t quite offer the same intensity.”
“Especially not for a retired soldier. Army, right?” he asked.
She stared up at him a moment, knowing that he would have checked her out. “Yeah, something like that. You retired military, too? Special Forces?” she asked, looking him over and feeling that attraction deepen.
“Something like that,” he said and winked. She chuckled.
“Well, you didn’t have to come all the way out here to tell me I’m not needed,” she said and went to step away.
He grabbed her hand gently and she paused, lips parted and looked up at him. “I didn’t have to, you’re right, but I guess I was using it as an excuse to talk to you some more.”
She squinted at him. “Talk to me about what?”
He released her hand, and she was disappointed. “About this case, and you’re feelings about it. It seems to me you have some additional insight, and specifically that idea of another vehicle being present. I went back to the scene of the accident. Unfortunately, there aren’t any buildings nearby for there to have been cameras or anything to prove your theory.”
“There doesn’t need to be any. Just think about it. If the point of the van and truck being there was to meet for a transfer, then why did they crash into one another? Plus, the innocent drivers saw the van begin to swerve like they were having trouble driving or something was going on in the van. They hit one another and the two cars. What was going on in the van? An argument, a struggle between the driver and passenger? Was there an additional vehicle around?” she asked.
“The two other victims who were in the other cars were injured, their cars in the ditches, one crashed up like an accordion and the other not moving because they were stuck looking down. They wouldn’t have seen another vehicle even if they wanted to. Not in their positions or state of their injuries,” Brian told her.
“What do you know about that Ledkin Agent? You looked into him?”
“Not my place to look into him.”
Just then, Brian’s radio went off. He answered the call but kept his eyes on her. It was the sheriff.
“Yeah, Sheriff.”
The radio crackled back. “I can’t get in touch with Lilly. Her phone is going to voicemail. Can you go by her place and grab her for me and bring her by the hospital?”
“She’s right here. She just got out of the dojo a few minutes ago.”
“Oh shit, I forgot she teaches in the morning. Wait, why are you there?”
He locked gazes with her, and she watched as he hesitated and held her gaze. “Going over the case and the scene of the accident, picking her brain on her theory of another vehicle.”
“Well, get her to the hospital. Agent Ledkin asked for her assistance. Azra isn’t taking a liking to the interpreter. She wants Lilly.”
He ended the call, and she looked at her phone in her bag and saw she missed a few calls and text messages.
“Well, you heard the man. Want to head over?”
“Sure.”
They both didn’t move and then both realized they were feeling the same attraction. He reached up and stroked her cheek. “Maybe we can continue our conversation later?”
“Sure thing, Deputy Vega. I would like to solve this case and help Azra get back home to her family,” she said and then stepped back and opened her car door. He walked to his cruiser and the headed to the hospital.
Azra was scared. She didn’t trust these men, and definitely not the interpreter that CIA agent just brought into the room. The first thing the woman told her was to not reveal anything to the other interpreter, Lilly, or give any details about who had taken her. She was promised to be brought to her father as soon as it was safe.
Azra wasn’t stupid. She understood English, but she didn’t speak much of it and she wouldn’t let on that she did. She knew what was going on here, and she didn’t want her father getting into any trouble, and she definitely didn’t trust any of these people. While she was held prisoner, they talked about a debt her father had, a ransom he would pay for her safe return and to do some kind of business with an American businessman. She didn’t know how many others were involved with this, she just wanted her father and to go home.
She closed her eyes and pretended exhaustion but would blink them open to see if anyone was around. The interpreter, a woman, stood by the window looking out and on her cell phone. The sheriff wasn’t there, only the CIA agent outside of the room talking to the doctor and trying to see when they could discharge her. When the door opened, a male nurse appeared, wheeling in a wheelchair.
“Ready to go? We got a five-minute window, tops,” he said, and the woman walked to the bed.
Their Soldier Girl Page 6