by Karen Foley
Kate chewed the side of her finger and watched them, certain that in addition to losing Tenley, she may have lost Chase as well.
* * *
FROM BEHIND HIS DARK SUNGLASSES, Chase watched Kate. She looked lost and uncertain as she stood near one of the drink stations, observing Tenley with a mixture of concern and pride. More than anything, he wanted to go and reassure her that everything would be fine, but her comments still rankled. He sympathized with her, he really did, but only because he sensed that Tenley meant more to her than she would ever admit, maybe even to herself.
But he’d meant what he said. Tenley was legally an adult. She had to take responsibility for her own actions. In the end, it was her life, not Kate’s.
Now he watched Tenley as she smiled and laughed with the troops. She had a star-spangled bandana tied around her neck, effectively hiding whatever mark Kate had seen. He thought of the young man who had leaped onto the stage the night before, and wondered if he had anything to do with the love bites. The soldier had been silent and subdued when questioned, and he’d refused to reveal why he had interrupted Tenley’s performance. All he would say was that he had something he needed to tell her and that it was for her ears only. The military police had decided the incident was nothing more than the exuberance of an overexcited fan, but Chase had his doubts. In the few seconds before he’d subdued the younger man, he had heard what he’d said to Tenley: It meant something to me, too.
Pulling out his BlackBerry, he sent an email to his team back at Bagram, requesting they send him an electronic version of Tenley’s file. When he’d first received the dossier, he hadn’t given it the same attention that he would have given the file of an enemy combatant or top Taliban leader. Now he kicked himself for his oversight. He’d been trained better than that. He knew better. He hoped the file might contain information that would give him some insight into both Tenley’s and Kate’s lives.
He smiled now as he watched Tenley pose for photos. He had to hand it to her; she had done a terrific job entertaining the troops. He glanced at his watch. The sun would be setting soon. One more group of performers was scheduled to play, and then the Independence Day celebration at Kandahar would be over. He would accompany Kate and Tenley to Camp Leatherneck in the morning, where they would do it all again before they flew to Bagram Air Base for the final performances.
Tenley caught his attention, waving him over with a smile.
“I’m so tired,” she said when he bent his head to hear her over the crowd. “Can I go back to the trailer and take a nap?”
“Of course,” he replied. “I’ll walk you there myself.” He waited while the USO representative made her excuses to the throngs of soldiers still hoping to get a photo or an autograph, and then walked with Tenley along the edge of the parade field, toward Kate.
“Have you talked with your sister today?” he asked.
Tenley shrugged, but Chase didn’t miss the hot color that swept into her cheeks. “I’ve been busy.”
Chase gave her a tolerant look. “She only has your best interests at heart. I think you know that. This is my fourth deployment to Afghanistan, and I’ve seen many, many performers come through here. But I have never seen a publicist care so much about her client’s well-being that she would voluntarily come over in advance. By herself. Even if you are sisters.”
But instead of showing gratitude, Tenley turned defensive. “That was her own decision,” she said. “Nobody asked her to do it. That’s just the way she is—a control freak.”
“She obviously loves you a great deal. You might want to remember that.”
“Just who are you supposed to be watching out for?” Tenley asked, slanting him an amused look. “Because if I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was her.”
They had reached Kate, who stood with her arms crossed, observing them. Now she smiled at Tenley. “That was a great performance.”
“Thanks,” Tenley said, not meeting her eyes. “I’m really tired so I asked Major Rawlins to walk me back to the trailer.”
“I’ll go with you,” Kate said quickly, falling into step beside her. “I’m pretty tired, too.”
“I’m not surprised,” Tenley murmured, and looked meaningfully at Chase.
“Get some rest, Tenley,” Chase said. “I’ll come back in an hour or so, and if you’re up for it, we can have someone drive us to the boardwalk to grab a bite to eat.”
“The boardwalk?” asked Tenley. “That sounds almost civilized.”
“We do our best,” Chase said.
They reached the housing unit, and Chase stood aside as Tenley entered. Kate paused at the door and turned to look at him. He raised his chin and stared back at her, waiting.
“Chase,” she began, “about last night—”
“Kate, I need you!” shrilled Tenley from inside the unit. “There’s an enormous bug on the floor! You know how I hate bugs! Come and get rid of it!”
Kate frowned. “Be right there, Tenley.” She looked at Chase and lowered her voice. “About last night…I don’t regret any of it. I was where I should have been.”
Chase felt something shift in his chest, and he didn’t realize until that instant how much he had needed to hear those words. He didn’t want her to regret anything about the previous night, not when it had been so perfect.
Not caring who might be watching, he stepped forward and hauled Kate into his arms. “If your light is on later, I’ll knock,” he murmured, and lowered his mouth to hers in a brief, hard kiss. “But first I’ll get rid of your little pest so you can get some sleep.”
“You mean Tenley?” she asked, smiling against his lips.
Chase chuckled and set her gently aside to step into the housing unit.
* * *
AFTER CHASE HAD CAPTURED and disposed of the harmless beetle, Kate changed into her pajamas and looked over at Tenley. “Do you want a cup of tea? That might help you sleep.”
“Sure, but what I could really use are a couple of those sleeping tablets you wanted me to take last night. I feel too wound up after the concert to sleep.”
“You mean the ones you didn’t take?” Kate asked archly.
“I’ll take them tonight,” she promised, her eyes wide and innocent. “I really need to get some sleep.”
Kate rummaged through her bag until she found the pills and shook two into Tenley’s palm. “Best take them with something to drink.”
“How about having a cup of tea with me?”
“No, thanks. I’m not crazy about tea.” Kate watched as Tenley turned on the kettle. In the next instant, she regretted her decision. She wasn’t about to turn down what appeared to be a peace offering. “You know what? On second thought, I will have that cup of tea. Thanks.”
She sat on the edge of her bunk and brushed out her hair, smiling her thanks as Tenley set her cup down on the bedside table.
“This is nice,” Kate remarked. “It reminds me of the early days when I used to drive you all over the place to do auditions and gigs. Do you remember?”
Tenley smiled. “I remember. At least the hotels we stayed at were better than this place.”
Kate blew on her hot tea and took a sip. “Well, just remember that most of the soldiers here don’t have accommodations as good as these. Most of them are in tents.”
They drank their tea in silence, until Kate yawned and put her cup down on the side table. “I guess I really do need that nap,” she said. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“Drink the rest of your tea,” urged Tenley.
“No, I’ve had enough, but thanks.” She grimaced. “I was never a big fan of tea and now I know why. It’s too bitter.” Sliding beneath the blankets, she bunched the pillow under her cheek and closed her eyes, sighing blissfully. “Turn out the light, Tens. I’m done.”
* * *
A LOUD BANGING WOKE Kate from a deep sleep, and she pushed herself to a sitting position, groaning when she whacked her head on the underside of the top bunk. For a moment
, she was disoriented, and scrabbled for the light, flicking it on and blinking in the sudden glare.
Someone was knocking on the door. Pushing back her blankets, she got to her feet and stumbled to answer it. Her head felt fuzzy and her mouth tasted terrible, like bitter tea.
“I’m coming,” she called when the knocking persisted. Opening the door, she found Chase standing on her step. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been coming back every hour to check on you, but when your light never came on, I thought I should knock and make sure you’re okay.” His sharp gaze raked over her, missing nothing. “Are you? Okay?”
“Yes, of course,” she said. “Just tired. What time is it?”
“Nearly 5:00 a.m. You’ve been sleeping for almost ten hours.”
“What? That’s impossible. I just lay down like ten minutes ago!” Whirling around, she checked Tenley’s bunk, and let out a small wail of frustration. “I can’t believe it! She’s gone!”
Chase came into her quarters and closed the door behind him. Cupping her face in his hands, he searched her eyes. “Look at me,” he commanded. “Your pupils are huge. Did you take a sleep aid?”
“No, I never take anything.”
“Did Tenley take a sleep aid?”
“Yes, I gave her two…” Kate stopped speaking, as realization dawned. “Why, that little brat. She must have dumped those caplets into my tea! I wondered why she was being so nice, offering to make me a cup. And it tasted terrible.”
“Well, my recommendation is to wait here until she comes back.”
Kate stared at Chase in astonishment. “No, we have to find her. I want to know who she’s with, Chase. We don’t even know for sure that she’s safe. We need to find her!”
Chase looked grim, and a muscle worked in one cheek. “Fine. But you may not like what you discover.”
“As long as we find Tenley, I’ll be happy.”
Chase opened the door and gave a low whistle, and Charity trotted in, her tail wagging happily when she saw Kate. “Do you have something that Tenley wore recently? A shirt, maybe?”
Kate rummaged through Tenley’s bag until she found the white jeans and top that her sister had worn to the concert earlier that day. “Will these do?”
“Perfect.” Reaching into one of the deep pockets of his camo pants, he withdrew the dog’s lead and snapped it onto her harness. Taking the clothing, he held it to Charity’s nose. “Find.”
Immediately, the dog began to sniff the room, and then turned to the door. Chase looked at Kate. “Put some shoes on and let’s go.”
“She can really smell Tenley?”
“You bet. She can scent a trail up to twenty-four hours after the subject has walked it.”
Kate pulled on her shoes, still not convinced. “Even when her scent is mixed in with so many others?”
“A human loses up to forty thousand skin cells every minute,” he said. “Those particles fall to the ground or get mixed in the air currents. A good tracking dog can distinguish the scent of your skin cells from those of another person.”
Okay, maybe she was a little impressed. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Chase gave Charity a good thirty feet of lead, letting her set the pace. The dog moved quickly, her tail wagging happily. They passed the other housing units and turned down several small alleys, until they found themselves back on the parade field.
“Where is she taking us?” Kate asked.
“Looks like she wants to go to the building behind the stage,” Chase replied.
They followed Charity through the door of the dark building, and into the large room that had served as a lounge for the performers. Chase flicked his flashlight around the room, but it was empty. The dog gave a whine and strained at the leash.
“She wants to go to that anteroom,” Chase said, pulling the dog back toward him. “Wait here while I check it out.”
“Not on your life,” Kate muttered.
Chase wrapped the excess leash around his fist and allowed Charity to lead them to a closed door on the far side of the room. With a warning look at Kate, he put his hand on the doorknob and pushed it open, flashing his light into the dim interior.
Kate heard a startled shriek, and then Chase reached inside and flipped the overhead light on. “She’s here,” he said unnecessarily, stepping back so that Kate could push past him.
Kate stared in disbelief at the sight of her sister curled up on a cot with the young man who had jumped onto the stage the day before. Both of them scrambled to cover their nudity, and Kate looked quickly away.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Kate!” wailed Tenley. “Why can’t you ever leave me alone?”
Kate could hear both of them getting dressed. Chase stood just outside the door with his eyes straight ahead, and it wasn’t until Tenley walked out of the room that he turned, his attention going to the young man who stood defiantly just inside the room.
“How many sleeping pills did you put in my tea?” Kate asked.
“I gave you four,” Tenley admitted, keeping her eyes on the ground. “Just enough to make you sleep through the night.”
“Don’t blame Tenley,” the young soldier said quickly. “None of this is her fault. I made her do it!”
“I hope for your own sake that’s not true,” Chase growled.
“Be quiet, Doug,” Tenley snapped. “Let me handle this.”
Doug. Kate refocused her attention on the young man, recognition flooding back. He was the same young soldier that Tenley had eloped with.
“You,” she said, advancing slowly on him. “It was bad enough that you seduced my sister, but to have the nerve to—”
“Stop it!” Tenley shouted, and stepped between Kate and the young soldier. “I love him!”
“Love him?” Kate exclaimed in disbelief. “You hardly know him!” She directed her gaze to the man who stood behind Tenley. “It wasn’t enough that you nearly ruined her life. Now you just can’t leave her alone. How did you know she was going to be here?”
“I’ve never stopped loving her,” he said fiercely. “I had no idea she was going to be here until I saw her up on that stage. You may have succeeded in having our marriage annulled, but you can’t stop us from being together.”
Kate turned to Chase. “I want this man arrested.”
Chase was looking at Kate as though he had no idea who she was. “You had their marriage annulled?”
“We met during one of my concerts in Las Vegas,” Tenley said. “Doug had scored a backstage pass, and as soon as I met him, something clicked. I knew he was the one.”
Kate made a scoffing noise. “How could you possibly know that after thirty minutes with him?”
“It was an entire night, Kate!” Tenley shouted. “You were too busy talking on the phone and promoting my next tour to even know what I was doing. You didn’t even know I was gone until the next morning.” She turned to Chase. “Why don’t you ask Kate what happened after she tracked us down and had our marriage annulled?”
“Tenley,” Kate protested, her voice weak. “Don’t.”
Ignoring her, Tenley leaned forward until her face was mere inches from Kate’s. “The military shipped him off to Afghanistan! We were in love, Kate, and you tore us apart without a second thought. You didn’t even ask me how I felt! They shipped him off to the other side of the world, and because of your restraining order, I couldn’t even find out where he was sent.”
“You’re little more than a child!” Kate argued. “You barely know him! And it’s impossible to fall in love that quickly. This isn’t some romantic remake of Romeo and Juliet, this is real life!”
“I’m not a child,” Tenley asserted, drawing herself up. Stepping back, she put her arms around Doug. “I love him, and I’m going to marry him. Again.”
Kate put a hand to her forehead. “I don’t believe this. Tenley, think about what you’re doing. Come back with me now and we can at least talk about it. I mean, what d
o you really know about him? You haven’t been with him long enough to know if you love him.”
Tenley’s glance flicked between Kate and Chase. “Maybe you need more than a few days to decide if you love someone,” she said, “but not me.”
“Tenley—”
“I can’t do this anymore, Kate.” Tenley looked at her imploringly. “I need to make my own decisions, not have you make them for me.”
“Please—”
“You’re fired, Kate. I don’t want you as my publicist or my personal assistant. In fact, as soon as we get home, I’m finding my own place to live.”
Kate stared at her, unable to comprehend what was happening. “What? No! Don’t do this, Tenley.”
“Don’t you see?” Tenley asked, her voice softening. “I have to. I can’t let you make all my decisions for me. Not anymore. What’s right for you isn’t necessarily right for me. That’s why I have to do this, Kate.”
Kate took a step back, stunned. She would have stumbled if not for Chase’s strong arm supporting her.
“C’mon,” he said quietly. “I’ll walk you back.” He pinioned the young soldier with a hard look. “I want Tenley returned to her housing unit within thirty minutes, Corporal. If she’s not there, you’ll answer to me. Are we clear?”
Doug nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
“C’mon, Kate,” Chase said, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the building. “I’ll make sure she gets back safely. Let’s get you some coffee and then we can figure this thing out.”
She nodded and let him hug her as they walked, too stunned to argue. Surely she was still asleep and this was all just a bad dream. Right now, Chase was the only sure thing in her life, but if Tenley had really meant what she said, then he was also the next person she would need to say goodbye to. Because if Tenley didn’t want to work with her, then she would not be traveling to the other bases; she would be on the next flight back to the States.