Broken (Broken Trilogy Book 1)

by Drake, J. L.

  “Morning.” She beams with a stupid grin, her eyes shifting from him to his side.

  He rubs his eyes then looks down at Savannah tucked into him. He isn’t sure exactly where to go with this and looks up at Abigail with a silly grin. His brain takes a moment to remember all the details of night before.

  “I’ll just leave your breakfast here.” As she places the tray on the table he notices there are two servings. “I’ll be sure not to let anyone bother you this morning.”

  “Abby—” he mumbles, trying to make his brain function properly.

  “No, no.” She holds up her hands walking backwards toward the door. “Just stay put.” She continues to grin widely.

  Oh, thank God, it was Abigail. He knows he can trust her to keep his confidence. Well actually, he sighs, who is he kidding he shakes his head, no doubt she’s calling his mother right now, filling her in on all the details.

  Savannah shifts next to him. Her hand moves to his stomach and her head falls on his chest.

  He waits till her breathing goes back to smooth, even breaths then wraps his arm around her back holding her a little closer to him. He loves the way she molds to him. He knows he should slip out of bed before she wakes—she’ll probably freak out if she wakes in his arms—but he just can’t seem to move. His brain and heart are having a battle. Finally he flips off his brain and basks in her warmth, falling back to sleep.

  ***

  His vibrating cell phone brings him out of his groggy state. He starts to move but realizes that Savannah is still draped over him. He snakes the phone free and checks the ID, seeing it’s a text from Mark wondering where he is. He switches the cell to 'silent' and places it quietly on the nightstand.

  “Cole?” He hears her soft voice.

  “Yes.” He feels his stomach sink—Oh God.

  She shifts, trying to sit up but can’t.

  “It’s all right, Savannah,” he assures her, “it’s not what you think.”

  “Why am I in this room, in bed with you?”

  His brain mentally slaps him. Ass! He decides to go with the truth.

  “Because you asked me to.” Because I can’t leave you alone.

  She shifts again, this time managing to lift herself onto her knees.

  The loss of body contact makes him experience a sudden loss. He instantly misses her.

  “What happened?” She looks down at the T-shirt she is wearing and gasps, quickly tucking it between her legs—not that she needs to; it is like a dress on her. “How did I get in this? And why is my head pounding?”

  He sits up, leaning against the headboard. “You’re in my room because it’s the safest room in the house. Plus there are two ways to come and go. Do you remember anything from last night?”

  She looks around taking in her surroundings her hand holding her stomach no doubt she still feels awful. “I remember getting sick, and Keith.”

  “You were poisoned, Savannah. We think someone may have spiked your lemonade.”

  Her expression suddenly changes and all the color leaves her face. She’s remembering…tears pool in her beautiful dark eyes making him break in two. “What? Who would have poisoned me?” she cries, trying to understand what had happened. She wipes the back of her hand across her cheek catching a tear.

  “I—I have to go.” She moves to the other side of the bed.

  Cole jumps to his feet catching her in time as she tumbles forward losing her balance. “Oh!”

  “No you’re staying here.” He scoops her up, placing her back on the bed.

  “No you don’t understand—” She fights him, but he pins her to the mattress with his body.

  She tries to push off his arms but she’s too weak to fight for long.

  “I do understand. I know York spoke to you.”

  Her eyes turn to meet his.

  “I know he told you about the American and that he doesn’t lose his captives. And that he will hunt you until he finds you. But, Savannah,” tears are streaming down her cheeks now, “I promise you I will not let him find you.”

  Her lip quivers. She looks terrified.

  “Please, stay and let me protect you.” His face is inches from hers. He gently lifts the sheet and dries the corners of her eyes. “You have to trust me.”

  “I—I do,” she whispers without hesitation.

  He closes his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

  “Cole.” Her soft voice makes his eyes open. “Did you spend the whole night with me?”

  He nods, not sure if he can speak, her trust means more to him then he thought it would.

  “Thank you.” She lifts her head giving him a soft peck on the cheek.

  Her lips are like velvet against his stubble. Every nerve in his body stands at attention. This woman is waking up parts of him that he didn’t know he had. He slowly peels his body off hers, knowing he can’t hold her like this forever. He pulls her up with him, so they're both sitting up.

  “Who do you think drugged me?” She quietly shifts the T-shirt around her legs again.

  He clears his throat. “I don’t know. I have Keith reviewing the video.” He watches as she rubs her head. “Are you feeling okay?”

  She nods but he can tell she is lying. “I need a shower and my toothbrush,” she mutters with a tiny grimace, “and some Advil.”

  He opens the drawer next to the bed and hands her two Advils and a bottle of water.

  She hesitates taking it.

  “It’s all right. The water is from my fridge, no one comes in here without a security code and only me and Abigail know it.”

  “I found something—yesterday I found something. I need to show it to you.”

  “Okay, Savi, but let me get you to your room and have Abigail help you get showered. Then you can show me.”

  “All right.”

  Cole pulls off his shirt, opening his dresser to get into something clean. He catches her gaze reflected in the mirror.

  She studies the tattoo on his shoulder. “What does De Oppresso Liber mean?”

  He had gotten it after his first year. It depicted an eagle holding two arrows wrapped in the American flag with the words written in a horseshoe shape around it. It isn’t particularly large, about the size of a hockey puck. A lot of the other guys got huge tattoos wanting to make a statement but he didn’t do it for anyone else but himself.

  “To free the oppressed,” he answers as he slides a clean T-shirt over his head. “All right, up you go.”

  She lets him help her off the bed and he waits until he knows her legs are steady. He wraps an arm around her waist, letting her lean her weight into him. God, she feels good against him.

  ***

  “Where are we?” she asks, looking around.

  “The back passage through the house. It’s a safety precaution if we ever were to come under attack.” He feels her flinch as they move along the passageway.

  “What’s in there?”

  He moves to the open door and lets her look inside the tiny room with its wall full of books and a floor filled with plush cushions. “Oh, it’s so cozy,” she whispers in delight.

  “It’s a room my mother designed when my father would work long hours and the house became too busy. She’d lock herself in here for hours, losing herself in her stories.” He smiles, remembering curling up in a ball next to her as she read Moby Dick to him.

  “Here we are.” He opens a door and helps her through.

  She looks baffled that part of her wall is actually a door.

  “Can I access that passageway from in here?” she asks eyeing the door as he shuts it behind them.

  “Yes,” is all he offers her, and she nods, not pressing for more information.

  He sits her on the bed and calls for Abigail to come up. He feels her mood change as she looks around her room—her arms wrap around her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, kneeling in front of her.

  “I just feel—” her dark eyes stare into his, “in your room, I
feel—” She stumbles again.

  “Safe?” he asks hoping he isn’t wrong.

  She nods, dropping her head.

  He brushes her hair behind one shoulder. “8986,” he whispers.

  She looks up at him puzzled.

  “If you pull back the panel there where the door meets the wood. The code is 8986. 8987 is the code for my door, if you’re feeling scared.”

  Her eyes soften and she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

  His body doesn’t think twice about wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck. Oh God she smells amazing.

  She rests her head on the top of his shoulder. “Sorry.” She smiles against him. “I must smell terrible.”

  “No.” His voice is hoarse.

  She pushes herself back with both hands on his shoulders to stabilize herself. He is still wedged between her legs but she didn’t seem to care. Her eyes flicker down to his lips—he wants her to make the first move, not knowing how fragile she might be with all that has happened to her.

  God help him, he is losing his control. If he just moved forward a few inches he’d be where he wants to be. He watches as her tongue licks her bottom lip and he hears himself moan.

  “Cole, I’ve never felt—”

  “Here I am, Savannah!” Abigail bursts into the room and halts mid step when she sees the two of them. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  Savannah drops her hands and shifts back on the bed. Cole closes his eyes briefly, cursing at their intruder.

  “I’ll see you in a bit, Savi, ahh…after you have had a chance to clean up and get a bit more rest.”

  “Thanks.”

  Chapter Eight

  I feel more human after a two-hour nap and a shower. Doctor Rice came by and checked on me, saying how lucky I was that Keith found me in time. I was also informed that the lemonade was indeed spiked with Visine eye drops. Apparently it can cause a lot of harm if ingested. If I had had a second glass I would be a lot worse off. There are some cases were people actually died. I appreciate the doctor's explanation but it was upsetting to say the least.

  Poor Abigail is in fits apologizing to me. She fusses over my pillow about six times and asks if she can get me anything. I assure her I am fine, I just want to get up and stretch my legs. I get the green light from Abigail but I have to promise to eat and if I felt tired to get rest and not fight it. I promised more for Abigail’s sake than for me and seeing her eyes light on up on the way to the kitchen is well worth the promise.

  “I’m thinking oatmeal with sliced almonds? It’s healthy and will stick with you.”

  “Sounds good, thanks,” I say, sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar.

  “Don’t worry, dear, Cole gave orders that all food was to be tossed out and replaced so everything should be fine.” My jaw drops.

  “All the food? Are you kidding me? You had enough to feed an army!”

  “We are the army,” Mark chimes in ignoring my eye roll. He looks me over. “How bad was it?”

  “Let’s just say I felt like I was knocking on death’s door.” I shudder at the memory. “But I’m better now.”

  “Glad to hear it,” he says, leaning over and plucking a grape from the bowl. He lowers his voice, “Cole, Keith, Mike and I are the only ones who know what happened and we want to keep it that way until we know what we’re dealing with, okay?”

  “Okay—sure, but who’s Mike?”

  “Delta Six. Keith had him watch you while he filled Cole in on the details.”

  “Oh, have I met him yet?” I try to remember.

  “No, but you won’t forget him after you do.” He smirks. “Let’s just say I’m glad you were out of it when he was watching you, he’s one scary looking son of a—” Whack! A tea towel hits Mark in the face.

  “Mouth, Marcus.” Abigail scowls pointing a wooden spoon at him. He laughs as she sets the bowl of oatmeal in front of me along with a glass of orange juice.

  ***

  Cole doesn’t show his face again for the rest of the evening. I am disappointed because I still haven’t shared what I found with him, however, I realize it isn’t that important in the general scheme of things. I am feeling pretty beat and I pass out around seven, not waking until eight the next morning. Feeling restless, I am told that Doctor Roberts needs to take some personal time off and that we’d pick up where we left off when he returns. In the meantime there was someone on call if I needed to speak with them. I don’t.

  I spend the next day lounging around my room under Abigail’s watch. She won’t let me do much—I know she is just making sure I'm feeling all right.

  The next day my body is more than ready to get back to my daily routine.

  “Hey, Savi.” Mark appears in the kitchen. “What are you up to today?”

  “Oh, you know, got a meeting at eleven, client lunch at noon, presentation at two. Same old, same old.”

  “Bored are we?”

  “I just need to move.” I bite into an apple.

  “Well, we’re running drills up and down the mountain. We’re dressed in blue and we’ll be firing paintballs so don’t go giving any of us black eyes again, all right?”

  “No promises,” I joke.

  “Well, if you are in the mood, give it to the guys with the red arm bands. I’m green.” He winks.

  ***

  I take the longer path up to the see the horses. I enjoy this route, at one point it gives you the most beautiful view of the lake. I wish I had a camera. I’ll have to see if Abigail knows where I can get my hands on one. Perhaps there’s a place in town. I take a seat on the grass soaking up the cool mountain air. I lean back on the ground closing my eyes. I love the way the wind blows making a soft wispy sound and how it grows louder as it gets closer.

  “Savi.” I squeeze my eyes shut. No, they will not break my happy Zen moment.

  “Savannah,” Mark hisses my name again.

  “Can’t hear you,” I hiss back. I feel the vibration of him crawling up next to me.

  “You know how to shoot?” My eyes pop open to see his blue helmet flipped up in the front. “You up for a bit of fun?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  ***

  Before I know it, I am pulling on John’s dark blue camo outfit. Thankfully I wore my dark hiking boots, but it doesn’t matter because John’s pants cover them almost completely. I can see why they picked John he is the only one who is only slightly taller than me. I notice the name tag reads Agent Black.

  “Are you still training?” I ask as John shoves the gun in my hand—Holy hell is it heavy.

  “We’re done. Now it’s play time. We need someone who can fit down in that gully and into the hole there in the barn.” He points at a building. I wouldn’t call it a barn exactly. “Once you’re in there you need to capture the flag and tuck it in here.” He points to a pocket on the vest. “Then run like hell on wheels back to me so we can fly it first.”

  “Seriously, the US Army plays capture the flag for training?” I laugh.

  “It’s a great training tool. Trust me, you’ll see.” He holds the gun up to my eye. “See that right there? Line it up with your target then shoot.” I line it up with the can and squeeze the trigger. Pop! Pop! I actually hit it! I jump up and down giving myself my own high five. I look to see Mark smirking. “Great job, it’s actually a little scary that you hit that target.”

  “I play a lot of video games.” I shrug.

  “If you get shot, you go to a room in the far corner of the building where you’ll wait for five minutes than be released out a side door. Meet back here if that happens.”

  Oh my, there is a lot to take it. “So who else is on our team?” I ask, hoping for Keith.

  “We’re green. They won’t shoot at you. Lean your head forward.”

  Yeah…that’s the green team what about the red? He scoops up my hair and pulls on the helmet.

  “Do they know I’m not John?” I start to feel uneasy.

  Mark pulls
my visor down. “No, it’s better this way. Just stick with me.” Wait! What? “Oh and Savi, don’t get shot.”

  John gives me a thumb up and runs away.

  Mark grabs my arm and pulls me low and down along a path. “Whatever you do don’t take your helmet off.”

  I nod, knowing there isn’t a chance in hell that's going to happen.

  He gives me quick instructions then points me at the hole in the building. “Heads up and don’t shoot green.” He pats my back easing me into the opening.

  It is a little hard at first with all the clothing but I manage to get in.

  Holy shit! This is no barn! I just walked into a training room for the friggin' Green Berets! I drop down behind a metal shield. Okay, Savannah, you can either chicken out or live a little. There are no paparazzi and no daddy to disappoint. Perhaps you’ll get a shot in at York. Oh yes, that did the trick.

  I move to my knees and take in my surroundings. I see the flag but I also see a guy with an orange band shimmying down a pipe on the far wall. Really? A pipe? Good lord I’m in trouble, and Mark never mentioned a third team! I rest the gun on the top of the shield awkwardly aiming at orange and take the shot. Shit! I hit right above his shoulder.

  He drops the last fifteen feet and rolls under a stack of crates.

  I duck hoping he didn’t see me. Okay, think! I see some old scrap metal and make a beeline for it, I hear shots being fired but luckily none hit me. Okay, keep moving, Savi. I scan the debris and spot a long cement tube—I run to the side of it and peek inside. I see a flash of an arm and I wait watching his reflection in an old hubcap. I see a blurry movement and make my move.

  Hello, Red. I grin, raising my gun and popping two in his back.

  He turns in disbelief, raising his gun in the air as he walks out of sight.

  Hell yeah! What a rush this is! My heart is pounding through my chest. Okay, back in the game, Savi! I crawl along the side wall, keeping my body low. A series of loud pops pierce my ears. Looking up I see orange splatters. I freeze holding my hands over my head. Shit, shit, shit, shit! Thankfully the noise and my helmet muffled my scream. I open my eyes seeing a set of black boots in front of me. Oh shit! I look up seeing the tip of a gun staring at me. I have to fight the flashback that is coming on full force. Then a quick pop hits his shoulder and he is out. I nearly burst out in glee! I give him a little wave as he walks away I notice he’s on the red team.