Invisible: An Alpha Company Military Romance

by Beth Abbott

  “Yeah, well if you ever want grandkids, can we get a move on?” He smirked at his mother.

  “Come on.” Sally said, linking her arm with Ellen. “The boys can do the carrying. Let’s get you in the warm.”

  Ellen grinned back at Luke in time to see him give his father a big hug.

  “Same old, same old…” Luke moaned, loud enough for the women to hear, as the two men headed to the back of the car.

  “I thought you had a BMW?” His father asked, puzzled.

  “Yeah, I did.” Luke chuckled. “Damned Satnav kept causing trouble!”

  Ellen smiled back at him. Damn, he was gorgeous!

  Chapter 39 - Luke

  By the time Luke had taken their overnight bags up to the loft, and brought the present bags inside, Ellen and Sally were sitting at the kitchen table, steaming mugs of tea in hand pouring over some old photos. The Aga was covered in simmering pots, and the smell was mouth-watering.

  “Mother, I swear to God, if there are any photos of me naked in that pile, I will have a vasectomy tomorrow and never give you any grandchildren!” Luke warned.

  “Oh, pooh!” Sally scoffed. “We got the naked ones out of the way first. Ellen wasn’t overly impressed, but I assured her it had been a very cold day.”

  “Jesus!” Luke scowled at his father. “The first time I’ve ever brought a woman home, and if I’m not careful, she’ll have Ellen calling a taxi within half an hour, trying to escape from the madhouse.”

  “Oh, don’t get your jockstrap in a twist.” Sally grinned at Ellen. “Luke was always the drama queen.” She staged whispered, moving to the stove to stir something.

  Luke rolled his eyes and took the seat his mother had vacated, helping himself to what was left in her mug.

  “How long until lunch?” He asked over his shoulder. “I’m so hungry I could eat a scabby dog!”

  “Nice visual son!” His father commented, pulling his boots off by the back door.

  “I thought so too.” Luke grinned at his dad.

  Ellen chuckled, but her attention was still on the photograph album.

  “I like this one.” She pointed at one of a young boy with his arm in plaster, proudly sporting a little round sticker. She’d had one of those as a kid. They usually read something like ‘I’ve been brave at the hospital!’

  “How old were you when you broke your arm?” She asked.

  Sally turned around and looked at her. “How do you know that was Luke and not Casey?” She asked. “They were almost identical until they grew their hair differently, but that wasn’t until they were about seventeen.”

  Ellen laughed. “Apart from the fact that I’d know that sh- crap-eating grin anywhere, you mean?”

  Sally pointed the spoon at her son. “She does have a point.”

  “Well, apart from that, it’s his split eye.” Ellen explained.

  “What about it?” Luke look puzzled.

  “Well, yours is the left one and Casey’s was the right one! Duh!” Ellen smiled.

  Luke and Carl were watching her, slack-jawed!

  Sally just stared at Ellen curiously.

  “Did you know Casey?” She asked quietly.

  Shit and bollocks! Luke had no idea how she was going to get out of this one.

  “I met him once.” Ellen hesitated. “Through mutual friends.”

  Luke breathed a little easier.

  “You just met him the once?” His father qualified.

  “Yes, just once, I was with someone he knew and we chatted briefly.”

  Luke’s parents exchanged a look. He knew where their thoughts had gone. Casey had a reputation for having sex with women he’d only met five minutes before. He’d even screwed a waitress in a linen closet between the main course and dessert!

  “Dad, before your mind takes the wrong path, Ellen never slept with Casey.” Luke declared.

  “What? NO!” Ellen stammered. “It was nothing like that.”

  Sally looked more than a little relieved.

  “Of course, it wasn’t.” She patted Ellen’s hand. “But that was very observant of you dear. Even their teachers in school were rarely able to tell one from the other. So who was the mutual friend dear? Anyone we know?”

  Before Ellen had a chance to respond, Luke jumped in to rescue her.

  “It was Matt Johnson.” He interjected. “Turns out Matt is married to a real spitfire called Suzy…. you remember I told you he was a dad now too?”

  “Oh, yes that’s right. I recall something like that.” Sally agreed.

  “Well anyway, Suzy and Ellen are best friends and have been working together for the last few years.” Luke smiled, satisfied with his story. “They set us up on a blind date, and here we are.”

  “Oh, how sweet!” Sally was obviously something of a romantic. “So tell me Ellen, what did Luke do to make such an impression on your first date?”

  Ellen nearly choked on her tea.

  “Umm….” Ellen obviously couldn’t decide whether to tell the truth or tell a bare-face lie.

  “It’s Ok, sweetheart! You can tell them about our first encounter at Suzy’s.” Luke dared her.

  She grinned, gauntlet firmly picked up!

  “If memory serves me right, I believe my first impression of you was that you were a wanker, an idiot and a moron.” Ellen batted her eyelashes at him. “Did I get that right, darling?”

  Sally was stifling a laugh behind her hand.

  “Almost word-for-word!” Luke grinned. He loved Ellen in this mood.

  “Although, I believe your first endearment was something along the lines that I was a ‘Wanker, driving a piece of shit car’!”

  “Oh yes!” She turned to Sally and Carl and smiled most apologetically. “I’m so sorry. Yes, those were actually my first words. I stand corrected.”

  Luke had the most ridiculously happy grin on his face as his parents burst out laughing.

  “She’s the one!” Sally pointed at Luke. “You understand? I like her. She’s a keeper. So don’t piss her off!”

  Ellen laughed.

  They were all mad, the bloody lot of them! But she already seemed to love them all.

  Luke prayed that would continue.

  “Come on, everyone.” Carl smiled. “Let’s get this food dished up before it tastes like your mother’s dishcloths.”

  “Cheeky sod!” Sally smacked his ass.

  Luke looked at Ellen and rolled his eyes. Maybe he should have warned her about his parents. But then, no amount of warning could truly prepare someone for the Sally and Carl show. It was legendary!

  Chapter 40 - Ellen

  The rest of Christmas day had been wonderful.

  They’d eaten a fabulous lunch, and exchanged gifts afterwards in the sitting room, in front of a lovely open fire. Sally and Carl were on the big oversized sofa, and Ellen and Luke were sitting cross-legged on the rug in front of the fire. It was all picture-perfect.

  Luke had already paid for his parents to go on a Caribbean cruise, and they were leaving on the 27th December, so he’d given them a Christmas card with a list of the additional excursions he’d paid for.

  Sally and Carl were naturally thrilled!

  Ellen had bought Luke some gold cuff-links with his initials engraved on them, as well as a shirt with the proper cuffs to wear them with. There’d also been a book she’d found about the history of his regiment. (She’d even had to text Suzy to check with Matt to make sure she had the correct regiment, so she was feeling quite pleased with herself for that one.) There were little gifts like a joke book, which he loved, some of his favourite aftershave, and some trick cards which he couldn’t wait to open, and play with.

  “He had a magic set when he was about five.” Sally whispered. “It got lost when we moved house, and he never forgave us for not buying him another one.”

  “I was a deprived child.” Luke announced.

  “As if…” Ellen snorted, leaving Sally chuckling.

  Sally had been thrilled with he
r present, even if watching the pictures of her boys slide across the screen had left her a little teary between bouts of laughter.

  Carl had been so thrilled with his Port, he insisted on opening it so they could all have a drop to finish off the meal.

  Ellen’s present from Luke’s parents had been a lovely watch. She’d never owned anything so nice, so she thanked them profusely.

  When she opened Luke’s presents, she was thrilled with the little things he had bought her. When she got to the jewellery he’d bought her, she opened the box and just sat looking at it, flabbergasted.

  When she looked up, Luke was staring at her like a kid who’d been caught with his hand in the sweet jar.

  “And which part of the word ‘budget’ didn’t you understand?” She asked Luke quietly.

  “Umm….” Luke hesitated. “Maybe the part that would have prevented me from buying you the gift I wanted to get?”

  Ellen shook her head. She should have realised he wouldn’t stick to the budget when he’d agreed to it so easily.

  “Oh, Ellen, they’re lovely!” Sally gushed. “Why don’t you put them on?”

  Ellen didn’t want to seem churlish, so she smiled and allowed Luke to help her with the clasps.

  “Carl, look how the blue almost matches Ellen’s eyes.” Sally smiled at Luke.

  “Nice job son!” Carl congratulated him.

  Ellen couldn’t be mad, not when he was looking so pleased with himself.

  “It’s beautiful, thank you.” She leaned over to kiss him.

  When their lips parted, he whispered in her ear. “So am I off the hook then?”

  Ellen leaned in to whisper back… “Not a chance!”

  Luke grinned. He liked it when Ellen promised retribution!

  The rest of the day was relaxed and fun, and Ellen smiled more than Luke had seen her smile since he’d known her.

  Sadly, Boxing day morning arrived too soon!

  Luke and Ellen had spent a glorious night in the loft. They’d made love over and over, sometimes playfully, sometimes desperately, and when sleep finally came, they’d been wrapped in each other’s arms, cocooned in the big bed with the duvet wrapped all around them.

  When Luke heard a vehicle pull into the yard, he glanced out of the window, and then at his phone to check the time.

  Shit, it was already eleven o’clock!

  “Ellen, wake up honey.” He shook her shoulder gently. “JT and Danny are here already.”

  Ellen was just opening her eyes and stretching, when there were footsteps on the outside stairs. A heavy thump on the outside door told them that their visitors had well and truly arrived.

  Luke tried running for the door and pulling his jeans on at the same time, but after almost face-planting onto the carpet, he slowed his steps and decided on doing one thing at a time.

  By the time Ellen joined them, Luke was standing in the small kitchen in only a pair of jeans, pulling coffee and mugs out of the cupboard.

  “Hi Ellen.” JT smiled at her. “Did you enjoy your Christmas?”

  “I had a lovely day, thanks.” She smiled. “You?”

  “It was nice and quiet.” He grinned. “A rare occurrence in this business.”

  “I guess.” She agreed. “How about you, Danny? Good Christmas?”

  “Hmmph!” Danny shrugged. “Family shit! It was Ok, I guess.”

  Ellen smiled. There wasn’t much she could say to that.

  Once they were all set up with mugs of coffee, Luke looked at JT.

  “So, what’s the plan?” He asked his former CO.

  “Ok, so we’ve narrowed down the area where Ellen’s father is staying to a few square miles, not far from the coast. Ever heard of a place called Pendine Sands?” JT looked up from the map he’d spread on the counter.

  Ellen nodded.

  “Isn’t that where they used to do the land-speed records on the beach?” Danny asked. “The beach is like a gazillion miles long and pretty straight, so loads of attempts have been made there.”

  JT nodded. “Other than the fact that it’s about seven miles long, not a gazillion, that’s exactly right.” He grinned at Danny who was busily polishing his fingernails on his jacket. “Give the asshole a lollipop!”

  “Anyway, we’ve narrowed it down to a small area, but there are still quite a few properties. Ellen, do you think you could find the right cottage?”

  “It’s a long time since I’ve been down there, but if he’s staying in the place we used to rent, then I guess I know which one it is.” She confirmed.

  She looked over the map. After a minute, she pointed to a minor road.

  “I’m not sure as it’s been a while, but I think it’s along this road. The crossroads and turning for the beach look about right.”

  “Ok, well if we want to get there before dark, we can’t hang around here all day. We’ll start losing the light by around four o’clock. It’s about a three-hour drive in good conditions, and we’ll have to keep an eye out for black ice. It’ll be particularly tricky after we leave the motorway around Swansea.”

  Luke nodded. “I told my parents we’d probably get away before lunch. We’ll just stow the luggage and go in and say our goodbyes. Do you two want to go and say hi before we leave?

  JT nodded. “Sure, that’d be great.”

  As the guys headed back down the stairs, Luke gathered Ellen into his arms.

  “Are you ready for this?” He murmured into her hair.

  “Not even close.” She breathed into his neck.

  Without speaking further, they turned and walked back into the bedroom, gathering the few belongings they had bothered to unpack.

  Luke knew she hadn’t been joking, but there was nothing else they could do. George had to be brought to justice and Casey’s name had to be cleared, and David Lansing was the only person who could do both.

  But would he forgive his daughter for being the one to ask it of him?

  They’d get the answer to that little puzzle before nightfall.

  Chapter 41 - Ellen

  The majority of the drive through South Wales was accomplished in silence, both Ellen and Luke lost in their own thoughts.

  Ellen watched as they crossed the new Severn Bridge, paying the toll before speeding up to drive through the heart of Newport, where for once they sailed through the notorious traffic blackspot of the Brynglas Tunnels. She remembered countless trips with her father where they’d sat in traffic for hours on Bank Holiday weekends, trying to get through either the tunnels or the Severn Toll, playing the usual car games like ‘I spy’, or ‘Where d’you think the people in that car are going?’, making up outrageous stories of where fellow travellers might be headed.

  Ellen smirked as she realised that she considered sitting in traffic jams came under the category of ‘good times’.

  Passing north of Cardiff, the countryside finally opened out, so she watched the beautiful scenery for a while, realising that she had missed this so much over the last few years.

  She hadn’t gone outside of town once since she’d arrived until the day she left, and she now realised that she missed green grass and trees.

  If they stayed longer than a day with her dad, she hoped they’d be able to take a long walk at least.

  After they’d left the motorway, Luke kept up a reasonable speed, wary about the black ice that had been forecast across the region. He hoped that being by the coast would reduce the likelihood, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  JT and Danny were right behind them, Luke reassured her, and Matt, who had joined them after the Magor Services, was right behind JT.

  Thankfully, the roads had been really quiet, apart from a few sections of holiday roadworks, and they made good time.

  About a mile or so from Pendine, Luke turned into a pub carpark, where everyone got out of the car to stretch their legs.

  “How’re you doing, kid?” Matt came up and gave her a big hug.

  “I’m good, thanks.” She smiled. “Did Suzy
and Charlie have a good Christmas?”

  She’d spoken to Suzy twice yesterday, so she already knew they had, but it was something to talk about, other than why they were here.

  “Yeah, it was great thanks. Although why Suze insisted on wrapping every one of Charlie’s presents ‘just so’, God only knows! The kid is only eight months old. He doesn’t give a crap whether it’s got a bow on the wrapping! He barely gives a shit what’s inside the wrapping at this stage.”

  Ellen smiled. She was so happy that everything Suzy had planned for their first real family Christmas had gone smoothly.

  “Ellen?” JT motioned her to the map on the front of the car. “Can you point to where you think your father is staying? We’re here at the moment.” JT pointed to a spot on the map.

  Ellen looked closer. This was a more detailed road map than the one they’d been looking at previously.

  “See that tiny cluster of buildings there?” She pointed. “I think that’s where he is. If my memory serves me, there are five cottages, and he’ll be in the one on the far right. I’ll definitely know it when I see it.”

  Ok.” Luke nodded. “Then let’s get going. We only have about half an hour of good light left.”

  Ellen got back into the car, pulling her seatbelt across her shoulder.

  “You Ok, love?” He asked her.

  “Yes… no… I have no bloody clue!” She blew out a breath slowly. “What if he’s mad that I brought you here?”

  “It has to happen sometime.” Luke pointed out. “You couldn’t keep living in isolation. He shouldn’t have expected that of you.”

  Ellen had to agree with him, but she very much doubted her father would see it that way.

  Ten minutes later they turned down a narrow single track lane. As they neared the houses at the top, Ellen felt her hands grow clammy.

  “That’s the one.” Ellen pointed to the cottage on the right, and Luke pulled in, making sure to leave enough room for the other vehicles.

  JT, Danny and Matt stayed in their own cars, while Luke and Ellen got out.

  “Ready?” Luke asked, holding Ellen’s hand tightly.