“Guaranteed.”
“And what sum are we thinking?”
“I would have to check with my superiors, but I believe something in the neighborhood of ten thousand dollars a day, might be able to be arranged? Do you suppose your uncle would be willing to pay for this service?”
“Yes, I think we are in the right ballpark. But I need to know who was responsible for the two kidnappings, first. The schoolgirls, I would like to know the location of the film crew that was taken seven days before. I need to know if they’ve been murdered, are being returned for ransom or if they’re still alive, and I need to know if they’re in this country or not. Based on your answers, we will agree to do business or not.”
“This will take some time to gather all the information.”
“We do not have a lot of time. We’re ready to make a deal now. If, what you’re saying, someone else has to make the decision, please direct me to that person.”
Sabi stiffened, unused to being talked to in this manner, especially by an American, but a woman as well.
“I am that person. And you will have your answer tomorrow.” His eyes narrowed.
Kelly turned around and left the office without asking anyone else’s permission. Peterson, Andy and Sven followed her. Sven bowed to Mr. Sabi, “We’ll be back tomorrow then?”
“I believe that will work. See you tomorrow, doctor.” The Commissioner was fuming.
“No, it’s Sven Tolar.”
Chapter 23
Just before sunrise, Aimee got the call she’d been hoping to get for days.
“You sound naked,” Andy whispered.
“Oh God! Andy! I feel like it’s been a year since we’ve talked.”
“Only five days, but I’m losing track of things. Look, sweetheart, this has to be another quick call, but I’m good. Nothing to report. Just wanted to hear your voice.”
“I have the very best news.”
“Really?”
“We’re rich, Andy. Carmen left me a boatload of money. Honey, we can travel, fix up the house, buy some investments. Andy, you can quit doing all that dangerous stuff. We can just be together, like we planned.”
“But—”
“You’ll never have to; I’ll never have to work again.”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t hear this right. You met with the attorney?”
“Yes, she passed day before yesterday. I visited with him yesterday morning and signed all the paperwork. I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about it, but now that I’ve thought about what it could do for us, I see that it totally sets us free. You don’t have to go on any of those dangerous missions anymore. I don’t have to worry. I can get Logan into treatment again. It just opens up so many doors.”
“But this is your money. She left it for you.”
“That doesn’t matter, Andy. It’s our money.”
“No, it’s yours. It’s not mine.”
“I’m sharing it with you, so you don’t have to do all that crazy stuff anymore.”
“But I like what I do.”
“Well, you could phase out, I mean, I wouldn’t expect you to just quit. But you could.”
Aimee heard nothing on the other end of the phone.
“Andy?”
“I don’t want to quit.”
“But you have to put your life on the line. It’s dangerous, Andy. And you don’t have to any longer.”
“I don’t do it to eat, or for us to live. I do it because I want to. Don’t you understand? Haven’t you learned anything about us?”
“I don’t like your tone, Andy. You’re making me scared.”
“Aimee. You have to get a dose of reality here. What else am I good at? I’ve trained to do this. I want to do this for the next, well, I’m not due to re-up for a couple of years, but I want to stay with it. I like this job. And I don’t particularly like the idea of being a kept man.”
“Don’t be silly. That’s nonsense.”
“It’s not. You’re already telling me what you want me to do. Do I ever pressure you?”
“No, but—”
“I don’t like the feel of this. I’m going to have to think about this whole thing.”
“What about us?”
“You’re part of it. You’re who I come home to, Aimee. I’m doing it for you, too.”
“But wouldn’t you rather be a man of leisure, spend all your time at the beach? Travel, see distant places, meet interesting people? Expand your knowledge of the world? Learn a bunch of languages, invest in our future? Doesn’t any of that sound like what we talked about?”
She was getting nervous about the conversation and knew she had gone about this all wrong. Now that it was fully out, there was no taking it back. And the answer she got back confirmed it.
“That’s exactly what I do now, Aimee. You’ve got to be kidding me. I mean, it’s great having all that money, but I’ve seen interesting people, traveled the world. I like being a force for good. If you ask me would I enjoy just spending my time at the beach all day, or hanging out having cocktails and crab, I think I’d get bored.”
“But we’d be together, Andy.”
“But we’re together now, sweetheart. I feel you here, right beside me. When I come home, it will be so great to be together again. We are a team now. And I want to be the support for the men I work with, men I care about. I don’t think I could live with myself if I just sat around and did nothing just because I could. What kind of life is that?”
Her heart was racing, her blood pressure rising. She felt darkness in her chest, finding it hard to breathe. Black spots appeared in her eyes. She inhaled deeply and blew it out. Then did it again. That’s when it hit her. Was he saying that his job was more important than their marriage?
“Unfortunately, I’ve got to go. And this sucks big time. I’ve probably said it all wrong, but I love you, Aimee. And if you love me, don’t ask me to give up something I believe in doing. My work isn’t done.”
“I understand.” She heard the whine in her voice and hated herself for it.
“We need to talk about this, and I can’t do it now. I’m sorry if I rained on your parade, but I’ve got to go.”
He hung up without saying good-bye. She felt like she’d been hit across the face. How could he be so cold? Was this the reason she was hesitant to accept the money? Did she know something like this would happen?
Andy had never spoken to her this way before. And yes, he was right about a lot of things, but especially about her little special Happily Ever After bubble filled with unrealistic expectations. But she believed in things like magic, running in the direction of her dreams, making up stories and adventures and being inspired. Was it a mistake, then, to be partnered with a Man of Action, as he called himself? Could they have made a mistake getting together?
All throughout her run with Sandy it bothered her. The more steps she took, the more the hurt and anger festered. It wasn’t fair, what he’d said. It was almost as if she’d done something bad. Why couldn’t he celebrate what kind of freedom that money could bring to them? And did that mean—no—it couldn’t be that! Did that mean that it would destroy them?
She hadn’t considered the pride she heard in his voice. He didn’t want to live off her money, that was clear as day.
Just as she entered the house, her phone rang.
“Aimee, I have some good news,” Dr. Denby’s voice should have been good news, but she resented his happy demeanor.
“Oh really? What?”
She cursed herself for being so lame. She was still knee deep and blood with the conversation with Andy that she wasn’t present to him. This had to do with Logan.
“We’ve found him. He was picked up late last night. The sheriff called me, and we were able to pick him up this morning. I’ve got him on a mandatory lockdown for seventy-two hours. I can hold him longer if you’ll sign off on it.”
“So, he’s at your center?”
“Yes. He’s fighting a bit. I was thinking perhaps
you should come over and see him. If you think it would do any good, I can try to find a permanent spot, get another scholarship for him and see what we can do for thirty days. After that, he’s going to have to put in more of an effort. But I just wanted to call you and let you know he’s safe, and we have another crack at getting him on the right track.”
“Thank you, doctor. Maybe I should do that. My plans for today just blew up on me, so I’ll be over in an hour. Will that work?”
“Perfect.”
“So, how does this work? Will they allow you to keep him, or does he have to face charges?”
“I don’t think they’ve filed anything. He’s probably got one more chance. I’m not seeing his cooperation yet. Maybe you could convince him.”
Well, she’d just perhaps blown up one relationship with the man she loved. She wasn’t in the mood for this, but maybe it was exactly the right thing to do. She went to her bedroom and picked up the box of photographs her Realtor had sent over. Maybe some of these would be useful, she thought.
All the way over, she thought about her conversation with Andy. The wakeup call was bitter. The house and everything about the house was done with her own money, it was her idea, and he went along with it. But it wasn’t what he would have done, and maybe she should have paid more attention to it. The comment about not wanting to be a kept man left her hollow inside. She’d never thought that she was doing that. Never once did it occur to her that he might be sensitive to the money she inherited. And now, she’d just exacerbated it like one hundred percent.
She gripped the steering wheel and tightened her jaw. Hearing Sandy move, she looked in the rearview mirror. That’s when she got a good look at her face, streaked with lines and looking older, certainly not happy. It was the face like she’d seen on some of the wives—a face that scared her at first when she got introduced to the community. She’d been told it was hard, that loving a SEAL was not a casual thing. But for Aimee, it had never been like that.
But now she could see how complicated he was. And how completely caught unaware she was. What was she thinking?
The parking lot was full, so she had to drive around several times to find a spot. She grabbed Sandy’s leash and prayed they’d let her take the dog into the hospital.
She’d been there the last time with Andy. She remembered that day. He’d been so caring, holding her hand, pressing her shoulders and letting her know he shared her pain over her brother’s problems. It had been such a difficult day, and Andy had been right there for her.
Like she was supposed to be for him.
A male attendant dressed in white greeted her.
“Ma’am, I’m afraid we don’t allow dogs here. As much as we love them, not everyone does, and we have to think about the guests and patients who come.”
“I don’t have any place I can keep her. I’m here just for a quick meeting with one of your patients. Could you call Dr. Denby first, and can we ask him?”
“Well, it’s policy—Yes, Dr. Denby? You have someone in the lobby to see you.” He put his hand over the phone. “Who should I say is here?”
“Aimee Carr.”
“Oh, okay. Well, she has a dog with her, and we can’t—”
He focused on the ceiling as he was given instructions.
“Very well.” He hung up the phone. “He’s coming right up to talk to you now.”
“Thank you.”
Dr. Denby came with a young technician wearing a lab coat. “Hey there, Aimee. This is one of my students, and she’s agreed to watch the dog for a few minutes while you visit with Logan. Meghan, this is Aimee. And who’s this?” He bent down and pet Sandy, who tried to give him her paw.
“Sandy. She’s very well behaved and would love it.”
As the two walked out the front doors, Dr. Denby escorted Aimee back into the clinic. He held a chart under his arm.
“He’s having a medical evaluation now. We’re taking blood, getting some clean clothes for him, checking for head lice, all standard stuff, sorry.”
“No, I completely understand.”
“We get kind of detailed here. That way we know what we’re dealing with. It appears he might have lost considerable weight since we saw him last. Did you notice the same?”
“Yes.”
“So, when you see him, don’t react. We’ve also given him a haircut and he hates it.”
“He probably hates being detained.”
“Definitely. Now, I’m going to give you two a chance, but if he gets violent, I’m going to stop it, okay?”
“Absolutely. Do you think he’s healthy otherwise?”
“I’m not ready to say that. Something’s going on, but we’ll have to wait for the tests.” He turned the corner and stopped in front of a door marked Examination Room 6. “Ready?”
“Just a second. I’ve just learned I’ve come into some money, and I’ll have the ability to have him stay here, if you think it will work. I’m willing to invest in him, but only once. How do we do that?”
“We can put him on rotating lockdowns, voluntary. The ones I’ve seen work best stay about six months. If they do the program that way, it usually sticks. But it’s a lot of money, Aimee, I won’t lie.”
“Let’s do it, but only if you think he’ll accept it and work on it. Otherwise, it’s a waste. Again, I can only do this one time, doctor. Only once.”
“I got you. That’s a very generous offer. I’ll do my very best. So, are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She was just about to put ten years searching for Logan behind her. She knew this was either an ending, or a beginning. She vowed to be okay with it either way.
As soon as the door opened, Aimee saw the shriveled, scruffy figure of her brother. Like the way he’d looked at the doorway last night, his eyes were sunken in, with dark grey circles beneath them. His cheeks sagged, and his eyes were partially glazed over. She thought the doctor might have given him something to calm him down but wasn’t sure.
She sat across the table from him. “Logan? Do you remember me? I’m Aimee.”
“I don’t know you,” he said.
“Yes, you do. You came by my house last night. And you made me this.” She showed him the bracelet he’d left on her doorstep.
One hand came from under the table, his forefinger touching it, careful not to touch her skin.
“I wear it all the time and I think of you.”
He pulled his hand back under the table and angled away from her. “You shouldn’t. You should forget about me.”
“It’s not that easy, Logan. None of us every forgot you for one day. Every single day both mom and dad thought about you. They loved you so much. But you came back. You reached out, and now I’m here.”
“Nobody can fix me.”
“That’s probably true, Logan. I know I can’t. But I can love you. I know how to do that. I want to help you be able to feel it too, if it’s possible.”
He turned in his seat, scowling up at Dr. Denby, who was standing next to Aimee. “This your idea?”
“Sort of.” He shrugged. “Logan, you’re being held on a seventy-two-hour order. But I’m going to recommend you try a thirty day stay, and then decide if this is what you want or not. Because it has to be your decision. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been honest with Aimee when I told her that people who have done to themselves what you’ve done don’t usually clean up on their own. Even our stats sort of suck.”
“What’s the point?”
“Well, to start with, there might be some underlying medical condition that’s making your symptoms worse. I don’t know. And we never got started because you walked away before the treatment was finished. I’m going to ask for more of a commitment from you this time.”
“This must be your idea,” he said to Aimee, sneering.
Aimee could feel her patience eluding her. It had been one ugly night, and this morning with the call with Andy making it worse, she didn’t have the stomach for much more. She
didn’t hurt like she did before when she’d seen him. But she did care.
Maybe it was time to face reality.
“You know, Logan, you may not realize it, but you were loved. And Mom and Dad tried to get you help, but it was too much. It cost them almost everything they had at the time, not that money is everything. But you reached out to me and I’d like to know why? What made you do this?” She held up the bracelet.
“I’m not sure. I like to walk the beach sometimes. I’ve seen you running there. I saw the wedding, that day. I stole some booze and grabbed a sandwich.” He stopped, then finished with, “I wanted to do something human. Most days, I feel like an animal.”
The cold icy crust covering her body melted. “Thank you, Logan. It is the most valuable piece of jewelry I own. I shall cherish it forever.”
She let the tears run down her cheeks, let him see her and the hurt that was there. His eyes started to moisten, and then he looked away.
“If I never see you again, I just want to thank you also for this gift. For showing up again. For giving me the chance to tell you that I love you. I’ve gotten to know some people who never got that chance, some of them waiting for twenty years or more. Now, some might find that cruel. But I find it inspiring. Because they have hope, Logan. That’s something I want to help you find again, because you were the most positive person I knew growing up. My big brother.”
Dr. Denby inserted himself. “You’re being offered a miracle, Logan.”
“Some say life is a gift. Some say it’s a curse.”
“What do you think,” Dr. Denby asked him.
“I’ve been on both sides of that argument.” He looked down at Aimee’s bracelet again. “I’d like to think of it as a gift, but I’m not sure I can handle it all the time. Sometimes people are just too damned happy. I hate that.”
She saw the broken parts of his soul, the emptiness of his wandering.
“You’re being given a chance. Do you want to take it?” the doctor asked.
“I don’t like to make promises I can’t keep.”
“So, how’s that going for you, Logan?” he asked again.
Logan shrugged, briefly checking Aimee’s expression. “Sure, I like gifts. Miracles. Why not?”
The House At Sunset: SEALed At Sunset - The Beach Renovation (Sunset SEALs Book 5) Page 18