Operation: Endgame

by Christi Snow

  She gave him her own gorgeous smile and said, “Thanks Ricky.”

  As Ricky came back to the counter, he became much more hostile. “You need to leave before she really gets hurt. You’re no good for her. Let her real friends take care of her.” He whispered furiously with his eyes hard as granite and glittering with malice.

  “Wait just a goddamn minute. You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about or who you’re talking to, so you just need to pull it back right now. I understand you care about her, but I’m not going to let anything hurt her anymore.”

  If anything, Ricky bowed up even more and spoke very lowly and quietly through his clenched teeth. “And who is going to protect her from you?”

  Jake felt like he’d been physically hit with one simple little statement, because there was too much truth to that statement. The truth was he did have the capability of doing much more lasting damage to Cassie than anyone else and he needed to remember that the next time his dick started doing the thinking like it had this morning.

  Jake realized he’d been standing there simply staring at Ricky. “I plan to do everything in my power to keep Cassie from getting hurt in any capacity.” Ricky nodded tersely as Jake said, “I’ll take a large coffee.”

  When Jake joined Cassie in the chairs, she looked at him, concerned. “What was that little exchange about? I couldn’t hear what you two were saying, but you both seemed a little tense.”

  “It was nothing. Just another one of your admirers concerned about you.” Ricky continued to glare daggers at Jake when Cassie wasn’t looking as they finished their coffee. That got Jake thinking. Before he’d arrived, the stalker had tormented Cassie, but he hadn’t physically acted upon her. That hadn’t happened until Jake arrived. Had his arrival in town threatened this guy and his game somehow? Cassie was surrounded by ardent admirers, any one of which could be the one threatening her: Ricky, Derek, War, and he was sure there were more he hadn’t met yet. It was definitely a possibility to consider.

  They ordered pizza delivery that night. It had been a long day for both of them and neither felt like cooking. Jake had been extraordinarily quiet all evening and Cassie didn’t know exactly why, but she suspected it had something to do with his little discussion with Ricky.

  Jake informed Cassie about her new alarm system that was scheduled to be installed the next morning. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but agreed it was probably time.

  Jake was scowling into space, so Cassie decided to scale the wall he’d erected over the afternoon. “Jake, what’s wrong?”

  He looked over at her. She was so beautiful and she had such a look of concern in her eyes it literally hurt.

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  “Nothing, Cass. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “Jake, can I ask you something?”

  He gave a short nod.

  “Are you dating anyone right now? Involved? Anything like that?”

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  He should lie to her. He knew she felt their mutual attraction as much as he did, but he knew they couldn’t act on it… not again. She was his best friend. Chris had been his best friend. He couldn’t. If they got involved, in the end he’d hurt her and then he wouldn’t have her in his life at all. That simply wasn’t acceptable. He lived his life with risks every single day, but this was a risk he couldn’t take.

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  There was only one option he could see… a small white lie to protect her. She didn’t need to know that the last time he had sex had been May with her. So he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye, “Actually, yes. There’s someone I’ve been seeing. Her name’s Amy. I don’t know if it’s going to turn serious or not, but the possibility is definitely there.”

  “Oh, really?” Cassie looked shocked. She definitely hadn’t expected him to say that.

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  “Is she going to be here for any of the holidays?” She looked at him curiously.

  Jake shook his head. “No, we aren’t quite that serious yet.”

  “Have you even talked to her since you’ve been here? You really should call her Jake, or she just might forget about you for this month.” She gave him a playful grin.

  He should’ve thought this through better, but he could think quickly on his feet even if one of them was currently in a cast. “I actually talked to her this afternoon when I left you at the school, so no worries.”

  “Does she live in Arizona?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t want to expand on this anymore because he was more likely to get caught in the lie. “Listen it’s been a long day. I think I’m going to head to bed and read for a bit. Are you okay if I turn in for the night?”

  “Sure. No problem. Can you just,” She turned her back towards him, “unhook my bra strap for me? You should be able to just reach up under my shirt and undo it. This is your area of expertise, right?” She grinned at him, “Besides we don’t want to do anything Amy may not like.”

  “Sure.” He tried to ignore the heat of her body as he reached up under her shirt. He felt the soft shudder which went through her body as he lightly grazed her back. He quickly undid the bra and then rushed down the hall with a quick, “Goodnight, Cass.” It was for the best. They could go back to just being friends.

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  And who is going to protect her from you?

  He just had to remember why it was so important he lie to her. She deserved someone better than him.

  Chapter 27

  The scream awoke him and he was out of bed before he even knew where he was. Jake looked around trying to get his bearings then he heard Cassie scream again. He grabbed the Glock off the nightstand, flipped the safety, and moved down the hall as quickly as he could with a single crutch scrambling on his cast towards Cassie’s room. Jake charged into the room with the gun drawn, but there was no one in the room besides Cassie who was sobbing and thrashing around in her bed. Damn, she was still having nightmares.

  Quickly Jake set the gun on the nightstand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and gently tried to awaken Cassie. “Cass, it’s just a dream. Wake up, darling.”

  Cassie came awake with a gasp and she started sobbing in earnest. Jake pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable.

  She was gasping and hyperventilating as she tried to talk to him. “It’s Chris…” sob, “Why…” sob, “If he’s really gone…” sob, “Why do I keep seeing him?” Cassie raised her tear soaked eyes to him and she broke his heart. She whispered so quietly he could barely hear her. “They’re torturing him. He’s hurting and all I can do is watch helplessly,” sob, “in my dreams. Over and over. Why?”

  Jake felt a chill roll down his spine as he thought about what she was saying. Not only was she still grieving for Chris, but she was suffering her own version of torture, every single time she had one of these nightmares where she watched him getting hurt. “Cass, how often are you having these nightmares?”

  The tears continued to roll down her face as she looked up at him. The heartbreak in her eyes shredded his soul. “I don’t know. It comes and goes, but usually at least once a week.”

  “I know you went to a therapist for a while. Did it help at all?”

  Cassie gave a bitter laugh. “No, he just patted my hand, told me it was part of the grieving process, and gave me sleeping pills which would make me so groggy I couldn’t climb out of the dreams.” She started crying again and started whispering. “They’re so real. He’s so real. I can feel him.” She looked at Jake like she was trying to convince him Chris was alive. “He thinks about us. He wants us to find him, but he’s losing hope. Aw, God, I just can’t believe he’s gone when I can feel his pain and his hopelessness. Jake, he isn’t dead. He isn’t, I swear to you. I can feel him and they’re hurting him.�
�� She had such earnestness in her voice as it shook with the overwhelming emotions she was feeling. She started to quietly sob again and Jake felt helpless in the face of her belief and grief.

  “Okay, Cass, you have to calm down. Let’s talk this through.” Suddenly he realized he was sitting on her bed holding her while they were both half naked. It was a bad situation waiting to happen…again. He looked down at her, “I know it’s the middle of the night, but neither one of us is going back to sleep anytime soon. Let me put some pants on, you put on your robe, and let’s go into the living room to talk about this.”

  ***

  Jake looked up from the kitchen where he was heating water for cocoa when Cassie walked into the room. She’d put on a thick fluffy robe over her pajamas. It was obvious she’d been crying, but she seemed to have pulled herself together. Jake looked into her eyes and knew it wouldn’t take much for her to shatter into pieces. She was on the edge. “Would you like some hot cocoa?”

  She spoke softly, “Yes that sounds good.” Cassie sat down in one of the barstools, rested her chin on her hands, and watched his movements as he prepared their cocoa. Even with a t-shirt on, she could see the muscles flex as he moved around the kitchen. She needed to keep reminding herself he was taken. Cassie would not poach on someone else’s man, not even if it was Jake.

  Jake passed the full coffee mugs across to Cassie and nodded towards the living room. “Let’s move in there so we’re more comfortable.” Cassie followed him, sat his mug down on the end table, and turned on the Christmas lights. She needed the soothing ambiance they provided to help give her some semblance of calm. Talking about her dreams about Chris was not going to be easy.

  Jake sat down on the couch so Cassie curled up in one of the club chairs and drew her knees up into her lap. She sipped at the hot cocoa.

  “Are you okay?” At her jerky nod, he continued. “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, but I think it’ll help if you do.”

  “I know. Maybe it’ll help since you knew Chris too.” Cassie took a deep breath. “The dreams started before you even showed up in May. I would see Chris and he was hurt and being tortured.”

  “Wait, you were dreaming about Chris before you knew about his accident?”

  Cassie nodded. “You know how we’ve always been, Jake. We could always tell when the other was hurt or in trouble. That day you came for the notification, I’d just told Julie and Penelope I dreamt about Chris and I felt like something had gone wrong with his mission.”

  She took a deep breath. “After you came, I didn’t have another dream until that night when you were here after the funeral.” Jake clenched his jaw, but he didn’t make any other reaction to the mention of that night. “For a few months, I had the dreams almost every night, or every other night. Now they come about once a week.”

  There was more. Jake could tell Cassie wasn’t revealing everything, so he pushed. “Are the dreams always the same? What’s happening in them?”

  “It changes. At first, they were full of pain. Chris was constantly being tortured. Sometimes I see the dreams through his eyes and his body and can feel what they’re doing.” Cassie shuddered and hugged herself. “At other times it’s like there is a camera in the room and I simply observe what’s happening.”

  Jake furrowed his brow as he thought about what she was saying. “You say they’ve changed over time,” Cassie nodded. “How’re they changing?”

  “The torture doesn’t come as often, although it seems as if Chris is in constant pain. I can feel his emotions. At first he was so angry and defiant, but now he’s giving up. I can feel his energy and his soul flagging.”

  Jake didn’t like the way she was referring to Chris as if these dreams were real and Chris was still alive. This couldn’t be healthy for her emotional stability to stay in denial this long, but unless he could figure out a way to eradicate the dreams, he couldn’t see how she would ever sever this connection of denial.

  Cassie continued on, “He’s giving up and the men holding him are getting impatient.”

  “Tell me about them. What’re they like? Can you see the room where they are holding him?”

  “The room depends on whether it’s his cell or if they’re torturing him. They’re all speaking Spanish. His cell seems to be an underground room. It’s very small, dirt walls and floor. The only light comes through the cell door which is simply an iron bar door. It’s very damp, warm, and muggy and the floor slopes up to the door. The room’s no bigger than 6’x6’ and the ceiling is very low.”

  She took a deep breath. “The torture room seems to be in an actual building. It appears to be made from some sort of cinderblock. There’s very little to the room. They strap Chris down to a chair which has anchors in the floor around it so they can chain him. There’s a fireplace and above it is a symbol. There are three men who’re there regularly and then a fourth that’s only there sometimes. The fourth seems to be the leader of the group, but he always has his face hidden so I can never see him.”

  “Cass, you know the dreams aren’t real, right?” She gave a short nod, but her eyes were pleading with him to give her something more to go on than his word. She did have a connection to Chris through the twin thing they had going, which was obviously where her dreams came from, but he didn’t know about telling her more. If he told her the circumstances of how Chris died, which were highly classified, would it help or just make the nightmares that much more real in her mind? “Cass, how much do you know about the circumstances around Chris’ death?”

  Her eyes looked haunted. “Not much. They wouldn’t tell me anything. They kept saying it was all classified.” She looked at him questioningly. “You know more, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but if I tell you this, you cannot tell a single other soul.” She nodded, but he continued with his warning. “I mean it Cassie. Everything about this is highly classified. Top Secret security clearance only. If I tell you, and it gets out I told you, I could go to jail.”

  “I promise, I won’t tell a soul.” But now Cassie was beginning to wonder if she really wanted to know all the facts around Chris’ death. Would it help or hurt more to know how her twin had lived his last few hours? But she needed to know the truth for Chris. She needed to be able to put him to rest properly in her mind. He wouldn’t want her living like this where her imagination relived his supposed torture every night. That’s not what he would want to leave her with. He would want her to remember the fun times they had together instead.

  Jake had been waiting and watching her. When she gave another nod, he continued on, “Chris was flying in Columbia doing air support for some Ranger activity in the area having to do with the drug cartels. It’s hard to know what exactly happened, but somehow some of the guerillas in the area managed to hit his jet, we think it was with a rocket propelled grenade, and he crashed. We had communications with him after he crash landed…”

  Cassie interrupted, “Wait, you were there?”

  “Yes, we were working in the same theater. At the time, I wasn’t working the communications system so I didn’t realize the downed jet was Chris.” Jake sat up straighter and clenched his jaw. “He was alive after he crashed, hurt, but alive, so the PJ’s were sent in to recover him. It was my team, but by the time we geared up to deploy, fog had moved into the area where he was located and we couldn’t go in. His communications dropped off two hours after he crashed, but it was a total of eighteen hours before the team could get in there to him. By that point, the drug cartel had already had their fun with him and left us his body as a gift.” He lifted his eyes to hers and the pain within them was chilling. “They had tortured him to the point where there was nothing left to identify. His teeth were gone and they’d burned the body. They finally identified him from his uniform which had been left at his feet. They used the DNA from it to make his id.” Jake reached over and took hold of her ice-cold hands. “I think your dreams are probably a connection from your link to him. They have to be the remn
ants of your connection and the torture you felt through that connection. Your psyche is just interpreting those and molds the dreams to give you some hope, when I promise you Cassie, there isn’t any. Chris is most definitely dead. I saw him. I was there. You need to accept that so the dreams will stop.”

  “You think I don’t realize that?” Cassie’s eyes flashed in anger and frustration at the same time they started to fill with tears again. “It’s my subconscious. I have no control over how my brain works. Believe me, I’ve tried to change it, but the nightmares just keep on.” She continued on using a voice which was so hoarse with emotion it was almost a whisper, “and they’re just so real. He feels so real. My soul won’t let him go, no matter what my mind says.”

  One tear dropped over her eyelash and tracked down her cheek and Jake couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled her over to where he was sitting on the couch and tucked her into his chest and enveloped her in his arms. “We’re going to get you through this, Cass.” He kissed her lightly on top of her head. “Together, we can get through anything.”

  Jake held her close on the couch until she finally relaxed and fell back asleep. As he sat there, he thought about what Cassie had said. She was focused too much on how Chris died and he needed to refocus her on the happy times they had with Chris. He also needed to get this stalker issue taken care of. There was no doubt in his mind the stress from the stalker situation factored a lot into the stress leading to Cassie’s nightmares.

  Chapter 28

  After their restless night, Jake and Cassie were late heading over to the campus on Wednesday morning. Today, that was okay. The schedule for the day was different because it was time for finals. Cassie didn’t need to be into her office until about an hour and a half later than normal. They were both feeling bleary-eyed so they made a quick run by The Mocha Mermaid on the way over. Ricky was there, but didn’t seem in the mood to mess with them. He gave Cassie a quick smile, Jake a ferocious frown, but didn’t say much besides the normal morning niceties which were required from their coffee server.