by Rhavensfyre
***
“What the hell, Samuel, are you trying to get shot?” Ransom growled, her upper lip twitching from holding back a smirk. She wasn't really upset. She just couldn’t resist, especially since the great and powerful Samuel Johnson still looked green around the gills. He really should have told her he was coming, especially in a car she wouldn't recognize.
“No, Dear. I’m sorry. It was kind of an emergency.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“Something you’re already familiar with. A woman with a stalker. It’s been escalating, enough that I don’t feel it’s safe for her to stay in the city. I couldn’t think of any place better than the farm.”
Of course not, because you knew I wouldn’t come to you. Now she was angry. “I don’t like having my hand forced, Samuel.”
“Please, just look at these first before you say no. Tell me I’m overreacting and I’ll turn right back around and go home.” Samuel handed her the envelope.
“Huh.” Ransom thumbed through the photos. Her curiosity continued to climb as he continued to explain, her piqued interest competing directly with her intense need for privacy. “What about the police?”
“The police can’t really do anything without physical contact and we have no idea who this person is.”
“How closely do these photos match her daily routine?”
“Very. The last two showed up yesterday morning, only hours after they were taken, but that’s not the worst of it.” Samuel glanced over at the car, making sure Victoria was still in the passenger seat before continuing. “When I showed up this morning to pick her up, I found this on the front porch.” He turned his body so no one but Ransom could see what he pulled out of his pocket.
“She didn’t see this?” Ransom’s expression sharpened.
“No, I didn’t want to make the drive down any more uncomfortable than it already was.”
She took the rose Samuel was hiding from his passenger and examined it. A single rose so darkly colored it appeared black, the velveteen petals still fresh and not a single blemish anywhere. That wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about the gift. Whoever left it had paid special attention to the thorns. They hadn’t removed them like lovers often do. They had painstakingly painted the tip of each one with bright red fingernail polish. A half-dozen pricked thorns.
“Christ, Samuel…I can’t believe no one’s been able to trace this guy.”
“You know how it is.” Samuel shrugged.
She’d been there before. There was no such thing as pro-active justice. Give the police a bruised and battered body and they were on it in a flash. Trying to keep someone from getting bruised and battered fell under the auspices of potential danger, intangible and full of what if’s and when’s…not a priority for an overworked and underfunded department struggling to keep up with the ever expanding violence modern society offered.
“Too well.” Ransom shuddered delicately. “I take it since you came all the way out here, you want me to watch over her.”
“Yes. Just until we can catch this guy,” Samuel said. “There’s only one problem.”
“Oh?” she asked, going on point instantly. Samuel looked guilty about something. He never looked guilty about anything unless he was pulling a swift one, which meant he was about to hand her free tickets to a major shit show and try to convince her it was a chocolate tasting convention.
“Yeah. As in, she doesn’t want to be here. She’s stubborn as hell and she’s not exactly happy with me right now. If I hadn’t found these photos, she’d still be ignoring this guy, coming in to work like nothing was happening, putting herself and her clients at risk.”
Ransom stilled. He was leaving something out, something important that he was trying to avoid telling her. “Coming in to work? Samuel, who is this woman?”
Samuel hesitated before answering. “Uh, her name is Victoria Carrillo. She’s a good friend of mine.”
“And?” Ransom wasn’t about to let him off that easy. He had more to say.
“And, she’s a fellow counselor of mine.”
Ransom exploded. “Fuck it all, Sam! Now I know why you came here like this. No phone call, no warning…”
“It’s not like that. I promise. Victoria is a friend, she’s in danger and I need someone I can trust to keep her safe. I haven’t asked you for anything since you came back, but I am asking it now.”
“Really, you’re going to hold me to this because you gave me a place to stay? That’s not like you, Samuel.”
Samuel scratched his beard, a nervous habit he had picked up years ago to stall when he didn’t know what to say. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Ransom fumed.
“Please, it’s just until we can figure out who this creep is.” He reached out to touch her arm, just for reassurance, then remembered she didn’t like to be touched. Not since she came back.
“Fine, I’ll watch her. But I mean it, if this is some ploy of yours to bring in some freaking babysitter to watch over me!” The rest of the threat lay between them, unspoken. She would do it for him, but she wasn't happy.
“Understood. Thank you.” Samuel exhaled, relieved that the worst was over. She would do this, for him…and that meant a lot. Just then, the car door slammed behind them. Ransom jumped, spinning towards the noise as neatly as a ballet dancer. Her left hand slipped behind her back, then dropped just as quickly, but not before he got a glimpse of flat black.
Damn, she’s fast, Samuel thought, recognizing the awkward bulge of a concealed handgun tucked into the small of her back. And still wound way too tight. Am I making a mistake, asking her to do this? I wish she’d accept my help. She still needs counseling no matter how much she denies it. Or at least someone to talk to.
***
Victoria was getting tired of waiting. It was getting stuffy in the car and she hated not knowing what those two were saying. At one point they had both turned and looked at her, then turned away again. The sensation of losing more control of her life grew with every passing minute.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, resting her fingers on the door handle. She had half a mind to just step out and introduce herself. After all, they were talking about her, shouldn’t she be a part of the conversation?
Then the woman, what was her name? Lynn? Threw her hands up and stalked away before turning back on Samuel. She was livid, Victoria could tell by the way she stood, and she was yelling at him.
“…freaking babysitter…!”
That was it, just two words made it to her ears, but it was enough to make her decision for her. She jumped out of the passenger seat and slammed the door behind her.
“Listen here, I don’t need to be babysat by anyone!” Victoria spat her words out. It didn't help her anger that the woman, her eyes hidden in shadow by the brim of her hat, stood silently by as she continued her tirade. When she finished, the woman smiled, no smirked, at her with lips that twitched against held back laughter.
She stepped forward and held out her hand politely, pulling off her cap with a flourish. “It's nice to meet you, Victoria. I’m…”
“Ransom?” Until she took off the hat, Victoria hadn’t recognized her but now? Same sandy-blonde hair, a little lighter now and much longer than the short military cut she remembered, but that smile? The last time she had seen that smile was over three years ago, and it was still as fresh in her mind today as it was the day they met.
“What?” Ransom physically stepped back and Samuel was quick to fill the space between them. Too quick.
“Victoria, this is Lynn, the one I told you about.” Keeping one eye on Ransom, he frantically searched his memories. Did he slip up and mention Ransom’s name at some point? He couldn’t remember.
“Dammit, Samuel…that’s not part of the agreement and you know it. Why did you give her my real name? Because she’s a colleague?”
“No, I didn’t, you’ve got to believe me.�
�
Stunned and more than a little confused, Victoria stood speechless while they argued. It was Ransom, the woman had confirmed it herself…so why was she acting like she didn’t know her?
Ransom hopped back on her ATV. “Somehow I’m not quite believing that, Samuel, but we made an agreement.” She kicked the ATV alive and cast an angry glance in Victoria’s direction. “I’ll see you up at the house, but don’t worry. I can assure you that I am not YOUR babysitter.”
***
Where the hell is she? She should have been back home by now.
I will wait for a little longer.
Chapter Five
“What just happened?” Victoria asked, still shaken after seeing Ransom.
“I was just going to ask you that same question. I know I didn’t tell you her name.” Samuel opened the passenger door and gestured for her to get in. If he knew Ransom, she’d be waiting for them at the main house. Taking their time would give her a cooling off period.
“Why would that matter?”
“Ah. That’s a long story. I’m more interested in how you know Ransom by name.”
“You first, Samuel.”
“Okay.” Samuel started the rental car and turned on the A/C before turning to face Victoria. “You know I take special cases at times, people who might otherwise get lost in the cracks?”
“Yes. It’s how we met.”
“Then you know that some of the cases I take are not pretty, especially ones involving DSS or the justice system. It’s not unusual for a soon to be ex-spouse to go a smidge too far when it comes to keeping their family. Sometimes a heavy hand turns homicidal when they lose control of their tiny little world. That’s where Lynn…ah, Ransom came in handy. She made sure at risk clients were safe so they could make it to court without getting the snot beat out of them, or worse, disappearing altogether. As a female, she was safe, unassuming in appearance but utterly effective if it came to hands on protection.” Samuel’s smile held a touch of sadness. “I could never fathom how some people think a wedding ring gives you the right to do anything you want to someone else. But as to the name? Ransom is unusual enough to be remembered. It was safer for everyone involved if she wasn’t noticed so she made it a rule to only use her middle name.”
“Everything makes a lot more sense to me now. The rental car, the whole secret agent man act, no wonder you seem like an old pro at this.”
“Pretty much.” Samuel shrugged. It was his way to give back to the community, and it made him feel good doing it. “Hey, what can I say? Maybe if I had been blessed with 20/20 vision I’d be one of those secret agents instead of a lonely counselor.”
“Samuel! You’re selling yourself short.” Victoria chuckled and slapped his shoulder. It felt good to laugh, even if it was at her friend and not with him. “I’m still not happy that you made me leave my cell and computer behind.”
“IP addresses can be hacked; phones can be traced. Either can lead the stalker straight to you.” He had rented a car, left his own vehicle in a rental lot and bought Victoria a pre-paid cell phone with cash, and then insisted on driving her to the farm. It was the best he could do to prevent someone from following him or tracing Victoria’s location. “I think that’s enough for now. It’s your turn to share. How do you know Ransom?”
“I met her three years ago.” Victoria leaned back in her seat and stared up at the car’s ceiling. She didn’t want to go into the details of how she met Ransom, not with Samuel. It was too personal and special—even after all these years.
“She must have made some impact,” he said.
“You could say that. It was right before I joined you at your practice, after that last case,” Victoria admitted. The case that convinced me that I needed to step back and do something else with my life.
Samuel did the math in his head. Ransom’s reserve unit had been activated about that time. He wouldn’t see her for over a year after that, and when he found her again…she wasn’t the same woman he used to know. “That must have been right before she left. I take it something happened between you two?”
Victoria nodded. The minute she closed her eyes she saw Ransom. Not the hard woman looking at her with the eyes of a stranger she met today, but the intense, vibrant woman wanting to taste everything life had to offer before being shipped off the next day for God knew where. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable talking about this with you.”
“I won’t ask for details.” Samuel scratched at his beard, thinking. “But this could be a good thing.”
“How? She doesn’t look particularly happy that you brought me here.” Victoria kept her eyes on the driveway in front of them. Ransom was up there, somewhere, waiting for them to show up and she was sitting here, nursing hurt feelings. The woman acted like she didn’t know me, what’s up with that? I thought there was something there, and even if there wasn’t…that weekend was pretty memorable. At least to me.
Samuel chuckled. “Very astute observation, counselor. She’s not. I have to assume she didn’t know what you did for a living, uh…before, and now? She doesn’t trust people like us.”
“Like us?”
“Yes, you know. Shrinks...counselor’s, to her they are all the same. Trying to fix something she won’t admit might be broken. She thinks I brought you out here to ‘babysit’ her. That’s what you heard earlier.”
“Why would she need babysitting?”
“She doesn’t.” Samuel rubbed his forehead. Technically, Ransom wasn’t a client. He wouldn’t be violating any rules about privileged information, but he doubted Ransom would appreciate the hair splitting. “Maybe this was a mistake. I didn’t expect her to react this way to meeting you. Maybe she’s right and subconsciously I thought it would be good for her if I sent you her way. Two birds with one stone and all that.” Samuel scrubbed his face, trying to wipe away the worry lines creasing his forehead. “She does need someone to talk to about what happened to her while she was deployed. Maybe I’m too close to her. I can’t help her. I can’t stay impartial.”
Samuel took a deep breath and exhaled. “Put your seatbelt on, Victoria. I made a mistake. We’ll have to find another way.”
He was about to shift the car into reverse and back up when Victoria stopped him. He looked down at her hand, covering his on the shifter, then up at her face.
“No, we’ve come this far. I’m not sure you're entirely right about what’s going on but I can say one thing, you’re not entirely wrong.” She had never seen Samuel this upset before. It was pretty clear that Ransom meant more to him than just an employee. He cared about her, deeply. “You said something happened to her while she was deployed? Do you know what it was?”
“No. She won’t talk about it. All I know is she came back with some pretty extensive injuries. By the time I found her, those were pretty much healed, but that’s not what I was concerned about. She couldn’t sleep, had horrible nightmares almost every night, classic PTSD. I suggested coming out here to get away from the noise, to try and give her a break from the city. I thought that without all the overstimulation, she would be able to relax, and honestly, I was worried about something happening to her. I figured when she was ready, I’d be there for her. I didn’t expect a couple of months to turn into a couple of years. She’s become quite the recluse.”
Victoria listened quietly, adding her own knowledge to what Samuel was telling her. She was in the rare position of glimpsing a before and after snapshot of what war can do to a human being. So was Samuel. No wonder it bothered him so horribly. No one wants to watch a friend fall apart, not when you know there is something terribly wrong and not if you can help them.
“You do know if I agree to stay, we will be doing exactly what she accused you of trying to do? Babysitting the babysitter. She might not appreciate that too much if she finds out,” Victoria spoke gently. She had to make sure Samuel knew just how much was at stake here.
“You don’t have to be the babysitter. Just let her protect you.” He didn�
�t need Victoria to play counselor to have an effect on Ransom. He knew Victoria pretty well, and it wouldn’t take her long to get bored out here in such an isolated place. If anyone could convince Ransom to leave the farm for more than an hour every week, it would be her. The two women matched each other well, both were tenacious and more than a little stubborn.
“Oh, Samuel. I wish I could. But, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Victoria bit her lip against the unexpected pain in her heart. She looked away, knowing that she couldn’t hide what she was feeling from him. He would see it in her eyes. “Because, Samuel. I spent an entire weekend with that woman, and yes, it was years ago, but...”
“But?” Samuel asked, automatically responding just like he was supposed to. Repeat, encourage and wait for the person to keep talking.
Victoria almost laughed. She would have done much the same if the tables were turned. “You didn’t fail Ransom. You gave her a safe place to hide away while she healed, and that’s a good thing. You recognized that she was having problems, and you stayed close enough for her to know she was loved, but you gave her enough space that she didn’t feel the need to run away. I don’t know what strange fate brought us together all those years ago, only to meet again now…all I know is that the woman up there? She looked directly at me and there wasn’t a single ounce of recognition on her face. I thought it was all an act, but now I’m not too sure.”
“Tell me what you want to do.”
“Take me up to the house, and we’ll see how this play’s out,” Victoria said, ignoring the little voice in her head telling her this was a bad idea.