by Dale Mayer
As he lay here, he realized he was a fool. The damn thing was chafing his stump, and he really would like to get it off. He waited another few minutes to make sure she was sleeping, then he sat up, pulled off his T-shirt, slipped off his jeans—leaving himself in boxers—and unclipped the prosthesis, dropping it all to the floor. With a quick flick, he had the blankets over him, then he stretched out under the covers.
Much better. With a smile on his face he fell into an easy sleep.
Chapter 7
She woke alone but with a sense of security she hadn’t had in a hell of a long time. She turned on her back in the big bed, her hand falling on the warm spot where Stone had lain. She wondered if he’d ever gotten comfortable enough to take off the prosthesis.
She got up, made her side of the bed, and crept to the doorway. Given that she’d spent the night in his room, she didn’t want him to be teased by the others or to have anyone get the wrong idea, so she wanted to return to her room without anybody seeing her.
Listening from inside his room, she couldn’t hear anyone yet. She opened the door, saw the hallway was empty, and quickly made her way to her room. She went straight to the drawers where Charles had said there would be clothing for her. She could definitely use something clean to wear.
She found jeans, some kind of a yoga-looking pants, T-shirts with long sleeves … In fact, a whole collection of clothing was here. But nothing in the way of underclothes. Still, probably for the best. She wasn’t sure how she felt about wearing somebody else’s underwear. She picked a pair of pants and went with a T-shirt that should fit and dressed quickly. Given that she was in London, and, from the window, it was rainy, she found a cardigan that she quickly put on over her T-shirt. She was still adapting to the temperatures.
Although she’d finally slept, she knew she would need a lot more rest. She didn’t know what today would bring, and she wanted to be prepared.
She made her way downstairs into the kitchen. The group of men were already seated, enjoying breakfast, including Stone. He patted the seat beside him, and, with a smile, she sat down.
“I’m not sure we should meet again here. Seems like just a few hours.” Several people stopped and looked up at her. She winced. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Charles was kind enough to feed me last night.”
“Good for Charles,” Levi said. “I know most of the men had something to eat before sleeping.” He waved at the tableful of food. “Help yourself. Charles is manning the stove. I believe bacon and eggs are coming, if you want some.”
And, boy, did she. It might only have been a few hours, but she was starving again. How the hell did that happen?
By the time breakfast was over, she felt comfortable with the group once more. “What’s on tap for today?”
“Waiting on the luggage. And then flying home.”
“Yay,” she said with a smile.
Levi’s phone rang, which he answered right away. “What?” His gaze immediately zipped toward Lissa. “Right. We’ll bring her in the next couple hours. What about the other luggage?”
She looked around the table quickly and realized Kevin and Susan weren’t here. She turned to look at Stone and asked in a very low voice, “Are Susan and Kevin okay?”
He shook his head. “Susan was taken to the hospital this morning. Kevin’s with her.”
She was stunned at what she’d already missed. She reached for his wrist, twisted it so she could see the time. It was nine o’clock. “Good Lord, when was that?”
“They were gone by six-thirty this morning,” he said calmly. “Nothing you could do. She’s getting the best care possible. And, yes, you can see them later if the hospital allows.”
Levi got off the phone just then and turned to Lissa. “What was in your luggage?”
At the hard tone in his voice, her mouth dropped open. “Just the basics. A couple pairs of pants and shirts, and a hoodie.” She raised her hands in an “I don’t know” motion, adding, “Toiletries, shampoo, a little bit of makeup, deodorant, and a book. I had an iPod but my cell phone is here with me.” She fished it from her pocket and put it on the table. “I don’t even know why I keep it. It doesn’t work.”
Stone immediately picked it up and popped out the battery, checking it. He put it back together and played with its buttons.
“It turns on but won’t send or receive, and I can’t call out. I should grab my contacts off there before I can’t get them any longer. I just need a pen and paper.” She watched him for a moment, then shrugged, turning her gaze to Levi. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to return to customs. Something suspicious has been found in your luggage. They also want to see anything that you had on you when you came through.”
She raised her eyes and froze. “Well, my dirty clothes are still upstairs.”
Ice spoke up quietly. “I’m sure it’s nothing. We’ll head down, clear things up, and carry on. We all need our luggage, but yours came in separately from the refugee camp. Or did you have a bag at the rebel compound where you were held?”
She shrugged. “Two bags were snatched up with us. One of Susan’s and also a bag with first aid kits. But I lost track of both almost immediately. It was all very confusing. I never saw the same person twice, no matter the luggage.”
“I have to ask before this gets any further,” Levi said in a hard voice. “And you need to tell me right now if you were carrying anything that you shouldn’t have been.”
She stared at him in surprise and asked cautiously, “Like what?”
“Well, drugs for one.”
She sat back, stunned. “I don’t do drugs.”
“Anything else? Money, weapons?”
“No!” she said in shock. “Nothing like that. I was there to give humanitarian aid, not to run drugs.” She shook her head. “It’s not like drugs were there anyway. It’s not something anyone could get locally. I never saw anything in the clinics where I was working.”
Ice asked, “I know this stuff isn’t easy to consider, but what about Kevin and Susan?”
Instantly Lissa shook her head. “Oh, no. I never saw them doing anything like that.”
Levi straightened from the table and said, “We’ll have to deal with this. Not all of us though. Lissa, you and Stone are coming with us, and we’ll bring Harrison too. Ice will stay here and await the arrival of the other luggage as well as keep the lines of communication open.”
To Lissa that all sounded normal. But the hard glance Levi shot Ice and the blank look on her face said something else entirely.
*
What the hell? Something was going on. Yet, if he could get the others alone, he might be able to find out. But as long as she was beside him, they weren’t saying anything. He couldn’t blame them if their suspicions fell on her shoulders right now. They had put their necks out to rescue her, but if she was doing something illegal, that could get them all in a shitload of trouble.
He couldn’t see it. But he’d been wrong before.
They walked out to the vehicle waiting for them. It wasn’t a cab, but the driver obviously was expecting them. In the backseat Stone watched as Lissa nervously clenched her fingers together.
In a low voice she said to him, “I swear I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He studied the look on her face and what he knew of the tone in her voice. Words might lie, but body language really didn’t. It took a consummate professional to pull that off. And he believed her. He reached over and patted her knee gently. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t you worry.”
She gave a strangled laugh. “How am I not supposed to? They found something in my backpack. Like, what the hell, Stone? Anybody could have put something in my bag. It wasn’t even in my possession for the last however long.”
“And that’s exactly what we’ll tell them,” Levi said. At least he was no longer the cold stranger she’d seen earlier. Now he looked ready to listen to her.
“Will they believe me?” she as
ked in a small voice.
“We can vouch for the time you were with us,” Levi said with certainty. “And like you said, your bag was not with you for many days. So that will add up to someone else being involved.”
“Any chance my passport will be there?”
“No, but we’ve taken care of that. As soon as we knew where you were, arrangements were made to get you home safely. It would be easier if you had it now, but it’s not the end of the world that you don’t.”
Stone settled back. The traffic was rough outside. He was glad he wasn’t driving. If he was forced to navigate these congested streets, he’d like to drive a Hummer. At least then everyone would get the hell out of his way. Instead, the cars were cutting off their driver on a consistent basis.
As he stared out the window, wondering what the hell customs had found in her bags, a small hand worked its way under his palm. He looked at her. She stared out the window, chewing on her bottom lip. Instantly he wrapped her hand in his and gently stroked his thumb across the top, noting how smooth her skin was, how very feminine. His was more of a meat fest. He could crush the bones in her fingers without even thinking about it. “It’ll be okay.”
When he squeezed her fingers, she squeezed back, never saying a word. She seemed to relax a little bit though.
Once there, they made their way to the customs office. They were met by somebody Levi knew. And then Stone realized Charles was here too. Stone hadn’t seen Charles leave the house. Stone frowned and asked Levi, “How the hell did Charles get here?”
“He left ahead of us, heading to the hospital. I called him as soon as we knew there was a problem. He used to work for MI6.”
“Well, that’s good. Maybe.”
They stood and waited until they were led into another room. The four of them sat down in a chair and waited some more. Only Lissa fidgeted, and Stone couldn’t blame her.
Finally the door opened, and a man walked in with a file folder. He sat down at the table opposite them, opened the file, and spread out pictures. It appeared to be photos of clothing, personal effects, and a bag. Lissa leaned forward and said, “That’s my bag.”
And that started the volley of questions. When had she last seen her bag? Where had she? Did she know who had had contact with it? The questions just went on and on and on.
Finally she threw up her hands and said, “I don’t know what else I can tell you. I saw the two bags right after being kidnapped. I thought one was Susan’s, but I can’t be sure. I never saw it again. As for mine, they were in my quarters in the refugee camp, as far as I know. Again, I was kidnapped and have no idea what happened to anything with us or what was left behind.” She shrugged and said, “Honestly I thought I’d never see any of my belongings again. Everything was replaceable.”
After that followed a series of questions about her father, family life, business interests, political leanings, and even her religion. With every question she got quieter and quieter.
Stone sympathized, but there was no point in showing that right now. They’d been responsible for entering a foreign country and plucking her from it. This needed to be cleared up right now.
A knock sounded on the door, and without waiting for the okay to enter, the door opened to admit Charles. He came in and handed Levi a stack of documents. “These are her passport and visas—all her documentation.” He glanced at Lissa, appearing to note the pallor in her face. “Lissa, I’m afraid that anything in your bag is now forfeit.”
“I don’t care,” she said tiredly. “I don’t know what you guys found in my stuff, but I can guarantee you I didn’t put any contraband in there.”
Abruptly the man on the other side of the table who had been asking so many questions stood and said, “You’re all free to go.”
Stone wanted to laugh at the sudden sag in her shoulders as she understood that she was no longer being held. He stood and motioned for her to get up. They stepped from the room.
Charles, now with them, said, “I suggest we take her somewhere so she can grab some clothing and see if we can get you all on the same flight this afternoon.”
“I don’t really care about new clothing. Please, can I just go home?”
Stone reached up and rubbed her shoulder. “Soon. Very soon.”
But he doubted it would be soon enough to suit her.
Chapter 8
For some reason she hadn’t expected they would be flying commercial, although she wasn’t sure what other options there were. The large group was spread out up and down the rows of seats. She’d been afraid she would get stuck beside one of the other men, but she felt luck was on her side that she was sitting beside Stone. As she glanced at his bland face, she thought maybe that had nothing to do with it.
As the plane taxied down the runway, she leaned over and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
From the twinkle she saw in his eye, she knew he understood what she was thanking him for.
He really was a nice man. She also knew she wouldn’t be completely relaxed until they cleared customs in the States, and she was free and clear.
They’d opted not to go shopping in London, so she was still wearing the clothes Charles generously donated to the cause. She made a mental note to send him something nice as a thank you when she got home.
Not exactly how she thought her first trip to London would go. But after that customs visit, she was a whole lot less inclined to return.
She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It would be a long flight home.
Although it was, it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She copied her contact list off her phone onto a napkin. Then it didn’t matter if she couldn’t use this phone; she could still contact her friends when she got a replacement. With the flight attendants coming up and down the aisle with coffee, drinks, and snacks, along with Stone beside her the whole way, the trip was actually fairly fast. They landed in New York, and just like that, they cleared customs.
When she finally stood on the other side of customs, she beamed with joy. “Wow, that went a lot better than I thought it would.”
“Not everything is full of those bumps in life,” Ice said. “Sometimes things actually go smoothly.”
It hadn’t occurred to Lissa to ask what they were doing after getting her here. She turned to study Stone and felt her heart jerk. “Am I saying good-bye to you guys here?”
“Three of the unit will be heading back to base,” Levi said. “Four of us are taking you home.”
“And whose home would that be? My home or my parents’?”
Everyone stopped. Levi said in a conversational tone that ended with a question, “Your father said you lived at his home. In Colorado.”
“Of course he did. Whereas I actually have a townhouse in the suburbs of Houston, Texas.”
Silence.
“In that case,” Levi said slowly, “I’m hoping we can get your cooperation to visit your parents so we can complete this, and then we’ll see about getting you to Texas.”
“Are the tickets already booked for Colorado?”
“Yes. Like I said, for the four of us. The rest of the crew is going home.”
“And where’s home for the rest of you?” she asked curiously. And as hard as she tried not to, her gaze drifted toward Stone.
His lips quirked. “Texas.”
She beamed. “Perfect. So can I go home with you guys, please?” she asked in a pleading tone. “I don’t want to stay at my parents’ place any longer than I have to. I can pay you back the ticket price.”
At that, Levi nodded. “We can change yours so you travel with us all the way there.” He smiled. “Your father is paying for these flights though.”
“Then don’t tell him one of those is for me. He’ll cancel it before we ever get out of the house if he knows.”
They landed in Denver and were still in the airport several hours later.
She wondered if she’d ever get to her home. Each leg of this journey was taking
more out of her. It felt like soon there’d be nothing left of her.
Standing in the airport lobby, she recognized the limousine as it pulled up in front of the wall of doors.
“Typical, Father.” She got in the back with the others.
The trip was less than twenty minutes, but it helped that there was mostly no traffic. As they pulled up to the family home, she studied the austereness of the residence. An imposing big brick structure with nothing to soften the heavy lines. “He really should move to London. That would suit him.”
The driver, a man she didn’t know, came around to open the door for her. She waited until they’d all exited the limo before walking up to the front door.
It opened before they made it to the porch.
Her father stood in the doorway, his arms crossed as he glared at her. She stepped forward in front of the team and said, “Hello, Father.”
“There you are. Are you done causing trouble?”
She heard the hisses of surprise behind her. But it would take a lot for her father’s words to hurt her anymore. “As I didn’t ask to be kidnapped, nor did I do anything to cause this, I hardly think it’s fair that you blame me for it.” She motioned at the open doors behind him. “Are we going in, or am I saying good-bye right here?”
His eyebrows soared, and the anger in his face dropped away. “What do you mean? You’re leaving? You can’t leave now,” he protested. Still he glared at the others, then stepped back from the doorway. “Come in. Come in.”
Levi entered first, and the others followed.
Lissa stood outside on the big porch and wondered if there was any way to disappear. But with her father glaring at her, and Stone standing there waiting, she didn’t think so.
Oh, well, might as well face the music right now rather than later.
They walked into the living room. As Lissa stepped around in front of the others, she caught sight of her mother sitting beside the fireplace, poised perfectly, as if for photographs. But so not as a mother greeting a daughter who had just returned from a harrowing kidnapping experience.