by Susan Stoker
“Appreciate it.” And Tex did. His leg hurt and he needed to get off it for a while. “There’s a bag of dog food out there too. Baby’ll need it in the morning.”
Wolf lifted a hand as he went out the door, not stopping, but acknowledging Tex’s words.
“Need to go out once more, Baby?” Tex asked the dog at his feet. When Baby didn’t move, but instead lay down with a sigh, Tex took that as a negative on the trip outside. “Then let’s go catch some sleep. It’s gonna be insane around here in the morning. Those women are crazy.” His words were mocking, but the tone was affectionate.
Tex painfully pushed up from the chair at the table and made his way to the basement door. As he started down the stairs, Baby was right by his side. Tex stumbled once, but because Baby was there, pushing all her weight into his good leg, she righted his balance and he didn’t fall. “Thanks, girl.”
After Wolf brought his bag down the stairs, and Tex had visited the bathroom, he removed his prosthetic and massaged his stump with the lotion he always carried. It hurt more than usual because of the time spent immobile on the trip cross country.
Baby jumped up into the bed next to him. She turned in what seemed like ten circles before she finally deemed her “nest” complete. She sighed once and put her head on Tex’s leg. He leaned down and patted her on the head. “Good girl.”
Hoping against hope, Tex leaned over and grabbed his laptop off the bedside table where he’d placed it before taking off his prosthetic. He flipped it open and turned it on, waiting for Wolf’s Wi-Fi to connect.
Tex logged into the chat room he and Melody had been using and waited, hoping she’d logged back on. He’d been checking every night, just in case. After a few minutes he sighed, disappointed. She hadn’t . . . at least she hadn’t joined back up with the same username she’d used in the past. If she was on with a different name, Tex had no idea what it was and no one sent him a private message either. Tex turned off the laptop and put it back on the table. He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
He had no idea where Melody was or what she was going through, but he hoped wherever it was, she was safe. She needed to stay that way until Tex could get to her. There was no doubt in his mind that he would get to her. He had to. There was no other option.
Chapter Three
Tex smiled as he drove away from Wolf’s house. The last three hours had been crazy, but he wouldn’t have missed it for the world. He hadn’t forgotten Melody or why he was in California, but meeting the women had been better than he could have imagined.
As soon as he stepped foot in the kitchen he had to get through the women crying all over him. Fiona had grabbed onto him first and simply sobbed. Tex felt as if he had the most connection with her. He’d talked to her for three days in a row, every four hours, while Cookie and the team had done their best to get back into the country from a mission. Even though Fiona had been hallucinating, she remembered every word of every conversation they’d had.
She whispered in his ear as Tex held her, “Thank you for holding on to me when Hunter wasn’t here to do it.”
Tex had given her a big squeeze and whispered back, “Anytime you need me, I’m here.”
The other women had all taken their turn and hugged him tightly. Tex had a hand in their men being able to find them all and rescue them from horrible situations. Jessyka had even whispered to him before letting him pull away, “Thank you for convincing the guys they needed those tracker thingies too.”
After Jess had been lured away by an ex who’d kidnapped Benny, she’d railed at the SEALs for not protecting themselves, and she’d been right. The only reason she’d been taken by her ex was because she’d been protecting Benny. While the SEALs had Tex make tracking devices for their women, they hadn’t bothered with the same for themselves.
The men had just shook their heads at the women’s emotional reactions to meeting Tex. Breakfast had been full of laughter and reminiscing of the good times in their lives. Baby had been slipped way too many pieces of bacon and sausage, but never left Tex’s side for more than a moment.
Finally, Tex knew it was time to go. As much as he wanted to soak in the happiness that oozed from every pore of his friends’ bodies, he couldn’t get Melody out of his mind. She was out there . . . somewhere. She had no one. No friends like this to have her back. No military buddies to help her out. She was scared, she’d said it herself. And Tex hated that.
So as much as he loved being around Caroline and the other women, he had to go. Baby stood up as soon as he had and pranced to the door. It looked like she was just as ready to go as he was.
Now Tex’s mind was going a mile a minute. He didn’t really have a plan, except to head to Anaheim and see what he could find. He’d check the hotels and see if Melody had checked in. Of course that would assume she used her real name, Melody Grace, but that was unlikely. He had a photo of her Amy had given him that he could show hotel clerks, but again, they saw so many tourists that they’d probably not be able to recognize Melody from a photo. Tex would probably have to keep relying on his computer skills to narrow down her location, but he felt better knowing he was at least hopefully in the same city as she was.
After a couple of hours of driving through the city traffic, Tex pulled into a hotel only blocks from the large amusement park. Everywhere he looked he was reminded where he was. There were Disney characters everywhere. It verified his belief that when Melody had asked him about his favorite character, it was because it was an easy topic of conversation.
Tex checked in, making sure to get a room on the bottom floor so it’d be easier to walk Baby. He brought his bag in, as well as Baby’s food and toys. He didn’t bother with the dog bed, knowing Baby would just jump up on the mattress next to him to sleep. Tex put a bowl of water on the floor and smiled as Baby helped herself.
He sat at the table in the corner of the room by the window and plugged in his laptop. Tex was going to start with the closed caption companies and see what he could narrow down.
After thirty minutes of research and searching, he sat back in the chair. He was close. Very close. He felt it in his bones. It was easy enough to find the company Melody worked for. Just that day Melody had translated a graduation back in Indiana. Apparently the way it worked was whoever hired the service would hook up via Skype. Melody would watch the event, in this case, a graduation, and she would type out whatever was being said. Then whomever was at the graduation who needed the service would use an app and watch her typed words scroll across their smartphone screen as they sat in the audience.
It really was amazing, and it was something Tex had never really thought about before. No wonder Mel could type so fast when they were talking. He’d always wondered, but never thought to ask.
Since Melody had been online that day translating the graduation ceremony back in Indiana, Tex could trace the Wi-Fi signal back to one of two places in Anaheim. Goosebumps broke out over his skin. He was close. He absently rubbed his left thigh, trying to rub out the phantom pain that was always present. With this bit of news, it looked like a good time to head out for a cup of coffee. If Melody felt safe enough to use the internet once today, he hoped she would again.
* * *
Melody sat against the wall of her hotel room, behind the bed, with her knees drawn up in front of her. She held her cell phone clenched in one hand and had her head resting on her knees. It was time to move on, but she’d been in California for so long now that she really didn’t want to go. If Melody was honest with herself, all she wanted to do was go home.
But whoever was stalking her had found her again, and was even more relentless than before. Melody thought she was being smart by switching hotel rooms every week and using a different hot-spot for her Internet connection, but whoever was stalking her was apparently smarter than she’d given him credit for. Melody had no idea how he was finding her, but she was tired of it all. She missed Amy. She missed Baby. She missed her parents. She missed Pennsylvania.
Melody stared at the letter that sat in the middle of the floor where she’d dropped it after reading it. The front desk clerk had given it to her as she came in that day, and Melody knew she really wouldn’t like what was in it. Once she’d closed the door to the hotel room, Melody had reluctantly opened the note. She’d never forget the words.
No matter where you go, I’ll find you. We’re the same, you and I, why can’t you see that?
Melody had no idea what it meant. This note was just as creepy as all the others. But there was no postmark on it. Whoever had sent it to her, had walked into the hotel and handed it to the clerk. That meant he was here. That also meant Melody had to go. Now.
Melody put her head back down on her knees. She was out of ideas. Well, she had one more idea, but she had to gather up the courage to follow up on it. She squeezed the phone in her hand harder. She’d bought a bunch of disposable phones to use to call her family and Amy. She’d seen enough shows on television to know they were untraceable. It obviously didn’t matter now though. He’d found her anyway.
Melody picked up her head once again, held the phone up and looked at it. She’d memorized the phone number Tex had given her. She never had any intentions of calling him, but she’d memorized it anyway.
She was so tempted. Melody thought back to their conversations. Tex was a good guy. He oozed good guy through every pore in his body. He was an honest-to-God-hero and Melody needed a hero, but she didn’t want to drag him down, and she knew she would. He’d get so embroiled in her situation and he’d want to “fix” it, but Melody had no idea how he could.
But she was tired and scared. She had money, thanks to her closed caption jobs and with Amy’s help, to move on, but to where? To another hotel in another city where the same pattern would play out? She was as far away from Pennsylvania as she could be, but somehow whoever was stalking her had still found out where she was.
Melody absently opened the text app on the phone and slowly, number by number, pushed in the number she’d memorized. Then, without thinking, she typed out the first thing she thought of.
Putting the phone down on the floor without hitting send, Melody put her head on her knees again. Her dyed brown hair fell in waves around her head and spilled down her legs. She mentally argued with herself. What would it hurt to send the text? It’s not like Tex knows where I am. I miss him. I miss talking to him. He’s kept me sane this last year. He made me feel normal.
But what if he’s mad I deleted my account on the chat site? What if he doesn’t answer back? But what if he does? I need to feel connected to someone for just a little bit. I need to feel not so alone. He’s a SEAL. He can help me.
Without thinking more about it, Melody picked up the phone and hit send. The two words she’d written seemed garish on the small screen, but summed up all her riotous emotions so well. Would Tex respond? Would he care? Melody put her head back on her knees and closed her eyes, afraid to hope, afraid to move, afraid to stay.
* * *
Tex sat at the table in the little café across from the bookstore watching and waiting. Baby lay at his feet, her eyes seemingly also focused on the store across the street. It was as if she somehow knew Melody was nearby.
Tex was nervous, and he never got nervous. He was always known as the stoic one. The one who never broke a sweat before or during a mission. But Tex wasn’t stoic now. He knew he was cutting it close. Melody deleting her account, the silence, the working so many jobs in a short period of time. She was getting ready to run and he needed to catch up with her before she did. He hoped like hell she’d be working another job today. She’d done an excellent job of keeping her exact whereabouts hidden, but Tex knew if he could find her, so could a stalker.
The thought of somebody terrorizing someone as sweet as Melody cut through Tex like a knife. There weren’t a lot of truly “nice” people in this world, and from what he knew of Melody, she was one of them. Her family and friends couldn’t think of one bad thing to say about her. Hell, even her dog was pining for her. It pissed him off that someone would dare to terrorize somebody as sweet as Melody.
If he was honest with himself, Tex was a little freaked about how much he cared about this woman. A woman he’d never actually met. It was frankly a little crazy. Melody had told him she was twenty-seven, and in all honesty, that was probably younger than what he was really looking for in a woman. He was thirty-five, a very ancient thirty-five, but it wasn’t like he was actually looking to start something with her . . . or was he?
Tex leaned forward and pulled out his wallet and took out the picture Amy had given him. It was of Amy and Melody. They had their arms around each other and were smiling at the camera. The women were wearing shorts and T-shirts and Amy had told him it was taken at a barbeque she had at her house not too long before Melody disappeared.
Tex ran his fingers over Melody’s face. He hadn’t really thought much about what Mel would actually look like. He’d liked her for her wit and her sarcasm. Tex enjoyed talking to her and knew no matter what she looked like, he would still enjoy talking to her. But as it turned out, Melody was cute. Her hair was blond, shoulder length, and curly. She was neither short nor tall. Tex didn’t think she’d never be slender like a model; Melody was what Tex thought of as “luscious.” Shaking his head, Tex put the picture back into his wallet for safe keeping.
He was nervous and confused. No woman had ever made him feel what Melody did. She soothed him, supported him, and wasn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit. Tex had opened up more to her than anyone. She knew him, and that was scary as hell. She knew how he really felt about losing his leg. How he felt about the prosthetic. About being a SEAL. About his friends. She knew it all. A part of Tex was also hurt that Melody had cut him off so completely. They’d shared so much, and the fact that she could cut him out of her life so easily, was a blow.
Baby’s head came up at Tex’s feet as his phone vibrated and pinged with an incoming text message. The dog looked at him with her ears perked forward. Tex leaned down and smoothed his hand over her head. “It’s probably Caroline or one of the girls wanting to make sure I arrived all right,” he reassured the dog.
I’m scared
That’s all the text said. Just those two words. Tex didn’t recognize the number, but he immediately knew who it was. He sat up straight in his chair and quickly typed out a response. His heart was suddenly beating as quickly as if he’d just run a five mile race.
I know you are, Mel. Where are you?
Tex waited with bated breath for her response. He hoped like hell she’d text him back. He didn’t know where her head was at, but if Melody admitted she was scared after almost two weeks of not talking to him at all, Tex knew it wasn’t good. She was obviously skittish and Tex knew she could bolt at any time.
Nowhere
Cut the crap. Tell me where you are
Tex knew he had to get through to her. She was depressed and scared, not a good combination.
CA
WHERE exactly?
Anaheim
Keep going
What does it matter?
It matters to me. What hotel? What room?
What, are u going to come and get me?
Hotel? Room?
Holiday Inn Express. 305
Stay there. Don’t move. Don’t open the door to anyone. It’s going to be OK
Tex didn’t wait for her response. He knifed up out of the chair and grabbed Baby’s leash. “Ready to go see mama, girl?” Baby whined in response, as if she knew exactly what was going on and where they were going.
Tex thanked God Melody had reached out to him. Tex headed to the garage where he’d parked his truck. He was going to get his girl. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Chapter Four
Melody put the phone down and rested her head on her knees once again and closed her eyes. Stay put. She could do that. She could so do that. She didn’t have the strength to go anywhere anyway. She was done. She had no idea what T
ex had planned, but somehow she felt better knowing someone, other than her stalker, knew where she was.
She thought back to an online conversation she’d had with Tex not too long ago. She’d finally gotten up the courage to ask if he wanted to exchange pictures. She’d never forget his words. I don’t need a picture to know you’re beautiful.
Melody had laughed out loud then asked him what he meant, that she could weigh eight hundred pounds and be a shut-in for all he knew. He’d told her that her friendship and unconditional support meant everything to him and that he knew she had a beautiful soul. His words made her smile for days afterwards.
But now Melody wished she knew what Tex looked like. She’d asked once and all he’d say was that he was a “washed up retired Navy guy who was missing half a leg.” Melody didn’t care if he was scarred, short, balding, or fat from eating too many doughnuts every day. He was her lifeline in this crazy new world she lived in. Melody knew he thought the loss of his leg was a deterrent for people getting close to him, but in her eyes, it made him who he was. And he was supportive, sensitive, and caring. Those things trumped physical looks in Melody’s eyes any day.
But she couldn’t help but picture Tex in her head as tall, dark, and handsome. He’d be taller than her, which wasn’t hard since she was only five seven. He’d be big enough to envelop her in his arms and let her feel surrounded by his heat. She hadn’t felt safe in so long, that alone would be heaven. He’d be muscular and strong, with bulging muscles, but not too bulky. His hair would be short, but still a bit too long to be military short, and his broad shoulders would be wide enough to . . . Melody stopped her thoughts with a jerk.
Whatever. All that stuff was crap. She didn’t care if he didn’t look like a man on the cover of a romance novel. She just needed him. His words and his strength. Melody had looked after herself for a long time now, and had done a pretty damn good job of it too. But it’d be nice to have some help.