Capturing Sosimo

by Sara Blackard

  She darted a glance his way before shaking Bill’s outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Now this here Winnebago View is just about perfect for a young couple like yourselves.” Bill walked up to the RV and tapped it. “Small and compact, it’ll be easy to drive, and you can park this baby just about anywhere. You don’t have kids, do you? It’s a mite small if you do.”

  “No kids.” Reagan cleared her throat.

  What would their kids look like? Would they have her red hair and his dark eyes? His mother would go loco over Reagan, fussing at how bonita she was. What would Reagan think of his family? He shook his head. Dangerous, indeed.

  “Newlyweds. I could tell the minute I saw you.” Bill clapped his hands and winked. “You’ll love the bed. It’s perfect for cuddling.”

  Sosimo inhaled sharply and coughed as he choked on his spit. Reagan’s ears turned red. She crossed her arms. Bill chuckled lightly as he stepped to the RV’s door.

  “Go ahead and take a peek inside.” Bill waved them forward.

  Reagan stepped up into the RV, heading toward the back. Sosimo followed her in, turning in the tiny space. It had everything they’d need to lie low. A dinette and galley filled the space next to the door. The bathroom and bedroom were a few steps away in the back. He quickly turned away from the bed, his neck heating, and strode to the driver’s seat.

  He sat and clenched the steering wheel in his hand. The upscale interior proved a complete contrast to his Ford. Kind of like he and Reagan were opposites.

  “This baby has a Mercedes chassis with a turbo-diesel engine. There’s a bunk above the seats that can double as storage, and the dinette folds down into a bed. Both seats up front turn to face the living area,” Bill yammered on.

  It didn’t really matter. This was perfect. They could camp their way across the nation, and no one would be the wiser. Maybe they could buy some camp chairs so they wouldn’t stay stuck inside the tight space.

  “It’s low mile—”

  “We’ll take it,” Sosimo interrupted Bill, ready to get back to the hotel to grab their stuff and get on the road.

  Twenty minutes later they pulled out of the dealership. It paid to have rich friends. Sosimo dialed the ranch on speaker.

  “Sosimo, what’s up?” Derrick’s deep voice came over the Winnebago’s speakers.

  “We’ll be on the road within a half an hour.”

  “Got yourself some new wheels?” Derrick’s voice held laughter. “Man, didn’t I warn you about that old truck? That Ford stands for Found On Road Dead?”

  “Funny. You want to come down here and pick up ol’ Cinnamon?”

  “Not on your life. That truck is more trouble than it’s worth.”

  Reagan laughed next to him. He turned his gaze on her and lifted an eyebrow. She covered her mouth with a hand and looked out her window.

  “Tell Zeke we bought the ranch a motorhome. We’re hoping it’ll help us stay out of sight.” Sosimo pulled into the motel parking space and put the vehicle in park. “We’re grabbing our gear from the hotel, then heading into Amarillo to pick up Cooper.”

  “The RV is a brilliant idea. Good thinking,” Derrick commented.

  Reagan turned to Sosimo.

  “Yeah, well, Reagan is supposedly a genius, right?” Sosimo winked at her.

  She swatted him on the arm and got out. The sun glinted off her hair, making it look like flames. He swallowed, needing to finish this conversation so she wasn’t out there alone. It had everything to do with the people still after her, and nothing to do with the emptiness her absence created. Liar.

  “Gotta go, D. We’ll touch base later.” He hung up and climbed out of the RV, trying to keep his gait slow and measured but failing.

  He caught up to her as she turned the hotel door and pushed it open. His heart skipped a beat, and his skin tingled. He pulled her in the room, slammed the door shut, then blocked her behind his back while he scanned the small area. Today, he thanked God he could see every inch of the place, including the bathroom where the tight quarters had been torture the night before. How would he survive traveling in the RV?

  “Sos?” She placed her hands on his back and gently pushed, the pressure heating his entire body.

  He turned and leaned into her. “Stay close to me.”

  She pressed against the door, her hands spreading across his chest. “Okay.”

  He moved closer. “I can’t protect you if I can’t reach you.”

  She jerked her hands back, and a forced laugh chopped from her. “Yeah, right. Your job.” She averted her gaze. “Well, I guess we better get going. Don’t want to make your friend Cooper to keep waiting in Amarillo for us.”

  She stepped around him, snatched her bag from her bed, and hugged it tight in front of her. She was right. They needed to get going before he did something stupid—like press her up against the door and give in to the need to kiss her.

  Seven

  As they drove through Arkansas later that day, June peered at the lump snoring on the bed in the back of the RV. She had been hesitant to meet Cooper Ford, Sosimo’s friend and now sidekick, when she and Sosimo had arrived in Amarillo to pick him up. She shouldn’t have fretted. Having the Marine around had proved a great diversion from her mind’s need to short circuit whenever she was alone with Sosimo.

  After several hours of playing cards with Cooper while Sosimo drove, Cooper had claimed he needed a nap and crashed onto the bed. She wasn’t exactly sure how his tall frame could fit comfortably on the short bed, but he’d been sound asleep since. She liked the easy manner the quiet man had, though now that he snoozed in the back, she had to try twice as hard to keep her little crush on Hot Tamale Sosimo under wraps.

  She turned back to her computer and clicked her track pad, leaning in to look at her screen more closely. Not that it would help her current dilemma of figuring out just what exactly didn’t work with her body armor invention. Something about the integrated diagnostics didn’t react to the soldier’s biometrics properly, and she couldn’t figure out where she’d messed up. The RV swerved, and she grabbed her computer to keep it from sliding off her lap. She glanced out the front windshield, and when no animal scampered there, she looked over at Sosimo.

  “Sorry about that.” Sosimo peeked over at her with a chagrined look on his face. “Jackrabbit raced out, and I didn’t want to hit it.”

  Instances like that kept her guessing about Sosimo. She shrugged and slammed the computer closed. “It’s all right. I needed to stop staring at the same screen for a while.”

  “Having troubles?”

  “You could say that.” June reached back and put the computer on the dinette bench, peeking toward the bed where Cooper slept. “Having troub—”

  The ringing of Sosimo’s phone interrupted her. He threw her an apologetic glance before pushing the button on the dash to answer the phone call.

  “Rafe, what you got for us?” Sosimo asked as he looked in his side mirror and turned on his blinker to pass a car driving slowly.

  She loved the route they’d taken so far, trekking across the slow, rolling hills of the Oklahoma plains that transitioned to the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. Granted, it had only been one day so far, but she enjoyed country she’d never seen before.

  “Sos, you gotta call your mom, man,” Rafe moaned over the phone. “She’s reached her limit of her precious chico not calling her.”

  June placed her feet on the dash and laid her arms on her legs. She couldn’t imagine Sosimo as a precious boy.

  Sosimo rolled his eyes. “I just talked to her last week. I’ll call her when I can. She has other kids she can harp on.”

  “I thought you’d say that.” Rafe’s voice held a hint of teasing to it. “I’ve been holding her off for days. It’s time for you to talk to her. I’m patching her through right now.”

  “Ay, caraye. Wait, Rafe—”

  “Mijo, is that you?” a hesitant voice said on the other line.

  “Sí,
Mama, it’s me,” Sosimo answered, gripping his neck with his hand and peeking over at June.

  An excited squeal was followed by rapid words too fast to believe someone spoke. June could tell by the tone in Sosimo’s mother’s voice that she loved talking to him. He answered the questions in just as rapid Spanish, glancing over at her and mouthing, “Sorry.” When his mother continued talking quickly, June stared at him in fascination. She’d grown up all around the world but had never experienced such obvious joy in one another as she did with this conversation.

  During the call, the phone got put on speaker by his family. So many voices rattled off words in rapid succession that she didn’t even know how Sosimo kept it all straight. Sosimo laughed, contentment on his face as he answered whatever had just been said. June peeked back toward Cooper, amazed the man could still be sleeping.

  She turned forward, staring out the window at the Arkansas Ozarks that lined the road. Had she ever felt that connection in her own family? Definitely not since her brother had died. She didn’t even think before he’d died either. Her father had always said he wanted to explore the world they were fortunate enough to be stationed in. He hadn’t wanted to waste time visiting the world he already knew. Because of that, she never really got to know her cousins. Never really knew her grandparents before they all died. Then, after her brother’s death, and it was just three of them, the world became even lonelier.

  Sosimo sighed as the phone call ended and glanced over at her. “I’m really sorry about that. Rafe loves to razz us any chance he can get.”

  June pasted on a smile and peeked over at him. “That’s okay. You sound like you have a wonderful family.”

  He shrugged, but his enormous smile negated the casual action. “They’re a handful. Well … more than handful, actually, but I love them. My mom threatened Rafe that she wouldn't make him pabellón criollo next time he comes to visit.” He shook his head, humor in his voice. “It’s a good thing he never got captured and interrogated by terrorists.”

  “I’m sure Rafe would’ve done just fine.” June turned her attention out the windshield. She saw Sosimo peek at her from the corner of her eye. His eyebrow winged up.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. My mom’s much worse than fundamental terrorists.”

  She gasped. “If I ever meet her, I’ll tell her you said so.”

  His head cocked to one side, and his eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “No, probably not. I’d be in such awe, I most likely wouldn’t say a word.” She chuckled as she reached for her box of Mike and Ike’s. “Or I might freeze in fear with my back to a corner. They sound very intimidating.”

  “Nah, just loud and numerous.”

  June leaned her head back against the headrest, pulled her knees up to her chest, and sighed. “That must’ve been amazing, living in a large family like that.”

  “It had its goods and bads. Mostly it was good.” His lips lifted on one side.

  “How many siblings do you have?” She turned sideways in the seat so she could watch him.

  “Ten.”

  She coughed, placing her hand over her mouth so her fruity candy didn’t fly out and pelt him. Why’d she have to put so many in her mouth at once? Ten kids … that sounded crazy and wonderful. Would she have even survived?

  “You okay?” He placed his hand on her knee.

  Lightning shot up her leg, and she almost swallowed the mass of candies whole. The RV heaved on a bump in the road, causing Sosimo to grip the steering wheel again. Her leg tingled with his lingering energy. She swallowed the last of the deathly candies and clunked the box in the cup holder. He raised his eyebrow at her before turning his attention back to the bumpy road.

  “I’m good. You just caught me off guard with your army-sized family.” She leaned forward, glad they’d purchased the RV so she could move more freely. “What was it like? Where were you in the lineup? Was your house crowded? Did you fight all the time?”

  Sosimo tipped his head back and laughed, a deep, wonderful sound that shot those lingering tingles on her leg straight to her belly. “It was great and horrible at the same time. I’m the third kid. My father is one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Florida. When I was younger, the house was smaller, but my parents kept moving to accommodate the kids they kept popping out.” His smile turned soft. “Though, my mom hasn’t let my dad move her in the last fifteen years. Claims she enjoys having her family close and a bigger house will put too much distance between them.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Fighting was a given. You squeeze a bunch of passionate Venezuelans in a house and things are bound to get hot.” He winked at her, and she intimately understood as heat filled her core.

  “So your mom must be a marvelous cook if Rafe would throw you under the bus for a meal.”

  “The best. Better than any place I’ve ever eaten.” He pointed at her. “And I’m not just saying that because she’s my mom. It’s her passion, her gift. She says food is the language of the soul, and she’s the translator.”

  Reagan sighed. “That’s beautiful.”

  “I used to sit in the kitchen for hours, helping her just so I might one day be able to cook even half as good as she does. The house always smells delicious. Always. I had to join the Army just so I didn’t end up weighing two hundred pounds.”

  “Yeah, right?” She tapped him on the shoulder. “Why did you join?”

  He stilled. The absence of animated expressions on his face was instantaneous. Shoot. Her stomach bottomed out, and her throat thickened.

  “I’m sorry. I’m prying.”

  “No. It’s okay.”

  He inhaled, held it for a second, then let it out. His gaze ping-ponged from her back to the road. He closed his eyes for a moment before pulling his shoulders back.

  “It was just about the only option for a knucklehead like me.”

  “Wha—I don’t understand.”

  “My family is full of smart people. Smart like you.” He shrugged. “I’m not like my family.”

  “That’s not true.” Her voice sounded strangled as she denied what he said.

  “Yeah, yeah it is.” He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “I struggled in school. Man, did I struggle. Found out later that I have severe dyslexia. Most of my teachers just thought I was stupid and lazy, would never amount to anything.”

  Reagan gasped. “They told you that?”

  “Some did, others just gave up after a month or two. My fifth grade teacher didn’t though. Mr. Thomas. He’s the one who realized the words and letters like to dance around on me.” He grinned as he shook his head. “Even knowing, I still struggled through school. Barely graduated. But I enjoyed Rifle Club and tinkering with engines. College was definitely out of the question. My junior year, after getting in-school suspension again, my dad said my need to protect others might be useful in the Army.”

  “Protect others?”

  His forehead scrunched as he grimaced. “In elementary school, I hated seeing kids get picked on. I got enough of that myself. I guess I figured that if I couldn’t be smart, I had to be something, so I protected others from bullies. Stepped in when they couldn’t.”

  “I can see that. Sosimo, the hero.” She twisted her hands together to keep from reaching out.

  “More like Sosimo, the troublemaker.” He shook his head. “I spent more time in detention than I did class, I think.”

  “I bet it broke your mother’s heart to have you enlist. Not having you there in the kitchen with her anymore.”

  “She has nine others who’ve stuck close to home. She lived.” He pulled up to the Village Creek State Park kiosk and paid the attendant for a campsite.

  She laughed, shaking her head. This man amazed her. Nothing like any of the other men she’d known on base or after. His life was so different from hers that she wished she could just step out of hers and cling to his. Her cheeks flushed, and her heart rate picked up. He rolled the window back up and put
the RV in drive.

  She threw caution out the window, leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for sharing with me.”

  He glanced at her and swallowed. “You’re welcome.” His voice came out deeper than normal.

  She settled back in her seat with a sigh, trying to hide her embarrassment. “What I wouldn’t give to live in a family like that.”

  “What’s your family like?”

  Nuts. She walked right into that one. She turned her legs forward and put her feet on the dash. She’d have to be careful. She couldn’t slip about her father. Not if she wanted him to like her for herself.

  She peeked at Sosimo. He would be different, though. She could sense that, but the life she’d built depended on her family staying a secret to some extent.

  “I’ve always been introverted, painfully so when I was younger. Still so, actually.” She picked at some lint on her pants. “I was the oddball, probably would’ve been someone you would’ve been protecting. When other girls were playing dress-up and dolls, I was taking apart circuit boards and studying molecular structure. My dad would get into huffs about why I didn’t have friends like my brother. Why did I hole myself up in my room when the base was full of other girls to play with? It didn’t help that the base was different every few years.”

  She reached for the box of candy. The fruitiness sweetened the bitter memories. She peeked over at Sosimo, and he nodded in encouragement.

  “I started begging to be homeschooled around fourth grade. It wasn’t until my brother died when I was fourteen that my parents finally agreed.”

  “How’d he die?”

  “Motorcycle accident two months after he turned sixteen.”

  Sosimo winced and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.” She shrugged, glad the weight of grief had eased over the years. “Our already quiet house became painfully silent. Still is reserved. Reserved and orderly.” She mock saluted. Relaxing her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes. “That’s why your family sounds amazing and scary and something I’ll probably never have the pleasure of experiencing.”