A Soldier to Love (10 page)

***

Eric exited his car he motioned for his sister to follow him into the house. He rounded his car and headed towards the front door. He stilled when he saw his flowers on the front porch he picked them up why hadn’t Elsie brought them into the house. He opened the front door of his home to candles lit everywhere and jazz playing on the overhead speakers. “Eli” Eric called their coffee table had his favorite food on it grilled salmon with buttered asparagus and corn. “Oh El-”

“Hello, Solider boy”

Eric stilled his wife was gorgeous in the semi sheer nightie. He swallowed he had been prepared to surprise her and here she was surprising him. “I-”

“Damn that’s what you’ve got brotha”

“Oh” Elsie rushed from the living room down the hall to their bedroom.

Eric rounded on Jonny, “I didn’t know you were with Julia.”

“I was sleeping in the back of the car,” he nodded towards the hall “that’s a nice piece you got there.”

“Julia!”

She appeared behind Jonny, “I’ll take care of this.”

“Take care of what?” Jonny looked at her, “I can say what I want. That there was”

“Leave”

Julia rounded Jonny, “I’m sorry Eric; he didn’t mean it. Please don’t make us leave.”

Eric seethed, “tonight. You can stay tonight but tomorrow.”

Julia nodded.

Eric turned and headed towards his room he needed to talk to his wife.

***

Oh my God that was so embarrassing. Elsie shook her head as she pulled one of Eric’s Army shirt from the dresser drawer and over her head. She pulled on her sweats and sat on her bed well so much for her romantic night with her husband. She lowered her head not only was that a mute point but she had embarrassed him in front of one of his friends. She placed her head in her hands what was she going to do now. How was she going to face Eric and whoever that was?

“I didn’t know you could look like that.”

Elsie raised her head, “I didn’t”

Eric shook his head, “I knew you had curves” he said as he walked into the room, “and I knew what you looked like naked but that Mrs. Reynolds was a ‘DAMN” he finished as he knelt before her “these were on the porch for you.”

Elsie took the box he held out to her; she opened it and wanted to cry “stargazer lilies,” she looked at Eric “my favorite.”

He winked at her. “Everything looked amazing.”

“I was trying to seduce you.”

“It worked.”

“How I just emba-”

“Jonny and Julia”

“Your sister and her boyfriend are here?” Elsie said in surprise. The last time she had seen Julia the woman was less than welcoming.

Eric nodded, “I tried to call.”

Elsie sighed, “I was on the phone with Synette and when I got off the phone I finished getting ready and didn’t answer my phone,” she shook her head “I could have cancelled all of this if I would have just answered my phone.”

“Sweetheart, its fine. I loved all of it,” he placed a hand on her cheek “and I love you for doing it.”

Elsie sighed, “We haven’t had an ideal beginning to our marriage and I wanted to do something to show you that I was committed to this. That we are ok.”

Eric smiled, “I know” he moved a little closer to her “and I thank you for thinking of us,” he said as he placed his lips on hers. He pulled back a little, “and when we are alone I will thank you properly.”

Elsie smiled and winked at him, “ok go tell your sister and Jonny that we’re heading out to dinner because I don’t have time to make anything and the food I had delivered will not fed four people.”

Eric nodded.

“Oh, and thank you for the flowers.”

Eric chuckled, “how do you know they are from me. You could have an admirer out there you don’t know about.”

Elsie raised an eyebrow “really?” She removed the card from the flowers, “though times have been tough and our marriage has been rough you have stayed the course like a true and tough Army wife. I love you and will continue to love you. Always your Ranger” she looked at her husband, “now I don’t know many Rangers besides Jones and Peters. Meghan would kill Jones for sending me flowers and Peters has been on leave for the last few weeks.”

“How-”

“He called to say he was having a wonderful time in Bora Bora. He wanted to talk to you but got me instead. I thought he had called the office.”

Eric shook his head. Peters was having a tougher time with his PTSD then he, Eric, and Jones. The newest member of their team had come back a changed man. Now he was a thrill seeker and slowly becoming a drinker. Jones and he had tried to talk to the man but he hadn’t listened. He had wanted Meghan or Elsie to talk to him but both of them were dealing with he and Jones so he had nixed the idea before it really formed. “I’ll give him a call tomorrow.”

“Ok,” Elsie replaced the card, “now let me get dressed so that we can go.”

“Only if you promise to keep my shirt on?” Eric said as he straighten.

Elsie chuckled, “fine.”

He bent and kissed her he loved when she had his clothing on, “Five minutes”

“Ten”

Eric nodded, he was about to turn and leave when he looked at his wife once more, “I love the hair and everything else you’ve done.”

Elsie nodded, “I thought”

“I notice everything about you just like you notice everything about me,” he said before he turned and walked out of the room.

***

“I can’t believe you said that.”

Jonny looked at Julia he was not in the mood to hear her bitching at him. He picked up the plate before him and started eating, “hey, you should try this, it’s good.”

Julia huffed, “I’m sure it is. Elsie doesn’t seem like the type to not know how to cook,” she replied as she sat in the arm chair across from him. She picked up the plate there and tasted it. Damn the woman could cook.

“Yeah, and that body”

“See that right there is the reason we can’t stay here longer,” Julia said as she continued to eat.

“What I can’t admire a nice looking woman,” he replied. Hell he needed to admire something because Julia wasn’t it anymore. He looked at the woman across from him she was emaciated and her once vibrant brown hair was now limp and looked as if it hadn’t been washed in months. He shook himself mentally the woman he had fallen for was no more and in her place was a druggy he wanted nothing to do with. But Elsie. Hmm... he would love him some of that.

Julia finished eating and placed the plate on the table, “Eric is letting us stay tonight but tomorrow we have to leave and right now we have nowhere to go.”

“Don’t you have an Aunt we can stay with?”

Julia sat back in her seat, “I do but I am not willing to hear her preach at me about turning my life around.”

“Can she give us the money we need in order to pay Roc?”

Julia bit her lower lip, “maybe but I know Aunt Jan she will not give it willingly,” she sighed “she will want me to go to rehab or something like that.”

“Why did you eat that?”

Both faced Eric.

Julia stood, “we haven’t eaten in a while and it smelled so good.”

Eric walked into the room, “it should it’s from one of mine and Elsie’s favorite restaurants,” Eric picked up the plates from the table, “Elsie went to a lot of trouble to make this dinner special and you eat it.”

“Eric, I’m sorry we were just so hungry.”

He turned and headed towards the kitchen, “Eli figured you would be so she and I were going to take you out to dinner,” he told Julia as he walked into the kitchen; he placed the plates in the sink.

“I’m sorry,” Julia said as she followed him into the kitchen, “I seem to be saying that a lot. I’m sorry.” She was wringing her hands.

He faced his sister she looked so lost so innocent, “I will smooth it over with Eli. Well since you have eaten I am going to take Eli out. You and Jonny can stay here. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Julia nodded, “maybe I will take a shower and lie down. I’m really tired.”

“Ok. The bath is down the hall on your right it connects to a guest room that Aunt Jan sleeps in when she comes to visit. Eli keeps it stocked with towels and any and everything you could possibly need.”

“Thank you Eric,” she said as she hugged her brother.

Eric hugged her back, “you are very welcome.” He released her, “I’m going to go and get Eli” he said as he stepped around her.

Julia watched her brother go wondering if there was anything she could take from the house?

Eric watched as his wife, Meghan, Syn and a few of the other wives danced on the floor at Captain Warren’s party. He smiled as she laughed with her friends before she had come into the living room he had stopped her not wanting to break the good mood she was in. He had directed her towards the kitchen and out into the car. She had questioned why Julia and Jonny didn’t come with them and all he had said was that he wanted her all to himself and his sister could fend for herself.

“I was not expecting you and Eli tonight.”

Eric looked at Jones briefly before he turned his head back to his wife on the dance floor, “why not?”

“Meghan said Eli was planning something special,” he replied as he watched his wife beam as all the ladies placed a hand on her stomach and started singing to the baby. He shook his head he had thought they were done with kids but to see his wife happy, healthy and carrying their youngest, and last his vasectomy had gone off without a hitch, he was glad they had one more shot.

“So everyone knew about this but me?”

“I only knew because Meghan told me. I was going to come by the house and see if you guys wanted to ride to the party with us that’s when she spilled the secret.” He replied as he took a swing of his beer.

Eric nodded, “It was special and she looked beautiful thing was my sister showed up looking for a place to stay.”

“And you couldn’t say no.”

“No, I couldn’t” Eric sighed, “she looked in bad shape and the last thing I wanted was to turn her away”

“I get it” Jones faced his friend, “still with everything we have going on you sure you want her in the house?”

Eric looked at his friend, “what do you mean?”

“Meghan saw the girl on TV while we were captured. Seems she and your mom made some really mean statements about Elsie and your girls”

“Really,” Eric asked in surprise. He hadn’t watched any of the new reports his mother and sister were on.

“You haven’t seen?”

“No”

Jones pulled his phone from his pocket, “the news asked Meghan and my family if they wanted to say something and they all declined thinking it better to keep quiet,” he said as he pulled up the report “Janelle and Elsie did the same thing but your Mom and sister. Well see for yourself,” he replied as he passed Eric his phone.

Eric looked at the screen as the report came on. His mother was sitting in front of a trailer with Julia next to her. Both looked as if they needed bathes and had been high for a few days. He released a breath he had a feeling this was not going to end well.

***

Elsie moved from left to right with her hands in the air she was having the most fun she’d had in a long time. She grabbed Syn’s hands and moved with her to the music. So she and Eric hadn’t been in the throes of passion getting to know each other but they were having a nice time at this party and that was all she cared about.

Syn pulled her off the dance floor and over to the table they had commandeered, “so why are you and Eric here I thought you would be home running around naked”

Elsie chuckled as she took a sip of her drink, “that was the plan but Julia showed and things fell apart.”

“You left Julia in your house alone.”

“She’s with her boyfriend. And yes. Eric doesn’t know what happened.”

“You haven’t told him.”

“What am I supposed to say? Your mother and sister went on TV to spread lie after lie. That they didn’t acknowledge me or your children because they thought we were nothing but trash and called me ‘the woman who trapped her son.’”

“She did not use those words.”

“No she didn’t and thankfully the news edited out what she did say but I won’t put that on his plate. He is doing so well and I want him to continue to do well. Which mean me not saying a word?”

Syn shook her head, “I think you should tell him. He needs to know how they treated you Elsie.”

“He’s dealing with his own issues. I can deal with this. Julia and Joanna don’t affect my life with Eric. He’s a good man who loves me and my girls. I can’t ask for more than that and I won’t”

Syn nodded “fine I will leave it but if that woman ever talks to you like that again I will say something.”

“Hey lovely lady wanna dance.”

Elsie smiled as her husband whispered in her ear, “I’m not sure. I have a husband and he would be upset if I danced with another man” she said as she slowly turned to face him.

Eric pulled his wife into his arms, “he should be. A woman like you is worth her weight in gold and should be showered with all kinds of riches.”

Elsie wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, “I don’t need gold or riches; I just need to be loved.”

Eric placed a hand on his wife’s cheek, “that my dear one you are more than you know. Now come on let’s dance,” he released her grabbed her hand and headed towards the dance floor. Once there he wrapped his arms around his wife. She was so beautiful, so caring and so strong. He bent his head and kissed her temple he hadn’t watched five minutes of the interview with his mother and sister before he wanted to punch something. Especially when his mother told the reporter that the information he had was wrong. That he, Eric, didn’t have a wife and children and the nigger claiming to be his wife was nothing but a gold digger. He kissed the woman before him she had dealt with all of this and told him nothing about it. Eric released a breath as he pulled her closer and placed her head on his shoulder he would deal with sister when he got home and then his mother. It was time to cut both out of his life for good.

***

Nothing. There was nothing here for her to take. Julia bit her lower lip she had been through most of the house and had found only trinkets nothing worth any value. She moved back to the living room.

“Hey I think I found something.”

She looked at Jonny he was holding a box. She walked towards him, “what’s in it?”

He shrugged as he opened the box, “well damn”

“Wow,” Julia said as she stared at the necklace. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She took the necklace from Jonny’s hand, “where did you find this?”

“Eric’s bag. I was going through it hoping to find his gun or something we could sale but there was nothing but this.”

“He brought that cow this?” Julia seethed, “I can’t believe he brought that woman this. It has to be worth quite a bit of money.”

“The chain is white gold and that’s a real pearl.”

She looked at Jonny “how do you know all this?”

He shrugged “I just do. We need to take this to a dealer in the morning and get as much as we can for it.”

“Good and while we are doing that I suggest we take a few other things around here.”

“There’s not a lot to take.”

Julia shrugged “we’ll take what we can carry.”

***

Elsie giggled as Eric nuzzled her neck as she tried to open the front door. After they had danced the guys had started playing pool while she and a few of the other ladies still danced on the floor and had fun just hanging out. A few times Eric had pulled her onto the dance floor and just slow danced with her. Holding her close and whispering the most wonderful things in her ear. She finally got the door opened and walked into the house she and Eric were going to have the most wonderful time tonight. “I-” Elsie stopped “oh my God” she said as she looked around their living room. The TV was missing along with her laptop and Mara’s. Both had been charging on the desk she kept by the window. She covered her mouth with her hand as she walked further into her room. “Why?” She questioned as she sniffled “why would she do this?”

“You don’t know if it was her idea.”

Elise looked at Eric. He was suggesting his sister didn’t know her own mind. A bad assumption. One she had made once upon a time.

He walked over to the house phone and picked it up. He dialed the military police, “I want to report a robbery,” he said as he looked at his wife. She was shaking her head as she picked up one of Raelyn’s toys. She held the plush toy to her chest as she tried to hold back her tears. “Yes,” he turned back to the phone “yes, we will be here when you arrive.” Eric hung up the phone he would make a report then head to Clarksville’s police and make another report. Eric walked over to his wife he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her temple, “I am so sorry.”

“The house is a mess. They ran sacked it and-”

“I know. We will replace everything. I swear we will.”

Elsie nodded as she licked her lips, “I need to go check the rest of the house.”

“I’ll do it you stay here and wait for the police.”

“Ok,” she said as she sniffled.

***

Mara waved to her friend as she headed towards her house she hated that the sleepover was called off early but Sammie’s parents had both been given deployment orders’ meaning Sammie was heading to her grandparents for a while. Mara sighed she would miss her friend but she understood. Mara stilled once she was in the house, “oh my gosh” she said as she looked around the living room there was stuff everywhere. She walked slowly into the house who had done this? “Mom? Dad?” She called her parents had to be here they had to be ok. “Mom?! Dad?!” She called again please let my parents be ok.  She thought as she headed for her parents room.

“You filed the report but you didn’t tell them who did it.”

“She’s my sister Eli.”

“She robbed us Eric. She took things from this house which meant something to us.”

Mara stopped outside her parents’ room.

Eric released a breath, “you don’t know it was her. Jonny could have-

“Something tells me Julia has never been a victim in all her adult life.”

“Maybe, but she’s my baby sister and it’s my job to protect and help her.”

“While me and mine suffer? She almost cleaned us out and instead of telling the police what happened all you say is, ‘my sister was here but she left’” Elsie shook her head, “I can’t.”

“What if it was your family what would you have done?”

“What I’ve already done turned them in. She is stealing from people Eric. What if I or the girls were here when she decided to take from us?”

Eric closed his eyes as he released a breath, “I couldn’t turn her in Elsie, I’m sorry.”

“So am I?” she said as she turned and headed towards their room door. Elsie opened the door and stilled, “Mara.”

“Hi,” she gestured behind her “the house.”

“I know. We had a break in.” Elsie smiled tersely at her daughter, “I was just heading into the living room to start cleaning. Why are you home?”

“Sammie’s parents were called up. Her Mom brought me home.”

“Oh. Well, why don’t you start cleaning up your room and what we can’t salvage we will try and replace.”

Mara nodded.

“Ok” Elsie looked over her shoulder, “let’s get this place cleaned up” she turned back around and headed towards the living room.

Mara looked at her Dad she gave him a half smile before she turned and headed towards her room. Her father was in the dog house and there may be no way to get out of it.

***

Elsie threw another piece of broken glass in the trash bag how could he have done this to them? He could have at least pointed them in his sister’s direction. If it was Jonny’s idea then Julia could have told them that but for Eric to say nothing was. Was what? Hard to swallow yes but she had been where he was and it wasn’t pretty.

“I can believe you.”

Elsie faced her mother, “I had to.”

“Was the money that good?”

“You think I did this for money?”

“There was a reward and all you had to do was turn your brother in.”

“Momma, he broke out of prison. He wasn’t there for a traffic ticket he was there because he beat, raped then set that girl on fire while she was still alive.”

Madge shook her head, “my baby didn’t do that. No he’s a good boy and that girl.”

“What Momma? Deserved it?” Elsie released a breath her mother had been protecting her brother all his life. He never did anything wrong, “he needs to be in jail Momma” Elsie touched her cheek her mother hadn’t slapped her since she was a teen.

“You are not my daughter.”

“I-”

“Don’t!” Madge shook her head, “don’t talk to me” she turned and walked away from her daughter.

“Eli?”

She looked at Eric, “yeah.”

“The bedroom is back to some semblance of normal,” Eric tilted his head some “are you ok?”

“No,” she scratched the side of her head, “I’m not” she started picking up again.

“Want to talk about it,” he questioned. There were still so many things he didn’t know about his wife.

“Not much to tell,” she said as she picked up the final piece of glass she was about to place it in the bag when it nicked her finger, “damn” she placed a finger in her mouth.

“Let me see,” Eric pulled her finger gently from her mouth he watched as her blood popped up from the open wound, “come on let’s get this cleaned up,” he held her hand in his as he led them to the kitchen. He stopped by the counter, opened the cabinet and pulled out the first aid kit. He opened it and took out everything he needed to clean her wound. “Want to tell me what you were thinking about.”