Invincible (The Trident Code) (14 page)

I stopped at the florist
near my house to get Annie flowers. I chose a bouquet of wild flowers, nothing too pure and pretty. Carefree, damaged, and finally free, just like her. Matt had rattled me. I didn’t want to end up like him. I was starting to think that Annie was my perfect match, strong, loyal, a survivor. And her fine ass didn’t hurt either.

I opened the door and Annie was sitting out on my small ba
lcony, Trigger at her feet. She wasn’t reading, on her phone, or listening to music. I admired her ability to just enjoy each moment of freedom, without having to always be busy. I needed to learn to do that.

“Hey babe.”

Her face lit up when she saw me. She bounded over to me and gave me a kiss. “These are gorgeous. Thank you. How was work?”

I winced. I hated lying to her. I vowed to be honest with her from now on, but I couldn’t tell her where I’d been. I’d given Matt my word. “Good.
An old Team guy stopped by. Hey, let’s get out of here. I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with work I haven’t taken you anywhere since we’ve been back. Anything you’ve been dying to do since you’ve returned?” I had plenty of suggestions, but they all seemed wrong. My first thought was Sea World but I doubted that Annie wanted to spend the day watching animals kidnapped and forced into captivity to perform tricks for strangers.

“Disneyland? I have to, for Nicole.” 

Shit. I hadn’t been to Disneyland since I was a kid. I’d take Annie there since it meant something to her, but I had a better idea. “Pack a bag. Let’s go.”

Her face brightened. I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed making her happy.

I sent Kyle a quick text.

An hour later, we were headed up the I-5 to Anaheim.

We pulled into the Downtown Disney Parking lot and dropped Trigger off at the Disneyland Kennels just right outside the gate. We headed straight over to Disney California Adventure Park. I’d never been here. We used our fast pass for Soarin’ Over California, which I actually loved: seeing all the beautiful parks, lakes, monuments of my home state made me happy to be back home. Normally when I was on leave, I was itching to return back to sea. But for the first time in memory, I was taking joy in everyday life. Spending time with Annie made everything more enjoyable.

We hit some more rides, hopped over to Disneyland, and grabbed a quick bite to eat.

Annie was enjoying herself, but I knew this wasn’t really her scene. She hated crowds, and was pretty jumpy with the loud noises from the rides. She was doing this for Nicole.

“I’m ready to go, Pat. But I need to do something first.”

We walked to the main entrance of Disneyland, and Annie’s eyes were glued to the ground. There were hundreds of tiny memorial pavers. She paced up and down the rows and finally stopped. There was a small one that read: The Race Family. December 8, 2006.

Annie knelt down and traced the stone with her hands. Tears filled her eyes. I didn’t want to ruin her moment, so I stood back, unsure of what to say. She took out some
Krazy Glue from her purse. She removed the necklace I gave her in the brothel, took the chain off, and glued it to Nicole’s paver.

Shit, it even made me want to cry.

Annie took a picture of the paver and walked away.

After around ten minutes, Annie stood up. “We can go now.”

“That was sweet, Annie.”

“Yeah. I wanted her to have it. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for her. She always talked about that vacation. How much fun they had all had and she was determined to come back here. I still haven’t seen her parents. Would you go with me to see them?”

“Of course.”

“That would be great. Thank you for taking me.”

I put my arm around her. We picked up Trigger at the kennels, and headed back to the car.

She put her seat belt on. “Where are we staying?”

“I have a surprise for you.”

“I hate surprises. We’re not staying near Disneyland?”

“Why don’t you crash? It’s a long drive. We’ll be there by morning.”  

She tapped her fingers on the window. “Okay. This better be good.” She leaned in and gave me a kiss.

I stopped by a drive through Starbucks, ordered a Venti black coffee, and a few bottles of water for the drive.

Eight hours later at six a.m., we had arrived at our destination. She was passed out in the seat next to me.

“Wake up, Sunshine. We’re here.”

She rubbed her eyes, and blinked a few times to gain sight. The vast, pure lake glimmered in the sunrise.

“Pat! Tahoe! You remembered?”

“Of course. I never forget anything. Kyle has a buddy with a cabin in Incline Village. We have it for the whole week.”

“The week? That’s amazing. Don’t you have to go back to work? You’ve been working every day.”

She didn’t know that we had complete block leave, and all the times I’d told her I’d been at work, I was acting on a hunch I had about her family. “We have a week of leave. It’s just you and me.” I paused. I felt horrible keeping this secret from her, but I couldn’t tell her. “Annie. I’ve been lying to you.”

Her face dropped. “About what.”

“I told you that I didn’t want a relationship while I was on the Teams. But, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m willing to try.”

She leaned to my seat and wrapped her arms around my neck, planting a kiss on my cheeks. “One thing I learned in captivity was to not focus on the future or the past. Just take one day at a time. I’m happy with you today. We don’t need to plan out the rest of our lives. As long as you want to be with me now, that’s enough for me.”

I kissed her back, couldn’t wait to get her into the cabin. Annie was unlike any girl I’d ever known, she didn’t expect anything of me, didn’t try to change me, and accepted me for who I was. Ma
ybe being with me the three months out of the year that I didn’t deploy would be enough to make her happy. I was crazy about her.

But I had to confront her father, protect her from him. And I knew I would shatter Annie’s carefully rebuilt world. 

Kyle left out a detail about the owner of the cabin—apparently the guy was loaded. Probably one of his NFL buddies. This place was on the water in Incline Village, a hotspot of wealthy Silicon Valley executives. My mom and I used to stay in a crappy motel in South Lake Tahoe, but I loved it anyway. This cabin had stonework, beautiful hard wood floors, seven bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a game room, an exercise room, a wine cellar, and a master bedroom with a private fireplace.

I needed to sleep. I let Trigger out back in the yard. “Can you bring Trigger back in when he is done?”

“Yes.”

I brought our bags in, and went upstairs to take a shower.

I took off my clothes and turned on the hot water. Should I confront her dad? It was pointless really. He would either lie and deny it or admit it and retaliate against Matt. No wonder he hated my guts, probably knew I would figure his bullshit out. Some may look at us enlisted SEALs as nothing more than brawn, but to get through BUD/S, you had to be intelligent.

But if I told Annie, she would have no one left in her life but me—and that was if she believed me. I thought she would, but you
never know. Blood is thicker than water. Who would be there for her when I was gone?

I stepped out of the shower and went into the bedroom. The fireplace was already on. And Annie was sitting on the bed in some damn sexy lingerie. Pink silk nightie trimmed with black lace, split up high on her thigh.

I stopped in the doorway to watch as she smoothed lotion over her legs and it occurred to me that I wouldn't mind seeing her do this every night. I'd heard the poor bastards in team wax poetic about coming home to their wives and it wasn't until I saw her looking at home in the bed that I realized what they meant.

She looked up and saw me watching her. "Hey, hero. What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I walked over to the bed and knelt at the edge next to her. She stilled, then set the lotion on the nightstand and angled towards me. I wasn't rushed to fuck her like the day at the beach. It wasn't about satiating a hunger. I wanted to show her what I was feeling, but didn't have the words to say.

She watched me with big eyes while I urged her to lay back on the bed with the press of a hand against her shoulder. With the tips of my fingers I followed the lines of her jaw, down her throat and dipped inside the silk of the lingerie to cup her full breast. Her back arched off of the bed to fill my hand more completely.

God, she was perfect.

I circled her puckered nipple with my finger, teasing it to a point. Her feet grasped for purchase on the slippery sheets of the luxurious bed when I pinched the nipple between two fingers and rolled. She cried out in surprise and I sat beside her to take her into my mouth. She clasped her hands behind my head to hold me to her chest.

I didn't know how much longer I would have with her, if we would make it. I didn't know if I could get her through this shit with her parents or if I'd even survive my next deployment. Both thoughts shot twin sparks of fear through my chest. As I held her in my arms and brought her to the peak of pleasure, I vowed that I would do what I can to keep her safe.

No matter the cost.

With a single-minded determination, I stripped her of the sexy little nightie and discarded my clothes on the floor. She wrapped herself around me as I climbed in and situated her so that her back was pressed to my front. I slid a hand underneath her and between her legs so that I could tease her with little flicks over her clit. She pressed her head back against my neck and her arched her ass into my crotch.

I positioned my cock at her entrance and teased her with an inch at a time. Dipping in slowly and pulling out until she didn't know whether to slam herself onto me or tip her hips forward for more pleasure from my fingers. I surrounded her on all sides. With my cock, my arms, pressed tightly against her back and my mouth whispering erotic suggestions into her ear.

When her chest began to heave and her legs started to shake, I began thrusting with increased speed. She placed a hand where our bodies were connected and the feeling of her fingers wrapping around me as I slammed into her almost pushed me over the edge.

With my other hand I trailed the taunt skin of her stomach and her bouncing breasts to her neck. I wrapped my fingers there, not to hurt her or scare her, but to claim her, take her even more co
mpletely. She responded wildly, hips jerking, moaning with each thrust until she stiffened against me. I followed behind her with a shout into her hair.

I didn't pull
out, instead I laved kisses along her hairline and down the length of her shoulder, steadily working my cock in and out of her as our orgasms subsided.

"Okay, so I wasn't expecting that." She laughed.

I chuckled into her ear. "Then you're really about to be surprised."

"You have to be kidding me. Again?"

I dragged my hardening length out slowly and her breath caught, then slowly worked it back inside as her entire body tensed.

"
Ohmygod. Yes. I like surprises."

I didn't and I was growing increasingly worried about what would happen when I wasn't there for her. I pushed it to the back of my mind and instead focused on bringing her to the brink again.

Even though I loved to
ski and snowboard, I preferred summer to winter in Tahoe. The water was so blue and clear. We planned to hike on the Horsetail Falls Trail. It was a fairly easy hike, not too crowded that our view would be spoiled.

While I slept in, Annie had woken up early and ran to the store. She bought groceries for the week and made sandwiches for the hike.

We hiked along Pyramid Creek. I peeked through the trees until I found a great swimming hole. No one was around, so we stripped down and went skinny-dipping. We made love under a beautiful small cascade.

I climbed out, got dressed, and found a large, flat boulder for our picnic. I set all the food out, poured two glasses of wine. Annie
was still wading in the swimming hole. She looked so blissful. I could stare at her forever.

She finally emerged, looking like one of those water nymphs. She gathered her clothes and I checked out her perky ass.

The sky was didn’t have a cloud in sight, and the crisp air was almost like a drug to me. There were snow-capped mountains in the distance. After nine months at see, I couldn’t image a more beautiful sight. After five years of captivity, I’m sure the view even meant more to Annie.

She took a sip of her wine. “So, when you deploy next month, where are you going?”

“Middle east.”

She nodded. “How will I communicate with you? Do you even have a phone?”

“Well when we are on ship or one of the bases, I can check email. Maybe even use the phone. But if I’m on operation, it might be a month or so with no word.”

Her lip trembled. I knew it would suck for her to get this close to me and then be left without even a way to contact me.

“Can I call someone? I mean to see if you are okay?”

I took a bite of my sandwich. This was a talk we needed to have sooner or later. “Well, the wives have a number to call, and groups to meet at. But there isn’t really something set up for gir
lfriends.”

She shrugged her shoulders, and turned around to get water out of the backpack. “I get it. I’ll just call Kyle’s mom.”

Dammit. I couldn’t do this to her. She needed support to be with me. Especially since her family completely sucked. There was one way I could make this easier for her. Something I vowed never to do. I tore off some tin foil from the sandwich.

When she turned back around, I had a surprise for her.

“What are you doing?”

I dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?” I coiled the foil into a ring.

She didn’t respond, just started shaking her head. ““Why are you asking me? So I can get wife updates while you are deployed? That’s ridiculous. No. I don’t want to get married for the wrong reasons.”

“That’s part of it. I want to take care of you. But I have thought about marrying you. And you’re it for me. Say yes.”

“Are you insane? We just got together. A week ago you weren’t even sure if you wanted to ever see me again. You can't be serious."

I didn’t give up—I always got what I wanted. I couldn't stand the thought of her not being safe, not being protected. “Dead ser
ious. Yes or no—I won’t ask again.”

Her top lip contorted. I knew she had feelings for me, but didn’t see this coming a mile away. But she was it for me, in the ways that mattered. And the only way this would ever work out, the only way she would be safe, with my job and her father, is if she became completely mine. “You haven’t even said you love me yet. Do you love me?”

Of course I did. But I couldn’t say it. “You know how I feel about you.”

She closed her eyes. I wished I could climb inside her head. Crush out her bad memories and replace them with good ones. But I couldn’t do that. The only thing I could do was
take care of her for the rest of her life, and make sure that no one ever harmed her again.

Her eyes opened—those gorgeous hazel eyes that I’d seen the first night in the brothel. I knew her
answer, she didn’t have to speak a word.

Her eyes darted from me to the crappy foil ring.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you a nicer ring. This was all I could come up with.”

“Yes, Pat. Oh my God! I never thought you’d propose. Not e
ver. I didn’t even think you wanted a girlfriend. You’re crazy, but I love you. Yes.” She climbed in my lap and pushed me over.

“I can’t wait to start planning. When do you get back from your next deployment? It will take at least a year to organize. Don’t worry, my dad will pay for everything.”

Here we go. Of course, I knew that all women wanted to plan their dream wedding. And Annie had enough of her dreams taken away; I didn’t want to burst another. But over my dead body would I let her father pay for one penny.

“That’s the catch. I won’t be back for nine months, maybe ten if we extend. And we have to get married before I go or you won’t get any benefits. I need you taken care of and you're nothing to the military if there isn't a marriage license to back it up. The SEAL wives will welcome you, and the BUD/S instructor SEALs will be there if you need anything. I leave soon. I want to spend as much time with you as my wife as possible. Let’s go now.”

“Now. Here? Today? Without my family? They’ve been through enough without me and now you want to elope?”

I wanted to tell her that I knew for a fact that her dad didn’t give a shit about her and left her to die. But I’d take that secret to my grave. Maybe one day she would learn the truth—but it wouldn’t be from me. No way in hell.

“Yes. Let’s go to Harrah’s. Now. I can’t wait Annie. I don’t think you understand the SEAL community. We will have a ton of paperwork to fill out, have to get your ID card, all your benefits, my life insurance. Get on the housing list, since I’d rather you live on base where they can keep you safe. This is the only way it will work. I can’t be deployed and have you back home without a safety net. There’s an eighty percent divorce rate and I won’t let us be a statistic. I’ll never cheat on you. You don’t have to worry about that. But it won’t be easy. Though compared to what you’ve been through it should be a piece of cake.”

“But my parents—”

I stopped her with a kiss. I didn’t want to hear about her parents. I needed to protect her from them. “Now or never.”

She paused, her lip caught in her teeth, then smiled. “Now. Let’s do it.”

This was the only way I could protect her. Seeing her happy face replace the image in my head of the sad girl in the brothel brought me peace. I rarely had peace or even desired it. My fucking bumper sticker read, “Give War a Chance.”

Annie insisted on finishing the picnic lunch she’d prepared. She said she wanted to savor the moment, remember the place we got engaged. She took photos of the trail, the foil ring, us.

We finally made our way back down the trailhead, found my truck and drove off toward the Douglas County Administration Building to get our wedding license. Annie called en route and we were able to get an appointment, and the chapel had an opening in an hour. Getting our license didn’t take long, and we drove to a jewelry store to get her a ring.

I picked out a small white gold princess cut diamond for her and she bought me a titanium band. I couldn’t afford to get her a
huge rock, and I never lived beyond my means. Annie had to be happy with my lifestyle, as a Navy wife. There would be no luxurious vacations and no beachfront mansions. But she’d never starve and I’d always provide for her. And she knew that.

I didn’t feel nervous. I was fucking sure about it. Once I made a decision, I never wavered.

The attendant signaled that we were next. The chapel overlooked the lake.

Annie pulled me aside. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Positive.”

“I never thought I’d get married. I used to think that even if I escaped, no man would ever love me.
That I’d always be Star. I’d always be seen as nothing but a whore. Then I met you and you gave me hope. Not hope that you would love me, I didn’t love myself. Just hope that I would one day get my life back. Even after you saved me, I didn’t think there could ever be a chance for us. You seemed so tough, so strong, so invincible. And you’re so sexy. I mean, you look like an action movie star. You could get any girl, why would you want a former hooker? And you constantly said over and over that you didn’t want a relationship until you retired. I figured what happened on that boat was just you taking pity on me. When you told me at the embassy that you never wanted to see me again, I thought that was it. And I was actually trying to make peace with living in a world without you in it, and I focused on getting strong and healthy. Seeing you returning from deployment was bittersweet, because I didn’t think you wanted to even get to know me. I don’t know what switched inside your head, but you’ve made me the happiest woman ever. I’m so happy you chose me in the brothel. Everyday in captivity I played the ‘what if’ game. What if I hadn’t gone on the cruise? What if I hadn’t been drunk that night? What if I hadn’t decided to go take pictures? There are no more ‘what ifs’ in my life. I’m present. I’m here now. And if I could go back in time and choose not to get kidnapped, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because that nightmare brought me to you. To think you were living in San Diego when I was in high school and we never met. Did I see you on the beach? We are meant to be together. Forever. I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life trying to make you happy."

I didn’t cry, but I became choked up. I almost told her I loved her but the
officiant interrupted our moment and came back to the center of the chapel and started the ceremony.

Annie glowed. We were still dressed in our hiking clothes, but this was our wedding, our way. I’d give her the wedding of her dreams when I returned from deployment. But I’d pay for ever
ything, and her parents wouldn’t be invited.

It came time to say our vows. I repeated what the
officiant told me.

“Do you, Patrick Joseph Walsh, take this woman whose hand you now hold, to be your true and wedded wife; and do you so
lemnly promise before God and these witnesses to LOVE, CHERISH, HONOR AND PROTECT HER: to forsake all others for her sake; to cleave unto her, and her only, with her forever until death shall part you?”

My heart pounded in my chest. “I do.”

“Do you Analía Rose Hamilton, take this man who now holds your hand, to be your true and wedded husband; and do you solemnly promise before God and these witnesses to LOVE, CHERISH, HONOR AND PROTECT HIM, to forsake all others for his sake; to cleave unto him and him only, and him forever until death shall part you?”

Annie beamed. “I do.”

The officiant finished the ceremony. We exchanged rings. And then he said the words I was waiting to hear.

“Therefore, by the power vested in me by the laws of the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

I cupped Annie’s face and kissed her. She jumped on me and I twirled her around.

“I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh.”

There was no one in the chapel but I didn’t give a fuck. Annie was mine now. Forever. She was a Walsh. And no one would ever hurt her again.