Invincible (The Trident Code) (8 page)

I whispered a touch over her clit with the tips of my fingers. This wasn't going to be a quick rut in a dank room. This was going to be long, torturous. This would hopefully help her regain a small part of herself that she'd lost. Or at least I hoped that it did. If I couldn't be there for her, I wanted her to at least remember that I gave this back to her. A small part of me even hoped that it would be something she'd never forget.

The scent of her filled my nose as I touched my tongue to her pussy to tease and tempt. Her thighs clamped around my neck and her fingers grasped at my shoulders. I growled, trapping her wrists with my hands and holding them by her thighs, opening her farther to me. Her head arched back and I wished that I could see her face
twisted with pleasure as my tongue fluttered over her, driving guttural moans from deep in her throat.

I released one wrist to hold her leg wider by the knee so I could have a free hand. She took the initiative to do the same with her other. With one finger and my tongue I circled her clit, pressing softly and then with more pressure sucking and fingering until her hips were circling the movement. Her whole body bucked on the bed and when I slipped two fingers deep inside her she exploded around them with a silent scream. Her entire body went taut for an endless moment and I eased up to watch the erotic response ripple across her face.

I watched until she melted into the bed. I watched until the small smile on her face slid into sleep. I watched until I was certain I could keep my own visceral emotional response in check. I watched until I knew that I could tuck the experience safely inside. Until I could stomach saying goodbye when it was the last thing I wanted to do.

I could handle giving her
an orgasm, but not waking up to her all sleepy and soft. She'd been wrapped around me like a vine, curled into my side with a leg thrown across my own, her breasts against my chest, her face tucked into my neck. I tucked that feeling away, too, and pulled away from the embrace and the longing that it stirred.

I wanted nothing more than to stir her from sleep with a repeat from the night before, but that would lead us both down a road that I wasn't sure we could come back from.

I was eating a pitiful excuse for a breakfast, runny, cold eggs and piss-poor coffee when she slipped into the galley kitchen in her meet-the-parents clothes. She was hesitant as she came closer, she looked almost hopeful.

The shame and regret twisted painfully in my chest when she smiled up at me, her cheeks flush with a burn from my beard. For the first time since I met her she seemed happy and it fucking pissed me off that I allowed myself to even get close to her to care about her goddamn feelings.

She fidgeted with the hem of her dress as I made her a cup of coffee and a plate of shitty food.

"Are you packed? Embassy opens at zero seven hundred and we want to get you
there ASAP."

Confusion muddled her face and though I wanted to sidle up to her and tuck her into the comfort of my arm, I resisted. "Yeah, I've got everything. How do I look?"

Her face glowed, as it had last night. All I wanted in that moment was to drag her back to our room and take back my promise not to fuck her. Instead I frowned. “You look fine. Kyle and Vic will wait outside and I’ll walk you in. Once I’m sure you’re in safe hands, I’ll go.”

She blinked back tears, though I ignored them. I tried to pr
etend they were tears of excitement, but I could tell by her white pallor and tense stance that she was petrified.

She ate her breakfast in silence and I was both thankful and a
ngry about every fucking thing. She finished and threw away the soggy paper plate, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Let’s go.”

I took her hand and led her off the boat and dock. Vic and Kyle carried our luggage to the car. Annie and I sat on a bench outside the parking lot. Her eyes darted around, staring at the people heading to the dock. One couple looked right at us and Annie’s gaze lowered to the ground almost instantly. She tapped her foot and clutched my arm, almost leaving marks.

She turned to me. “About last night, I wanted to apologize—”

I cut her off. “Don’t. It's done. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

“Will you come see me when you return from deployment? I really would like to see you again. I think we have a connection.”

Man, I didn’t need this. After all I’d done for her, she was putting this guilt on me. “Annie, I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’ll be bonded together forever because of this. But that’s all there is. A memory. You’re confusing your gratitude for your freedom with your feelings toward me. You don’t know me. And I don’t really know you, either. We have nothing in common. It was what it was. Once you’re back home, you’ll get back with your rich, surfer boyfriend that keeps telling the press how much he misses you, and you’ll forget I exist.”

“That’s impossible. And I doubt that Chris has stayed faithful all these years. I’m sure he has a ton of girls. I’m not the same pe
rson I was when I left. No one has ever done anything for me like you have. I need you. I won’t be able to forget you.”

“Well, you’re going to have to. I’m not the man you think I am.”

Kyle pulled the car around with Vic in the passenger seat.

I opened the door for her and she squeezed inside. I sat next to her and held her hand. I didn’t want to be a dick to her; I just didn’t want to give her any hope that there was a future for us.
Because there wasn’t.

As we drove away from the ocean, I looked out back at the dock. Despite the horrors Annie had endured on this island, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the ocean, as the majestic sunrise welcomed us. But this tropical paradise would always be marred by what had happened to Annie.

Our car approached the embassy. Annie had chill bumps on her arms, and I put my arm around her to comfort her.

I helped Annie out of the car. Vic and Kyle both emerged to say goodbye.

“Thank you both for everything: meds, making me laugh. I hope I’ll see you guys again.”

Vic gave her a hug. “Good luck, sweetheart.”

Kyle also embraced her. “Of course we’ll see you again. You’re Pat’s girl. I’m counting on hooking up with all your hottie friends.”

Her mouth spread into a smile. “They’ll love you.”

I leveled Kyle with my eyes. I’d deal with him later.

“You guys stay here. I’ll take her inside.”

We walked up the stairs of the embassy, Annie holding on to my arm. A United States Marine guarded the door and gave us an intense stare. After we entered, I took her over to the consular general’s office; walk-ins were only accepted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, nine a.m. to eleven a.m. It was too risky to make an appointment; I wanted to make sure we were first in line.

“Can’t you come inside with me? Just for a bit?” I could feel Annie shake.

There couldn’t be any ambiguity. I had to cut the ties. “Nope. You need to go by yourself. I'm not coming with you.”

“But I need you. Please, I’m sure the Navy would give you leave? My daddy could get you a job and—”

“Stop. We're not going to do this." My head pounded. I had to get it over with. Set her free so she could move on. “This is it, Annie. It’s over. I can't ever see you again. I rescued you, detoxed you. You’re nothing more than a job to me. The job is done. This is done. I don’t owe you anything. Just let it go."

Tears fell down her face and she let out a whimper.

My chest tightened. I fucking hated myself for being such an asshole. But I had to do this. For her. For me. We both had to move on.

I nudged Annie into the room, then walked away and stood outside the door. Annie looked back at me and then walked up to the window. The lady seemed to ask her some questions, then came out from behind the cubicle and gave Annie a hug. I gave a final glance back and could see the secretary entering the
consular’s office, holding Annie’s hand. Annie was safe. I’d done my job and completed my mission. It was time to get back to my men.

I raced down the steps of the embassy and jumped into the awaiting car. “Go.”

Kyle sped away.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh. I could’ve kissed her goodbye, told her it was going to be okay, that I cared about her.

“You okay?” Vic offered.

“Yup. Never better,” I lied.

I wondered what Annie was doing at that moment. Had she finally called her parents? Heard their voices? Like an investigative news reporter, I wanted to know every detail. But that was her story. My involvement in her life was over. And now it was time for me to get back to my life. I’d done my job, earned my trident.

“The only easy day was yesterday.”

I was back on the
ship, crammed next to my smelly men. One week had passed since I left Annie at the embassy. I’d followed my usual routine: gym, mess hall, brief on mission. Normally, I’d log on to the computer every night but I’d been avoiding the internet. Kyle and Vic had told me that she had been flown to the States, but I told them I didn’t want to hear the details.

I finally signed in once everyone else had dispersed so I could be alone. I clicked on Fox News.

“Missing American Analía ‘Annie’ Rose Hamilton Found Alive in Curaçao.”

I scanned the article, looking for any details regarding my pa
rticipation in her rescue.

“Hamilton walked into the American Embassy on Friday, a
ccompanied by a man, who left immediately. It is not clear what his involvement in her rescue was, but sources close to the embassy believe that he was in Special Operations.”

Great. Fucking great. That damn Jarhead probably fucking dimed me out. Now I was part of the investigation. I needed to tell my command what was going on, before they were contacted.

I found a video of a press conference on YouTube. It was a fucking circus: Annie, her parents, her douche bag boyfriend Chris, the police, lawyers, the press. So glad I didn’t have any part of that.

Annie didn’t speak. She stood at the podium in a fitted, white
suit, clutching the cheap necklace I’d given her.

Her parents read from a prepared statement.

“We are so ecstatic to be reunited with our darling Annie. She is a testament to our faith in the Lord. To all the families with missing children out there, never give up hope. We ask for our privacy at this time.”

Faith in the Lord?
The Lord didn’t find her, I did. I wasn’t an atheist. I believed in God, I’d been raised Catholic. I just hated the acceptance that everything that happened was part of God’s plan. Was it God’s plan for Annie to be kidnapped, forced to take drugs, raped every day?

Her boyfriend held her hand. I closed the website.

I found Kyle and Vic in the television lounge. “It’s all over the news. I need to tell Lt. Marshall before our names get leaked.”

Vic nodded and stood up, probably heading toward Lt. Ma
rshall’s quarters when Kyle stopped him. “Hold up. We don’t need to tell him shit. Annie’s not going to sell you out. I’m sure she’ll repeat the story we told her, that she saw her opportunity to escape and asked a tourist for a ride to the embassy. She survived for five years—she’s not going to break when they question her. And it’s not like the pimp is going to rat us out since he’s dead. Why would she try to ruin our career? I don’t think she’s like that.”

Vic pointed toward the officer quarters. “We should tell Lt. Marshall.”

“No, Kyle is right. Let’s wait and see.”

Vic just shook his head. I had to remind myself that if I’d gone through the proper channels, like Vic had wanted to, Annie would never be saved. So that was that. I know I did the right thing. And I didn’t have any regrets. 

Three more months. Three more months and I’d be back in sunny San Diego, California. Less than twenty miles away from Annie. I’d told her I’d never wanted to see her again. But I wasn’t sure that I’d meant it. For now, I had to focus on my next mission, and get her crooked smile out of my head.

Today was homecoming. All the
other men would have their wives, girlfriends, kids waiting for their arrival on the dock. Not me. I hadn’t even bothered telling my mom when I’d be returning. Didn’t want her to fly down from Northern California. I’d take leave soon and go visit her. For now, I wanted peace and quiet. Time to finally put all that had happened behind me.

Vic stopped by my rack. “Hey, man. What you doing Satu
rday? My family is having a fiesta for us; carne asada on the grill, tequila, you wanna come?”

“Thanks, man. I’ll text you. Tonight, I just want to get home to see my dog.” Trigger had been staying with one of my SEAL bu
ddies who was stuck on instructor duty, training BUD/S Phase One, for the wannabe SEALs.

“Okay. See you Saturday.” He gave me a man-hug.

I gathered my pack and gun. I just wanted to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Despite my best intentions, I hadn’t been able to resist keeping up with Annie’s return. Luckily, my name hadn’t been in the press and she had evaded revealing the details of her escape. San Diego had held a parade in honor of her return, and People Magazine had put her on the cover. There had been one interview with Oprah, where she mostly talked about the night she’d been kidnapped and her life for the past five years. When Oprah interrogated Annie about her rescue, Annie just
teared up and said she wasn’t ready to talk about it. I was thankful for her omission. When asked if she had someone special in her life, she had said yes. Was she talking about me? Chris? It pissed me off that I even cared. After that interview, Annie and her family had asked for privacy and time to heal.

I walked down the plank after most of the sailors and Marines had dispersed. I wasn’t in any rush. We were docked at the 32nd street Naval Base. The beautiful view of the Hotel Del Coronado was behind me, and I marveled at San Diego waterfront. I was happy to be home.

A sailor in front of me ran toward his wife, then cradled his infant son, whom he was surely meeting for the first time. I couldn’t imagine having to come home to this new life, new baby, and trying to make up for all the time I wasn’t around. Being a stranger to my own family wasn’t something that appealed to me.

“Hey, Hero.”

My head turned. Annie stood before me, holding a painted “Welcome Home Patrick!” sign. What the fuck was she doing here?

She was stunning, and looked completely different than when I’d left her in the embassy. Her black hair was blown dry and had lighter highlights framing her face. Her hazel eyes now seemed more golden, set off against her purple eye shadow. She’d gained some weight and her body looked perfectly sculpted. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way her form-fitting pink sweater hugged her newly found curves.
Curves that had my mouth watering.

“How did you find me?”

Her hair blew in the wind and she smiled. “You’re not the only one who can find people. My dad’s a retired Navy Lieutenant. He went to Annapolis.”

Why hadn’t she told me that before? Her dad was a ring knoc
ker? Figured.

I wasn’t ready to see her. I had planned on finding her before I deployed again, but on my terms. I didn’t appreciate being a
mbushed. “What are you doing here? I told you I didn’t want to see you again—”

She bit her lip, her smile now sad. “Relax. I get it. Really . . . I just came to see you, because I wanted to tell you thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry for the way I behaved detoxing and at the embassy. I was just paranoid. Don’t worry, I’m not g
oing to stalk you.”

Maybe I wanted her to stalk me. Fuck, I didn’t know what the fuck I wanted. This new Annie wasn’t the same beaten down girl I’d left behind. She was now strong, sexy,
confident which only made me want her more.

The wind from the Pacific Ocean blew up her skirt, and I glimpsed black lace panties. I wanted to take her right there on the pier, hike up her skirt and fuck her brains out.

“Need a ride?”

Did I ever. Mind out of gutter. I’d planned on taking the shuttle back to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado where my truck was parked. “I guess.”

She paused for a second. “Can I take you to lunch? Just to thank you. Then I’ll leave you alone.”

“I could eat.” I followed her out to the parking lot. She pressed the button on her keys and a brand new deep purple Audi Q7 blinked its lights. “Nice ride.”

“Oh, thanks. My dad bought it for me. I didn’t want to drive anywhere by myself at first, but now I love it. Freedom, remember? Apparently it also comes on wheels.”

I opened the driver’s door for her. I came around to the passe
nger’s side and slid in. This luxury SUV had all the bells and whistles: navigation, MP3, seat sensors.

She drove off base. My body remembered that I hadn’t been with anyone since her. But she wasn’t my girlfriend picking me up after a long deployment. I had to remind myself that we weren’t a couple—I didn’t even know her. We were just deeply connected by this experience. This was just closure, for her, for me. And rea
lly, I was curious to see how she’d adjusted back to her old life. I wanted the truth, not lies fed from a tabloid. I needed to know she was okay. So I could move on and put her in the past. Finally.

She drove over the Coronado Bridge, down Coronado Avenue. We pulled up to my favorite non-SEAL watering hole, Leroy’s, and sat down at one of the reclaimed wood tables. I ordered a burger and a craft beer; she had
ahi tacos and a lemon drop.

“So, how you been? Any relapses?”

She rolled her eyes. “No relapses. Good, I guess. I mean, nights are no fun—I get scared and have nightmares. Plus, I find it hard to do anything without asking for permission.”

“Are you healthy?”

She must’ve understood what I meant. “Yup. I repeated all the tests Vic gave me. Luckily, no STDs. Even in the brothel, I always insisted on using a condom. If the men refused to use one, I’d take the beating from my pimp rather than risk it. I always hoped one day I’d be able to escape.”

There was something about her now that I couldn’t figure out.
A coolness. An air.

“That’s good. Are you going back to school?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. I don’t know. There are book offers I’m considering, but I’m not ready to tell my story.” She looked at me. “Our story. I want to get into some kind of sex trafficking activism.”

“That’s cool.” Despite my desire to take her home with me, I kept my distance. She didn’t need me dropping in and out of her life. I’d be leaving San Diego to train again
in a few weeks.

She reached across the table and touched my hand. “I need a
nother favor.”

Why the hell not? It’d been months. I grinned and squeezed her hand. “Let’s go. I’ll take you back to my place.”

She blushed. “No no, not that. Next time I’m with a man I want it to be special, to mean something.”

Ouch. I just laughed. Figured. That ‘someone’ special she had mentioned during Oprah definitely wasn’t me. What the fuck was wrong with me, now I was referencing Oprah? Annie had probably already reunited with Chris. I doubted she wanted some SEAL who hired hookers hanging around her. “What do you want?”

“Uhm, so, you can say no. But my dad wants to meet you and personally thank you for saving me.”

Fuck no. I clenched my fist. “Not going to happen, Annie. I a
ssume you already told him how we met? Hi, sir. Well, yes, I visited a whorehouse in Curaçao and hired your daughter to give me a blowjob. No way.”

“He’ll love you! All he cares about is that you saved me. He was in the Navy. He understands.”

“Sorry, Annie. But the answer is no.”

“Please. Just this once then I’ll leave you alone. I promise. He just really wants to thank you.”

“You’re not going to leave me alone until I agree.”

“Pretty much.”

I couldn’t say no to her. “Fine. When?”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Really? Thank you so much! Dinner t
omorrow? At our house. Here’s the address.”

She had already written it down on a piece of paper. This full homecoming greeting was just an act to get me to do what she wanted. And I’d fallen for it, believing that she actually wanted to see me.

I’d meet with her family, alleviate the guilt they must have for not being able to save her. And then I was done. And this time I meant it.