Page 9 of Beaches

She nodded, all too quick to agree to walk away with strangers.

“Calvin looked sick,” she said. “He was skinnier than me.”

“Then let’s bring him home.”

CHAPTER SIX

“Calvin Marcus Johnson, Jr., Victor Raoul Hernandez, and Damon Walter Bell. All three served in Southeast Asia after the end of the Vietnam War. Damon is a pilot and was thought to have gone down over Danang. Calvin and Victor were part of a mission to free POWs. All three men are in their seventies now. If they’ve been there thirty years, they must have been held somewhere else and moved,” said Ace.

“Christ, who the fuck is doing this?” asked Gaspar, speaking to the rest of the team back home.

Trak was able to get April out of the hospital unseen. No one knew how. No one asked. No one cared. Nine had a conversation with the chief physician on the team. He wasn’t forthcoming at all. That is until Nine called the POTUS.

“Sir, this woman may have classified information,” said the doctor.

“I don’t give a flying fig if she’s got gold bullion from the national treasury. These men have a higher clearance than you. Let her go.”

“She may know things that we need to know,” said the doctor.

“And we’ll find out what she knows,” said Nine. Before any other arguments could be made, a nurse came in, whispering to the doctor.

“She’s gone! What did you do?” he yelled. The POTUS was chuckling on the other end of the line.

“We’ve been sitting here with you, dumbass,” frowned Nine. “I think the better question is, what the fuck is happening in your hospital that a woman can just walk out without anyone seeing her?”

Before the doctor could order further, the POTUS dismissed them all, and Nine walked out with Wilson and Ghost behind him. He could only pray Trak, Ian, and Gaspar were able to make it to the house on Coronado with the young woman.

By the time they arrived, Gaspar was already speaking with Code and Ace back home. He smiled as Erin, Faith, Kelsey, and Ashley walked out of the kitchen.

“Well, you four make this place a helluva lot better looking,” he smirked. “How is our girl doing?”

“She’s confused. She doesn’t understand anything. She’s never seen a television or radio. She’s never slept in a bed or seen a shower or bathtub. We brought her some clothes and personal items. None of which she even knew how to use.”

“What do you mean?” Nine asked his wife.

“Nine, she’s never had a period. We think they may have sterilized the women or she was so malnourished she just never had a normal cycle. It could even be that she was beaten so much she didn’t notice the blood. She’s never worn a bra or panties. She’s never had a bar of soap or shampoo. Faith helped her to bathe,” said Erin. Nine looked at Faith, knowing that she saw the scars on her back.

“I’ve never seen, I mean, Winter is the closest I’ve ever seen to that. Maybe Alec and Trak. Who would do that to her?” frowned Faith.

Ian kissed his wife’s forehead, holding her closely. Hearing the soft creak of the stairs, they turned to see the young woman, fresh and clean, wearing a pair of warm sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

“A man paid to be allowed to whip me,” she said, looking at them. Slowly, she lowered herself to the steps, gripping the railings as she did, peering through the bars as if she were a prisoner. “He said if I cried, he would do it again. He lied. I didn’t cry, and he did it again anyway. I’m not normal, am I?”

Trak turned his back to her, slowly lifting his t-shirt. She looked at the intense man, rising to touch his flesh. He felt her cold, childlike fingers on his back and sucked in a breath. She’d seen other women with scars like hers, but never a man.

“Did someone pay to do that to you?” she asked.

“No, little one. Someone did this just because they were bigger than me at the time.”

“What will happen to me now?” she asked, looking at the group of people. Ashley held out a hand, and she stared at it, unsure of what to do.

“You can take my hand if you like,” she smiled. April lay her hand into the woman’s and followed her to the soft, cushy sofa. “What would you like to happen to you now?”

“Can I eat?” she asked.

“Yes,” laughed Ghost. “You can eat as much as you like. Just don’t make yourself sick.” She looked around the room and then back at them.

“Where do I pick the food?” The gut punches continued for the men, the women just giving motherly smiles to her.

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