Page 5 of Coveting Catherine

Ash rubbed the scruff around his jawline, "I shouldn't be telling you this. You and Leo are engaged. I don't want to cause any issues between you."

Catherine shook her head. "No, we're not. I broke it off." She swiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Sorry, Catherine, I didn't know," Ash sympathized. Taking her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Is there anything I can do?"

"It's better you told me. It confirms I made the right decision. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Catherine tipped her glass and drank the shot all at once. She sat still in the booth, letting the whiskey take effect. Ash refilled her glass.

The following morning, Catherine woke with the sun directly in her eyes. Using her hand to shield her face from the bright light, she raised and took in her surroundings. The sheet fell from her chest to her waist, showing her nudity. Now fully awake, she realized she slept in a hotel room. Her head pounded, and her heart began to race. Placing a hand to her temple to soothe the megrim, a movement from her side caught her attention.

The jet-black hair curled slightly at the ends was the first indication of her troubles. When hazel eyes stared back at her, and a smile appeared on Ash's face as he adjusted himself to his side, her world upended.

"Good morning, Cat." Ash greeted. He rolled out of bed in all his naked glory and headed to the bathroom. Any doubts she held in her mind quickly fled. Catherine attempted a smile as she watched him shut the door. His morning wood standing loud and proud.

Slipping from the bed and she grabbed her clothes scattered all over the room. She slid into her jeans and threw the shirt over her head. Grabbing her purse and underthings, she quietly opened the door and slid out. Running down the stairs, she grabbed her cell from her purse. Catherine noticed her car in the parking lot and made a beeline for the driver's side door. Starting the car, she peeled from the parking lot and headed home.

Sneaking up the stairs, she went to her bathroom, turned the shower water on, and waited for the heat to envelope the room. Standing under the spray of water, Catherine shakily washed the remnants of the night before. What had she done?

She needed a plan. Serenity no longer offered her the peace and security she sought. Her thoughts turned to Melody. Ash never paid attention to their daughter; she seemed invisible to him most of the time. As a precocious five-year-old, Melody demanded attention. As a baby, Ash demanded Catherine place Melody in her crib and shut the door. Melody’s cries still haunted Catherine when Ash refused to let her soothe her child. Catherine wondered how he dealt with a child who refused to be ignored. Her decision made, Catherine jumped back into the truck and headed to the house they rented in the small, welcoming town.

Catherine didn’t bother to close the driver’s door as she jumped out of the truck. Racing inside, she threw open the closet doors and began shoving Melody’s clothes in the backpack and a box. She tossed toys, crayons, and books into a plastic cube and set it by the door. Running to her room, she grabbed her suitcase. Catherine pulled all the drawers open on the chest and dumped her clothes into the suitcase. It bulged at the seams. She sat on it as she zipped it shut. She took the stairs two at a time and grabbed the box of garbage bags and headed back to her bathroom. She raked her toiletries off the counter into the bag. She glimpsed in the mirror and caught sight of her haunted face. She needed to get ahold of herself before crossing the street to retrieve Melody. She didn’t intend to alert her mom for fear she’d attempt to stop her. Ash left her no choice. Melody’s safety trumped everything else.

CHAPTER FOUR

Leo ran his hand through his hair and walked back to the cabin. Whiskey sat on the arm of a chair facing Samantha. She shook her head. Whiskey walked to the couch and sat gently beside her. Hesitantly his arm went around her as he stared to Leo for guidance.

“Samantha, I called Claire, and she's on her way to talk to you and Whiskey. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, she'll help you and Whiskey navigate everything. Where's Ash?” Leo asked.

Whiskey pointed in the direction of Ash's cabin.

Leo headed over and knocked on the door before opening it. “Ash, I called Claire. She'll be over in a bit to talk to you. Catherine left. I asked Claire to call Catherine when she finished here. I'm sorry it didn't go as expected. I'm sure she's in shock.”

“I'm sure it shocked her. A love like ours doesn't disappear overnight. I'll talk to Claire, and then I plan to find my wife. Seeing her today reminded me of how special our relationship is. I let all my worries cloud my judgment. My wife and child need me.”

Leo swallowed hard. I need them. “Talk to Claire. She may have some insight on how to help Catherine and Melody adjust to you returning from the dead.”

Ash smiled widely. “Yeah, I can't wait to hold Melody. The last time I saw her, she was this tiny blob. I can't imagine her now at five years old. I think it's best if I get involved in their lives immediately. You saw how shocked Catherine acted. If I know my woman, she doesn't handle stress well. I don't want her to think I’d rather be here than with her.”

“Claire might have some insight on how to approach your concerns. I hope you get it figured out, man. Give her time.” Leo winced as he closed the door.

Why did Catherine act like he betrayed her? It wasn't relief he saw in her face. It felt like fear. Why didn't she fall into Ash's arms as Samantha did? People reacted differently in stressful situations. He knew Catherine and something felt off with her reaction. Why did her response to Ash bother him? Catherine didn’t run from people, she faced them.

Leo waited by his truck for Claire. She pulled up beside his vehicle and got out of her car.

“The guys are in the two cabins. Samanatha is with Whiskey. Catherine ran off. I’m concerned with her reaction,” Leo informed her.

“It’s okay,” Claire lay a soothing hand on his arm.” I’ll take care of them.”

Sliding into his truck, Leo headed down the mountain. The memory of the day he lost his dearest friend and his life turned to hell haunted him.

He struggled with how they made such a mistake. A man fitting the description of Olaf was reported in several villages. A military captive held by Rahimi. Only two men fit the description, one was Catherine’s brother and Ash. Since Ash transferred to another team, that meant the burned body he carried years ago wasn’t his brother’s. Leo’s heart raced at returning with Olaf.

The mission to extract Avie Rahimi from her husband's compound went to hell before they began the extraction. The team worked on surveillance a week before the mission when Rahimi's men accidentally scooped Shadow up in a village raid. They hunted for more men to replenish their dwindling masses. Shadow infiltrated the village since he blended in and spoke the language. The team stayed on edge, knowing Shadow stood on his own. One thing they knew for sure was Shadow excelled at blending in. The team worked like a well-oiled machine, and Shadow knew they would come for him at the first opportunity.

The following day, Ragu compromised all of them. When Saint discovered him asleep on watch, the incident screamed red flags. Leo felt something was off. Then, Ragu took part in a two-man team to infiltrate the larger village to discover where Shadow was taken. Saint found him on the side of the building in clear view of anyone walking through the area. Thinking an incoherent Ragu was somehow injured, he brought him back to camp. When he woke, his eyes remained glassy, and he didn't make any sense. Leo pulled him from the op. With the loss of Ragu, his responsibilities increased, and he worried about his team with another man down.

Upon discovering Shadow's whereabouts, the team scouted the new area and busied themselves to determine a way out for their teammate. It took six days of recon in the location to figure out the best way to approach it. The heavily guarded compound contained too many men for the team by themselves. Rahimi held no guilt in losing an untrained man. He swept the poor villages randomly to grab more men and territories. On the sixth day, Ash discovered a breach in the building.

“We have to split the team. We need to create a diversion on one side while the others get Shadow and Avie Rahimi. According to the map, they hold Shadow on the east side of the structure. A heavily pregnant Avie is held in here.” Leo used a stick to point out the distance between Shadow and Avie. “If we create havoc on the west corner, Ash, you will breach the east side while Whiskey and Olaf extract Avie. Taco and Saint will go after Shadow. I'll set off the chargers and cover you from the west end.”

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