Page 2 of Securing Samantha

“What…did…you say?” she cried.

“Whiskey isn’t with us anymore.” Leo rubbed her back in a comforting gesture, but she didn’t feel anything. Her body went blissfully numb. A world without Whiskey meant a world without air.

“The team and I will help you. We won’t let you down,” Leo cried as he vowed their commitment to her family.

“I want you to go! You’re lying! I’d know if he died. He’d find some way to tell me.” Samantha shook her head. Whiskey believed in signs.

The sound of someone playing music in her kitchen caught her attention. She stood and walked toward the room. Her father stood with her phone in his hand. “You’re the One” echoed over the speaker. Her dad didn’t know how to navigate her phone. He barely remembered how to use one. Everything became real. Samantha O’Neil’s heart died as a gush of water ran down her legs. Leo barked orders to the chaplain as he scooped her in his arms to carry her to his truck. He backed out of the driveway as he braced her tummy with his hand. She watched as the home Whiskey purchased for them faded from her sight. The happy beautiful life she and Whiskey created disappeared, leaving Samantha all alone.

CHAPTER ONE

Sitting across from Rick “Ash” Mitchel, his teammate and friend, Liam “Whiskey” O’Neil contemplated the cards he held in his hand. He scratched his jaw in concentration as he watched his friend place down the last card he waited for to make a full house. The doorknob rattled as the key slid into the lock. He didn’t bother to glance up, knowing Leo promised to bring pizza and beer later for a poker game with all the guys except Doc. Chase “Doc” Winters and his wife, Kassie, left the day before for a two-week honeymoon.

The sound of the door opening and bags rustling indicated his leader must’ve arrived. With a smug smile he threw his hand down on the counter as Ash uttered a low curse. The sound of bags crashing to the floor and a feminine gasp caught his attention. He turned his head to see the woman he loved more than life itself cover her mouth with her hand. His stomach dropped when she called out to him.

“Liam?” she uttered his name in disbelief and shock.

Whiskey slowly moved from the chair as Ash headed toward his wife. Tears pooled in Samantha’s eyes as she shook her head. Her body lunged toward him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“How did you get here? Where have you been? Oh my God, Liam, I prayed they made a mistake. You’re home,” she babbled and sobbed.

“Sunshine,” he whispered as he pulled her away from his body. She stood too close. His anxiety rose as he stepped away from her.

Samantha’s confused gaze met his. Catherine turned and stomped out the door and Samantha followed her outside. Whiskey trailed behind.

Leo, his leader, stood stoically as Catherine beat on his chest. Whiskey saw the hurt flash in Leo’s eyes as he allowed her to take out her frustration on him. Samantha ran to Leo and pelted him in the jaw. Damn, he didn’t imagine her hitting anyone. She barely raised her voice, much less punched anyone. Leo barely moved but took the brunt of the women’s anger.

Whiskey pulled Samatha away as she wailed. The sound grated on his ears as she screamed at Leo. The anguish of the two women screaming and crying became too much for him to process. Whiskey covered his ears as he walked back into the house. He walked into his bedroom and opened the closet door and sat on the small cot. His heart throbbed a million beats a minute, as he breathed in and out as Claire directed him to do when he felt overwhelmed.

Kassie gave him a phone with pictures of Samantha, his Sunshine, and their son, LJ. She appeared more beautiful in person than in the pictures. He silently cursed. He wished he had the phone in his possession, but he carelessly lost it a week ago. Kassie also sent him pictures of the salon Samantha opened at her home. She took the photos on the night of her spa party. Samantha smiled, unaware of the camera as she held a glass of wine. Another text showed his son, five years old, hugging his mum’s leg as she smiled lovingly down at him. LJ’s face beamed in pleasure, making Whiskey feel more guilty.

The week before, James Stanton, a mafia leader who held a vendetta against Kassie, held his wife and son hostage while he hid on the mountain. When Leo returned from rescuing Kassie and her daughter Emma, he told Whiskey about Samantha and LJ. James held them hostage with a gun to Samantha and a knife to his son’s throat. Whiskey leaned against the wall as his stomach rolled. Once he had strong muscular arms, his chest bulked with muscle, and he radiated confidence. Now, he barely handled lifting a ten-pound weight for any length of time. Doc encouraged him to keep working on strength training. What good did that do him when he didn’t have the ability to protect his wife and child? He’d paced the floors as he waited to hear how both faired after the ordeal. He cried helplessly when Leo told him LJ refused to sleep without his mum. Upon Kassie’s insistence, Samantha attended therapy sessions with Claire due to the traumatic event. Their friend and pediatrician, Michael Harris, recommended a children’s therapist for LJ. And he stayed away. What kind of man allowed his wife and child to suffer alone? One like him.

The pounding in his chest slowed as he took another deep breath. He closed his eyes and imagined Samantha in their sunny yellow kitchen swaying to the music as she smiled at him. No. The man she loved no longer existed. He spent four years praying to get back to the woman he loved and the child he never met. He slowly realized life continued without him. His son grew into a rambunctious boy and Samantha moved from the home where they planned their lives into the town below the mountain.

His vision began to focus as he calmed. Whiskey knew Leo accepted the blame for hiding him and Ash on the mountain. He always took responsibility for the team. Whiskey mustered the courage to open the door to the closet and made his way across the room. He heard his wife crying and sniffing as Leo explained how the team found them and how Whiskey didn’t tolerate noise.

“Where did Whiskey go? Doesn’t he want to see me?” she asked.

“We found Whiskey malnourished and suffering from various torture methods. He struggles with loud noises, screaming, and any fast movement. Kassie made a decompression chamber in each of the bedroom closets. It's soundproofed, and he'll come out once he calms. Seeing you shocked him as much as it did you.”

Shocked felt like an understatement.

CHAPTER TWO

Samantha blew her nose with the tissue in her hand. Catherine jumped up and left her alone with Leo. He sheepishly glanced in her direction. Out of the corner of Samantha’s eye, a thinner version of the man she dreamed about every night walked slowly into the room. His sunken cheeks made his blue eyes appear gaunt and haunted. He weighed half the size of her Liam, yet she knew him.

She clenched the tissue in her hands as he neared. This man didn’t like the fact that she ran into his arms. He held her back from him. What should’ve seemed a joyous moment at his return, felt uncomfortable. Her senses went into overdrive as the man before her walked over and sat on the edge of the chair across from her. His eyes darted from her to Leo. His hands balled up into fists and she felt the tension radiate from him. He resembled her husband. His voice sounded like him. Yet, he didn’t act like the loving Liam she prayed for every night when she went to bed.

She shook her head in disbelief and hiccuped trying to distinguish if the man before her remained a figment of her imagination. Lord knew she spent days numbly caring for her son as she prayed for him to walk in the door, pull her into his arms, and tell her they made a mistake. Every time LJ laughed or called her mum, she heard her husband’s voice. When he did something wrong, he flashed a smile exactly like Liam’s.

“Claire’s on her way to come talk to you both. She’ll help you navigate through all your feelings.”

Whiskey moved closer to her and put his arm around her. Even his touch felt off. He felt like a stranger. Leo slightly nodded his head at his friend.

“How long did Kassie know they hid here in the cabins?” she asked.

“She suggested they stay here. Whiskey suffered from injuries and struggled with crowds. We felt it best if Claire scheduled sessions with them to orientate back to society. Doc’s treated him and Ash. Whiskey’s skin infection remains under control and he’s healing,” Leo answered. Whiskey stayed silent.

---