Page 13 of Protection for Nichole

“Ah.” The man turned and flashed her a smile. “Miss Brenton, the journalist. I’m glad to see you’re okay. That must have been a harrowing experience. I’m Captain Emiteria. We’re glad to have you aboard.”

“Thank you, Captain Emiteria. I’m happy to no longer be held captive.”

“We have some questions for the group. Perhaps you’d like to go first.”

Nichole nodded and glanced over her shoulder. Four more people had arrived. Sadness filled her. She would have to say goodbye to Jesse.

“I’ll chat with you later,” Jesse said before turning to face the captain and saluting.

Her gaze stayed on Jesse until he disappeared around a corner. Everything inside her wanted to follow after him, but he had his job to do, and she needed to figure out how to write this article. She was sure there were rules about what she could write and what would get her in trouble. She didn’t want to spill any secrets that would harm future Navy operations, but she wasn’t going to bury this story just because she’d been rescued by the Navy.

As she moved back into the conference room, all she could think about was Jesse and how she would get in contact with him again. Her computer was probably trashed, but she constantly updated to the cloud. Hopefully, she would be able to track him down and get in contact because whatever she’d felt about Jesse way back when they’d spent a week together in a Caribbean resort hadn’t died. Instead, that feeling had grown stronger, and she didn’t want to let him go this time.

Chapter 15

The peoplein the Navy were nice enough. No one said one negative thing about her being a journalist, but she could tell they were keeping a close eye on her. When they loaded onto the helicopter, she could visibly see the captain and other officers relax.

As a journalist, she wanted to get the story as close to the truth as she could, which meant she asked a lot of questions. Military leaders didn’t like questions because their nature was to hide things. Not necessarily in an evil way, but they had secrets that couldn’t get out. Journalists were the exact opposite of them. She wanted light to shine, and they needed darkness.

It took another three days to get back to England where the medical group’s European office was located. Her hotel wasn’t too far from the Thames or the London Eye, and after she checked in, she walked over to the river, her thoughts bouncing from what had happened to their rescue and then the few minutes she’d spent with Jesse.

He’d been on her mind almost constantly since seeing him again. What was he doing? Where did he live? She wanted to see him again, but when?

The group said they had her computer, but she needed to see the condition before she went out and bought something new. If she needed to buy something here in England, she would purchase a tablet, something cheap and small that would allow her to take notes and check email.

Her heart picked up speed as she felt someone approaching from behind. She spun, seeing it was a couple walking toward her who weren’t paying attention to what she was doing. No one was walking up to her, trying to attack. She was fine. The need to return to the hotel where she would be safe wove through her.

She hated the new fear in her life. Traveling all over the world had never been an issue, but now she was checking over her shoulder, worried about every hidden corner or building inset. She needed to see a therapist and possibly take a break.

After being abducted and held by terrorists, her article would change shape. No doubt, the story would take on a more personal tone. If she got back her computer and phone, she would have the notes from her interviews before they’d been captured, but the meat of the article would come from her experience being held in that compound.

Being held captive could have been so much worse. If they’d stayed in that compound longer—a shudder ripped through her. The terrible things that happened to Angie had made an impact on her. She didn’t know exactly everything they’d done, but it was obvious they’d raped her.

Eventually, after they’d been questioned by the Navy when they’d been led into a room with multiple beds, Angie had laid on her bunk and told them some of what had happened. No way would she put anything about that into print. She also knew that those bastards would have done that to all the women given time.

She stepped into the hotel, exhaustion hitting her hard. Sleep called, and she had no reason to put it off. Falling asleep waseasier than the night before, though she did have to check the lock on the door twice before she could lie down in bed.

The sun was up when she woke with a start, her heart hammering. Seeing the hotel curtains, the desk, and bedside tables with lamps flanking her brought her back to reality. She had been rescued and was safe. After a quick shower, she checked out of the hotel and picked up a coffee and scone on the way over to the offices.

The meeting with the organization was set for nine and she arrived with a few minutes to spare. Luckily, the day before, she’d been driven by a store to pick up clothes and toiletries. Otherwise, she would still be wearing the T-shirt and sweats the Navy had given her. She would treasure that T-shirt and pair of sweats because they reminded her of Jesse. Warm thoughts of him filled her mind as she stepped into the office building.

A woman in a tan suit greeted her. “Miss Benton, my name is Pamela. We’re so glad you are okay. I hope the hotel was satisfactory.”

“Yes. Thank you so much. Since I don’t have anything, no credit cards or identification, I would have had a hard time finding somewhere to stay.”

“Ah, yes. I bet that it was interesting to have nothing to identify yourself with.”

Nichole chuckled. “Honestly, it was fine. The woman you sent out to help was wonderful. She made sure everything was taken care of, even helped me get these clothes.” Nichole plucked the denim of her jeans.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“It was frightening. The doctor who wasn’t so lucky, how is his family?”

“They are devastated like we all are. We’re thankful no one else was lost.” Pamela opened the door to a conference room set up with coffee and muffins. “Our team went in and retrievedeverything we could find. From the location of the computer and phone, we’ve determined that these are yours.”

Nichole’s breath caught as she spied her computer and phone. Neither one of them looked damaged. “Do they work?”

“We didn’t turn them on. Didn’t think it was our place. We have multiple types of plugs if yours isn’t available. I’ll leave you to it for a few minutes. The bathroom is just outside the door to the left, and if you need anything, just crack open the door and ask anyone. They all are so thankful you survived.”

---