Page 19 of Rescued By the SEAL

“Hello, Max… or Landon, I guess. This is Heather. Err, Heather Buchan. Lola Rose who you saved from Bill Ross… why am I telling you this? You know it. Anyway, right now I’m at number eight on Fall Away street, at my father’s house, and I need help. Not that he’s doing anything wrong or whatever. I just… urgh, I need support. Please, come and see me, someone. At least justto tell me what’s going on. Dad obviously thinks that I’m still in a lot of danger, but I need to know for myself. Thanks. Bye.”

Each whispered word makes my breath catch in my throat. I’m nearly dizzy enough to fall down by the end of it. It’s her voice, her beautiful voice, and she’s still calling out for me, even after everything that’s happened. Oh, my God, this is what I’ve been searching for, what I’ve been waiting for. This is a way for me to find Heather at last. She sounds okay, albeit a little nervous on the message, but not like she’s been in danger, more like she’s worried she might be. That’s great news, but I still want to save her. I’m still compelled to rescue her from Officer Buchan’s damn tyranny, from his terrible rage.

“I’m going to get you, Heather,” I mutter to myself with excitable tears in my eyes. “I just need to get this number first.”

God, having two things to focus on is such a challenge when they’re this important. Letting Mom know that Dad is no longer around is still vital, so I want the phone number. But since I probably won’t be permitted to actually call her until later on, I can go to the address left on the message to save Heather first. Then I’ll have her, and hopefully, the information about who might well be after her. Then as much as Max doesn’t want me in the middle of this job, he will see that I used my intuition and did the right thing, anyway. I honestly don’t believe that I can be too close to this case. My emotions make me stronger and better.

It’s weird to consider defying the boss that I have a lot of respect for and faith in, but this time, I need to go with my gut. My entire body is screaming at me, using every instinct that I have to let me know that I need to be in the middle of this, that I have to be Heather’s hero because I really am the only one who gets it, and I’m going with that. I have to.

So, with almost a smile playing on my lips because everything is finally starting to come together in a way that I wasn’t expecting, I search for Mom’s jail number, knowing that I’m stepping closer with every passing minute. I’m still gutted about losing my father, but that grief has thankfully taken a backseat for the moment. I can deal with that later on when I have more time to process it all. At least with it not clouding my vision, I can wait until Heather’s father goes to work and get to her.

It’ll hit me hard soon enough, I’m sure of it, along with the guilt once more, but I don’t need that today. Not right now. Thankfully, my time in the military has taught me how to compartmentalize in a very effective way when I need to. It’s almost as if everything that has come in my life so far has all been bringing me back to this moment when I can make life right.

“This is going to be good,” I repeat to myself over and over like a mantra while I work. “This is going to be good. This is.”

Just to keep my mood upbeat, just to try and remind myself what I’m fighting for, I’m aiming for that positive outcome, for the happy ever after shit. I want Heather to be back in my life and for her to stay there. I don’t want her to end up going the same way as my dad, because of my dad. That would be awful. But now, I have something to go on. I know that she’s out there and I can find her again. I’m confident that life will be good from here because it has to be. There is no other option.

No more drama, please. Not when it comes to Heather and me. I feel like we’re on a positive trajectory now and we need to keep going in that direction. I’m sure that neither of us wants any more parental interference. We just want to be happy.

17

HEATHER

Six AM. It feels like it’s taken forever for this time to come around, but it’s here at long last. Dad is off to work and I can escape at last. I have a window opened a crack and I know I can just about squeeze my ass out of it. I’m getting out today no matter what because I have somewhere to go, I have a place to end up to get my answers. Even if no one is there, I can wait.

“Come on, Dad,” I mutter to myself. “Come on, get out of here. I can’t hold myself back any longer. I need to go already.”

I’m all wired. I’ve barely slept. I need him to just get the hell out of here so I can stop bouncing on my heels and move toward something positive already. Iknowmy dad might have my best interests at heart, but I know what’s best for me. Throughout the night, I’ve come to the conclusion that Idoknow what’s right. I’m not my mother about to make the same mistakes. I’m not about to die at Landon’s hands. He and Max will help me to escape whatever’s going on, if I even need to anymore.

For all I know, everything could be over. It could be done for. Bill and his little gang might have forgotten all about me. I hope. Imean, that could just be a daydream. I could still have my life on the line, but I also might not have that. Who the hell knows?

Dad gets into his car, but he doesn’t drive off right away. He sits in his car and plays around on his phone for a little while longer. It seems too long for my liking. I can hardly stand it. What’s he doing that for? Is he trying to torment me? My God, the tension and anticipation are just about killing me. I nearly want to lean out and ask him what he’s doing, but I just about manage to stop myself. If I lean out, I’ll reveal that I have a way out and I really don’t need him to know I’ve discovered an escape route.

My God, that would bring the police warden out of him and he wouldn’t let me go then. I kind of imagine him taking me to work with him so he knows I can’t escape, even locking me in a cell to make sure I remain where I am all day long.

“Finally.” He pulls away, but he doesn’t drive fast. I get the feeling that he might be waiting for something to happen, which makes me nervous. I’m going to have to hold back a little and wait. I can’t be too eager because he’ll see me going. My God, I really do feel like a criminal about to go on the run. This is insane for a thirty-one-year-old woman. It’s crazy, but that’s my life.

“Right.” I think it’s time for me to get going. I can’t hold back any longer. I could wait longer to be sure that he’s really gone, but this little piece of paper with Max’s office address on it is calling out to me and I can’t ignore it. “Come on, Heather.”

I push the window open as far as it’ll go, all of a sudden much less certain that I can fit through there, but that isn’t going to be enough to stop me. I swing one leg over, followed by the other one, to shove my body out. It’s hard, and I get stuck for a little while, but I keep on fighting. I work through the pain, remembering what it was like when I had to escape the tiesaround my hands. That was worse than this and I just about managed to escape it. Granted, I had help then, but that’s okay. I can do this.

“Come the fuck on, Heather,” I growl at myself as I wriggle and contort my body in unexpected positions as I get out. “Yes.”

Then it’s time for me to run… or maybe not run, but walk slowly in a way that doesn’t draw any suspicion to me. I don’t need anyone spotting me. The last thing I need is someone calling the cops because I’m acting like a fucking crazy person.

“Just walk, just walk,” I whisper to myself as I step as normally as I can. “Walk, just like you’re going for a normal walk.”

I have the piece of paper clutched so tightly between my fingers that I’m worried I might sweat the words off. Not that it matters since I have the address memorized, committed to memory. I know exactly where I’m going. I even think I might well have figured out the route I’m going too because I’ve had too much time on my hands. Too much time to fill while I waited for that damn six AM to come around. My God, it felt like forever, but now I’m not sure if it came too quickly.

It’s cold, actually. I don’t notice that until I’m well away from Dad’s house and I’m also pretty content that he isn’t parked around the corner waiting for me to do just this, but as soon as I notice it, the chill races through my body and I fold my arms across my chest protectively. I need to shield myself away from the weather and the rest of the world too.

Weirdly, this feels like the first time I’ve been out in public in forever and everything has changed in that time. My whole universe has been turned upside down, and I barely know who I am and what I’m doing anymore. That’s okay, though. All Ineed to focus on is getting to this address. After that is really irrelevant right now. One thing at a time.One thing at a time…

Bleep, bleep.I ignore the car horn at first because I don’t have the assumption that anyone will be looking for me at this time of the morning along this road, but then it keeps on happening.Bleep, bleep. Bleep, bleep.It grows in insistence, making my heart race a little faster.Bleep, bleep.Could this be someone looking for me? If so, what the hell do they want?Bleep, bleep.

Out of sheer fear, I put my head down and pick up the pace, moving as quickly as I humanly can to get away from this car. I can’t forget that people may well be looking for me, trying to get to me some more because of Bill Ross.

Bleep, bleep. Bleep, bleep. Bleep, bleep.Fuck, I can’t stand it. Tears prick in my eyes.Bleep, bleep. Bleep, bleep.

---