Page 3 of Rescued By the SEAL

Oh, my God, so my suspicions are correct. This is hell, and my entire world is crashing down around me. The worst part is I don’t even know why.

He wants to keep me away from you because he stupidly fears that you will go down the same path. I told him that wouldn’t happen, but he won’t listen to me. I’ll always be a stupid child to him. We’re leaving now, in the middle of the night. I don’t know where we’re going, and Dad has broken my cellphone so I can’t contact you. But I’ll find a way somehow. Even if it isn’t immediately, I’ll find my way back to you. I love you, Landon Ross, and I’ll always love you. This doesn’t change anything for me. I’ll always be yours.

Love, Heather.

I don’t even realize that tears are streaming down my face until I get to the end of the note. Shit really has hit the fan and everything is broken. I can’t be here anymore, not without Heather, not withthem. My fucking asshole parents have truly ruined my life, and I need to get as far away from them as I possibly can. That’s all my brain can think of at the moment.

I grab my cellphone and through my bleary eyes I scroll through the phone numbers, forcing myself not to pause at Heather’s since that isn’t her phone anymore. I’m looking for anyone, a single living soul, who can help me out of this mess.

Huh, Mike. My cousin. He’s always offered open arms to me. I’ve never really taken him up on it because he comes from a military family and they’re all pretty scary. My mom’s brother couldn’t be less like her if he tried. But they’re family, and I need family rightnow. I also need the fucking opposite to what my parents offer me. I need to get away from it all.

Without thinking too much about it, I hit the call button and contact Mike, planning to run away for just a while so I can wrap my head around all of my issues and come up with a positive solution. I can’t do that while living under my parents’ roof, just waiting for the bomb to go off and for them to be arrested, all while simmering in resentment because they made me lose it all.

Heather.Fuck, it kills me to know just how close we were to our happy ever after, just for it to be snatched away like that. I’ve never cared about Heather being younger than me before, but now I’m irritated. If she were eighteen years old, just like me, she would legally be allowed to leave her father, who might be crazy and overprotective but who I can understand right now. Of course he wants his only child away from fucking criminals, but I suppose we just have to wait.

“Landon!” Mike sounds happy to hear from me, which is good. The one slightly positive thing to happen today.

“Mike, I need you,” I shoot back seriously. “Things have gone to hell with my parents. I need to get away.”

There is only a small beat of silence before he replies. “I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”

Shit, it seems like I’m the idiot, the last to know about who my mom and dad really are. Up until this point, I’ve been so wrapped up in me and Heather that I haven’t even thought about anything else, but now I can’t stop thinking about the whole mess that’s been building up around me for my whole life. I guess the only thing I can do right now is take charge and takecontrol of my own life. Since everything else is so messed up, that’s about the only thing I can do.

Now, I might not have any idea about how my life will end up, but I’m about to get started on a brand-new path.

3

HEATHER

14 Years Later…

Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out how people get themselves in such terrible situations, unable to work much, living in terrible, cheap housing such as this apartment block, never quite managing three meals a day, but with this man, it’s obvious. Dear Roger Caine is here because he put himself here. Admittedly, he didn’t have the best start in life growing up with an alcoholic mother and a petty criminal for a father, but I’m not sure that he had to follow in the same footsteps. I’ve never been convinced of that. Just because my dad is a cop, doesn’t mean I followed him. I’m a journalist living out my own dream.

Sure, I might be in a similar line to him right now because we’re both working with criminals, but he’s arresting them and throwing them in jail, whereas I’m interviewing them for a news piece about our current justice system. I’m trying to understand.

“…so, that’s when I ended up robbing cars,” Roger tells me while flicking his cigarette ash onto the floor. I suppose there isn’t any need to respect this carpet because it isn’t what he would choosefor himself given half a chance. “But it weren’t because I wanted to. It was because my brother got me into it. He said it was our best chance of surviving. That’s what landed me in jail the first time.” Roger lets out a hoarse laugh. “First time of eight. Longer each time. It’s a nightmare.”

“And, err, why do you think you keep reoffending?” I feel prissy and silly as I ask this, like I’m some out of touch woman who at thirty-one years of age can’t possibly understand the world, but that’s a lot of how I feel right now. “Why not change?”

“Change?” Roger throws his hands up in frustration. “Look at this shit. Look at where I am. The world isn’t geared to help a man like me change. I can’t do it. It’s impossible. Every time I even try to, I get knocked back. It’s a goddamn vicious cycle. People will only ever see me as the untrustworthy guy who’s been in and out of jail, and that’s all I can be. Since this fucking world doesn’t give me a chance, I can’t get out of this hole. I’ll continue to sink lower and lower until I die.”

“That’s…” Shit, I can feel myself getting choked up. “That’s a bleak way to look at life, Roger.”

He shrugs his shoulders dismissively. “While there are cops like Officer Buchan running the system, we’re fucked. He’s too full-on, you know? He never wants to listen to our stories. He assumes that everything is our fault and never takes circumstances on board. Plus, he assumes guilt far too quickly. It means people like me have to live in these shithole apartments among other criminals because that’s all we can get, don’t have the chance to get out of the hole.”

I shift uncomfortably on my chair as Roger brings up my father. There’s a reason my pen name is Lola Rose, especially on jobs such as this one, and it’s because I don’t want to be associatedwith the ‘best police officer this city has ever seen’, an actual quote from the local media. People like Roger wouldn’t want to talk to me if they knew who he was. It would make my own life so much more challenging. I want my writing identity to be my own. I want to just be me.

I should have known that Dad would come up, though. I bet every person inside this building knows and hates him. To be honest, I’m not too keen on him myself these days. I respect him for being my father, and I do appreciate what he does to keep the streets more crime-free and safer for law-abiding citizens, but I know how he can be when it comes to not giving people a chance. I’ve never forgiven him for taking me away from Landon, for not listening to my wishes, for making it impossible for me to find him until I eventually made it back to the house to find a new family living next door. He lost me the only guy I’ve ever loved, and even nearly fifteen years later, I haven’t recovered. I don’t think I ever will.

“So, are you saying that the arresting procedure could use some reforms?” I ask, trying to keep my head on the story.

“I would prefer it if we all went with theAmerican way, which is supposed to be ‘innocent until proven guilty’.”

“Have you ever ended up in jail for crimes in which you are innocent?” I don’t know if this is something that I’ll be able to publish in my story, but I’m interested all the same. I want to know what Roger has been through in his life.

“Well, no,” he admits in all honesty. That’s almost laughable after the speech he just gave. “But I’m a human, and I don’t think Buchan understands that. He just sees me as vermin, you know? All the guys I’ve spoken to feel the same. It isn’t like I’ve everhurt or killed anyone. It’s just… well, me trying to survive in a world that wants me long dead. You see?”

I nod slowly, taking this on board. No wonder Roger has a bleak outlook on life. I might too if I were in his shoes. He really does seem to feel that he doesn’t have a place on this planet, which is sad. Especially when he didn’t have a chance from the outset. I know, I know, I always believe that people don’t have to follow in the footsteps of their parents, but I guess it’s hard for people who have nothing. Options are narrowed and limited, just like they might be for Landon Ross…

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