Page 19 of Call Sign: Thunder
"Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator Benson."
The elder's eye widened with surprise. "You know who I am?"
Zach answered, a wry smile on his lips. "I didn't have any idea until I went through my debriefing. It seems a few of my superior officers were under the impression I knew who Allie was when I rescued her."
Steely blue eyes met his own. He could see the senator thought the same thing, but to his credit, he didn't say it out loud.
"I wonder if you'd mind walking with me out to the courtyard. It's much cooler out there and a bit more private." His eyes shot briefly to the eavesdropping receptionist just a few feet away. "I'd like to spend a few minutes chatting if you don't mind."
Zach actually did mind. He had waited long enough to see Allie. He wasn't keen on yet another delay. Still, he'd better play nice with her dad. No good would come from pissing the elder man off.
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
The men walked silently down the long hall and out into the small courtyard. There were only two small benches on a stone patio surrounded by overgrown greenery. They were thankfully alone.
Zach followed Mr. Benson's lead, taking a seat on the opposite end of the bench the father sank to. He slumped slightly, betraying how tired he was. He guessed they were all going to be tired for a while.
Zach had no clue what he could say in this moment. He had hoped Allie's dad would do most of the talking. His mind was blank. What was appropriate conversation at this juncture? He couldn't exactly ask if Allie was still desperate to be fucked from the drugs she'd been given. That would most likely not go over well.
Mr. Benson cleared his throat before finally speaking. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for my little girl." Emotion made his voice crack.
"It was my honor, sir."
"I have something to ask you. Allie… well she's upset. Obviously. She refused to talk to me about… well… the details." He turned to face Zach, anguish in his eyes. "I need to know what they did to her."
Shit. Zach hadn't expected her father to try to wrestle the details out of him. Why hadn't Allie told him what happened?
Duh, Garrett. What happened to Allie wasn't exactly the kind of thing a woman wanted to talk about with daddy.
Zach progressed carefully. "I'm sure Allie is in a better position to tell you the details, Mr. Benson. I mean, I only know what happened there at the end. I don't know how they captured her or how long she was held before I found her."
"Thank God, they didn't have her long. I know she was kidnapped from the back of a taxi only ten minutes from her campus in Bogota. Those fucking bastards in Colombia promised me they'd keep an eye on her. Watch her. Keep her safe. She's not even two weeks into the semester and the bastards nabbed her right out of the back of a fucking car."
The news surprised Zach. He had tried to figure out why Allie was in Colombia, but he hadn't considered that she was young enough to still be a student. Her body was all woman.
Don't go there, asshole.
"How old is Allie, if you don't mind me asking?"
"She’s twenty-one."
Fuck. Nine years age difference. Zach was ancient compared to her. Damn, she was still a co-ed. The news dampened his excitement to see her. More than ever, he needed to keep things professional between them.
"No offense, sir, but I wouldn't trust the Colombians to guard my dog, let alone someone as special as Allie."
"What do you know about how special Allison is?" came the father's defensive reply.
Zach's own defenses were starting to rev up. He didn't like how this conversation was going. "I know she is a fighter. She held it together through a difficult situation."
An emotion Zach couldn't name settled into the senator's blue eyes. "I want to know what happened between you and my daughter, Captain." It was an accusation. What the fuck!
"Excuse me?"
"She won't talk about anything with me. She only wants to talk to you, and so I'll ask again. What happened between you and my daughter?"
Emotions warred inside Zach. He was happy she'd asked to see him, but he wasn't thrilled with the shit her father was dishing out. "Listen, the only thing that happened between us was a miracle. I shouldn't have been on foot in those woods. She shouldn't have been driving with those goons. What are the chances that they stop the caravan of SUVs only feet away from my hiding spot after my helicopter was shot down? That Allie would jump out trying to escape, screaming in English so I knew she was an American. So yeah. You want to know what happened. A fucking miracle, that's what happened." Zach's voice had been rising. The thirty-six hours of interrogation with implications of wrongdoing had been bad enough. He didn't need Allie's dad giving him shit too. He'd rather he just say thanks and leave.
Zach took a deep breath to calm down before he made an ass of himself.
