Page 20 of Call Sign: Thunder
Mr. Benson knew he'd screwed up. "I'm sorry. Christ, I didn't mean to make it sound like you did something wrong. You're a fucking hero. You saved my baby. I'll never forget that, but…"
Zach didn't understand. Allie was safe. All was well.
The senator glanced away, a far off look in his eyes. "She's not herself. She's… broken. I don't know how to get through to her."
Zach had been so worried that would happen when the drugs left her system. "It's only been a day. She's been through a lot. Give her time."
"I wish I knew what to say." Blue eyes turned toward him again, this time the anger had vanished, replaced with fear. "The doctors aren't telling me everything. They say she was drugged. They won't tell me with what. They won't tell me if she was…" his voice trailed off. The word 'raped' hanging in the air. "You are the only thing she will talk about."
That was unexpected. "Me?"
"Yes." He paraphrased his daughter's words. 'Zach found me. Zach saved me. Zach carried me.' The only time even a sliver of her sadness and fear leaves her eyes is when she is talking about you."
That news shouldn't make Zach happy, but it did. He'd thought of her too.
"I was just doing my job."
"Bullshit. I was debriefed. I know you have your ass in a sling for not following orders. You have my promise. I won't let anything happen to you, young man. You are a hero." He paused before adding, "But…"
Zach's chest had expanded with pride at his words.
"But, I need you to leave here without seeing my daughter."
A punch to the gut. That's what his words felt like.
"Excuse me?"
"She's been through enough. Seeing you will only remind her of the ordeal. We are leaving in the morning. She's being discharged and I'm taking her home. I want to surround her with everything that makes her feel safe."
"I thought you just got done telling me that I make her feel safe. I'd think you'd like me to keep her calm."
"She's young. Impressionable. She sees you as her hero. I don't want to confuse her. As you said—you were just doing your job."
Fuck. Zach hated having his own words thrown back at him. He'd said those words to be polite. He was a damn helicopter pilot. A military soldier. He wasn't Superman. Saving damsels in distress wasn't part of his job description. There was only one damsel he cared about and she was just inside.
Zach chose his words carefully. "With all due respect, Mr. Benson, I misspoke. Saving your daughter was not my job. My job is to fly helicopters. When I found myself shot down by a missile, I could have only cared about saving my own skin, but I didn't. I put my own life at risk to save your daughter."
"So what do you want?"
"Excuse me?"
"A reward? Money? A medal?"
Zach balled his fists, trying not to follow his first instinct, which was to knock the sonofabitch out cold. He stood, distancing himself from the senator.
"Fuck you. I don't want a single thing from you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Allie."
Zach was halfway across the patio when her father shouted after him. "Please. You're only going to confuse her more. She's so impressionable. She's going to get hurt."
He stopped in his tracks, swinging around to stalk back toward the senator again, answering in his face. "I think I've proven I'd kill before I'd let someone hurt her. You said yourself she wants to see me. Don't you think my never coming to check in on her will hurt her? You think she wants to fly off without saying goodbye?"
The men stood toe to toe in a standoff. Zach held his ground until Mr. Benson flinched. "Fine. You can have five minutes with her. Then I'd like you to leave."
"I'll leave when Allie wants me to and not a minute before."
Zach turned and went in search of Allison. There was nothing left to say to her father, the ungrateful bastard.
Chapter Nine
