Page 28 of Call Sign: Thunder
She was afraid to ask where they were taking her. Even in her tipsy state, she knew the men had colluded before they'd arrived together at the bar. No matter how much she turned it around in her head, she couldn't come up with a valid reason for Zach's sudden appearance after all of the months of his indifference.
Her father broke the silence, staring out the far window as if he couldn't look her in the eyes as he spoke. "I know you're confused, Allison. I've been so worried about you. My fear for you has made me do some stupid things that I regret."
His words frightened her. Her father was a man in control — of everything and everyone in his life. In the days after the kidnapping, she rarely saw him waver, even when she'd wished he would.
He turned toward her and Zach. She could make out anguish on his face as the streetlights shone in through the tinted windows. Her dad looked up at Zach, taking in how he held her close. She was surprised that the sight appeared to calm her father.
Her dad reached for her hand, linking them briefly before he took a deep breath and broke her heart. "I made sure your letters to Captain Garrett didn't get mailed. I thought it was best to sever all ties between the two of you. That was a mistake. I know that now. I have apologized to Zachary and now I'm apologizing to you. All I can say is that I did it out of love."
There was a ringing in her ears. She had to have heard him wrong. Dad had watched her crying night after night, heartbroken that Zach hadn't responded to her pleas for contact. That whole time he'd known Zach hadn't seen her letters. That whole time… Oh God, what if he read them himself?
Her dad knew her well. He answered her unasked question. "No, Allie. I was at least strong enough not to open them. God, I wanted to though. You've closed me out. I've never been so torn in my life. I knew those letters held so many answers I needed, but I just couldn't cross that line."
What did all of this mean? She looked up at Zach and saw anger directed at her father. "I read the letters on the plane an hour ago on the flight from Camp Lejeune. Your dad came to apologize to me first and deliver the letters himself."
"You mean you didn't ignore me?"
"No, honey. In fact…" Zach looked up at her dad, fresh anger in his eyes.
"He sent you messages too. I didn't let you see them."
Rage sprang her out of Zach's arms to tackle her father. Her small fists connected with his chest several times before her dad was able to catch her wrists and subdue her. He had stopped her physical tirade, but nothing could stop the emotional storm that consumed her as she internalized the depth of his betrayal. He had played God with her life. She'd never forgive him. Ever.
Her father's sob cut through her defenses. The senator was crying. She had only witnessed this once before. It had been after her mother's funeral years before. "I'm so sorry, Allie. I swear to you I thought I was doing what was best for you. It was wrong. I see that now."
She had no words. She couldn't think, let alone speak. She pulled away from the man who gave her life as if he were the devil. She rushed back into Zach's arms, holding onto him for comfort as she turned her father's words around in her heart.
A heavy silence filled the luxury car as they drove through the upscale Virginian suburbs, finally pulling into the circular driveway of her house. Allison panicked. She couldn't lose Zach again so soon. She wasn't as naive as her father thought she was. She knew Zach and she didn't have a chance at any long term relationship, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was the key to helping her deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping. He'd been there. He'd witnessed all she'd gone through. He was the only one who could understand. She wasn't ready to let him go yet.
Her father's voice cracked as he placed his hand on the door latch. "You could come inside. I swear to you…"
Zach cut him off. "We had a deal, sir."
Allison didn't understand. Her dad turned to her, placing his palm on her cheek before he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you, Allison. Please come home to me when you're ready."
What was he talking about? She didn't get a chance to ask him. Her dad turned and stepped out of the limo, closing the door behind him leaving her and Zach alone for the first time since they were in the forest together four months before.
As the limo started moving away from her home, Allison turned to Zach, looking for answers. "What's happening?"
Zach reached out to tuck her long hair behind her ear, strumming his thumb against her cheek softly. "I made reservations at a hotel. I'd planned to whisk you away there to hide out and reconnect, but now that the plan is in motion, I realize I've done exactly the same thing to you that the kidnappers did first and then your father. None of us have the right to take you away without your permission. So Allison Benson, you are in control. If you want to stay at your house with your father, I'll have the driver turn us around. If you want to go somewhere by yourself to get away from all of us, I'd understand. But… well… I'd like the chance to spend at least the next few days together. We have a lot to catch up on." He waited patiently. He really was giving her a choice. Didn't he know? There was only one place she wanted to be?
Allie closed her eyes, a surge of adrenaline pumping through her veins because of their proximity and privacy. She leaned in, connecting their foreheads as she whispered her answer. "I want to go wherever you are going. Don't leave me—at least not yet."
His arms hugged her closer. "You just try to get rid of me, Allie."
Chapter Thirteen
ZACH
It was after ten by the time they stepped into their suite at the Hyatt. Zach had begrudgingly accepted the senator's generous offer to make the pre-paid reservations at the upscale hotel. He knew Allie's dad did it to maintain control over his daughter, but Zach had liked the idea of them having a spacious room where she could get some privacy if she needed it.
He was alarmed at how much weight she'd lost. She seemed more fragile than ever, and, not for the first time, did he think about how tricky it was going to be to connect with Allison in her current emotional state.
The sound of the heavy door closing behind them startled Allison. She stopped in the middle of the room, glancing back at him, worry and uncertainty clouding her already alcohol-confused expression. Zach wanted nothing more than to erase the pain she was in—pain deeper than the skin-deep injuries she'd carried the last time he'd seen her. Her wounds had turned internal.
He'd only had time to skim her letters on the plane up to DC from his base. They'd given him a glimpse into the complicated young woman in front of him. They'd also shone a bright spotlight on how little they knew each other. For all intents and purposes, they were strangers with only a few short hours of an intense experience to precariously link them.
I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing here, sport.
