Chapter 11
Crash pushed his way through the trees, running as fast as he could. He needed to save them. His friends had left him the most precious things in their world to care for, and now he was running to save them.
He broke through the thick forest to see little Mila and Caleb strapped to the back of a car. The car slowly rolled toward a cliff, and they were screaming. Crash tried to run, but his feet felt weighted down.
Crash looked down to see large rocks tumbling around his ankles. He tried to throw them out of the way, but more continued to fall. He glanced up at the car, but it was gone. Instead, Wyatt stood next to him, holding a sniper rifle and dressed in a ghillie suit.
Crash was confused by Wyatt’s attire and why the man wasn’t running to save his children. He was about to ask what his friend was doing when Wyatt spoke.
“I got your back, bro. They won’t get away with it again,” Wyatt whispered as he dropped to the ground.
“Wyatt, we got to save your kids,” Crash shouted.
“I got the target in my sight.” Wyatt held up his rifle. “I won’t be fooled again.”
Crash followed the line of sight, and his heart almost stopped. In front of him, Caleb held hands with Ellie, and Mila was in her arms. Allyson smiled at the little girl who touched her face.
“Target in focus,” Wyatt whispered.
“Wyatt, what the hell are you doing?” Crash reached for the rifle, but he couldn’t grab it.
Crash watched as Wyatt gently squeezed the trigger, and then there was the sound of a crying baby. He looked over where Ellie stood, but she lay on the ground covered in blood with Mila crying on her chest, except it wasn’t Ellie. It was Allyson.
“No,” Crash shouted.
“Brent, wake up.”
Crash jolted upright, but for a moment, he didn’t know where he was. He frantically looked around the room before finally realizing he’d been dreaming.
“You were shouting,” Allyson crouched in front of him. “Are you okay?”
Crash wanted to pull her into his arms because the nightmare had been so vivid, and he couldn’t get the image of Allyson’s bloody body out of his head. He wanted to hold her to prove she was still here.
“It was just a dream.” Allyson took his hand.
“Where are the kids?” Crash shook his head.
“Mila is still napping, and Cameron took Caleb out in the yard to play,” Allyson told him.
“How long was I out?” Crash pulled his hands down over his face.
“About an hour.” Allyson stood up and stepped back.
Crash didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered was resting his head against the back of the couch. He needed rest, but if his nap indicated the type of dreams he faced, he didn’t know if he wanted to go back to sleep.
“You need to get some sleep, Brent,” Allyson told him.
“I know, I know.” Crash sighed.
“You said the nightmares from your time overseas had gotten less.” Allyson sat next to him.
“I’m fine.” Crash turned his head to look at her.
He hated to see the worry on her beautiful face, but what was he supposed to say that he dreamed about his dead friend killing her? That type of dream would have Sigmund Freud shaking his head.
“I’m okay, Ally. I think it’s all hitting me at once,” Crash told her.
“Maybe you should talk to someone, too. A professional, I mean,” Allyson said with a slight hitch in her voice.
“I’ll make an appointment with the woman Keith suggested.” Crash promised.
A couple of months earlier, Keith decided to have a psychologist on retainer for his staff since there had been some traumatic things happening over the last several years. Keith’s dad recommended Dr. Nicole Westcott. Crash had seen her several times over the last couple of years. Especially when Keith found out Crash was having night terrors about Afghanistan.
“I met her at the hospital. She’s great.” Allyson smiled.
Crash met her gaze, and as always, his heart pounded. Her dark blue eyes were like sapphires. When the light hit them a certain way, they almost looked purple. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Then again, he was intoxicated by her beauty the first day he met her.
He knew she was attracted to him; that kiss at Hulk’s wedding was proof, and it pained him not to be able to feel her lips against his again.
When her eyes dropped to his mouth, he held his breath and slowly leaned into her. When she didn’t pull back, he lifted his hand to cup her face, but before he could touch her, Mila’s soft cry broke the spell, and Allyson jumped to her feet.
“I’m going to start supper.”
After those words, she practically ran out of the living room. Crash slowly stood up and headed upstairs to get the baby. It was time he gave up the dream of being with Allyson and moved on. If he pushed it, he’d lose her friendship, and the last thing he wanted to do was not have her in his life.
Supper was a mix of giggles and messes. Thankfully, the kids ate a lot, and Crash was glad Cameron kept Caleb busy while he dealt with Mila. After she managed to cover her body with food, he bathed her.
Allyson walked in as he was getting the baby dressed and helped him figure out the sleepers with too many snaps. He sighed as he sat on the bed next to the giggling baby. Was he ready for this? He couldn’t set up the crib or figure out a stupid pair of baby pajamas.
“I thought you should know that Caleb knows about his parents.” Allyson sat next to him.
“What?” Crash shot to his feet.
“Yeah, apparently, he overheard your mom talking to a friend. I don’t think he fully understands, but you may want to talk to him about it,” Allyson explained.
“He must have heard Mom on the phone when we stayed there last night. Damn it.” Crash sat back down.
“It will be okay. He’s young, and he’ll probably have spurts where he misses them and gets upset, but Caleb has you and everyone else.” Allyson touched his arm.
Crash nodded because he couldn’t talk with the lump in his throat. It was killing him that his friends were gone. Axel and himself were the only ones left from that extraction mission when he thought about it. It was unbelievable. He hoped Aaron figured out who killed Wyatt and Ellie.
A week flew by a lot faster than he expected, and the coroner finally released Ellie’s and Wyatt’s remains. He’d had a long talk with Caleb, and although he wasn’t sure the kid understood any better, at least the communication lines were open. Caleb knew he could go to Crash or anyone in the family with questions.
Crash was getting ready to bury his friends and contacted Axel to let him know about the funeral arrangements. Unfortunately, his buddy couldn’t make it that quickly. He was devastated and broke down when they talked on Facetime. Thankfully, Axel had someone he could speak to where he lived, so Crash didn’t worry about his friend falling off the wagon.
Crash decided not to bring Caleb or Mila to the service because they wouldn’t understand what was happening, and the last thing the kids needed was to be around such a sad event. Cameron offered to watch Caleb while Keith’s niece watched Mila. Lily was Ian’s and Sandy’s daughter, and he felt comfortable leaving her with the baby.
He was fixing his tie in the kitchen when Sandy walked in with Lily and Keith. Keith’s clenched jaw and narrowed eyes told Crash his boss was about to hit him with bad news. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anything else.
“Where’s the baby? I want to squish her cheeks,” Lily cooed.
“She’s down for a nap, but she should be up soon,” Crash told the excited girl.
“Ah, shoot. I guess I’ll have to annoy Cam until she gets up,” Lily motioned toward the living room.
“Why do I get the feeling those two will never stop harassing each other and go out on a date?” Sandy shook her head.
“Leave them alone. Lily doesn’t need to be dating at her age.” Keith grumbled.
“She’s nineteen years old, and she’s been dating since she was sixteen.” Sandy rolled her eyes.
“Well, my daughter is not dating until she’s thirty or I’m dead,” Keith returned.
“I need to remind Emily to call me the first time little Scarlett gets picked up for a date.” Sandy laughed.
“Not going to happen,” Keith grumbled.
“Whatever gets you through the day, Keithy.” Sandy patted the large man’s shoulder.
Keith’s daughter was only five, so he had a few years before he would completely freak out about little Scarlett dating. Crash thought about Mila and how someday he would be the man screening the guys she wanted to date. Suddenly, he agreed with Keith’s views on dating.
“There is a reason you’re still here,” Keith snapped.
“Yes, asshole.” Sandy pulled out her phone. “You asked me to come here because you don’t know how to use video conferencing.”
“Why do I torture myself by keeping you on staff?” Keith sighed.
“‘Cause you love me,” Sandy returned.
“As much as I’m enjoying this banter, I need to get to the church,” Crash told them. “So, whatever you need to tell, spill it.”
Sandy tapped the screen on her phone as her and Keith’s expressions turned serious again. Crash didn’t want to hear any more bad news, but he needed to get it over with.
“A.J. asked us to be here when you talked to him. The crash, Ellie’s, and Wyatt’s injuries weren’t because of the accident—at least most weren’t.” Sandy held out her phone.
“What do you mean?” Crash wasn’t all that surprised.
“Here, A.J. will explain. He’s at the coroner’s office.” Sandy handed him her phone.
Aaron was on the screen with a man Crash didn’t know. He assumed the guy was a doctor because he wore scrubs and a lab coat.
“Hey, Crash. This is Dr. Aubry Lucas. He’s the medical examiner,” Aaron explained.
“Mr. umm… Crash,” Aubry seemed confused by the nickname.
“My name is Brent Adams, but everyone calls me Crash,” he told the doctor.
“Okay, well, Mr. Adams, A.J. wanted me to explain my findings when I completed the autopsies on Mr. and Mrs. Christopher.” Aubry pushed his glasses up on his face. “I understand you’re their next of kin.”
“Yes, they had no family other than their children.” Crash felt a tightness in his gut.
“I understand that the preliminary report said they died due to injuries sustained in a car accident, but the intake doctor who worked on Mrs. Christopher asked for a more in-depth examination,” Aubry explained.
“Allyson?” Crash asked.
Allyson had gone to the church to help his mother with some things. He needed to wait for Cameron and Lily to arrive, but she never said she talked to the medical examiner.
“Yes, Dr. Sullivan,” Perry confirmed.
“She…” Crash began, but Aaron stopped him.
“Before you get bent out of shape because she didn’t tell you, she couldn’t, at least not until it was confirmed,” Aaron explained.
Allyson was doing her job, and she confirmed her suspicions before saying anything. While Aubry went on about what he’d found, Crash missed most of it. The one thing he knew was Ellie and Wyatt were beaten badly, and now he was pissed.
“Thanks, Dr. Lucas. I appreciate you telling me all this.” Crash sighed. “A.J., I’m assuming there will be an investigation.”
“Yes, there were some things with the vehicle, too, but I’ll explain that to you later,” Aaron said. “I’ll keep you informed, and Crash,”
“Yes,” Crash said.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ll figure this out. I promise.” Aaron told him. “I’ll see you at the church.”
“I appreciate it, and thanks.” Crash handed the phone to Sandy and left the house.
“Hey,” Keith shouted behind him.
“What? I got to go,” Crash barked.
“Let A.J. handle this,” Keith warned.
“I’ll do exactly what you would do, Rusty. Don’t worry,” Crash returned and left before his boss could respond.