CHAPTER NINETEEN
“What the hell is taking so long?” Jeffrey dragged his hand through his hair.
A good friend of his, a man he’d served with years ago, was in the guest bedroom with Maya and Isla. Mike Ellis had gotten out of the Marine Corps and put himself through medical school. He was the only person Jeffrey trusted to treat his daughter.
He desperately wanted to be in that room, to hold his daughter in his arms again, but Isla didn’t know him, and his presence when she was in such a vulnerable state might frighten her. He would do anything to keep from adding to her burdens.
“Dude, relax. It’s only been a few minutes.” Andi pulled open the door to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and held it up. “Anybody else want one?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Mason held up his water bottle from where he lounged on the sofa .
Wolf was standing in front of the fireplace, shook his head, and mouthed the words, no thanks . He was on the phone with his wife, letting her know their status.
Calliope looked up from sharpening her knife. “No, thanks.”
Her father had carried the Bowie knife while serving in Afghanistan, and before him, her grandfather had it with him in Vietnam. The knife became hers when she joined OSI. She was raised by both men in the swamps of southwestern Florida. They taught her how to live off the land and fend for herself.
“Thanks, Andi, I’d love one.” Viking was one of the politest people Jeffrey had ever met, and he couldn’t remember ever hearing him curse.
In their line of work, that was a rarity. Of course, his politeness in no way diminished his lethality.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier how Marigold is doing?” Burke had an enormous amount of respect for Viking’s fiancée.
“Awesome, as usual.” It was funny watching a deadly, six-foot-eight-inch-tall man blush. “She said to tell everyone hi.”
Marigold had survived a pretty nasty situation with an abusive ex-boyfriend and came out the other side stronger, more independent, and definitely sassier. And Viking was crazy in love with her .
“Jeffrey?” Brows lifted in question, Andi waggled a bottle of water in his direction.
He started walking over to her and heard a door open, followed by footsteps. Mike rounded the corner and walked into the room carrying a medical kit that looked like a tackle box and set it on the table.
“How is she?” Jeffrey asked.
Everyone stopped and gave the doctor their undivided attention.
“She’s lucid, alert, and relieved to be out of ‘that place,’ as she called it.” Mike had been briefed on what happened and the fact Isla was Jeffrey’s daughter.
There was a collective sigh of relief from the group.
“Can I speak with you privately for a moment?” Mike tilted his head toward the hallway.
“Sure.” Jeffrey looked at the group assembled in his living room. “Excuse me for a minute, guys.”
He followed Mike, and they stopped outside the bedroom where Isla was resting.
“What’s up?” He set his hands on his hips.
“Isla is a little dehydrated, and according to Maya, it looks like she’s lost some weight.” He kept his voice low. “Apparently, she was afraid to eat the food they gave her. Finally, after a day or two, she got so hungry she started eating but would only eat a little bit.” He chuckled. “She said the food looked weird and tasted gross.”
“Fuck.” Jeffrey scrubbed his hand down his face .
“Look.” He clamped his hand on Jeffrey’s shoulder. “I know you’re worried, but that little girl in there is tough, and kids are incredibly resilient.”
“Are you sure there’s no lasting effects from the drugs?”
“It seems to be wearing off.” Mike’s hand fell away from his shoulder. “As a precaution, I drew some blood and will test it myself.” He had his own medical practice, which included a lab. “All things considered, she’s doing great.”
“Thank God.” The tension that had been tightening his shoulders finally loosened at hearing she would be okay.
“I’m going to send you an e-mail with the contact information for a psychologist friend of mine who specializes in dealing with childhood trauma,” Mike said.
“That would be great, thanks.” Jeffrey was a firm believer in people getting the mental health they needed. He’d been to way too many funerals for veterans who’d committed suicide.
“You bet.” He lifted his chin toward the bedroom door. “She’s been asking who the man is that carried her to safety.” Mike gave him a serious look. “I strongly recommend and encourage you to tell her who you are, sooner rather than later.”
“Shouldn’t we give her a day or two to recover?” The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm the poor kid. “She’s been through a lot.”
“Which is exactly why you both have to be honest with her,” Mike said. “She needs to be able to trust the people closest to her, and being truthful with her about who you are is a solid first step.”
Maya stepped into the hallway and quietly closed the door.
“I need to get her some more water.” She looked back and forth between the two men. “What is it? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I was just updating Dad here on her status.” Mike looked at Jeffrey. “Think about what I said, okay?”
“I will.” Jeffrey hugged him. “Thanks for coming all the way out here, Mike. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m glad I could help.” He clapped Jeffrey’s back a couple of times, and they broke their hug. “Maya, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m sorry it was under less than stellar circumstances.”
“I can never possibly thank you enough.” She reached her hand out and shook his hand.
“I’m glad I could help, and I’ll let you know about the lab work as soon as I have the results. Good night.”
He left them in the hallway and could be heard telling the team good night, then the front door closed.
“What did he mean, ‘Think about what I said’?” Maya asked.
“He said we should tell Isla I’m her father sooner rather than later. ”
The bedroom door clicked open, and a wide-eyed little girl stared up at them.
“I … I had to go to the bathroom … and …” Her head tilted sideways. “You’re … my dad? But … I thought…” Her blond brows scrunched together, and she gave her mother a confused look. “You told me he was dead.”
“Isla, honey—” Maya lifted her hand to Isla’s shoulder, but her little girl took a step back, out of reach.
“You … you lied to me?” Tears welled in her blue eyes, and her voice trembled with hurt and disappointment. “Why did you do that? Why did let me think he was dead?”
“ Ahem .” A throat cleared, and Andi poked her head around the corner. “Hi, yeah, um, this sounds like a pretty personal conversation you probably don’t want all of us to hear. Right?”
“Isla, why don’t you go to the bathroom, then I’ll explain everything,” Maya said, then turned to Andi. “Thank you, by the way. For helping bring her back to me.”
“You’re welcome.” She stepped into the hallway and gave Isla a reassuring smile. “Hi. I’m Andi. I’m glad to see you’re awake.”
Isla swiped her forearm across her teary eyes, sucked in a shaky breath and, in a move similar to her mom’s, visibly drew her shoulders back.
“ You were one of the people who saved me?” Her brows lifted in surprise as she looked Andi up and down .
Decked out in all of her tactical gear, Andi was the picture of a confident and badass woman.
“I sure was, and it was my pleasure. Now I’m going to go back out there and hang out so you guys can do your thing.” She whispered to Isla from behind her hand, as if sharing a secret. “Go easy on your mom, okay? She’s been really scared and worried about you.”
She headed back into the living room with the guys.
Isla glanced sideways at her mom and gave Jeffrey a long, appraising look. “My eyes are the same color as yours.”
“They’re the same color as my mom’s, too.” Jeffrey couldn’t wait to share photos with Isla and tell her all about what incredible people her grandparents were.
“I have grandparents?” Her face lit up.
“Unfortunately, they passed away a few years ago.” Her smile fell, so he quickly added, “But I have a bunch of pictures, and I’d love to tell you all about them.”
“I wish I could have met them.” Isla gave her mom an accusatory glare. “Excuse me.” She walked between them, went into the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.
Maya blew out a long breath. “That was not the way I wanted her to find out about you.”
“Come here.” Jeffrey pulled her into his arms and stroked his hand down her hair. “She’s a smart kid. Once you tell her why you did what you did, she’ll come around. ”
“God, I hope so.” She dropped her forehead to his shoulder.
“Mike’s going to send us the name of a child psychologist.”
She lifted her head. “That’s a wonderful idea.”
“I agree.” He hesitated. “Ya know we’re going to have to ask her about what happened when she went to the park.” Jeffrey hated that Isla would have to relive those horrible days, but it was important she tell them everything she could remember. “Wolf’s team can use the information she provides to find out if the men who took her are part of a larger human trafficking operation. If they are, they’ll take ’em down.”
“I know you’re right, but I’m worried about her.” Her arms tightened around him.
“I am, too, but she’s strong, and she has both of us to help her through this.” Jeffrey wouldn’t let himself think about how differently things would’ve ended had Maya not come to him for help.
“Once we’re done with Isla, you and I need to talk about Al-Mansoori.” A man of Nadim’s stature and position could not let it slide that outside forces managed to get past his security, into his embassy, then out with Isla. “He’s not going to stop coming for you.”
“I know.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ve actually been thinking about that, and I have a plan.” She patted the center of his chest .
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like it?” he asked.
Water ran in the bathroom sink, cut off, then the door opened.
Isla stepped into the hallway.
“Well, let’s get this over with.” She shuffled past them and muttered something like, “My life is so weird.”
Jeffrey rubbed his hand over his mouth to hide a grin, followed Maya into the room, and closed the door.
Isla climbed up onto the bed, sat back against the headboard, and pulled the covers up to her lap. Like a queen holding court, her little nose tilted upward, she made a motion with her hand in a get-on-with-it sort of way.
Jeffrey would’ve chuckled, had the moment not been so serious. Instead, he gave Maya a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. He wanted her to know he was there and ready to support her in any way possible.
She set her hand over his and nodded in acknowledgment.
Neither of these actions were missed by their daughter. She might as well get used to seeing them together, because Jeffrey wasn’t going anywhere.
Maya settled on the edge of the bed next to her. Jeffrey leaned back against the wall by the door and crossed his arms.
“About twelve years ago, I was sent to America as part of a task force, and that’s when I met Jeffrey. I fell in love with him the very first moment I saw him.” She looked at him over her shoulder as she spoke. “He was sitting at the far end of this long table, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.” She dragged her gaze back to Isla. “Over the subsequent weeks, we became very … close, and I ended up getting pregnant.”
“You mean, you did sex together, right?” Isla crossed her arms in front of her tummy. “Because you told me once that’s how babies are made.”
“That’s correct.” Maya nodded. “It’s important for you to know that we cared for each other very much.”
“We care for each other very much,” he clarified, just so there was no misunderstanding.
“If you liked each other so much, then why didn’t you get married?” Isla gave Jeffrey a challenging glare. “Didn’t you want to marry my mom? Is it because she was going to have a baby?” Her voice was less defiant as she asked, “Didn’t you want me?”
Jeffrey pushed off the wall and set his hand on Maya’s shoulder. “Isla, honey, I—”
“Actually, it was my fault. I never told him I was pregnant.” Maya interrupted him to jump on the proverbial sword. “And … well, I’m the one who left him.”
“Why would you do that if you loved him?” she asked. “And why didn’t you tell him about me? ”
As much as he wanted to jump in and defend her, he remained silent. This was Maya’s story to tell. He laid his hand on her shoulder.
“It’s more complicated than that. And once I explain why I did what I did, I hope you’ll try to understand.” She scooched closer to Isla and took hold of her hand.
“A long time ago, I had a very dangerous job going after some really not nice people.” She told her how she often went undercover, which involved keeping secrets sometimes. “I got very good at keeping secrets.”
“Ya think?” Isla exhibited her deft ability at sarcasm.
“I kept those secrets to save my life and the lives of innocents.” To give her a sense of the kind of danger involved, and without going into too much detail, she shared bits and pieces of stories about a couple of her missions.
It was critical to provide Isla with context for why Maya made the impactful choices she did at the time.
Their daughter’s eyes widened, and she was positively riveted by her mother’s retelling of her highly unconventional past. How her life had been threatened by some very bad people, which was why she had to leave Jeffrey in the middle of the night.
“So that’s why you’re always so worried and why we moved so many times?” Isla asked.
“Yes, that’s why,” Maya said. “The people after me would get too close, so we would have to relocate very quickly.”
“But why couldn’t he … Jeffrey … my fath—” She puffed out a frustrated breath and looked at him. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to call you.”
“What would you like to call me?” He knew what he’d like to hear, but it was going to be up to her.
“Um, I guess … maybe I’ll call you Jeffrey?” She quickly added, “For now, anyway?”
“Whatever you want, honey.” This was very new to all of them, and it would take time to navigate their way through these revelations. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed.
“ Honey ,” Isla repeated. “You called me that before, and you were carrying me.” Her brows beetled, as if questioning her memory. “Or did I imagine that?”
“No, you didn’t imagine it.” Jeffrey circled around to the other side of the bed and sat opposite Maya with their daughter between them. “You were getting a little scared, and I wanted you to know you were safe.”
“You said, ‘I’ve got you, honey,’ then I wasn’t so scared,” she said.
“I’m very glad to hear that. And I promise, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re never scared like that again.” He would keep that vow, even if it meant leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
Maya loved watching the two of them together, figuring out how to communicate with each other. She hated to interrupt, but her daughter needed to hear everything.
“Isla, I didn’t tell Jeffrey I was pregnant because I was afraid it would put him in danger.”
A barely discernible growl of frustration rumbled up from the large man across from her.
“And, as you can tell by his grumbling, he did not agree with that decision.” If she had it to do over again, Maya wasn’t sure she wouldn’t do the same thing. She would never tell him that, though.
“The man that took me, is he the bad person that wants to kill you?” Isla’s anxiety manifested itself in the form of chewing her bottom lip.
“He is. And no, I am not going to tell you why he wants to hurt me.” Maya would not be responsible for staining her daughter’s soul by sharing the gory details of how a man tried to rape her and how she was forced to kill him to survive.
“How did you know to look for me in America?” Isla asked.
“I didn’t, actually. I had hit dead end after dead end, and after exhausting every possible resource available to me, I decided to seek out Jeffrey’s help.” Even knowing it meant exposing herself to danger and opening herself up to his feelings of betrayal and anger. “I knew with absolute certainty he would find you. And he did.”
“If I hadn’t been so stupid to run away, and if you hadn’t needed Jeffrey’s help, would you have ever told me the truth about who my father is?” Leave it to Isla to ask a tough question.
“First of all, you weren’t stupid, Isla. You were lonely and vulnerable, and that was my fault.” Maya sucked it up and gave her an honest answer to her question. “As far as telling you the truth about Jeffrey, honestly, I’m not sure. Perhaps if I was certain we were no longer in danger, but that hasn’t changed. I am still the target of a crazy person, and Jeffrey—and you—are still in danger.”
“Yes, but this time, no one is running away.” He reached over and covered Maya’s hand with his. “You are both staying here, and we are going to deal with this together. Agreed?” There was a commanding edge to his voice as he looked from Isla to her.
The man would not take no for an answer.
“Agreed.” Their daughter gave a succinct nod, then looked at her. “Well, Mom? You’ve been doing everything all by yourself forever. Don’t you think it’s time for you to trust other people and let them help you? Especially since Jeffrey and his friends seem to be pretty good at that stuff.”
“Yeah, come on, Mom.” Jeffrey jiggled Maya’s hand and winked at Isla. “Let us help you. Please.”
“Please, Mom.” Their daughter made praying hands and looked at her with those big blue eyes of hers. “Pleeease. ”
“Look at you two, ganging up on me already.” It was the sweetest thing she’d ever seen.
“Wouldn’t you like to stop running and hiding? I know I would like to live in one place for a while.” Isla gave Jeffrey a shy glance. “And I would really like to get to know … Dad.” A beautiful shade of pink flooded her cheeks.
Never in Maya’s wildest dreams had she imagined this outcome. She’d thought the precarious balancing act she’d lived all these years would end only after Al-Mansoori was successful in exacting his vengeance.
She sniffled, swallowed past the lump in her throat, and nodded.
“Yay!” Isla smiled.
“From now on, we are a family.” Jeffrey reached across and lifted Isla’s hand so they were all joined as one. “Nothing, and I mean nothing , comes between us.”