Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Chaos had so many emotions racing through his system, he wasn’t sure what to do. Every moment he expected to see this Nolan guy burst through the doors of the hangar and come after Kara, screaming bloody murder as he did so.
He was also worried about what Kara was going through for her medical exam.
From what he understood, a rape kit wasn’t exactly comfortable.
Not to mention, she’d have to have her hands bandaged, and the nurse would likely take a multitude of pictures of the bruises and scrapes all over her body.
He wasn’t allowed in the makeshift exam room with her, but just knowing what she was enduring made him wish he was.
A detective was going to come by soon, someone Tex trusted, and who he’d called personally to deal with the situation. Tex Keegan had become a vital part of their circle, and everyone on the team trusted him implicitly.
While a doctor cleaned out and stitched the wound on his shoulder, Chaos had called Pyro, who was back in Norfolk dealing with his still-healing leg.
The asshole who’d kidnapped his and Penny’s daughter, Bowie, had done his best to take him out of commission by breaking his leg with a baseball bat and smashing his knee all to hell.
But Pyro, like all the Night Stalkers, was made of sterner stuff and healing quickly.
Not as quickly as he’d like, but he’d still be back behind the controls of a chopper with Casper at his side sooner than his doctor had predicted.
But for the moment, he was in Virginia, watching over all the women while the rest of the team was in Asheville helping with the hurricane relief.
Chaos explained the situation with Kara as best he could without getting into the nitty-gritty details, since the doctor was obviously listening in as he worked on his shoulder.
Pyro caught on quickly, and said he’d talk to the women, make sure Kara had the necessities by the time the team returned with her to Virginia.
Chaos trusted the women to know what Kara needed, and he’d done his best to estimate her sizes.
He was probably way off—because what the hell did he know about women’s sizes?
But hopefully the women would be able to interpret his description of her height and shape well enough and take it from there.
Shoulder finished, now he was pacing impatiently outside the curtained-off space she was in with a doctor.
Edge stood nearby with his arms over his chest, glaring at anyone who dared walk too close to the exam room.
The hangar wasn’t exactly private, as all the evacuees were brought here before either being picked up by family or taken to the hospital if they were in need of more serious medical attention.
Taking a deep breath and trying to relax, Chaos turned to his copilot. “Thanks for finding us.”
“We were just glad we found you alive, and not beaten and battered…and dead on the edge of that fucking river that formed out of nowhere. I can’t believe you jumped into that deathtrap.”
“For the record, I didn’t plan on it. It’s just…after I looked into her eyes and saw her clinging to that tree, something clicked.”
Edge gave him a look. “I’m probably not the person you want to use that explanation on.
It’s not as if I’m with anyone. Casper or one of the others would understand that shit more than me.
I need more than that, Chaos. I need to know why you’d do something so incredibly stupid.
We’ve pulled our share of dead bodies out of raging rivers in the past. Hell, today in fact, just before we found you.
Why would you do something so fucking reckless? ”
“I saw the relief in her eyes that someone was there to help her. But it wasn’t just that.
It was the desperation. And before you say it, I know that everyone we’ve helped has been desperate.
But this was different. I knew down to my bones that if I didn’t get in that water right that second, she was going to die.
My sixth sense was screaming at me to go after her. ”
“You and your sixth sense,” Edge muttered with a shake of his head.
But he didn’t continue questioning him. He, along with the rest of the team, had seen firsthand just how accurate Chaos’s sixth sense could be.
When he got a feeling, they listened, because more often than not he was right.
“So what now? What’s the plan when we get back to Virginia? You moving her into your house?”
“Honestly? I want to. But after what she’s been through, I’m not sure that’s the smartest thing in the world, or even something she’d be comfortable with. I thought I’d talk to Jen. See if she minded having a roommate for a while. Only until Kara and I can figure out where she wants to live.”
Edge straightened. “Is that smart? To move her in with Jen? I mean, if she’s in as much danger as she thinks she is, maybe putting her with another vulnerable single woman isn’t the best idea.”
There was an edge to his copilot’s voice that Chaos had never heard before. A concern for Jen that went deeper than that of a friend. “When are you going to do something about that?”
“About what?” Edge asked.
“Jen. It’s obvious you like her. And I’ve seen the way she looks at you too.”
Edge shook his head. “We aren’t having this discussion.”
“Why not?”
“Because. We aren’t. I’d never expose her to my ex. And you and I both know as soon as I try to date anyone, Trinity would make her life hell.”
“How’s she gonna know?” Chaos asked.
“She just will. Especially now that she’s taken a job on base, where gossip spreads faster than ticks in the springtime.
I like Jen, she’s nice. But she’s not for me.
And my dating history has nothing to do with the fact that it’s probably not smart to move a woman who has a psychopath in her recent past into an apartment with another single woman. ”
“I agree. But what other choices do we have? I’m not going to force Kara to move in with me, not after the hell she’s been through. I want her to have a say in the matter.”
Edge pressed his lips together tightly.
“She has nothing, Edge,” Chaos went on. “Not even a pair of fucking shoes. She has no money for a hotel room. She’s smart, and I think she can find a job as an accountant without much of an issue, but it’ll take time.
You know as well as I do that if she’s with Jen, we’ll all be in touch with them every day.
Hell, Pyro and Penny live in the same building, on the same floor.
Laryn and Mandy have doggy dates with Fred all the time too.
And it’s not as if I’m gonna drop Kara off and wash my hands of her.
That building also has security. I wouldn’t suggest putting her there if I thought anyone would be in danger. ”
Edge sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know.”
Chaos felt for his friend. They all knew his ex-wife was a psycho.
A couple of them had even had unpleasant run-ins with her recently—starting just over two months ago, when Pyro had been shocked to see Trinity at the commissary.
When she’d grinned at him, saying he’d be seeing her around a lot more, he’d immediately told Edge and the rest of the guys to stay on their toes, that the bitch was in the area.
It was shortly afterward when Edge learned she’d gotten a job on base.
They all hoped that three years was enough time that Trinity’s bitterness over the divorce would’ve waned.
But Chaos wasn’t convinced. The woman was horrid through and through.
How Edge had even ended up with someone like her, Chaos had no idea.
But it was crazy that his friend didn’t feel as if he could ever have another relationship, simply because of the way Trinity might react.
“You see anything out of the ordinary while I was busy getting stitched up?” Chaos asked, changing the subject.
“No. Nothing. We gonna get a picture of this Nolan guy?”
“I’m sure the detective will be able to get one for us. Because anyone who’s capable of doing what Nolan did to Kara has to have a record. Has to already be in the system.”
“Might be hard to find if Nolan Colins is a fake name.”
Chaos scowled. He’d thought of that himself, but he hoped with Kara’s help, the detective would be able to get a good description and still find a picture. Either in the state system for his driver’s license or in police records.
“Speaking of…” Edge said, nodding at a man walking toward them.
He was obviously in law enforcement. It was in the way he carried himself. He wore a pair of black pants with a long-sleeve shirt and a tie. His entire demeanor screamed “detective.”
The two men waited to be approached and the detective didn’t waste any time introducing himself.
“Beckett Blackwood. I’m with Asheville PD. I understand there’s been an incident.”
An incident. Yeah, there was a fucking “incident” all right.
Chaos wanted to chew this guy out, and he would’ve if he hadn’t noted the determination in the man’s eyes.
He wasn’t as uncaring as he sounded. He seemed as if he cared that a woman had been in the clutches of a madman and wanted to do whatever he could to make sure it didn’t happen to anyone else.
“I’m Chaos, this is Edge. Look, Detective, here’s the thing.
The woman on the other side of this curtain has been through a lot.
She’s lucky to be alive. And the man who kidnapped, assaulted, and tortured her is likely still out there.
Go easy. She’s strong. Really fucking strong, but she’s also terrified of this guy and what might happen if he gets his hands on her again. ”
“I will.” Blackwood took a deep breath. “I’ve got a wife and a little girl myself. Seeing the evil in this world firsthand just makes me more determined to put people like this guy away forever.”
Chaos nodded. “I’m going to be with her when you talk to her. Assuming that’s not an issue?”