Chapter 7 #3
Then she felt Stuart squeeze her hand once more. Her hand with the missing fingers.
Realization hit her hard and fast. She hadn’t known this man even a week, and she felt comfortable enough with him to let him touch her mangled stubs.
She didn’t feel panicky or the need to rip out of his grasp, as she had just days ago.
It was confusing, and once more she felt completely out of her comfort zone.
Despite that, she found herself saying quietly, “I’ll stay and do what I can to help.”
Huttner let out a relieved breath. “Great. I’ll set up a computer you can use to start looking through files.
If you’re willing, I’ll contact an interrogator who’s really good at what she does, who might be able to help you to remember something you don’t realize you know.
And there’s a hypnotist that the Navy has used in the past. I’ll see about arranging that too. ”
“Easy, Sir,” Stuart said quietly. “Monica’s said she’ll stay and help, there’s no need to do everything in one day. She needs clothes and other essentials. She arrived in Hawaii with nothing. Paperwork needs to be done to set up the allowance as well.”
“Right. Of course. But she’ll need to come in every weekday and look at files.”
“She will.”
Monica should’ve been annoyed that the two men were talking about her life as if she wasn’t sitting right there…
but it felt too good to have Stuart sticking up for her, despite how nervous he made her.
She wouldn’t have minded starting on the files right then and there, but admittedly, she was overwhelmed.
While there was a chance she’d get lucky and be able to quickly pinpoint the man the commander was desperate to find, it wasn’t likely.
“I’ll keep you updated about an opening at the lodge,” Huttner said.
Monica didn’t know if he was talking to her or Stuart, but supposed it didn’t matter.
“Um…am I in trouble for what I told you?” she asked. She didn’t really want to bring it up again, but would rather know now if the commander planned to report the fact that she was an accessory to murder, rather than be surprised by police showing up at her doorstep later.
For the first time since she’d met the commander, she saw kindness in his eyes. “No. You were twelve. It was a long time ago…and I have the feeling you went through hell with the man who called himself your father.”
“I did,” she whispered, feeling exhausted.
She also felt off-kilter. The meeting today hadn’t gone anything like she thought it would.
In her experience, military men were no-nonsense hardasses who didn’t care about anything other than their own agenda.
And while it was obvious Stuart’s commander was professional and no-nonsense, and his frustration got the best of him for a short moment, it was clear he also had a soft side. Which was bewildering.
While being here hadn’t been something she would’ve agreed to do in a million years, she was kind of surprised to find that she wasn’t feeling more antsy to do what she was asked then get the hell out of Hawaii as fast as possible.
Maybe that therapist who’d suggested she actually spend time around military people knew what she was talking about after all.
She was learning that, while intense, most of the men she’d spent time with since the shit hit the fan in Algeria were nothing like her father.
It was a massive relief.
Huttner stood, and Stuart and Mustang did the same, so Monica followed suit.
“Thank you for being so understanding about the situation,” the commander said. “I realize I used my authority to force you to come to Hawaii, but I hope you can maybe now understand the urgency of the situation, and why I did what I did.”
“Yes, Sir,” Monica said, not sure what else she could say at that point.
“You’ll bring her back tomorrow?” the older man asked Stuart.
He sighed. “After lunch. We have our after-action-review then, and she can start to look through profiles while we’re in our meeting.”
Monica held her breath, waiting to see if the commander would agree.
“That’ll be fine.” Then he turned and headed out of the conference room.
Monica let out the breath in a long whoosh.
“Ready to go?” Stuart asked, as if nothing about the last hour had been out of the ordinary. She nodded.
“I’ll talk to the rest of the team,” Mustang said. “Bring them up to speed.”
“Good.”
“I want to catch this guy,” Mustang said.
“Same,” Stuart agreed.
“Being a SEAL is one of the most prestigious professions someone can have. And to know that this guy is using what he learned against his country, against other countries, and against women…it’s repulsive and unacceptable,” Mustang said in a heated tone.
“Agreed.”
Monica remained still, feeling the angry vibes coming off Stuart’s friend and not wanting him to turn his ire her way.
But Mustang took a deep breath and seemed to contain his fury. “Sorry,” he told her.
Monica blinked in surprise.
“I’m just pissed way the hell off.”
“I bet Elodie can help make you feel better,” Stuart said with a small grin.
“Hell yeah, she can. Just being around her makes me relax. Monica, thank you. I know this is a shitty situation and one you don’t deserve to be in the middle of. But if there’s anything Elodie or I can do to make it easier for you, just let us know.”
“Um…okay,” Monica said, knowing she would do nothing of the sort.
Stuart reached out and shook Mustang’s hand. “Thanks for coming in with us today.”
“Anytime. The commander should’ve let us know about this guy before now. We could’ve been on the lookout when we were in Algeria. Especially considering it was just the kind of situation the asshole would try to take advantage of.”
“Agreed,” Stuart said again.
“Oh, by the way, did you happen to talk to Aleck this morning?”
“No, why?”
“Apparently he’s not willing to wait any longer to marry Kenna. They’re currently planning a luau wedding,” Mustang said.
“No shit?” Stuart asked with a grin.
“No shit. I guess the concierge guy, Robert, has taken it upon himself to give them the best wedding ever, right there on the beach at the Coral Springs condos.”
“Awesome! Can’t wait to hear the details,” Stuart said.
“Same. See you tomorrow,” Mustang said as he walked down the hallway.
“Luau?” Monica asked when it was just the two of them.
Stuart grinned. “Oh, yeah. It’s the most Hawaiian thing ever. You’ll love it.”
“Oh, but…why would I be invited?” she asked as Stuart put his hand on the small of her back and encouraged her to precede him down the hall.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes?” she asked, looking up at him.
Stuart waited until they were outside and headed for his minivan in the parking lot to say, “I know this will be difficult for you to understand, but as long as you’re here, you’re a part of our group.
You’ll be invited to barbeques and girls’ night out, and you’re certainly under my team’s protection.
If Aleck and Kenna get married while you’re here, you’ll definitely be invited. ”
Monica was speechless. She’d never met anyone like Stuart and his friends before. They were generous to a fault. They didn’t know her. Probably wouldn’t even like her much, yet Stuart was telling her that they’d act as if she was one of their best friends. It made no sense.
“You’ll see,” Stuart added, as if he could read her mind and knew how confused she was.
He waited until she was settled in the passenger seat before closing her door and heading around to the driver’s side.
“I figured we could swing by the Ala Moana Mall on the way home. While Lexie did a good job in guessing your size and bringing you some things to tide you over, I’m sure you want to pick out your own clothes.
And don’t worry about the cost. The stipend you’ll get will more than cover whatever you need to buy. ”
“Okay.” Monica had never really liked shopping, but she wouldn’t mind picking out some things for herself, like he’d said.
“And there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”
Monica braced.
“I know the commander said he’d let us know when a space opened up at the lodge…but I’d like you to consider staying at my place.”
Monica was genuinely flabbergasted. She figured Stuart would be more than happy to see her move out of his space sooner than later.
“I honestly think you’ll be more comfortable at my house than on the base.
I’ve seen how stiff and uncomfortable you get every time you see men and women in uniform.
And since you’ll be spending quite a bit of time on base looking over those files, having a place where you don’t have to keep your guard up all the time will probably be good for you. ”
He had a great point, but Monica would never dream of being a burden. Not to anyone. If he was offering his house out of a sense of obligation, she’d decline in a heartbeat.
Stuart went on. “And…I like having you there. I hadn’t realized how quiet and lonely my place was until having you there all day yesterday.
Even when we weren’t talking, it was nice to not be alone.
The rest of the guys are busy with their women now, and I have to admit, I miss hanging out with someone else. ”
“Mustang, Midas, and Aleck are the only ones who have girlfriends or wives, though, right?” Monica asked, not immediately answering his question.
“Good memory. Yes. But while Jag and Slate might not be dating Carly and Ashlyn officially, they’re definitely interested.
And they’re patient. Jag spends a lot of time checking in on Carly, who still hasn’t recovered from something her ex did, and Slate spends most of his spare time trying to rein in Ash, without much luck.
She’s a spitfire for sure. Slate has his hands full with her. ”
Stuart chuckled, and Monica could only sit and stare at him as he drove them toward the mall.
“Anyway, if you truly don’t want to stay at my place, that’s okay. But know that I definitely don’t mind you being there and would love the company.”
Truthfully, Monica didn’t want to stay on the base. She was trying not to let her experiences and fear rule her life, but being surrounded by military men all the time might not be the best thing for her psyche. “I’ll stay as long as I’m not in the way,” she said.
Stuart beamed at her. “Great. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stop at the hardware store before we head home too.”
“For what?” she asked.
“I want to put a better lock on your door so you really feel safe.”
“That’s not necessary,” Monica said, though she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of relief.
She liked Stuart, but that didn’t mean she completely trusted him.
He was still military. And if they got to know each other better, he might get some ideas in his head about their relationship.
No matter how many times she told herself that Stuart wasn’t like her father, a niggling of a doubt remained.
“It is. But there’s something else I’ve got planned too, and I need to get some supplies.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a small grin.
Monica couldn’t help but be curious. She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but he turned left into a parking garage and said, “We’re here.”
Mentally shrugging, Monica let it drop. She found herself looking forward to sitting on the back deck of Stuart’s house and not thinking about much of anything for a while.
Her brain hurt. She’d had to think about too many bad memories that day, not to mention the fact that as hard as she tried, she couldn’t picture the tattoo that had been on the SEAL’s arm.
She had a feeling that would be one of the most important keys to figuring out the man’s identity.
And somehow, even though she’d only been there a short time, the cozy house surrounded by trees felt more like home than anywhere else she’d ever lived.