Zale’s Little Girl (Soldier Daddies)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Z ale slid into his Jeep and started the engine. The team’s early morning training run was the toughest to motivate himself for on Monday morning. Leaving his house at four a.m. was a normal time for him, but at the beginning of the week, it felt brutal. He rubbed his hand over his military short hair and yawned before shifting into reverse and backing out of the driveway.

One glance in the mirror erased any lingering sleepiness. Flashing lights reflected to the right. It looked like they were coming from a couple of blocks away. Zale grabbed his phone from the cup holder and sent Caden a voice message as he navigated toward whatever was happening.

Emergency vehicles in my neighborhood. Stopping to help.

A lot of his neighbors worked at the base—both as military and civilian employees. He hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. As he turned the corner, he spotted it. Two vehicles had collided. How had he not heard the impact? Had he been in the shower, trying to drown himself in cold water to wake up?

Parking the Jeep on the shoulder, Zale raced over to the accident. The military police officers on the scene were trying to deal with the traffic as well as check out the passengers in the cars. He shouted to identify himself.

“Zale Reynolds. Medic from the base. I’ll check out those in the black car.”

“Thanks! Ambulances should be here shortly,” one MP called and waved him on.

Zale jogged to the vehicle, studying it for damage. That would help him check for injuries. The black sports car had run into the back of the van ahead of it. He’d leave who was at fault to the investigators. Zale focused on the driver pinned back against his seat by the airbag. He didn’t recognize the man in civilian clothes. Pressing his fingers to the man’s throat, Zale felt a strong pulse.

That was a good sign. Looking past the driver, he immediately darted around the car. The passenger’s airbag had deployed as well, but no one occupied that seat. As he rounded the back, Zale noted the passenger door was open.

A white object caught his eye. He picked up a tattered piece of a cloth from the passenger seat. Catching a whiff of perfume, he lifted it to his nose. Roses. Disoriented people could wander from the scene. He scanned the woods off the side of the road and didn’t see anyone.

He turned to head back to the driver when he saw something yellow by the back wheel. Zale picked it up and stared at the zip tie speckled by what appeared to be blood. What was going on here?

The driver’s groan made him continue back to that side of the car. He started to lay the objects on the roof, but the wind threatened to blow them away. Zale stuffed the two items into his back pocket. He’d deal with them later.

“Hey! We’re missing a passenger here,” he called to the military police as an ambulance rolled up.

Zale stayed with the driver until the paramedics reached the vehicle. When they had started assessing the man, he ran to the officer, who seemed in charge. “Did you find another injured person?”

“Just the woman in the passenger van and the guy in the sports car.”

“I think someone else was in his car. The door was open and…” Just as he reached for the items in his pocket, the man yelled.

“Where is she? That fucking bitch is more trouble than she’s worth.”

As the paramedics tried to calm him down, Zale met the officer’s gaze. He pulled the items he’d found from his pocket. “I found this by the car. Something isn’t right here.”

“We need to search the area. I’ll put an officer with him. Can you make a preliminary run over the area? Try not to mess with any other evidence,” the officer said as he grabbed a plastic bag from his car. “Got your ID?”

Zale pulled it from his wallet and held it up for the officer to take a photo. As soon as he had a clear picture, Zale took off for the forest line. It hadn’t rained for over a week, leaving the ground hard. He didn’t try to track footprints. He searched for bent or broken tree limbs.

There! Zale ducked into the woods and scanned the area. He listened for any movement and heard nothing over the hubbub of activity at the accident scene.

“Hey. It’s okay now. I’m here to help you. That guy’s going to the hospital. They’ll keep him there for a while. But if you’re hiding from him, I can get you safely to the authorities.”

A slight rustle of leaves made him turn to the right. He focused that way and tried again. “I can get you to safety. You don’t want to stay here. He’ll come back when they release him.”

“You won’t make me go back there?” a husky voice asked from his left.

He turned slowly to make eye contact with a petite brunette with huge green eyes filled with fear. He didn’t like that her waist-long hair was tangled. His first impression was that she needed help. “Hi. I’m Zale. I absolutely won’t make you go anywhere with him.”

“He’s got connections. I’ll have to go with him. It’s better that I disappear.” She backed up a few steps, favoring her right leg.

“You’re hurt. I’m a medic. Let me help you.” He noticed she didn’t have any shoes on. He hadn’t spotted those in the car.

“A doctor?” she asked.

“A medic. I have medical training to save my team if they’re injured,” Zale explained, pointing to his military fatigues. “It looks like you’re bleeding.”

The woman glanced down at her arm and shuddered before shaking her head. “It’s okay. Can you just tell them you didn’t find anyone? I’ll go that way.” She pointed further back into the woods.

“Are you in trouble for something? Was that a cop you were with?” Zale asked.

She laughed and shook her head. “Only if being female and alone is a crime. He picked me up at least three states ago and is taking me to some compound as quickly as possible. He’s been driving for over a day. It’s Sunday, right?”

“Monday. Where were you taken?” By the shock on her face, he knew she was telling him the truth.

A rustle and a shout signaled that someone was coming. She looked around in panic before locking eyes with Zale. “Please help me. He’ll take me again.”

“Get under that pine tree and cover your feet with the needles.” Zale pointed to the nearby drooping branches. Her expression of absolute thanks went straight to his heart. He could be in immense trouble for this if she turned out to be a criminal.

He observed from the corner of his eye as she fumbled into place, hampered by the lack of shoes. She definitely didn’t have any training or experience in being covert. Zale moved away from her as he answered the call.

“Hey. I’m over here. I’ve searched about a hundred feet in that direction all the way back to the road on the other side of the woods. If there was a passenger, they must have gone that way,” he said, pointing away from her hiding spot.

“The driver says he was traveling alone but had just picked up a hitchhiker. He guessed they fled,” the same officer Zale had talked to reported. “According to him that door has popped open several times when he comes to a stop—some kind of short in the wiring. He didn’t recognize that stuff you found. Maybe it was already there on the road.”

“That makes sense. I’ll just head on to work,” Zale told him.

“That’s great. I have your info if questions come up.”

Zale walked with the officer back toward the road, hoping she’d caught his hint to go through the woods. He could see the male driver arguing with the paramedics about the need to go to the hospital and knew he’d soon focus on finding the woman. Jumping in his Jeep, Zale drove down the road as if he were continuing to work.

He made a detour when he was out of sight and circled to the backside of the wooded area. Zale spotted her standing just inside the tree line. Whipping his vehicle around in a quick U-turn, he pulled to the side of the road and jumped out to run to her.

“Let’s get you out of here. He’s going to finish with the MPs soon.”

“Why are you helping me?” she asked, shrinking back from him.

“It seems to me that you need a friend, little girl.”

“You won’t hurt me?”

“Medic, remember?” he said, pointing to his chest. “I help people, not hurt them.”

She walked slowly and painfully forward. “I guess I have to trust someone.”

“My lucky day. Let’s get you in the Jeep. I’m Zale, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Pippa.”

“Let me help you, Pippa. I’m guessing he didn’t take good care of you.”

Her laugh sounded hard and sarcastic.

Zale wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted most of her weight as he helped her cross the open area. Her gasps of discomfort worried him. She could be badly hurt and not aware of it because of the situation. Pulling the seatbelt across her, he asked, “Where do you want to go?”

She stared at him blankly. “Away from him.”

Zale nodded and stepped back to close the door. Running around the hood, he jumped in behind the wheel and pulled smoothly into traffic. In a few minutes, they approached the base. “Do you have any ID?”

“Are you going to turn me in?” She panicked and struggled to unfasten her seatbelt.

He reached a hand to wrap over hers, stopping her efforts. “You’re safe with me. I’m checking if I can take you onto base or not. All people in a vehicle may be asked for ID as they enter. I’ll go toward the back.”

Avoiding the main entrance, Zale passed the base and pulled into a restaurant that bordered on it. Parking, he turned to her. “I need to check if you’re hurt. You’re bleeding. Can I see your wrist?”

She studied the oozing injury as if it had happened to someone else. Zale suspected that shock kept her from feeling pain. “He zip tied me to the door handle. During the accident, the door ripped open and pulled me out. The force must have broken the plastic strip.”

“We should get that cleaned up. Do your wrists hurt?” An impact like that could have broken her bones. Zale opened the back door on the Jeep and pulled out the first aid kit he always carried. When he turned back to her, he saw Pippa rotate her hands.

She shook her head. “I’m okay. Just cut. I’d already worn the skin down, trying to get away. The door handle had a bunch of deep grooves in it when I woke up. I don’t think those were from me.”

“You think you weren’t the first woman he’d captured?” he asked, checking to make sure he understood what she’d implied.

“I couldn’t have been. He was too cold and detached. Completely unfazed by any threat or challenge—like he’d already dealt with everything before.”

Zale shook his head. “Can you tell me your full name?”

“Pippa. Pippa Twinner.”

“Hi, Pippa. I’m glad to meet you. Would you mind if I call my team? Maybe we can figure out how to keep you safe. Is there anyone back home searching for you?” Zale asked as he opened the case and grabbed supplies to clean her wounds.

“No.” The flatness of that answer concerned him.

“No one would have gotten worried when you didn’t show up at work? Surely, someone’s noticed you’re gone?” he asked, wetting a gauze pad with water. He held out his hand for hers and gently cleaned her skin. When she didn’t answer, Zale paused and looked up at her.

After shrugging uncomfortably, she answered, “I doubt it. I’d just found new homes for all my stuff and quit my job for this new position. I am such a fool.”

“I think you trusted the wrong person. My team you can rely on—they’re the good guys. Can I call them?”

“Okay,” she whispered. “Do you have anything to eat?”

“Soldier rations.” Zale grabbed a bar from his emergency stash and opened it for her. Her quick bite revealed her desperate hunger. How long had it been since she’d eaten? He grabbed a bottle of water and cracked it open for her. Pippa devoured them both as he contacted Jerico, his team leader.