Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Foster took the information Pen had given him and brought it to the rest of his crew. He hadn’t given any clues what he wanted to discuss when he asked them to meet up before they got on the next set of helicopters, so they were looking at him a little confused.
“What’s up?” Wave asked.
Foster hooked his thumb over his shoulder as he spoke. “That woman, the American in the group.”
“What about her?” Cy asked.
“Before this place, she said she was with Ashen Kaya.”
Wave gasped, T scowled, and the rest of the guys followed suit as shock radiated around the circle.
“Fucking hell,” Wave said.
T held up a hand. “Wait, do you think it’s the same guy? Like, he’s the one we’ve been looking for.”
“I think he is. We need to find out,” Foster said.
Wave ran his hand over his face. “We’ll get permission to bring her back to California.”
“Do you think she knows anything?” Jump asked.
Foster had no clue what Pen knew, but there was hope she had some information and could give them an idea where Kaya was holed up. “Maybe. But we have to find out what she knows.”
Wave nodded. “We’ll get her to California and question her there.”
They were headed home, and Pen was going with them. A thrill shot through him. He didn’t know her, and her coming with them meant nothing to him personally. This was business. That was all. But why the heck did he feel so different about her?
Once on the ship, Pen headed off to the medical suite while they showered and ate. After he had a hot meal, he dropped by medical to check in on her.
They had her hooked up to an IV, which wasn’t surprising. She needed fluids and probably some good antibiotics.
“Is she okay?” Foster asked the nurse.
“I’ve seen worse, but not much. She couldn’t even lie flat until we gave her some painkillers and muscle relaxers. Then she fell asleep and hasn’t stirred since.”
“Damn.”
“She’s going to need longer-term physical therapy.”
He wondered how badly her body was damaged. She had no one at home to help her. Where would she go? “I’m going to say hello to her.”
“She’s out cold.”
He shrugged. “That’s okay.”
The nurse chuckled. “Whatever. If you wake her, she’ll probably fall asleep again.”
He moved to the side of the bed and stared down at Pen. She looked so small, practically helpless. If they hadn’t found her, she would have died soon. No question, she’d lost a lot of weight based on how her skin clung to her bones.
How had she escaped Kaya? The man didn’t let people go.
From all that they understood, which wasn’t much, the man was vicious and couldn’t be satisfied.
The people around him considered him to be a god-like figure, and they wouldn’t turn on him because if they did, he would take his retribution out on them and their families.
Pen hated the nightmares most. For whatever reason, Kaya had kept her alive while he killed others.
Even when she’d pissed him off, he’d arranged punishments instead of killing her.
Had he wanted her to see how bad he could be for her if she didn’t obey?
She’d witnessed things no one should ever witness.
When she woke in the medical unit, hooked up to machines and some kind of IV drip, she realized she hadn’t had one single dream while she’d been under. It was refreshing, and she let go a heavy sigh.
Then he was there, standing above her. She had to blink twice to get her eyes to focus. He looked better after his shower and out of his gear. His dark, curly hair looked a little unruly, and he needed a shave.
What was his name? It took her a few seconds to remember. Foster. Was that his last name, or had his parents named him that?
When she arrived on the ship, she’d seen multiple people with last names on their uniforms. but he didn’t have anything on with his name on it.
Her mouth was dry, and he handed her a cup with water in it. “Drink some.”
She sucked on the straw, loving how clean the water tasted. Drinking seemed to take it out of her, and she closed her eyes, but only for a moment.
“Where are we?”
“You’re on a military ship and we’re arranging transport back to the USA. You’re coming with us to California.”
“Why?” She sounded so freaking weak, and she hated it.
The bastard who’d held her for almost two full years had starved her so much her energy faded fast. Then, when she’d been locked in the cage, food had been withheld until it hurt.
Whatever spunk she’d felt when this guy and his group came in to rescue her had faded.
“We’d like to talk to you. You might have information that could help us.”
“I was a slave. I doubt I know much.”
“Maybe, maybe not. If not, you’ll be in the USA, and you can figure out where you want to go.”
She snorted a laugh, but pain shot through her. Her eyes slammed shut and she moaned as she pulled her legs in and rolled to her side. It was at that moment she realized she had been lying mostly flat. Her eyes flew open as pain fired in her legs and back as she tried to stretch out.
“Are you okay?”
She grunted. “Fine. I just figured out I was flat. I haven’t been able to lie flat for a while. It is painful and yet deliciously good.”
His lips tipped up in a small smile, and she thought he looked nice. Not movie star good looking, but still, he was handsome when he smiled.
He had lighter brown hair, eyes that weren’t blue, but they weren’t dark brown. More like a mixture of blues with a hint of light brown. His nose had obviously been broken at some point, but it didn’t make him look bad, instead it gave him character.
“You’ll be ready to go in the morning. The flight is long and there isn’t entertainment on board. I can get a book, and we can take turns reading to you.”
“That seems excessive.”
He shrugged like spending time entertaining her wasn’t a big deal. Why was he being so nice to her? She wasn’t used to nice.
“What do you like to read?”
“It’s been a while. I just know I don’t want anything I would have been forced to read in school. Make it something interesting.”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
“How will you get a book? Aren’t we out at sea if we’re on a ship?”
“I’ll ask around. Someone on board has a book they are willing to part with.”
Talking to Foster had made her tired, and she couldn’t stop the yawn. Exhaustion seemed to hit fast, and she closed her eyes.
“I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Foster watched Pen slip into sleep before he took off. She’d been through hell. It would take her a while to get back to normal. Her normal would be new, and she would never get back what she had before being taken. He wasn’t being pessimistic, just realistic.
Wave found him as he left the medical area. “Hey, how is she?”
“Exhausted. I talked to her for a bit.”
“Did you find out anything? Does she have anything we can use?”
Foster sighed. “I didn’t interrogate her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“We need that information.”
Foster didn’t want to tell Wave he was being a dick, but he was being a dick. They had nothing on Kaya, or what they had was crap. Getting something from Pen today wouldn’t be actionable. They had to do some sort of checking to make sure whatever she gave them was legitimate.
“I understand, but I think this is a long play situation, not something we can get in a few hours of interrogation.”
Wave ran his hand over his face. “We need what she has.”
“I know. And we’ll get it. But we need more nuance than a hammer. She drugged up. Even if she gave us something right now, we couldn’t trust it. Let her get her bearings.”
Wave let go a heavy sigh, frustration still evident. “Fine. We’ll give her some time. We take off at seven in the morning.”
“I’ll make sure she’s ready to go.”
“Good.”
Wave walked off, agitation holding his shoulders stiff. Foster knew something was up with Wave, but he wasn’t sure what. Once they were home, he would have a chat with the man and see if he could help.