Chapter 22 (Jasper)
“Wake up.”
I heard the muffled voice, but I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. Everything around me was dark. The pounding in my head was practically unbearable like someone was constantly driving a sledgehammer every single time I breathed.
“Jasper, wake up.” This time, the voice accompanied the command with a rough shake.
Pain coursed through my head, causing me to groan, teeth clenched to hold back a scream.
“Jasper.” He shook me again. “Shit. This isn’t good.” Without warning, he slapped my cheek.
The hit managed to yank me out of the darkness. My eyes shot open.
Andy was standing right in front of me, a concerned look on his face. I tried to figure out what was going on. My mind was so hazy that it felt like cobwebs covered every inch of my brain.
“Come on. You have to get up.” He grabbed me by the elbows and hoisted me to my feet.
The world started to spin.
“Here.” He handed me a couple of pills. “I thought these would come in handy.”
“What are they?”
“Extra Strength Tylenol.”
I chuckled softly. When we had served as SEALS, we were both on the same squadrons – practically partners – and even though Andy was just a regular soldier just like everyone else, he always carried around Tylenol as if he was the backup medic. It had come in handy more than once.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, popping them into my mouth and taking a swig from the canteen he offered.
“Now, tell me what happened.”
I looked at him. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Everything is so muddled.”
“Well, here’s the note you sent me. Maybe it’ll help you.” He handed over a folded piece of paper.
“Mandy…” I whispered the name softly. It sent a warmth running through every inch of my body, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint where that warmth was coming from. Was she a good friend or someone else? What did she mean to me?
“Who is she?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Andy frowned. “It looks like you took a pretty hard hit to the head. Maybe we should get you back home.”
“No. This Mandy girl is in trouble. We have to find her.”
“Are you really willing to risk your life for a woman you can’t even remember. If she was really that important then you would remember her.”
“No.” I stepped forward. “She’s important. I can’t remember exactly but I can feel it here.” I pressed my hand to my chest.
Andy shook his head. “Fine. Let’s go find her.”
***
To our surprise, the trail we followed led right to my cabin.
“This seems suspicious,” Andy whispered as she lingered behind the bushes. “Why would they come back to your cabin. Do you know who did this to you?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Well, by the looks of it, there’s going to be quite a few people in there. A van and three sports cars. How did they even manage to drive all the way up here?”
“There’s a path. It’s overgrown but there’s still a path.” I said.
“Well, when I moved to the mountains, I thought I would leave all this drama behind.” Andy sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I wanted a nice, peaceful life, and here I am, back on the battlefield.”
“If you don’t want to help, then I understand.”
“Are you kidding? What kind of friend would I be if I allowed you to take this on by yourself? Especially with your head busted like that. Which, by the way, you should get that checked out as soon as we’re done here. It’s going to get infected.”
“Alright.”
We continued to watch the cabin for a while. Eventually, a slender young woman stepped onto the porch, holding a cigarette between her fingers. She took a drag before letting out a large plume of smoke.
Andy and I both looked at each other, thinking the same exact thing.
Slowly, we crept toward us, speaking entirely in silent signals. He went one direction while I went another. Step by step, we got closer and closer to the unsuspecting woman.
Suddenly, I sprang forward, covering her mouth with my hand and dragging her into the forest, where the thick foliage would muffle her screams if she chose to do so.
Andy was already by my side, prepared to help if she decided to give me a hard time. And, she was. The woman wouldn’t stop squirming. She practically stabbed me with her high heeled shoe. Luckily, Andy had taken hold of her ankles, restraining her with his powerful grip. His muscles flexed. Even though we had both retired from the Navy years ago, we had both kept up with the training regimen, as if expecting that something like this would one day happen to us. After all, danger seemed to follow us wherever we went. We had to be prepared.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
The woman screamed profanities, refusing to answer.
“They can’t hear you,” Andy said with a blank expression on his face. “ if you want to waste your breath, go ahead.”
“Go to hell.” She spat.
“What are you doing in my home?” I growled.
She laughed. “Oh, so you’re the billionaire that Keith kept talking about. How interesting. you’ve finally decided to save your precious little girlfriend?” She snickered. “Good luck. There’s ten Hitchcocks in that cabin. There’s no way you could get through all of us. Face it, your girlfriend is gone. She belongs to us now.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Oh, come on, don’t play dumb. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You’re trying to play the role of prince charming, saving the damsel in distress. Well, I got a news flash for you: it’s too late.”