Chapter 23
She gasped. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he figured it would send you back into his arms.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t go.”
“But did he know that? How big is his ego? Would he have believed you’d go back to him when you were in need? Didn’t you say he was close to your mother? And your mother wanted you to get back together with him?”
She stared at Cooper, her thoughts moving at lightning speed. “That’s awful.”
“But believable?”
Shadow stepped up. “What is his ego like? Does he think you’d go back to him if you had the chance?”
Her throat closed up. “But he was unfaithful. Why would he think I’d sign up for that again?” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t.”
“Did you love him?” That was from Swede.
She nodded and bit her lip. “I did. But he betrayed me, so obviously he didn’t love me. And if I did give him another chance I could never trust him. In many ways that would be so much worse. I need to know he’d be there for me all the time not just until someone better came along.”
At that she heard the strangled gasp from behind her.
David.
“I’m sorry, David.” She walked over to give him a hug. “That didn’t come out right.”
“No, maybe it’s true though. I don’t know. She was hot and then cold and then… I don’t know.”
“So is she missing or is she just avoiding you?” Levi asked in exasperation.
“Maybe the better question is, is the husband in town?” Swede said, walking over from where he’d gone to look at the computer. “His brother’s ship is out in the bay. He’s registered as being on board.”
There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at David. He shrugged. “I can only tell you what she said to me.”
“Would he really kill her because of an indiscretion?” Evan asked.
“Absolutely,” Levi said. “It happens all the time. That truth, however, does not make it a fact in this case. She might have changed her mind and returned to Turkey. I presume that camp was close enough that she could hop back and forth to see her husband, but why then did she leave from the US?”
“We were hired through an organization Ron is associated with. They handle all visas and the agreement covers airfare to and from the US. Maybe she was planning for the future. By signing up from here, she had a guaranteed escape from the camp – and therefore from her husband. That way she could get away in case she needed to.”
“A company here?” Cooper asked. “What’s the name of it?”
She frowned and turned to David. “Do you remember?”
He shook his head. “My contract is different. I work with Ron and he runs so many projects I tend to move from one to the other. Theresa might not have been hired through there either. Her husband is a Turk and quite likely she received priority placement as well.”
“Did you know her before going to the refugee camp?”
He nodded his head. “Yes, I did. Saw her a few times but not in years.”
Sasha stood up. “So we’re getting nowhere again. I’m going to go see Ron. Maybe he can shed some light on this mess.”
“Just so you know,” David stood up, his throat working, “Ron is Theresa’s father.”
“What?” Sasha stared at him in shock. “I didn’t know that. Okay, so this is officially a soap opera.” Sasha sat down hard. “I’m presuming Ron was against her marriage and didn’t like her husband?”
David stared at her in surprise. “No, he didn’t. They couldn’t stand each other. Why?”
It was Cooper who answered. “Because it was Ron who was shot. As if there was something personal behind it.”
“But it could have been any of us,” Sasha murmured, her thoughts flinging backwards to the nightmare as it happened. “If her husband was in the group, Theresa didn’t appear to recognize him or anyone.”
“The terrorists might have been primed ahead of time as to who he was. Maybe targeted him for that reason,” Cooper added in a quiet voice.
“Why didn’t she say something,” Sasha asked, tears filling her eyes. “Even when he lay dying, she didn’t let on that Ron was her father,” Sasha cried.
“She was devastated but was afraid of bringing attention to herself.” David flipped his phone back and forth several times. “Her stress level was off the wall. She’d planned to see someone for counseling.”
He studied Sasha. “I would have backed off if she’d told me what was going on. I only wanted to keep her safe. Keep her alive and healthy until we could be together.” His gaze turned hopeful. “Maybe she’s gone into hiding to avoid her husband. If he’s here, he can’t stay indefinitely.”
Sasha had no words of wisdom to offer. There was so much going on. Information they needed and didn’t have available.
“She’s a good doctor,” David said. “Not brilliant, but solid. There are few enough of those out there.”
Sasha stood up abruptly. “I’m going to go see Ron. If anything develops, then please tag me so I’m in the loop.”
“No you won’t, at least not alone,” Cooper said easily. “No being alone until we get to the bottom of this.”
There wasn’t any point in arguing, and truthfully, she was happy to hear that. She nodded abruptly. “Fine, be a hero.”
She smiled at the others. “Good-bye.”
The chorus of farewells had her grinning. Until she got outside and saw the Jeep – and the reminders overwhelmed her. “What will happen with David?”
“He’s free to go. He didn’t do anything. He’s worried about Theresa with good reason.”
“But there’s nothing I can do right now and I need to just…do something normal.”
“I understand. So we’ll go and see Ron, maybe visit your mom and then figure out what’s next.”
And damn it if his voice didn’t turn smoky and dark. She shivered and wondered briefly if they shouldn’t divert to his house instead.
He turned on the Jeep and drove to the hospital. “Let’s go see what he has to say.”
“I doubt he knows anything…”
“We at least need to check it out.”
Ron was awake and happy to see them. Until he heard the news. His face took on such a gray cast Sasha wondered about contacting the doctor on the floor. She had no idea what medications he was on, but the last thing they needed was for him to have a heart attack. Theresa was his daughter and finding out she was in danger had to be a blow.
“Have you seen her since our return?” Sasha asked.
“No, I haven’t,” he said softly. “She’s not happy with me.”
Ron stared out the window. “I didn’t approve of the marriage and knew she wasn’t happy. But neither did I approve of her hooking up with David. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the man, but I didn’t want her to be another of his short relationships and neither did I want her breaking her vows.” He turned to face Sasha.
“I would, however, condone a divorce. Her husband is an ass and treated her terribly, but she wouldn’t see it. What was I or anyone else going to do? She always treated me as a casual friend rather than her father in public.” He shrugged. “I wanted her to return to the US with me but she refused.”
“Maybe she changed her mind.” Sasha explained their working theory.
He frowned. “If she was short on money, I’d have helped her out. Would have happily bought her a return ticket.”
“But the contract gave her a flight home, allowing her to leave without him knowing…” Sasha frowned. That flight home wasn’t going to help much if she had nowhere to hide. “Of course, this is only conjecture.”
“No, it makes sense,” Ron said. “Her husband can’t travel to the US. Not legally, so he wouldn’t be able to follow her. When she was here for a visit, I took her over to the office. I’m sure that’s when she considered the notion.”
“He can’t come here?”
“No, he has a record. So he’s not allowed in the US.”
“And his brother?”
“He has two. The middle one works in the shipping industry and he travels the world on freighters. I think the younger one has worked with him but not sure that he still does.”
Cooper opened his phone and texted Swede. “Let’s make sure they know he can’t come over here.”
“But that doesn’t help get her back,” Sasha added quietly. She glanced at Ron and added, “Her brother-in-law’s freighter is docked in the bay.”
“We have to help her.” He tried to get out of bed and groaned.
“Right idea, wrong pronoun,” Sasha said. “You have to heal. She’ll need you to be there when we get her back.”
“Right idea and wrong pronoun,” Cooper calmly repeated. “I will be helping to get her back again. You, however, will not.”
She glared at him.
Ron chuckled. “I’m so glad to see you found someone, Sasha. You look very happy.”
She snorted. “Then you’re blind.”
Ron grinned. “Generally I see people very clearly.”
*
Cooper watched Ron, looking for any deception. But he couldn’t see any. A man dedicated to his work and likely at the expense of his family. Then again his daughter was in her late thirties and well past the point of needing a father to be there at every corner.
He nudged Sasha toward the door. The hour was late.
“Bye, Ron.” She smiled at him as they walked out. “What’s the rush?”
“I thought you wanted to go to your mother’s as well tonight.”
“Not sure I do,” she prompted. “I’ll have to explain your presence in my life, and that won’t be easy as she’s still looking for Greg to return.”
“Maybe having me there with you will help to change her mind,” he suggested, liking the idea for that reason alone.
As they walked toward his Jeep she appeared to reconsider and pulled out her phone. “Okay, I’ll see if she’s going to be there.”
“Or just arrive unexpectedly so she doesn’t have time to let your ex know you’re coming.”
Sasha laughed. “That works too.”
They arrived at her mother’s place twenty minutes later to find her sitting outside in the lawn. She beamed when she saw her daughter.
Then her gaze caught on Cooper and she frowned. “Hello,” she said slowly. “Who are you?”
Cooper stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m a friend of your daughter’s.”
Instantly the other woman’s gaze turned speculative. “Nice to meet you.”
“It should be,” Sasha said. “He’s one of the men who rescued me, Mom.”
She turned to Cooper and said, “This is my mother, Caroline.”
“Nice to meet you, Caroline.” He put on just enough charm to smooth the awkwardness but not enough to make her suspicious.
“I see,” her mother said, but it was obvious she didn’t see at all.
“We were at the hospital visiting Ron and thought we’d stop by to say hi,” Sasha carried on breezily.
Her mother smiled warmly. “And I’m so glad you did. Can I make you some coffee?”
“Sure, that would be lovely.”
Caroline got up and went inside leaving Sasha and Cooper alone. “That went well,” he murmured, barely keeping his grin back.
“Like hell,” Sasha muttered in response. “Well, I’d best go face the music. She’s motioning at me from the window.”
Cooper glanced over and sure enough she made a hard motion to her daughter then seeing Cooper watching, she gave a small wave and turned away.
“I can go, talk to her,” he said.
“No, you can’t,” she hissed. “How do you explain this?” She motioned between the two of them. “Us?” She stood up, shaking her head.
“I could explain,” he said.
She spun around and studied him. “How? What would you say to her?”
Her mother stepped out at that moment. “The coffee is dripping.”
“Thanks, Mom,”
“I’d hoped you’d have come inside with me so I could show you my new dishes,” Caroline said, a faint rebuke in her voice.
“Sorry.” But Sasha’s voice was completely unrepentant.
Cooper decided they could do this dance forever or he could shake it off. “She was afraid you’d ask questions. So I’d just like to clarify that we are seeing each other. I care for her very deeply. Your daughter is a very special woman, and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.”
Sasha stood frozen beside him. Caroline stood with her mouth open in shock.
He spoke over top. “I met her over a year ago. She helped put me back together again, and it was because of her that I would return to the work I love. She was happily married at the time, so I walked away. Neither cheating nor breaking up a marriage is something my sense of honor or integrity would allow. I found her again.” He reached across and lifted her hand in his. “Literally, as it were, and when I realized she was single, I knew I’d do anything for a chance with her.”
“What kind of chance?” her mother asked, clearly torn.
“As in, permanently. She’s a very special woman, as I’m sure you agree.”
“Yes, of course.” Caroline said slowly. “She’s my daughter.”
“And deserves to be treated with honor and respect…and of course given a whole heart, not just a cheating heart,” he added calmly.
Her mother sat back, a lemon slice look on her face, then her shoulders sagged and she nodded. “Yes, she does.”
She turned to her daughter who’d been sitting immobile at his side. “And is this what you want?”
Sasha squeezed Cooper’s hand and said, “I really want to see where this is going.”
“And Greg?”
Sasha laughed. “Greg is a deceitful, lying, two-faced, son of a bitch. He betrayed me. I will never get back together with him. He burned that bridge permanently. I need to know my partner has my back, not targeting it.”
The coffee maker inside beeped. Caroline quickly stood up and rushed inside.
“Did you mean it,” he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.
“Mean what? What I said about the relationship with you – absolutely.” She studied him. “Did you mean what you said?”
“Absolutely.”
She smirked then said in a wicked tone that caught him off guard, “Does that mean we can go to bed now that we have all the basics out of the way?”
“I sure hope so,” he whispered fervently, heat rippling through him. “Can we skip coffee?”
A giggle escaped. Her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth and stared at him. But her eyes were twinkling with mirth.
“Sasha, are you all right?” Caroline called from the kitchen.
“I’m fine, Mom,” she managed to get out, but her shoulders still shook. He loved that lightheartedness in her. In fact, he was pretty darn sure he loved her. Period. And likely had for a long time. Now to get her out of here and back to his place – fast.