Happy Memorial Day! Don't forget to remember all the soldiers who payed the ultimate sacrifice today, and the families they left behind. Thank you for all that you soldier do and have done!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of JE's characters.
Enjoy!
After dancing a while, I realize I need to pee pretty badly. I guess I'll need to break my seal after all those margaritas. I tell the girls I'm headed to bathroom. I'm not sure if they heard me since they were all dancing, but I just shrug and head off. I'm a little off balance, but I have it under control. I have a happy buzz. I enter the restroom and head to an empty stall. I do my business. I open the stall door, and I feel a prick.
I've been sitting at the table letting the girls enjoy themselves. I'm sure they'll all be ready to go soon since I'm surprised they haven't gone into a coma yet. My eyes scan the crowd. There are some good looking men here tonight. I don't have much luck with men since I seem to scare them. Oh well, I'm not here for that anyways. I watch the girls dance and laugh. Steph really needed to let loose. She's been really stressed about Carlos and her class not to mention el pendejo, Kevin. He's been at the back of our minds, but ever present. We'll probably end up getting him tomorrow. We've just been so busy. I focus in on the girls again and realize Angelita is gone. I scan the whole room. Shit. I don't see her. I get up and go towards the girls. I'm going to break my cover for this possibly.
"Donde esta Stephanie?" I ask the three drunken ladies. Hopefully one of them knows basic Spanish. Luckily, Mercedes seems to.
"El bano," she replies with a nice accent. I wonder if she grew up speaking it. I don't have time to explain or ask anything else, but I rush to the bathroom, praying that Angelita is in there unharmed. I hope I'm just overreacting. How stupid could I have been to leave Dearborn out there when I knew where he was? I feel my heart race quicken as I grasp the handle of the ladies room. I pull it open to some shocked women. I smile apologetically.
"Stephanie? Angelita, are you in here?" I yell over the noise, not caring that I'm speaking English. I get no response. I frantically beat on the stalls. Nothing. Only frightened women. Not my Angelita. I look over and realize there's a small exit at the back. Oh god. I'm on my cell immediately. I connect with the control room at RangeMan and yell at them to pull up her tracker. We're going to resolve this quickly. I get to my SUV and hop in without bothering to buckle up. Ram is on the phone with me. He says she's headed away and asks if I need backup. It can't hurt so he says he'll have a team meet us at the location.
I finally have my sweet Sugar Plum all to myself. She's mine just like she should have been when I first laid my hands on her. It was too easy to snatch her. She was already intoxicated and her little body guard didn't even follow her to the restroom. What a dope! I can't believe RangeMan is a well-known and respected security company. What a joke that is. I get to the abandoned building I scoped out for this specific occasion. I park around back and lift Sugar Plum onto my shoulder. We head inside. She's still out like a light. Maybe I'll play with her while she's still out. A smile creeps onto my face at the thought of getting to touch her and play with her. She's going to scream my name. I better play with her while she's awake, it will be more fun. I throw her down on the mattress I got somewhere off Stark Street. She'll thank me for putting a sheet down on it. I'm surprised the stun gun had such an effect on her. Usually people are up sooner than she is. I shrug and get my toys ready. I take the black satin cloth off that was covering them and a smile graces my lips. I'm going to have so much fun with my little Sugar Plum! I gaze down at the clamps, whips, and other assorted goodies I have to use. Oh she will be screaming my name!
Oh god! What happened? My head is throbbing either from whatever I got knocked out with or from the alcohol. I blink a few times trying to clear my head. I need to stay calm and take this bastard out. There's no doubt in my mind that Kevin is behind this. I open my eyes to a dimly lit room, and I see his hulking figure standing over a table. This couldn't be more perfect. I'm in a little pain, and I'm still a little drunk, but I think I can manage. I stand up quietly. I sway a little bit, but I notice he hasn't even turned back. He's muttering under his breath while he stares down at the table. He is one crazy, messed up fucker. I move quietly until I'm standing right behind him. I guess he senses me because he lifts his head up. I don't give him the chance to turn around before I have him crumpled on his knees by using a self-defense technique I'd learned. I saw the light flashing on my bracelet which means RangeMan and Hector should be coming to my location. Kevin crawls forward on his knees.
"Did you really think this would be easy?" I ask him, following his pitiful crawl. I give his ass a kick which makes him sprawl face down. He turns over to face me. He gives me a creepy smile like he still thinks he's going to get what he wants.
"I like it rough Sugar Plum, you're not so innocent, now are you?" he says with a chuckle. I feel goosebumps rise on my skin. Ugh, he's so creepy. He moves to touch me and my leg kicks out quickly. I hear a satisfying crunch and blood gushes from his nose.
"I'm not the same girl I was at Fort Sam Houston. I'll kick your ass in heartbeat," I tell him in an even tone. He looks up, holding his nose, and there is evil in his black eyes.
"You'll pay for this bitch. Just like you'll pay for getting me kicked out. I'm gonna make you scream my name!" he gets angrier with every word. He starts moving to get up. I kick him again, only he grabs my foot before I can pull it back all the way. In a really difficult move, I hop up off my other leg and use it to kick him. I land a solid blow, but it means I'll be landing on my butt too. He's caught off guard by my moves. I see his head fly back and bounce on the cement. I brace myself for the fall. I land on the ground really hard, but I know I can't stay on the down long. I bounce up through the pain, and I'm still a little off balance. I'm so glad this will be over soon. I hear cars pull up outside. Tires squeal, and I know Hector will be in here soon. With my attention on the cars, Kevin is able to knock me off my feet. He grabs my hands and pins me down. I don't panic. Instead I grab him with my legs and pull him away from my body. I jerk a hand free and jab my fingers in his eyes. He screams and pulls up, off of me. It's too late though because I hear the gunshots. I watch as five bullet holes jerk Kevin's body wildly before he falls to the floor. His eyes are open and bloody. I kick his body away from me. Before I can get up by myself, Hector is at my side.
"Angelita, angelita," he chants, placing kisses on my head, and scanning my body for injuries.
"I was so worried about you. I looked up and you were gone," Hector whispers, hugging me tightly. He yells at the guys in Spanish to get Bobby. Before I know it sirens are blasting, and Bobby is here to look me over. He declares me fine except for a bruised tailbone. He did tell me to take it easy. I gave my statement to the police and the coroner took the body away. By the end, it's almost three a.m. and I'm exhausted. I lean against Hector as we head out. I don't say anything as we get in the car. He drives, and I close my eyes.
The next thing I know, I'm in Hector's arms inside the center. I look at him quizzically. He just gives me a small smile. I realize he brought me to Carlos. Carlos is sleeping when we arrive. Hector lays me down on the bed beside my Captain. I see Carlos' eyes open briefly. He sees me and smiles before drifting back to sleep. I follow suit.
I was surprised, but happy and relieved to see Hector place my Babe in bed with me. I had woken up earlier with a bad feeling about her, but it had eased not long after it started. I'm glad to see her okay. I'll ask her more about it when she wakes up. I'm feeling a lot better since my surgery. The doc says I'm healing nicely and should be able to start PT soon. I've never been so ready to heal after an injury before. I think it has a little something to do with the blue eyed Bombshell snoring lightly beside me. Nurse Amy comes in to do rounds and smiles when she sees the two of us. She works quietly. Steph moves slightly, but stays sleeping. She must have had a long night. Amy leaves and the breakfast tray comes in next. I think the breakfast smell is what wakes up Babe. She stretches, groans, and smiles when she sees me. I want to wake up next to her every day. Her hair is spread all over the pillow and her eyes have circles under them. She's gorgeous.
"Good morning Babe," I greet with a smile. She smiles and snuggles carefully into my side.
"Good morning Captain," she replies. "I love you." My heart soars every time I hear those words fall from her lips. I grin even more broadly at her.
"I love you too," I reply and without thinking I blurt, "marry me?" Her eyes widen which isn't shocking since this is a surprise to both of us. I wouldn't take it back though I may need to re-ask in a more appropriate way. Then again, nothing about us is very appropriate. We met and fell in love in a war zone, and admitted our feelings soon after returning.
"Yes," she replies in a quiet gasp. I grin at her and place a kiss on her lips. I can't wait till I'm out of the damned hospital and able to function normally again.
Waking up next to Carlos had been nice especially after the night I had. He shocked me with his question about marriage. I never expected it so soon. Before deploying, I had no dreams or hopes or even thoughts of marriage. Funny how all of that can change in an instant. While I was shocked by his question, my heart had already chosen. I want to spend every day waking up and going to sleep next to this man. After I accepted he gave me an excited kiss.
"So Babe, what made you come sleep next to me last night?" he questions, probably sensing there was something wrong.
"Ran into Kevin last night," I start, "he got me while I was in the bathroom. He was killed before he could hurt me." I see Carlos go rigid as I talk. He clenches his fists. I fill in the details. I can tell he's very unhappy. He pulls me into his chest, which I know has to hurt, but he buries his nose in my hair.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you—I'm sorry I'm not able to protect you right now," he says quietly and I realize he's beating himself up for not being there. I move away to look into his eyes. I cup his face in my hands and look into his gorgeous chocolate eyes.
"Carlos, there is nothing that you could have done to prevent this. It's not your fault and in fact you guys, RangeMan, came to my rescue. So you did have a part in helping me," I tell him fiercely. I don't want him blaming himself for anything that happened. "And, I'm right here. I'm fine. I'm safe." He nods and hugs me tightly again.
AN: Sorry for not posting sooner! I've been extremely busy, but I am not abandoning this story-pinky promise! I hope everyone is still enjoying it, so let me know what you think by sending a review!