Chapter 5 - Puerto Rico
Once breakfast was over, Barney decided to head to a local clothing store with Mia. They both climbed into his black truck and Barney noticed Mia's wandering eyes. He didn't say anything as he cranked the truck's engine. It roared to life and had a nice low rumble to it. The garage door opened and Barney slowly pulled out onto the street. "What year is your truck?" Mia asked.
"1955," he said with his eyes on the road.
"Had to be expensive," she commented. Glancing at her, he saw her eyes still taking in the interior.
His eyes went back to the road. "You know a lot about trucks?"
"Not really," she replied as her attention went to the streets. "My grandfather was a grease monkey. Built his own diesel truck from the frame up. He loved building stuff."
It was only a ten minute drive before they arrived at the store. Barney gave her a credit card. "I promise I'll pay you back for these clothes," she told him.
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out in the end. Just get what you need and boots… Buy some good leather boots."
"Okay. I'll be back then. Thanks again." Mia slipped out of the truck and made her way into the store. She quickly scanned through the women's section. The thought of making Barney wait long outside made Mia rush. She always hated making people wait on her.
After thirty minutes, Mia had gathered three outfits, leather boots, socks, underwear, a couple bralettes, a canvas backpack, hygienic products, and make up to cover the bruises. She charged the items to the card and met Barney back outside. Tossing the bags in the passenger's side, Mia climbed back into the seat. "Ready?" he asked her.
Mia threw on her seat belt and nodded. "Yeah."
Not much was said on the way back to the Tool's place. They both slipped out of the truck and made their inside. Mia told him she was going to change before going upstairs. Tool was with a client in the front of the building. Barney knew he had some time to himself, so he went to his laptop. He wanted to find all the information about Mia that he could.
.
The rest of the day was uneventful as Barney and Christmas prepared everything for the morning. For a couple of hours, Mia sat out on the balcony that was just off the loft upstairs. She listened the street noise, enjoyed the smell of food, and studied the surrounding buildings' architecture. They had to be close to the French Quarter. Beautiful green and dark purple plants draped over the black cast-iron railings. The weather wasn't too hot which made it perfect for her to spend hours outside underneath the shade of trees.
The memories were rattling in her head as she watched the passing people. Her gaze softened as Mia ran her fingers over the burns. She wondered how long they and her bruises would take to heal. She pressed her lips together before letting out a sigh. There was a knock at the door that led outside to the balcony. Mia glanced over to see Barney stepping outside into the evening light. His brown eyes fell on her. "Dinner will be here in thirty minutes."
She adjusted herself in the seat to face him. "Thank you."
Barney brushed off her words with a simple, "No problem."
"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"
"Around 5. You think you're up to going back?" Barney asked.
She hesitated for a second before answering. "I'm fine."
He instantly called her bluff. "You hesitated."
Mia's eyebrows creased together. "I'll be fine. I know you need me for whatever this guy has done. It's obviously important and you guys saved me. It's the least I could do."
Again, Barney was surprised by Mia's words. She never said much, but when she did, her kindness showed. "Alright. As long as you think you're fine," he told her. "I also need to get your wounds before dinner. The last thing you want is infections." Mia agreed and they both went inside. He pointed to the bathroom. "Everything is in there." She entered the bathroom and Barney followed. Mia stood awkwardly as he retrieved everything he needed from the cabinet. Barney patted the counter. "You can sit up here."
She nodded and hopped up on the cold surface.
Barney gently began cleaning the burns. He first wiped them down with warm water before drying with a cloth. There were about twenty burns. So it took a little time to treat each one. Mia was wearing a black tank top, making the cleaning process easier. As Mia sat there, she silently kept her eyes on the tile floor. The burns were still very much sore and she could tell Barney did his best not to hurt her. She felt herself slip back into her memories. It was the men putting out cigarettes on her skin. The hot searing pain and the smell of burning flesh overwhelmed her senses. At some point, Mia knew she had to be screaming. But she doesn't remember. She just assumes she did.
Barney put on some antibiotic ointment and covered them with bandages and gauze. He noticed that she hadn't said anything for a couple minutes and saw her deep in thought. Just like Mia, he didn't say anything. He got some rubbing alcohol and cotton balls to start cleaning the skin that split underneath her eyebrow. Reaching up with the cotton ball, Barney saw Mia's attention quickly shift back to reality.
She flinched when his hand was close to her face. Red colored her freckled cheekbones after realizing her actions.
"You good?" Barney asked, lowering his hand.
She nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I just got stuck in my head for a second."
There was a moment that passed between the two of them. Barney could guess what was going through her head. He could read the raw emotions that flashed in the blues of her eyes. It flickered between panic and pain. Barney nodded and proceed to bring the cotton ball back up to her face.
Mia was slightly uncomfortable with how close Barney was to her, but she tried not to show it. For the first time, Mia observed his dark salt and pepper facial hair. He had a chin patch and a moustache that connected to each other. Then the smell of cigar and cologne filled her nose. It was a sweet and smoky scent that was intoxicating. She closed her eyes as he continued.
The ends of his fingers were rough and calloused. They tickled her skin and for once, she began to let her guard down.
.
Mia still felt tired from the weeks before and knew she needed all the rest she could get. There was no surprise when the memories showed back up in her dreams. This time it was the memories of them water boarding her.
Mia woke up and sat in the dark. Her clothes clung to her sweaty skin as she tried to slow down her breathing.
Was she ever going to sleep again without seeing those memories?
Even though she wasn't in that room with those men anymore, it still felt like it sometimes. She was trying extremely hard not to show the damage that had been done to her. Maybe Barney and his team already knew and could see straight through Mia's mask. She didn't want to break just yet. Maybe if she never accepts what happened to her, it'll just go away. Mia wanted to believe that lie, but she knew it wasn't true.
.
Mia simply listened to Barney and Christmas talk and joke around. She could tell how close they were and guessed they have worked together for a while now. Even though these men probably knew ten different ways to kill her with a pencil or paperclip, they seemed like a nice group of guys to hang out with.
"Hey, you doing okay back there?" Barney called from the front.
"Yeah, I'm good!" she said over the rumbling engines and gave him a thumbs up.
In a few hours they were back on the Island. Mia felt weird getting off the plane to see the familiar rolling mountains in the distance, the bright vegetation, and the sounds of exotic birds. The air was hot and humid, making her remember why she never bother styling her hair during the wedding trip.
Barney and Christmas took Mia back to the resort and booked a room for them to stay in. She was quiet as they checked in, taking in the surroundings. The resort was beautiful and modern. Most of the walls were glass that let the guests take in the outside views.
The wedding couple that had hired Mia for their wedding, flew her out from the United States. It was obvious they were loaded and had no problem paying such a high price for the location. Mia could only imagine how much their ceremony, after party, food, wedding dress, and etc cost. Mia sure there were probably costs that she hadn't even thought of. "How much do you think it costs to get married here?"
Barney and Christmas glanced over their shoulders. Then looked around the lobby. "More than I want to know," Barney answered.
"Easily five figures," Christmas commented and Mia shook her head.
"I just don't get it. Wouldn't people rather buy a house instead?" Mia asked in a confused tone.
Christmas chuckled. "If they can afford a wedding here, I'm sure they already have a nice house."
"You never know… Some people honestly care too much about their weddings," Mia told Christmas and adjusted the strap to her bag. "It's like women who want a $10,000 engagement ring, $20,000 dress, and then expect a wedding here. I'll never understand…"
"People pay that much for a dress?" Christmas asked in disbelief. Mia smiled at his reaction and nodded.
"For some reason, yes." Then the woman at the front desk gave them the keys to the room, pulling them out of their conversation. Barney thanked the woman and they left the lobby.
The room had two queen beds, a couch, kitchenette, sitting area, a large bathroom, and a small terrace. Mia let her bag fall to the floor and she instantly went outside. It was mid morning now and the sun sparkled against the aqua waves below. They had a perfect view of the beach. It wasn't until now that Mia realize how much she missed her camera. She had been too busy being stuck in her head. It may just be a camera, but to Mia, it was an extension of herself. It was the only way for her to show people how she saw the world and how truly special everything was. That was her favorite way to see the world - through the lens of a camera. Each photograph she took was unique. There was no one else that could create what she did and that's what makes art so beautiful. Each person is different so no art is the same.
.
The three of them spent the day walking around the grounds of the resort, trying to jog Mia's memory. By the end of the day, they were no closer to finding her camera. Mia felt embarrassed that she couldn't remember much from that night. Not only was her kidnapping a mystery, but she was still missing her $2,500 camera. Barney tried to reassure her that it may just take time for her to recall everything that had happened. Deep down she wondered if he believed his own words.
It was late and both men had fallen asleep. Barney was on the bed while Christmas slept on the couch. Mia laid in bed for a while - too scared to fall asleep because of her nightmares. A small, gruff snore could be heard from Barney as Mia got out of the bed. She grabbed her bag off the ground on the way to the bathroom. Once she had the door closed, she flipped on the light. Mia slipped on a knitted cardigan that was a dark navy. It complimented the bit of red she had in her amber hair and her light blue eyes. She also wore a white tank top, blue jean shorts and her brown leather boots. Her hair was in untamed beach waves thanks to the humidity. But luckily, the makeup was holding up great. There were only a few spots she had to touch up.
Before Mia quietly slipped out of the room, she snagged the fifth of whisky and a coke from the fridge. If there was a moment in life when she deserved every drop she was going to drink, it was now. Once she softly closed the door behind her, Mia made her way to a balcony at the end of the hallway. She could hear the music playing at the bar on the other side of the Lobby. It wasn't too loud, but regardless, the bar wasn't what Mia wanted.
She didn't feel like being around strangers tonight. She guessed tonight was the night to drink alone. People say it's best not to drink alone, but that didn't stop her from making her way to the dirt trail that lead to the beach. The beach was dark and empty. It was almost one in the morning. The moon was full that night and lit up the sky and passing clouds.
She got a couple of meters from the tide and sat in the cold sand. Opening the top of the bottle with a Pop!, she took two big swigs to start. The liquid burn the back of her throat and then down to her chest.
The rushing and crashing of the waves soothed her buzzing mind. A cool breeze made her shiver and she placed the bottle in the sand. Buttoning up her jacket, Mia tried to stay a little bit warmer.
"What are you doing?" A British voice demanded - nearly making Mia jump out of her skin.
Mia froze and peeked on her shoulder. Letting out a sigh, she presented the bottle to Christmas. "Drinking."
One of his eyebrows rose. "Drinking?" he repeated and she nodded. "Uh-huh." He eyed the bottle that was hardly missing any whisky. Maybe one-tenth of the bottle was gone. "Alright, time to get back to the room."
Mia frowned at him. "Just a few minutes? Please. I really need this right now and I just got here," she admitted and turned back to the ocean. "It helps."
Christmas was more than annoyed with her for scaring him in the first place by disappearing in the middle of the night. He was worried that something had happened on their watch. Again, the whole liability thing came into play. "I'll give you twenty minutes if you promise not to do this shit again," he threw back.
Immediately, she agreed and Christmas sat down next to her.
Christmas held out his hand and Mia handed him the bottle. He took a big swig of the amber liquid. Neither of them said anything at first so he silently took another sip. "You should be resting," he commented and she nodded. Christmas set the whiskey down between the two of them. "We're going to keep searching for your camera tomorrow morning. Barney likes to get up early."
"Yeah, I know. I'm having a hard time sleeping."
The English man nodded. "It'll be hard to sleep normally for a while. You'll probably want to go talk to a doctor once everything is over."
Mia didn't say anything as silence fell over them. She took the bottle and gladly let the burning liquid down her throat. Making a soured expression, she began to cough. Mia covered her mouth out of embarrassment and tried to keep her coughs at bay. Christmas chuckled. "Not much of a drinker?"
She shook her head. "No, not really," Mia wheezed out and took a gulp of coke as a chaser. "So have you guys been captured before? You seem to know how people react to this kind of stuff."
The whisky was given back to Christmas before he answered. "Yeah, just part of the job."
"You're…trained killers, right?" She began to stammer over her words to correct her question. "I mean, I already know that, but what's your job title exactly?"
"Mercenary."
"Ah, I see," she said and studied the man who wore sweats and a plain tshirt. "Barney said you guys weren't military. How about CIA?"
He frowned and shook his head. "No. They're all assholes."
Mia smiled. "Yeah, they always seem a little uptight."
"Beyond uptight," Christmas corrected with a grin playing on his lips.
The smile on Mia's face grew a little smaller after a moment. "So will the nightmares go away?" she hesitatingly asked.
Christmas paused to let the question sink in. He wondered how honest he should be with the woman. Guilt bubbled in his chest at the thought of lying. Lying wouldn't make it any better for her. He pressed his lips together and let the grin slide away. "Part of it will always be with you." His eyes fell on the burns and then went to her face. The moonlight danced on her high cheeks bones as the wind ruffled her wavy hair around her face. Her arms were over her chest and her hands gripped the knitted jacket for warmth. "It gets easier over time though - the nightmares and everything that comes with it," he told her.
Mia's blue eyes trailed back to the waves of the ocean. "That's good," she whispered. She took a moment to ponder the last couple weeks. Drawing her legs into her chest, she rested her chin on her knees. "Some dumb luck I have," Mia muttered with a light tone. Christmas studied her as she grew quiet. She let out a small laugh. "I got the short end of life." Mia then motioned towards her height. "Literally."
Christmas laughed softly. "Yeah, how tall are you?"
"Five foot even," she replied. Christmas's laugh grew louder and she playfully glared at him. "Hey! I'm just happy I hit five foot."
He threw up his hands defensively. "Count your blessings I guess." Christmas let his arms settle back down in his lap.
She snatched up a seashell from the sand to throw it into the moving water. "Especially the fact that you shrink as you get older. My five feet is only temporary," she sighed.
A playful expression of pain showed on Christmas's face. "That sucks." Mia nodded and grabbed the bottle to take another sip. Again, she began coughing. Christmas rolled his eyes and got up from the sand. "Come on. It's time to get back to bed," he told her and held out a hand. "Let's go."
Mia pouted at his hand and reluctantly took it. "Fine," she sighed. He pulled her up off the ground. Mia began to lose balanced, tipping to the side a little.
"Whoa," Christmas muttered and grabbed her shoulders to re-balance her. "You really don't drink that much, huh?"
Mia rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, English man. I get it. My Irish ancestors are ashamed of me," she laughed and began walking back to the trail. Christmas soon followed after her. They walked next to each other as they made their way back to the room.
"You realize how stupid it was to go off on your own, right?" Christmas asked and Mia nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry," she apologized and sheepishly glanced down at the ground. "I just needed some way to get tired."
Christmas' eyebrows rose in surprise. "You've been up for almost 24 hours and you're not tired?"
"Yes and no," Mia replied. "It's because of the nightmares. I've had trouble sleeping. That's all."
They arrived to the door of their room and before Christmas opened the door with his key, he took one more sip of the whiskey. He then handed it to her. "One more swig to help you sleep?"
Mia smiled at him and gladly took the bottle. Again, it burned her throat then chest. "Fuck," she coughed and patted her chest. "I now remember why I don't…" In mid sentence, Mia trailed off as her attention went to a flickering light in the distance. It was a warm glow that fluttered against the white walls. I now remember…
Christmas watched the gears in her head begin to turn as she took a couple of steps away from the door. "Mia?"
Mia didn't take her eyes away from the dancing light and whispered, "They have a firepit. My drink was on it when I went to get food…" Then it clicked. "That's how I got drugged. Marco said he would watch my drink…"
"Who's Marco?" Christmas asked and Mia finally turned back to him.
She was silent for a moment before answering.
"He's the bride's brother."
Author's note: Finally, Mia is starting to recall her memories! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! It was a long one! Please let me know what you're think so far with Mia's interactions with Barney and Christmas and how the story is progressing. I'm still trying to figure where I want this story to go. Thanks again!
~FriedPeaches