“They take women of all ages and sell them on. They take women of childbearing ages and sell their babies to the highest bidder. These women don’t want to be there. I watched a baby being ripped out of its mother’s arms to be given to a family who paid.”
My tears are falling freely as I relive that memory. I can still see the woman’s pained face, her sobs and pleas.
“That same woman helped me cause a scene so I could call you from the office. I don’t know what happened to her because I was tossed into a cold, dark cell after that. I didn’t see anyone familiar after that call.”
“And do you recall any names that might be useful?” asks Clay.
I shake my head. “All I know is that it’s run by Americans. I’ve heard American voices. The main guy gets called The Boss. They’re ruthless. They don’t care who they hurt. I don’t know why I got out of there when I did.” I shrug. “I thought I was going to die.”
“I think you have Clay and Carrick to thank for that. They kicked up a storm here with the media and the mayor. They weren’t accepting your MIA status lightly,” says Caleb.
I look over at Clay, but he’s looking down at his feet. I’ve never once witnessed this beast of a man looking embarrassed or shy. He has always oozed confidence; a good trait to have while working in the army. What changed that?
“Thank you. Both of you. I never once thought you’d give up on me.”
Clay finally looks up at me and smiles warmly. “The thought of giving up on finding you alive wasn’t worth thinking about, short stuff.”
“And the thought of never hearing that sassy mouth should have been enough for me to sign off on you, but I just couldn’t do it,” says my smart-ass brother.
I laugh, but soon stop when the pain in my body and face stops me. Seriously though, Carrick has always made me laugh, even in terrible situations. I can’t imagine him being the grieving brother.
“Never give up your day job, Carrick, because you wouldn’t make a good comedian.”
He holds his hands over his heart as if I’ve just wounded him. The room is a lot lighter since Carrick opened his mouth, but we’re not finished here.
“What happens now, son?” my dad asks Clay.
“We want you to come and stay at our compound for the time being, Darryl. We’ll protect you to the best of our abilities; you, Mhairi, and Carrick.”
“What about Shay?”
“I’ll be on Shay duty until she gets out of here, then we’ll all take it in turns at the compound.”
“I can look after myself,” I snap petulantly.
“I know you can, but you don’t need to anymore, Shay. You’re not in the army now. I’ve got your back again, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“And this starts now?”
“It does. We can’t be sure that walls don’t have ears, and Chris and Caleb are going to tail you back to the compound. From now on, don’t leave the compound without one of us, even for a couple of minutes. Once we get settled into this routine, I’ll get Caleb to send someone else over here to protect the outside of Shay’s door. It will also let us see if anyone passes through this corridor that shouldn’t.”
Everyone around me seems to be taking this better than I am. I’ve left one prison, entered another, and now I’m on lockdown, with yet another threat hanging over my head. I should just wear a target and say, “Catch me if you can, assholes.”
“Okay, we’ll be back to see you tomorrow. If you need anything, just let us know.” My mom stands up and leans over my bed to hug and kiss me.
I missed my mom’s hugs. She gives the best warm cuddles ever. It didn’t matter why I was upset when I was growing up; a few minutes in my mom’s arms and I felt weightless.
“Take care of each other.”
“We will.” My mom turns to Clay. “Take care of my girl.”
Clay leans down and kisses my mom’s cheek. “No need to ask me such a thing, Mhairi.”
It’s touching to see the relationship Clay has built with my family since I’ve been away. Clay only met my parents twice when I was around. This bond has come from my absence. Their grief.
Once the last person exits my room, Clay turns to me. He stands a few feet away from the bed and lowers his backpack from his back. I didn’t notice it before.
“How are you feeling?”
I shrug. “Bored. Useless.”
“You’re not useless, babe. This tunnel has a light at the end of it.”
“Come and lie with me. Everyone has given me a headache.”
I move over the bed as best I can, and Clay kicks off his shoes. He lowers himself beside me and wraps his arms around me. I feel safe in Clay’s arms. That has never changed, and I doubt it ever will.
“I missed you when you went home,” I say.
“I missed you too. I never want to spend one moment without you… ever.”
“We’ll be okay, won’t we?”
“You have Chicago’s best security team on your side. Of course we’ll be okay. Get some sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
I snuggle my head into Clay’s shoulder, smelling his masculine aftershave. The same aftershave I loved years ago. I’m happy that some things have remained unchanged.
Chapter 21
Clay
A few days have passed, and everything has been quiet. We’ve seen and heard very little from the army, officials, or even the mayor. I’ve left Shawland Security to digest everything we have back at the compound. Our regular check ins at 6 p.m. have been pointless for them and me, but I won’t give up. I owe this to Shay, Josh, and any other American soldiers that have been caught up in this ring.
I sigh. I sit back in my seat and watch Shay finish off today’s physiotherapy session in the hospital gym. It’s painful. I want to run over and carry her through it all. She was always the fastest member of my team, but now she’s struggling to put one foot in front of the other. She might have looked weak in bed, but now she looks so much worse.
I’ve tried to busy myself with my laptop, act like I’m not paying attention to her, but I’m failing miserably. I can’t take my eyes off her. Her face is distorted with pain, her cheeks are rosy with exertion, but she doesn’t moan or complain that she can’t do it. I expected tantrums when the walking aids didn’t cooperate, but so far so good. It’s me that’s frustrated. I could just throw the laptop at the wall, and it’s getting to me that I feel like that. I should be happy that I’ve got Shay home, but I’m terrified of losing her again, and this level of fear is a new emotion for me to feel.
I look back at my screen in time to see an email notification pop up.
TO – [email protected]
FROM – [email protected]
SUBJECT – MISSING SOLDIERS
MSG
Dear Clay,
You might not remember me, but I was a commanding sergeant when you started your role as staff sergeant. My name is Jared, I live in New Orleans now, but I might have some information that you can use to follow up your leads.