Lacey wasn’t taking the dismissal with a grain of salt. She marched right over to Keeley and held her by the shoulders, holding eye contact, she said, “You are loved. You are worth it. I’m not giving up on you.”
“Neither am I,” came a deep, resonating voice from the doorway.
Tears were streaking down Keeley and Lacey’s faces as E joined the sisters and enveloped them in a big hug. Keeley could hardly speak but managed a whispered, “Thank you.”
“What family is all about, Kee,” E answered with a tight voice, revealing his own emotions.
A few minutes passed before a nurse walked in. “Everything okay in here?”
Keeley answered, “Yes,” then recognized her from the night before. “Thank you for last night.”
“Anytime.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a white envelope. “This is for you.” Keeley took what was handed to her, trepidation pumping through her veins. The nurse grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’m rooting for you.”
Keeley’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“Because the good fight is always worth it.”
Too many emotions flooded Keeley at once. She didn’t want to fail all these people. Lacey sensed her sister’s distress and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “You’re stronger than you think you are, Kee. Just wait. You’ll see.”
E confirmed, “You’re a warrior.”
Keeley wasn’t convinced of that but knew she wanted to try. That had to be a step in the right direction. At least she hoped so for all their sake.
Chapter Four
Tar’s nerves were frayed. He didn’t do sit and wait well. The thought of what Chase could be enduring sent him into all kinds of furious. His own time as a POW festering to the surface of his sanity. Torture of any kind was horrific in and of itself, but the real pain and suffering came with the state one found themselves in day after day, night after night. If the captor was up to date on their mental and emotional torture tactics, a person found themselves screwed in more ways than they could ever imagine. His brother had two weak spots: Lisa and Cole. They could break him so easily. He had information on powerful kingpins and more than one influential person behind the sex slave trade. God damn the people who had him because if Tar got his hands on any of them, there’d be no grace. Only mercy he’d show would be a swift death.
“Tarius,” Lisa interrupted his thoughts of retribution. He heard the fear laced in his name and turned toward her. “Wh-wh-at can we do?”
He closed his eyes and found the SEAL in him. By the time his gaze met hers, he was in that place of duty. Personal feelings got a man killed if he didn’t guard them carefully. “Exactly what you’re doing,” he answered, noticing the detached tone in his voice.
“Okay,” her lip trembled.
Tar might have contention with his brother’s wife, and harbored some deep-seated trust issues with her. But he wasn’t a monster. With a gentler tone he added, “Try to keep things as normal as possible, especially for Cole’s sake.” A lone tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Instinct kicked in as he caught it on the pad of his thumb. His former fiancée took it as an invitation and wrapped her arms around his waist. Lisa buried her head against his chest and sobbed. “Hey,” he stroked her back up and down, “try not to worry.”
“I c-c-can’t hel-p it,” she stuttered.
He blew out a heavy breath. “I know.”
Tar stood there holding his brother’s wife as his past began to collide with his present. He remembered Lisa standing in a tiny apartment begging him not to leave on the assignment. How she worried for his safety. Telling him over and over, she couldn’t bear it if he were killed in the line of duty and she didn’t know any details. He tried to understand her point of view. In his opinion she knew he was a SEAL, and that it just went with the job. God, if he had just listened to her. Really heard what she was saying. And now, there she was right back in the same scenario. Difference being, Chase wasn’t trained to handle warfare. Nowhere in his job description did it say: could be taken hostage and tortured to death. Tar thought he hated this woman, but as his memory provided information he somehow missed before, added to what she was going through, he realized that wasn’t the truth. He held her tighter and vowed, “I’ll bring him home to you or die trying.”
Keeley locked down her fear on the drive to the private mental facility E talked her into. She couldn’t fault him. He cared about her and was only doing this for her well-being. She had to be strong for Lacey. If her sister knew how she really felt, Lacey would insist on Keeley coming home with them. Although that option was inviting, she acknowledged the hospital was best. They could help her. Give her the tools necessary to battle her newfound addiction and how to overcome any others that tried to rear their ugly little heads. But Keeley also knew she had to walk a tightrope. One misstep could land her in that place forever.