Page 17 of Abigail
“Hi, munchkin. What do you have in your back pack?” Abigail nearly melts at the sight of the strong alpha male kneeling down to get on Ellie’s level and interact with her. Ellie quickly takes her backpack off her shoulders and unzips the bag. She begins to pull out all of her superhero action figures, Legos, dinosaurs, and a couple of cars. How the child has managed to get all of that in her little back pack and still be able to carry it, Abigail has no idea.
“That’s quite a collection you have.” Robert smiles warmly at Ellie. All Abigail can see is kindness and tenderness in his eyes. Ellie is her usual self, rattling on about the different super heroes and which one is her favorite and why. He doesn’t seem to mind her endless chatter. In fact, he listens attentively and comments on her observations. Then he shares his favorite of her collection and why. No male has ever given her daughter this type of attention, and Ellie is eating it up. Guilt again assaults Abigail when she thinks on all the Ellie is missing out on by not having a two-parent family.
In the grand scheme of things, Abigail wouldn’t change their current situation as Todd would not have been this way with their daughter, but it doesn’t keep Abigail from wishing her precious angel had a man like Robert and his friends in her life to show her what a good home life could be like. When the conversation seems to be coming to an end, Robert helps Ellie replace her things back into her backpack and zip up her bag. He stands up and sweeps Ellie up in his arms. She screeches in delight. He turns toward Abigail and holds his hand out to her. Hesitantly, she takes his hand. She isn’t afraid of Robert, but more of becoming accustom to his attention and worried about the fallout when it’s gone. A ding from the bank of elevators signals the arrival of another elevator car.
“Abigail! I’m so glad you are going to dinner with us,” Charlotte calls as she steps out of the elevator. She is holding hands with her twin boys and is followed closely by her husband, Hawk. He is carrying their daughter, Lilly. Abigail smiles at the family. She tries to keep the smile on her face as she feels a pang in her heart. Another reminder of what she can’t give to Ellie. A father who will love her and protect her, unlike her real father.
Abigail takes a deep breath to get herself under control.What in the world has gotten into her?She hasn’t had thoughts of a family or marriage since the day she fled South Carolina over four years ago. If she is honest, it had been much longer than that. She’d known long before that fateful day that she would never have happily ever after with Todd. Her muscles tense as her thoughts drift to Todd and all that transpired between them, especially how it ended.
“Hey, sweetheart is everything all right?” Robert leans in to whisper quietly to her. It seems he can read her like a book. His face is pinched with concern. She feels bad that she has caused worry to mar his handsome face. He has obviously noticed the change in Abigail as she has allowed her past to remind her it is not in the cards for her to have a nice house with a white picket fence and a yard full of happy children, no matter how badly she might wish for or want it.
Abigail looks up into his intense blue-grey eyes. She can see nothing but sincerity in his concern. Abigail smiles at him and nods. He squeezes her hand gently as if to say, ‘I’m here for you’. His eyes remain locked with hers while chatter goes on around them as the large group takes time to greet one another. Something passes between them, an understanding of sorts, though left unspoken. After a few minutes they make the short walk to one of the ballrooms, which has been reserved for this event.
A hostess leads them to a large, reserved area toward the back of the room. Several military families are already seated. The men are in their dress uniforms, and the women impeccably dressed. Abigail is uncomfortable. She is suddenly rethinking her decision to come to dinner with Robert. She is definitely under dressed in her outdated slacks and blouse. She’s never been to a formal dinner before. There’s no way she can compete with the women in this room. Not only that, but the ghost from her past she thought she saw last week pops into her mind. She scans the room as they make their way toward the table. She doesn’t see the man. The coast is clear for now. She sends a silent prayer that it will stay that way until she can get safely away from the hotel. What in the world had she been thinking coming to a dinner with all these men from the military?
They have only been seated for a few moments when Emma’s phone chimes. She picks it up and smiles as she reads the message. Wallace looks over at her, love apparent in his gaze. Abigail smiles. She has gotten to know Emma in the time they’ve been here. She is such a kind, thoughtful woman. Abigail is happy that Emma has that kind of deep devotion from Wallace. Emma looks back at Wallace, and her love for him is also easy to see. Her smile lights up her beautiful face.
“Allison’s here,” Emma says excitedly. “I’m going out to meet her. She can’t find our table.” Emma laughs. “She’s a little directionally challenged.” Emma starts to rise. Wallace jumps up to help her with her chair. “I’ll be right back,” she informs him giving him a quick kiss. He gives her a nod and returns to his seat as she hurries in the direction of the hotel entrance.
Emma returns a minute later with a slightly taller brown headed woman. She’s really very pretty; Abigail notices. She can see the family resemblance between Emma and Allison, despite their differences in hair coloring. Emma directs Allison to her seat across from Abigail and Robert. After making introductions, they settle in to wait for their meal.
“How’s the story coming, Allison?” Emma asks during a lull in conversation. “Any word on the missing woman?” Emma looks at her cousin expectantly. Abigail’s face squints into a frown as she wonders what the women are talking about.
“No,” Allison answers immediately. “It’s very frustrating. The police aren’t having any luck either, or so my contact at the station is telling me. I can’t be a hundred percent sure they are telling me everything though, because if they have some sensitive information, they don’t want the public to know about, I’ll be the last person they would talk to about it.” Allison huffs. “I just feel so helpless.”
“Allison?” Ace asks. “Do you always get this invested in your stories? I heard you all discuss it the other day at the pool. It seems like this story is personal, not just a headline to boost your career.”
“I’ll admit this one has gotten to me on a personal level,” Allison begins. “I do put my all into every story I write, but this one…it’s really touched me deeply.” She sighs heavily, sparing a glance at Emma, who nods at her to continue. “After Emma’s ordeal when she first moved to Jacksonville, I realized just how vile and evil people can be to another person. I was still in college at the time and very, very naïve. You have to understand, Emma, our cousins, and I were raised in nearly idealistic homes. We all have two parent homes and went to church every time the doors were opened. We were really sheltered growing up. What happened to Emma was something you heard about on the news, but it didn’t seem real, you know? At least it didn’t…until it was.” Allison looks over at Emma and reaches out to take her hand. They hold on to one another for a moment before Allison continues, “I had always wanted to be a journalist, to travel the world and write about the plight of the less fortunate in third world countries. What I didn’t realize until that happened was there are people right here in the United States who are suffering the same fate as young women in those third world countries. When I began to look into crime in America, I found that human trafficking is as prevalent here as it is anywhere in the world. It’s just better hidden. That has me wondering, how is it so well hidden in this modernized country with video surveillance cameras on nearly every street corner. The answer is becoming increasingly clear. Corruption. Plain and simple. It hits at all levels of the government. I just haven’t figured out how high it goes, but make no mistake, I will figure it out, then I will expose it and bring those ass…, uh, jerks to justice.” Allison cut her eyes to the children to make sure they haven’t heard her almost swear. She relaxes when she notices they are happily playing away on the table with their toys and not at all paying attention to the adult conversation. “Sorry, despite our strict upbringing, I’ve been away from home a long time. I forget that innocent ears might be listening.”
“Honey, don’t worry about it.” Charlotte is quick to assure her. “These kids have heard much worse. Not that we just speak garbage around them, but when you have this many seasoned Marines around the house all the time, it’s inevitable that a swear word slips out from time to time, especially when they are watching a game or playing one.” Charlotte laughs and glances over at Hawk. He shrugs his shoulders, but at least has the decency to look slightly embarrassed.
“We do tend to get carried away on game days, especially when Straw is cheating.” Hawk gives Robert a pointed look.
“Hey, man,” Straw replies. “I’ve told you repeatedly; I wasn’t cheating. You just suck at cornhole.” Hawk rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
“The game was rigged,” Hawk argues. “We all know it; we just can’t figure out how you did it.” The men continue to bicker back and forth with the other guys joining in on one side or the other. It got a little heated a time or two, but was mostly in good natured fun. It isn’t long until their food arrives, and everyone settles in to eat.
Abigail has a wonderful time at dinner. Everyone is laughing at the children’s antics and enjoying the companionship. Abigail begins to feel comfortable and forgets her worries about her clothing and fitting in with those around her. Robert is very attentive during the meal. He takes every opportunity to touch her in subtle ways, but nothing that makes her feel uncomfortable. A small brush of the hand as she reaches for her water glass. His hand on her knee for a few moments when she is feeling overwhelmed at the crowd of alpha men around her. He seems to be so in tuned to her needs. This should be another red flag, but again, one she chooses to ignore. The night is going so well; she should have known it’s too good to be true.
The group is sitting around the table telling stories while awaiting dessert to be delivered. Abigail turns her attention to Ace. He is telling a story about a time when Straw left his wallet behind when they were on base and how the cashier at the PX thought he and Straw were a couple because Ace was buying Straw’s stuff for him. The other men at the table are enjoying embellishing the story by adding their own comments and telling other funny tidbits about Straw. Abigail can tell Straw is a little put out at his friends for telling their stories, but it’s all in good-natured fun. She can tell he isn’t really upset with his friends. They are interrupted in their banter when a group of men approach their tables. The men at the table all suddenly stand up, and Abigail turns to see what they are all looking at. She is suddenly sick. She feels the bile rise in her throat. She tries, to swallow it down. The one man she has dreaded seeing for the last four years is standing a few feet away. Todd’s father.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Straw notices an abrupt change in Abigail. Her body is suddenly stiff, shoulders back as if at attention, and she is very pale. All the blood has rushed from her face. She is staring in shock at the group of high ranking Marine and Naval officers who have stopped to speak with Hawk. Straw desperately wants to wipe the look of fear from her adorable face. The Admiral dismisses their formality and Straw immediately sits beside her taking her small hand in his. It is ice cold. He can feel her heart racing in her delicate wrist and a light sheen of sweat has appeared on her skin. He wants to calm whatever fear has her shaking so badly.
“Abigail, what’s wrong sweetheart?” Straw leans in to whisper to her. He is really getting worried. “You don’t need to be afraid of the Admiral and his men. They are good men.” Abigail turns into him as if trying to hide her face but doesn’t speak just shakes her head. Her eyes pleading with him not to push her for more information. When Hawk begins making introductions to the Admiral and his staff, of the people around the table, Abigail’s eyes widen in stark fear. Hawk is naming each man on his team and their wife or girlfriend as the case maybe and their children. He has started on the far side of the table so there will be a few minutes before he gets to them. Straw glances back at Abigail. Her eyes are darting around. He can see a volley of emotions crossing her face: panic, fear, uncertainty. What has brought this on?
When Hawk begins to introduce them, Straw’s concern for Abigail grows. She looks like she might actually throw up. When Hawk gives her name, she slowly closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them and looks at Straw, dread and a look of defeat crosses her face. She looks like she is about to stand in front of a firing squad. Huffing out a breath, she turns to face the Admiral and his colleagues. She slowly rises to her feet. She remains stiff. She has a death grip on his hand, so tight her knuckles are white as snow.
“This is Robert Ford, a.k.a. Straw, and his companion Abigail Miller,” Hawk begins. Straw gives a nod to the men, but his focus is solely on Abigail. His concern for her has only grown over the last few minutes. He begins to wonder if this has anything to do with her past. He makes the all-important decision to come clean with her about what he knows of her past as soon as possible. He’d hoped to have more time, let her get to know him more before he sprang it on her, but he knows if he doesn’t make his move soon, he will lose all opportunity. She is getting ready to bolt. He can feel it vibrating off her in waves.
Straw also notices something else significant. Surprise and recognition flashes across Admiral Jenkins’ face when Abigail is introduced. What is up with that? Can it be the Admiral knows Abigail? Is that why she is so uncomfortable? Robert has always known the Admiral to be a good, fair, and just man. Why would she have any reason the fear him?
When Ellie is introduced, Abigail moves to place her arm protectively around the young girl. Straw watches the Admiral, as the questions Straw has about their connection is swirling through his mind, so he doesn’t miss the look on the Admiral’s face when he gazes at the girl. His face softens and he gives the little girl a big smile. His face morphs into disappointment, however, when Abigail moves protectively to her daughter’s side. The Admiral glances back at Abigail and gives her a curt nod.What the fuck?
As the introductions continue, Straw is all too aware of the huge intake of breath from Abigail. She’s apparently been holding her breath the entire time. When the greetings are done, Hawk invites the men to join them at their table, but they decline. The relief in Abigail is palpable. She begins to tremble violently. Straw wraps his arm around her shoulders protectively, lending her his strength. To his surprise, she leans into him but still doesn’t say anything. He holds her for several minutes, and he doesn’t push her to tell him what’s wrong at first. He wants to give her time to calm down where she can speak without shaking so badly. That however, Straw will come to find out is a huge mistake. He waits too long. She has time to build up her defenses and steel herself against accepting help from anyone. After several minutes, he finally decides it’s time to talk.
“Hey, are you all right? You didn’t answer me before,” Straw questions her. Her trembling has stopped, and he feels it’s time to get her to open up. Abigail turns to look at him. He is shocked to see her fear is mostly gone, but regret has taken its place in her expression as she speaks.
