Page 22 of The Hero
Then she turned and reached for the shirt she’d been wearing for the last few days. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Will you undo the dress for me? I don’t think I can reach.”
Bob nodded, and when he reached for the delicate zipper on the back of the dress, he noticed his hands were literally shaking. All he could think about was peeling the material off hiswife, draping her on a real bed, and showing her how much he admired her. How badly he wanted to explore every inch of her body. But this wasn’t a real honeymoon, and honestly, she wasn’t in the right mindset ... and mayneverbe where he was concerned.
It took every ounce of strength he had to lower that zipper and step away from her. The smooth skin of her back beckoned, and it was all he could do not to slip his hands around her body and cup her breasts as he pushed the dress off her shoulders.
He saw her reach for the ugly gray bra she’d been issued at the prison before he turned and reached for his own black clothes. He didn’t turn around until Marlowe said softly, “I’m decent.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say that yes, she was more than decent. She was fumbling with the wig, about to put it on, when Bob said, “Leave it off.”
She looked up at him. “I thought you said I should always wear it.”
“I did. But it’s going to be hot enough in that hole without it on. We’ll get it sorted tonight when we get ready to leave.”
The relief that crossed her face told Bob exactly how much she hated wearing the hot, itchy wig. But as usual, she hadn’t complained even once about it. She nodded, then looked down at the hole. She took a deep breath, and with her typical can-do nature, stepped into the space. When she was standing inside, the floor barely reached her hips. It was going to be a tight fit for sure.
She stuffed the wig into the backpack, arranged it to act as a pillow, then stretched out on her back, hugging the wall and giving him as much room as she could.
Now that she was in, Bob didn’t want to prolong things. He stepped inside as well, grabbed hold of the lid, and lowered it as he lay down. The hiding spot was well insulated, because as soon as he closed the door, it was pitch dark.
Bob heard Marlowe inhale sharply, but that was the only indication she gave that she was upset.
Figuring their host would come in and remove their wedding clothes and replace the rug over the trapdoor, Bob turned his attention toward making Marlowe as comfortable as he could. He reached for her and pulled her against him.
She immediately latched on to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Bob couldn’t fully lie on his back with Marlowe beside him, so he maneuvered them both onto their sides. Marlowe curled up in front of him, holding on to his shirt with both hands. He wrapped his arms around her and could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She was breathing way too fast.
“Relax, Marlowe. I’ve got you. We’re good. Safe.”
It took a minute or two, but finally he felt her start to relax against him.
“I understand now why she wanted us married,” she said with a small chuckle.
Bob huffed out a laugh. “Right? Although the fact that she thought it would be okay for two men to hide out here is confusing as hell.”
Marlowe’s giggle was music to Bob’s ears. “Oh my God. I can’t even imagine how that would work. I mean, I’m small. I can’t imagine two men your size down here.”
Bob couldn’t either. But if it had been necessary, he would’ve done it and felt no shame or embarrassment. Survival was a powerful motivator.
After several minutes, Bob realized that Marlowe wasn’t sleeping. She had to be tired after traveling for most of the night, but he supposed being in this hole wasn’t allowing her brain to shut down.
They hadn’t had much of an opportunity to talk while they were on the run. Between being on the scooter and sleeping during the day, they hadn’t really gotten into any deep conversations. But now that they were man and wife, Bob figured it was as good a time as any.
He rarely opened up to people, and never to someone he was tasked with rescuing. But Marlowe was different. And not only because he’d married her. For once, hewantedto tell his story. He had a feeling that hearing what he’d been through could help her get through her own trauma.
He took a deep breath. Then said, “My friends and I were held captive and tortured when an Army mission went sideways.”
Chapter Five
Marlowe opened her eyes, but all she saw was darkness. She hated that feeling. It reminded her too much of being in that solitary cell. And upon hearing the fear in Kendric’s tone as he informed her that he’d also been held captive once, the odd feeling of relief that swept through her made Marlowe feel like a horrible person.
How could she begladthat he’d been through anything similar to what she had?
She adjusted in his arms, wrapping one hand around the side of his neck. She didn’t interrupt his story, but hopefully her touch let him know she was listening.
“The mission was shit from the start, and we all had a feeling it was going to go sideways. It did. We fought back as long as we could, but eventually we ran out of ammo, and rather than die, we chose to surrender.”
Marlowe gasped quietly. She could only imagine how horrible that must’ve been. To give up, knowing you could be killed or tortured.
“I think our captors thought they were being cruel when they put my friends and I all in the same cell. But it was the best thing they could’ve done. Yes, we all had to listen as they beat on one of us outside the cell, but together, we were four hundred percent stronger than if we’d been chained up by ourselves.”
