Page 2 of Finding Carly
That thought sent a pang of dread straight to her heart. And it wasn’t like the dull, constant fear she’d experienced over the last few months. It was all-encompassing.
Without thought, Carly’s thumbs flew over her keyboard as she typed out a message. It was long, much longer than the few words she usually used to communicate with him. She wanted—no,neededhim to know she was thankful for his presence in her life. That without him, she didn’t know if she would’ve been able to handle what had happened to her. Not that she was handling it very well, but without Jag, she had a feeling she’d be in even worse shape than she was right now.
Carly: I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch to you. There are some days when your texts are the only thing that keep me from doing something drastic to stop the never-ending fear I’ve been living with. Thank you for forcing me to go to Kenna’s wedding. I would’ve hated myself if I’d missed it. I’m assuming you’re still gone, at least I hope that’s why I haven’t heard from you in a week and a half. I’m so tired, Jag. Tired of being a coward. Tired of being scared all the time. And I’m angry. Pissed. You’re right. Hiding isn’t going to make Luke go away. I want to live again. I want to bemeagain. When you get back, will you go to the police station with me? I want to talk to the detective. Want to find out what he’s discovered about Luke. How close they are to arresting him. I know it’s cowardly of me to use you as a crutch, but I swear it’ll only be until I’m on my feet again. I realize I’ve been selfish, and I’m going to try to change, to not think only about myself. I’ll get better, I swear. Please don’t give up on me.
Carly hit send before she could chicken out. Then she typed some more.
Carly: I hope you’re okay. I don’t know where you are, if you’re back in Hawaii or what, but now that I’ve realized how long it’s been since I’ve heard from you, I can’t help but think the worst. I hope your friends are okay too. I can’t even imagine something happening to Kenna’s new husband or the other guys. I miss you, Jag. I never realized how much your notes meant to me until they weren’t coming anymore.
She sent that text then clicked off her phone. She kept it in her hand and rested her chin on her updrawn knees. She had no idea what her future held, but she was going to do her best to stop hiding away like a coward.
* * *
Jag was exhausted. The mission to Tajikistan had been frustrating and lasted longer than any of the team had wanted. In the end, it was successful, but they’d had to deal with delays and red tape that dragged out the situation.
Now they were finally home. Aleck was more than ready to see his new bride, and Midas, Mustang, and Pid were just as anxious to get home to their women.
Even Slate seemed impatient. Of course, that was practically his permanent state, but Jag knew this time it was because he wanted to touch base with Ashlyn. The two hadn’t admitted their bickering and teasing was a form of foreplay, but it was obvious to the rest of the team it was only a matter of time before one of them broke and admitted they were interested in the other.
But Jag’s exhaustion took second place to worry for Carly. When he’d left a week and a half ago, he’d decided that he was done going easy with her. Yes, she’d been through something traumatic, and yes, whoever was working with her ex was still out there, possibly watching and waiting to get his hands on her, but she couldn’t live her life in hiding.
The second the plane landed, Jag pulled out his phone. The other guys did the same, eager to let their women know they were back. Jag tapped his foot as he waited for his cell to power up. He knew the battery was low, but hopefully it had enough juice for him to at least send a quick text.
But the second the phone turned on, sending a text flew from Jag’s mind. He read the messages Carly had sent not even three hours ago…and his exhaustion fled. Adrenaline shot through his veins.
“Everything okay?” Mustang asked.
Jag nodded. “Yeah.” He looked into his team leader’s eyes. “Carly asked if I would go to the police station with her.”
“That’s awesome news,” Mustang said. In their downtime over the last week, Jag had opened up to his teammates. About his worry for Carly. About what she’d been going through and how he might help her. Everyone agreed the first step was to find Luke, to figure out if he really was a threat, so she could put what happened with her ex behind her.
“This is the first time I’ve heard her sound so…” His voice trailed off. He wasn’t sure what word he was looking for. Her emotions in the texts seemed to be all over the place, but that was better than the abject fear he’d seen in her eyes since Kenna had been kidnapped by her ex.
Mustang nodded as if he knew exactly what Jag was trying to say…and he probably did. “It’s gonna be a roller coaster as she deals with this. You ready for that?” he asked.
“Fuck yes,” Jag said without hesitation. He’d been attracted to Carly from the moment they met. She’d been their waitress when Aleck had gone to Duke’s to meet Kenna for the first time, and the rest of the team had tagged along. Her petite frame, her blonde hair and blue eyes, her friendliness, her genuine affection for Kenna and her friends at Duke’s…it all appealed to him. He’d hated to see the spark within her dim the last few months.
He was determined to bring it back, no matter what it took.
“You finally going to stake your claim?” Aleck asked, obviously having overheard some of his conversation with Mustang.
“Yes,” Jag said. He knew it was chauvinistic to stake a claim on another person, but he didn’t care. He wanted Carly for his own. The fact that nothing about a relationship with her would be easy wasn’t a turnoff.
“Good,” Aleck said. “Kenna misses her friend. Wants to see her again. I’d be forever in your debt if you could help facilitate that.”
Determination rose within Jag. He wanted to help Carly so she’d hopefully feel comfortable enough to start a relationship, but also because she needed her friends. She thrived on being around others. He could tell just by how depressed she’d gotten after she’d quit working at Duke’s.
“I’m heading over there now and will take her to the police station tomorrow,” Jag said.
“Um, you know it’s three in the morning, right?” Midas asked, as they began to walk off the plane.
“Shit,” Jag mumbled.
His friends laughed.
He’d been so pumped that Carly had asked for his help and was finally willing to hopefully move on with her life, he hadn’t even considered the time. To be fair, his internal clock was all messed up after spending several days on the other side of the world and after traveling, but still.
“I’ll talk to the commander, get you a few days off,” Mustang told him.
