Saved E-Book

Lorhainne Eckhart

• Herausgeber: Lorhainne Eckhart, INC.
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: The Saved Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 408

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

— “INTENSE AND GRIPPING NOVEL SAVED has it all, mystery, intrigue, deception, romance, and the truly uncomfortable realities of human trafficking. It is a fantastic read.”
—“Eckhart knocks one out of the park with this great story.” RT Book Reviews
—“Taken! Okay you had me at the first page”….Katy M.
—God Bless our Military Men! It takes a horrible, but real tragedy and shows how love can be a true healer. We need more men like the Captain!! Reviewer, Spring Hale
OVERVIEW:
“Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me.”
If you loved Saved don't miss Abby's story in the next book of The Saved Series VANISHED, 'A 2016 Readers' Favorite Award Winner in Suspense'
THE SAVED SERIES:
Saved
Vanished 'A 2016 Readers' Favorite Award Winner' She thought her nightmare was over
Captured
Or grab The Saved Series: The Complete Collection which includes all the books in this sizzling military suspense series.

More Praise for SAVED:
—“The emotional struggle was nothing like I expected.”
—“Absolutely Loved this story!
Eric is a hell of a man. Abby is one hell of a strong woman and their story is absolutely romantic!”

Leseprobe

Copyright Information

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

SAVED COPYRIGHT © Lorhainne Ekelund, 2013, All Rights Reserved

Originally titled The Captain’s Lady

COPYRIGHT © Lorhainne Ekelund, 2008, The Captain’s Lady All Rights Reserved

Cover Design: Steven Novak

Contact Information: [email protected]

Editor: Talia Leduc, Robert Reed, Leandra Hanes

Saved

The Saved Series

Lorhainne Eckhart

www.LorhainneEckhart.com

Contents

Keep in touch with Lorhainne

Saved

The Saved Series

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Epilogue

Next in The Saved Series, Vanished

Afterword

Other Works Available by Lorhainne Eckhart

The Holiday Bride, Chapter 1

The Holiday Bride, Chapter 2

Other Works Available

About the Author

Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist

Keep in touch with Lorhainne

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Saved

The Saved Series

“A Passionate Tale of Love during the Iraq War.”

—“Eckhart knocks one out of the park with this great story.”

RT Book Reviews

—“Taken! Okay you had me at the first page”

Katy M.

—“God Bless our Military Men! It takes a horrible, but real tragedy and shows how love can be a true healer. We need more men like the Captain!!”

Reviewer, Spring Hale

“Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me.”

The Saved Series

SAVED: “Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me.”

In VANISHED, Abby has married the man of her dreams. He rescued her, and he’s the father of her child. Everything should be perfect, but she begins to relive her nightmare from when she was taken… and one night she disappears, leaving her children alone in the dead of night, her husband on a military ship halfway around the world.

But when Eric arrives home and the search begins, there are two disturbing questions: Was someone in the house? And how is it possible for Abby to simply vanish?

In CAPTURED, Captain Eric Hamilton is now settled on base after giving up his first love, the sea,for his wife, Abby, and their children. He watches day in and day out as his friends are deployed, burning with an empty feeling as if life is passing him by—that is, until his friend Lieutenant Commander Joe Reed is captured while deployed in Iraq.

While his family is at home, helpless, Joe’s life hangs in the balance, and Eric is forced to make a decision he swore he would never make again: Should he leave Abby and their children to go halfway around the world in search of a friend who may be dead?

The Saved Series: The Complete Collection is now available at all retailers

Prologue

Thursday June 19, 2004

The Northern Arabian Gulf

There was a point right at the break of dawn when darkness parted swiftly, much like a curtain drawn open making way for the coming day. On a typical morning, this was welcoming, a sign of a new journey to look forward to, but for Abby, today could very well be the last day of the rest of her life. She knew it, she felt it deep in her bones, but she also had hope.

As she watched the bright orange and yellow reflection at the edge of the water, she wondered if maybe today would be different—maybe today she had a chance, maybe today she’d finally make it. She’d come this far against all the odds, so she needed to hang on just a little longer. She rested her head against the stiff side of the rubber dinghy and shivered under the dark abaya, damp and sticky from her sweat. It was so humid, the air thick and heavy, that she struggled to breathe as she stared at the miles and miles of open water, still with nothing in sight. She probed her tongue gently to the side of her chapped, swollen lips. She was so thirsty she’d do anything for a cup of cool water. It was painful, horrible, being so thirsty, because that was all she could think of. Staring at miles of open water only tempted her. How long could she go without water before her body started breaking down? The dew clinging to the side of the dinghy glittered like a handful of diamonds, and, like a starved woman, she licked it with her tongue and gagged from the saltiness. She dropped her head to the side again.

She was so tired. She’d lived in fear for so long that it had become her constant companion, keeping her on her toes, awake in an instant, as if her soul knew it wasn’t safe to sleep. As always, she felt it slice out of nowhere, the buzz that ripped through her, keeping her body and mind on the edge of sanity. She couldn’t rest, even though she needed to. Abby peeked over the side, her eyes burning into the shadows, and she squinted, wondering if she was seeing things. Was he coming for her? Was that a boat on the horizon? She swiped her palms hard across her eyes and looked again, and for a minute she stopped breathing, moving, but she couldn’t still the thudding of her heart. It had a mind of its own and pounded the walls of her chest so hard she thought her ribs would crack. She waited and blinked again.

“It’s just water. Come on, get a grip.” It hurt to speak, but she needed to believe it. Those brave words weren’t convincing her at all, though, because it was only a matter of time—and time was not on her side—until he found her. She knew he’d search to the ends of the earth to find her. He never let go of what was his, ever.

Abby had no idea where she was, as she was floating with no paddle. Being at the complete mercy of the waves meant just one more thing she had no control of. Each minute the sun rose higher, she could feel the heat climb. Out here it was so intense, rising as though someone had switched on a furnace, slowly building until it scraped her lungs as she struggled for each breath from air that was so thick and humid that she’d swear a knife would have trouble slicing through it. Out of nowhere, a sharp gust of wind blew from the northwest, rocking the dinghy up and over the waves, and for a moment the breeze was unexpected and welcome. Then the dinghy bounced faster, higher, moving through the water and crashing down as the water slapped the sides, awakening her again to the reminder that she wasn’t safe. Any minute, he could appear on the horizon, and there was nowhere to hide. Maybe that was why she didn’t think as she dropped down and curled onto her side. A burning jab poked her ribs, shooting shards of fire through her, and she bit on her lip, drawing blood as she fought not to scream. “Don’t move, stay still and you’ll be fine,” she whispered to herself and panted out huffs of air. Even though there was no one to hear her breathing, she was still afraid.

The skill she had survived on, always being on guard, wouldn’t let her stay still, so she peeked up again, her shoulders taut and wound so tightly her head was starting to throb. She couldn’t think about tomorrow, only now, this moment, because her future wasn’t anything tangible—it was a speck of ashes that could disintegrate in an instant. She stroked her dry, chapped hands over her rounded belly and blinked back tears. Their future right now wasn’t looking like a mother and child’s should. It should have been a magical time when Abby dreamed of holding her tiny baby, whispering her love while planning their future. But what possible future could her child have?

If it was a boy, maybe. For a girl, there was no hope. Not here. Not now. “One day at a time, Abby.” She stripped off the dark abaya and took in the pale blue cotton of her loose dress. The front was splattered with blood, and she couldn’t remember if it was hers. If it wasn’t… she might very well come to wish she were dead. Her body seemed to follow her mind, as it started shaking and couldn’t stop. It had too much adrenaline, and she recognized that her fight or flight instinct had been all that was keeping her running for so long now. As she stared up at the blue sky, she wondered about the inevitable and whether she’d have the strength to jump in the water when the time came. Could she do it, allow the weight of the abaya to pull her under? Drowning herself would be better than the alternative, if she had the courage to do it, to end her life and her baby’s, too.

“How will I ever survive this?” She ran her tongue over the swell of her bottom lip. It was split, and she tasted dried blood. “Ugh.” She touched it with her fingers, and, pulling them back, she stared at the fresh blood. She pressed her fist to her mouth. “Shh,” she whispered, but she was so tired she didn’t think she could stay awake much longer. She had to stay awake, though, and keep watch, even though she didn’t have a clue what she’d do if she spotted his boat. Her eyes ached, and she’d swear sand coated the whites of her eyes. When she shut them, the back of her lids scraped her eyes like broken glass. Closing them seemed almost worse, but her lids were becoming so heavy it hurt to keep them open, so she gave herself a minute, and then another, until warmth and a bright light surrounded her, and for one moment she felt peace. She breathed softly again, and again, until there was nothing more.

Chapter One

Alarms sounded and buzzed over and over, louder and louder. Footsteps pounded up the stairwells and ladders as emergency lights flashed in the passageways. The five-hundred-foot guided missile destroyer cut a wide path through the waters of the Northern Arabian Gulf, and the roar of the engines against the power of the water slapping and vibrating against the steel hull had his every instinct buzzing and ready to react in an instant. The speed of this ship could let them easily overtake their enemy. Captain Eric Hamilton braced his hand on the wall as he ducked his head, making his way onto the bridge of his ship, the USS Larsen. Hamilton took everything in as he moved, and his crew snapped to attention. He shouted, he commanded and ordered, and he didn’t ever consider whether he’d hurt someone’s feelings. This was the US Navy—he didn’t coddle his crew. He expected loyalty, and his crew would do what he expected or they’d find themselves on the wrong side of a man whom many feared. Oddly, knowing how he was seen by his crew didn’t bother him at all.

By the time he crossed the bridge, the hair on the back of his neck was poking up like sharp wires that sent a chill through him, a warning that kept him on his toes. It was a warning that had saved his butt time and again, a warning he lived by, and he swore he’d die before ever ignoring it. The crew were on edge, alert. He could always pick up the change in their voices. They shouted above the alarm that continued to buzz over and over, their eyes wide. With an instinctive reaction at the snap of his fingers, his crew jumped as one to respond. Eric could feel the adrenaline pumping from all of them. Everyone was at their stations. Even though the humidity was at an all-time high this early in the day, he knew the beads of sweat trailing down his back and soaking his shirt were from the unknown that they were racing into. This damn war around them kept him pumped and his adrenaline surging like a shot of high caffeine. He lived for it and couldn’t imagine any other way. To him, this was normal. He loved this, life and death, power in his hands and under his command.

By the time he reached the windows spanning the width of the bridge, binoculars had been thrust into his hand. Up until now, he hadn’t said one word, as his officers knew their parts and their roles.

“Captain, there’s a raft just off the starboard side. Can’t tell from here whether there’s anyone or anything on it.” Lieutenant Commander Joe Reed approached from behind. The man was Eric’s good friend and the current XO, executive officer, on this deployment.

He didn’t need to turn as he raised the binoculars and zeroed in on a black dinghy that appeared empty at first sight as it rocked up and over the waves. For a minute, he felt sick, and his pulse pounded harder and faster still when the thought of the USS Cole bombing popped into his head. No, it couldn’t be that again. He wouldn’t let it happen.

He glanced at Joe beside him. “What the hell are we walking into?”

Joe shook his head. He was never one to talk out of turn or to guess. Joe was Eric’s right-hand man and more often than not was the voice of reason among him and the crew—and just about everyone else.

Eric raised the binoculars again and stared at the black dinghy. He didn’t know what he expected.

“We have no reports of a ship in distress in the area, Captain,” announced the communications officer.

Eric squinted, thinking. “What about fishing boats?” he snapped.

“No, sir, no reports.”

Looking once more at his first officer, he dreaded what he needed to do. “Send out a rescue team to check it out,” he barked as he handed the binoculars off to one of the crew members and strode off the bridge, digging into each step, heading directly to the ship’s launch. The crew hurried around him, feet pounding the deck. All of them knew their roles, what was expected, and there was no hesitation. Joe jogged up beside him, and they watched as the small rigid hull of the rescue boat, with its team aboard, splashed into the water and sped off toward the dinghy.

His heartbeat was slamming now inside his chest, so hard and loud that he glanced at Joe, wondering whether he could hear the thump that roared in his ears. Beads of sweat ran down his brow, his back, under his arms, and his short-sleeved tan shirt was sticking to his back.

At times, he hated not knowing, because he had to think quickly and respond just as fast. His work was a love-hate relationship, a marriage really, the only one he’d ever have and could never live without.

“So what do you think?” Joe leaned on the rail, staring after the team, and then raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

“I don’t know, dammit. Wish I did. I don’t like sending them out like this. Maybe I should have gone.”

“Not your job, Captain. You stay with the ship. Let the men do what they need to. They’re trained for this; you’re not.”

Eric knew Joe was right, but he’d never admit it. He didn’t like being told what to do by anyone, including Joe. This attitude was a challenge in the Navy and had gotten Eric into more hot water than he could measure. “Maybe so, but I’m still the captain here,” he stated, mainly because he would always have the last word, and he reached over and snatched the binoculars from Joe.

“You’re right, Captain, you are, which is why you need to be leading the crew on the ship.”

This time, Eric just glared at Joe. Joe should have stepped back, apologized, but when Eric turned away, he also knew Joe was the only one who never reacted in fear to him, the only one who could get away with speaking to him that way. He raised the binoculars again and studied, helpless from this distance, as the three-man team approached, then secured the dinghy. If something went wrong, there was nothing he could do from here. This part he really hated, as he waited with unease squeezing his gut tighter and tension knotting its way across his shoulders until they were so tight his neck began to throb.

The radio Joe held crackled: “There’s someone in here, a woman, and she’s in pretty bad shape.”

Eric didn’t know what to think, but he also knew that with the hostile situation in the area, this could be anything. He took the radio from Joe. “If it’s a body, don’t touch it. Could be booby trapped. Check for wires or anything unusual.”

The line clicked with static. “Captain, she’s still breathing. Don’t see anything on her,” the deep voice hissed. Eric nodded to Joe and handed him the radio.

“Bring her back. Secure the dinghy,” Joe ordered.

Eric watched the scene as two crewmen lifted a body. He knew the other crewmen were searching for wires or traps, anything unusual. Then they moved her into the small, rigid rescue boat.

“Someone get Lieutenant Saunders on deck,” Eric shouted to a crew member. At this moment, he was grateful Lieutenant Larry Saunders, the senior medical officer from the Vincent Carrier, was still aboard and had scheduled this week for training with the onboard hospital corpsmen. “Bring her up!”

Crewmen shouted and worked as another team went down to secure the dinghy. The crew hovered, hands reached out, and the team lowered a woman to the deck. Eric watched and studied, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. She was soaked and wearing a heavy blue sack-like dress. She was barefoot, and she was an absolute mess. A blanket was draped over her.

“Move back. Let me through!” Lieutenant Saunders was a solid man, about average height. He was much shorter than Eric, who was well over six feet. Larry pushed through all the testosterone, crowding around the young woman. “I need some room here,” he said loudly as he squatted down beside her.

“Everyone who doesn’t need to be here, move back to your stations,” Joe shouted at the crew, who were pushing and crowding around the woman.

Eric moved closer and stood just behind Larry, studying her face. She appeared young, and her eyes were closed, but it was the bruises on her face, her lip swollen and split, with dried blood crusting over it, that made him angry.

She tossed her head to the side. “Ohhh,” she mumbled. Her eyelids strained as she struggled to open them.

“Easy, take it easy.” Larry rested his hand on her shoulder as she moved her head to the side, blinking, her eyes staring up at the sky and then locking on to Eric. For a minute, she blinked and lifted her arm. When she tried to move, she screamed.

“Don’t move. I need a stretcher in here!” Larry shouted.

Eric watched her and her wide eyes, which appeared confused and panicked, as if she couldn’t make sense of anything.

“W-where am I?” Her voice was dry and raspy, and then she coughed.

“Get her some water,” Eric said to a sailor. He squatted beside her as the doctor moved away. Eric brushed his hand over her shoulder when she stared at him with wild-eyed fear from the most amazing baby blue eyes he’d ever seen. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Are you an angel?” she said.

What the hell? That was not what he expected. Before he could answer, a cocky voice called out from the group of sailors behind him, “Oh, that’s one he’s definitely not been called before.” Several others chuckled, and Eric was tempted to kick some ass, though he couldn’t quite figure out which one of them had said it.

He draped his other arm over his knee and swiped a hand over his jaw, feeling the bristled hair that he still needed to shave. “I’m Captain Hamilton with the US Navy. You’re aboard my ship, the USS Larsen. We recovered your dinghy off the starboard bow. Can you tell us where you came from, what you’re doing out here?”

She squinted eyes that appeared so fragile. “The US Navy, the United States Navy?” she asked in a way that was almost pleading as tears spilled and traced a path down the sides of her face. She swiped at them and then her nose. “Really, am I safe?”

Eric glanced over his shoulder at Joe, who was also watching her. It was obvious he didn’t know what to make of her, either. Her hand was shaking, so Eric took it in his to try to calm her down, and she held on tight in a way that surprised him for someone in such bad shape. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Abby. My name is Abby,” she said, her voice dry and raspy.

“Abby, you’re safe and under the protection of the US Navy.”

“Captain, please.” Lieutenant Saunders moved to her other side. “Abby, take a drink of water.” He lifted her head, pressed the cup to her lips. She tried to guzzle it, but Larry pulled it away before she downed it all. “Slowwww now. Nice and easy, or you’ll be sick.”

“How long was I out there?” She sounded breathless.

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Eric said, as she kept seeking him out, her eyes on him. She shook her head, and creases appeared between her brows. She was obviously thinking. Eric watched her eyes, studying her to see if this was a trick, a game.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t stay awake.” Her voice shook, and she struggled to pull away, to sit up.

“Whoa, don’t move.” Eric held her shoulders down. “No, just lie still, Abby.”

“Abby, I need to get you down and take a look at you, make sure you’re okay,” Larry said. Two crewmen set a litter beside the captain, and he moved back and watched as they lifted Abby and the blanket fell away. He heard the outburst behind him, but that was nothing compared to his own shock as he stared at the swollen belly of a very pregnant woman.

“Where are you taking me?” Her eyes widened with fear as the two sailors adjusted straps to secure her to the litter. She was starting to fight them, and she was very afraid.

Eric moved in and put his face close to hers. “Abby, I need you to look at me. Calm down, you’re safe. Right now, we’re strapping you to the litter to move you to sickbay. I need you to tell me you understand. We’re not going to hurt you.”

She searched his eyes with hers, which appeared so vulnerable and innocent, yet at the same time, it was as if she’d seen everything horrible in the world. She grabbed his shirt and fisted her hand in the damp cotton. He didn’t try to pry her hand away. He covered it with his and held it against him, pressing his other hand over her forehead and smoothing back her hair.

“Take a breath. Slow down. Let it out slowly. Come on. That’s it, good girl,” he said. She shivered and then glanced at the doctor on the other side. “Keep your eyes on me, Abby.”

She was absolutely petrified, like a woman on the edge, and for the first time he felt as if he needed to talk her down. She stared at him, watched him, blinked, and breathed out hard again and again until he felt her hand relax on him.

“Good girl. Okay, let’s move her,” he said as he stood up, slipping her hand from his shirt and nodding to the crewmen. They lifted her, and she started to sob. “Abby, I’m right behind you.” Eric tried to get her to look at him and smiled to calm her so she didn’t become hysterical. She was obviously afraid of something. Eric touched her foot so she would know he was there and walked beside the stretcher until they reached the hatch.

“Everyone, back to your stations. Show’s over,” Joe ordered the remaining crew.

“What do you make of this, Doc?”

“Don’t know. I think someone worked her over. By the looks of her dehydration and being pregnant… well, let me have a look, but just know we’re not equipped for this, not here.”

“Got it, Doc.” Eric fell in beside the doctor behind the stretcher, boots clanging on the metal floor of the passageway.

“Watch your side,” one of the crewmen shouted to the other as they turned and lifted the stretcher through the hatch and into sickbay.

Eric gestured for the doctor to hang back so Abby couldn’t hear. “Just say the word, and we fly her off.”

Larry paused and studied the captain for a second. His freckled face and round cheeks showed his worry, and he inclined his head, then stepped into sickbay. “Put her on the table,” he ordered as Abby was unstrapped and moved. The two young sailors stared at Abby, who was lying helpless.

“That’ll be all.” Eric dismissed them so they wouldn’t linger anymore.

“Lieutenant Lynn, we need some help here,” Larry said.

Todd Lynn brushed past the sailors as he stepped into sickbay. He was another tall, good-looking sailor, with a million-dollar smile all the ladies swooned for when he walked into a room. “What happened to her?” he asked.

“She was found in a dinghy like this. Let’s get these wet clothes off her.”

Lynn used a pair of scissors to cut off the clothes and dumped them in a heap on the floor, covering her with a sheet. Eric didn’t turn away, although watching her naked before a sheet was draped over her had rocked him. She was staring at him again, as if she was reaching out for his hands.

They checked her blood pressure, and the doctor was talking to her. “Where does it hurt, Abby? She’s got heavy bruising around her ribs. Let’s roll her on her side.”

“Here. It hurts here.” She touched her chest and moaned when they turned her.

“I know it hurts, Abby.” The doctor placed the stethoscope in his ears and listened as he leaned down. “Take a deep breath, Abby. Hold it.” She scrunched her face. Larry pulled the stethoscope off and looped it around his neck. “Sounds rough. What’s the BP?”

“One-fifty over eighty-five. Got some bruising here, too, around her kidneys.” Eric walked around and saw the purplish bruising on her back. “Some older bruising here, too.”

“I’m going to check your ribs here.” Larry slid his hand under her breast and probed.

“Ohhh!” she cried out.

“I know, Abby.” Larry lifted his chin and glanced at the captain. “Bruised for sure. Hasn’t punctured the lungs, though. The ribs may be cracked. Abby, how far along are you in your pregnancy?”

Abby was still on her side, but she turned her head and watched Eric. “I’m not sure. I think I have another three weeks.”

“Okay, on your back again.”

They rolled her, and the lieutenant placed a towel over her breast and pulled the sheet down. The doctor probed her swollen belly. “When was the last time you felt the baby move, Abby?”

She shook her head. She scrunched her eyes and searched out Eric again. “I don’t know. It’s been a while. Is my baby okay?”

“Right now I just want you to stay calm. I’m checking everything out, and in a minute we’re going to listen to the baby’s heart.”

Larry raised his head and gave the captain a look. Eric knew he was worried and wanted to make sure the lady stayed calm, so he stepped around the doctor and stood beside Abby.

“Let the doc finish his exam before you panic, okay? Just relax.”

She reached for his hand. Hers was so tiny and frail, and his big one all but swallowed it. She turned her head into his hand, brushing the side of it. He tried to picture her without the bruises, and to him she was stunning, innocent, but what the hell was she doing in the middle of a war zone?

“Abby, I’m going to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. This may be a little cold.” The doctor placed the stethoscope in a few spots on her belly and listened, then stared at his watch as if counting. “The baby sounds good. That’s a good thing, Abby.” He draped the stethoscope around his neck and patted her arm.

She started crying, and she wouldn’t let go of Eric’s hand. “I’m sorry.” She suddenly looked so embarrassed as she dropped her eyes and then started to pull her hand away, helplessly wiping her tears and her nose.

“Abby, here’s a Kleenex.” Lynn handed her a couple, and she took them and blew her nose.

“Captain, can I have a word?” the doc asked as he tucked the stethoscope back into a secured drawer.

Eric watched Abby as she lay there, looking so lost and vulnerable, her eyes puffy and red from tears. At the same time, she was doing everything she could to hide her humiliation. He’d seen rock bottom many times, and he recognized when someone was there.

“Abby, I’ll be right back. I need to have a word with the doc.” He settled his hand on her bare shoulder and didn’t miss the way she reached out to him with her eyes but then blinked away as if ashamed. Just from that touch, he sensed her fear, her need, and a shadow of something that had her pulling away. “Lieutenant, check her vitals again in a few minutes and see if you can get some juice into her.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, Doc, tell me: What’s the verdict?”

Larry squeezed the back of his neck, wincing. “She’s extremely dehydrated, and I suspect her body is breaking down protein, which is a problem for the baby. However, once we get her hydrated and some food into her, we should see an improvement.” He crossed his arms and glanced at Abby and the lieutenant, who was checking her vitals again, and rubbed his jaw before crossing his arms, turning away. “I am concerned about the bruised ribs. She’s tender, but I don’t think they’re broken or cracked. Her right ankle is slightly swollen, and from the looks of things, I would say there’s a mild sprain. It’s definitely not broken.”

Eric was a tall man, so he could easily watch Abby as Lieutenant Saunders described her injuries. He just couldn’t reconcile in his mind how someone could beat a woman—how could someone drive their fists into a pregnant woman? But he’d seen so much ugliness that he’d given up trying to understand the monsters that lurked inside so many, leading them to do the most despicably evil things.

“Whoever did this didn’t just slap her around; they used their fists on her,” Saunders said. “She was beaten pretty bad, and it doesn’t appear to be the first time, either. The baby appears to be okay. Heartbeat’s strong. It looks like her face got the worst of it.”

A dark purple bruise outlined her cheek and slightly swollen left eye, the same collage of colors as her jaw. Her lips were dry and cracked, the right side of her lower lip swollen with dried blood. Eric had to force himself to look away as he felt a rage building inside him. Just let me find who did this and give me five minutes alone with the bastard. I’ll make him pay.

Eric was far from a saint. He’d been called the devil himself by some, and he loved a good fight. He’d been in so many, driving his fists into lowlife scum, but it went against everything he believed in to hit a woman. Any man that would stoop so low was not a man, in his book. Men were supposed to love and protect women, not use them as punching bags. He had seen it so many times, drunken sailors assaulting their girlfriends, and, as he thought about it, he still remembered the last time he’d tried to step in, back in homeport, while stationed in San Diego.

One night, he had been at the local pub with a few friends. They’d met for a night of pool to catch up and shoot the shit when a young, arrogant sailor started arguing with a young girl and then slapped her across the face. One minute, Eric was holding his pool cue. The next, he’d snapped it in half across that sailor, yanked him by the collar, and pounded his face with two sharp jabs until he’d fallen to the floor, blood trickling from his mouth. Eric still couldn’t believe how that girl had reacted. She’d screamed and dropped to her knees, hovering over that useless prick and pleading with Eric to leave him alone because it was her fault—she’d provoked him.

The sailor had pushed her away, and Eric’s friends grabbed his arms and said, “Let’s go.”

Eric had jerked away and jabbed his finger in the girl’s face, shouting, “Get yourself together! What’s wrong with you, letting some guy knock you around? Don’t you have any self-respect?” He then leaned down at the sailor, who tried to get up until he met the monster who stared back at him, and Eric became aware of the sailor’s reaction to him: His eyes widened, and fear or perhaps recognition of who Eric was obviously cut through his drunkenness. “If I ever catch you hitting another woman again, I will take you out back and kick the crap out of you... you piece of shit!”

He didn’t know why thinking back on that incident bothered him so, but he also couldn’t shake it off. As he stared at Abby, he didn’t like one bit of where his thoughts were going. Would she defend whoever did this to her, too? “I need to talk to her, find out what the hell she was doing in the middle of a war zone dressed as she was, in the shape she’s in,” Eric snapped.

The doctor shook his head. “Captain, let me get her stabilized, calmed down, rehydrated, get some food into her. I know you need to speak with her.”

“When?”

“Couple of hours.”

Eric walked around the doctor. Abby’s eyes were drooping.

“Captain, we need to get her moved to one of the beds.” Lieutenant Lynn glanced at the doc, waiting for his okay. “Abby, they’re going to move you.” Eric touched her arm, which was resting on the table beside her.

She turned her face up to Eric and then started to get up.

“I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you,” Eric said.

“You want to talk to me, don’t you?” she asked bravely, but the tremble in her voice betrayed the strength she was trying to exude. He had to wonder, really, who and what she was.

“I do. But don’t worry about that now. The doc and lieutenant here are going to get you settled.” He watched her, and she said nothing, staring at him unforgivingly until she dropped her gaze.

“Okay,” she said. The response seemed so unreal and artificial, as if she had said it because he expected it.

Eric turned to leave, but something stopped him, making him turn and watch. What was he looking for? He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about her that bothered him, something that wasn’t right.

“Abby, we’re going to help you sit up. Let’s take it slow, and then we’ll get you settled in a bunk,” Larry said.

Eric listened to the doctor as he and the lieutenant helped her sit, and she glanced over at him in the doorway as if she knew he was standing there watching her. There was a sharp connection between them in that second that had his heart thudding as if the earth had just opened up and something was reaching up to pull him under. Despite every dark, murderous, ugly thing he’d seen and been part of and tasted over the years, this situation absolutely rocked him.

It was he who turned away, he who shut the door and stood in the empty passageway and breathed to clear his head and shift his thoughts to where they needed to be: here, commanding this ship and meeting with Joe, the one man he could trust to do some serious digging and unravel the mystery surrounding this woman’s dramatic arrival.

Chapter Two

There was something about that first step through the steel gray of the hatch and onto the deck, at least for Eric. His body was jolted by the power and sway beneath his feet, seeing the open water, feeling the spray from the sea. The scent of the humid salty air sharpened his mind as the destroyer once again resumed patrol in the Gulf. He realized everything moved on, continued, as there was no time to sit and absorb what had happened. It was life, and he dealt with it. He did what he had to do and moved on. He based his entire existence of walking, sleeping, and running his ship on that motto, except this time he’d been shaken by the sight of Abby and plagued by her haunting blue eyes. They seemed to reach inside him as though he’d been plugged into a socket, and it rattled him. He should have just walked away, let the doctor deal with her, and then gotten her off this ship. His ship. He didn’t want or need any distractions. Drama was all around them, and they didn’t need any more, because something this close to home was a distraction none of them could afford.

Two uniformed crewmen were at the boat launch. One was kneeling, running his hands over the dark rubber, while the other was complaining and swearing over the shit job they’d been assigned. Normally, Eric would have kicked their asses and reprimanded them, but he found himself just watching. They had no idea he was even standing there. It was amazing sometimes, the difference in the crew, how they responded when he wasn’t around.

The pounding of feet behind Eric had him turning to Joe, who strode confidently toward him.

“Captain,” he said in his deep voice, and the two sailors jumped. The tall, lanky one flushed. “You two find anything?” Joe asked the sailors as he gripped his hands behind his back.

“No, nothing on here, nothing in it,” the sailor still on his knees muttered.

“Pack it up, then,” Joe ordered. “You three, back to your stations,” he shouted at the midshipmen who lingered aft of the launch. Joe was a tall man, with light brown hair, and, as he’d heard whispered by many of the female crew, there was something attractive about his boyish smile, restrained charm, and the way he genuinely cared about everyone. The fact was that half the female crew were panting after him and ogling him when he wasn’t looking. Eric knew Joe had the women dropping all around him, but Joe wasn’t the flirt some men were in the Navy. He always made it known he was happily married to his first love. Maybe that was why women still pursued him, because of his loyalty.

Eric had known Joe for years—he was the only person Eric would trust with his life. “So what did you find out?” Eric asked as he stared back out at the miles of open water.

“Not much. There’s been no report of any boats in the area: fishing, downed ship, nothing,” Joe said as he shook his head. “It’s as if she just appeared out of nowhere, which is damn odd considering where we are. You talk to her yet?”

Eric pressed his lips together and shook his head. “No. Later.”

“How is she?”

“Pretty banged up. Someone did a number on her, bruised ribs, dehydrated. Doc’s getting some food into her now. I’ll go back in a couple of hours.”

“What about the baby?”

Eric squeezed the back of his neck with his hand. He’d never thought of having kids, because he’d need a woman for that. And with his track record… it would be a one-way road to heartbreak. He wasn’t going there. But being faced with a young pregnant woman on his ship was doing all kinds of things to his peace of mind and taking him places he didn’t want to go. He certainly didn’t want to admit to anyone how much it bothered him. “Doc said its heartbeat is strong. He doesn’t want her getting worked up, wants her to rest for a few hours.”

Joe squinted and shook his head. “Captain, do you want me to get a hold of Intel, make some inquiries about her?”

Even in the humidity, Eric felt a bone-deep chill creep up his spine. Just the mention of Intel brought a wave of uneasiness that sat like a lead ball in his stomach. At times, they were the scum of the earth, feeding you what they wanted you to know, sharing only what was needed. The last time they intercepted a boatload of guns, one of his crew had been shot. Apparently, whoever had been getting the Intel wanted it to happen, but they had conveniently forgotten to inform him. He hated their games and how they operated. He stared down at the swell of waters below and then glanced aft to view the wake of the ship before squeezing the rail with his large hand. “Make it un-official, Joe. Anti-official. I want to talk to Abby first and get a better sense of the situation. There’s something about this that just isn’t right.”

Joe stood right beside him. He had heard before that they looked so much alike, that could have been brothers, although Eric was a little taller and not as nice. He’d been accused by his commanding officers of being too damn hard to read. Personally, he considered that a compliment. Obviously, so had others in the Navy, the ones that mattered, because he’d been promoted faster in rank than others his age. Being a success in the Navy was his biggest and only accomplishment at thirty-five. For Eric, it was his entire life, his only reason to live, and this gave him peace when out on deployment. On land, he became depressed. He often wondered if this was because he had no one waiting for him on shore.

So why was he so distracted by Abby? He shook his head and muttered out loud, “Damn, you know she was worked over pretty good. Blond, blue-eyed pretty young lady. Did you notice?”

Joe crossed his arms and shot a piercing look at a few curious crewmen who were passing by and listening in on what they were saying. “You two got nothing to do? ‘Cause I’ll find you something!” he shouted at them. They started, came to attention, and then scurried away through the hatch. “Yeah, I noticed. What are you thinking?”

“Look at where we are. I’m hoping I’m wrong.…” Eric stopped mid-sentence, as he didn’t want to put into words what happened to women in these parts.

“Yeah, but if you’re not, find out from her, and then we’ll need to contact the embassy.”

Eric turned around and leaned his back against the rail. More and more crew lingered and appeared on deck. “Let’s finish this in my office,” he said. He didn’t wait for Joe to respond, knowing his friend would follow his lead. Joe closed the cabin door behind them as Eric took a seat behind his polished dark wood desk. The leather chair swooshed when he leaned back, and he rubbed the scratchy bristles of his cheeks and groaned. He still needed to shave. He looked a mess, and he was one to always be neat and tidy, something he insisted from everyone aboard his ship. Even their uniforms had to look shipshape.

His cabin was large and spacious, with dark carpeting and a separate sleeping room. Across from his desk on the other side of the room were a sofa and chair where they held their daily department head meetings. The furnishings resembled those that could be found in the office of a CEO of a large corporation. The ship was new, and all the amenities were first rate. It was deceiving: every time he walked into this cabin, he could almost believe he was entering a five-star hotel, until he looked up and was rudely jolted back to reality by the gray pipes and cables weaving their way above his head. He had laughed the first time he saw them.

Joe slid out the upholstered chair on the other side of the desk.

Eric wanted to kick himself for being this rattled. “So what are we going to do about her?” he said, only realizing after the fact that he had spoken out loud.

“Can you fly her off to the Vincent Carrier? Or maybe to Bahrain?”

Eric dropped his feet to the ground hard and leaned forward, resting his arms on his extremely neat desk. “You know what? Right now, she stays here. We’ll decide where she goes after I talk to her and the doctor,” he snapped a little too sharply.

“What’s really bothering you about this? Eric, I’ve known you a long time, and I woulda thought you’d transfer her off or have me make the arrangements. You’ve never given a woman a second glance.” Joe was one to cut through the bullshit, and he was right: Eric was not one to become emotionally attached.

“Shit, Joe, I’m not a monster, but evidently whoever did this to her is.”

“You’re right, but we don’t know the whole story.”

Eric didn’t expect that from Joe. He stared at his friend, wondering just what the hell was up with him.

“You should let me talk to her, Captain. Let me handle this.” Joe was really pushing it.