There was no doubt in anyone’s mind by the time he let go of me that the BP Regional Commander and U.S. Marine Captain were a couple.
Now we were crossing another threshold. I could feel it. His strong arms made me feel rooted to this place, to this world. No longer an outsider simply passing through. He made me feel complete, but also filled me with a sense of dread. The stories on the internet were myths, but I had no doubt real life was going to be a lot more terrifying.
I also had no doubt Casey would stand beside me, no matter what the truth was. I ran my fingers through his hair as he finally slept, his head on my chest, his arms wrapped around me, his legs tangled with mine. I let out a single laugh, knowing he hated his hair messed up, unless it was me doing it.
He was mine. Such a pleasant thought to drift off to.
A buzzing woke us both. It felt like I’d only just closed my eyes. Casey reached for his phone as I looked at the clock. It was just a little after four in the morning. His phone was in sleep mode, except for emergency calls. This ringtone said it was critical.
Casey jabbed at the face of the phone, still blurry-eyed, hitting the call button out of habit. “Delgado here.”
I got up, turning the lamp on and heading for the closet to get him a clean uniform. He grumbled through whatever they were telling him, dragging himself up. He closed the bathroom door, but I could hear him issuing orders to secure the area, call in backup from the State Police. I pulled on one of his t-shirts.
He was slicking back his hair when he came out again. “What’s up?”
“Truck load of illegals.” He sounded grim.
“How bad?” If they were okay, they wouldn’t be making him come out to the scene.
“All dead.” He shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed to put his boots on. “Probably going to be out all day. I’ll let you know.” He looked over to my tablet. “It’ll give you time to do some more digging.”
“I’ll fix you a thermos.” I left him to finish getting ready. There was no point asking any more questions. If it had been on the proving grounds he’d have asked for Marine backup and I might have gone with him, but he’d ordered in the State. Still, with what was going on in the Tinajas, I wondered.
I was half-tempted to get dressed and go with him anyway, but he stepped into the kitchen as the last drops of coffee filled the thermos. He leaned down to kiss my cheek as I screwed the lid on. “Sorry I have go.”
“Duty calls. I know it as well as you do.” I gave him a kiss, slipped the thermos into his backpack and tossed in a couple of my MREs. “Call me when you get a chance. Keep your eyes open.” I didn’t know why I threw that warning in, but it felt right. “Anything look strange, stranger than it should, let me know.”
The incidents at the bar were enough for Casey to take my warning seriously. “I’ll keep one eye on my back.”
I resisted a swipe at his hair. A regular duty day I’d have done it, but he looked so grim. Strangely it only made him more handsome. Tall, dark, brooding. A crisp uniform, starched to a razor sharpness that would make any Marine proud. He was already broad-chested, so the layer of Kevlar under his shirt only added bulk to his muscular frame. The short-sleeved summer uniform displayed just enough of his biceps to warn off anyone wanting to take him on in a tussle.
Looking at him made my whole body tingle. He was definitely mine. “I’ll be waiting for you.” I slipped the pack up his arm and stretched to kiss him again. “Be safe.” He let me walk him out to the landing.
I lingered after he was gone. “Be safe.”
CHAPTER
9
Back inside the apartment it was quiet. I started back to bed, but the call had gotten enough adrenaline going to wake me up. I grabbed my tablet and switched the pod in the coffee machine, making a pot of my favorite brew. Casey liked it strong enough to get up and walk out on its own. I preferred it mild and flavored with vanilla, with lots of cream and sugar.
I snuggled into the corner of our sofa with coffee and my tablet, taking up the topics of Maxa’xak and Star People again.
Just as it was the night before, there was nothing but a lot of Native American myths. I’d heard different versions of the story growing up, but I also remembered my father warning me and my brother that myths always had a grain of truth at their core. So, what was the truth?
After a dozen similar myths, exhaustion won out over caffeine, not that I really cared. I let myself put the tablet down and pull the fuzzy blanket over my shoulder. A few more hours of sleep wouldn’t hurt.
My whole body burned, but there was no pain. The fire came from inside me. It had been there forever and was finally releasing itself, rising up through me and spreading. It was a light as blinding as the sun. I felt like the sun. I’d always enjoyed laying in the sun, absorbing the energy, becoming that energy, but now it came from inside me.
I could flow away with the light, except for a weight clinging to me. If I could only shake it loose. Opening my eyes I could see the restraint attached to me. It was the man
