After dropping a silently brooding Isaac off at home, Vanessa battled a deep sense of loss that weighed heavily across her shoulders as she parked the SUV in her driveway and let Eagle out. Justin had arranged for additional protection after the shooting incident at the Winged Java, so she wasn’t surprised to see a cop at the door. He saluted, and she returned the acknowledgment. She waited for the Doberman to do his business before taking him inside.
She gave Eagle food and water, glad Aiden was preoccupied with feeding the puppies in the bathtub. The last thing her brother needed was to notice the lingering hint of despair in her eyes.
She told herself it was ridiculous to be this upset over a man who’d kissed her. Leo’s cheating on her was a much bigger betrayal. Although to be honest, Isaac’s withdrawal hurt worse than Leo’s cheating.
Was that messed up, or what?
She gave herself a mental shake. She wasn’t interested in a relationship, so why did it matter? Still, the rest of the day loomed empty before her, and it struck her just how much time she’d spent with Isaac over the past few days.
If she wasn’t needed to watch the puppies this afternoon during Aiden’s therapy appointment, she would have called the hospital and offered to work a partial shift to help keep her hands and mind busy.
She blew out a heavy breath. Okay, since heading to the hospital was out of the question for now, maybe she should work with Eagle a bit more, refreshing the training the handlers had walked through with her a few months ago.
Outside, she put Eagle through the paces, pleased with his response. When her cell phone rang, her heart leaped.
Isaac?
No. Recognizing the number as from within the hospital, she grimaced and answered, “Lieutenant Gomez.”
“This is Lieutenant Colonel Flintman. I apologize for my delay in returning your call.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Flintman, I’m so happy to hear from you.” Finally, the doctor had called her back.
“I’m sorry to hear about these drug overdoses,” he said in a concerned tone. “It’s horrible to learn Tyraxal is being abused like this.”
“I agree, sir. Three overdoses are three too many.”
“Lieutenant Gomez, I’m proud of how you identified this issue and raised the alarm,” he said warmly. “Nice job. Do you remember the patients’ names? I need to file a report about these adverse drug reactions with the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA tracks this sort of thing very closely.”
She was relieved to hear Lieutenant Colonel Flintman was taking her concerns seriously. She readily gave him the three names, each patient’s face burned into her memory. She could hear him clattering on a keyboard.
“Lieutenant Colonel Flintman, what do you think of the fact that Joseph Kramer was a civilian working as a janitor at the hospital?”
“I find it very disturbing,” he replied. “I can only assume that one of the airmen I’m treating has decided to sell his or her prescription.”
“Yes, that’s the same conclusion I came to, as well.” Vanessa thought again of her brother, secretly relieved he wasn’t taking Tyraxal. He was doing so much better now that he’d been caring for the puppies, she hoped he wouldn’t need the medication moving forward, either. She silently thanked God for watching over him. “I’m glad you’re planning to report this to the FDA. I think the addictive effect of Tyraxal clearly outweighs the benefit.”
“Well, now, I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Lieutenant Colonel Flintman said, a hint of steel in his tone. “You know as well as I do, Lieutenant, that each patient responds differently to medications. Some of my patients have found Tyraxal very beneficial. Unfortunately, like many medications, they don’t each help everyone in the same way.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, properly chastised. Flintman had a good point; she knew firsthand that every patient responded differently to medications and treatments. It happened in the critical care setting all the time. “Let’s hope that we don’t see any more overdoses.”
“Agreed.”
“Thank you again, sir, for returning my call.”
“Of course, Lieutenant. After all, it’s nurses like you that are the key to our hospital’s success.”
“Thank you, sir.”
There was a pause before the psychiatrist spoke again. “Lieutenant Gomez, I don’t want to overstep my bounds here, but may I ask how your brother is doing?”
She was surprised by his question. “He’s doing great, sir.”
“Good, good.” He coughed, then continued, “I must say, I’m a little concerned because Aiden has canceled his last two therapy appointments, including the one we had scheduled for this afternoon. He claims he’s far too busy taking care of a litter of puppies to come in to see me.”
Vanessa was shocked by the news of the canceled appointments. “I had no idea,” she managed.
“It’s good he has something like the puppies to help him through this,” Lieutenant Colonel Flintman continued. “But you know as well as I do how important therapy is. After all this great progress, I’d hate to see him suffer a relapse.”
She didn’t want that, either. “I’ll talk to him, sir.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
She disconnected the call and, summoning Eagle, headed inside. Her timing was good, because Aiden was emerging from the bathroom, carrying the box of puppies.
“Hey,” he greeted her with a broad smile. “I didn’t realize you were back.”
“I was working with Eagle outside.” She tried to think of a way to broach the subject of Aiden’s missed appointments. “How are the puppies doing today?”
“They’re amazing.” Aiden’s voice was full of pride. “I can’t believe how far they’ve come over these past few days.”
She nodded, thrilled at how her brother had taken the task of fostering them so seriously. “I’m caring for them this afternoon, right? I think you mentioned having a therapy appointment.”
Aiden’s smile faded and his gaze skittered from hers. “No need. I rescheduled that.”
“Rescheduled? Or canceled?”
“What difference does it make?” Aiden asked, bristling. “I’m doing fine.”
“You’re doing incredibly well,” she acknowledged, stepping toward him. “And I’m truly thrilled about your progress. But, Aiden, ongoing treatment is important. I’m asking you to please, please reschedule your appointment. Don’t keep skipping them entirely.”
Aiden shifted the box in his grasp and edged around her. “I’ll think about it.”
She didn’t want to let him go without a firm commitment. “I’ve heard the doc is taking appointments on Saturday,” she pressed. “I’m working tomorrow, but I’m sure Isaac would watch the puppies for an hour or so. And if that doesn’t work for some reason, I’m off Monday.”
Aiden didn’t answer for a long moment. “Okay,” he finally agreed. “I’ll call and schedule for Monday.”
She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She would have preferred Saturday, but wasn’t going to argue. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I hope you realize I only want you to get better.”
“I know, Nessa.” Aiden flashed a crooked smile. “Speaking of helping me, how about lending a hand with the next bout of housebreaking?”
“Do I have to?” she asked with a mock grimace. “That’s not exactly my favorite job.”
“Mine, either. But it’s still rewarding when they get it right.”
She chuckled in agreement. “I’m in.”
The afternoon passed pleasantly enough, but she could feel her stomach knot with tension as evening approached. She’d committed to attending a homecoming party for some returning airmen, promising her best friend, Margie Campbell, that she’d come. But she knew now she needed to cancel. It wasn’t worth the risk. There had been too many attempts to kill her.
She found herself growing angry with Boyd Sullivan. She’d helped him that night all those years ago and this was how he repaid her? By trying to strangle her? Shoot at her not just once, but twice? Convince people to do dirty deeds on his behalf, like trying to steal the puppies? From the very beginning, Boyd has demonstrated weird and erratic behavior.
The worst part of it all was not knowing what he’d do next.
Isaac tried to forget about the pain and sadness in Jacey Burke’s eyes and to focus on what was going right instead. Kyle had reassured him that Beacon was doing much better and may be released as early as the following morning.
After picking up lunch at Carmen’s, he headed home. For some reason, the food didn’t taste quite as good as it had when he’d eaten it with Vanessa and Aiden.
As if sensing his mood, Tango came over and rested his head in Isaac’s lap. He smiled and scratched Tango behind the ears. The golden had been a reliable companion for him over the past few months, while he’d dealt with the red tape of getting Beacon returned home. And now that his time with Tango was coming to an end, he knew he’d miss the dog’s calming presence.
Maybe he should head over to see if Aiden was interested in taking Tango as a therapy dog. The kid deserved a second chance, and he’d appeared to enjoy the golden.
He was halfway to the front door when he abruptly stopped. Who was he kidding? This wasn’t about Aiden at all. No, this was nothing more than a pathetic excuse to see Vanessa.
Idiot.
He belatedly remembered there was an airmen’s homecoming party scheduled for early evening. Was Vanessa planning to go? He didn’t know, but after everything that had happened recently, he thought not.
Which was too bad, because he wanted to go with her. Very much. Even though he shouldn’t.
He dropped onto the sofa and buried his head in his hands. This emotional Cuban Eight aerobatic maneuver his brain was doing was driving him crazy. What was wrong with him that he wanted what he couldn’t have?
The reasons he needed to stay away from Vanessa were murky at best, like flying through a thick storm cloud with zero visibility.
Vanessa wasn’t Amber, so why was he constantly comparing the two?
Because he was afraid the end result would be the same.
And why wouldn’t it be? He still didn’t know what his future held. If he couldn’t be a pilot because of his PTSD, then what sort of job could he do?
There was no denying the possibility that his future may not include remaining in the Air Force.
With abrupt determination, he surged to his feet and pulled out his phone. He dialed Justin, hoping his former Air Force Academy buddy wasn’t still tied up in meetings at Base Command.
“Blackwood.”
“Hey, Justin. I’m sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute?”
“Yeah, my next meeting isn’t for a half hour. What’s going on?”
“This isn’t about Boyd,” he reassured Justin. “It’s personal.”
“Related to a beautiful petite brunette?” Justin teased.
“No, I’m looking for some career advice.” He didn’t bother to add that part of the driving force behind the sudden phone call was, in fact, Vanessa. “I’m due to reenlist and I’d like to discuss possible career options.”
“Of course,” Justin agreed. “Oops, there goes my phone. Listen, it’s a little crazy right now with all this stuff going on, but I promise we’ll find some time to talk, okay?”
“Great, thanks.” Isaac felt better for having broached the touchy subject that had been secretly weighing him down for months now. “I appreciate your time.”
“We’ll set something up soon,” Justin promised.
Isaac disconnected from the call. “One step at a time,” he said to Tango.
The golden thumped his tail on the floor.
Sitting around at home was driving him crazy. Was Vanessa feeling the same way? He remembered how she’d bristled at the thought of being confined to her house. Going to the airmen’s homecoming party might be a welcome distraction. Not as a date, but as a way to get out of the house for a while.
Once the idea took hold in his mind, he couldn’t shake it loose. He was going to do it. Within a couple of hours, he was showered, shaved and changed into a fresh set of dress blues. With Tango on a leash at his side, he left his house a good thirty minutes before the party to walk over to Vanessa’s. He didn’t have her number, so he would have to ask her face-to-face.
His pulse kicked up a notch with anticipation, as if it had been days rather than hours since he’d seen her last.
Yep, he had it bad.
He strode up to the front door, returning the cop’s salute. “Is Lieutenant Gomez inside?”
“Um, yes, sir.” The cop moved over, allowing him to enter.
“Isaac.” Vanessa’s expression indicated surprise when she saw him walk in. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you’d be going a little crazy sitting around, and you might want to get out of here for a while. We could stop in at the airfield and watch the homecoming.”
Her eyes flashed with anticipation, but then she frowned. “I would, but it’s too dangerous.”
“We won’t stay long.” He didn’t understand why he was suddenly so desperate to go with her. “You deserve to have a little fun, don’t you?”
“I don’t know...” Her voice trailed off. Then she shrugged. “Okay, why not? Give me a few minutes to change.”
“Happy to wait.” He hoped his relief wasn’t too obvious. He really needed to pull himself together.
Ten minutes later, she returned in her dress blues. “I’ll drive.”
He didn’t argue, but followed her out to the SUV in the driveway. He didn’t see anyone around, but the sense of being watched had returned. His PTSD paranoia? Or true danger?
They made it to the landing strip with time to spare. As they made their way through the crowd, he noticed a tall blonde waving at them.
“Hey, Margie,” Vanessa called. “How are you?”
“Great.” Margie glanced at him, so he stepped forward.
“Captain Isaac Goddard,” he said, introducing himself.
“First Lieutenant Margie Campbell,” the blonde returned. “Vanessa and I work together. Nice to meet you, Captain,” Margie said with a smile. She turned toward Vanessa. “I’m supposed to meet Tristen here. Have you seen him?”
“Not yet. But you can hang with us for a while,” Vanessa offered.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.” Margie glanced around, then stood up on her tiptoes. “I think I see Tristen over there. See you later, okay?”
“Sure thing.” Vanessa looked a little embarrassed when her friend left. “Don’t let Margie make you uncomfortable. She’s a ridiculous matchmaker.”
Isaac cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “I’m never uncomfortable around you, Vanessa. Quite the opposite.”
“Oh.” She blushed and looked away.
“I would have called to formally invite you to attend this with me, but didn’t have your number.”
She arched a brow. “Why would you want it? After all, you’re the one who told me you weren’t relationship material.”
“I’m not,” he agreed. “You know, more than anyone else, how I’ve been struggling since returning stateside.”
Her dark gaze filled with compassion. “Oh, Isaac, struggling with an illness doesn’t prevent you from having a relationship.”
“It does,” he insisted. “Especially when I have more questions than answers about my future.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “I see. Okay, then why did you change your mind and ask me to come?”
He hesitated, shrugged. “I couldn’t stay away.”
She muttered something that sounded like men under her breath, then wrapped her arm around his waist in a brief hug. He returned the embrace, enjoying the sweet, calming honeysuckle scent that clung to her.
Someone jostled them from behind, forcing him to release her. He lightly grasped her hand, cherishing the connection. “I can’t believe how many people showed up for this.”
“I know. Any reason to celebrate, right?”
“You got it.”
“There’s the plane,” someone shouted.
Isaac lifted his gaze to the sky, momentarily overwhelmed with a sense of loss. Would he ever make it back up in the pilot’s seat? Or was he doomed to be grounded forever?
The C-130 Hercules aircraft slowly grew larger as it approached the runway. The sound of the dual engines was incredibly loud, but that didn’t keep him from smiling with appreciation as the pilot leveled the plane, bringing the aircraft in for a smooth landing.
“Nice,” he said.
“If you say so.” Vanessa shrugged. “I wouldn’t know a good landing from a bad one.”
“Trust me, you would if you were a passenger inside,” he joked.
The plane taxied in toward the hangar. The crowd waited patiently for the plane to stop and for the returning airmen to disembark.
The crowd surrounding them seemed to be holding its collective breath. The C-130 came to a stop and the hatch opened up, dropping to the ground with a loud clang.
After another long moment, the five returning airmen appeared from within the depths of the plane, waving as they descended.
“Hey! There’s Boyd Sullivan!”
Just like when Beacon arrived on base, chaos erupted. Some people screamed, others pushed and shoved as if attempting to escape, while others dropped to the ground as if afraid of impending gunfire.
“Stay down,” Isaac commanded, pulling Vanessa close. He thought for sure this was nothing more than a ruse to get at Vanessa.
“No! Look. I think I see him over there!” Vanessa pulled away from him and took off running in the direction from where the shout had come from.
“Wait! Vanessa!” Isaac kept pace with her, weaving through people with Tango close to his side. He desperately searched the male faces for Sullivan’s familiar features.
Vanessa slowed and stopped, looking around in confusion. “He was here, Isaac. But now he’s gone.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so.” A hint of doubt invaded her tone.
“Let’s join the search.” He kept close to her side as they joined other Security Forces officers combing the area for a sign of the Red Rose Killer.
But after frantic searching, they came up empty-handed.
If Boyd Sullivan had in fact been there, he was gone now.
Evading capture once again.