ANOMALY.MIL (The Conspiracy Series Book One): A Romantic Suspence Novel (27 page)

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Ansel got off the ground, his eyes watering with the pain of having his nose broken. He scanned the desert and found Win thirty feet away, standing over the body of the woman who had killed Drew. Win still had the gun in his hand, and Ansel took it from him.

They stood shoulder to shoulder for a long time, staring down at the dead woman. And then, Ansel said, "He knows."

Win turned to look at him, but there was nothing in his eyes. No remorse, no pain. Nothing as the CID officers rushed forward and took Win into custody.

Unable to help his friend, Ansel walked to his sister, who was leaning against Gunner's chest for support. Cat wasn't crying, because she was in shock. 

When she saw Ansel, she looked up and said, "Why did he do it?"

"She killed Drew,” Ansel shrugged, not sure what else to say. "The CID will want to interview us."

Catherine watched the CID agents as they handcuffed Win. "What will happen to Sergeant Caffrey?"

Gunner looked at Ansel and sighed, "He’ll be held by the CID until the situation at the base has been fully investigated. And then, most likely, he will be court-martialed and sent to Leavenworth for the rest of his life."

"Can't you do anything to help him, Captain?"

"I'll do what I can," Gunner shook his head. "But the woman was incapacitated when he shot her in full view of two CID agents."

No one said anything, because there was nothing else to say.

They spent the next several hours giving their statements to the army’s criminal investigations agents. Afterward, Ansel was taken over to the hospital for the painful procedure of having his nose set.

He was lying in his bed recovering, and trying to decide when, or even if, he should call Seneca.
What time was it in Seattle?
They had not left things on the best of terms, and he did not know what to say to her.

I'm in love with you.

The thought was terrifying, even if it was the truth. Because it was one thing to be in love, but saying it out loud to the person you're in love with was an entirely different matter.

A knock on the door gave him a momentary reprieve from uncomfortable thoughts.

"Come in."

The door cracked opened and he was sure it was his nurse. But when she didn't say anything, Ansel looked up and saw Seneca standing in the doorway. His heart stopped, and she just looked at him before bursting into tears.

Ansel jumped out of bed and held her in his arms, closing the door so they would have some privacy.

"What are you doing here?” He could not believe it.

"Before they took you," she said between sobs. "I put my phone in the car."

He smiled over her head. "Gunner told me."

"And I couldn't just sit there…" She had to take a shaky breath. "In Seattle, when I knew…" Another. “You were here."

He listened between sobs as she told him the story. How Ben had recorded the general's phone calls. The waterboarding. Guilt stabbed at him when he learned what Ben had endured to save him and protect Seneca.

And his jaw clenched when he heard about Sergeant Munoz' attempt to abduct her from the hotel. Seneca had managed to send the USB drive footage of General Hawkins to Joe, who had in turn called his contacts at Army’s CID.

Seneca saved his life. All of their lives, and he was so thankful, and proud, and…in love, that he bent down and kissed her, whispering, "Marry me?"

She blinked several times, sniffling as she looked up at him. "What?"

"Marry me?" He smiled at her shock.

"I…" Seneca was shaking her head and his heart stopped. "I just watched you kill a man, Ansel. I watched you get shot!" She was crying again. "You almost died right in front of me."

"But I didn't."

"Drew did!"

That stilled him, and he could feel himself go numb. So it didn't hurt quite so much when she answered.

"No, Ansel. I don’t think I can marry you," she whispered. "I just can't go through this again." Before running out of the room.

Ansel stared at the door, trying to control his breathing, his pain. But he couldn't, because she was right.

She deserved to marry a man who would come home after work, eat dinner, play with the kids and then take her to bed. His chest was caving in on him. He picked up a glass container of tongue depressors and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

The door flew open and Cat stepped into the room. But she stopped when she saw the devastation on his face.

"What happened?” she breathed. “I just saw Seneca running down the hall."

"Get out, Cat," he growled, but that only caused her to worry more.

She held her hands up, approaching him like he was a wild stallion, cooing, "Just talk to me, Ansel."

He didn't know what else to do so he sat on the bed, placing his forearms on his knees and hanging his head so he wouldn't have to look at her.

"Tell me what happened?" his sister cajoled, rubbing his shoulder.

"I asked her to marry me, and…" He swallowed. "She said 'no'."

Cat's hand stilled.

"Ansel," she started gently. "Seneca's been terrified. For me, for you. And then I find out, that she single handedly managed to save us when a trained military team failed to do so." She gave him a moment to take that in. "She is so overwhelmed, and her emotions are
so
raw right now that…" Cat sighed. "Maybe adding a marriage proposal right after she discovered that you were alive was not the best…timing on your part."

He didn't say anything, just stared at the floor, his heart broken.

"She's in love with you, Ansel."

Then she would have said yes.

"Just give her some time to process," Cat tried to comfort him.

Ansel nodded, but he didn't think that he could. He gave her his heart and she had stomped on it, and he didn't know how long it would take to piece it back together. Did not know if he wanted to risk having it crushed all over again.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Seneca showed up to Cat's house with a bottle of expensive red wine in one hand and a baby present in the other. Cat and Dave had been inviting her to come over for weeks, but she had been too busy crying.

Honestly, she didn't know a person could cry so much. But she thought she was about all cried out, so she said yes to their latest dinner invitation. Primarily because Ansel had been deployed and she had not seen him since the day he proposed. Of course, Cat made sure to tell her when he was back in town. But she knew that if he wanted to call her, he would have done it by now.

What did she expect?
Ansel had proposed to her, and she had practically thrown it in his face. But when she walked into that hospital room, the relief and shock of seeing his bruised and bloody face made her never want to risk losing him again.

It was just too hard.

She rang the doorbell and Dave answered. "Hey." He kissed her on the cheek, taking the wine from her hand. "Is that for us?"

"Yep," she said, a little too cheerful. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for finally accepting," he grinned. "Come on in."

Seneca stepped off the front porch where the whole thing began, then followed Dave into the living room.

"Gwen!” She sucked in her surprise, having no idea that her friend would be here. Seneca gave her a huge hug before Gwen turned toward an attractive Korean man.

"Seneca, this is my…friend Professor Park. He’s the man who gave us access to the university lab."

The man glanced at Gwen and smiled, "By 'friend' she means boyfriend, but I think she's embarrassed by our age difference."

Seneca looked at Gwen, teasing, "I had no idea you were a cougar."

"If you call seven years an age 'difference', then yeah, I guess I am," Gwen looked at Mr. Park, her eye sparkling. "And happier than I've ever been."

The man bent down and kissed Gwen and Seneca smiled, asking, "Where's Cat?"

"She's in the kitchen, working on dinner."

Seneca set the baby gift down on the table, and walked into the kitchen to greet her host. 

"Hi,” she said, avoiding Cat’s growing belly when she kissed her on the cheek. “Is there anything I can do to—”

Words dissolved in her mouth when she saw Ansel standing by the refrigerator with a bottle of beer in his hand.

From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he had no idea that she had been invited. But that was all she could see. She didn't see pain or anger on his handsome face. He just twisted the top off his beer, saying with a polite smile, “Hello.”

They stared at each other and her heart imploded.

“Hi,” she nodded in his direction.

Tension filled the kitchen, pushing him out.

“Well…” He picked up a beer he must have set on the countertop right before she walked into the kitchen. “I better get this beer to Dave.”

He walked past her and the smell of his cologne brought back sensual memories she had spent months trying to forget.

Tears welled in her eyes and she turned to leave, but Cat put her hand on her arm, whispering, "Stay, for Dave and me. Please. We have some news we want to share with you."

It took a moment for Seneca to nod, swallowing her tears. If she wanted to remain friends with Cat, she would occasionally run in to Ansel. 

"Okay," was all she could manage.

Seneca succeeded in chit-chatting with Gwen until dinner was served. She made sure to wait for Ansel to find a seat before finding one as far away from him as possible. But with only six dinner guests gathered around the table, she did not get very far.

“Oh, this pot-roast is delicious,” Gwen said, out of the side of her mouth, and Dr. Park agreed.

“It’s my mom’s recipe.” Cat looked at her brother, who gave her a somber smile.

“She was a great cook,” Ansel said to the table, but mostly to Cat.

“Yeah.”

“Hey.” Dave lightened the mood. “I managed to get Darryl Lee that internship at Microsoft.”

“Really?” Ansel was surprised. “Maybe this will keep him out of jail.”

Everyone laughed and the conversation died so Dr. Park asked, "So, Seneca you work with Cat on her magazine?"

"Uh." She could feel everyone looking at her. "Yes, I'm the primary photographer."

“‘Primary,’" Cat laughed. "She's the only photographer. The only employee, for that matter."

"Makes it a little hard to date your coworkers?" the professor laughed, and she cringed.

"Only if Dave objects," Seneca joked, trying to think of a way,
anyway
, to change the subject.

"Speaking of coworkers," Gwen asked. "How’s Ben?"

"He’s fine."

“So you’ve seen him?” Dave asked, clueless.

“Uh—“

"Oh!" Cat yelled. "My god, the baby just kicked the hell out of me."

Seneca was so relieved she could have cried.

"Do you know the sex of the baby?" Gwen asked, coming onboard the rescue bandwagon.

"Well, that's actually why we asked you here," Dave said.

The rest of the table was looking at Cat, but Seneca could feel Ansel's eyes on her. Her face was getting hot and she glanced at him, meeting his eye. Her stomach flipped. Embarrassed, she grabbed her wine and smiled up at Dave, awaiting his announcement.

"We're having twins," he said, beaming from ear to ear.

The table erupted into delighted congratulations, and for just a moment she forgot all about Ansel Babineaux.
Twins!
 

"Well, shoot," Seneca said. "Now, I'm going to have to take my present back to the store."

The moment the words left her mouth she regretted saying them.

"Don't be silly!" Cat said. "Let me see it. Dave, hand the gift bag to me."

"No, Cat." Seneca swiped the gift away, panicking. "Really, just open it later."

Please, for the love of God
.

"No way! You know how much I like presents." Cat shoved her hand through the tissue paper, and pulled out baby camouflage pajamas with the word ARMY written on the chest.

Seneca was mortified.

"Aww." Gwen raised an eyebrow as she looked at Seneca. "Little army pajamas." And then Gwen turned her attention on Ansel. "Maybe, the twins will grow up to be in the army just like their uncle."

"Actually," Ansel said, clearing his throat. "I'm not
in
the army anymore."

"Since when?" Seneca blurted out, staring at him.

"I got out two weeks ago," he announced to the table as a whole. "But I've been wanting a change for a while now."

"You never said you were getting out?" Cat shook her head.

"I was going to tell you tonight," he smiled at his sister, and Seneca couldn't breathe. "But my news kind of pales in comparison to yours."

Seneca wasn't so sure.

"What are you going to do now?" Gwen asked him, curious.

"I'm starting a security company." And before she could ask, Ansel looked at Seneca, saying, "In Seattle."

"Oh," Seneca nodded. "I’m sure you will be very successful."

He smiled, seeming so happy. Content. "I hope so."

"I wish you all the best," she said, meaning it.

He looked at her for a long time then nodded. "Thank you."

Gwen raised her wine glass in a toast. "Here's to healthy babies and successful new ventures."

After dessert, Seneca suffered through more polite conversation, until she could not take it anymore. It was getting late so she decided she could duck out without appearing rude. She kissed Dave and then walked up to Cat, hugging her.

"Congratulations. I'm so happy for you guys, but I'm gonna head home," she whispered in her ear.

She started to pull away from Cat who squeezed her tight, saying, "You know I love you. And I just want you to know that I'm doing this for your own good."

"What are you—"

"Ansel," Cat shouted toward the kitchen, looking her in the eye.

"Yeah," he said, from somewhere behind Seneca's back.

"No," Seneca mouthed through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare."

Cat ignored her. "It’s getting late. Would you mind walking Seneca out to her car, please?"

There was a long pause. Long enough that she wanted to curl up in a ball and die.

And then, reluctantly, Ansel said, "Sure."