Chapter 18 Kelli sighed in frustration. She was ready to start classes at the community college. The more she thought about becoming an electrician, the more excited she got. But because Brant Williams was still out there somewhere, lying in wait for the chance to make whatever move he had up his sleeve, she'd been stuck in Smiley's apartment, waiting. Things with Flash were good, at least. Better than good. She'd never been so satisfied, both sexually and in general. He was a wonderful man. He had his flaws, but showing her how much he cared for her wasn't one of them. He was currently at work, and Kelli was bored. She wanted to go for a walk. Go see Remi or one of the other girls. Maybe head to Aces and have another delicious hamburger. But for now, she was basically a prisoner in the apartment. And it sucked. Still, she wasn't going to do something stupid like defy all common sense and head out on her own. That would just be asking Brant to grab her, and this time do something worse than just bury her underground inside a bus. She had to be patient. Had to believe that this Ryleigh person would find Brant. Once that happened, her life could go back to normal. But what was normal, now? Would she move back into her apartment up in La Jolla? She'd be pretty far from Flash if she did that, and she'd gotten very used to living with him. It was scary just how easy it was to move in together. How right it felt. She'd talked to her mom about the situation, who'd simply told her, "When you know, you know," and that was that. She also wanted to meet Flash, but with everything going on, her mom agreed Kelli should just lay low, and she'd meet him when the time was right. Flash called or texted pretty much every hour, wanting to make sure she was okay, that everything at the apartment was calm. Kelli appreciated it, and only partly because the memory of Brant breaking into her place was still fresh. Texting or talking with Flash also made her smile, made her feel not quite so lonely. Yes, she texted with Remi, Josie, Maggie, Addison, and Wren too, but it wasn't the same as when Flash contacted her. She got butterflies in her belly and she felt all warm inside when he took time out of his day to check on her. She was aware that he'd been taken off the deployment rotation, at least until Brant was caught, but he was still working hard to make sure his friends and teammates would be safe when they left for whatever mission was currently in the planning stages. Kelli had just finished texting Flash yet again, and was settling on the couch to read one of the thrillers Smiley had on his bookshelves, when there was a knock at the door. Immediately, her mouth went dry. Who could that be? Not any of the girls; they would've let her know they were coming over. And she'd just talked to Flash, so she knew it wasn't him. Getting up cautiously, she tiptoed over to the door. She made sure to stay completely silent as she gazed through the peephole. She saw a woman standing there, looking extremely nervous. She was biting one of her fingernails and kept glancing down the hallway, as if expecting the boogie man to appear at any moment. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and couldn't be much taller than Kelli. She had reddish-brown hair that came down to around the middle of her back, and hazel or light brown eyes, it was hard to tell in the low light of the hall. The jeans she wore were baggy, and the sneakers on her feet were worn. She was wearing a plain black T-shirt, with no markings on it at all. But what stood out to Kelli most were the faded bruises on her face. They were yellow, meaning they were almost healed, but the woman hadn't used any concealer to cover them. Actually, it didn't look like she was wearing makeup at all. Despite the danger the woman might pose, Kelli was intrigued. When she reached up and knocked on the door again, it startled her so badly, Kelli almost fell backward onto her ass. Should she answer it or not? Indecision tore at her. Flash had told her not to open the door to anyone, no matter what, but this woman looked...she looked freaked out. Would someone hell bent on doing Kelli harm look so nervous? She didn't think so. Taking a deep breath, she made a split-second decision-and prayed she wouldn't regret it. She unlocked the two bolts and took the chain off, then opened the door. The two women stared at each other for a long moment. The woman at the door looked confused. "Hi. Can I help you?" Kelli asked, sounding more confident than she felt inside. "Um...I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment. I thought this was Jude Stark's apartment." Kelli had heard the other girls mention that Smiley's real name was Jude. At the time, they'd been discussing how cool it was. That it was basically a superhero's undercover name. They weren't wrong. "It is." "Oh. Um, is he here?" "No, he's at work." Kelli wasn't going to tell this woman anything important until she found out who she was and why she was looking for Smiley. There was a chance she was working with Brant, a slim one, but a chance nonetheless. For some reason, the woman looked...heartbroken? It made no sense. Kelli was pretty sure Smiley wasn't seeing anyone, so she didn't understand what was going on here. Abruptly, the woman turned to leave. Understanding hit then. The woman thought Kelli was dating Smiley. She was in his apartment, after all. "I'm dating Flash. Smiley's friend," she blurted, before the woman got too far away. "Some things went down, and my boyfriend and I are staying here. Smiley let us swap apartments. He's at Flash's place." Her words were rushed, and for some reason, Kelli really wanted the unknown woman to believe her. "I like Smiley but he's kind of...intense for me. Not in a bad way, I just like my men to be a little friendlier. No-that makes him sound mean, but I didn't mean it that way." "It's okay, I understand," the woman said. "Do you want to come in?" Kelli asked. Flash was going to give her hell for inviting a stranger into the apartment, but everything was screaming at her that something was...maybe not wrong, but definitely off with the woman. There were those fading bruises, yes, but also, there was no gentle way around it...she stunk. As if she hadn't had a shower in a long while. And her clothes were dirty. Something within Kelli was screaming not to let her walk away. "Um, no, that's okay." "Please? Look, my name is Kelli. I'm bored out of my mind. I can't leave the apartment because there's a guy out there who'd love nothing more to get his hands on me for nefarious purposes. So I'm kind of hiding out until Flash and the others can find him. And I don't want to put Remi or any of the other women at risk, so they really can't come over and visit. I'm sick of watching TV and there are only so many of Smiley's thriller books I can read. So you'd be doing me a huge favor if you came in and visited for a while." Kelli was laying it on a bit thick, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought this woman needed to come in. She obviously came here to talk to Smiley for some reason, and she hoped she could get her to relax enough to maybe tell her why. The woman looked up and down the hall. Then slowly nodded. Feeling as if she'd accomplished something miraculous, Kelli smiled and took a step back from the door, giving the woman some room. Making sure the door was locked and dead-bolted behind her mysterious guest, Kelli gestured toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I was about to make some lunch. Don't get too excited, it's nothing super-fancy, just some ham and cheese sandwiches." "I don't want to put you out," the woman said. "Oh, you aren't. Seriously." Kelli led the way, and it didn't escape her notice how interested the woman seemed to be in checking out Smiley's apartment. It was if as she was drinking in every little detail. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Kelli said, knowing full well the woman had never said it. "Oh...I'm Bree." It was all Kelli could do not to gasp and gawk at the woman. This was Bree? The woman Smiley had been hunting all over Riverton? And the bruises had to be from when she'd helped save Ellory and Yana from the guy who'd sold them to someone overseas for their organs. Her heart started beating fast. The woman was nothing like what Kelli had pictured in her head. For one, she felt sorry for her. Now that she was inside the well-lit apartment and not in the dingy hallway, Kelli could see that she looked really bad. Dark circles under her eyes, those faded bruises, the clothes were even dirtier than she'd thought...and there was that smell emanating from her. As Kelli made the sandwiches, she babbled about nothing in particular. She simply wanted to fill the silence, as if that would prevent Bree from deciding to leave. She also wanted to text Flash and let him know who was there, right now, but she had a feeling that would make Bree bolt. As they ate their sandwiches at the table, Bree asked, "So, Smiley is at Flash's place and you guys are here?" Kelli nodded. "Yeah. To make a very long story short...well, actually, I guess it's not that long. I was in Jamaica for my cousin's bachelorette party. We went tubing, Flash's tube broke, we kind of got left behind on the river together, were the last ones off. On the way back to the resort, we got kidnapped, put in this bus that had been buried underground. Flash's friends found us, and we came home. But the kidnapper had our IDs, and he came to the States. A week after we got back, he broke into my place. I hid so he couldn't find me, but since it isn't safe for me to stay there anymore, and since the bad guy has Flash's address too, Smiley said we could stay here." "Is he in danger?" Bree's worry for Smiley was obvious; she wasn't even trying to hide it. "Honestly? I don't think so. I had the same question, but the guys are SEALs...I think they'd probably love for the kidnapper to come after one of them." "Yeah," Bree said, but her brows were still furrowed and she still looked worried. Kelli didn't know Smiley all that well, but she figured having someone worry about him the way this woman was couldn't be a bad thing. He was kind of standoffish and grumpy. Maybe having a friend like Bree would be good for him. "I'm sorry you guys have to hide. That's no fun." Kelli studied the woman. She sounded as if she knew what she was talking about. Then she remembered what Flash had told her about the woman's situation...and she realized she knew exactly how Kelli felt. She felt an instant connection with Bree. When Bree had introduced herself as the woman Smiley was so desperately searching for, Kelli's first inclination had been to text Flash and let him know, so he could tell Smiley and he could get his butt over to the apartment. But the more they talked, the more she suspected if she did that, Bree would probably leave and never return. Yes, she'd knocked on the door expecting to talk to Smiley, but she still seemed extremely skittish, and Kelli didn't want to do anything that might make her run off again. It was obvious Bree needed a friend, and Kelli suddenly wanted to be that friend. As if she could read her mind, Bree's gaze met Kelli's, and she asked, "Are you going to tell Smiley I was here?" "Do you want me to?" she returned. "I don't know," Bree whispered. It was obvious she was conflicted. "I came thinking I was finally ready to talk to him, but now that I'm actually here? And Smiley isn't home? It kind of feels like maybe this was a sign...like it's not the best time." "I'm sure he could help you," Kelli said. "I mean, I was kidnapped and buried underground and before I could blink, he and his team were rescuing us." "My situation isn't quite the same," Bree said. "Look, Flash told me a little about you. Nothing personal," she said, quickly seeing Bree tense. "Just that Smiley met you in Vegas when they were there to find Josie. He was distraught when you disappeared." "I had to," Bree said. "Yeah, but you should know that when you saved Ellory and Yana...now all the guys want to find you." "They can join the club," Bree muttered. "Don't take this the wrong way," Kelli said. "But you look like crap." To her surprise, Bree burst out laughing. "I bet I do." "I want to be your friend, Bree. I won't tell Smiley you were here, but...what if you visited me during the day while Flash is at work?" Then she spoke faster, as if that could keep the woman from saying no. "You can shower, we can do your laundry, you can eat something hot. And you'd be keeping me company while the guys do their thing to find my kidnapper." "Why? Why would you help me?" Bree asked. Kelli shrugged. "Because. One, I like you. I know we just met, but there's something about you that tells me you're trustworthy and a good person. And two, I'm lonely." Bree stared at her for so long, Kelli was sure she was going to refuse, say she needed to go. Then she sighed. "I need help," she whispered. "I'm exhausted. Sleeping in my car sucks. I'm sick of fast food. And I think the man who's after me has figured out where I am. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure he's here in Riverton." "That's why you came here, isn't it? To talk to Smiley." "It's stupid. I only met the man once, and it was on the worst day of my life. But I couldn't stop thinking about him. His name, the fact that he's a SEAL, that he seemed so...pissed off about my situation." "Smiley would bend over backward to help you. The rest of his friends too," Kelli said earnestly. "I don't want to involve them," Bree said. Kelli laughed. "I'm not being rude-okay, laughing probably is rude-but one thing I've learned about Flash and his friends is that they love to be involved. In everything. They're regular ol' busybodies. But they have the connections and the ability to solve just about any problem. Stay, Bree. Let them help you." "I know that's why I came, but now I...I can't. Not yet." "All right," Kelli said calmly. "Then how about you shower and we'll do your laundry. You can make the decision about what to do next after that." "Are you going to tell Smiley or your boyfriend that I was here?" Kelli struggled with that question. She wanted to. But she wanted Bree's trust more. "No. Not until you tell me I can." "Why?" "Because I'm guessing you've had enough decisions about your life taken away from you." "Thank you," Bree whispered, looking down at the table and the empty plate in front of her. "You have no idea what that means to me." Flash was going to be hurt when he found out that Kelli had kept something from him. She hated that. But she truly believed Bree would find the courage to talk to Smiley before too long. She was more concerned with the woman's physical health and safety at the moment. Once she was clean, and had some healthier food in her belly, hopefully she'd find the courage again that had led her to Smiley's door in the first place. "I did think you were his girlfriend, you know," Bree said. "Smiley's? Yeah, I figured that out," Kelli said. "Come on. I'll show you where the bathroom is, and you can do your thing while I do the dishes." Bree frowned. "You truly aren't going to call your boyfriend while I'm out of earshot?" "I'm not. I promise." Kelli hated that Bree still looked skeptical, but that made her all the more determined to not let her new friend down. Not wanting her to leave, because she was afraid she wouldn't come back, Kelli enticed her with the promise of plenty of girly soap in the shower. And while Bree was taller than Kelli by a few inches, and much, much thinner, she suggested she wear a pair of her leggings and a T-shirt and sweatshirt, while her own clothes were in the washer. While Bree was showering, Kelli stared at her phone guiltily and chewed on a thumbnail. She hated not being able to tell Flash about Bree...and she had a feeling Smiley wasn't the kind of man who would forgive and forget such a huge breach of trust. But she wanted Bree's trust more than Smiley's. The man had countless people to rely on; Bree had no one. The woman needed a friend, and Kelli was determined to be that for her. The woman who exited the bathroom looked like a completely different person than the one who'd entered. It was as if washing off the dirt and grime had somehow exposed a more confident version of Bree. Kelli convinced her to sit on the couch, and the time slipped by while they waited for her clothes to finish washing and drying. To her delight, Kelli found Bree to be smart, funny, and down-to-earth. She was also very observant and empathetic. Somehow she found herself telling Bree all about her dad's death, how devastating it had been. How the money she and her mom had received didn't do a damn thing to heal her heart. She told her about wanting to become an electrician, and her frustration that she couldn't start classes until the man who was lurking had been caught. It didn't escape her notice that Bree didn't seem confused when Kelli mentioned the other SEALs' women. As if she knew them somehow. Kelli didn't ask about that, nor did she question Bree about her past, simply because she didn't want her to bolt. When her clothes were done, and after Bree had changed back into them, Kelli was genuinely sad that the time with her new friend was over. She followed her to the door and asked, "Will you come back?" Bree hesitated, and Kelli's stomach fell. She was going to walk out the door and never return. That would hurt, and not only because Smiley and the others wouldn't understand why Kelli hadn't called immediately to tell them the woman they'd been searching for had shown up. She liked Bree. Her visit had made the day go by quickly. "I think so, yes." Relief made Kelli feel almost dizzy. "Good," she said with a huge smile. "Be careful," Bree warned. "I know you said you aren't leaving the apartment, but that doesn't mean the guy doesn't know you're here. He could follow someone else, figure out where you are." Kelli pressed her lips together. Bree wasn't saying anything she hadn't already thought of herself, but it was still scary to hear. "Sorry, I'm used to being paranoid. I'm sure you'll be fine." "No, I hear you. But Flash has to go to work, and it's not as if I can hang out there with him while he and the others discuss super-top-secret SEAL stuff." "I guess not. How about if I help keep an eye out on the place for you? I mean, I'm already always looking over my shoulder. What does this Brant guy look like?" "Average height, short dark hair, dark skin, the last time I saw him he was clean-shaven, but I guess that could've changed by now. He's slender...oh, and he walks with a slight limp. I don't know why." "That's actually really helpful. I don't suppose you know what kind of car he's driving?" Kelli shook her head. "No, sorry." "It's all right. I'll keep watch, and if I see anyone who looks similar to what you described, I'll let you know." "Thanks. Do you want to tell me what the guy who's looking for you looks like, so I can return the favor?" "No." That was it. Just one word. Kelli tried not to be insulted by being shut down so completely. "Right. I probably wouldn't be much help anyway, since I'm in this apartment all day. Be careful, Bree. I don't have a ton of friends, and it would suck if you left and I never saw you again." "It would suck for me too," Bree said. "I don't know when I'll be back, but if I can do so safely, I will." That didn't sound very promising to Kelli, but she nodded anyway. "Be safe out there," she said softly. Bree nodded, then opened the door. Kelli watched her walk down the hall until she was out of sight. Then she closed and locked the door once more. The last few hours had been surreal, but she was very glad she'd met the illusive Bree Haynes. In a romance-themed observation show, several participants undergo a series of interactions and conflicts filled with love, misunderstandings, and power struggles. In the end, one couple rises to over...