BEAST (30 page)

“Yes. I promise you’ll be contacted by
an ombudsman a
s soon as
possible
.”

“Om…what?”

“Ombudsman.
A military intermediary.
They will work with you until we get this resolved.”
He led her out of the room and handed her a card that had his name and number on it. Well that was something. She accepted it feeling marginally better.

The rest of the day was horrible. Luckily for her their management team was in another state. Kendra and Lance picked up the work that she left lacking and didn’t even think twice about it. Ashleigh just couldn’t keep her head together. On top of everything else, her stomach felt like a big empty cavern.

She’d been so good with her diet, eating only the healthiest foods. Not since that first three weeks had she allowed one bit of junk food cross her lips. After a few moments of debate she finally just jumped up and went to the vending machine where she got two bags of chips, a candy bar and a bottle of soda. She ate the junk food and then quickly hurried down to the first floor bathrooms where she purged.

She called Mrs. Jameson that night when she got home, frantic for some information.
She told her about the ombudsman.
She could tell that Christopher’s mother was trying to hold it together…or maybe she was trying to be optimistic for her benefit. She thanked her for the information and told her to stay in contact; to call her even if she just wanted to talk.

Ashleigh resisted the urge to talk to her own family. She wished that she had the type of relationship with them where she could turn to her mother for comfort, or chit chat with her sisters. Oh, she had tried it but quickly conversations about things that caused her anguish were just pushed aside as her sister’s turned the conversation around to something more interesting to them; like themselves.

Her parents knew that she was no longer dating DeAngelo and the only thing her mother cared about was how good looking
he
had been and how it was such a pity that they were no longer together.
It was no wonder that she had never talked to them about Christopher. She couldn’t bear the negative energy that she knew the revelation would bring. It wasn’t out of shame, she just knew her family. Besides, now was not the time to tackle those issues. For now she would just have to agonize without their support.

Lance and Kendra called but understood when she explained that she didn’t want company. They each told her that they loved her and after she hung up she finished the entire pizza that she had ordered. She intended to purge but didn’t have to. Her system, unaccustomed to the deluge of junk food made her sick on it’s on.

Afterwards Ashleigh climbed on the treadmill. She stared forward, not seeing the mounted television or the wall, only picturing the man that she had grown to love so much. She began to run and to think about Christopher.

As soon as the alarm clock sounded on Wednesday morning, the first thing she did was to check her cell phone for messages.
Nothing.
She buried her head into her hands knowing that at some point soon an officer would go to Mrs. Jameson’s house and inform her that her son had died in the line of duty. They would give her a letter signed by the President of the United States and then at his military funeral they would offer her a folded American flag…

Ashleigh staggered out of the bedroom and threw open the refrigerator. She found a jar of jam and ate it with her fingers, and then she saw a block of aged cheddar and she stuffed her mouth with it. She barely recognized the tears on her cheeks as she threw open the pantry searching for food to eat;
crackers,
NESTLE’S milk chocolate powder, a can of black olives, pickle relish…

After she purged she lay on the bathroom floor. The ache that had developed in her head began to recede. Maggie meowed loudly and nestled against her panting body.

~***~

The next morning was Thursday and Ashleigh dressed for her workout and then headed for the gym that felt so much like her and Christopher. Ashleigh slipped Pink Floyd’s The
Darkside
of the Moon into the
boombox
and then she climbed onto the treadmill and began to run.

Christopher’s crooked smile.
Christopher’s smoky gray eyes.
  Christopher’s muscles and the way they moved beneath his skin. Christopher’s big, calloused hands and the way they moved gently over her body…

This is what she pictured as her feet went pounding away on the treadmill; pounding as if she was running into his arms.

The music abruptly stopped and it was like cold water had been thrown on her. She stumbled as her pace changed and then she pulled the safety line to stop the treadmill’s movement. She turned expectantly, hopefully only to see the grinning face of the man from the other day.

“Hi. Tom Kardel.
So sorry to interrupt you.”
He said in an almost mocking tone. “But again…you seemed
very
focused.” Ashleigh knew that she must have had a ridiculous look of confusion on her face as she tried to understand why this man was even talking to her. He could not possibly be trying to pick up on her while she was in the middle of run!

“It occurred to me that I’ve introduced myself to you, but you didn’t introduce yourself to me.”

Ashleigh stared at him coldly. He came forward and held out his hand. His eyes held a certain look…there was something there that wasn’t quite nice.

“I don’t see any reason why I should stop my workout to meet someone. I’m not here for that. I’m here to exercise.” She moved past his hand to the
boombox
and pressed play again. Tom Kardel stepped right into her path when she moved back to the treadmill and Ashleigh remembered something that knowing Christopher had caused her to forget. This was a subbasement.

She was alone in a room with a man she didn’t know…the operative word being MAN, and not all men were nice like Christopher Jameson…all she had to do was look at the scar on her friend’s forehead to know that.

“Mr. Kardel,” Ashleigh said in a tight voice that defied her anxiety, “let me make this clear; I don’t want to introduce myself to you and I don’t want to talk to you and I would appreciate if you wouldn’t turn off my music-”

“See,” He flexed his swollen muscles and the not-so-pleasant smile disappeared. “Its women like you that make men like me jump through hoops.”

Ashleigh decided her workout was over. She turned to leave, deciding that she would leave her towel and the music—Tom Kardel moved swiftly to block her exit, standing once more, directly in her path.

“I thought that story you mentioned about The Marines stationed down here was pretty funny. Egg on my face. Then I realized that it was just another way that a bitch will try to make you feel foolish.”

Ashleigh figured she could move fast enough to grab one of the free weights. He would catch her, but if she was lucky she would get her hand on the weight and swing it at his head. It was the only way she would get out of this.

But before Tom Kardel could give in to his desire to lash out at the pretty girl that had rejected him like so many before her, and before Ashleigh actually turned to make a run for the weights where his steroid-induced rage would come to life, the door swung opened slamming against the far wall with a crash.

Ashleigh’s heart leaped in her chest and Tom Kardel spun in surprise. If this was a John Hughes movie than a Psychedelic Furs tune would begin playing and Christopher would be standing in the doorway with a dark angry scowl on his face.

But this was not a John Hughes film, and Christopher did not appear in the doorway…but it was the next best thing; sixteen Marines crowded into the room wearing their meanest expressions and fatigues that stretched across toned bodies.

“Are you harassing this woman?” Spoke a black man wearing sunglasses even though it was barely seven am.

“I-no.
I was just—”

Tom Kardel
turned to Ashleigh as if she would corroborate his story
but she just moved
away from him.

A Hispanic man took a step forward. “You need to leave, buddy.” He was nearly as tall as Christopher and just as cut. He cracked his knuckles and it sounded like twigs breaking “And never come back.”

Tom Kardel moved past the bodies of the military men. They did nothing to move out of his way, forcing him to go around them as if he was walking through a maze. Two of the men followed him and the others focused on Ashleigh. The angry expressions immediately changed to looks of concern.

“Are you okay, little trooper?”

“Uh…yes.”
Little trooper?
“Where is Christopher?”

They all looked around. “We thought you knew.” The guy wearing the sunglasses said.

Her breath froze in her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. “Knew what? Is he okay?”

A different man scowled. “Dude, you’re scaring her!”

“I’m not trying to!” The black man said looking suddenly horrified. “We thought you knew where he was.”

“We
were going to come down to ask you and then we saw that ass…um the man harassing you.
”

“He switched missions-” Someone said.

“Yes! He switched missions.” Ashleigh was nodding her head frantically. “The Commander...he knows where Christopher is-”

“Nobody switches missions!” The black man spat. “You risk everyone. You risk yourself!”

“TK, shut up.” The big tall man said. “The Commander took Beast’s place. You don’t switch missions, Ma’am
, b
ecause it leaves your team short and it means that your new team will have to learn a new team member.”

“Beast risked us all-” The Hispanic man responded angrily.

“Yeah but if he got a bad feeling…then he did the right thing.” The men all got thoughtful looks on their faces.

“I need to talk to the Commander.” Ashleigh said.

Everyone suddenly avoided her eyes. Finally TK spoke. “
Chief Warrant Officer Bruce Koepke was hurt in the line of duty.” Ashleigh’s hands moved to her lips.

“Oh my god…Is he…?”

“He’s going to live but he’s in intensive care. The thing is-”

“Don’t tell her!”

“I
gotta
tell her now, idiot!” She was overwhelmed and their bickering was making her a nervous wreck.

“What?!
Tell me!”

The man with the sunglasses placed a
calming hand on her shoulder. “Maybe it was a
good thing that he did change his mission because what happened to the Commander would have happened to Beast. It was just dumb fate and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the Commander was doing what Beast would have normally been doing-”

“We might not know where Christopher is but he sure as hell ain’t lying up in an ICU ward.” Someone spoke bitterly.

“Don’t worry little trooper. We’re going to find him.”

Ashleigh was trembling but was so much more relieved. Now she had people working on it from the inside….even though some of them looked like they wanted to find him for a different reason then she did.

It was Thursday and Christopher was missing for four days now.

~***~

Two of The Marines sto
od outside of the lockers as Ashleigh
got dressed
, just in case Tom Kardel should return
. She hadn’t asked
them to do
it
but
was very happy because that man had been totally unhinged. Ashleigh saw that she had a messaged from the guard from The Homeland Security Office and she got dressed and quickly thanked the men standing guard for her. She went upstairs to the lobby and knocked anxiously on the door to the security office there.
S
he got the official notification.