The Colonel's Daughter (17 page)

“That would be lovely. Thank you Abby, I’m sure Samantha will want pizza again.”

“It’s the least I can do.” And lifting an eyebrow, she turned to Javi, “Take her someplace nice.”

* * * * *

Jasmine twirled angel hair pasta around her fork then scooped up a shrimp dripping with sauce. Somewhere in her inner consciousness was an awareness of the other people in the restaurant but to her, Javi was the only person there. She watched him reach into his pocket as he pulled out a folded sheet of lined paper.

“There’s something I want to say,” he became nervous clearing his throat several times. “I…uh…wrote it down. Jasmine, my life has changed so much since we first met. It will never be the same. I thank God for you.” He paused to look into her eyes then back to the paper. “We have seen some dark times, now things seem brighter. I love you as I’ve never loved before. You have become my best friend. Will you be my wife?” Before she could answer, he held up a diamond ring. “No matter what other changes are in store for me, one thing I know will never change is my love for you and that beautiful little girl, Samantha.”

Jasmine extended her hand and let him slide the ring onto her finger. “Yes.” She reached for his face and kissed his mouth, giggled, and kissed him once more.

A petite waitress approached their table. “Will you be having any dessert tonight?”

Jasmine puckered her lips with what was left of her lip-gloss. “No, thank you.”

“I think we’re ready to go.” Javi gave Jasmine a wink.

The waitress placed the bill on the table.

And while waiting for their car at the valet, Javi held Jasmine tight in his arms in a public display of affection.

An elderly woman elbowed her legally blind husband, “Look Harry, newlyweds. Aren’t they adorable?”

Javi gave the old woman a big crooked smile.

* * * * *

“Sam...The pizza’s here.” Abby peered through the blinds from the window adjacent to the front door. “Hmm…I don’t see anyone.”

She slowly opened the door to the barrel of a gun pointing at her face. The gunman forced his way through as three others in grey suits followed.

An old guy with an unkempt wiry beard waltzed in behind them. “Well, well, well. I come to question the long lost daughter, Jasmine, and whom do I find here? The one I have been looking for all along. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Afshin, Maurice’s father. Your daddy, the Colonel, knows me as Shahrivar. I believe his friends are planning an attack of one of my homes in Afghanistan. They think they are capturing me as we speak. Let’s say that your Hollywood films are not the only ones who have stunt doubles.”

He stood at the doorway to Samantha’s bedroom.

“You won’t find anyone here Mister Sha-river. My sister went out with her kid.”

Samantha quickly slid into her closet and crawled underneath a mound of stuffed animals shutting her eyes tight.

He lifted his bushy eyebrows. “Oh, I’m not interested in anyone else.” His gaze fixed on Abby.

There was a knock at the door.

“It’s the pizza guy. He’s going to keep knocking if I don’t answer it.” Abby looked around the room. “Anyone interested in some pizza?”

Shahrivar squinted. “Get rid of him quickly. Hemshi…”

The gunman pushed Abby towards the door.

Abby opened the door and feigned a big smile at the young pimply face boy holding a pizza box. His nose wrinkled while holding up his glasses as he fumbled the receipt.

Abby gave him a wink and liked her lips. “You’re cute.”

His big eyes stared through the metallic rim glasses.

The barrel of the gun pushed against her back as she wrote a phone number at the top of the receipt. She bit her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes, then lip-synced the words
call me
.

The pizza boy smiled and winked back.

She blew the boy a kiss and slowly closed the door then turned around only to have the barrel of the gun pointing at her face.

The pizza boy ripped off the portion of the receipt containing her phone number and tucked it inside the front pocket of his jeans as he swaggered to his car.

Shahrivar yanked the pizza box from Abby, “I don’t have time for your games. You will cooperate or you will be forced to do so,” as two men threw her to the ground and struggled to tie her arms and legs.

* * * * *

Javi parked the car nearly touching the sand on the beach. Jasmine leaped out kicking up sand with her bare feet. She followed the moonlit path to the water. Javi sprinted behind her. She shrieked as a cold wave came crashing over her legs. Javi enfolded her body into his arms and lifted her off the ground.

“You’re so beautiful, Jasmine.” He gave her a slow lingering kiss.

“I love you, Javi.”

He slowly lowered Jasmine’s body pressing tightly against his. Javi’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He stared into Jasmines eyes unwilling to let her go.

“Aren’t you going to answer it? It might be important.”

“What could be more important than this moment here with you?”

“You’re a super hero, remember? There’s a world that needs saving.”

Javi chuckled. “The world can wait.”

Thunder faintly rolled in the distance. The sky grew bright then slowly dimmed. Javi’s phone buzzed again. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and checked the caller id.

“Hello?” Javi wrinkled his brow.

The choppy puberty ridden voice of a boy came on the line. “Um…yes, sir…um…I think I dialed the…um…the wrong number.”

“No problem, son.”

Javi placed the cell phone back into his pocket and gave Jasmine his crooked smile.

“Is everything okay?”

“Just a kid who got the wrong number, too nervous to even apologize, sounded like he could use a little time in boot camp.”

“Oh Javi, that poor kid. Good thing he hung up or you would’ve recruited him.”

“There ain’t nothing wrong with joining the army at his age,” he took a step back. “I did it and look at me now…” He looked down at himself and snickered. “Well, maybe I’m not such a great example.”

The rolling of thunder grew louder.

“You’re the perfect example. You’re an amazing man. You’re strong, you’re disciplined, you’re loyal…”

Before Jasmine could utter the next word, Javi cupped her face into his hands and brought her mouth to his. He kissed her lips then kissed her neck and paused at her ear. “I’m not feeling very disciplined right now.” He placed his hand on her breast. “I want to make love to you, Jasmine.”

He slowly lowered her body onto the sand as she gripped his back. His calloused fingers raised her soft cotton dress exposing her thigh. He paused to examine her beauty in the moonlight.

Javi’s phone rang. “There’s no way I’m interrupting this moment. It’s so perfect…you’re so perfect.”

Jasmine placed her hand on his shoulder. “We have the rest of our lives for moments like this.”

Javi rolled onto his back with his head on the sand and while facing the moon, he picked up the call, “Helloooo?”

“I’m sorry to call again. I must have the wrong number…uh…I dialed again to make sure…I apologize, sir.”

“Well, son, you must not be dialing the correct number.”

“But, I believe I am sir. I was…um…given the wrong number by a girl. I won’t call again. It’s stupid of me to believe such a gorgeous girl would actually give me her correct number anyway.”

“Listen, man, don’t beat yourself up over it.” He looked at Jasmine as she brushed sand off her skirt. “One day you’ll get the right number and you’ll find yourself still thinking how stupid you are to believe that such a stunning woman actually wants you to call. You’ll be alright, son.”

“But I’ve never had a woman like Abby wink at me before.”

“What name did you say?” Javi sat up.

“Well…the name she wrote on the receipt says Abby but who knows if that is her real name.”

“When did you meet this Abby?”

Jasmine listened with burning curiosity.

“You’ll probably think I’m just a stupid kid.”

“Try me.”

“Well, sir, I’m actually still on my shift delivering pizzas…”

“What was the address?”

“I…uh…don’t understand what you mean. You think I should try going back to the house?”

“Listen, forget about this girl. Just tell me the address. Tell me where you met Abigail.”

“I never said Abigail. Uh…this is getting a little weird. I’m gonna hang up now.”

“No, no, don’t…” Javi was left speaking to a dial tone. He grabbed Jasmine’s hand. “We need to go. We need to go check on the girls.”

“What do you think that was about?” Jasmine trotted to the car trying to keep up with Javi.

* * * * *

As they approached the house, Javi turned the car lights off, then turned the ignition off and let it coast to the curb. He lifted his right arm placing his hand inside the map-pocket of the passenger seat and leaned towards Jasmine. Out of the pocket, he drew out his semi-automatic Desert Eagle. He cocked the gun assuring a chambered round. “Wait here.”

He quietly exited the vehicle sprinting on the balls of his feet. Jasmine watched Javi as he examined the window outside Samantha’s bedroom. She wiped the sweat from her brow and listened to her accelerating heartbeat. Her panting escalated as she observed Javi climbing into Samantha’s bedroom with his gun pointed.

Javi whispered, “Psst…Sam, are you in here? Sam?”

A little hand emerged from behind the closet door and slid it open. “Javi! I knew you would come for me.” She ran and jumped into his arms.

“Are you alright? Did anybody hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” She clutched his neck and wouldn’t let go.

“I’m taking you back to your mom. Everything’s going to be alright.”

“Are you going to stay with us?”

“Keep holding on tight while we climb over this window…uh…not that tight, sweetie, I can’t…breathe.”

Jasmine spotted the two coming out of the hedges and flung open the car door. She made a mad dash towards her little girl. Falling to her knees, she embraced Samantha and began to sob. “I shouldn’t have left you, I shouldn’t have left.”

“Momma, I’m fine.”

She grabbed Samantha by the shoulders and with her bloodshot eyes looked at her little girl’s face. Then with knitted eyebrows, she stood and faced Javi. “I can’t do this. I can’t risk our lives this way. I’m not as strong as you.”

Javi grabbed Jasmine’s arm but she waved her elbow and loosened his grip. “This is not the time for you to panic, Jasmine. We can talk about this later.”

“No.” She clenched her jaw. “No…no.” Her hair was bristling and her pupils dilated. “I can’t live this way, Javi. If any harm had come to Samantha…” She gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.

Javi frowned and placed a hand behind his head. “I understand. You think I brought this unto you. You can place the blame on me. It’s my fault.” He beat his chest. “You don’t have to ever see me again. But please get it together right now. I need to find out if Abigail is okay. Did you forget that your sister may be in trouble?”

“That isn’t fair.” Her voice was toneless.

Javi sighed and made no eye contact. “Take Samantha over to your mothers. You need to go someplace safe…please.”

“Come on Sammy.” Jasmine held her daughter’s hand.

“Momma, I heard that bad man tell Abby that he was only looking for her. He doesn’t care about anybody else. I heard him say it.”

Javi placed his gun in the back of his pants and got on one knee. “What else did you hear?”

“Leave her alone Javi.”

Javi rested his arm over his knee and hung his head low. Tears trickled down his face. “I’m sorry Samantha.”

“I love you Javi.” Samantha wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love you…and your mom so much. I want you guys to be safe. That may not happen if I continue to be around.”

“But you’re the one that protects us. You can’t leave. You can’t, Javi. Besides, Abby is already gone. The bad men took her. She kept fighting with them and then I didn’t hear them anymore. There’s nobody in there.”

Javi stood up and was close enough to Jasmine that she could feel his breath on her face. “I will never let any harm come to you or Samantha.”

She sniffled. “You’re not God, Javi.”

“You’re right.” He whispered. “But God gives me the strength and the ability.”

“Well I’m not as strong as you think I am, Javi.”

“Yes you are.” He caressed her face. “But I’ll understand if you don’t want to marry me.”

Without a word, she leaned into his caress.

“You don’t need to answer right now. Just go.”

“I’m not leaving you. We’re not going anywhere. You heard Sam, they’re not here anymore.”