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Chapter 27
Cassie
Waiting a moment before I followed, I stood at the top of the stairs stunned, watching them. My father and Travis are in a quiet, yet intense, conversation as Doc Earl remained silent at my father's side. The grief and relief in my father's eyes as he looked up and saw me was overwhelming. Travis and Doc Earl followed his gaze to the top of the stairs realizing this is a very difficult moment for both of us.
Dad nodded and whispered something to Travis before he patted him on the back and dismissed him. Travis turned to leave but took one last look at me. He swore he would protect me and he's leaving me. I didn't even get to say goodbye. He just left without another word.
I wanted a moment with him even if it was just to say goodbye but with my father here and unaware of the relationship that has developed, it isn't going to happen. Going to the window I watched as the man I was falling for headed toward the trees in search of his prey.
My breath caught in my throat, he was doing it. He was leaving with the possibility of not returning to me. My stomach clenched nervously, how can I just stand here and let him leave?
Without a word to my father, I raced down the stairs, past the two older men as if they were only figments of my imagination and bolted out the front door. I paused only for a moment at the top step of the deck to find him in the shadows. When Travis heard the door slam, he turned around to face me.
His eyes met with mine and held for a moment, I swear my heart was going to leap out of my chest. I blazed a trail of dust down those rickety steps and plowed into his arms finding comfort in the only place I wanted to be. Before I knew what he was going to do, his arms wrapped around me. Lifting my head, my lips pressed firmly against his. I felt him sigh, his hand slipping into my hair, gripping the back of my head as he took control of the kiss. Reveling in the moment, he deepened the kiss for only a second before pulling away from me.
"Please stay. We'll find another way." I pleaded. Cupping his face, I try to keep him from going into the forest.
His eyes stayed soft and focused on mine even though we heard the door open again. My father and Earl stood on the deck watching our every move. Closing his eyes, Travis rests his forehead to mine and takes a deep breath. How was I to explain this to my father? There is so much I need to tell Travis, so much I simply can't say because I don't want to be hurt again.
If Travis knew how much I care for him, the future I want to plan for us, it would only make the situation worse for me.
"I'm coming back for you and Jacob. I promise." His voice is soft and calm, but filled with emotion. Travis leans into me, his eyes on mine, and kisses me once more before he releases me.
"Wait, I need to tell you something." I cling onto him, my voice clogged with tears.
"When I come home. Tell me when I come home." Travis stopped me, wiping the tears off my cheek. "We have a lot to talk about when I get back."
"What if you..." I couldn't finish my sentence. He silenced me with his finger touching my lips. I want to curl up in his arms and know that everything will be okay.
I didn't want to even think about the thought of life without Travis. He has to come back to me. I know living without him won't be living at all. I would be running again, only this time from the memories of losing Travis and knowing I will never see him again.
"I'm coming back. You have to trust me." Stepping back, Travis watches the tears slip down my cheek. "You have to be strong, Cassie. Jacob needs you to be strong for him." He reminded me as he let go of my hands.
His gaze shifts to the deck. Dad is standing there tensely watching our interlude. The intimacy of the moment didn't go unnoticed. Earl stood at his side and said something that got the Colonel's attention. It appears as if Earl is holding Dad back. I'm sure that is probably the case. Travis must not have mentioned to him what has developed between us, but now it's evident that he's more than just my protector. We have grown attached to one another.
Travis motions for me to return to the house. Knowing my time is up, I walk slowly back to the house. Not moving until he knew I was safely inside, Travis stayed where he was watching me. I looked back at him numerous times before I finally made it back to the deck.
Doc Earl wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, while my father took a deep breath and scrubbed his tired face with his hands. Things have gotten much more complicated than he thought they would. He had chosen Travis because of the way he is able to separate his job from his emotions. He had been a good marine, one of the best before he had been discharged. No one could have predicted how complicated matters would get.
The Colonel ushered us into the house. It isn't safe to linger outside with what was happening and there was too much that I needed to fill them in on. I have a lot of explaining to do. Travis moved into the shadows, consumed by the darkness of the forest. I just hope I get to see him again.
I moved through the darkened living room to the window. Staring out at the darkness, I see a shadow moving in the distance then disappearing from sight. Had it been Travis? Or was it Anthony lurking out there in search of his prey? I wonder. Who is his prey now? Is he still after me or has he turned his attention to Travis? I worry Anthony will kill Travis and still come for me. Does my father now know everything I've done?
"How do you know Anthony Dean?" Dad asked as he moved into the room. His dominating presence filled the small room. Stalking over to the fireplace, he reached down for a log and tossed it into the pit. It suddenly felt much too cold in the house. "How did you get tangled up with him, Cass?"
Running my hand over my face, I don't know if he will understand? I don't have a choice, but to explain everything now. "We met two years ago. I was in North Carolina where he was stationed. We got to talking one night. He said that he knew you. He understood why I wanted to leave. He listened to me, convinced me that I was better off with him."
Hearing my pitiful story I sighed, does he understand? I have to trust Travis and take his advice. I have to tell him everything.
"Do you know who he is?" The Colonel's anger and frustration wasn't hidden as he tried to keep his voice calm. It worried him that Dean might have let something slip to her. A secret that has been kept all these years could have been for nothing if Dean already exposed her to his version of the truth.
"He's Tom Roundtree's nephew." I stated, resigned to tell the truth. Searching my father's face for a response, I can't read his expression. "The same Tom Roundtree you served with."
The Colonel swallowed hard, and I knew it was true. "You know? All this time and you knew I wasn't your daughter."
"I know." His words are barely audible. The tension between us exploded in the room.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked softly, feeling the tears begin again. "Why didn't you or mom tell me that I wasn't your daughter?"
It broke my heart to hear this news. As far as I was concerned I would always be his daughter. I never considered being anything but. It's only a matter of blood that we aren't related, not a matter of heart. In my heart, he has been my daddy from the moment he held me as an infant.
"You are my daughter, Cassie. You always will be. It never matters whose blood runs through your veins." He searched my eyes, seeing only confusion and pain.
I want to hear him tell me that he loves me, but he will only tell me the facts. "Tom and your mother had an affair right before we left for our tour. She got pregnant. She didn't know which of us was your father. I believed that you were mine when you were born. It was when I left again, and we were in the middle of the jungle when Tom decided to tell me the truth."
I could see how badly this was breaking my father's heart. I need to know everything. Anthony has been holding this over his head, he is threatening my life and those I love because he is set to destroy my father. I need to know why. "Did you kill him?"
Doc Earl remained on the outskirts of the room listening. He must know the whole story. Dad continued to tell me about it, confronting Mom about it all. The affair almost killed their marriage. Although it was a lifetime ago, it was never discussed again.
I learned that Doc Earl had been Dad's confidant for years. They served together and stood for each other until Doc retired and moved here. Now it seems the secret has come full circle and would be unveiled at last.
Reaching for the phone, Doc dialed the familiar number. "Mel, darlin', it's Earl. Yes, yes, our girl is fine, so's the baby. But, I think you best be heading this way. All hell is about to break loose and Cassie's gonna need a shoulder."
Dad's hands shook as he reached for the mantel to steady himself. He had avoided this conversation all my life. Had he killed his friend? Did he blame himself, or punished himself for all these years over the grief and guilt that plagues him. Dad will have to verbalize all the answer now. "Yes, and I've never gotten past it."
My father looks so much older and fragile standing before me now. His face is drawn. The creases seem deeper across his forehead, more defined around his eyes. His eyes, normally cold and distant, now glazed with emotions.
I have always seen my father as a perfect Marine. No one dared to cross him. His emotions are always in tight control, he is a man who never shows fear or pain. His entire body is showing every emotion now. Tonight looking at him, he is just a man, a human, who has made a mistake.
The realization that the man I saw as my father had killed my biological father is staggering. I know he isn't perfect. I know he's killed in battle. I'm not naïve enough to think otherwise. I never would have thought he would have killed a man for a personal vendetta. "You killed my father? Why?"
John took a breath and sat down on the couch. Staring into the fire is easier than looking into my eyes and seeing the pain he is causing.
"We were in the middle of a battlefield, Cassie." My stomach flipped. It was exactly as Anthony had described to me. "We had bombs going off around us. I kept moving us deeper into the firing range. Tom wanted to retreat, but I kept pushing us forward."
His fingers slid through his graying hair. "He told me about his affair with your mother in the midst of it all. I guess he knew what may happen if we kept going. I was upset, and distracted. By the time I called the retreat, it was too late. We lost ten men, one of them was Tom."
I said nothing. I don't know what to say. My mother cheated on my father, and my father was responsible for Tom Roundtree's death. They lied to me about my paternity my entire life. How am I supposed to feel about this? I prowl around the room. I feel caged in, claustrophobic.
I want nothing more than to leave and not come back. "I'm going upstairs." I whispered, needing time to think.
"Cassie, what about McKennan?" Dad pressed for answers, knowing it's probably not wise to push me at the moment. "What happened between you two?"
Turning to face my father, I don't know how to answer him. "Travis ... is a friend. If he's killed because of your order to go after Anthony, this will be the last time you see me or Jacob." Without another word, I stormed out of the room. Ig refuse to tell him more than that. He doesn't deserve it after all the lies he's told.
Colonel
"She loves him, John. You have to see that." Earl sat down opposite me after hearing Cassie close the door to the baby's room. "Don't let him get hurt out there because you don't approve."
I nod, knowing the boy has done his job and kept my baby safe. Even if I don't approve of my daughter and Travis having feelings for each other, Travis is one of my best marines. I can't knowingly place him in harm's way because of my personal feelings.
Placing my hands on my knees, I rose and moved across the room to the window. Taking out the radio, I gave the order. "Move in, shadow McKennan. If you have to, take Anthony out yourself, but do not let McKennan see you."
This ends tonight.
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