Stay calm here.
1385 Words
Benedict
I heard a loud knock on my door about 30 minutes later.
I opened it quickly, hoping it was Josephine.
A beautiful brunette woman, with a toddler on her hip stood before me. "Hey, we came as soon as we could." Brea said kissing my cheek.
" Come in, please. You must be Sophia." I smiled at them both as I tickled Sophia, she was very cute.
I felt a lump in my gut at my empty threat towards this sweet girl, Jo was right to be so upset with me.
The child reached her arms out for me to take her.
Brea was in shock. I took the child and hugged her to my chest. She smelled of baby shampoo and that sweet softness little ones have.
" Ben, she never goes to strangers." she said as she watched her baby girl cuddle this strange man's chest.
" Brea, I don't know if Jo has informed you of this...but I do have seven children of my own."
" Ah, that must be it. You like uncle Ben Sophia?" She asked her daughter.
She silently nodded, sucking her fingers.
" Auntie Jo?" Sophia looked for her aunt in the hotel room.
" No honey, she's gone bye bye but she will be back." I said, looking at Brea.
" I haven't heard anything, I'm sorry Ben."
There was a man standing in the open doorway, holding coffee and croissants.
" I found a parking spot a few blocks down, sorry." He said as he wiped his sweaty hand. He put it out to me and shook my hand firmly.
His daughter lurched forward into his arms now. I took the coffee and food from him before they fell.
" I'm David, Brea's s*x slave." He grinned at Ben and then laughed.
" Sorry, not appropriate?" He asked.
" David!" yelled Brea.
I smiled and looked away. I liked David, he had a sense of humor.
" David, I'm Ben. Come in please. I understand Charles Hudson has taken my..well my girlfriend." I couldn't say wife, or fiance. I hadn't asked her to remarry me first.
" Well, to be frank, Ben...it was his turn. When you took Jo the first time, Charles was a total wreck. He blamed himself for a long time. He almost went crazy. So I can see why he would try to steal her away." David was very observant.
" Do you think she wanted to go with him?" I asked him man to man.
" No f...ing way..I mean no way! All she can talk about is Ben this, Ben that. She's not in love with Charles Hudson.
But...she did love him at one time...so, well to be honest I think we should let this play out because Jo needs closure on this chapter. You don't want a woman to pine over an old flame dude."
I really liked this David guy, he was honest and put me at ease.
" Ok if it was your wife, what would you do then?" I raised one brow at him.
" Hold this kid moma, and plug her ears please." He handed Sophia to Brea.
Brea took her to the kitchenette area.
" Well, Charles is a good friend of mine, to be perfectly transparent here.
But.. if it was my MFing wife I'd find him and beat the s**t out of his punk ass."
I really liked this guy David.
I put my hand on his shoulder.
" I'm trying to avoid violence, my wife, er Josephine dislikes this side of me. What can we do to track them down, does he own a home somewhere remote?"
" Let me see, Aspen, Morroco, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Alaska, I know there are several more.
He invested heavily in real-estate and turned most of the homes into expensive rentals.
I do wonder about Alaska though. He was still renovating his cabin there."
I needed more.
I thanked the two and kissed little Sophia on the head as they left.
I called Ian AKA Daniel, my CIA guy.
" I told you I can't talk now, what do you want?"
" She's gone, her ex took off with her, I need a lead." I wouldn't take no for an answer.
" I am under f*****g cover Manuel. What are you expecting me to do here? I need you to get back here and hold up your end of the bargain to take down the s*x traffickers."
" Ian, you owe her." I placed it back on his shoulders.
" You prick, you know I have a soft spot for her. She deserves some happiness after all that she's been through. Ok, I'll send you an operative. One that is a good tracker. But they are not cheap Manuel." he said, resigned to take action for Jo.
" My name is Benedict, not Manuel." I said.
He hung up on me.
I was fairly anxious, feeling a panick attack coming on, I called my therapist.
" It's quite understandable, you need to always have control. It's the things you cannot control that send you spiraling.
So let's do an exercise here. Bear with me Ben.
Imagine you are Josephine, you are being held captive, but you are actually safe. I mean from my understanding this other guy Charles loves her too?"
" I believe he is not a threat, true." I admitted.
" Now, Josephine what do you expect Ben to do when he finds you missing?" My therapist asked me.
" Hunt down Charles and kill him." I said quietly.
" As Jo, would you want him to do this? Would this make you more sympathetic towards Charles, maybe flipping the script here is what you need to do this time. Let's find a way to remain calm and get your wife back."
" I will remain calm and get my wife back." I nodded, eyes closed and breathing slowly.
My phone rang.
" Gotta go doc, thanks!" I took the call.
" Manuel?" It was Jo.
" Oh hey, how are you Josephine?" Remain calm, remain calm.
" Well, I uh...I want a divorce. I am getting married again. Charles and I have decided that we belong together now." She sounded strained.
" I see, I just want you happy Phina. Let's meet for lunch and talk. Are you nearby?" Remain calm, remain calm.
" No I'm in...." the phone went dead.
I tried the number, no answer. I sent a text.
"Tell me where to send the divorce papers, we will need to figure out custody of our baby, with your pregnancy and all Phina."
I knew, she knew this was a bold faced lie. We weren't having s*x until our remarraige.
There was no response.
I had done my best to remain calm. I think she knew that I understood her when she called me Manuel and not Ben, I frowned, thinking.
She still loved me?
I hoped.
I went to get something to eat. I made plans to steal her back, without harming Charles Hudson.
I had time now. I knew for sure she was safe and would never love that man like she loved me.
We had a passionate love. We just restarted our life together, this was an unfortunate event in our long life together.
I had to keep calm. My eye began to twitch. I wanted to hit something.
I picked up the couch pillow and placed it over my face.
You got this Manuel.
I felt my eyes well up, not from sadness of losing her, but from what I had done to her. Maybe she was better off with Charles.
He would take care of her, I was a criminal. I was brash and cruel. I only knew anger and obsession.
I wondered if I should let her go.
I started to believe this.
My phone pinged.
A text from her.
"Send the divorce papers to Adam Westmore In Los Angeles.
We will figure Out eVerything Else as we go.
Charles and I will see YOU in jail if you fight us on this Ben."
The text looked weird, some letters oddly in capitals. I reread it. She wrote me a secret message.
I LOVE YOU BEN.
- Writer
