Page 38 of Isla by Any Other Name

From the doorway, Max said, “Is she okay?”

Mitch shook his head. “She was just lying here sobbing. I don’t know how much more of this isolation and stress she can take. Should I call headquarters and see if we can get a doctor out here for her? Maybe he could give her something to help her cope. I’m at a loss.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” said Max.

Mitch slowly unwound his arms from her body and stood up. “She tries to hide how she feels. She doesn’t feel like she has anyone to talk to. She’s been so strong and brave about everything. But she feels like we’re keeping her in the dark. Maybe trying to protect her from the truth isn’t the way to go.”

Max stood for a moment, quiet. Then he said, “Mitch, I know you. We’ve worked together on a few cases and you’ve always cared about the person we’re protecting…but not like this. You really care for her, don’t you?”

Mitch looked down at his feet and cleared his throat.

Max said, “I won’t tell anyone. Just be careful. I’ll see what we can do about that doctor.” Then he closed the door, leaving Mitch to hold Molly as she slept.

Isla woke to moonlight spilling through the window. She felt drained. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, she realized that she had been asleep for over six hours. Had Mitch been there or was that a dream? She smelled spaghetti sauce coming from the floor below and her stomach grumbled in protest. She needed to apologize to everybody for her ridiculous behavior. But she was so very tired. She didn’t even have the energy to throw her feet over the edge of the bed.

There was a tap on the door and Mitch came in with a tray in his hands.

“Hi, you’re awake. Are you hungry?”

“Starved,” she admitted. “Why didn’t you wake me? I would have come down and made dinner.”

“I thought you needed the day off. How are you?” he asked as he sat on the side of the bed.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she said. Then she covered her face with her hands.

“Hey.” Mitch gently took her hands away. “Look at me, Isla.” The sound of her real name jarred her. From his mouth, it sounded like a wake-up call.

She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. Concern was etched into his face as he pulled her into his arms. “I don’t ever want you to apologize for your feelings. No one could ever fault you for the way you’re feeling. The isolation alone would cause anybody to have a breakdown like you did this afternoon. It’s justifiable.”

She gazed at him, searching his face. “So you don’t think I’ve lost my mind?”

“Far from it,” he smiled. “But we do have a doctor coming to see you in the morning. Maybe she can help you cope. I don’t want what happened today to get worse if we can help it.”

“I just had a weak moment. I don’t know why I broke down like that. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Humor me, okay? Just talk to her. Maybe she can help you get through this easier.”

“Fine. Now what did you bring me for dinner? It smells delicious.”

“Who would have thought that Max could cook? He made chicken parmigiana and pasta for dinner. Dirk even made cupcakes.”

She took a fork full of pasta and moaned. “I’m impressed.” She giggled as she scooted up the bed and leaned against the headboard. He put the tray across her legs. He sat next to her as she scarfed down her food.

“Wait, where’s my cupcake?”

“You need to get out of bed and come downstairs if you want one,” said Mitch.

Isla rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

The next morning, Mitch and Isla walked the beach like they always did. A half hour into their walk, Mitch stopped and stared out at the horizon. He turned to her. “Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“I thought I saw a flash of light from that boat out there. It must have been the sun reflecting off something on that boat. He looks awful close to the shore. I think we should go back. I’m probably being paranoid, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“You are paranoid, but it’s part of the job. Let’s go,” she said as she turned and pulled him toward the house.

Mitch had that feeling—something was off. As soon as they got back to the house, he pulled a pair of binoculars off a hook and directed them toward the boat that was anchored right in front of the house. It was probably just some fishermen, but he just had a feeling. He stood and watched for thirty minutes as Isla started prepping what she wanted to make for lunch. The wall of windows he was looking out of were bulletproof. He could look out of them, but no one could see in. They looked like two fishermen, nothing to be concerned with, but that feeling stayed with him until he watched them speed away.