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  My Daddy is a Hero: Master Chief Marrone

  Copyright © January 2012 Dahlia Rose

  Cover Art by For the Muses Design

  ISBN 978-1-936668-81-6

  All rights are reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Chapter One

  Outside in the harsh mountainous land of Afghanistan, soldiers made it as livable as possible. The wind was bitterly cold as it blew the snow up off the sand. One could wonder why such a desolate place needed snow storms to make conditions worse. Little reminders of what they left behind decorated their sleeping quarters and there was always a radio playing with music from home. Regardless of whether it was hip hop, R& B, pop or rock and roll, the music kept soldiers upbeat as they went about their duties.

  Master Chief Fabian Marrone walked through the FOB, the snow and ice crunched under his boots as he went to his quarters. Two more weeks, he thought with elation. Then he would be going home to his daughter and the warm waters of Florida. He joined the Navy because he loved the water. He even owned a boat back in Florida. The mountains of Afghanistan were no place for a Navy man. But being a Seal meant he went where they told him to do the dangerous missions few would consider taking on. This was his last tour for his navy career as a Seal. When he went home he would become an instructor for the Navy teaching new recruits.

  He was glad for the opportunity because now it would keep him at home close to his two year old daughter. He stepped inside the converted shipping containers that made up their homes away from home. There were two men to each and he was lucky to have this one to himself. Fabian pulled his daughter’s picture from the wall and smiled. She was in the sand wearing her pink bathing suit and smiling at the camera. Taryn had taken that picture and sent it via email for him to print out. He missed them both and couldn’t wait to see them.

  His family was made up of his baby girl and his best friend. His parents died years ago and he was an only child. Cae’s mother turned out to be the worst mistake he ever made. The only good thing that came from it was his daughter, whom he had custody of. Because of Jackie’s drug habit she was only allowed supervised visits and that was where Taryn came in. While he was in theatre she had temporary custody of his child and kept her safe from his ex-wife. Taryn had been his rock through so many things that he didn’t know how to repay her half the time. He took another picture off the wall. Taryn held Cae on the beach and they both looked happy.

  His daughter was mixed and could be Taryn’s child to anyone who didn’t know the situation. She owned and operated her own preschool made it easy for her to take his daughter to work with her and his baby was growing by leaps and bounds. Some milestones he’d missed. It was so very clear when he spoke to them a few days earlier and Cae could say “Daddy, I love you.” It made his heart ache to see her, and very soon he would be holding his daughter once more.

  Both of them, he smiled thinking of Taryn, her soft mouth that curved in a smile. Her dark brown eyes that held flecks of gold in the sunlight. She was a breath of fresh air and sometimes her laughter echoed in his dreams. Her body was to die for and she was a tiny thing, five-three to his six-two. Yet she was so curvaceous that his hands ached to touch her. There was something between them and he wanted to build on it.

  When he got home, Fabian planned to make his move and win her love. There was nothing more that he wanted than to make Taryn a permanent part of their small family. She was a fixture in their lives one he couldn’t do without. He’d spent so much time in the friend zone in between custody hearings and work. He wondered if in that time he had missed the window to be with Taryn. There was a pounding on his door and Fabian sighed. “Just a few minutes of peace is all I ask,” he muttered and threw the door open.

  The soldier saluted. “You have a priority call sir.”

  “Thanks, I’m on my way,” Fabian replied. Luckily he hadn’t taken his coat or boots off so he stepped out of his quarters and jogged to the communications room.

  Computers line two walls where soldiers could email or talk to their families via video conferencing. His cell phone was out of minutes of course and he’d forgotten to get a card. It was probably Taryn worried that she wasn’t reaching him. Since he was a senior officer he had the luxury of having his own office. It was no bigger than a small walk in closet and his desk was a nothing more that a folding picnic table. It wouldn’t be his desk for two much longer. Most of his guys were already on their way home and he was just finishing out his paperwork and getting ready to hand things over to the new team leader.

  He picked up the phone and put it to his ear. “Master Chief Marrone here.”

  “Fabian? Jesus, I thought you were out on a convoy or something.” Taryn’s voice was filled with worry.

  Fabian chuckled. “I’m fine Taryn, no convoys or missions for me until I leave.”

  “I’m sorry, so sorry,” Her breath hitched and he knew she was crying. ‘Something happened, Fabian.”

  His stomach dropped and he spoke slowly, fearing the worst. “Is Cae hurt?”

  “Jack took her,” Taryn said. “I was in the office in a meeting and we hired a new teacher. Cae was in her class today doing finger painting. The teacher, she didn’t know better. Jackie came in and told her she was there to sign her out and she was her mom. Every teacher knows to come ask me when it comes to Cae, but she was new. I saw her loading the baby into the car, I chased it down, fell, but they tore out of there. A man was driving. I called the police, there’s an Amber alert out… She has our Cae-Cae.”

  The word seemed to echo in his head. Jackie and some strange guy had is daughter. “I’m coming home, I’m coming home.”

  “Should I pick you up at the airport?”

  “I’m going to try to get into NAS Jacksonville,” Fabian said and ran his hand through his short hair. “Jesus… Damn it, Jackie.” He controlled the anger burning in his gut. ‘Taryn, meet me on base. It will take a few days to get me home.”

  “Your cell is going straight to voice mail, You ran out of minutes again.” she said quietly. “I’m so scared for her.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to her,” Fabian said firmly. “I’ll load my phone with as many minutes as I can. Keep me updated, leave me voicemails if you can’t reach me. I’ll be home soon.”

  “Okay.” Taryn took a deep breath and he knew it was her way to center herself. “I’ll see you soon. I wish you were coming home to something other than this. We’ll find her, Fabian.”

  “Yes we will.” Fabian swallowed past the lump of emotion in his throat. “I’ll call when I have travel secured.”

  He hung up the phone and the urge to rage at something became so fierce he had to sit down. He clenched his fists and pounded on the plastic surface of the table until he regained his composure. He was going to get home and find his daughter safe and well. This was the last straw, no more supervised visits. Nothing. Jackie was going to be out of their lives permanently. And if his daughter had even a bruise on her skin, God save them because no one, not Jackie or her new man would be safe from his wrath.

  * * * *

  Taryn put the phone back on its base with trembling fingers. She wanted to scream and cry but it wouldn’t do any good, plus it wouldn’t help Cae. How could I be so stupid? She blamed herself of course. But how could she have known? No one had seen Jackie in months, well before Fabian was deployed. Now she shows up and takes the baby, Cae must be so scared. The thought brought fresh tears to Taryn’s eyes. Fabian entrusted her with his cherished daughter, and she gets kidnapped from under her nose. How could he ever trust her again? The thought made her nauseous. I
n the ten year friendship she and Fabian had, most of that time she had spent in love with him.

  “Ma’am, the amber alert is on ever news station and we made sure the public knows the little girl is the daughter of a soldier overseas.” The detective in charge sat beside her. And she could see the sympathy in his eyes.

  “Her name is Cae and she wont be able to sleep without her boo-boo bear,” Taryn whispered. This time she couldn’t help but let the tears fall. “I spoke to her father. He is on his way home. We have to find her…we have to.”

  “We will, ma’am. There is nothing to suggest that Jackie Sommers took her out of the state,” the detective explained. “Even if she did, the highway patrol is on the look out for the car you described. Your memory of the license plate was a stroke of good luck.”

  “He’ll be so worried, she is his life,” Taryn said, knowing how Fabian felt about the baby girl. She handed the detective a folder. “This is all the paperwork showing her dad has full custody and I am her guardian when he is deployed. You can speak to Judge Moore if you need more information.”

  The detective took the folder. “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Neville, we’ll have her home before her daddy gets back.”

  She watched him walk away and speak to another police officer. She’d been there when Fabian came home with a wife, and it broke her heart yet she stayed his friend. She’d held his hand though every rehab stint Jackie ever had and when he fought for custody of Cae. From Petty officer to Master Chief, and every tour overseas, she had been there, and now this time around this happened. God couldn’t be so cruel as to take the one person they both loved. Taryn loved the baby as if she was her own, and she could wrap her hands around Jackie’s neck for taking the little girl. All she had to do was call, and she could have made some arrangement as long as Fabian said it was okay. She was high and not thinking straight, that was for certain. Because Fabian would unleash hell to bring his daughter home.

  The next day came in gloomy and gray. The one officer who slept on her couch monitoring the phones in case Jackie called was diligent. Taryn had walked out there a few times as the hours moved slowly by to offer him coffee or something to eat. After a few times, she could see he was beginning to hate the interruptions, so she told him to help himself to anything in the kitchen. Then she stayed in the room, angry that the phone didn’t ring and terrified when it did. She sat on the bed and couldn’t sleep, she just kept thinking of how she could have changed the day so Cae would be home with her. No matter how many times she thought of it, it came back to the same conclusion. Jackie was the crazy bitch who took a chance and was successful.

  The next day came with no news and it was driving her crazy. She’d seen missing children on TV before and wondered how their parents ever coped. Now she knew there was no coping, only a tenuous hold on reality and prayers to bring the baby home safe. Her cell rang and she picked it up to see the familiar number of Fabian’s phone. He’d kept this number each time he was deployed over the last few years while his regular cell was in his home. They bought townhouses right next to each other on the beach so there wouldn’t be a big upheaval for Cae when she took care of her.

  “Hey, where are you?” she said when she answered the phone. Her voice was scratchy from crying and lack of use.

  “They got me to Germany and I’m waiting for the flight out to Florida,” Fabian replied. “Any news?”

  “No nothing so far,” she sighed. “I wish I knew where to go. The detective said it was useless for me to drive around the streets looking but it’s better than sitting here.”

  There was silence before he spoke again. “I’m so angry, Taryn. How could she do that? We haven’t heard from her in a year. How did you let her…?”

  “How did I let her get Cae, you mean?” Taryn asked bitterly. “Like you said, it’s been a year. I didn’t know I needed to lock the baby to my side because of your ex. You’ve been gone for five months and everything has been fine. You married her, Fabian, not me, and I picked up the slack she left behind. You’re blaming me for this, why don’t you blame her?”

  “I’m sorry, Taryn. Jesus, I don’t blame you. I’m just sick with wondering, you know?”

  She’d never heard him sound that devastated. “I know, but she’ll be fine. Jackie might not be good to herself but she loves Cae. She won’t let her get hurt, she’s just confused.”

  “I’ll be in by ten tonight,” he said. “If anything changes…”

  “I’ll text your phone,” Taryn finished the sentence.

  “Bye.”

  She heard the three beeps as he hung up and her emotions swirled to the surface. Didn’t he know how much she’d given up for him and Cae because she loved them both? This was tearing her up on the inside, and knowing he blamed her didn’t make it any better. She went to the kitchen to make coffee for her and the police officer in her living room. The news was reporting on the kidnapping again and her stomach clenched. She couldn’t eat, hadn’t slept, and instead of excitement because Fabian was coming home she felt dread. What if he came home to bad news? As she filled the coffee pot, she knew if something happened to Cae, nothing would ever fix what would break inside him.

  The day passed with tips coming in to the police lines but not much else. People said they saw Jackie and the baby in Miami and SouthBeach. One woman even claimed she was in Alaska with the baby. The cops ran down the ones they could and couldn’t find any leads. Taryn was sure that Jackie was in town, she wouldn’t stray far. There was no one to go to outside Florida. It was just a matter of finding her. She sat impatiently tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. It was five after ten, and she was waiting for Fabian to come in. She’d seen the huge plane land around nine forty-five and he still had yet to come out.

  Soon she saw a figure come out the hanger doors carrying a big duffel bag and striding toward her car with purpose. There was no doubt it was Fabian, she knew that stride anywhere, those broad shoulders and long lean legs. His uniform was slightly rumpled. She got out of the car and stood next to the door as he came up. He looked tired, there was stubble on his face and those green eyes were filled with worry and anger. His crooked grin was one of the things she loved about him. But his mouth was set in a grim line as he threw his bag in the back seat without a word. She played his coming home in her head a thousand times; he would hug her tight with the baby in between them. This was not the way he should come home, to find his child missing with no clues.

  “Any news?” he asked when he closed the passenger door.

  “No, the cop left my house early afternoon, after they surmised that this is not a ransom case.” She gave a short laugh. “I told them that Jackie wasn’t looking for money. They finally started to believe me.”

  “We’ll go home and I’ll get changed and we’ll start hitting the parts of Florida that she liked to frequent,” Fabian said.

  “I told the cops the places I knew from the past, and they checked them,” Taryn said. “Nothing was found.”

  “I know some places they would not think about. I’m finding my daughter tonight. I’ll drive.” Fabian got into the driver’s seat after she handed him the keys.

  Chapter Two

  She was barely buckled in before he pealed out of the parking lot with the squeal of tires. He drove with controlled fury and they got back to their townhouses in less time that it took for her to drive there. The dark clouds of the day finally opened up and the rain began to fall in big angry drops. Fabian made a sound of frustration and got out of the car. He slammed the door and paced in the rain, his emotions getting the better of him. Taryn exited the car, not caring that she got soaked. The thunder rolled, but somehow the beating of her heart seemed to be louder by comparison.

  “Its going to be ok, Fabian, we’ll find her,” She said. “Let’s go inside and get changed, then we can go looking.”

  He grabbed her by her shoulders. “She should be home in her bed, asleep while it rains outside. I left you my child…she’s
gone.”

  Everything she tried to hold inside burst free and she wrenched herself away from his grasp. “I love Cae like she is my own, I was there when she was born and stood with you when you got custody with her. I’ve walked ever step with you both and you don’t think this is tearing me up inside? It was under my watch Jackie got her and it’s killing me until I can’t breathe. You’re not the only one in pain Fabian and do you know why I do it, why it hurts me like this?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t…”

  She sliced her hand thought he air. “Be quiet! I do it because I love Cae-Cae. I love you just as much. She has my heart like any mother would love a child and you have it for how any woman would love a man. I cried when you married Jackie and swore I would never intrude on you marriage. When you broke up, every time you asked me for anything I was there hoping you would see the woman who truly loved you!” She pressed a fist over her heart and she was sobbing. “Me… But you never saw and I’m tired of trying to make you see or waiting patiently. I refuse to take all the blame. Your mistake with Jackie led to a perfect child, but I cannot be responsible for her actions.”

  They stood staring at each other in the rain. She was breathing hard, and he was staring at her with an expression she couldn’t define on his face. She vaguely felt the buzzing of her phone in the pocket of her jeans. Taryn pulled it out and tried to make out the number in the downpour.

  She pressed the button and put it up to her ears. “Hello? . . . Jackie…Jackie where are you?” Her heart leapt with excitement as she listened. “Okay, don’t move, don’t move, we’re on our way. Don’t you dare move!”

  She hung up and looked at Fabian. “She’s at the Sunrise Hotel somewhere off 14th street in DadeCounty. Room eighteen. I can find it on my GPS. Cae was crying in the background.”

  “Let’s go,” Fabian said grimly. “If my baby is hurt…”

  She was glad he let the sentence end there, hoping no violence was needed when they got to the motel. There was definitely no time to change because Cae needed them. She was shivering when she got back into the passenger seat and flicked the hot air on high to warm herself in the uncomfortable damp clothes.