Chapter Twelve
The evening finished with most of the group retiring early. Mike headed back to DC. “Curly, I can bring you by your house if you’d like,” Wes offered.
“You have to be exhausted. We can go tomorrow.”
“C’mon, I’ll take you now.” Wes extended his hand and pulled her from her seat. He helped her into his Tahoe and enabled his Bluetooth. “This is Crockett, ID Tango Charlie One Alpha Whiskey Charlie, 1806, I have one passenger, headed to…” he followed it with Eleanor’s Leesburg address.
“You always have to tell them where you’re going?” Eleanor asked.
“Yeah, it’s necessary to keep us safe. Before I moved up the executive chain, my work irritated some people.” He didn’t tell her about the security tail that would follow them.
Eleanor chuckled. “That’s a nice way to say you made enemies. I don’t make judgments; the one thing veterans,among others, have taught me is nothing is black and white.”
Wes pulled into the driveway of a two-story home on a cul du sac in a quiet residential area of Leesburg. The home with brick and white vinyl siding had a large green door and matching green shutters. The house was well lit with a combination of fixed and motion detector lights. Eleanor disabled the alarm after she opened the double-locked front door.
Once inside, the door opened to the bottom of a stairwell. To the left was a dining room that opened to a full kitchen. To the right was a living room that opened into a den.
Eleanor welcomed him inside. “I can make you a quick cup of coffee or tea, or I think I have a beer or soda while you wait.”
“I’ll take the soda.” Wes sat on the couch. “Your home is lovely.”
“Thank you.” She grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator and brought it to Wes. “I’ll be right back.” She jogged up the stairs.
Wes got up and walked to the entertainment center. It held framed photographs of the girls in their teens. He understood why she chose the apartment. The home was lovely, but without her parents or Belinda, it was lonely.
He lifted one of the pictures from the shelf. Eleanor came up beside him, her eyes darting from Wes to the picture in his hands. “Ellie?”
Eleanor turned away. She had no place to run. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked you to come here.”
“It’s okay, Ellie.”
“You won’t understand.”
Wes walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Curly, talk to me.”
She shook her head. “My sister, Belinda.” Her chest rose with a deep breath. “She’s a nurse.”
“Where is she?”
She closed her eyes. After they fluttered open, she turned in his arms, tears filling her eyes. “I thought I could do this, but it isn’t fair to you. I think it’s best if you go. You and the Center and your program don’t deserve my mess. You’d be better off without me.” A tear dropped.
His hands cupped her face. “Curly, we need to talk,” he whispered.
“Tell me I can trust you,” she begged.
“I’d never intentionally do anything to hurt you, Ellie.” He chose his words carefully. He lifted another picture from the shelf of a couple dancing in formal clothing.
“Phyllis and Jason West.” She offered a small smile. “They loved each other. He was a gentleman. She was tough as nails but a lady.”
Wes held the picture in one hand and took hers in the other. “Talk to me, Curly.”
Eleanor turned her hand and interlocked her fingers with his. “Wes?”
“I’m here.”
She led him through the living room into the den. A couch, club chair with ottoman and loveseat upholstered in a buttery red leather sat with a view of a fireplace. Above it was a large screen TV. Shelves rose to the ceiling filled with books, knick-knacks and photographs, all filling the room with love. “This is my favorite room,” she said sadly.
“I can see why.” He moved to the loveseat. “Sit with me.
