Josh strolled across the lawn toward the group watching Rayne and Elijah open their gifts. Ten feet away, his cell rang. He slipped it out of jeans pocket.
“Commander Hunter.”
“Well, now. Aren’t you just the boss?”
Who the hell was this? “You got the wrong number, pal.”
“No, don’t think I do,” the guy said, stopping Josh from hanging up.
Suddenly, his internal alarms started to fire. With an abrupt about-face, he headed for the rear of the backyard. “Got something useful to say, or do I hang up? Maybe start with your name and I might listen.”
All Frogs had an uncanny system that alerted them to danger. Josh reached the back fence. When he turned, the admiral plus all the team guys were headed his way. He knelt and wrote “Him” in the dirt. He pointed at Ditz, then the ground.
Didn’t take their comm man a second to run full tilt toward the house. Josh hoped it was to retrieve his mobile computer and intercept the call.
“Doesn’t matter what my name is,” the guy said. “What’s important is what I need you to do.”
His pulse ramped up. Selecting speaker, the men could hear the asshole, and they gathered closer. Antagonizing this guy was the wrong move. The more Josh could get him to talk, the better chance he’d leak something they could use. He was a narcissist. Had to play into that.
“Looks like you’re holding all the cards. Dixie is shit-scared. You’ve got her thinking about running again.”
The man sighed, then sounded as if he was swallowing a drink. His fellow SEALs surrounded him but before long Kayla, Nina, Rayne, Marg, Lumin and Dixie joined the semi-circle of people staring at him.
“She’s not going to run. It’s time we made things permanent. Dixie is going to join me.”
Josh balled his fist. “Join you where? For what?”
He chuckled. “Come on, man. Don’t be jealous. I’ve had a longer relationship with Miss Hammond than you have by a long shot. Dixie is going to come to me of her own free will.”
Dixie clutched her chest, her eyes wide. The other wives surrounded her as if protecting her against the threat.
Josh wanted more. “What do you have that she needs?”
“I have everything. You, on the other hand, have zero to offer. Country first, right? Protector of the red, white and blue.”
This was all part of the predator’s game. Psychopaths loved to manipulate. Josh had to make this personal. “You’ve got half of it right, but I’ll protect her first because I loved her first. Always have. You might think you know Dix, but you’ve never known her the way I have. If you get my drift.”
Dixie blinked with shock.
“You sure about that?” the stalker asked.
Josh grit his teeth for a minute, remembering the note and his fears that she knew this guy somehow. Time to throw the gauntlet down.
“Yeah, I am.” Josh stared at his ex-fiancée. She paled and glanced nervously at Kayla. “I’m not going anywhere. Neither is the woman I almost married.” He paused. “Should have married.”
The women around Dix broke into huge smiles. Elijah and the admiral shot a glance at one another.
The pause was lengthy, telling Josh he’d made headway, so he continued. “You don’t know Dixie if you think you can attract her with an Ivy League education and a couple bucks in your bank account.”
The sick prick chuckled. “You saw my ring and figured it out. Good for you. The honorable Class of ‘08. My brothers and I have gone on to great things.”
Josh shot a look at Ditz. Could be another red herring, but knowing the graduating year narrowed the scope. The prick’s confirmation meant they’d pinpointed the right guy from the video. Now he prayed like fuck that Sabrina remembered what he looked like.
“You’re gonna have to be at the top of your game to beat me, pal.” Josh taunted. “I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you drop by a psych ward and have that frontal lobe of yours checked out?”
The stalker laughed. “I’ve already beaten you, Commander. Besides, I know all about that nice captain you’ve been fucking for years. What’s her name, Gethsemane? Pretty woman.”
He darted a glance at Dix, but she was caught up in the conversation, glaring at his phone.
It irked him to say it, but he had to. “She’s like all the rest of the women I’ve known. We had a good time, but we went our separate ways.”
“Mmm, I don’t think so. As I understand it, you asked her to come live with you in San Diego.” He chuckled. “I see why. She’s hot. The good captain must have been a memorable fuck. I bet you weren’t thinking about Dixie when you had Gesem on her back, making her come.”
Josh avoided Dixie’s eyes. Too late to get the guy off speaker, the damage was already done. This prick was a pro at getting under someone’s skin.
“Is there a reason you’re so interested in my love life? Maybe you’re into guys and should change your target.”
“I know your type, SEAL. To put it in simple terms, I’ve got you by the balls. You just don’t know it yet. Dixie has one future and it’s with me.”
“Aren’t high-priced whores good enough?” A shot in the dark hardly ever landed in the right spot, but Det. Dean and Manchester figured this guy fed his need with other women. If he was rich, he could probably afford the call girls that serviced the elite.
A long pause ensued.
“I’ll make a suggestion, CDR Hunter. Patch things up with the woman who sucked your dick for three years. I’m sure you’ll find she’s amiable to the idea. Least, that’s what she mentioned when I spoke with her.” The sound of ice clinking together interrupted the call. “Apparently, she dropped by your place, looking to tell you she’d changed her mind, but you weren’t home. Imagine how distraught she was, learning you’d spent the night at Dixie’s.”
Josh’s blood burned white-hot but he kept his voice steady. “When I find you, I won’t leave much for your family to bury.”
The guy laughed. “I’m untouchable. When my cock is deep in Dixie’s wet pussy, she’s going to love every second of it and forget about you.”
The call disconnected.
“Ditz?” Josh said sharply.
Clay Sacks had one knee to the ground and the mobile computer balanced on his thigh. “Couldn’t pinpoint him, but I got the cell tower. About sixty miles northeast of San Diego.”
Everyone surrounded the comm expert. Ditz zoomed in on a satellite image of the area surrounding the tower.
Josh nodded. “Send me the coordinates. I’ll get them to Det. Dean.”
Admiral Austen’s low timbre boomed. “Tex!”
“Yes, Admiral?” The southerner’s face was a mask of angry lines.
“Find CDR Hunter the names of the Yale graduating class of 2008.”
“On it, sir. Elijah, can I borrow your computer? Gotta hack the shit outta this fucking guy’s alma mater.”
Elijah waved Tex to follow. “You bet.”
“Stand down,” Josh ordered. “I can’t ask you to get involved in this.”
“Do it,” the admiral ordered.
Kayla and the other women guided Dixie back to the patio and the team guys surrounded Josh. “Sorry, Eli. Didn’t mean to screw up your party.”
Red had joined the posse halfway through the call.
“You got bigger worries than that, Commander,” Elijah said. “This guy means business.”
Admiral Austen said, “Commander, guys like this are pathological. His prime motivation is to manipulate. He knows you’re going to ID him.”
“The sonofabitch found out about my relationship with Gesem.”
Mace Callahan cleared his throat. “Predators like him are resourceful. As soon as he figured out you might be an obstacle, he found out where you lived. Maybe he’s even been in your place. Searched it. Found something. Or hacked your personal devices. Do you have a picture of this woman?”
He nodded. “Not many, but I do.” Josh stored them on his personal lap
top. “How the fuck did he hack my computer?”
“He’s got connections,” the admiral stated harshly. “Doubtful he’s the expert, but he has money and resources. He could have hired someone to breach your personal files.”
A few minutes ago, Josh had a bit of a mountain to climb with Dix to gain her trust again. This bastard just made it ten times harder. “This sonofabitch is going down.”
The admiral grimaced. “He’s baiting you. Don’t forget that.”
Mace, now a BUD/S instructor, said, “This asshole figures he’s untouchable. You gotta shake him outta the limb he’s sitting on.”
Josh agreed. The admiral and Mace were both correct. “One of Dixie’s staff got a look at him. The detective said he’d bring her in to work with a sketch artist this week.”
“Get her to the cop shop now,” the admiral said. “That phone call just started the clock, Commander. He’s got a game plan.”
Tony “Tinman” Bale glanced over his shoulder, then did a full turn. “Where are the wives?”
Master Chief Mason Briggs, a.k.a Fox, turned as well. “Where’s the kids?”
Chapter Twelve
Josh watched as Admiral Austen bolted across the lawn, the rest of the SEALs right behind him. Red couldn’t keep up with the younger men with his bum leg but headed in the direction of the house at a fast hobble.
Smoke piped from five barbeque grills lined up on the patio. The crowd had thinned out considerably with most of the women and kids missing.
Josh stood next to Elijah. “What the fuck’s going on?”
“Oh, shit,” Elijah spouted and headed for the house.
Josh followed, not understanding what caused the stir of panic.
When Josh reached the kitchen, the team guys stood in a circle, every one of them holding a cell to their ear. No sign of the women and children. Even Rayne was gone. Her mother and father were still on the patio speaking with Lydia, Captain Redding’s wife.
“Rayne!” Elijah ran down the hallway and reappeared a few seconds later. “God damnit.” He dug into his board shorts back pocket and whipped out his cell.
Josh did not comprehend this Twilight Zone moment.
Obviously, Admiral Austen got through first when he shouted, “What the fuck, Kayla!” He listened and then rolled his eyes. “Bring her back. Now. Right fucking now!” The admiral scraped his fingers through his hair and pivoted on a heel. “No.”
Mace shook his head. “Nina’s not answering.”
Tinman ended his call. “Neither is Lumin.”
“Bonjour. Sorry we’re late,” Greg LaPierre greeted as he and a lovely woman walked into the kitchen. With one sweep of the room, he stopped dead. Greg’s brow pinched together. The couple held the hands of two young boys. “Sweetheart, maybe you should take the boys into the backyard.”
She nodded and hurriedly made her way with her children through the gaggle of men.
He and LaPierre locked eyes.
“No need to explain. I’ll catch up,” LaPierre said.
The admiral disconnected his call. “The wives have Dixie. They’re safe.”
“Safe where?” Josh demanded. “Why the fuck did they leave? Where did they go?”
“Safe,” the admiral said again. “Tex, you making progress?”
“Yes, sir, but need more time.”
Josh’s cell rang and he saw it was an unknown number. “Hello.”
“I know you’re pissed. Don’t be.”
He exhaled with relief and headed outside for a little privacy. “Dixie, what’s going on?”
“Um, well, I think I’ve been taken hostage by friendly allies.”
“I don’t understand. Where are you?”
The sound of the cell changing hands made him pause.
“Hi, Commander.”
“Nina, what the hell are you doing?”
“We have Dixie and we’re keeping her. Do what you have to do to find this asshole. Dixie will be safe with us.”
“Is that my wife?” the admiral asked, appearing outside.
Josh shook his head. “No. It’s Nina.”
Ghost arched a brow. “Concentrate on finding this guy. The wives will protect Dixie. They know what they’re doing.”
Even though he had no clue why the women would just up and leave the party taking Dix with them, he had to trust the admiral. “Nina, tell Dixie to get a hold of Sabrina at the Erotic Bean. I need to talk with her ASAP.”
“Yes, sir. By the way, did you know this guy has been texting her every day? As in a lot of times per day?”
Josh stopped pacing in circles. “No, I didn’t.”
“Well, now you do, but don’t ask to see them because they are way worse than the notes.”
“How worse?”
“Pornographic worse. Every description and detail you can think of. We’re going to get her a burner phone and we’ll keep this one for evidence. Dixie wants to talk to you again.”
“Hey, Josh.”
“Sweetheart—”
“Not your sweetheart.”
Had she not heard what he’d said to her stalker? “Yeah, you are. I wasn’t playing a con—”
“Stop, Josh. I don’t want to hear it. I really don’t.”
“I understand what he said about Gesem must have hurt you.”
She sighed. “Is it true? Did you ask her to move to the west coast with you?”
Josh nudged the edge of a portable table leg with his boot while staring at the stamped cement patio. Damned if he did and damned if didn’t answer.
“Your silence answers the question, so you don’t have to.”
“Stop right there. I didn’t ask her to live with me, all right?” He cleared the lump from his throat. He might be guilty of not clarifying, but he’d told the truth. He’d never asked Gesem to shack-up.
Instead of arguing, she said, “I’m going to hang with these interesting ladies for a while because they seem kinda nice and suggested we get drunk, which I think I’ve earned.”
“Dix—”
“Nope. Like I said the other night, we’re fine. Obviously, you wanted to make a life with Gesem. Just because she’s working on her career doesn’t mean you should stop loving her.”
Josh closed his eyes and shook his head. Stubborn, stubborn, woman. “Yeah, sure.”
“Do an old friend a favor. This guy has lost every marble in the bag. Let Det. Dean catch him.”
His guts knotted. “I’m not made that way, sweet—Dix. I help people. And you’ve always been my favorite person, regardless of what happened. I don’t know what the heck those crazy SEAL wives are up to, but I want you to keep in contact with me.”
“Rayne says your deployment starts in August and the men have something called workups before they leave. I don’t know what that is, but I’m sure I’ll get a few lessons tonight. Don’t be a stranger, Josh. You’re always welcome to visit the Erotic Bean for a cup of coffee. Bye.”
The call disconnected and he palmed the front of his shirt, because it felt like an elephant had squatted over his chest and took an enormous dump.
The clock was ticking. Too many blank holes. Josh scrubbed his jaw in thought.
Austen crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I imagine that was the call telling you to stay away from her.”
Fuck, did the guy have bionic hearing? Josh nodded.
“Kayla came face to face with a few women I’d known. It’s not an easy pill to swallow. Believe me, I got a serious dose of my own medicine. When you meet a guy the woman you love has been intimate with, it’s like being kicked in the nuts.”
Josh eyed the admiral. “Someone Kayla was with?”
“Yeah.” The admiral’s brow arched. “He’s in the kitchen.”
“Huh?”
Admiral Austen shrugged. “LaPierre and I are like brothers now.”
“Greg? You’re kidding.”
“It’s a long story, but Greg was Kayla’s brother-in-law. He’s always loved her. Helped her through
some seriously hard times. That love transcended into something else. My point is, we all have a past, Commander. As for Dixie, I wouldn’t worry if I were you. Our wives are a force to be reckoned with. It’d be a sad fucking day for that pervert to try and take them all on, which frees you up to track this guy. The rest will fall into place.”
Josh’s thoughts and emotions tumbled down a steep hill, but he knew catching the stalker was the priority. “Any idea where the women are? I don’t like not knowing Dix’s location.”
Mace and Tinman joined them outside.
The admiral nodded. “Pretty good idea.”
“Dix won’t stay hidden,” Josh said. “She has a business to run.”
Mace stepped up. “Sorry to interrupt, Commander. I got a hold of Det. Dean at Coronado PD. Gave him a SITREP. He says he’ll call in the sketch artist if you can get Dixie’s gal into the station.”
“She should be calling me shortly.” Josh glanced at his watch. Twenty-hundred hours.
Tex leaned out the patio doors. “Think you’re gonna want to see this, Commander.”
“Find me a lead?” Josh asked.
“The miracle of modern technology just paid off.” Tex jerked his head for them to get inside.
Everyone surrounded Tex, who sat at the kitchen table. On the laptop screen was a list of graduates from the 2008 Ivy League college they’d linked with the ring. A sizeable class of grads.
“Big list, right?” Tex clicked a button and another tab opened on the screen.
“What the hell. You hack that?” Ditz asked, surprised.
Tex gave the comm expert a wide southern grin. “Hey, I was paying attention, my friend.”
The southerner had found the names of the secret fraternity where the ring originated.
Tex typed in a few more keystrokes and another list appeared. A cross reference between the graduating class and those who belonged to the secret fraternity. The list paired down to three names and three class pictures.
Josh didn’t need the video from Dixie’s shop to pick the asshole out of the list. He leaned closer. “Got you, motherfucker.” He skewered the table with a look. “Chandler Kallis.” Why did that name sound familiar?
Tex traced his mouse pointer over the bottom of the monitor, maximizing a tab, then sat back in his seat. “His father’s a senator. Gavin Kallis.”
Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion Book 2) Page 13