“Melodie, do you know who Capt. Gethsemane Reynolds is?”
She nodded slowly.
Ed rolled his shoulders and stretched the tension from his neck. “Is she alive?”
“I doubt it.”
Ed wished he could snap his fingers and clean the slate for this beautiful woman. She’d been a victim all her life. No safe spaces. Most people thought it was just poor neighborhoods where kids were neglected and gangs gave them a twisted sense of family. Darkness touched every demographic, including Melodie’s.
“Where is she?” he asked. Melodie reached for her purse and he gently gripped her wrist. “She isn’t in there.”
Melodie released her hold, then removed the distance between them on the cushions, snuggling up to his side. “I don’t know where she is now. I don’t care.” She brushed her finger down his neck.
He gripped her hand. “Tell me where you saw the captain.”
The brunette tilted her head. “She was…staying at the estate with my brother.”
Ed highly doubted CDR Hunter’s old flame was a guest. “When did you see her last?”
Melodie shrugged. “Chandler took her out earlier this evening. Haven’t seen her since.”
He got the distinct feeling, she was playing with him. If he wanted more, Ed had to play along. Getting to his feet, he said, “You can stay here tonight, but you’re not smoking that shit in my place.”
He crossed the room and lowered the Murphy bed, then straightened the sheets. Tossing the pillows on the mattress, he considered the wisdom of letting her stay.
Something had spooked Melodie and she had nowhere else to go. If he kept her with him, he might learn more.
“You can have the bed.” He motioned toward the queen with his arm. “But I’m not sleeping in there with you.”
Melodie unfurled her legs and placed herself toe to toe with him. “I have a better idea. Why don’t we share what’s in my purse, then see what happens.”
Ed swallowed thickly and inhaled deeply through his nose while staring into Melodie’s pretty dark eyes.
Chapter Twenty-three
Near seven in the morning, Ed jolted awake. He swiveled and put his bare feet on the carpet and rubbed his eyes. Melodie hadn’t crawled into bed until after midnight. She’d stripped then slid under the covers. Without a second bedroom, he’d slept on the couch.
He rose and tucked the hem of his t-shirt into his waistband. A tap on his door made him pause. Melodie had told him she’d found his address in her brother’s office. Chandler knew where the entire team lived. When Ed asked how he’d managed that, she’d shrugged and said, money can get you anything you want.
Ed opened the door a crack. When he saw who stood there, he refrained a groan. Even Melodie’s psycho brother would have been preferable.
“Hey,” he greeted.
Avis offered him a bright smile. “Morning. Thought I’d drop by with breakfast.”
She held a small wicker basket with a red and white cloth draped over the contents in one hand and a couple coffees from the Erotic Bean in a cardboard tray in the other.
When he didn’t say anything, her cheeks blushed. “I know. You’re keeping your carb count down, but one of my customers is close by and I thought you might like a breakfast sandwich.”
He didn’t hear Melodie sneak up behind him. The gal didn’t bother to wrap a sheet around her body, appearing butt-fucking-naked.
“I’m starving,” Melodie said breathlessly.
The smile on Avis’s lips withered and she blinked a couple times. “Yeah, um, breakfast delivery.” She shoved the basket into his belly, which he caught before gravity spilled the contents, and handed the coffee tray to Melodie. “Have a good day,” she said brightly and practically broke into a run down the hallway.
Ed closed his eyes and shook his head while Melodie giggled.
“She looked a little shocked. Was that your girlfriend?” She sipped on the coffee and her expression melted with the hit of caffeine. “What’s in the basket?”
He dropped breakfast on the small kitchen table tucked against the back wall. “Help yourself.”
When he caught up to Avis, she’d almost reached her vehicle. She clicked her fob and grabbed the door handle on the red half-ton pickup. The door opened a couple inches before he pressed his palm against the glossy finish and slammed it shut.
“Not what you think,” he stated.
She stared at the ground. “Not my place to think anything.” Avis made a second attempt to open the door, which he stopped. Her shoulders sagged and she finally turned to face him. “I have deliveries.”
His gut tightened, seeing her pretty blue eyes saturated with disappointment. “She’s part of an investigation I’m involved in. Melodie’s been abused all her life and she’s an addict. The woman needed a place to crash last night.”
Avis shrugged. “Sure. And she just happened to be naked.”
“I slept on the couch.”
None of his explanation made Ed feel any better even though it was the truth. Probably from the bubbly blonde’s perspective, he not only dealt with warfare and terrorists, but he let addicts sleep in his bed. Even to Ed, it seemed like every corner of his life had a seedy character waiting to jump out of the shadows and drag him back to where he’d come from.
Spending time with Avis reminded him of the sun breaking through a mass of thick clouds on a shitty day. If she was smart, she’d find some dude with a college education who wore a tie to work.
He didn’t want Avis to think he’d called some chick the second she was out the door last night. “I’m not a dick. I mean…I am.” He sighed. “I can be. But I swear to you, I didn’t sleep with her. Never would. She’s messed up and I don’t need that shit in my life.”
“If anyone can help her, I’m sure you can. Besides, I shouldn’t have showed up announced.” She shrugged. “My fault.”
Her pleasant tone didn’t fool him. She turned to leave and Ed palmed her shoulder. “Little crazy right now with workups and this business about Chandler Kallis stalking Dixie.”
When she pivoted to look at him, her brows arced. “The dead guy? He was stalking Dixie?”
“What? What dead guy?”
Avis’s brow creased. “I heard it on the radio on my way over here. Some businessman named Chandler Kallis was found murdered this morning.”
“Oh, shit!” He took quick strides toward the front entrance of his building, then stopped.
Did he always have to run toward mayhem? Fuck that.
Ed pivoted, ran back and swept his arms around Avis’s waist, tugging her full breasts against his chest. “I’ve got leave before I deploy in August. I want to spend it with you. Before you agree, you need to know I’ve got a lot skeletons in my closet, and it’s probably the worst fucking thing you could do, letting me in your life.” His pulse picked up the pace with the thought he’d scare her away. “But I love your smile. Love the fact you came this morning to tempt me with your baking. You’re sweet, Avis, and as selfish as this sounds, I need to stand in your light for a while.”
Then he lowered his head and kissed the shocked expression right off her face.
****
Thane sat at his old desk at Base Command. Sure brought back a shit-ton of memories, seeing Red reading a brief and the ops staff in the center behind the one-way glass.
You could always rely on life to throw you a curve ball, but ten years ago he’d returned from deployment to find Kayla Banks had been hired. He’d certainly run the bases with her and never looked back.
“How’s Josh working out?” he asked.
Captain Redding removed his reading glasses and sat back in his swivel chair. “Making his mark, just like his predecessor.”
He’d expected nothing less when he heard Josh Hunter had accepted the position.
Red nodded. “He’s earned the men’s respect, Ghost. They trust him.”
“Good to hear. And you’re on the countdown to retirement.”
His old mentor crossed his arms over his chest. “Lydia approves.”
Red’s wife was an incredible lady, like most SEAL wives. She’d earned her stripes in more ways than one. “Kayla said we’re coming over for dinner with the kids next weekend.”
“That you are, unless something goes sideways with Dixie.”
Thane sighed. “Yeah, that’s a problem.”
“Saw the news this morning. The useless courtroom of social media has decided she’s guilty.”
“She’s not.”
Cracker knocked on the open office door. “Morning, sir.” He bobbed his head. “Captain Redding.”
“Morning, son. Come on in. You need the room, Ghost?” Redding asked.
“Appreciate it, Red.”
When Capt. Redding left and closed the door behind him, Thane pointed toward the guest chair.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Cracker sat down, his stern features set like clay.
Thane thread his fingers together and placed them on the desktop. “I’m gonna give you about three seconds to come clean, and I guarantee, Mr. Saxton, that’s three seconds longer than I give most people.”
Ed shifted in his chair. “Sir?”
Ghost jerked his head in annoyance. He’d always prided himself that the men who joined Alpha Squad were a cut above any other. Regardless of their training, they were men with one unbreakable truth—their pasts never interfered with a mission. In CDR Hunter’s case, it wasn’t a mission as much as supporting a brother.
Maybe Ed didn’t belong with SEAL Team One.
The ranking officer who sat in Josh’s chair, which was once Thane’s, had one responsibility. To know his men. Their pasts. Their present. SEALs were Special Operators and knew more than most of the serving class in the Forces. Background checks were extensive.
Ed had been raised in a rough part of Detroit. His mother died of an overdose, his father unknown. Cracker had avoided incarceration as a teenager, but Thane knew damn well the guy had just lucked out. At the Kallis estate, Ed had lost control. He’d complied with Lt. Bach’s order, but only barely. He’d been triggered by Chandler raping his sister, Melodie.
Thane glared at Cracker, giving him a second chance.
“I screwed up,” Ed admitted.
Thane settled back in his seat. “Where is she?”
Ed looked stunned for a second then shook his head, staring into his lap. “If you mean Melodie Kallis, I don’t know. Think I was played.”
With a shrug, he said, “Happens. Time to unload. Then I’ll decide whether or not you’ll remain with Alpha Squad.”
Ed’s gaze darted to Ghost’s. “Sir, this isn’t a mission.”
His hand landed with a thundering clap on the desk. “In or out of this fucking base, you are a SEAL, Petty Officer Saxton. The Trident isn’t a pair of congratulatory earrings.”
Ed nodded quickly, his gaze directed at his feet. “Yes, sir.”
Ghost waited until Ed finally looked him in the eyes. “Lay it on the table.”
“Melodie came by my place last night around ten p.m. Said she needed a place to crash. She seemed spooked…” He paused. “And she was high.”
Yeah, pretty much what he surmised. “On what?”
Saxton cleared his throat. “Crack. She, uh, told me that she’d seen Captain Reynolds at the Kallis estate, but Chandler had taken her out last night. When I asked if she thought Gesem was alive, she said she doubted it.”
Thane glanced out the window that looked over Glorietta Bay, like he had done so many times in the past. “Then what?”
“This morning a friend dropped by and she misunderstood what she saw. I followed her outside to explain and when I got back to the apartment, Melodie was gone.”
Now was the time Thane had to rely on gut instinct, versus what Ed’s next answer would be. From the day Saxton had joined Alpha Squad, he’d always kept himself slightly apart from the other Frogs. Not enough to cause questions, but enough that Thane had noticed. Some team guys took time to warm up and be accepted by the other members. No one had any complaints regarding Saxton’s abilities or how he worked with the men on a mission. But that wasn’t always the root of potential problems. Special Operators had several ways of blowing off steam. Some were healthy, others were not.
A tap on his door made Thane turn in his seat to look into the ops center. One person missing.
“Not now, Miss Levy,” he said loudly.
“Sorry, sir. Not urgent. I’ll come back,” she answered, her voice muffled from the other side of the door.
Cracker waited for a couple seconds before saying, “Sir, if you’re wondering whether I’m using drugs, I’m not.”
“Do you want to amend your statement to, not anymore?”
The slight sag in his shoulders answered Thane’s question.
“Not anymore. I was a teenager growing up on the streets of Detroit. I had a home but it wasn’t…very stable.”
A knot tied in Thane’s throat. A memory. One that reminded him of an amazing man who beat the odds of a lousy upbringing and became a leader. He nodded to himself. “Petty Officer Saxton, you had the honor, although not for long, to serve under Lt. Patrick Cobbs.”
“Yes, sir. I really respected him. A lot.”
“Do you know where Patrick grew up?”
Saxton shook his head. “No, sir.”
“Worst fucking neighborhood in San Diego. It wasn’t just the other side of the tracks, it was the end of the track. Drugs, abuse, poverty, crime. Patrick’s father couldn’t hold a job. Stayed at the local bar until the lights turned off every night. Patrick’s mother had cancer. A good woman who needed a decent husband. Often, Pat went looking for his dad to bring him home. He’d find him in a rundown hotel room with some random woman. Because his old man was a write off, Lt. Cobbs put food in the family’s fridge, working weekends at a garage that doubled as a chop shop.”
Cracker’s brows arched with astonishment. “I never knew any of that.”
“Like you, he didn’t like to share that part of his life. Patrick had one chance and he took it by joining the Navy. Becoming a SEAL. I come from an upper middle class family. In those early days, he tried to keep me away. Embarrassed that he didn’t have much. Finally, he figured out a team brother doesn’t care if your sandbox was gold plated or made from broken pallets. Mr. Saxton, you can either allow your past to stain your future, or accept your tomorrows without the chains of yesterday dragging your ass through the dirt. I know it’s not easy. I saw my best friend struggle.”
Saxton closed his eyes. “It’s not just that, sir. I should have called CDR Hunter the second Melodie showed up. She didn’t know where Kallis had taken Gesem, but I should have reported in.”
Thane hid a smile. Okay, so the message was getting through. “Why didn’t you?”
“Melodie, she…” He shrugged. “She reminds me of my sister. Cher disappeared after our eleventh birthday. Mom didn’t give a shit.” He shrugged. “Too cranked out on heroin. My sister became a missing kid statistic. When I saw Chandler assaulting Melodie, I lost it. That kind of betrayal hits me hard. My sister and I, we only had each other. I didn’t do my job. Didn’t protect her.” His brow squeezed into tight creases. “That’s what brothers do. They don’t…” Ed shook his head as if to clear the image. “Melodie’s a victim and she’s medicating the pain with drugs. I’m not attracted to her, if that crossed your mind. I just want to help.”
Ghost stood and wandered to the window. The sun shone at full strength on the low swell in the bay. “If things go down as I think they will, Melodie will eventually have her freedom. Whether she chooses to tackle her addiction will be her decision. If she fails, don’t follow her down the rabbit hole, Mr. Saxton.”
“I don’t want that either, sir.”
Thane crossed his arms and surveyed Cracker. Something was obvious as hell to him, but not to Saxton. The shadow of his sister colored how he saw Melodie. “What time did you say she showed up at
your place?”
“Around ten p.m.”
Thane’s cell vibrated and he looked at the text from CDR Hunter.
Confirmed. Gesem left the Ardon building. Body recovery complete at Kallis estate. Dean wants me down at the morgue to ID the body.
Poor bastard. Even if Hunter wasn’t in love with the woman, they’d had a relationship. He replied.
Condolences, CDR.
“Petty Officer Saxton, do you have contact with Melodie?”
Cracker remained in the seat. “No, sir. I don’t have a clue where she went. I suggested the Feds would probably put her in protective custody if she’d be willing to talk. But she’s scared.”
“When you tracked her from the Kallis estate, where did she go?” People, especially addicts, were creatures of routine.
Ed seemed to come to the same idea, once prompted. His eyes widened. “Yeah, right. It’s a shithole of a lounge in El Cajon called Copperhead. Melodie met her dealer there.”
He nodded. “Well, that’s where we’ll find her. Just a matter of time. I’ll let Det. Dean know. You’re dismissed, Saxton.”
Cracker reached the door. “Sir, do you think I’ll stay on the west coast or be relocated to Little Creek? Only reason I ask is that I met this gal.” He cleared his throat. “I like her, she’s…different. But if I’m going to be posted to the east coast—”
Thane nodded. “I hear what you’re saying, Ed, but did you understand what I said?”
“I did, sir. Clearly.”
“Then for now, I’d say take the lady out to dinner.”
Cracker actually smiled before he left the office, which if Thane remembered correctly, sure as hell didn’t happen very often.
They’d have Melodie in custody within a day or so. Senator Kallis was going to be a lot harder to bring down.
CDR Hunter didn’t have the connections to make that happen, but Thane sure as hell did. Especially with his new position, which he hadn’t divulged to anyone. Not even Kayla knew the scope.
He dialed a number on his cell. When the party answered, Thane spoke. “I have a submission for the table.”
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