by Sommer Smith
He stopped, looking into Keilani’s eyes for a long moment. She nodded her encouragement and he finally continued.
“We made it until Christmas. But while she was home on break, she called me crying. She wanted me to come home. I told her she was being ridiculous. She knew I couldn’t just quit and leave. I couldn’t talk any sense into her, though, and the next day I got a call from a really good friend named Jordan. He had gone to the same university as Jade and planned to be a lawyer. He told me he was in love with Jade and that they had been seeing each other for a few weeks. She never admitted it to me herself. I knew Jordan was telling me the truth, so I broke up with her. I knew I’d done the right thing when they got married a few months later. She was pregnant, and far enough along to prove what Jordan had told me.”
Keilani was devastated for him. “Wow, that must have been really terrible.”
He shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t injured. “It happens.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s easy to get over. Do you still care for her?”
“It was a long time ago.” He tried to leave it at that.
“Still, if you loved her the feelings could linger—”
“Like I said, I just thought I loved her.” He turned away.
He obviously wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know. It frustrated her. She wanted to help him, but he clearly wasn’t willing to trust her with his feelings. Maybe he never would.
The past several hours had been long and tiring, and Keilani found she was feeling discouraged. She didn’t like the self-pity that tried to creep in on her, so she busied herself with checking on the dolphins and reorganizing supplies. If Micah noticed, he chose to give her some space.
Things were quiet for a long time, which just made it more difficult for Keilani to work off the funk she was in. The events of the past couple of days had really begun to wear on her. Finally, she slumped into a chair in the corner and just let the tears fall. She didn’t want to disappoint Micah by showing weakness, but she couldn’t find the strength to hold it together anymore. She couldn’t take it.
He surprised her by crouching beside her in concern, brows knit together as he grasped her hand. “Hey, I’m sorry. I should have made sure you were okay earlier. At least helped you keep your mind off things. I’m not good at this stuff. What can I do to help?”
She shook her head, tears falling faster in the face of his concern. “There’s nothing. I’m sorry. I’m trying—”
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Nothing to be sorry for. You’ve done great. You must be exhausted, and between the attacker and the dolphins, you’ve not had a chance to breathe. If you can just hold on a little longer, I think we are about to catch this guy.”
This comment got her attention. “Really? Why do you say that?”
He was looking at his phone. “I just got a message from my CO, Captain Jarvis, saying he was checking into a strong lead here on base. It may not pan out, but even if it doesn’t, I have a feeling it will lead us in the right direction.”
“You’re sure? I feel like we’ve had a lot of near misses so far.” She wiped at the corner of one eye.
“Yes, I’m sure. Don’t get discouraged. I promise I’ll keep you safe. For as long as it takes.” He squeezed her hand.
Her thoughts went to what would happen next. If they did finally catch this guy, how would things change between her and Micah? Would he still want to work with her? He might not have a choice, but it would be difficult if he wanted her to leave. And how would they ever keep things professional after being so close throughout these past few days? And then there was that kiss...
She had to put it out of her mind. They would just have to deal with things as they came. Nothing would be changed by her worry.
“You okay?” Micah was gazing at her with pronounced intensity as if willing his own strength into her.
“Yes. I mean, I will be.” She stood and took a deep breath. “I have an idea about how we can help.”
His expression became guarded. “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
“What if we send in a team to clear out their little work area? Could we attract their attention and force them into action so we could catch them and end this?” She was done with this. She would rather endanger herself than keep living in constant fear. She was grasping, surely, but she wanted to feel useful somehow.
“The navy will take care of it when Captain Jarvis gives the order. I’m sorry things aren’t moving more quickly.” His tone said he didn’t like where this was going.
Keilani didn’t care. She had to convince him. She was desperate to get this over with. “They’re after me, right? So what if I act as bait, of a sort. We can make it look like you had to leave me alone with the dolphins without you. That would make it seem like I would be an easier target. They might think it’s easier to come after us one at a time. The team moves in to take out their little operation when they come after me. You could have a couple of guys situated to take them down once their underwater base is secured.”
“That’s putting you in too much danger. Who knows how long it could take to secure it, and the main reason they are after you is to kill you. That wouldn’t take these guys long at all. And there is always the chance they could turn around and try to use you as bait to get to me.” He was being blunt and showed no remorse for it.
She felt a little uneasy about the thought of them using her to try to get to Micah, even though she didn’t think it would work. He would protect the dolphins first.
She pushed the thought aside. “I’m sure you can handle whatever they throw at you. And what if I give them some incentive to keep me alive?” She thrust her chin out at him.
“Like what?” His thunderous expression said he couldn’t think of a single reason he might like.
“Maybe we take something of theirs—or at least something they perceive to be theirs. We could use something valuable such as one of the dolphins they are using. We could hide it somewhere safe and then when we claim to know where it is, they might be willing to keep me alive a little longer.”
He shook his head. “Or they might just torture you until you tell. It’s too risky. We’ll have to find another way.”
She was running out of ammo. Why did he have to be so stubborn?
“Lieutenant Kent.” A deep voice from the door startled Keilani. They turned to see the same officer from earlier.
Micah faced him, no surprise on his face. If he hadn’t known the man was there, no one would have ever guessed by his reaction. “What is it, Petty Officer Taggert?”
“Just received a call from Petty Officer Carraway. It’s not good news.” The man’s face was a steel mask.
“What news?” Micah’s tone bordered on impatient.
“Petty Officer Emmett McCauley has been shot. He’s still alive, but he’s in critical condition.”
The game had just changed.
* * *
Micah concentrated on breathing in and out until his anger numbed enough to prevent him from doing anything too rash. Keilani’s idea suddenly held far more appeal. Their enemy was obviously trying to draw them out, but Micah was done playing games. He was going to end this.
“How did it happen?” He made the mistake of glancing in Keilani’s direction and her crumpled expression lit the fuse on his anger once again.
“McCauley was leaving your house. It looks like someone was waiting for him.” The damage done to the house by the Molotov cocktail had been minimal but Emmett had been there trying to clean up the inside.
Even though Taggert was as rigid as any naval officer should be, there was clear regret in his eyes as he explained what happened. Everyone liked Emmett.
“So he was specifically targeted.” He could almost hear his own teeth grinding together.
“It would appear so.”
Micah dis
missed Taggert and the man fled. Micah realized his anger must be more apparent than he thought.
Keilani wasn’t intimidated by his obvious wrath, however. “So are you ready to consider my plan?”
He didn’t answer her immediately and she started to speak again. “I’m sorry. I feel like—”
“Don’t even think about saying it’s your fault. We’re all expendable to these guys now that we’ve seen the evidence of their operation.” He began walking around the room, picking things up and moving them, knowing she was wondering why.
“I—Okay. What are you doing?” She cocked her head to one side.
“Reordering things.”
“Reordering...things? What? Why?”
“It helps me focus. I can’t just stare into space and come up with a solution. Especially not when I’m angry.” He didn’t look at her, just kept moving around the room.
He could feel her staring at him and finally stopped. “It’s a trick I had to learn a long time ago. When I first entered SEAL training I had real problems trying to focus. I worked through it, but before I was recommended to take over the job with the dolphins it became much worse.”
“How?” Keilani’s brow wrinkled.
“It’s hard to explain. I told you I had what my superiors thought was a natural gift with the cetaceans. What I didn’t tell you was that it actually saved my career. I was dangerously close to being asked to leave the program, even though I made it through the training and selection process.”
Keilani’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“It was a training exercise, but I didn’t know it at the time. I made a mistake—a big one—which could have cost many of my team members their lives, all because of my lack of focus. I got angry and lost it. I was put on probation and sent to a naval psychologist. He told me I had to learn to focus and control my anger or I would never survive in the navy. He quickly determined that I was dealing with some ADHD issues. I had two choices. I could either medicate and be considered useless by the navy, or I could learn some coping skills that would help me in every aspect of my life.” He started moving around the room again.
“So you started reordering things.” She sounded a little awed by it.
“That was one of the methods. We came up with several options along the way. That wasn’t enough for the navy, of course. When I was recommended for the job with the dolphins, my CO still hesitated. They gave a couple of other guys a shot at it, but the dolphins were the ones who really got me the job. They didn’t take to anyone else the way they did to me. It was almost like they knew we needed each other.”
“They have some of the most well-developed brains of any mammals. They chose you.” Her soft tone confirmed that she realized he was thinking it, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Well, I’m grateful they did. I would have never survived my enlistment if they had sent me back to being a sailor.” Telling the story had calmed his anger somewhat, but he still felt an urgent need to come up with a solution.
“We’re going to get these guys, Micah.” Her calm statement stilled him once more. Something about the collected way she addressed him soothed what was left of his anger.
Before Micah could respond, however, Xavier burst through the door. “You’ve gotta get her out of here, man. These guys are through playing around.”
Micah was thrown even more off balance by the normally calm Xavier running in like that. He had never seen his friend so rattled.
Micah was asking questions before Xavier could catch his breath. “What else has happened?”
“They’ve found Emmett’s shooter. He’s a former SEAL. Remember the guy you were asking me about? Jarnigan?”
Micah nodded. “It was him?”
“Yeah, but the only reason they found him is because he’s dead. His body was discovered in a dumpster in the sketchy part of town. Someone is getting rid of evidence. But that’s not all.”
Micah felt his face harden into a stone mask.
Xavier pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Micah. It was a neatly drawn map of the base, highlighting the dolphin enclosures and the veterinary facilities, which were marked with bold red Xs. The top of the note had a cryptic message. “You mess with my operation, I mess with yours.” The bottom of the note had the single word BOOM! spelled out in large letters.
“Apparently, this guy thinks he’s cute.” Micah was through being intimidated. “It could be just an empty threat.”
Xavier silently began pushing buttons on his phone. He handed it to Micah, who took it reluctantly. “They’ve already found two.”
Micah examined the picture and let out a low whistle. “These are professional.” Then he turned to Keilani. “We’re getting you out of here, just in case.”
“But what about the dolphins?” Keilani shook her head at him as if she wouldn’t leave without them.
“They should be relatively safe from any explosives under the water.” Micah started nudging her out.
“Relatively?” She didn’t look convinced.
He frowned at her. “I can’t make absolute guarantees. But your safety is more important. We have to get you out.”
She glared at him for a moment, but finally started moving toward the door. “What about the dolphins’ safety? They’re important to me.”
“We’ll turn them out into the pens farthest from the center of the base, closer to the ocean. They’re smart, remember? They can identify bombs.” He motioned for her to move faster.
“But do they know to stay away from them? Do they understand what bombs do?” She wasn’t easily persuaded. Her mental state seemed to be growing more fragile.
He fixed her with a serious stare. “Of course they do. They are trained to find them. And I just explained to you how much these guys mean to me. Do you really think I would just abandon them if they were in any real danger?” Micah looked her in the eye until she shook her head.
“No. I’m sure you wouldn’t.” She glanced at Xavier, who was waiting to follow them out.
Micah watched Keilani’s skin go white before she began to hurry out. He knew of only one safe place to take her right now. He would have to contact his CO and let him know, but first he needed her off the base, and maybe even off this side of the bay. They would have to go to a safe house, but the only secure way to get to one was by helicopter. He had a feeling their vehicles might also be loaded with explosives. The bomb threat was most likely a maneuver to flush them out, so their adversaries were definitely going to be pulling out all the stops at this point.
Micah was on the radio in an instant. The base was being cleared while the bomb squad went to work, so the request for helicopter transport might take a little longer than usual. In the interim, he would take every precaution to keep Keilani out of harm’s way.
“We’re going to have to go back and release Gus into a safer tank. He’s too exposed in the ICU. By that time we can head out to meet the helicopter.” He gathered up everything he could carry in the way of weapons and handed Keilani a Kevlar vest and helmet he had pulled from a storage closet. “Put these on.”
“Are you sure? I’m not certain Gus is ready to be released.” She was turning the vest over and over as she questioned him, clearly not sure about which end was which.
He reached over and helped her put it on. It wasn’t that difficult, so he knew she was flustered. “He’ll be better off released than taking his chances with the explosives. He’s not had the exposure to the bomb detection procedures that most of the other dolphins have.”
Keilani fastened the vest and put on the helmet while Micah and Xavier did the same with theirs. He slid Gus out into the tank with little fuss and watched him swim slowly into the next one. Eventually, he swam away from the base to join some of the other dolphins, who circled him a time or two before forming a protective shield around him.
Micah put Keilani’s Glock in her hand. “When in doubt, shoot first. Let’s go.”
They burst through the door to the outside, the California sunshine blindingly bright in their faces. Micah didn’t need time to adjust, just grabbed Keilani by the hand without hesitation, almost dragging her along with him. The helicopter was landing a few dozen yards away and he rushed her in its direction.
The wind from the propeller blades threw her off balance as they hurried closer, and he took valuable seconds to steady her before urging her along. Xavier rushed ahead to help her climb inside, and then he shut the door behind Micah as he waved goodbye to them.
“Xavier isn’t coming?” Keilani shouted her question.
Micah shook his head. “He has to stay and help defuse any bombs they find.”
She paled once again at the reminder. “What if they don’t find them all in time?”
She was probably blaming herself again. “They will. They’re experts.”
The confidence in his tone seemed to calm her somewhat. She allowed the copilot to instruct her on strapping in properly and sat back and closed her eyes. Micah uttered a silent prayer, not only for her safety, but also for her emotional well-being.
This life wasn’t for everyone. In fact, it wasn’t for many people at all. Which was why he had to remind himself to remain diligent on his vow to remain single, even though Keilani challenged it at every turn.
TWELVE
Keilani swallowed back the nervous energy that swept through her as the helicopter began to rise into the air. She had never flown in a helicopter before, but she found the experience amazing, even preoccupied as she was with the current situation. She could feel Micah watching her, but she chose to ignore him for a little longer while she took in the new experience.
The landscape grew smaller as the chopper dipped and swayed, giving her stomach a hard nudge here and there. She felt exhilarated and a little anxious all at once. There was a lot of air between herself and the ground, and unlike in an airplane, she felt small and vulnerable—but somehow free at the same time.