by Sommer Smith
Before she could even get settled in, they were landing. A twinge of disappointment flickered and swelled in her chest. The runners were nearing the ground and she took a deep breath that ended on a sigh. “I’ve never flown in a helicopter before. I know you’re wondering.”
A sideways grin brought out one dimple in his cheek. “Guilty. Trying to let you process.” He helped her from the helicopter as soon as the rotors slowed enough to keep them stable on the ground.
“Funny, that’s what I’ve been doing.” She smiled in return.
“You seem to be handling it well.” He let his grin fade, a serious look penetrating her defenses.
“The flight or the bomb threat?” Keilani had both on her mind, despite the distracting thoughts she had when he looked at her that way. He was guiding her toward the safe house, a small but neat little home in a secluded cul-de-sac. The neighborhood was quiet. There were fences around all of the homes, and the one they were approaching looked like just another family residence.
“Both, actually. I know you’re still worried about Gus—about all the dolphins.” His eyes were piercing, demanding honesty from her. She tried to keep moving, but she came near to stumbling over nothing at all.
“Yes, but I trust you. If you believe they will be safe, then I do, too.” She looked at the ground, hoping she hadn’t said too much. But before she did, she caught a glimpse of his reaction. If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of panic mingled with pleasure at her words.
“You’re very dedicated to your work.” His statement was so vague, her eyes returned to him in surprise. It was so far removed from the reaction she had anticipated. He was unlocking the door to the brick cottage.
“To tell you the truth, I almost gave up working with dolphins in the beginning.” The comment was out before she could stop it. She took in the cozy living room without really seeing what was there. Micah followed her in and wasted no time in closing the door.
“What do you mean? I can’t imagine you doing anything else.” He moved to the thermostat on the wall and adjusted the switches to “On” before returning his attention to her.
Cool air flowed from the vent and Keilani realized she had opened up something, as well. His curiosity was piqued and now he wouldn’t let it go. She would have to let the story flow out also. “Well, I’m honestly a bit envious of the ease with which the dolphins took to you. My experience was much different.”
He sat down across from her on a cream-colored sofa and gave her his full attention. “How so?”
She felt heat creeping into her cheeks. “They didn’t like me at first. Didn’t respect me, I guess I should say. They tried to bully me and intimidate me. It sounds silly to you, I’m sure.”
He shook his head. “Not at all. They can be willful creatures. Probably sensed some hesitation on your part.”
“Exactly. I had never spent much time around animals that large when I began working with them and I was afraid of embarrassing myself. The job was supposed to help me get through vet school. But I didn’t realize how quickly they would pick up on my inexperience. When I attempted to give them a command, they would do the direct opposite. Sometimes they would ignore me completely. They had me in tears by the end of the second day. I was having a tiny bit of success with one of the younger dolphins when Flintstone, one of the orneriest of the bunch, came along and knocked over the bucket of fish I was using as a reward. The other dolphins swarmed, knocking me out of the way, and of course, I lost all progress with the young dolphin.”
“I’m sure you were ready to quit at that point. How did you win them over?” He watched her smooth her hand over a sofa pillow while she gathered the words to continue.
“I didn’t have a choice really, and to be honest, they actually won me over in the end. Flintstone ended up being my favorite. I just kept trying. One day my boss told me I was going to have to act like one would with any group of wild animals—be the alpha. For some reason that clicked with me. I had been trying to be one of them instead of becoming their leader.
“Flintstone was the hardest case, but I gained his respect one day when I caught another handler being unnecessarily rough with him. I put a stop to it right then, and she was fired not too long after. Who knows how long she had been abusing them. Flintstone seemed to realize what I had done for them all, and he became fiercely loyal to me after that—to the point that he embarrassed a new kid when he thought the guy was being rude to me one day.” She tried to blink the tears away, but she felt them pricking at the corners of her eyes.
Micah noticed. “Did something else happen with Flintstone?”
She nodded. “He died. Just before I left, he got a terrible infection. He was sick for about a week and then one morning he just...died. I felt like I should have done more for him.”
“Is that why you decided to focus on marine mammals?”
“Yes. I promised Flintstone I would do something to honor his memory and make things better for captive cetaceans.” She smiled. “I’m not sure how I’m doing so far, though. And time may run out.”
“Not even for a second do I want to hear you talk like that. And you’re doing fantastic.” He jumped up from the sofa. The curtains were tightly closed, but a sliver of light fell across his face, making his gray eyes seem to glow. “Let’s see if we can come up with some food. Xavier is supposed to check in with me as soon as he can. Until then I need a distraction.”
There wasn’t much in the way of preparation for a real meal, but some nonperishable items had been stocked for such an occasion. Microwave popcorn, bottled water and some canned fruit provided an adequate snack, so they enjoyed a quick picnic in the living room at the coffee table while Micah searched out a movie Keilani might be interested in watching from the long list on the TV.
Keilani was impressed by the accommodations, including Wi-Fi and all the latest streaming subscriptions. “How often is this place used?”
He sent her a rueful glance. “Far more often than anyone would like.”
“Obviously. I guess it must be if the utilities and the Wi-Fi stay on all the time.” She looked around the clean, comfortable sitting area and adjoining kitchen.
“It’s used for a couple of other things here and there, but I can’t tell you what. We can only hope our guy on the inside doesn’t think about it.” He winked at her over a handful of buttery popcorn.
“Top-secret SEAL stuff?” She took a swig of water.
“Something like that.”
“Is it ever difficult not to tell what you know? Like, have you ever almost slipped up and told something you shouldn’t?” She pondered a spoonful of peaches.
He thought for a moment. “I suppose I probably have, early on. But you get into the habit of being tight-lipped. You have to always consider your words very carefully when you’re a SEAL. Saying the wrong thing can easily get people killed.”
“Ouch.” She swallowed. “I guess that would be a pretty big deterrent.”
“It is, but it makes you realize, no matter the situation, our words always have the power to affect someone else’s life.”
“I never really considered that, but you’re right.” She set down the spoon. “Our actions, too. I’m finding that out.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Keilani. Don’t assume you did, just because you were the one to discover the smugglers’ operational location.”
“If I hadn’t seen them that morning, I wouldn’t have placed the dolphins—and us—in all this danger. Going for a swim that morning was a terrible idea.”
“The dolphins were already in danger. If anyone should feel guilt, it’s me because they were using my dolphins as drug mules right under my nose.” He turned away.
“You were working on it. You couldn’t have known.” Keilani got up and moved toward him. The urge to put a hand on his arm in comfort was difficult to ignore.
“I should have.” His steel jaw was clenched tight.
“How?” She let her reserve go and rested a hand on his arm.
He looked at her hand for a moment. “I don’t know. I just should have figured it out. I should have been more attentive to everything that was going on.”
Keilani pulled in a breath and held it for a moment. She had to tell him. He wasn’t going to like it.
“Micah, I have a confession to make.” She bit her lip, waiting.
His eyes darkened and she had the terrible suspicion that he had received bad news in such a way at some point in the past. “What do you mean?”
She stared into his eyes, hoping for understanding. “When I first came to work with you, I was asked by someone in the World Animal Protection Agency to report back to them on the welfare of navy marine mammals. I haven’t done so because I don’t believe the navy is at fault. But they are going to want to know.”
His face hardened. “And what do you plan to tell them?”
“That the situation was out of your control and has been rectified.” Keilani reached out to him.
He pulled back. “So you’re going to report that the navy has been lax enough to let their dolphins be used as drug mules?”
Keilani shrugged. “No, I don’t think I can do that if I want to keep my job. But eventually they will find out the truth. Then it will look like a cover-up. What would you have me tell them?”
“Nothing at all. They have never been anything but a problem for our program. I’d rather they mind their own business.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Keilani looked at her toes. “I didn’t think you would understand.”
“You were right about that much. And I was right not to trust you.” His face hardened and he turned away, his stiff posture a testament to his anger.
“Micah, please. I thought I was doing the right thing. The welfare of these animals is important to me.” She hated the pleading tone in her voice, but she couldn’t prevent it.
“And it’s also important to me. You should have told me we were being investigated.” His voice was cold, unfeeling.
“I know that now. I didn’t know you at first. Didn’t know any of you. And really, it isn’t an investigation. They just wanted to know if there should be one.” Keilani let all of her emotions show through her eyes, pleading with him to understand.
He ignored it. “As soon as you’re safe, I want you to leave. I’m going to request that the admiral dismiss you. He can find someone else or not. I don’t care. He won’t take your deception well, either.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She tried again, but his response was just coldness.
His phone chose that moment to demand his attention. “It’s Xavier.”
He picked it up and left the room.
Would he ever forgive her? She had wondered all along if she should tell him. Now this rift seemed irreparable. He was taking it much worse than she had expected, and, knowing his history with the dolphins, she could understand why.
Keilani watched him go, her heart aching for him. They were a fine pair, she realized, each blaming themselves for the misdeeds of others.
She wandered into the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes they had used for the canned fruit and throwing away their trash. On a whim, she decided to make coffee. It was likely they would have a long afternoon ahead of them.
She could hear the steady cadence of Micah’s rich voice as it rose and fell in conversation. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but the steady strength of his voice reassured her in a way she couldn’t define. He made her long for something she had no right to—a home and a family with him. No matter how she told herself it would never happen, she couldn’t stop longing for it. A picture formed in her mind before she could stop it—a dark-haired little girl with Keilani’s high cheekbones and Micah’s deep gray eyes.
She pushed the image aside, frustrated with herself for letting the thoughts invade her psyche. She should have better control over her thoughts. Her chest ached from his recent rejection and she fought the urge to give in to tears.
Taking mugs from the cabinet, she made two black coffees, then added a touch of cream and two spoonfuls of sugar to one of them. She wouldn’t ask herself how she knew exactly how Micah liked his coffee after only a few short days. It was ridiculous how much attention she had paid the man. She really did know better.
His footsteps rounded the corner and her heart picked up speed. Funny how his mere presence made her thrilled to see him, even knowing he was angry with her. He had such an automatic effect on her.
“They believe they have located and defused all the bombs. One went off before they could get to it, but no one was hurt. It was in an empty section of offices that had already been cleared. Easily repaired.”
Keilani sighed. “That’s a relief. So we can go back now?”
His expression turned into a frown. “No. I want to keep you here until these men are caught. I’m sorry if you had other plans.”
“Oh. No. I mean, that is, I just wanted to check on Gus. And Emmett.”
“Emmett is recovering. Xavier promised to keep an eye out for Gus. It’s my job to keep you safe.” He strode closer now, strong and powerful, his presence almost overwhelming. Her heart rate jumped and pounded.
She swallowed. “I’m safe.”
“Permanently.” He said it firmly, and though she knew what he meant, it created a picture in her mind of white dresses and forever. She had to stop this. It was more impossible now than ever, but that knowledge only seemed to make her long for it more than before.
“So we hide here? For how long?” She tried to inject a bite into her tone, but it fell short of the effect she wanted.
“As long as it takes.”
He had his game face on again, and though Keilani wished she could be intimidated by it, she actually found it alarmingly attractive. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but she pitied anyone else who tried. It made her feel safe and kind of special.
“How—how do they know they found all of the bombs? How many were there?” She wanted to distract herself from her thoughts almost as much as she wanted to know the answers.
He pressed his lips together and she felt sure he was trying to decide how much to tell her. “They used the map Xavier had. It was surprisingly accurate. Someone was trying to prove a point.”
She focused on his words. “And?”
“There were twelve.”
Her jaw should have hit the floor it dropped so low. “Twelve bombs? That could have blown the whole base sky high.”
“But whoever this guy is, he gave them enough time to defuse them all. Why? That’s what I can’t quite figure out.” Micah began to pace.
“Does he get some kind of thrill from this?” Keilani was shaking her head.
“Maybe. But there’s more to it than that.”
“So he didn’t really want to blow up the base. He knew how long they would need to locate and defuse all the bombs. He probably knew we would run. Why?” Keilani ticked off each point on a different finger.
Micah struck the heel of his hand to his head. “The dolphins. Of course. Maybe they wanted to isolate the dolphins. Or just get us away from them.”
“What do you mean?” A cold chill was already snaking its way up her spine as Keilani asked.
“They’ve been using our dolphins, and they know we are on to them. They needed everyone out of the way so they could recover their drugs. They knew the base would be evacuated, but they had to make it real enough to keep everyone out long enough to take care of business.” Micah looked horrified.
“You don’t think...” Keilani couldn’t quite say the words. It would be horrible if they hurt the dolphins. But if they killed them... How would Micah ever get over the loss?
Keilani hadn’t realized Micah had Xavier on speakerphone until his voice rang ominously into the silence. “I was just about to call you. I came in to check on them for you and—bro, the dolphins are gone. Every last one.”
THIRTEEN
The panic rushing through Micah was unlike any feeling he had ever known. He wanted to lash out in every way physically possible to relieve the feeling welling inside him. First Keilani’s deception, which had cut far deeper than he wanted to admit, and now this.
“How?” He knew he screamed the word, but it was unavoidable. “Find them! How? We are on our way.”
Turmoil. That was what this was. It was the only way to describe what he was feeling. This was a trap. He knew they probably had a solid plan to not only get their drugs from the dolphins, but also draw him and Keilani out so they could finally finish them off. But he also knew there was no way he could sit here and let someone else attempt to find his dolphins without doing everything he could to help. If he took Keilani with him, he played right into their hands. If he left her, she would be vulnerable. And if she was who he thought she was, there was no way she would sit on her hands while he looked for the missing dolphins. There was no easy solution.
In fact, Keilani had already sprung into action. “How long before you can get us out of here? Do we have to take a helicopter back, too? How long will it take?”
He supposed it was his fault. He had told Xavier they were on their way. He shouldn’t even want her near him at this point, but his heart didn’t seem to be listening to his brain. He didn’t want to leave her here, no matter how angry he was with her. And he was pretty angry at the moment. But he would still make sure she was absolutely safe.