Shadow in the Desert (Shadow SEALs)

by Becca Jameson

  Shadow in the Desert

  Shadow SEALs

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2021 by Becca Jameson

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Newsletter

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

  Join my newsletter to stay up to date on all things Becca Jameson!

  Becca’s Newsletter Sign-up

  Acknowledgments

  So many thanks to KaLyn Cooper for teaming up with me on this project to write overlapping books! It was so much fun working with her. I can’t wait to dig into our spinoff series, Holt Agency, where we will give all the rescued SEALs in this book their own stories.

  To the entire Shadow SEALs team of authors—you all rock! I love you guys.

  About the Book

  After a disastrous career-ending mission, he never expected to be sent back into the shadows.

  For months Ajax has been languishing on his sister’s couch, drowning himself in beer and whiskey. It was the only way to bury the pain of losing his entire SEAL team during a mission he does not remember. Until he discovers everything he’s been told about that day was a lie. Now he'll jump on the first flight to Ethiopia with Ryker—his best friend, teammate, and foster brother—to rescue the rest of their team.

  Serena has a heart of gold and a desire to help people. She’s never physically met the woman she works for, but she knows every job she does saves lives and corrects injustices. Serena’s task is to dole out assignments, be the liaison. Participating in the missions themselves has never been required…until now. Her history has made her vital to the mission.

  Serena isn’t prepared for the brooding man who looks like he’s going to take down the next person he sees with his eyes alone. Nor is she prepared for the way his intensity makes her feel things she never expected in this lifetime.

  Ajax is not pleased that Serena will be accompanying them. She doesn’t belong in a war zone. But when the slight woman flattens Ajax on his back on day one, he has a change of heart. Maybe she’s not as soft as she appears. He needs her help, and she needs him. But will her presence endanger the entire mission?

  Chapter 1

  Ajax was running a few minutes late, so he took the stairs two at a time instead of the elevator. He was only going to the second floor of this D.C. office building, and he wasn’t at all sure why he even gave a fuck if he was late.

  He had no idea who he was meeting with or why. In fact, he wasn’t sure what compelled him to bother showing up today, except that he had nothing else to do, so why not?

  As he pushed through the door that led from the stairwell into the hallway, he paused to catch his breath and straighten his shirt. He hated that he was slightly out of breath because he’d let himself lounge a bit too much for the past few months. He was uncomfortable in his clothes for the same reason. His khaki pants were a bit tight and his blue button-down shirt was annoying his neck. He wore it untucked because…well, mostly because again, he didn’t give a fuck.

  He’d put a half-assed effort into looking presentable, but that had not included a shave or a haircut, nor had it included a tie.

  He shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable dressed like this. He’d spent seventeen years in the Navy for heaven’s sake. He was used to being starched and straight. But it had been three months since he’d last donned his uniform, so he was out of practice.

  Who was he kidding? For most of those three months, he’d lounged around in his sister’s den wearing sweatpants and T-shirts. He’d drank far more than his share of beer, and he shuddered to think how many bottles of Jack.

  “What the fuck am I even doing here?” he muttered to himself as he drew in a breath and headed for office number 212.

  It didn’t take long to find. It was three doors down on the right. He narrowed his gaze as he found the number on the door. Nothing else. No business name, nothing. The other offices in the hallway had placards on the door indicating what company they were.

  For a moment, he stood rooted to his spot, hands on his hips, staring at the door and then glancing around. If there had been another human in the hallway, he would have asked them if they knew anything about this office. There was no window, so he couldn’t even peer inside.

  Unease crept up his spine, causing him to lift an arm and rub the back of his neck. “Shit,” he muttered. “This is by far the stupidest thing I have ever done.” He didn’t have nearly enough details about why he was here to have believed it was legit. Hell, he’d been hungover when he answered the phone. The only reason why he doubted it was a trap was that it was the middle of D.C. This was a busy office building. What could possibly go wrong?

  He chuckled as he thought of the possibilities. Considering how fucked-up his life currently was, anything could go wrong.

  You’re here, dumb as the decision might have been. Just open the damn door.

  He patted his right hip where he’d worn a weapon nearly every second of every day for many years until recently. It wasn’t there now. He didn’t have a weapon on him this morning at all.

  With a deep breath, he pulled the door open, holding on to it as he stepped halfway into the room. In his mind, he figured if he didn’t like what he saw on the other side, he could step back out, let the door close, and walk away.

  If whatever was behind the door was nefarious, on the other hand, he would probably be dead before he had a chance to retreat.

  The room was small. Nothing more than a conference table with six chairs and a phone in the middle, but that’s not what mattered. That wasn’t what stopped Ajax in his tracks and took his breath away. “Holy mother of God,” he stated as he released the door, no longer caring if it shut at his back.

  The man standing on the other side of the room lifted his gaze and gasped.

  For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Not a single sound could be heard except the beating of Ajax’s heart in his ears. “Fuck me. Ryker?” He would know his foster brother anywhere. He didn’t need verification. Except since he knew Ryker was dead, it was a bit difficult to believe his eyes.

  “Ajax?” Ryker took a hesitant step forward. “Is that really you?” It occurred to Ajax that Ryker thought he was dead also.

  Ajax took two huge steps forward at the same time as Ryker, and they collided in what could be described as a manly hug, if it weren’t for the fact that Ajax’s throat was clogged with emotion.

  “I thought…” Ryker’s voice was tight, and Ajax understood.

  “They said you were dead,” th
e men choked out in unison.

  When they leaned back, they held each other by the shoulders and stared into each other’s eyes. “What the fuck?” Ryker said.

  “I was going to say the same thing.”

  “Where the fuck have you been?” Ryker asked.

  “My sister’s. In Tennessee. You?”

  “Mom and Dad’s place in Indiana.” Ryker released Ajax to rub his forehead. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “Not a damn clue. Do you suppose the entire team is coming here?”

  The door opened behind Ajax and he spun around, half expecting to see Keebler or Pitbull or any of the other members of their SEAL squad.

  That is most definitely not what happened. The newest addition was a woman. Prim. Perfectly put together. Ajax scanned her from the feet up. Four-inch heels. Gray pencil skirt that reached her knees. White blouse. Flawless pale skin. Sleek black hair in a tidy bun. Green eyes. She had two manila folders tucked under one elbow.

  She wasted no time, immediately holding a hand out to Ajax. “Mr. Cassman.” He shook her hand, uncertain what to say. Her voice didn’t match the sultry voice he’d heard on the phone. When he released her grip, she reached for Ryker. “Mr. Tufano.”

  “How do you know who we are? And who the fuck are you?” Ryker asked.

  “My name is Serena.”

  “I was told to meet with a man named Charlie,” Ajax stated, glancing at Ryker who nodded agreement. He’d been told the same thing.

  Serena smiled politely. “She couldn’t make it.” She reached toward the center of the table and dragged the phone toward the edge. “She’ll be joining us by speakerphone.”

  “Charley is a woman?” Ajax asked for clarification. He wasn’t usually such a sexist ass, but he’d wrongly assumed… Charley, not Charlie.

  Serena lifted a brow. “Yes. You have a problem with women?”

  Ajax lifted both brows and then stroked his beard. He felt defensive. “Not at all.” Especially not you. This entire situation was ten ways of fucked-up, but Serena wasn’t one of them. She was cool, confident, and feisty. It was absurd that his cock took notice because he had about a thousand questions to ask her. Now was not the time to flirt.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Ryker stated, his voice firm, no-nonsense. That hadn’t changed. “Who are you?”

  “I told you.”

  “Gonna need more than a name, sweetheart,” Ryker stated.

  Serena flinched, narrowing her gaze at him. “I’m not your sweetheart, and that’s all you need to know.” She picked up the phone, dialed a number so fast that Ajax couldn’t see the digits, and then pressed a button to put it on speaker.

  As the phone rang, Serena pointed toward the chairs. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

  Ajax shot Ryker a narrow look before responding. The two of them had known each other since Ajax moved into the foster home where Ryker had already been living at age twelve. They’d been separated only once since then, and that had been for the last three months. They didn’t need words to convey what they were thinking. “We’ll stand,” Ajax stated, planting his feet wider and crossing his arms defiantly. He wanted some fucking answers and fast.

  Serena shrugged. “Suit yourselves.” She made no move to sit either. Nor did she seem remotely bothered by the high heels she stood in. It looked like she wore them often. Every movement she made indicated she was more comfortable in heels than any other footwear.

  “Hello?” came an unknown female voice.

  “Charley, this is Serena. You are on speakerphone. I have Mr. Cassman and Mr. Tufano here with me.”

  “Good.” The silky, smooth pitch of her voice confirmed she was female.

  Ajax narrowed his gaze, glaring at the phone.

  “Mind telling us what this is all about and do you know why on earth we were both told the other was dead? And while you’re at it, where is the rest of our team?” Ryker demanded.

  “I’m going to answer all of your questions, gentlemen,” Charley responded. “Has my assistant offered you a beverage? This is going to take a few minutes. You might want to get comfortable.”

  Ajax scowled. “We don’t need anything to drink. We need answers.”

  “Look. I’m not the bad guy here. My goal is to help you. You were wronged. My intention is to right that wrong.”

  “Who do you work for?” Ryker asked.

  “Can’t tell you that. What you need to know is that I’m on your side. I know everything that happened to the two of you and the rest of your team. I’d like to hire you to do a covert job.”

  Ajax dropped his arms and leaned forward, setting his palms on the table so he could lean in closer to the phone. “Hire us? Why would we want to work for you? We know nothing about you, and frankly, right now I’m two seconds from pulling the phone cord out of the wall and leaving this room. So, you better give us some answers fast before I lose my cool.”

  The woman sighed. “The reason you’re going to take me up on my offer is because I’m going to make you a deal you can’t refuse, and the job I need you to do is to go back into Ethiopia and rescue the rest of your team.”

  Ajax gasped as he glanced at Ryker. “You’re telling me the rest of our guys are still in fucking Ethiopia?”

  “Yes. My intel suggests they’re alive. I’m still gathering data about their specific location, but I’m expecting to make contact with my source so we can get this ball rolling in two weeks.”

  Ajax stared at the phone. This was insane. How could he possibly trust this woman? “Who are you?”

  “You can call me Charley. Beyond that, I can’t tell you.”

  Ajax jerked his gaze toward Serena. “My partner and I could easily overtake this woman you’ve sent and force her to talk.”

  Serena gasped and took a step back, the first evidence that she was flappable.

  Charley sighed again. “She knows nothing. It won’t do you any good.”

  Ajax gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, his face dipping toward the floor.

  “Listen to me,” Charley demanded. “I know everything that happened to you. More than either of you know. You were on a mission, you had the green light, you surrounded the target, and then you closed in. There was an explosion. The building blew to rubble. The two of you were knocked off your feet and thrown backward, landing hard in the street several yards from where you’d been standing. You were both knocked unconscious in the blast.”

  “Why on earth was I told the entire team was dead and I was the lone survivor?” Ajax asked.

  “Because someone higher up needed to cover their own ass.”

  Ajax shoved away from the table and took a few steps back, leaning against the wall for support. He ran a hand through his hair, hair that was in desperate need of a cut. “How do you know all of this?”

  “I have my ways.”

  Ajax groaned.

  “What happened to the rest of the team if they didn’t die in the explosion?” Ryker asked.

  “No one was in that rubble. None of you had breached the building yet. You two were the only ones knocked unconscious. Everyone else was taken hostage in the ambush. Your backup team was moving in fast, so the rebels had no choice but to evacuate and leave your bodies behind. They probably weren’t certain if you were alive or dead, but in any case, they didn’t have the time to take two unconscious bodies.”

  “Unbelievable,” Ajax murmured.

  “I agree. Whoever fucked up this mission went to a lot of trouble to clean up after themselves.”

  “If the backup team rescued us, why haven’t we heard from any of them?”

  “They are still active in the mission, and they’ve been told neither of you survived. After loading you two into the helicopter, they never saw you again.”

  Ryker cleared his throat. “This is insane. Both of us were told the rest of the team was dead. Who could be that cruel?”

  Ajax agreed. It had been the most hellacious three months of his life. He’d spent it believin
g not only his entire team was dead, but that it included Ryker. A man he’d considered a brother since they met when Ajax was twelve.

  Ajax had yet to go home to Indiana to face the foster parents who brought him into manhood because he couldn’t stand the idea of confronting the heaviness in his soul. On top of that, he was too embarrassed. He’d been told the reason that mission failed—the reason Ryker had died—was because he hadn’t followed protocol. He’d been fucking led to believe that he had disgraced his team and the SEALs. He had been discharged “other than honorably.” Returning to face his foster parents was the last thing he’d wanted to do.

  “I don’t know the answer to that yet, but believe me, I’m working on it. In the meantime, I’m hiring you two to go back and get your team.”

  Ajax flinched. “Hiring? What if we decline.”

  “You won’t.”

  Serena set the two folders she was carrying on the table, separated them, and eased them across the surface, one toward each man. A phoenix stared back at him as though the ancient Egyptian bird could see all the way to his damaged soul...daring him to look inside.

  Ryker opened his first and after a moment, he whistled between his teeth. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “Yes. You have a unique set of skills, not to mention motivation.”

  Ajax opened his folder and lifted both brows. Ryker wasn’t kidding. He could do a lot with that kind of money. “You realize I’ve been discharged. I no longer work for the US Navy. Who the heck are we working for?”