A Warranted Box Set

by Shannon Nemechek

  “Aww, you’re up. I was hoping to serve you breakfast in bed,” he confessed, disappointment evident in his tone.

  “Sorry to let you down. It was the smell of bacon that woke me. The food smells fantastic, and I am so ready to eat,” she replied, trying to console him. Raleigh stepped away from the stove and pulled out the chair for her to sit.

  “Here, my dear, sit and relax. Breakfast will be served momentarily.” Sam watched as Raleigh filled the plates. Carefully, he loaded them down with bacon, eggs, and hash browns.

  “Where did the hash browns come from? I didn’t have any of those in the freezer.”

  “Well, darlin’, not everything comes from the freezer sections of the supermarket,” he said with a laugh. “I made these from good ole potatoes; grated them myself. Pretty good for an old weapons expert, huh?”

  Sam smiled. “Ya, I’d say your pretty good at explosives too, by the look of my kitchen?”

  “Hey now, I am trying to be a gentleman here and take care of my woman.” He placed the plates on the table, one in front of Sam and the other at his chair.

  “Your woman, huh?” she teased.

  Raleigh grinned. “Well, yeah. At least, I’ve been hoping you felt the same way about me.”

  Sam paused and grabbed a fork full of hash browns. “Raleigh, I don’t know where this is going yet. Are you really wanting to label what we have at this moment?” With those words Sam could see a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

  “No, I suppose not yet. It’s just…to be honest, Sam, I have never felt this way about any woman in my entire life, and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Why would you lose me?”

  “It’s a long story, Sam. We can talk about it later. I am sorry I brought it up.” Raleigh’s voice cracked. Sam could tell something had happened to him that profoundly affected him, and that his fear was as real as they were at that very moment.

  “Ok Raleigh, we can talk about it later. But I will tell you this, I don’t want to lose you either. You continually surprise me with the things you do, and I want to see what else you got up your sleeve.”

  Grinning, and with a wink, he said, “Currently nothing, and if you wanna explore further, you will have to beg for it.”

  “Beg?” she echoed.

  “Yes, beg.”

  “O’Hara’s don’t beg,” she declared as she grinned impishly.

  “Oh, you will beg. Might not be now, but you definitely will later.”

  “Oh really?” she questioned, crossing her legs in an effort to stand her ground.

  “Yep.” He gulped down another piece of bacon with a huge grin on his face.

  “We will just see about that.” She winked then quickly changed the subject and asked, “Did you find anything new in the paperwork?” Sam could see the visible change in Raleigh’s facial features and sensed he didn’t find good news. She listened as Raleigh explained he found several names he recognized in the paperwork, names of soldiers he knew. Some were still on active duty and some had ended their time in service. All were part of the 9th Special Forces Group he was a part of at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She could hear the pain in his voice when he told her he had found his buddy, Jared Thompson’s, name among them, and how he couldn’t risk calling any of the individual soldiers as it might put their lives and their mission in jeopardy. He explained he would need to call the brass at Bragg to see if those soldiers were on a mission. If not, then he would secure a flight to Fort Bragg and explain his findings to them. That was something he would need to do face to face.

  “We also got a call from the NCIS forensic pathologist. He wants us to stop by the morgue; apparently he found something and has a time of death. So, after breakfast we need to load up and head that way. Then I will make some calls to Bragg.”

  “I am full anyway, so I think I will go jump in the shower. And we can clean up the kitchen when we are done at the base.” Sam jumped up and headed towards the bathroom. Raleigh stared as she walked away. The distinct outline of the thong showed right through the white t-shirt she had on, and the curve of Sam’s rear hung just below the bottom hemline. My God, this woman is magnificent. Every cell in Raleigh’s body wanted to reach out and grab Sam from behind, stand her in front of a full-length mirror naked, and memorize every inch of her body. Just the thought of her naked in the shower, just feet from him, made him hard. He needed a release and he wanted it to be with her.

  ***

  Sam pulled the t-shirt off and her breasts fell softly against her skin. The t-shirt smelled like Raleigh and had been driving her crazy ever since she woke up. At first, she thought she had woken up next to him because the smell of his cologne still lingered on the shirt, but once fully awake, she realized it was just his shirt. She still questioned how he could remove her clothing without waking her up, but it excited her he had seen her naked and vulnerable and didn’t take advantage of the situation. What aroused her more was the thought that he was just feet away. All she had to do was call his name and he would be in the shower with her, making all her erotic fantasies come true.

  She slipped into the shower, the water warm and inviting. She closed her eyes and let the stream run over her head and down her body. The spray felt like soft kisses against her skin, and she thought of Raleigh and how it felt when he kissed her. How his body felt as he pressed her against the wall in her apartment. She ran her hands over her body as if it were his hands caressing her.

  Raleigh stood in the living room and could hear the water running. He realized she had left the door open and walked over to pull it closed so she could have some privacy. Then he saw her. The shower curtain in her bathroom was clear so he could plainly see everything as she caressed her body. He watched as she cupped her breasts. Her eyes remained closed as the water poured over her. Lightly rolling her nipples between her fingers, she let out a slight sigh as she pinched them. He couldn’t help himself; he knew he should walk away, but she was so beautiful and he wanted her so badly. He stood there like a statue, and he could feel his cock getting stiffer as she moved her hand down her stomach and to her clit. He decided he better walk away before she caught him. As he walked away from the open door, he swore he heard her say, “Oh, yes, Raleigh, yes.” That was it. He couldn’t take it anymore; he had to get outta there fast before he jumped in the shower with her.

  “Hey, Sam, I am running down the road for some coffee. You want anything?”

  “Yes, please. Grab me a French vanilla cappuccino. I will pay you when you get back.”

  “No worries, I got it. I will be right back.” Raleigh couldn’t get out of there fast enough and into the truck. Maybe she will be dressed when I get back. Please, God, let her be dressed when I get back.

  ***

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the time to run by my hotel for a quick shower and a change of clothes,” Raleigh declared.

  “Oh my god, that coffee smells great,” Sam said as she grabbed hers, cupping it with both hands, still wrapped in a towel and hair dripping wet.

  “It’s chilly out there this morning. You might want to grab your jacket when we head out. How long does it take to get to the morgue from here?”

  “Only about five minutes. Give me a couple, and I will be finished getting ready. Sorry, I got distracted and took me a little longer in the shower than usual.”

  “Oh, it’s ok. I understand.” It took everything Raleigh had not to call Sam out and tell her he knew why she took so long in the shower, but he simply smiled, nodded, and turned his attention to the television. Laughing to himself, he thought, Who does she think she’s fooling? That’s ok, I can play her game too.

  Sam closed the door to her room and was pulling her pants up when she heard Raleigh yell from the living room. “We all get distracted in the shower. Nothing to be ashamed of; in fact, I quite enjoyed the show.”

  Sam’s face flushed and she felt like she would pass out but played it off. “What was that, Raleigh?”

  “Oh, noth
ing. Never mind,” Raleigh yelled back at her.

  She hoped her embarrassment wouldn’t be apparent. And she could pretend she didn’t hear what he said to her, but she heard. She heard quite clearly. He was watching me in the shower? How much did he see? Did he watch me the entire time or just for a minute? But then she paused and thought about what she was feeling, and it wasn’t embarrassment. It was more like arousal. She was aroused at the thought of Raleigh watching her as she pleasured herself. Had he watched her the entire time? She hoped he had. It was also clear in her memory that she wasn’t quiet in the shower either. She had said his name. Well, nothing I can do about it now.

  Sam emerged from her room, her uniform pressed and her hair pulled tight into a bun. She stood tall and confident in uniform, and her personality showed such. It was out of uniform that her real character showed. She was a beautiful, vulnerable, and loving woman who wanted only one thing and that was to have a man love her for who she was and not who he could make her be. Raleigh loved the woman she was, and he had only known her for mere days. But in his heart it felt like a lifetime. As he stood and stared at Sam, he felt a rush of emotion and a quiver in his gut that pushed him toward her. They were inches away from each other. As he grabbed her hand, he pulled her lips to his.

  Sam had always had men who wanted to control her and change her, never accepting her for who she was. Was Raleigh different? As she kissed him, she could feel herself fall deeper in his arms. Her experience in the relationship department had been disastrous at best, with a few that bordered on murderous and others more on the level of friendships. How would a relationship with Raleigh be different? Her heart and her brain said it would, but was she ready for the repercussions of such a relationship? She loved the Army, and her career was important to her, but so was Raleigh. She had a lot of thinking to do. As their kiss deepened, Raleigh’s phone rang.

  “Saved by the bell,” she groaned, pulling away from Raleigh as he muddled for his phone.

  “Chief Fitzgerald speaking.”

  The voice on the other end of his phone was muffled and Sam couldn’t hear. Sam grabbed her jacket and motioned to Raleigh she was going to the truck. Raleigh held his finger up as if to say, “Hold on, I am coming with” and grabbed the door open as they walked out the door to the truck.

  “Yes, we can be there. What time is the plane taking off? Ok, I will see you bright and early tomorrow. Ok, eleven hundred hours then. Ok, bye. Thank you.”

  “What was that all about?” Sam questioned as she crawled up the passenger side seat. It was a large 4x4 truck, so it took a bit of doing for Sam to get into the cab. Raleigh smiled as he watched her struggle.

  “Wanna boost? I can help ya out.” He grabbed her backside and squeezed.

  “All you wanna do is play with my butt,” she exclaimed.

  “And what’s wrong with that?” He grinned, smoothing his hands over the curves of her ass.

  “A lot if we get caught, especially in uniform.”

  “I don’t care if they catch us, Sam. I care what you think, not what they think. From the moment I met you, Sam, I have cared. I have especially cared what you think of me; it matters to me, you matter to me.”

  Sam turned slightly then lightly touched Raleigh’s cheek. “I know and I care about you, too. That’s why we have to be careful. You have a career to think about just as much as I do, and I know your job means a lot to you, too. So let’s just watch each other’s backs. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. This, what we have right now, could destroy all you have worked so hard to achieve. Are you ready for that? On second thought, don’t answer that yet; just think about it. Ok?”

  Raleigh paused, nodded, and kissed Sam’s cheek. “You got it sister, as long as you promise to be open to the possibility of an ‘us’?”

  “I promise, darlin,” she said as she smiled then leaned over to snap her seatbelt. “Now, don’t we have a morgue to visit?”

  “Oh, Sam, you really know how to get right to a man’s heart. You’re a hopeless romantic. The morgue it is.”

  Chapter 8

  It wasn’t long before they arrived at the base morgue where the Navy’s Chief Pathologist Captain Isaac might have some answers for them. But whether they were the answers Raleigh hoped for remained to be seen. Ever since he’d seen Jared’s name among the papers Maddie found in the warehouse, he couldn’t stop thinking about the ramifications—what they might have for Jared, his family, and the Green Berets he called family. It tore him up inside. If appearances were correct, Jared could be wrapped up in this mess. Raleigh didn’t know how yet, but he would find out.

  As they arrived, Sam could see Captain Isaac waiting near the front door.

  “Is that Captain Isaac?” She looked at Raleigh, who seemed a million miles away.

  “Raleigh! You ok? Where did you go?” She laughed as she pounded Raleigh on the shoulder. “Wake up.”

  “I’m here. What?”

  “I asked if that is Captain Isaac?”

  “Yeah, that’s him. Sorry, I was just running through some stuff I gotta get taken care of once we are done here.” Raleigh wasn’t sure if Sam could tell he was lying. He was sure she could read the worry all over his face. He was never good at lying to someone he cared about, but he could pull off a whole new persona to someone he didn’t know. For now he needed to keep what he found about Jared to himself, at least until he knew more. Once they got to Fort Bragg he would know if Jared was on a mission and what type of mission it was. Then he could tell Sam. Until then, it needed to stay with him. He hated lying to her but for her safety, it was best.

  “Let’s head on in and find out what Captain Isaac found during the autopsy. Been wondering what was so important that it couldn’t wait.”

  “Right behind you, Chief.” It was Sam’s turn to watch Raleigh as he walked away. She knew he watched her, and she walked a little extra sexy when she walked in front of him. Raleigh seemed distracted though, and she wondered what was on his mind. In the time she had known him, a comment like “Right behind you, Chief” would not go unnoticed, and would definitely generate a Raleigh response for sure. He wasn’t walking with that confident stride she was used to seeing either. Something is going on with him. I can feel it in my gut. Why won’t he tell me? What is he hiding?

  She would have to wait to find out. As they walked into the morgue, the smell of formaldehyde and human flesh stagnated the air in the room. “Oh God, what is that smell?” Sam’s nose cringed and her face turned pale. “Let’s rush this! Do we really have to do this here?” Sam’s face whitened as she fled to the other room. “I can’t take this. I will wait outside.”

  Raleigh held in his laugh as Sam ran for the door and turned his attention to Captain Isaac. “Well, man down, it seems,” he said with a grin.

  “It happens more than you think, Chief. I’ll get right to it, so you can get out of here.”

  “Roger that. Shoot.”

  “We narrowed down the time of death to nineteen hundred forty-five hours from a single gunshot wound to the head. A twenty-two caliber weapon was used at point blank range. There was remaining gunshot residue surrounding the entrance wound and burn marking on the back of the head. This shows that the weapon was pressed against the back of the head and fired. Upon removing the clothing from the body, it was noted that several defense wounds encompassed the body, which showed that a struggle occurred during the attack. One reason I wanted you here this morning is we found a folded up piece of paper with a name, address, and number on it. We thought this might be of some importance to you.” Captain Isaac handed Raleigh the paper and continued with his briefing, most of which sounded more like a Peanuts cartoon. His mind wandered as he pretended to listen. Who the hell is Jamal Hendricks? And where does he fit into all this? As the Captain concluded his briefing, Raleigh felt even more confused as ever. “Is it ok if I snap a picture of this paper? I want to follow up on this with Chicago PD and NCIS and see if they have anything on this g
uy.

  “Go right ahead, Chief.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your quick work. I will contact you when I return from Bragg.”

  “Roger, Chief, and it’s been great working with you. I hope this helps.”

  Raleigh grabbed Sam as he headed out the door to the truck. “Looks like the Captain found us a lead but I have no idea who Jamal Hendricks is or how he fits into this whole thing. We got an address and a phone number, but we need to stop by and talk to Chicago PD and NCIS before I head out to Bragg.”

  “What do you mean ‘I’ head out to Bragg? I am going with you.”

  “Sam, I really don’t think you are ready to go anywhere yet.”

  “The hell I’m not. I can handle myself. If you think just because I got a little sick from the smell that I can’t handle myself then you’re wrong.”

  “I didn’t say you couldn’t handle yourself. I am just saying I don’t think you should go because you are still recovering.”

  “Well, I can recover on the road. I don’t need you or any man telling me I can’t handle myself or that I can’t do my job. I didn’t need protecting before I was a supply sergeant. I was a military police investigator. You need me,” Sam snapped. “Despite what you may think, I know what I am doing.”

  “Never said you didn’t. Just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I can handle it, I promise. And I won’t get in the way.”

  “Fine. I don’t like it, but there is no changing your mind. You’re as stubborn as I am. Damn Irish blood,” Raleigh complained.

  As they pulled into Chicago traffic, Sam could hear Raleigh under his breath, cursing the drivers ahead of him. “Damn slow ass drivers, I don’t have time for this crap.” His voice was raspy and irritated, and his body tensed as he jerked the wheel ahead of a white sedan. The driver of the other vehicle laid on the horn. Becoming more irate, Raleigh began slamming the steering wheel with his hands in frustration. “What the hell could take so damn long?” He flipped off the other driver.