Securing Caite

by Susan Stoker

  She’d made reference to being too heavy, but there was nothing about her that turned him off. She had plenty of curves, and from what he’d felt when she was leaning against him, she was soft in all the right places.

  He’d already been mentally plotting a way to get to know Caite better when the elevator had stopped working. He’d prevented Ace and Gumby from finding a way out of the situation, despite knowing they hated to sit around and wait when they could be taking action themselves. Rocco knew his friends were more than amused by his obvious attempts to woo Caite, but like true wingmen, they hadn’t interrupted or given him shit about it. Then. He knew the second they were alone, they’d be all over him about her.

  It was unfortunate that their temporary commander was her boss’s boss, but, as he’d pointed out, it wasn’t as if they were going to get married or anything. They’d only be in the country for a week or so, not enough time to really get to know her well or start any kind of relationship.

  The thought irrationally bothered Rocco.

  The way she’d flat-out admitted that she’d taken the job for the money also struck a chord in him. He’d joined the navy for the same reason. He hadn’t planned on joining the SEALs or making the navy a career. But after basic training, he’d been placed in a unit with Ace, Gumby, Bubba, Rex, and Phantom. The bond they’d formed was immediate and intense. They’d decided as a group to try out for the SEALs. The experience had made them even closer. Luckily, their superiors had seen how well they worked together and made them a team.

  Now, Rocco couldn’t imagine not being with his friends and teammates. They’d saved each other’s lives several times over, and the men were like blood brothers to him.

  Caite had been nervous and unsure in the elevator, but she’d loosened up as they’d spoken. She’d actually said she’d go to dinner with him—but then the elevator had lurched. The nickname ma petite fée had just popped out. She looked like a little fairy compared to him. Next to him, she was tiny.

  “How much time do we have before the goods are moved?” Gumby asked quietly as they walked toward the commander’s office.

  Rocco forced himself to concentrate on the mission at hand, and not the intriguing woman they’d left at her desk. “According to what the commander said, there’s a tight timetable,” he said. “We’re not sure what the reasons are for the speed of the transfer, but it should be within a few days.”

  “And we’re sure the Bahraini government isn’t involved?” Ace asked.

  Rocco shrugged. “As sure as we can be about anything.”

  “Why are we even here?” Gumby wondered. “It seems to me if the commander has a suspect in mind, and has an idea on when the tablets are going to be moved, there’s no need for us. They could use some of the naval investigation folks stationed here to track them down.”

  Rocco shrugged. “I’m assuming that’s what the commander will be talking to us about.” And with that, he smiled and nodded at the man sitting at a desk in front of what was obviously the commander’s office. “Sorry we’re late. We had the misfortune to be stuck in the elevator this morning.”

  The man chuckled. “That damn thing. One of these days, they’re going to just shut it down and force us to use the stairs all the time. Commander Horner’s ready for you. Go on in.”

  The three men headed into the large corner office and stood at attention.

  “At ease, men. Sit. I appreciate you coming out here. I had a long talk with Storm and he had nothing but good things to say about your team,” the commander said.

  Rocco nodded. Commander Storm North was in charge of their team back home in San Diego. He was forty-seven, around the same age as Commander Horner, and Rocco knew the two men had served on the same Navy SEAL team once upon a time.

  “Thank you, Sir,” Rocco said respectfully.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I only requested three of your team rather than have all of you come out here.”

  “The thought did cross our minds,” Rocco admitted. It wasn’t that he, Ace, and Gumby couldn’t get the job done, but generally when they traveled overseas for a mission, Bubba, Rex, and Phantom were included. “Frankly, we’re also wondering why a SEAL team was called in the first place.”

  “Right. This is a somewhat delicate situation. The King of Bahrain has gone on record to claim his country doesn’t condone smuggling. But in the last year, there’ve been more goods smuggled over his borders than ever before. It’s embarrassing for him, and he wants it stopped. His own security force hasn’t been able to prevent it, so he asked for assistance from the United States. We’ve got a team on it, but it seems every time we get close to making a move, shit goes sideways.”

  “You think you have a mole?” Ace asked.

  The commander nodded. “Yeah. And it pisses me off. It’s taken months of surveillance and research, but we’ve finally identified one of the lower-level players here in Bahrain. I could send some of my guys out to intercept him, but given that we haven’t discovered the mole, I have a feeling the outcome will be the same…the goods will be gone and we won’t have any evidence to hold this guy.”

  “So this is completely on the down-low?” Rocco asked.

  “Yes. No one knows why you’re here or even who you are, except for me. There’s an Archaeology and Museums Conference the base is hosting this weekend. The story is that you’re with Naval Criminal Investigative Services and you’re here for the conference. Bringing in all six members of your team would’ve looked even more suspicious than it already does, so I requested North only send three of you.”

  “Makes sense,” Gumby murmured.

  The commander went on. “We’ve invited representatives from the communities around Manama, as well as soldiers from Iraq and various African countries. We want to educate people that taking these artifacts is damaging to everyone’s culture. Not only that, but it’s illegal—and the United States Navy is willing to do what it takes to prevent the smuggling of such artifacts out of the Middle East.”

  “So we’re here to take down one smuggler?” Gumby asked.

  “Yes. He’s not the only small-time player, and taking him down isn’t going to end the problem. But I’m hoping it’ll at least slow it down and result in leads. I’ve also disseminated false information in the hopes that we can figure out who the mole is. We’ve got it narrowed down to a few people, but until we know for sure, our hands are tied. So while you guys are tracking down the smuggler, we’ll be running a separate side operation to try to find the mole.”

  Rocco nodded. Having the SEALs come in seemed a bit like overkill, but he understood why the commander had resorted to that option. “So, who’s the smuggler?”

  “His name is Jeo Bitoo. Fifty-three years old, and he’s been in the country about fifteen years. He’s got a store outside Manama. We think it’s where the goods are stored before being moved out. He’s currently visiting relatives in his home country of Gabon. His luggage was searched before he left the country, and he didn’t have the cuneiform tablets with him that are on deck to be smuggled out. We think he stashed them and will make the drop when he gets back.”

  “Why would he leave them behind? I mean, I’m assuming he’s getting paid a pretty penny for them, so it doesn’t make sense that he’d just leave the country before offloading,” Ace said.

  “His mother is dying. He didn’t have a choice but to leave right now,” the commander said.

  “Wait,” Rocco said, remembering something Caite had mentioned. “Does he have children?”

  “Yes, five sons. Why?” Commander Horner asked.

  “Just something that someone said today. Are they coming to the conference?”

  “Actually, yes.”

  “I’m confused,” Gumby said with a shake of his head.

  “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Ace said with a smile. “Smart.”

  The commander grinned. “Evidence is pointing to the patriarch, but just in case, we want to keep the boys
busy.”

  “Boys?” Gumby asked.

  “Not literally. Oldest is thirty-five and the youngest is twenty-five. They were supposed to keep their dad’s store open and running while he was gone, but apparently they’re more interested in drinking than working.”

  “Are they involved in the smuggling?” Ace asked.

  “Not that we know of.”

  “Why do they think they were invited to the conference?” Gumby asked. “If they aren’t in cahoots with their old man, they wouldn’t be interested in an archaeology conference, would they?”

  “No,” the commander said. “But on Saturday, there’s a huge job fair being held in conjunction with the conference. And we made sure Jeo heard about it. He’s been on his sons for months to get jobs to help support the family. Legitimate jobs. We believe he thinks it’ll make the money he’s earning by smuggling a little less obvious. Not only that, but if one of his sons gets a job working for a museum or for a curator of antiques, it’ll make it easier for him to conduct business.”

  “So what’s the plan for us?” Ace asked.

  “You need to check out Jeo’s store. Since that’s where we think he’s storing the tablets, we need someone to get in there and find them before he gets back from Gabon. His sons haven’t bothered to open it since he’s been gone, so it should be an easy task to get in and out without detection. Especially for you guys.”

  “And if the sons suddenly decide they’d better do as Daddy told them?” Ace asked.

  “They won’t,” the commander said with confidence. “Seriously. These guys are lazy as fuck. Every night since their dad left, they’ve gotten drunk and hung out at their house. We’ve got some insiders who are keeping an eye on them. By six o’clock every night, they’re already hitting the bottle. They haven’t been near their dad’s store since he left.”

  “You’ve got people watching them?” Gumby asked.

  “Yes. Well, not all the time, but enough to be nearly certain they’re not part of the smuggling ring.”

  “Hmmm,” Rocco said. Something was bothering him about the whole situation, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d talk to the guys later and see if they could figure it out.

  “So we’re here to stop the latest smuggling attempt,” Gumby said. “What happens then? You said yourself that this Bitoo guy is small time in the smuggling ring. Why go after a low-level middleman and not the big players?”

  “Oh, we’re going to go after the big guys,” Commander Horner said, “but the first thing we have to do is figure out who the traitor is in our department. Someone is leaking information about everything we’ve planned faster than we can make a move. Catching Bitoo could result in leads, and it’ll at least be enough to allow the king to say he’s doing everything possible to stop the smuggling. He wants to catch someone, anyone, and show Israel and Iraq that he’s doing his part in stopping the thieves. While you guys are searching for the ten missing tablets, NCIS will be watching an alternate location on the other side of the city that they’ve purposely leaked. Whoever shows up to try to get the tablets will be interrogated. We’re gonna find the mole if it’s the last thing we do.”

  Rocco nodded. The job sounded interesting. It was nice to have a mission that wasn’t simply all about guns and brute strength. This would be more about stealth than anything else.

  The only problem was that it sounded too easy.

  Commander Horner looked at his watch. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I’m running late. There’s a gathering for some of the participants of the conference. I’m supposed to give the welcome speech before the morning program.” He handed over a folder to Rocco. “That’s the info we have on Jeo Bitoo.”

  Rocco reached for the folder, eager to start looking into their assignment.

  “Oh, and all five brothers will be here on base today.”

  At that, Rocco’s eyes met the commander’s. “Today? I thought the job fair thing was on Saturday.”

  “It is. But everyone who’s participating is supposed to attend the opening ceremony. The men and women who’re attending the job fair will receive information on which organizations are hiring so they can plan their strategy for Saturday. They’ll check in with one of the admins, and then head up to the ballroom on the top floor for the program and lunch.”

  Rocco immediately thought about Caite and felt uneasy. He knew instinctively that she was probably the one checking in the participants for the conference. She said that she worked with the foreign visitors, and even as they’d left her at her desk, he’d seen several men hanging around the lobby area.

  He tried to tamp down his worry for the diminutive woman, but wasn’t exactly successful. “Is it safe to have Bitoo’s sons on the base?” he asked.

  The commander nodded. “We believe so. They’ve been thoroughly checked out. Now, if you’ll excuse me. Feel free to use my office as long as you want. It’s secure.” He then stood and straightened his uniform jacket before striding out of the room.

  Rocco heard him telling the admin outside that his guests were not to be disturbed and they could use his office for as long as they wished.

  “Let’s go,” Rocco said as soon as the older man had left.

  “What?” Ace asked.

  “Seriously?” Gumby echoed. “We need to review the information we just got.”

  Rocco stood, lifted the back of his button-down and tucked the folder into the back of his pants, then dropped the shirt, covering the folder. “The last thing we need is to be seen hanging out in the commander’s office. No one will believe we’re here for some random visit.”

  “True,” Ace mumbled.

  “And I want to make sure those assholes don’t harass Caite,” Rocco added, even as he headed for the door.

  “You really like her,” Gumby said.

  Rocco stopped with one hand on the doorknob and turned to face his friends. “I do. I don’t know why.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re horny,” Ace quipped.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Rocco warned, glaring at his friend. “That was uncalled for.”

  Ace looked surprised. “Shit, you’re serious. Roc, we’re only here for a week or so, probably less. She’s here for another eight months, at least. You can’t seriously be thinking about starting something with her.”

  Rocco sighed and tamped down his irrational anger at his friend. Ace was right, he knew he was, but something wouldn’t allow him to let this go. Wouldn’t let Caite go. “I just…there’s just something about her that got to me.”

  Ace and Gumby eyed him silently for a moment before Gumby nodded. “Let’s go make sure she’s okay. Then we’ll find a place to hole up and look at the information the commander gave us and go from there.”

  Rocco nodded, feeling lighter just knowing he’d get to see Caite again. It was crazy. He’d just seen her twenty minutes ago. But knowing she’d be anywhere near five brothers who—regardless of what the commander said—could be neck deep in smuggling precious artifacts out of the country, was enough to make his protective instincts sit up and take notice. He couldn’t stand by her desk with his arms crossed, glaring at anyone who approached, but he could make sure, for now, that all was well.

  Ace slapped Rocco on the back in support and the three men left the office.

  Caite felt off-kilter. She hated being late, especially today when she had over three hundred people to check in to the Archaeology and Museums Conference the base was hosting. It wouldn’t be bad if it was just the conference, but since someone had decided it would be a good idea to hold it in conjunction with a job fair, she had easily twice as many people to deal with as she might otherwise.

  As the administrative assistant in charge of foreign visitors, it was her job to make sure everyone had the necessary documents in order to receive their visitor passes and hand out the registration packets for the conference. She’d been slammed for the last twenty minutes, quickly moving people through the check-in process.

  It
wasn’t exactly in her job description to be in charge of welcome packets for the conference, but her boss hadn’t seen anything wrong with assigning the job to her anyway. She did have to make sure everyone had proper paperwork for the visitor passes, but how that had turned into her being the go-to person for the archaeology conference, she didn’t know. It actually would’ve been fine if she only was handing out packets—but she was also answering questions, organizing meals, and making sure the rooms were set up properly. It was annoying.

  Unfortunately, she knew complaining to Joshua Mullen would get her nowhere. Her boss had been a DOD employee way longer than Caite. Complaining about the extra work would be an excellent way for him to get rid of her, something she was well aware he wanted to do. He’d told her more than once that her job was supposed to go to one of his buddies back in Virginia. Caite had no idea how she’d gotten the job over his friend, but now that she had it, she wasn’t going to do anything stupid to lose it.

  She’d only been in Bahrain for four months, but she’d already made a big dent in her credit cards and was working on her other debt now.

  “Hey,” a deep voice said from next to her.

  She’d been so lost in her head—which wasn’t exactly unusual—she’d completely missed Rocco and his friends walking up to her desk.

  “Oh. Hi,” she said shyly. “Everything okay?”

  “That was going to be my question to you,” Rocco said.

  Caite’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “No reason,” he was quick to say. “I just wanted to let you know we’re headed out.”

  Caite was thoroughly confused. It wasn’t as if she and Rocco had an appointment. And she’d thought they’d already said their goodbyes when leaving her at her desk. “Oh. Okay.”

  He grinned down at her. “I’m assuming this is where you can be found during the weekdays?”