Securing Caite

by Susan Stoker

  “Hmmm, well, I’m kind of a one-guy-at-a-time girl,” she teased, uncomfortable with his praise. She’d been terrified tonight. But she wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if she’d done nothing.

  Rocco grinned. “Damn straight you are.” He looked at his watch. “I really need to go.”

  “Right.” Caite tried to take another step back, but once again he wouldn’t release her hand.

  “A kiss for the road?” he asked.

  It should’ve sounded corny, but it didn’t. Her mouth suddenly dry, Caite nodded.

  Rocco took a step toward her and wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her into him so they were plastered together. The other hand went to the back of her head. She wished her hair was free so she could feel his fingers tangled in the strands, but she forgot all about the hijab she was still wearing when his head lowered.

  The hair of his beard tickled her skin for a moment, just like it had the last two times he’d kissed her, making her shiver in anticipation.

  His lips were warm against her own, and she immediately opened for him. His tongue swept inside her mouth, and she closed her eyes and gave herself over.

  Rocco didn’t disappoint; he took control of the kiss, and Caite swore she saw stars.

  How long they kissed, she had no idea, but eventually he pulled back. He didn’t move far though. “Damn, I hate my job sometimes.”

  His words made Caite inhale sharply. He didn’t hate his job when it almost killed him, but he hated it when he had to stop kissing her? Holy shit. She didn’t know what to say to that. It was the most amazing compliment she’d ever received. Not that she’d received a ton of them, but this one still took the cake.

  “Be safe, Caite,” he ordered. “Bahrain is a fairly safe city, unless you get yourself mixed up in the middle of a smuggling ring and start sneaking around in the dark of night in the worst areas of Manama.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I think my days of trying to be a superhero are over.”

  “Damn straight,” he agreed, then leaned down and kissed her once more. It wasn’t as deep or intense as their previous kiss, but it wasn’t a mere peck on the lips either.

  “You feel warm,” he observed when he finally pulled away.

  “You try wearing this getup and running around in this heat and see how you feel,” Caite told him.

  Instead of smiling, he frowned. “Don’t get heatstroke,” he said. “Make sure you drink a ton of water when you go upstairs and take a long cool shower. If you feel lightheaded or dizzy, go to the clinic.”

  “I will,” she reassured him.

  Taking a deep breath, Rocco nodded, then backed away from her. They held hands until the last possible second.

  “Be safe,” Caite told him again.

  “You too.”

  “See you in a few months.”

  “Absolutely.”

  They stood outside her apartment staring at each other for a long moment before he finally said, “You need to turn around and go inside.”

  “I know.”

  “Please, ma petite fée. I can’t leave until you do.” Rocco’s tone sounded tortured.

  She’d never forget how his nickname for her sounded on his lips. She nodded, and turned her back on him, and headed for the front door of her apartment complex. She opened the door and stepped inside, turning to look back one more time.

  He was gone.

  Chapter Seven

  The next few days at work were uneventful. Caite kept her eyes peeled for any sighting of Rocco, Ace, or Gumby, but never saw them. Even Commander Horner had been absent for the last couple days. She’d finally succumbed to her curiosity and checked the computer to see if the SEALs were still on base.

  To her disappointment, they weren’t. They’d checked out on Tuesday.

  Sighing, she turned her attention back to the final report on the Archaeology and Museums Conference. She was responsible for typing up the report for Joshua to present to his superiors. Of course, work held no appeal for her at the moment. But neither did sitting in her apartment, wishing she was hanging out with Rocco.

  “Ms. McCallan, can I see you in my office please?” her boss asked, scaring the crap out Caite because she’d been daydreaming.

  “Of course,” she said and pushed back her chair.

  She followed Joshua into his office and sat on the edge of the chair in front of his desk.

  He didn’t leave her wondering what was going on. He immediately began speaking. “It’s come to my attention that you went off base this past weekend wearing an abaya and a hijab. Is that true?”

  Caite’s mouth opened and closed and she had no idea what to say.

  “And don’t lie,” Joshua said darkly, with a hint of glee.

  She clenched her teeth and pressed her lips together as she tried to figure out what to say that wouldn’t get her in trouble and would keep the details about the SEALs under wraps.

  “On second thought,” Joshua said, holding up his hand, “I don’t want to hear your excuses. You know the rules. You know wearing the traditional Bahraini garb is against the navy’s regulations. You signed an acknowledgement when you took this job.”

  “I know, but—”

  “No buts,” Joshua interrupted. “Either you did or you didn’t. Which is it?”

  Feeling sick inside, but knowing she couldn’t lie, Caite said, “I did. But—”

  “You’re fired,” her boss said with a small smirk. “I knew you couldn’t handle this job. The only thing keeping me from calling security and having them escort you from the premises is the fact that you didn’t lie about it. I have security video from your apartment showing you leaving wearing the clothing, and then coming back in the middle of the night and making out with someone right outside the building. Conduct unbecoming,” he said smugly.

  Caite wanted to protest. Wanted to say that since she wasn’t actually in the navy, it wasn’t conduct unbecoming because that only pertained to officers. Besides, she wasn’t even on the base when she’d kissed Rocco. But it was obvious Joshua had been looking for any reason to fire her.

  And she had worn the abaya and hijab when she’d known it was prohibited. Though it had been for a good reason. A reason there was no way she was giving to Joshua. He’d wanted to hire his friend since the minute she’d stepped foot in the building, and now he’d get his chance.

  “I’ve talked to the commander, and because you’ve been a satisfactory employee, your expenses to get home will be paid for. You have a flight the day after tomorrow. I suggest you pack up your stuff from your desk—and leave all of the electronics you’ve been issued.”

  Caite stared at Joshua in disbelief. The day after tomorrow? He wasn’t messing around.

  She stood up without a word and turned for the door. She should fight for her job, but she was sick of doing all the work and having Joshua take credit for it. She was sick of the heat. She missed her mom and, frankly, she was homesick.

  “Oh, and Caite?” Joshua said when she’d reached the door.

  She turned back to look at him.

  “Make sure the conference report has been sent to me before you leave.”

  Caite didn’t bother responding, leaving his office without a word.

  Fuck him. She wasn’t sending him shit. Maybe he should’ve actually stuck around and attended the damn conference he’d been responsible for.

  She went back to her desk, not making eye contact with anyone, and sat. She woke her computer and promptly deleted the Word file she’d just saved. Then she went into her trash folder and deleted it from there too. It wouldn’t keep a computer expert from finding it in the depths of the machine, but it would at least make Joshua sweat for a while.

  She packed up the few personal odds and ends she’d brought with her and left, leaving her work cell behind.

  The security officer stopped her before she left the building. “I’m sorry, Caite, but I have to take your badge.”

  It was the last str
aw. Tears filled her eyes as she unclipped the DOD employee badge from her shirt and handed it over.

  “If it’s any consolation, everyone knows Joshua’s a douche,” he said sympathetically.

  “Thanks. Take care of yourself.”

  “You too, Caite.”

  She nodded and left the building without looking back.

  Two days later, Caite sat in a middle seat on a crowded plane headed back to California. She hadn’t had time to think about much of anything other than packing and figuring out who to call to get what little amount of stuff she’d brought to Bahrain shipped back home. She’d called her mom and cried, then took a deep breath and got on with figuring out the rest of her life. She needed a place to live, a car, a job, and to get her stuff out of storage.

  But now, settled on the plane, she finally had time to think about what happened.

  Joshua had said there was surveillance footage from outside her apartment. Was he telling the truth? It made sense, security cameras were a normal part of life now…but how had he gotten ahold of the tapes? And why? It made no sense.

  But in all honesty, he’d done her a favor. Her jaunt into the bowels of Manama had done what the four months before hadn’t been able to. It had made her more than ready to go home. The only thing she wasn’t happy about was the fact that any chance of getting another government contractor job was probably shot to hell. She knew Joshua wouldn’t give her a good recommendation, and why would anyone else hire someone who had been fired?

  She sighed.

  Now she’d have to start all over after years with the military. Luckily, she’d saved everything she’d made while overseas beyond a portion to pay off some debt, so she had a pretty good number in her savings account. But soon, she’d be right back in the same position that had forced her to take the job in the first place.

  Deciding that there was absolutely nothing she could do about it, Caite put her head back and tried to ignore the cranky child kicking the back of her seat and the large, somewhat smelly man snoring next to her.

  “Fired?” Rocco said incredulously. “What the hell for?”

  “For wearing an abaya and hijab out in public,” Tex said.

  Rocco had been sitting at home watching television when his phone rang. He’d been surprised to hear the former SEAL on the other end of the line—and now he was furious.

  “That’s bullshit!” he exclaimed.

  “Yup. But I’m wondering if there wasn’t another reason,” Tex said calmly.

  Rocco stilled. “Like?”

  “Like it was a pretty big coincidence that she was fired right after you and the others left the country. It’s almost as if someone knew she had something to do with those tablets being found and that big smuggling bust.”

  “Shit,” Rocco swore. “Have the Bitoo brothers said who their contact was?”

  “No, because they’re still in the wind,” Tex said. “The authorities, both naval and Bahraini, haven’t been able to find them.”

  “Well, shit. It would make things a whole lot easier if someone got off their ass and found them…and made them give up their contact,” Rocco said.

  “Yes, it would,” Tex said. “Anyway, rumor has it that four tablets arrived safe and sound here in the States,” Tex said.

  Rocco shook his head. It was scary the shit Tex knew. “Do you know who has them?”

  “I know where they entered the country and I know who they were supposed to go to, but I guarantee that any raids on the man’s property would turn up nothing. He isn’t an idiot. His lawyer has already gotten involved. They’ll never find those tablets. They’re gone. Poof. Disappeared.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Rocco asked. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t care about the damn tablets. Yes, they were a part of history, but he’d done his job by getting some of them back. Now it was up to the Iraqi government to protect the six they’d recovered.

  “Someone lost a lot of money in that deal,” Tex said. “I’m sure they aren’t happy. And shit rolls downhill, if you know what I mean. If the boss isn’t happy, neither is the man under him, or under him, or under him.”

  “You think someone found out about Caite’s involvement in getting the tablets back and had her fired.”

  “I think that you need to watch your six,” Tex said. “Someone with some serious money was behind this. I doubt he’ll get his own hands dirty, but he might take out his loss on someone else, who might want revenge on the person under him, and so on. I don’t know how far down you might fall in that revenge list, but it’s possible it could happen.”

  “And Caite?”

  “Maybe her being fired was the revenge on her. But maybe it wasn’t. All I’m saying is that whatever’s going on over there in Bahrain stinks. Commander Horner is trying to shut this shit down, but in the meantime, there are an awful lot of people with their hands in the pie.”

  As Tex said, it was a bit too much of a coincidence that Caite was fired right after the tablets were returned to the Iraqi officials. Yes, she’d broken protocol, but she either hadn’t told anyone why or, as Tex suggested, someone wanted her out of the way regardless.

  Rocco had no doubt that Caite had kept her mouth shut. There was no way she’d tell anyone about what had happened. It simply wasn’t her way.

  “I’ll keep my eye on her,” Rocco told Tex.

  “I had a feeling you would,” the other man said. “Now, have you seen Wolf or the others lately?”

  “Saw the entire team when we got back. I wanted to let them know that the training we did on how to get out of deep places was invaluable on this mission.”

  “Good. My wife has been bugging me to get back out there. Maybe I’ll pack up the fam and take a visit.”

  “I’m sure everyone would like that,” Rocco told Tex. “Hey, one more question before you go.”

  “Anything.”

  “Do you have any contact information for Caite yet? I gave her my number but with everything that happened, I have a feeling she’ll feel weird about using it.”

  “I looked her up before I called you, and there’s nothing yet. The only thing I have is the address of the storage unit she’s been using. She hasn’t signed a lease yet or gotten a cell phone.”

  “Okay. Will you let me know when you get either?”

  “Already made a note,” Tex reassured him.

  “’Preciate it.”

  “Anytime. Later.”

  “Later.”

  Rocco hung up and stared blankly at the television. He wasn’t happy that Caite had gotten fired because of him. Oh, she probably wouldn’t look at it that way, but he knew that was the case.

  He wanted to talk to her. To make sure she was all right. To touch base. He also couldn’t stop thinking about what Tex had said. Yes, they’d recovered the tablets, and the remaining ones that had been smuggled out of Bahrain technically weren’t his issue anymore. It was up to Customs to investigate and catch those responsible.

  But the fact that Commander Horner thought he had a mole in his department, and now Caite had been fired, wouldn’t leave his mind. Maybe they weren’t related. But what if they were? A top-level smuggler wouldn’t give a shit about a DOD secretary. But, like Tex inferred, someone down the line might, especially if he or she had gotten in deep shit for the ruined operation.

  He hoped Caite would call, but even if she didn’t, she’d still be hearing from him. He’d give her a bit of time to get settled, but if she didn’t reach out to him, he’d get her information from Tex and “happen” to run into her. He’d make sure she knew that he still wanted to go on that date he’d promised.

  “I told you to take care of her,” the man bit out the second his contact in Bahrain answered.

  “I did!”

  “Then why is she currently in San Diego looking for an apartment and a job?”

  There was silence on the other end of the secure line for a beat before the younger man said, “You wanted me to kill her?”

&nbs
p; Controlling his ire, the man sitting in his office on the naval base in San Diego said, “That’s what ‘take care of her’ means.”

  “How was I supposed to know that? Dude, I’m a computer geek. I wouldn’t know the first thing about offing someone! I hacked into the security cameras around her apartment and got that video of her wearing those Arabic clothes. I sent the footage to her boss with an anonymous note. He fired her the next day. Problem solved.”

  “The problem is not solved!” the man said impatiently. “She overheard those idiots say my name. She knows who I am!”

  “Wouldn’t she have said something by now if she did?”

  “Maybe, maybe not, but I can’t take that chance. I’ve spent my life working to get to where I am and no twenty-something bimbo is going to take that away from me. I’ve got at least five more shipments in the works and they’ll set me up for life. If you were confused about what my instructions meant, you should’ve asked for clarification,” the man said.

  “But I wasn’t confused,” the guy retorted. “I thought you wanted her fired.”

  “Goddamn incompetent fools,” the older man mumbled under his breath. Then louder, he said, “You know nothing. If you so much as fart in my direction, you’ll regret it.”

  Clearly understanding he could be in big trouble, the twenty-four-year-old kid, just out of college, almost fell over himself reassuring the man on the other end of the line. “Yes, Sir. I mean, of course not, Sir. I’d never say a word. I need this job. My girlfriend is expecting a ring and I need the money. I’ll keep my mouth shut. Yes, Sir.”