“Oh man, they got jam!” Cornell said, rummaging through the refrigerator. “Feel like I’m back home in Mama’s kitchen. Thanks, Mimi.”
“Doing it for the team.”
Fuzzy appeared in a fresh white tee shirt and scruffy khakis with loafers that had been worn over the heel so many times they became open-heeled slip-ons. “Mornin’, everyone,” he mumbled. He would not make eye contact with Garrett.
Everyone took seats around the kitchen on stools and chairs robbed from the dining room. The food was inhaled. Garrett took the last piece of bacon and made a mental note to have the boys get more.
Afterward, Mimi was inched out of the kitchen as the men helped with the cleanup. She managed to grab the trash bag and headed for the garage again. Garrett followed her.
“I always thought that was a two-person job,” he heard Luke chuckle behind him.
She jumped when she turned and saw him standing there. “You scared me, Garrett!” Swiping her hands together, she washed them in the utility sink.
Garrett watched, not sure what he was going to say. The words were stuck in his throat. He’d acted like he wanted to tell her something he hadn’t admitted he felt.
“I think I need to tell you I’m sorry about last night,” he managed to push out before it became too awkward.
She didn’t react. He was unsure what he expected but he wished she’d fill the space with some words. Perhaps everything had been a terrible mistake. He continued.
“I hope you didn’t get offended with my behavior, what I did. I apologize if that was the case, Mimi.” He was telling it straight from his heart, something he never did with a woman. He felt like a kid walking in his father’s shoes that were six sizes bigger than his own feet.
“I had the same problem.” She lowered her eyes. “Thought maybe you got the wrong impression of me. Maybe after this is all over with, we could do a reset, start all over like a couple of regular folks, not part of an elite stealth team looking to rescue a hostage? A very important hostage.”
“I agree,” he lied. His stomach churned. His hands ached to hold her again. He was thirsty for the taste of her mouth on his. He knew all this was wrong, yet he couldn’t help but blurt out, “Can I have a raincheck, then?”
Her smile was beautiful, her opulent lips and smooth young skin screamed at him to lose control and blow the whole thing. But though his heart pounded, he needed to show her he could be trusted with his control.
“Of course. A raincheck, it is.” As she slipped past him, she paused. “I’m not a slut, Garrett, and I don’t sleep around.”
He’d misread her. The sudden realization that he’d gotten overly anxious, that he’d done the very thing he promised himself he wouldn’t do, flooded him with a combination of anger at himself and guilt. She was right. He’d let his feelings temporarily distract him from his mission. It was the same thing he’d given Fuzzy a hard time about.
“I never thought that about you, Mimi. Never crossed my mind.”
She chuckled.
“I’m missing the joke,” he said. They were close enough he could lean over and kiss her square on the mouth.
“My dad gave me the lecture about men. We used to have this old dog named Bruce.”
“Sure, I remember Bruce. A real mongrel. Wouldn’t stop fighting.”
“Yes, that was Bruce. He never gave up, just like—you know what I mean. But Dad used to say to me, ‘Mimi, boys are like dogs, like Bruce here. They get into a close encounter. Some fight, some go after girls, and then they move on to the next encounter. They don’t think about it. They just do. It doesn’t mean anything to them.’ I forget that sometimes about men.”
Garrett felt the vein in his neck pulse and his mouth go suddenly dry as he realized it was important what she thought of him. That never happened.
“Wait a minute Mimi. I totally get what you’re saying, but that’s not how I was feeling at all. I’m sorry you felt I was disrespecting you. Point taken. But don’t go away thinking I just wanted a tussle in the sheets. That’s not me. It upsets me that you think that way, too. I’ll be totally hands-off. You can count on it.”
Before he could hear her response, he abruptly turned on his heels and tore through the kitchen door. He joined the team in the kitchen and put his conversation with Mimi out of his mind.
After the cleanup was complete, the Special Agents Hoaglund and Desideri started coffee and dispersed it to the team, who had begun to gather around the dining table. They left with money and another list Garrett gave them.
Garrett stood by the large post-it sheet they’d stuck to the wall. He added comments from last night’s texts under the motive label in one box. He saw Mimi check her phone.
“Anything?” he asked her.
She shook her head, no. Her expression was glum.
“Gents, we think Georgette tried to call Mimi last night from an unknown phone.”
“She told me. That narrows our focus a bit. Good thing, too,” said Joshua.
“Did she ask for help?” wondered Fuzzy.
“Yes. Sounds like she’s being held.” Garrett scanned the room again. Most had turned to watch Mimi, who was buried in her phone.
“I knew it,” Fuzzy muttered. “Just didn’t make sense she’d want to go on her own.”
“I think it might have started that way, Fuzzy,” Mimi quipped. “That’s just a hunch.”
“Could be all a planned false clue,” said Luke.
“And she told us where she is,” Joshua announced.
Garrett found himself a bit irritated. “She did. Oregon is what she said, at the POG farm.”
“I can get a trace on that phone. Just make sure you let me know, day or night, Mimi,” said Tanner, adjusting his glasses. “I’ll need to check out the signal and perhaps trace the call through your phone.” Garrett knew he would be calling his friend at Homeland Security.
He continued the discussion, laying out plans and giving assignments. “Time for a road trip. I’ve got to get this to Branson. I’m bringing the whole team, so let’s get packing.” Garrett knew the faster they could get to the compound the better.
“I’ll call Mike with the update,” said Tanner. “We’re going to need some additional equipment. Someone’s going to have to get in there to help with the surveillance.”
Cornell Bigelow requested the floor. “I’ve got some specs on some listening devices we used on a private job. Really cool plugs that get shot strategically into a building. They have cameras and sound if they survive the blast and get planted correctly. Pretty damned cool. But not government issue. I got a source.”
“You get on that, Bigelow. I’ll get the money. The boys can do the pickup.”
“Roger that.” He ran to the next room, his cell phone to his ear.
“I better get started on the sewing,” Tanner said, holding up a box. “I’ll need a tee shirt from all of you, including you, Mimi. Gonna install some wires and tiny mics.” Several small round devices and fine coils of wire were tightly packed in foam padding.
“Invisios. We got those?” asked Joshua.
“Branson sent them with the firepower yesterday. Glad to have them,” answered Garrett.
“What’s going to be the story? Someone’s got to get inside, right? Make physical contact with Georgette?”
“That should be Mimi,” said Fuzzy. “Someone should go inside with her. Perhaps they should pose as a couple trying to join the group, like say, her and Lopez here? You make a pretty cute couple.” He winked at Joshua, and the men started catcalling and giving him a hard time.
Mimi studied Garrett’s face. He saw the uncertainty there, even though she nodded and went along with the plan. Every few seconds, she examined her cell again, hoping for a text.
He left the group deep in discussion while he called Mike with the news of the contact. The pinging of Georgette’s cell phone had not reoccurred. Mike also told him they came up with nothing on the table of youths at the breakfast.
> “The president doesn’t remember the POG representative. It was a woman, and he barely talked to her. He told me they’d made a six-figure donation to the first lady’s favorite school meals charity. That’s how they got the invite, through her. We don’t often turn down the First Lady’s requests.”
“Either of them sense anything out of the ordinary?”
“They felt it was legit. I’ve had our guys look into the group, and nothing appears out of place. But I agree, you need eyes on the ground, now that she’s asked for help.”
Garret knew that if Georgette wanted to leave, she was in more danger.
“Mike, any chance someone on the staff is compromised?”
“Oh man, we’re looking at that every minute. If that’s the case, it’s only a matter of time before we intercept them.”
“But she’s already gone.”
“You tell me, Garrett. If she’s being held against her will, do you think they don’t know who she is? No. We think the president is being targeted through his daughter.”
“Okay, well, get the arrangements made, and we’ll take the next flight you can get,” Garrett demanded. “I don’t want to wait on this.”
“I should be able to get you out there today. Just hold onto your hat and stay by that cell phone of Mimi’s. Record those texts and get your gadget guy working on the tracing. Let me know if you need help.”
“Thanks, Mike. Oh, and I almost forgot, any results from the prints on the book?”
“Nothing on file. There were two other sets of prints besides hers, but they were not known to the system. Afraid that’s a dead end.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Garrett, there’s one more thing. We got a reporter asking about where Georgette is. The FLOTUS told them it wasn’t any of their business. I guess the reporter sort of took offense and is digging. This may not be a secret for very long.”
“Just get us out there.”
“Working on it yesterday.”
Garrett’s return to the team revealed Cornell had indeed secured the pop camera devices and the special agents would be returning with them shortly, which was welcome news. Tanner had collected the tee shirts. He sewed listening devices and tracking nodes inside pockets and underneath shirt logos, burying the wiring in the neckline and sleeve seams of the shirts. His work was flawless, undetectable.
“I’ll need another two hours to finish. I can do it on the plane, if we got one,” Tanner said.
“We do. Get your equipment tested and packed. Think we’re leaving this afternoon,” said Garrett.
Fuzzy waddled up to him. “Josh has done so much undercover work. I think he’s our best bet for going in. You agree?”
Garrett’s chest tightened. “I do.”
“My suggestion is that Mimi change her appearance so she’s not recognized, just in case someone knows about Georgette’s teacher.”
“How?” asked Mimi, who had overheard.
“I think you should change your hair color. Make it wild a bit, like you’re someone who lives an alternative lifestyle,” said Joshua. “I’ll get the boys to get some colored shampoo that rinses out. Red would do, I think,” he added with a wink.
“You up for that?” Garrett asked.
Mimi shrugged. “Anything. Whatever works.”
He noted her defiance, trying to show her strength. It was a good attempt, but he saw right through it. He was certain she was terrified, now that the decision had been made. He was concerned about her, but wanted to keep his distance as he promised. He admired she didn’t complain.
In less than two hours a large white van pulled up to the front of the complex. The drivers helped to load equipment. Mimi had just stepped from her room, drying her hair with a white towel that bled red. It completely changed her appearance, and made her look like a teen.
“You could pass for one of your kids,” he smirked.
“Just my luck. I do something cool and ‘with it’ and everyone thinks I’m younger. You don’t find it attractive?” She mimicked batting her eyes at him, which was so unfair.
“You know what I think, Mimi?” he asked, working on packing items in his Velcro pouches. “I already promised I’d keep my mouth shut, and a promise is a promise.” He placed his hands on his hips to judge her reaction.
All he got was a pout and the slight rise of her eyebrows. If he’d allowed himself to react, he’d forget the talk and just kiss the hell out of her. But he knew it was better this way.
“Love it, sweetheart,” Joshua said as he put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Ready to go hippie?”
Garrett didn’t like the fact that Joshua’s arm remained over her shoulders and his fingers were too close to her ample chest.
Just before they left, he checked in with Branson and Mike.
The airstrip was an old private airport purchased by the FBI and used for special low-profile flights. The military transport was smaller than Garrett was used to being in, and the group had to huddle together since the strapped equipment took up so much space.
Mimi sat on the bench across from him, next to Joshua, who was giving her instructions about going under cover. With the plane droning on, it was hard for her to hear, and Garrett couldn’t decipher a word, either.
He leaned back and resolved to get some sleep to make up for the lack of shuteye the night before.
Turbulence woke him up. He heard Cornell’s headphones blaring next to him, but the man was oblivious, drooling over his own chin. Tanner was reading a book with a booklight clip. Everyone else was asleep or just relaxing. Mimi opened her eyes, and they stared at each other for several minutes before Garrett willed himself to close his lids and really try to rest.
It was easier, with the vision of her as the last thing he saw. Everything about her face was soft and not angry.
What the hell am I doing, getting her involved in this? He knew his worry about her safety wasn’t all due to the fact that she was embarking on a mission for which she’d never been trained.
He snuck a peek, opening his eyes just enough so he could watch her again, and found that she was still studying his face.
His emotions were complicated, but it in a new and exciting way. There was something very satisfying about becoming her protector. He smiled and didn’t care if she saw it.
Chapter 10
“You have to think fast and be prepared for the unexpected. Watch your reactions, but if you get out of line, just go with it,” Josh explained while they began the ride.
She knew it was easier said than done.
“Main thing is not to act scared, nervous, except for something your character would be scared or concerned about. Be wary of a good interrogator who’s skilled at getting information from you while posing as your best friend. They can be watching you all the time, while you sleep, even in the shower.”
“How many under cover missions have you been on, Josh?”
“No clue. Lost count years ago. I got so I forgot what city I was in, I’d been in so many drug operations. But with all that experience, I never let my guard down. You do that, and you might as well confess to be an imposter.”
“Have you ever been kidnapped or shot?”
“A few. Had to rescue myself every one of those so as not to blow the mission. Truth is, if you need the outside to come in and take you out, it’s usually too late. Be way ahead of them. Plan your escape. Start that day one, and then refine it every day so if you have to make a move, you’re mentally prepared.”
“Ever lost a hostage?” she asked.
Josh banged hit his head against the metal hull of the plane. “We don’t think about those if we can help it. It’s a dirty business. And some of the people I lived with I actually cared about. Maybe tried to get the innocents out, or help convert some of the bad guys. It’s a risky and thankless job. But at least I never got bored. That would be the worst thing that could happen, Mimi.”
She could imagine all sorts of things that would b
e worse.
“If one of the big guys comes on to you, try to keep out of it, but if you have to, be prepared to do what you have to.”
“What does that mean?” she’d asked.
“Men and women, you know. Some men feel like they own women. We might have one of those here.”
“You mean sleep with him?”
“I wouldn’t call it that. It’s something else. It’s dirty and disgusting and should never happen to anyone, but be prepared, it might happen to you, Mimi.”
“You think it will come to that? I mean, I’m a school teacher.”
“I know, but the guy has a reputation. I’ve had to do some things in the field I couldn’t tell my wife about. It comes with the job. Sucks, but that’s what happens sometimes. I got friends who rode with bikers for years, took up wives and such. I want you to understand this before you go in. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m not going to hurt anyone. I won’t do that for anybody. If I’m asked to do that, the answer will always be no,” she said defiantly.
“I understand. I have the same issues. And sometimes we have to prioritize the mission over our own welfare. It’s what we did in the sandbox. But you do what you do to stay alive first, so you can help others. It’s what police and fire and first responders do every day, Mimi. I hope it doesn’t happen, but you got to be able to make that choice, should it come up.”
She’d thought about that in the minutes before she finally found her sleep. She didn’t understand how Garrett could be happy living in a cabin way out in the boonies after what he’d seen and done.
That’s why there wasn’t a woman in his life. He got bored easily.
The bench seat was hard and Mimi woke up from an all-too-brief nap, disappointed she couldn’t sleep. As she opened her eyes, Garrett’s eyes peered deep into her soul, or at least that’s how naked she felt. She inhaled, drawing strength from the extra oxygen, and stared right back at him without wavering.
SEAL Love's Legacy (Silver SEALs Book 1) Page 9