“But…”
“Devon!” The senator shouted. “You will do this, or I will kill you myself. Give the Russians what they want. Give them all copies of the tape. Do. Not. Fuck. Around.”
“I wouldn’t,” Devon lied.
“Bullshit. But if you do, not only will they come after you and probably cut off your feet and hands, I’ll make sure you never work in this town again!”
“But…”
“Devon! Where is everything?”
“At my mother’s house, in her safe.”
Lydia scraped her heel against Devon’s cheek. “Of course it is,” she laughed. Evilly, of course.
28
Clint was exhausted by the time Finn got back from Mrs. Cron’s Georgetown apartment. She was in the Hamptons, so using Devon’s key and instructions, it had been easy enough to get all of the original and doctored videos of the events in Syria. Additionally, Finn found a fake passport, two overseas bank accounts, and the evidence of what weasel-dick had been using to blackmail the other two aides and the reporter. Finn gave all of that information over to Conroy so that he could disseminate it how he saw fit.
“You okay?” Lydia asked quietly as they sat together on the redeye back to California. Clint said yes, but he really wasn’t. It had been far too much stimulus for too short of an amount of time. Yeah, they might have come out on top, but he had almost blown the mission with the senator.
Lydia lifted up the armrest between them and rested her head against his chest. That was something that did make him feel better.
“Are you ever going to tell me what is wrong? What’s really wrong?” he asked Lydia. He mentally kicked himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
“It’s not wrong anymore,” she whispered softly. “It’s been my problem all along, but yeah, I’ll tell you when we get home.”
His head jerked as he looked down at her. Was she finally going to tell him the truth? The big reveal?
She stroked her hand over his heart. “Let’s just be like this until we get home, then I’ll tell you everything, okay?”
He picked up her hand and kissed her palm, amazed that his heart didn’t jump out of his chest. “Okay,” he whispered back.
Getting home takes a lot longer than you would think, especially when you’ve been shot. Thank God it was a through and through or he never would have made it through TSA.
“I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this,” Drake muttered as Darius leaned over Clint’s arm, watching him put in stitches.
“I’ll tell you why,” Mason Gault snarled. “It’s when I find out that my men have been fuck-all over the world, pretending to be Russian gangsters, threatening senators, breaking and entering, and specifically bringing in a civilian on a situation that I said was to be handled only by the team. That makes me ready to murder the three of you just on principle. And Finn, as the adult in the room, I’m holding you responsible.”
That hurt. Usually, I’m considered one of the adults in the room.
Mason must have seen the look on Clint’s face. He took it down just ever so slightly.
“Tell me you got everything that this worm had on Drake. How do you know he doesn’t have any more copies?”
“They’re pretty scared of the Russian mob,” Drake answered.
“Yeah, and when the secretary comes into the office just fine on Monday morning, her hand intact?” Mason said derisively.
“Actually, this was Clint’s idea.” Finn grinned. “He got her promoted to a new job working with the director of Walter Reed. One of the conditions of the promotion is that she had to start on Monday. She went for it.”
“Is there actually a job?” Mason demanded to know.
Clint grinned. “Sure is. Lydia and I created it two days ago. We found funding for it, and the director is going to be thrilled to have extra help. We did the check on the senator’s secretary; she has a daughter and two grandkids in Maryland, so she was happy to take the move package.”
Clint watched Mason’s lip twitch. “You got her a move package, huh?”
“That was Lydia’s idea. My idea was getting the senator the no-nothing airhead from rent-a-guy assistants. Bart is going to make the senator’s work life a living hell until the FBI comes and takes the senator away in handcuffs.”
“So, how’d you get your video to the Feds?”
“Conroy,” Finn and Clint said at the same time.
“Ah, shit. So now we have Lydia and the Shadow Alliance in on this thing. What part of keep it in the family do you not understand?” Mason glared at the three of them. “Darius, I hope you’re sewing his arm without anaesthesia.”
“Whatever you say, lieutenant. Just trying to stay out of the line of fire.” Darius kept his head down, but Clint could see his grin.
“Mason, don’t you have someplace more important to be than here?” Drake asked softly.
“Yes, goddamnit, why do you think I’m so pissed at you asshats?”
“Do you have pictures?” Clint asked.
Mason pulled out his phone and scrolled through until he found what he wanted. “Here you go.” He handed the phone to Clint.
“She’s beautiful, Mase. Did you two finally decide on a name?” Clint asked as he stared at the pretty baby with the unfocused blue eyes.
“We’re naming her Amelia, after Sophia’s mother.”
“That’s perfect.” Finn clapped Mason’s shoulder. Clint nodded in agreement.
“Hey, quit moving around. I’m almost done,” Darius complained.
“So am I. Just wait until I get the two of you on the exercise yard.” He glared at Finn and Drake. “As for you, Clint, what’s your prognosis? How much longer at the rehab center?”
He handed Mason back his phone. “I just don’t know. I had some problems on the op. I’m not mission-ready,” he said quietly, as Darius rolled down his sleeve.
“Clint, with time—” Mason started.
“No guarantees with this one. I can’t go into this thinking there are.” Clint stood up and smiled at his boss. “It’s a one-day-at-a-time type of deal. I’ve got at least five more weeks, if not more, at the center. Then I’m home for good, and it’s just a matter of me doing my exercises and letting nature take its course.”
Mason put his hand on his shoulder, “I’m here if you need me, anytime you need me.”
“Ah, hell, Mase, I know that.”
“We all are,” Darius piped up.
“I’m probably going to be doing push-ups, so don’t count on me,” Drake said.
“Whatever you need, just call,” Finn said as he came over and put his hand on top of Mason’s.
“Well, now that you mention it,” Clint grinned at Finn. “Can you square another two days away from the rehab place while I say good-bye to Lydia?”
“Ah, shit, you mean I can’t go home to Karen?” Drake whined.
“It’s not the same situation now,” Clint said. “If need be, I’ll sleep on the couch. But I won’t require your sorry ass at my house.”
“Thank God.”
It was raining when he walked up the stairs this time, so no yellow sundress for him. But maybe…finally…some answers. He listened as Mason’s new SUV drove away and he knocked on the door.
“Clint.” Lydia’s smile was glorious as she drew him inside.
“You’re wet,” she laughed as she threw her arms around him. He noticed she was careful of his shoulder. “Tell me how it went. How soon do I have to have you back to Palm Desert?”
“Not until Friday,” he whispered into her hair.
She dragged him towards the couch.
“Not the bedroom?” he teased as he followed her. He knew this was it, and it was all on her time, and he wasn’t going to make it hard for her. He sat down first, then pulled her onto his lap.
“This is bad,” she whispered into his shirtfront.
“Do you love me?”
She nodded.
He speared his fin
gers through her silky hair.
“Are you going to leave me?”
Her head shot up so fast it hit his chin. Dark, panic-filled eyes stared up at him. “Never.”
“Then we’ll get through this.”
“Clint, I realized just how damned stupid I’ve been since your injury. It’s like it jarred everything into place. You’re going to be over-the-top crazy mad about what I have to tell you, plus you’re going to be mad at me for keeping it from you, and you’re going to be mad at me for allowing it to keep us apart, and—”
“Lydia, slow down,” he cupped her face and gave her a soft kiss. “It’s going to be all right. You need to breathe.”
“It’s not all right.”
“I love you. It is all right. I’m not going to be crazy mad. You don’t intend to run away with Melvin, so I’m good.”
She snorted out a big laugh. Her eyes danced. Just what he wanted.
“He’s tempting, but I’m kind of set on you.” She rubbed her cheek against his hand.
“Rip the Band-Aid off, Baby.”
She swallowed. “I haven’t confronted him, but since the trial, I know. I know deep in my gut that my father set it up so Berto could molest Beth while he was visiting Dad’s accounting office.”
He jerked so hard, he almost dislodged Lydia from his lap. Clint looked down at Lydia, unable to fathom what he was hearing. Beth’s own father gave his sixteen-year-old daughter to a drug-dealing murderer to be sexually abused—all but raped—by a Mexican drug lord?
“That can’t be right.” His voice was hoarse.
Lydia didn’t respond. She continued to hold on tight to Clint and stare at him solemnly.
“Lydia, tell me that you’re wrong. Tell me the man who has been living next door to us for the last five years isn’t that much of an animal.”
Clint watched as one lone tear streaked down her soft cheek.
He didn’t say any more, trying hard to process the sick feeling in his gut. As he tried to wrap his head around the type of man who would knowingly do that, he felt his brain swirl. It was incomprehensible. He wanted—no, he needed—to go to the adjoining duplex and rip the door from the hinges and beat the man to death. It was only Lydia’s hand stroking his chest, telling him to breathe, that was keeping him sane.
Long, long moments later. Minutes? Hours? He gained a semblance of control. His mind finally slipped back into gear.
“But I don’t understand. Why has this been keeping us apart?” He was desolate. Five years without Lydia as his wife. They could have had a child by now. It made no sense.
“Guilt. Shame. I was lying by omission. I was tainted. You name it, I was feeling it. I can’t explain it. It was a roiling ball of emotions that all resulted in me not wanting you to tie yourself to me. You could have done so much better.”
Again, Clint felt the ground drop out from underneath him. He loved this woman for all he was worth, and he felt betrayed.
He breathed in through his nose.
He breathed out through his mouth.
Why would Lydia betray him?
Another breath in.
Another breath out.
“Why, Lydia?”
She bit her lip and wiped at her tears. “It seemed right back then. It seemed honorable even. But you almost dying made it clear. I was wrong. I was so wrong.” More tears.
“You should have known better, Lyd. You should have.” Clint shook his head when he heard the desperation in his voice.
Keep it together. This is Lydia. She needs you.
“I know I should have. I’m so sorry, Clint. Can you ever forgive me?”
His thumbs tried to stem the tide of her tears, but there were too many. He pulled her close and rocked her.
“Say you forgive me.”
He took another deep breath.
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“How can you say that?” she wailed. “I’ve been so wrong in the head.”
That startled a laugh out of Clint. “Now that I can understand, Honey.”
She sucked in her breath. “Don’t make fun of yourself,” she admonished.
“Lydia, we’re us again. I hate that this has kept us apart. It’s over now, right? We’re finally moving forward?” This time Clint held his breath.
“Yes, Love. We’re finally moving forward.”
“God, I adore you.” He tipped back her head for a loving kiss.
Clint, God bless him, went over to her parents’ house to back Lydia up when she finally confronted her father. She made sure that her mother was home because she needed to be able to look both of her parents in the eye when she made her accusation. Her mother was stoic while Lydia spoke, then started to cry while her father denied everything. But despite his denials, Lydia had no doubt that she was right. It was her mother who ended it. “You need to leave now. You’re upsetting your father,” she choked out, as she held her husband’s hand.
Clint wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her out the door.
Her relationship with her parents, such as it was, was forever ruined.
“What do you want to do?” Clint asked her when they returned home.
“I can’t live here anymore,” Lydia said. “You should stop giving him such a big discount on the rent, and Jack should stop supplementing him.”
“I’ll talk to Jack,” was all Clint would agree to. “But I agree, it’s time for us to get a bigger place. While I’m at the rehab center, that’s something you can work on.”
Lydia hated to see him go, but she agreed with him, he needed to do this. In the interim, she had house hunting to do, a trip to San Antonio to visit Beth.
She wanted to visit Alice in person to let her know that her stepfather had been apprehended. It was due to Finn and Drake’s help, they had figured out the trigger that had started the whole thing. Alice had been mentioned in the paper for her award as Teacher of the Year and that had started his fixation on her. It coincided with him losing his job, and with that evidence Lydia could question him and he broke down.
“What do you mean you knew?” Lydia stared at her sister, then looked over at her brother-in-law.
“It’s the only thing that made sense,” Beth said gently. “I figured it out years ago.”
“Then how could you stand to be in the same room with him?”
“I rarely do. I only really spend time with Mama.”
Lydia thought about it and realized it was true. But…
“Beth, our father served you up, he—”
“I’ve come to terms with it,” Beth sighed. “He’ll have to face God. I’m healed.” She turned and smiled up at the big man beside her. “I have my husband, my life, my children.” Then she smiled back at Lydia. “And my sister. I’m blessed.”
Lydia felt tears well, and then fall. “You are so beautiful, inside and out.”
“She absolutely is,” Jack concurred. He hugged Beth close as they sat on the couch together. “Lydia, I agree with your decision to move. I think that’s healthy. I’m just sorry this has been eating at you all these years.”
That was Jack, so gentle and compassionate. Just the man that her sister had needed.
Beth leaned forward and grabbed Lydia’s hands. “What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to pray for Clint’s recovery. He’s really come to terms with the fact that he might not return to the team.”
“Don’t count him out yet,” Jack reassured her.
“Still, all I care about is him. I just want him healthy and happy.”
“He’s got five more weeks, right?” Beth asked.
“I think he’s going to stay longer,” Lydia said. “He doesn’t want to rush this.”
“Good for him,” Jack’s approval was apparent.
“I need to ask you both for a favor.”
“Anything.” Beth practically bounced on the couch, eager to help her sister.
“Okay, let me tell you my plan.”
Epilogu
e
It had been great to see Mason when he was discharged today. But he had to admit, he was disappointed when it wasn’t Lydia who was waiting outside the rehabilitation center. He was dying to see her, plus he wanted to hear her take on Senator Leonard and Devon Cron’s takedown. Luckily, Mason was more than happy to talk about it—as a matter of fact, he had a lot of questions.
“I saw it on the news, but how in the hell did Conroy Lake arrange to have Senator Leonard arrested on the stairs of the State Capitol?” Mason wanted to know.
“Hell, Mason, I thought you would have realized that wasn’t Conroy, that was Declan,” Clint laughed.
Mason shook his head as he pulled onto the I-10 freeway. “I should have known that. Did Liam help?”
Clint shrugged. “Probably. Since he joined the Shadow Alliance I noticed that they’ve had a little more muscle with the military and all the D.C. types, and can play a little more above-board when they want to.”
“God, it was a thing of beauty. First, he was protesting all charges, but when he saw Devon being dragged out of the building, pointing at him, the senator actually started to cry. My God, they’ve used that clip to make hundreds, if not thousands of memes.”
“Really?” Clint laughed at that. He bet Melvin and Lydia had been holding a contest or something. When he suggested it to Mason, he disagreed.
“Nope, turns out that guy was universally despised, so it was easy. Then there were the side-by-side mug shots of the two of them. They actually pulled off Devon’s toupee for that one—he had three Homer hairs sticking up, and the senator’s eyes were puffy from crying.”
“More memes?” Clint asked.
“You got it.”
“What are the charges?”
“You and Finn did good. With that tape, showing them plotting to assassinate the secretary of state, they’re throwing the book at them. The trial won’t be for a couple of months, but it should be good.”
Her Unbroken Seal: A Navy Seal Romance Page 22