Lethal Redemption

by April Hunt

  Forte growled.

  “Not a one of us is happy about how that happened and it won’t happen again,” Rojas continued. They all had reasons to ensure the security of this place. It’d become a haven. It needed to stay that way. “But what I’m saying is this: she’s already been yanked directly into the middle of whatever is going on. You’re not going to save her any issues by sending her away.”

  Forte nodded. “Whoever tossed her hotel room thought she had information and it was before we even knew what Calhoun had left with Atlas. They think she’s a part of it and she is at risk no matter how far away you send her.”

  Cruz scowled. “I can keep focus on me. I’ve got lines on at least one more of the SEALs on that team. One of them is going to give away more than they intend to. We’re all good, but over enough time we all develop cracks in our stories.”

  He hadn’t been a SEAL but he’d been Special Forces. And he’d been a man with secrets to keep. The trouble with need-to-know information was if you knew, you didn’t want to. Secrets lived with you forever and eventually you were desperate for a way to purge them. One of these guys wished he was out but he had family to protect. There had to be at least one or two more who wanted out.

  “Maybe so.” Forte spoke slowly. He had a tendency to think as he spoke and random brilliance occasionally fell out of his mouth. Most of the time, though, it was bullshit. Still, the rare jewels of wisdom were worth it. “I’m thinking anyone with enough influence to have SEALs afraid on domestic soil, not just on a mission, has a far enough reach to cause her harm the minute she leaves this property.”

  So this time was one of those one in a million moments where Forte’s point was so true, it should’ve been obvious to David from the beginning.

  Cruz cursed again.

  “It’s too dangerous here. They’ve got eyes on her already.” Cruz couldn’t see a way to get Lyn out of this mess. “She’s got clients on the West Coast, a business to run after all this is over.”

  “And she planned to be here until this project was complete, right?” Rojas asked.

  “Yeah. It was open-ended, though. No idea when Atlas is going to be declared recovered.” Beckhorn had Cruz’s back on that. It was the way any of them worked. They took as long as the dog needed to be ready for the work it had to do. And every dog was different.

  “I’m guessing she didn’t have clients scheduled any time soon because of that.” Rojas could be so damned reasonable. “She’s not going to have an immediate job to pick up where this one lets off.”

  Great. More guilt to add to the weight in Cruz’s chest.

  He shook his head. “You’ve both got good thoughts. No disrespect here, but I’ve got a gut feeling. She needs to get out of here. I’ve got no logic to go up against the reasoning you’ve put out there. It’s just a feeling.”

  And even as he admitted it, he hated it. Because it wasn’t a logical decision. He didn’t have good reasons even if he’d convinced himself he did. And Lyn was a smart woman. She’d have refuted his reasons every bit as effectively as Forte and Rojas had just done if Cruz had given her a chance. Only he hadn’t. And he’d probably damaged whatever it was between them in the process.

  She was very mad at him. And when she had time to cool off and really think it through, she was going to be over here to tell him exactly what his two best friends already had.

  He raised his gaze and looked each of them directly in the eyes. “Something isn’t right. She needs to get someplace safe.”

  They got it. He could see it in their expressions. Sometimes it wasn’t about logic. They’d all learned to follow their instincts when everything else in the world told them to do different. Following those gut feelings had seen them through hell and back, through multiple deployments each. Sometimes the world didn’t make sense.

  “You could lose her if you push her out of here.” Rojas’s warning was almost inaudible. He would know. He’d lost a wife by pushing her away. “If she decides to move on before you catch back up with her, are you ready to deal with that?”

  No.

  Cruz swallowed. “I’m going to have to.”

  This was the right thing to do. And if nothing else, each one of them did his damned best to do the right thing.

  * * *

  When Lyn came through the door, both Forte and Rojas made a break for it.

  “Good luck, man.” Forte gave him a parting slap on the back.

  Great thing about brotherhood: they were willing to leave a man to the inevitable without any witnesses to see him ripped to shreds. Cruz appreciated it.

  Lyn strode into the kitchen and came to a stop outside of arm’s reach. The distance she left between them hit him like a brick wall. She’d changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a soft knit top. Its fabric clung to her curves and he wanted nothing more than to run his hands over her. Her hair was gathered up in a knot, looking suspiciously wet. She must’ve taken a shower. He should’ve stayed and joined her.

  But no. He’d gone and pushed her away, so he needed to clear his head of things he shouldn’t be caught up in thinking and focus on what she had to say. Thing was, she muddied up his brain process without even trying.

  She lifted her chin. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. Not one of your reasons holds up against good, solid reasoning.”

  Here we go.

  He was hoping she’d listen to him once he let her blow off her steam. Maybe she’d understand if he explained. He was willing to give it a try. She was the most instinctual trainer he’d ever met and if anyone could understand what was driving him to risk this thing they had, it’d be her. He hoped.

  “I’m listening.” He turned toward her in his seat, giving her his full attention because she deserved it.

  Maybe she wasn’t used to it, because she hesitated. It took her a full minute to recover, visibly gather her thoughts and open her mouth to speak.

  “Sorry to interrupt.” Forte was back. “Beckhorn has been trying to get ahold of you and you haven’t been answering your phone. We’ve got company waiting at the main gate and neither of you is going to be happy with what they’re here for.”

  Atlas.

  He’d gotten pretty good at reading her expressions. Same thought crossed her mind and there was a hint of fear, too. They’d both been ready for a scuffle but neither of them had been prepared to let Atlas go. He’d brought them together.

  They moved for the front door in unison.

  * * *

  Lyn nabbed her laptop bag on the way out the front door, letting David get a step ahead of her. He’d outdistance her regardless, with his ground-eating stride and longer legs. When he didn’t, she was silently grateful. The partnership between them wasn’t gone, despite his telling her to leave earlier.

  Please don’t let this be over yet.

  They’d barely started to explore what was between them and had only made partial progress with Atlas. She wasn’t ready to leave either of those unfinished.

  The two men at the front gate were standing next to a blocky SUV, bare to the point of utilitarian. But then, she was used to the rental SUVs with frills and extra features. It wasn’t obviously a military vehicle as far as she knew but it didn’t look like the usual thing an average person would buy, either.

  Add to it their stance and general attitude and Lyn figured they had to be military. Spending time around David, Brandon, and Alex had gotten her used to the body language. Neither appeared to be particularly intimidating and, in fact, wore such neutral expressions she studied them even more closely.

  David probably saw more than she did. Whatever this situation was, and she had her suspicions, she was glad she was side by side with him. Standing up to these men alone would’ve been a lot more of a challenge.

  The men waited for them to approach rather than coming to meet them. When David came to a stop, so did she, at a distance slightly farther away than would normally allow for comfortable conversation. Already there were irritating undercurr
ents being exchanged between David and the strangers. Glances and minute frowns. Dogs and cats weren’t the only ones that got into pissing contests.

  “David Cruz and Evelyn Jones?” the older man asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question. He knew he had the right people. “Sergeant Zuccolin. I have orders to retrieve the military asset known as Atlas. Came through early this morning. Captain Beckhorn has been notified.”

  Lyn preferred straightforward souls like David, Alex, and Brandon. This man talked more like a politician despite his brevity. His tone was too pleasant. He spoke as if they were all good friends and this wouldn’t be met with any protest of any kind.

  “I’d like to see a copy of those orders, Sergeant Zuccolin.” David’s tone was flat.

  The older man clenched his jaw. “I’m sure Captain Beckhorn has forwarded them to you electronically.”

  “To be honest, there may have been a lag in communication.” David made it sound as if that sort of thing happened all the time. “He only called as we were informed of your arrival. I had to choose between coming out to greet you and speaking to him. If you men wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes, I’d be happy to call him back to hear what he has to say.”

  “There’s coffee up at the main house.” Lyn regretted mentioning it immediately. Both strangers gave her the once-over and dismissed her from consideration. The look was so incredibly familiar from her childhood and the occasions when her father had brought guests to the house. She cursed herself for not choosing something with more impact to say first.

  A person has seconds to establish an impression. In terms of appearance, she was slight and definitely a civilian. On opening her mouth, she hadn’t had any great contribution to the conversation. Anything she said from here on out would barely be heard.

  Damn it. She had better social skills than this.

  The only reason she could think of for being this off-balance was the discussion with her stepfather directly followed by her aborted faceoff with David. Too many thoughts were churning inside her head and she hadn’t had a chance to resolve anything. She’d need to shove all that aside and quickly.

  “Waiting won’t be necessary.” Sergeant Zuccolin glanced at his companion, who stepped over to their car and retrieved a folder from the passenger side. “We brought a hard copy.”

  “Appreciated.” No irritation in David’s comment or expression. These men were all going on minimal auditory or body language cues. Poker would be torture with any of them.

  David read through the orders. It took a few minutes and they all waited. She cheered inwardly as he took the time to look for the loophole. There had to be one.

  Then as he looked up and met her gaze, she realized it was because he couldn’t find one. The men had come here and could afford to wait because there wasn’t anything David could do. She stared at him. Opened her mouth.

  He shook his head once. Brief. Barely a movement. He was giving up.

  Well, she didn’t plan to.

  She lifted her chin and stared directly into the sergeant’s eyes. “You know who I am, I assume, other than my name.”

  Throwing around her identity—actually her stepfather’s—irked her to no end, but in this case it was the only card she had in her hand. She’d use it.

  Practicality.

  Sergeant Zuccolin nodded with reluctance.

  She didn’t blink or turn her head. She kept her gaze steady on his. “Good. Then you’ll see the wisdom of sending your colleague there over to the guest cabin to gather my belongings and place them in the vehicle. I’ll see to Atlas and prepare him for the trip.”

  “Wait a minute.” Anger was starting to show in David’s demeanor and she didn’t dare make eye contact with him. “I want to know what business you have accompanying our dog off this premises. We are supposed to be working on his retraining together.”

  “Atlas is the property of the military, as I have been reminded multiple times, even by you, Mr. Cruz.” It hurt to use his formal name this way. She wondered if he’d ever forgive her. Considering what was going to come to light next, probably not. “My contract is to rehabilitate him, not work with you. I go where he goes.”

  This would be for the best. It was becoming very clear whatever was going on around Atlas, her stepfather hadn’t been keeping tabs on her for his reputation’s sake. He’d been using her to keep up to date on David and how much he was learning about the circumstances around Calhoun’s death. If she went with Atlas, David could be free to continue investigating without her stepfather’s scrutiny.

  Sergeant Zuccolin didn’t step in. Man must be wiser than she’d initially given him credit for. Instead, he leaned over to his fellow soldier and murmured a few words.

  The man nodded sharply and approached Lyn. “Ma’am, if you’d show me where to go, I’ll accompany you to gather both your belongings and the asset.”

  She nodded.

  David wasn’t finished, though. “Enlighten me. Who are you that you can amend their orders to go with them?”

  “It’s not about who I am.” It never was. She’d struggled for years to build her own identity and it still boiled down to this. “It’s about who my father is. Captain Francis Jones of the US Navy. I get the impression he’s a few pay grades higher than your Air Force Captain friend in San Antonio. He sponsored my request to be allowed to work with Atlas. I’m sure he’ll confirm upon request.”

  And she was sure she hadn’t made any friends for making the comparison in ranks between Air Force and Navy.

  But it was worth it. David’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed slightly. There might’ve been a vein popping across his forehead but she might’ve imagined it. Either way, he was angry, not hurt. And his anger was much more preferable to leaving him visibly hurt in front of these men.

  “Jones is a common name.” David had his calm well in hand. In fact, his tone had gone cold. “I’d thought it was a coincidence. I stand corrected.”

  “Well, then, there’s just a few things left to do then.” Lyn was at a loss for anything else to say so she walked past David and headed for the cabin.

  It took moments, since she was packed anyway. The soldier who’d accompanied her didn’t comment. Good, because she didn’t owe him any explanations. She was too busy hoping someday David would give her the chance.

  Atlas was on his feet and happy to see her when she approached the kennel. She almost cried when he eagerly sat and turned his head so she could attach the leash to his collar. He must’ve picked up her mood, though, because on the walk back, he remained at a precise heel position. He took notice of the man walking with them and Sergeant Zuccolin when they approached. They were unknown and Atlas regarded both of them as threats in relation to her.

  “Load him in the crate.” Sergeant Zuccolin gave the order to the man next to her.

  “I’ll take care of securing him.” Lyn made her statement firm and didn’t give anyone time to argue with her.

  She led Atlas around to the back of the SUV. The soldier hurried after her with her bags and juggled them for a minute in order to open the door for her.

  “Atlas, over.” On her command, Atlas jumped easily up into the back of the SUV. “Hok.”

  Atlas obeyed her immediately, entering the crate and turning to face her as he lay down. His ears were cocked backward, though, and his head tilted to one side as he regarded her. This wasn’t like the previous road trip and he had to be sensing her stress. It was a good thing these men weren’t watching him and probably didn’t care to use him to guess at what was going through her mind.

  David, on the other hand, had moved around to a vantage point where he could see both her and Atlas. Carefully keeping her eyes on Atlas, she leaned in and gave the big dog a caress on the cheek. “Hopefully you’ll understand one day soon.”

  Words for David, not Atlas.

  “Miss Jones, we’d like to get going.” Sergeant Zuccolin had lost whatever patience he had initially.

  “Wil
l there be stops along the way? I didn’t have a chance to take Atlas to relieve himself before sending him into the crate.” She didn’t want to leave. Everything about this was rushed, off, and for once she desperately wished she could call her stepfather.

  It wasn’t likely he’d ordered this. Maybe he hadn’t even known. His last instructions to her indicated he’d expected her to be around David for a while longer at least. This didn’t fit.

  “I assure you, we’ll be stopping before you know it.” An odd quirk popped in the sergeant’s voice as he spoke. Or maybe she’d imagined it.

  She nodded and closed Atlas’s crate door. No bungee cords or anything to secure the latch so she left it. Atlas was well-behaved now so she doubted it’d be an issue.

  “Good-bye, Mr. Cruz. It was a pleasure to work with you.” She met David’s gaze this time but it was still frigid.

  He only nodded. “Miss Jones.”

  And that was it. She turned back toward the SUV. The other soldier had the front passenger seat door open for her and she climbed in without looking back. As they drove away, she tried to unobtrusively watch David in the side-view mirror.

  He never moved.

  Then they turned onto the main road and trees hid him from view.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It didn’t take a genius to catch the hint that she wasn’t wanted. Her two military companions were stoic and noncommunicative as they pulled onto the main road headed for the highway.

  Oh, she hadn’t expected them to be friendly and chatty or even make small talk, but they could at least answer her questions. So far, they’d been mute and possibly pretending to be deaf. She’d figured it was because they were concentrating on getting on the road so she’d subsided.

  Now that they were picking up speed and headed on a major road, it could be worth another try.

  “What’s the next step for Atlas?” She tried to sound friendly, positive, yet professional.

  Nothing. If anything, the only response from the man driving was a deepening scowl. Maybe he’d been hoping she’d be quiet the whole ride. Not that this SUV was particularly quiet. It was utilitarian, absent of the padding and console treatments she was used to seeing in vehicles. As a result, there seemed to be something rattling in the center console, the doors, pretty much everywhere.