“At first I was hurt. I’d scream and throw a tantrum each time he went out somewhere and I had to stay home.”
“Then when he got to go to school and I couldn’t my heart was broken. Dad tried explaining things but to a nine year old who’d never had a normal childhood his words meant nothing.”
“I loved my dad but nothing he said or did could ever make me understand why I couldn’t do the same things my brother did.”
“As we got older we’d ask but dad never told us and it use to make Track so mad. Once when I was about fourteen and he was about nine, he snuck me out of the house.” She had a wan smile on her face.
“Before that day I’d never been farther than the closed in backyard of the house in California. We didn’t get far, not even beyond the driveway.”
The sadness was back and my heart was hurting for the little girl whose life had been fucked up because of a madman.
“All of a sudden these men came out of nowhere and took us back to the house. Dad was so mad at us, especially Track.”
“He still didn’t explain but we learned never to try that again. After that Track became obsessed. He always promised that he was going to find out why I was being held prisoner. His words.”
“I’d never looked at it that way before, I just always thought daddy was protecting me from something or someone, after I stopped thinking he loved my brother more than me because I wasn’t really his.” Well fuck!
“Then when Track met his girlfriend he became even more insistent on finding out what the story was. He said it was because he needed to make sure that I was okay before he could move on with his life.”
“He started doing stuff, he never told me what, but I knew he was trying to get answers and that the stuff he was doing could get him in trouble.”
“I’d hear him and dad arguing about it late at night. And then my brother started going away for long periods of time but won’t tell me where.”
That must be all those times he was at the DOD. But something didn’t make sense. For all her innocence she was intelligent, graceful and well mannered. And I didn’t hear her mention a mom in all this.
“But how did you learn to read and write? Did you go to school?”
“No, I did everything at home online or dad taught me.”
“The only people I ever saw were Track and dad after mom passed away. Oh and my uncle.”
“Your uncle?” Could she be talking about the commander? “What uncle?”
“Uncle Robert. He’s the only one I ever saw except for Track and dad.”
“Where is this uncle now?” She shrugged her shoulders and didn’t say anything else, just stayed there with her little head on my shoulder as if lost in thought.
“You were very sad weren’t you baby?”
“Sometimes.” She said it so simply, without any real inflection, and that made it all-the-more-sad.
I kissed her hair and held her closer and decided not to ask her any more questions for now. I’ll wait until things were more secure and contact the man she knew as her father.
I did get what I was after though, he hadn’t told her who she was. I replayed her words in my head and one thing stuck out for me.
She’s never known anyone but her dad and her brother and this uncle Robert. Does that mean she’s… a virgin?
Of course it does. The thought sent a shot of fear down my center to my nuts. I stared out over the water as I let that shit marinate in my head.
Not for nothing but I’m not a small man. She’s already about half my size so I know she’s probably small down there as well. I’d fucking kill her.
No way Dev, for her sake you have to stop taking these little mind trips into the forbidden. She’s not for you for too many reasons.
So why does the thought of never having her make me nuts? Once again that question I had earlier came back again. What’s going to happen when the truth is revealed?
And once again I shut it out of my mind. I was afraid I already knew the answer to that and I didn’t like it.
How could someone you didn’t know, had only just met, cause so much disruption in your well- organized life?
I’m not that guy. I’ve always known my mind; always known which direction my life was going in. Now one look at her pretty little face and a few minutes of her sweet innocence and everything is turned upside down.
I let myself sit there in silence, taking in the cool night breeze, enjoying the moon’s reflection on the water with her under my arm and her head on my shoulder, and it felt so right.
It was as if she’d found a way around my defenses. No walls had been smashed, there’s been no fanfare; she took me down without a damn fight.
“Devon?”
“Yes baby?”
“What’s going to happen to me now? Who’s going to take care of me?” Oh fuck!
I pulled her onto my lap and wrapped my arms around her tight enough to crack a rib. “I am baby I am.” I could almost hear the others saying ‘that wasn’t so hard now was it?’
And the way she relaxed against me as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders made something inside me ease.
“Have you been worried about this all day baby?” She nodded her head against my chest and I kissed her hair again.
“Why didn’t you tell me that this was bothering you? I don’t want you keeping things from me okay, next time tell me.” Shit, I could swear I’ve heard Con or Lo say that exact same thing to one of my sisters.
“Okay I will.” She patted my chest and snuggled in even closer. Could she be any sweeter? Funnily enough it wasn’t her sweetness that I was thinking of now though, but how long it was going to take the others to turn her into them.
43
Devon
It wasn’t easy leaving her again, but Dani assured me that she was going to make sure she had fun while I was gone.
After our time on the cliffs I dropped her off in the media room with the women, which seemed to be their favorite hangout spot.
Even though Mancini had convinced us that this place was safe and secure, none of us, including him, were okay with the women and kids hanging around outside for too long at night.
That left us with another problem though, one we found waiting for us in Mancini’s private rooms. “How did she get in?” Hank whispered out the side of his mouth as the rest of us looked over his shoulder at the intruder.
“Where’s Lyon?” Law looked back down the hall.
“Not sure, last I saw he was harassing his wife while she was putting the baby to sleep.” Con whispered the answer as we watched Lyon’s little girl snoop around the highly secure room.
“I’m beginning to see why her father thinks the way he does. Hello Catalina, may I help you?” She didn’t even jump when she turned from the desk.
Her little legs didn’t reach the floor and the chair almost swallowed her whole. “Hi uncles, can you show me how to turn this on?”
She kept poking at the buttons, but not in some random way like you’d expect a kid her age to, no, there was a methodology to it. Almost like a safe cracker listening for the wheel pack.
“Why do you need to do that?” She looked up at us with the widest eyes and a look of such innocence that had we not all seen her in action before we’d have fallen for it.
“Um, the boys won’t let me use the computer downstairs, I wanna watch something.” Damn she’s good.
“I’m sorry sweetie, it’s not that kind of computer.”
“Okay, so what kind is it?”
“It’s a special kind only your daddy and uncles can use.”
“What about mommy and my new aunts? Can they play with it?”
Mancini lifted her from his chair as the rest of us entered the room. The door was left open so as not to spook her but she didn’t look like one to be easily spooked.
“Uh, no, this is kind of my own private office.”
“Does aunty Cierra have one like this too?”
“Wel
l, hers is being taken care of, you see…”
He looked around at the rest of us when he found himself explaining to a five year old why his new wife didn’t have an office in his island home.
“Uh, Catalina, sweetie, how did you get in here?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Uncle Hank you told me not to tell my secrets and uncle Ty told me ‘trust no one’.”
Her impersonation of Ty’s voice was comical and I could see we were all trying not to laugh and encourage the little sneak.
“Okay Catalina, can you go join the other kids or your aunties now?” She pouted around the room and folded her arms before making her way to the door where her dad was now entering.
“This is bravo sierra.”
“You got that right kid.”
Lyon snorted as we watched her leave the room before turning to Mancini.
“What did your woman do Hank? My little angel did not look pleased.”
“She’s not talking about that Cierra.” The room lit up with laughter.
“What the fuck! We got another Cierra running around this bitch that I don’t know about?”
“That’s Sierra, with an S. It’s military speak for bullshit.”
“Who the fuck is teaching her this shit? Look, I can barely keep up with this kid in English. The last thing I need is you military types teaching her your shit.”
“Too late, that squid is ours.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means she’s already well on her way to being some kinda spy or some shit and she might as well be ours.” I think Lo was just fucking with him but he had a point, the kid is good.
“Like fuck, she’s five.”
“Doesn’t matter, with her brain some outfit will be recruiting her by the time she hits seventeen.”
“The fuck you say Cord.”
“Ooh, look who’s going all papa bear!” Tyler laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Fuck a bear, you know the name, it’s Lyon. And I’ll end any fuck who tries to sign my kid up for this shit.”
“Calm down Colt, they’re just fucking with you.” Law tried to diffuse the situation but Lyon didn’t look like he believed him.
“What was she doing in here anyway?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
“Don’t bother.”
After Lyon had us search the room for booby traps, which was funny as hell, we got down to business. We spent the rest of the evening fine tuning the plan before it was time to go face the man who might be able to lead us to the Fox.
Now here we are staking out yet another house in the dark while the women waited back on the island.
“So the SEALs are going in while the rest of us surround the perimeter. There’s no one in there except the target, the wife is not expected back until late tomorrow, and the staff has already gone.”
Mancini sent his people off to get into place before turning back to us. “He’s in his study having his last cigar and cognac of the evening.”
He pulled that shit up on his handheld and we saw the general sitting in a smoking chair puffing on a cigar.
“We could just take him out through the window and no one will ever know.”
“But then we won’t get the answers we need Tyler and don’t fucking start again.”
“Sure we can Lo. We can take his comp, and his phone, there’s bound to be something there.”
“What if there isn’t? Now cut the shit and let’s go.”
After Ty and Lo got through with their scuffle Quinn disengaged the security and Cord picked the lock so we could get in.
Once inside we made sure there were no surprises waiting for us and made our way to the study. “Uh-uh-uh.” Fucking Lo drew down on the general who reached into his desk when he sensed us enter the room.
“Hands on the desk asshole and don’t even fucking twitch.” So much for a cool head Logan damn. Everyone else stood back and watched the show.
“What are you doing here?”
“We need some answers. We know what you did. So either you tell us what we want to know, or you’ll spend the rest of your miserable life in Leavenworth.”
The general got slowly to his feet and Lo raised his piece to his head. “Sit down.” He dropped back down in his seat and looked around at the rest of us.
“Look I don’t know what you think you’re playing at here. This is a private home I did not give you leave to enter.”
“Cut the crap, you know damn good and well why we’re here. Where is Khalil?”
“What the hell are you implying boy?” Even his belligerence was fake it was obvious that he was scared shitless.
“We haven’t located him as yet as you well know. You boys were the last ones tasked with smoking him out of his hole and you failed.”
“Not what we’re talking about asshole.”
“Dev!”
“Had enough Quinn. You, where the fuck is he hiding? We already know that you’re in bed with him…”
“I beg your pardon young man, but I resent that baseless accusation. I have received the medal of honor, for valor and patriotism….”
“Being a patriot means giving up your life because you know if it destroys the other guy it’s worth it. It does not mean selling out your fucking country for an easy buck.”
“I have never betrayed anyone least of all my country.”
“What about the commander, remember him? He left proof of your treachery which once exposed just might get your ass put before a firing squad.”
“That’s a damn lie, your commander and I were friends. I will not stand here and listen to these boundless lies. There can be no proof because it did not happen.”
“People usually lie when they’re afraid. We’re not in the habit of lying. Especially to a fuckwit I won’t waste the time to shit on.”
“That’s insubordination sailor.”
“That’s lieutenant to you and I’m here to strip your compromised ass of your title so I really don’t give a fuck; general.”
Lo got between the two of us and damn near shoved his piece down his throat. “Don’t get in his fucking face, now you have two seconds to tell me where Khalil is hiding out.”
There was a one second stare off. “Quinn get Admiral McCullum on the phone.” I don’t know if Lo was bluffing or not.
“No need boys I’m already here.” What the fuck? All eyes turned to the admiral and his cohorts as they entered the room.
“Hey traitor, you wanna give these boys what they want? Or do we have to beat it out of you?” Where the fuck is Mancini? No way he didn’t know they were coming in.
The general opened his mouth to lie again but the admiral made Lo look soft. He picked the general up by the throat and pushed him back against the wall.
“Who the fuck is running this rat riot? Is it you or Senator Porter? Start talking or lose your balls you gutless wonder.”
“A fish rots from the head down Mac, we know whose running this shit. Just get these kids what they want and get them outta here.” Terrence Samson was the last one to enter the room.
“Do you have any idea the trouble you have just brought on yourselves? All of you?”
“Too bad you’re not gonna live long enough to gloat you dumb fuck. You had someone take my fucking kid. Now talk.”
He did more than talk when the admiral squeezed his nuts. In the end he only had a general location, which was about what we expected, but it was enough.
“You kids get outta here.” Lo opened his mouth, but we were all out ranked and we knew it. Quinn was the only one brave enough to say anything.
“Uh admiral, maybe…”
“Go boys you don’t need to be here for this. We have an old score to settle, don’t we traitor?”
We filed out of the room still not sure but I was excited for what came next. We had a general location for Khalil, which meant this shit could be over in
a matter of days.
Mancini and the others came out of the shadows once we cleared the door and no one looked back at the sound of furniture breaking in the house.
“Hank did you know they were coming?”
“I called them.”
“Why?”
“Because he needs to die Logan and you boys still have too much loyalty to the navy.”
He has a fucked up way of thinking but he had a point. Whichever one of us had taken him out it would’ve rested heavy on us no matter that he was a traitorous fuck.
“Good call. I still want to go back there and end him myself.”
“Come along Ty we’ve got work to do.”
44
Devon
No one spoke of it on the plane ride back but we were all thinking about what the hell the headlines were going to say tomorrow.
The women and children were long in bed by the time we made it back to the island but we were too pumped to sleep. We finally had a place to start in our search for Khalil.
“So he’s in Doha.” Mancini passed around bottles of water as we took up our usual spots in his private room.
“At least it’s a smaller search area than some of his other hideouts, but I wonder what he’s doing there. That’s not on his list.”
“It’s only an hour and a half from there to Saudi Arabia. Is he about to make some sorta move?”
“If you’re talking about him going after the old king Quinn I doubt it. There aren’t many who’d risk it and I don’t think your guy is that stupid.”
“What the fuck are you people talking about? The desert?”
“Yes Lyon the desert.”
“We’re gonna need someone on the ground…” Lo started speaking but Mancini interrupted him.
“I’ll cover that. If this guy’s as good as you say he has your faces taped up somewhere believe me.”
“We can’t ask you to do that Hank, that shit’s too dangerous.” No one missed the smile that crossed Mancini’s face as he assured Logan and the rest of us that he could handle it.
Sheer exhaustion drove us to our beds a few hours later and I snuck in quietly so as not to wake her. I heard the faint sound as soon as I laid on the couch.
SEAL Team Seven Books 6&7 Quinn and Devon Page 28