Warranted Pleasures (A Warranted Series Book 1)

by Shannon Nemechek

  Raleigh fumbled for his phone and dialed the number to Scott. It rang three times before he picked up.

  “General Winfield speaking.”

  “Hey, Scott. It’s me, Raleigh.”

  “Hey, man. How’s it going? Got any good news?” Scott mumbled.

  “Naw, man. In fact, it's bad…real bad.” Raleigh’s voice cracked.

  “Well, spit it out then, Shit.”

  Raleigh almost raged as he told Scott, “This Chicago trip is a mess. A straight up mess.”

  “Ok, what’s going on?”

  “Scott, are you sitting down?”

  “Well, yeah. Damn it, get to the point.”

  “Ok, its long and drug out, but the long and short of it is this. The old supply sergeant was working with a few soldiers at Fort Bragg. The Fort Bragg guys were working with an ISIS commander named Al-Balshera. He was a former Al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan. The soldiers at Fort Bragg are from Ninth Group, and the main guy is Jared.”

  “What do you mean Jared? Our Jared?” Scott was incredulous.

  “Yeah, I mean our Jared.”

  “Jared has been working with fuckin’ ISIS?”

  “Yeah, he has. Apparently he hooked up with Al-Balshera in Afghanistan while he and I were in captivity.”

  Scott was stunned. “You mean Jared has been a traitor for that long?”

  “Yeah, and he’s been having military equipment stolen and shipped from Chicago and Bragg to New Orleans, where it is shipped by freighter to Afghanistan. It’s then either sold to arms dealers or used by ISIS against their enemies, including Americans,” Raleigh said wearily.

  “Holy shit, I don’t believe it.”

  “It’s true. We arrested Jared last night and he told me everything. He married some Afghan woman. Turns out she’s Al-Balshera’s sister.”

  “Oh shit. You weren’t lying. This is a mess,” Scott snorted.

  “Yeah, there’s more, but that’s the long and short of it,” Raleigh stressed.

  Scott continued to question him. “Well, did they arrest the old supply sergeant?”

  “No, she’s dead. Jared hired a gang banger in Chicago to kill her. I found her body by the docks over by Navy Pier.”

  “Well, damn. Jared was a good soldier and a great friend. What the hell made him turn?” Scott asked, still quite confused.

  “Scott, I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.”

  “You call his daddy yet?”

  “Not yet, been tryin’ to get the courage up to call him. Figured I best call you first,” Raleigh confessed.

  “Damn, this is gonna kill the ol’ man.” Scott’s words echoed in Raleigh’s head.

  “I know it. Just kills me I gotta tell him. Gonna take a flight out to New Orleans when I finish up with Jared. Apparently he set up a meeting with the cell that operates out of New Orleans on the seventh, so I will go and meet with them instead,” Raleigh added.

  “Well damn it, man. Be careful. If you want, I will call Jared’s daddy. You got a lot on your plate. Call me when you know more and brief me on everything. I will text you after I talk to his daddy and let ya know how it went,” Scott acknowledged.

  Raleigh added, “Please, do me a favor and tell him I am sorry.”

  “Will do. Be careful. Talk to you soon.”

  Raleigh hung up the phone, and sat for a minute while he gathered his thoughts. He was relieved that Scott was going talk to Jared’s daddy. He had spent half the night trying to think of the right words, but nothing came to him that sounded just right. Scott was better at bad news than he was; he had more experience at it.

  As he scanned his email, one message popped out at him. He had an email from the detective in Chicago. They had arrested Hendricks, who had a gun in his possession at the time. The gun was a match to the bullets retrieved from the scene of Wilson’s murder. The handgrip had blood on it, and when they ran the blood, it matched Sam’s. They were charging Hendricks with Wilson’s murder and the attempted murder of Sam. Well, one less phone call I gotta make today. They already figured it out. Raleigh replied and told them that Hendricks was hired by SFC Jared Thompson, and that he would send them a copy of Jared’s signed confession once they finished the interview later that morning. He would include all the details of the investigation once he got back from New Orleans.

  When he was done with the email, he got on the phone to room service and ordered breakfast. He would treat Sam to breakfast in bed again. Then they would have to get ready to go on post to the Detention Center. They still needed to pack, so once the food got there, they would have to eat quickly, pack up, then head out.

  ***

  Sam could smell the bacon and stirred out of bed, stretching as she walked into the other room. Raleigh was leaning over a tray, arranging a bouquet of red roses and a teddy bear just perfectly onto the tray so it wouldn’t touch any food and get dirty.

  “And what’s all this?” she said as she approached him, giving him a tap on his ass.

  “Well, dawg gone it. I wanted to surprise you again, baby,” he complained.

  He reached over and kissed her as he held her arms behind her back.

  “Well, darlin’, you got time. We are headed to New Orleans. You can surprise me there,” she teased.

  “Ok, deal. Well, sit down, darlin’. Eat up.”

  Sam grabbed a slice of bacon and devoured it. “What time did you get up?”

  “Oh, about an hour ago I’d say. Called Scott and briefed him. He’s gonna call Jared’s daddy and tell him. Then I checked my email and had an email from that detective in Chicago. They arrested Hendricks, and they’re charging him with Murder and Attempted Murder.”

  “Gosh, you have been a busy boy this morning.” She gave him a wink and a crooked smile. “Guess you don’t need me then,” she said sarcastically. “I’ll just wash up. You wanna join me?”

  Raleigh shifted in his seat as if to hide the erection that had just popped up. She had that effect on him. He watched her as she walked away. He loved watching her walk away just about as much as he loved watching her walk to him.

  “You’re killin’ me, baby. I can’t tell you how much I want to join you, but I gotta knock out these last couple of emails before we pack up. Rain check?”

  “Ya, I can give you a rain check but only this once.” She grinned then rounded the corner to the bathroom. “If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.”

  He shifted in his seat, adjusting himself so that his cock lay in a better position. It was painful if he didn’t. Damn it, down boy. No time for you right now. But his mind kept thinking about the night before and how good it would feel once he was inside her. As his thoughts betrayed what his brain was telling him, he found himself stroking his cock. He wanted her so badly. The thought of her naked in the shower, sliding her hands over her silky skin, then finding their way to her wet folds was killing him. He wanted to watch her shower as he stroked himself. Should I? He thought for a moment, then slipped off his shorts and walked into the bathroom. The outline of her body was magnificent. He watched her as her hands slid over her body. He imagined being in there with her, bending her over in the shower and feeling the inside of her for the first time. His hand stroked faster, and pre-cum oozed from the tip. He moaned.

  She jumped and opened the shower door to find him stroking. He couldn’t stop though, and the idea of her watching him pleasure himself made him even harder. He stroked harder, and she enjoyed the show, so much so that she put on a show for him. She kept the shower door open so he could watch as she slid her hands over her body—stopping at each breast, squeezing and teasing the nipple. Her breasts were just big enough that she could lift and lick her own nipple, which sent him into overdrive. His stroking became faster, and his moans got louder. She reached over and kissed his chest, moving up to his neck and finally landing on his lips. When he came, he fell limp in her arms and kissed her deeply.

  When he composed himself, he looked at her with an almost embarrassed lo
ok. “I’m sorry, baby,” he said.

  “Sorry for what? I loved the show. Not like I get to see that every day, and besides, it’s kinda hot knowing you want me so bad. Makes me want to make you wait even longer if I get shows like that.”

  “Oh really now?” He lunged towards her, picking her up and throwing her on the bed. Spreading her legs open, he licked her folds. Finding his way to her clit, he started lightly sucking, then ran his tongue over it, lapping it up and down. She moaned and squirmed as he picked up the pace. She tasted so good; he never wanted to stop. Her lips were engorged, and her clit was sensitive to his touch. He could tell by her movements and the sounds she made that it wouldn’t be long and he would taste her juices. He longed to taste her, and the more he tasted, the more he wanted to be inside her. He reached up and cupped her breast, kneading it with his hands. She felt like he was all over her, and she loved it. When he slid his finger inside she was so moist and soft. He worked her clit with his tongue and worked her hole with his finger. She moaned louder, and her sounds made him want her. He loved a lively woman. He could feel her tense up right before the waves of pleasure took her; he tasted her for the first time as her juices ran over his lips. His tongue continued to lap them up as if his survival depended on her. She called out his name as she shuddered and squirmed in his arms.

  When she went limp, he rose between her legs, grinning crookedly, then said, “How’s that for waiting?”

  “If that’s waiting, I want to wait all the time.” She sat up and he leaned forward to kiss her. She could taste her juices on his lips. Sweet taste, she thought. He got up from the bed, leaving her in a relaxed state of pure bliss. She had never had a man give her that kind of pure pleasure, and by the sounds he was making when he was doing it, he loved it just as much. She was happy with him, happier than she had ever been. What was stopping her from taking a chance on him? Nothing, not a damned thing is stopping me but myself. It was then she decided that she would take a chance. If he was open to it, then so was she.

  She got up and got her uniform on while he showered then flipped on the TV. She turned the channel to cartoons and waited. As she sat there, she thought about what it would be like having a life with this man. He was not at all what she thought he was; he was a kind and gentle man on the inside but rough and strict on the outside. She loved that about him, especially when he let the kind, gentle guy show up. He did that more often than he thought he did and it was very attractive to her. He wasn’t the womanizer she thought he was. She figured that when he returned from Afghanistan that his life was in shambles and he turned to women and alcohol to dull the pain he was feeling inside. It was common among soldiers, but she trusted him and knew in her heart he would be faithful to her.

  When he emerged from the shower and into the room he was wrapped in a towel, his chest still dampened with water that seemed to shine like little diamonds all over his chest. She wanted to walk up and lick each one but thought it was best not to start something they couldn’t finish. They had to be at the Detention Center in two hours and still needed to have some breakfast.

  “Wanna go eat down in the restaurant? Breakfast here is cold now,” he asked as he toweled off the water in his hair.

  “That sounds perfect. I can get a look at that fountain in the lobby, too. I’ve wanted to throw a quarter in it. You know, for good luck.”

  “Wanna make a wish?” he said as he winked at her.

  “Well, of course, it never hurts to have a little extra help.” She smiled.

  “That’s true, and we are gonna need the extra help too, especially if we are gonna close up this investigation.”

  As she watched him get dressed, she couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to watch him dress every day; it was that thought that made her smile, which caught his attention.

  “Why are you smiling over there?”

  “Oh, no reason, just happy.”

  “Happy huh? I’m glad. You make me happy too, baby. Not trying to change the subject, but we best head down before we miss out on the breakfast buffet.”

  “We coming back up for our bags after breakfast?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled and took her hand, leading her out the door to the elevator.

  He held her close as the elevator descended. He could smell her perfume and the shampoo in her hair. He loved that smell; she smelled so feminine, like a delicate rose mixed with vanilla and lavender. Her smell was intoxicating and her body was to die for. If he died today he would die a very happy man. She was the holder of his heart now and the bearer of his love; he wouldn’t squander or take for granted what she would offer him in return. He prayed that in the end, it would be her heart.

  When the door opened, Raleigh gently guided her over to the restaurant area and sat down at a small table toward the back of the restaurant, where it was quiet and private. It was getting late. Many of the hotel guests had already been there so they didn’t have to worry about interruptions or prying eyes. It was a good thing because they needed to eat quickly and get ready to meet with Matt to finish up the interview with Jared. When the waitress arrived to take their orders, Sam paid extra attention to the interaction between Raleigh and the waitress. Not that she didn’t trust him; it was more like testing him. She wanted, no—she needed—to know what she felt for him and what she thought about him was true.

  This time when she watched as he ordered two buffets and two orange juices, she noticed one specific thing—he didn’t flirt with the waitress. He was polite, but there were no winks, no cheesy smiles, and no darlin’s. In fact, the entire time he ordered, he only looked at the woman twice. Once when he gave the order and the other to say, “Thank you.” The remaining time he spent looking in her eyes. She was ecstatic and celebrating on the inside; he passed and she couldn’t be happier.

  Once they grabbed their food, they quickly scarfed it down and headed back to the room to grab their bags. They had thirty minutes to get to the Detention Center to meet with Matt. They needed to finish Jared’s interrogation then catch their flight to New Orleans. When they loaded into the car, Raleigh had already decided that New Orleans would be the place. He would treat Sam to a day of sight-seeing, a beautiful dinner in one of New Orleans’ best restaurants, give her the necklace he bought for her, then complete the night making passionate love to her. He wanted her to know how very much he loved her, and he would tell her in New Orleans.

  Chapter 17

  Once they arrived at the Detention Center, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Raleigh was not looking forward to interrogating Jared again because he almost couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. Matt stood waiting outside; when he saw them pull up, he walked toward the car. Sam, on the other hand, had a sudden overwhelming fear. She had no idea why, but she suspected it had a lot to do with having to listen to Jared once again. Her fear wasn’t for herself but more for Raleigh. She feared Jared might tell him something that could lead to him being hurt or killed. This New Orleans trip to meet up with the guy Jared was in contact with scared her to death. Would Jared put Raleigh in harm’s way to get some sort of revenge? She didn’t know, but she knew she would not leave his side if she had anything to say about it.

  When they entered the Detention Center, Jared was already in the interview room waiting with his JAG lawyer for Raleigh to arrive. When Raleigh walked in, Jared attempted to stand up but his shackles kept him from doing so.

  “I’d stand and salute, but I’m kinda cuffed to the table,” he said sarcastically.

  Raleigh sat down, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t want a salute from you.”

  “Well, what’s got your panties in a bunch this morning, Fitz?”

  “You no longer have the right to call me that. You will address me as Chief.” His face was stern and anger filled.

  “All right, damn, man.”

  “I said, Chief.”

  “All right, Chief. There you happy now? Damn.”

  Ral
eigh sat up in his chair, placed his hands on the table, then squared himself. “Ok, we left off at this cell you are communicating with in New Orleans. You wanna tell me about it?”

  “Ya, sure. But first I wanna know about my wife. Where is she? Is she ok?”

  “Ok, she’s locked up in the women’s detention center on the other side of the building. She is fine, just upset.”

  “Why is she there? She did nothing.”

  “We don’t know that. You said her brother is Al-Balshera, and you expect me to believe she had nothing to do with any of this? Bullshit, Jared. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

  “What’s she being charged with?”

  “Well, if you must know, she is being charged as a terrorist, and if she is found guilty, she will go to the Federal Prison in Colorado.”

  “She can’t go to prison, Raleigh. She’s pregnant.”

  “Well, I am sorry for that, but I will let the MPs know she is pregnant and she must receive care while she is being detained. She has received a lawyer and will get her day in court.”

  “You gotta help her, Raleigh. I swear she had nothing to do with any of this. She was a college student when we met. She doesn’t even know her brother is an ISIS commander. As far as Semeana knows, her brother is an aid worker. I swear.”

  “Well, if that’s true and you can look me in the eyes and swear that on your daddy’s life, then I will do all I can to help her. I promise.”

  “Ok, thanks. I appreciate that. I swear she knows nothing.”

  “Now, tell me about your contacts in New Orleans and how you run this whole thing.”

  Jared sat back in his chair and told Raleigh the whole story. The cell reported directly to him and Al-Balshera; most of the time they contacted him. They had never seen nor spoken to him directly, only by encrypted emails which were hidden as photos of porn stars or pictures of various major cities in the United States. Al-Balshera had a security guy who did all the encryption and decryption for the organization, so everything they communicated went through Al-Balshera. Al-Balshera controlled everything and could very well be in New Orleans himself. Jared told him that Al-Balshera went by the name of Saheed Mohammad when he traveled and had a flawless international passport, so he went under the radar wherever he went. No one but he knew what Al-Balshera’s alias was.