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A Mission of Love
A HOT SEALs / CSA Case Files Crossover
Kennedy Layne
Dedication
Jeffrey – Here’s to our own mission of love…
Cat – I enjoyed crossing our worlds and want to thank you for including me on your launch of the Kindle Worlds. Congratulations!
Olivia, J.M., Desiree, Becky, Elle, Delilah, Marissa, Geri, Sharon, Donna, Siobhan, Susan, Paige, and Sabrina – it’s been an honor working with all of you!
Chapter One
SCHULTZ JESSALYN STEPPED out of the black town car and onto the yellow painted curb in front of Jon Rudnick’s condominium. The heat was stifling, especially after the four hour air-conditioned ride to Northern Virginia from the White House. He grimaced when the humidity immediately made itself known and he didn’t waste time walking up the small path to the door.
Two of his Secret Service agents followed at a discreet pace. Being a Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States had its advantages and disadvantages, but he’d gotten used to the standard operating procedures over the years. The one benefit he valued was being able to help out a friend in need, which was what this impromptu visit was about. He rapped his knuckles on the door and waited, knowing he’d have his questions about the strange call he’d received this morning answered soon.
Jon currently headed up a security firm by the name of G.A.P.S.—Guardian Angel Protection Services—that provided contract work to trusted U.S. nationals in foreign countries. He and his team members were former SEALs, with a couple of men still on active duty helping out from time to time on temporary assignments. The mission they must be undertaking had to be rather complex if they were reaching out to him.
Schultz had met Jon back when he’d been with DEVGRU, the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group. The counter-terrorism unit was made up of extremely skilled special operators who were the best of the best. Jon was one of those men and he also happened to be the one to introduce him to Julia Melina. She was the woman who was currently keeping Schultz’s mind occupied with things other than work. That was hazardous in his position, but damned if he was willing to give her up and the engagement ring currently inside his top dresser drawer would solidify that commitment.
“Schultzy, it’s good to see you,” Jon said after he’d pulled open the door without his usual smile. He’d called Schultz by his nickname, something only those close to him could get away with. They shook hands before Jon stepped back, allowing Schultz access to the condo where the temperature was nice and cool. Jon wiped the perspiration from his forehead with a small towel, clearly having just gotten back from a run. He glanced toward the two agents who’d stationed themselves on the sidewalk. “Are we leaving the minions behind?”
“You and Crest both have too much fun with that.” Schultz laughed and finally relaxed, the stress of work slowly dissipating in the company of his friend. It was too bad that Gavin Crest couldn’t have joined them, but technically this wasn’t a social call. Jon’s serious demeanor made that more than evident. “Before we get down to business, Julia was just saying last weekend that it’s been too long since we’ve all gotten together. How’s Ali doing?”
“The best thing that ever happened to me,” Jon replied, flashing a smile as he walked into the kitchen. It disappeared too quickly for Schultz’s liking. His friend pulled out two bottles of water from the refrigerator, another reminder that this was a business meeting rather than a social call where they’d usually have a six-pack of beer on hand. “She told me to give you a hug, but that’s not gonna happen.”
“I appreciate that.” Schultz removed his favorite jacket, folded the shoulders together, and hung it from one of the kitchen table chairs before taking a seat. His taste ran on the expensive side but the Zegna suit fit him like no other. He’d pay even more to be comfortable, considering he wore one practically every day. “I wouldn’t want sweat stains on my dress shirt.”
“Speaking of clothes, or lack thereof, I have a client that’s being blackmailed over some old photographs,” Jon disclosed, getting right to the heart of the matter. He took a seat that was diagonal from where Schultz was sitting. He slid one of the bottles of water over the hard surface and past a manila envelope. To the man’s credit, he hadn’t wasted time.
“That’s not normally the type of case that you and your team work on,” Schultz said cautiously, a disconcerting feeling settling over him. He didn’t touch the water, but instead leaned back against the chair and rested one elbow on the table. He met Jon’s troubled gaze and realized this visit had just become a lot more personal than he’d originally thought. “I take it I know this person? A federal judge? The White House Press Secretary? White House staff? We’re going to have issues if you tell me it’s someone with a high-end security clearance.”
“My client doesn’t know I’m talking to you, but this is not something that I have the ability to clean up without some serious consequences.” Jon hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, letting Schultz know his day was about to take a turn for the worse. “And to be honest, I would want to be the first to know if I were in your shoes.”
“But I’m not the first to know, am I?” Schultz asked, setting his hand on the manila packet that was obviously meant for him. He ensured that his voice didn’t contain a hint of anger or frustration. He was always in control and allowing emotions to cloud his judgment would only lead to missteps. “Is there a reason for that?”
Jon remained silent as his eyes drifted to the large envelope underneath Schultz’s hand. The paper material burned his palm as he slid it toward the edge, stopping just shy of the drop. His mind ran in a thousand different directions as to who Jon had taken on as a client. God help him if it was his boss. There was only one way to find out, so Schultz flipped the packet over. He slid a finger underneath the sealed flap and didn’t hesitate to pull out the photographs. He immediately regretted that decision.
There had been a time during Schultz’s military training when he’d received a blow to his chest to the point that he swore his lungs hadn’t worked for several minutes. The pain at not being able to breathe had compressed his body like a vise until he swore he saw that elusive light everyone sought out after death. What he experienced now was far worse with the added heartache.
Schultz would have heaved up his breakfast had he eaten anything this morning. It had nothing to do with the photographs themselves and everything to do with the woman who was prominently featured in them. Julia Melina. The woman he intended to marry and spend the rest of his life with…and the woman who hadn’t trusted him enough to come to him first to fix whatever situation she’d gotten herself into. She’d turned to another man. That in itself was a like a knife to his heart.
“Schultzy, I tried getting her to talk to you. She’s scared and—”
“Don’t, Jon,” Schultz cut in with boiling rage, not wanting to hear platitudes on Julia’s behalf. She had purposefully chosen to keep him in the dark and she’d certainly succeeded. He clenc
hed his teeth and forced himself to look at the first picture. The red haze dissolved enough for him to take in her younger appearance, indicating that this shot had been taken a long time ago. He figured the photo session was during her college years. Julia was fully nude and in a position that was sexually suggestive. Schultz couldn’t stomach looking through the others and methodically placed the small stack of photographs back into the envelope. “When did she come to you?”
Julia’s form finally disappeared from his view, leaving behind the tunneled vision he wished would evaporate as well. He couldn’t get her image out of his head—her long blonde hair flowing down the sensual arch of her back and her fingers wrapped around the curve of one breast while her other hand covered her mound. The way her tongue peeked out and barely touched her upper lip in suggestion was what had been branded into his mind.
“Julia came to see me over a week ago…almost two.” Jon unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a drink. Schultz figured he’d done that on purpose to let his answer settle in. Close to fourteen days. The two of them had kept this under wraps for fourteen days. The betrayal cut deep, but he did his best not to show it. He carefully set the manila envelope back where it belonged. “Julia came to me as a client, although at the time I didn’t realize it was personal in nature. It was my mistake to think this had something to do with her position within the State Department. I immediately told her to tell you once I realized the severity of what she was dealing with, but she didn’t want you involved. She’s concerned about your career, Schultzy…not her own.”
Schultz remained silent, not knowing what to say to Jon’s claim. Julia was one of the most honest people he’d ever met, so all of this information being thrown his way was hard to accept in one swallow. She’d lied by omission to the both of them. She’d bent the truth to get their friend to help her, even going to the lengths of using her job in the State Department as an excuse. And yet here Jon was defending her actions. It was a lot to take in.
“The blackmailer is asking for a hundred thousand dollars. The extortionist will release the photos to the tabloids on Monday if the money isn’t at the drop sight.”
“Jon, stop.” Schultz stood, causing the legs of the chair to scrape across the hardwood floor. He reached for his jacket and then slid his arms inside the silk-lined material until he was able to button the first fastening. The calculated movements gave him time to form a coherent thought. She hadn’t wanted him to know this and that’s the way it would stay—at least until he had some time to digest this. “Julia came to you. Handle it.”
“It’s not that easy, Schultzy,” Jon warned, setting his water bottle on the table as he stood and grabbed the packet of photos. He held them up to make his point. “I had these processed for evidence and whoever is blackmailing her is meticulous in his or her dealings. There wasn’t one fingerprint found on the envelope, pictures, or note. We’re not dealing with an amateur here.”
“She would have come to me if she had wanted me to know.” Schultz needed air. He headed for the door, refusing to speak further on this matter. Julia had made her choice and he would honor that. “She hired you. Do your job, Jon.”
“Julia’s life could be in danger.” Jon’s words stopped Schultz from turning the doorknob. Blackmail and murder were two different scenarios, but it still didn’t change the fact that Julia hadn’t trusted him enough to share her problems. He tried to force himself to walk out the door but Jon kept talking. “She gave me a list of names of people she thought could be responsible—most of them she knew from college. I was able to rule them out, even Carson Patrick. He’s the photographer who claims his studio was burglarized, which is where the photographs came from. His alibi checks out one hundred percent.”
“So dig deeper,” Schultz instructed, turning to look at his friend who thought he was doing the right thing by coming clean with his client’s lover. Considering all of their positions, this was almost laughable. “Jon, you’re a good friend. She came to you instead of me. Her actions speak a hell of a lot louder than anything she could say to me right now. I trust that you’ll keep her completely safe.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Don’t think I don’t know that Julia has an agent on her at all times. She’s your girlfriend and you work directly for the President’s National Security Advisor. You can have this taken care of by the time you take her to bed tonight. Whoever the extortionist is would be asking his Tajikistani guard where he was by breakfast.” Jon closed the distance between them and all but slammed the manila envelope into Schultz’s chest. He was barely keeping his anger in check and Jon’s actions were only making it harder. He needed time to think this through. “I called you because her apartment is bugged. I left the devices in place, figuring she was at your apartment the majority of the time anyway. You have access to a hell of a lot better equipment than I do at the moment, so get a team in there to see if those transmitters can give you fresh leads. You two have a serious problem on your hands and my involvement can only make this worse.”
Schultz should have let the packet fall to the floor as he walked out the door but he couldn’t make himself leave. Julia had made her choice without any thought to him. He could have respected that and left here without her ever knowing that Jon had filled him in, even ending their affair. The mere thought made his anger turn into determination, just as Jon knew it would. They were cut from the same bolt of cloth.
Giving Julia up without a fight wasn’t going to happen. He hadn’t spent the last eight months thinking of her night and day, allowing her into his life and giving her his heart, only to have her throw it away as if their relationship was nothing more than a dying ember. Neither one had said those three elusive words out loud, but it was in everything he did for her. Now would be no exception. He would find the bastard that made Julia feel she couldn’t trust him and then salvage whatever was left between them.
“Fine,” Schultz replied, giving his clipped answer and watching relief fill Jon’s face. “I’ll take over the reins, but you need to have my six. The White House doesn’t appreciate mixing business with pleasure. I don’t know where this case will lead and I’ll need someone off the grid if it needs to go black. I’m not going to use Agency assets to make this asshole disappear.”
“That’s a given for the amount of favors I owe you.” Jon thinned his lips and gestured toward the envelope in Schultz’s hand. “Julia put me in a bind with client confidentiality, but the loophole in the contract gave me permission to use whatever resources needed. She’s not going to be happy when she discovers I came to you.”
“Technically I drove out to see you.” Schultz finally turned and opened the door, only to pause once more. Jon was right when he said he’d been put between a rock and a hard place. Schultz looked back over his shoulder at his friend. Jon had done the right thing and Schultz was grateful for the help he’d given so far. “Thank you.”
Jon nodded his response, staying where he was as Schultz closed the door and walked down the thin concrete path to where two of his agents were still stationed. The humidity had coated them with moisture and their perspiration was visible on their faces. He’d give them a reprieve for now, considering his schedule had just changed.
“Braeden, contact the agent keeping Ms. Melina company today and ask where she’ll be having lunch. Emmett, advise the office of my agenda change. I’ll be joining her but I’d like it to be a surprise.”
Schultz’s driver already had the sleek armored luxury car running for his departure, so he slid across the black leather upholstery and into the air-conditioned car. He laid the envelope next to him in the seat, not ready look at the additional naked photographs of his woman taken by another man. They all had things in their past that they’d like to keep undisclosed. It wasn’t the act of her having the photos taken that angered him but the fact that she’d assumed he’d judge her for it. Did she think so little of him? Didn’t she know that without trust there was no future for them together?
Chapter Two
JULIA WASN’T SURE how she’d made it through her business lunch without spilling anything on herself. There had been a nervous tremor in her hand for close to two weeks and she’d done everything in her power to hide it from those she worked with, as well as Schultz. He didn’t need to know about the blackmail note or the pictures. She could handle this herself and he never had to know what she’d done back in college or put him on the spot by forcing him to use resources from his position in the White House.
“Julia.”
It was as if her thoughts had conjured up Schultz Jessalyn. She’d not been expecting anyone as she lingered at the table to take care of the bill after her business associates had left. She looked up from her phone in surprise. He stood there as if he’d appeared off of the pages of GQ Magazine in an immaculate executive suit with his black hair cut in a classic style. His dark eyes never failed to make her feel as if she were the only woman in the room. It was something she treasured and had grown used to over the eight months that they’d been together. It wasn’t unlike him to surprise her with a spur-of-the-moment visit, but she hoped that it wasn’t because he’d caught on that something was wrong. She’d done her best to act normal these past couple of weeks and she would only need to keep up the pretense for a little while longer. She looked past him to see that two of his agents had taken up positions toward the front, since the one assigned to her was standing in the back of the restaurant. She’d gotten used to that as well.
“Schultz,” Julia said with a smile as genuine as she could make it, still not wanting him to notice that anything was amiss. It had been very hard these past fourteen days dealing with someone who wanted to expose a part of her past to hurt Schultz through her. She’d done the only thing she could and took matters into her own hands. “This is a nice surprise. I thought you had meetings all day, but you won’t find me complaining. Have you eaten?”
Hot SEALs: A Mission of Love (A Hot SEALs / CSA Case Files Crossover) (Kindle Worlds) Page 1