SEAL Warriors

by Katie Knight

  He nodded and walked back outside to his SUV, being sure to secure the door to the house behind him. As he carried the fifty-pound bags of all-natural, non-GMO, hormone- and antibiotic-free cattle feed to the small barn on the other side of the house, his mind continued to race with everything that had happened tonight.

  The sheriff’s department might hold off until morning on running the registration on that US marshal’s vehicle Sam had fled in, but that wasn’t the only way her location could be tracked. The car was government issue. Most likely, it had some type of security system on it to allow the feds to track its whereabouts. Wireless service was spotty at best in these parts of Nebraska so her pursuers might need some time to pinpoint an exact location, but soon someone would come looking for that sedan, and Sam along with it.

  Ugh.

  As he poured a bag of feed into the trough for the cows, he tried to work out the best course of action from here. After the lies they’d told the sheriff’s deputy tonight, keeping Sam and Glory’s presence a secret around here wasn’t a possibility. Gossip spread faster than wildfire in small towns and he expected half the busybody’s around here to be knocking on his door or blowing up his phone come morning to find out about his unexpected wife-to-be.

  Much as he hated to admit it, leaving Rally was probably the best thing to do at this point. At least until things calmed down a bit. Where they’d go exactly was another issue. Her father most likely had spies everywhere, as evidenced by the fact they’d bribed one of the marshals.

  He finished up in the barn, then headed back to the house, pulling out his phone to call Zeke Taylor. He stopped about halfway to the front porch and found a spot where he got three bars of reception, then dialed Zeke’s number. The guy had been on his SEAL team until he’d been benched with a serious injury. While he’d made a full recovery, Zeke had decided it was time to hang up his hat and had returned stateside, where he’d joined the US marshals. Regardless of who else Stefan Engel might’ve turned, Jack trusted Zeke implicitly. The guy was about as honorable a man as Jack had ever met.

  Zeke answered on the second ring. “Taylor.”

  “Hey, it’s Jack Williams.”

  “Jack? What the hell, man?” Zeke chuckled. “Long time no talk. How’s thing down on the farm?”

  “Good. They’re good.” He stared at the golden glow of the lights in the windows ahead, then frowned. “Listen, I’ve got a situation.” Jack relayed the events of the evening to his friend, then winced slightly when Zeke cursed.

  “Damn. The whole Engel case is a mess right now, dude.” Zeke’s aggrieved sigh echoed through the phone line. “Seriously. It’s all anyone’s been talking about for the last few hours. Security footage at the rest stop caught one agent shooting the other one, so we know exactly what happened—and we all know why. Engel bribed him to take the daughter out. Now, they’re re-screening everyone involved in the case to make sure they’re clean. Until that’s done, dude, I’d say this girl is probably better off with you.”

  “That’s what I thought too.” Jack ran a hand through his hair, then froze as a keening wail issued from inside the house. Glory. His chest squeezed with yearning. He wanted to bust in there and comfort her. He wanted to turn tail and run far and fast away from this whole disaster. He felt torn and twisted to his very soul.

  “Uh, what’s that noise?” Zeke asked.

  “The baby,” he said. My baby. He left that part out. “Uh, okay. Well, let me think on it tonight and figure out where to go from here. Once we’re safe again, I’ll contact you for further updates. Thanks, man.”

  “Any time,” Zeke said. “Be careful out there. Stefan Engel is not a man to fuck with.”

  “Tell me about it.” Jack shook his head. “This is the second time I’ve gotten messed up in this shit. Gotta go. Thanks for your help,” he said, rushing to end the call. His mission records would be easily accessible to Zeke if he had the clearance levels, but now wasn’t the time to get into any of that. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, then took a deep breath before walking back into the house. He found Sam trying to fix Glory a bottle with one hand while doing her best to soothe her with the other. Without thinking, he walked over to take the baby from her. He’d held other infants, sure. Cousins, friends’ kids, the occasional baby at the church picnics when they were foisted upon him, but it was different when it was his own child.

  Glory hiccupped and stopped crying for a moment, staring up at him with wide, watery eyes, her little face all red from crying. He grinned down at her like an idiot, talking gibberish in what he hoped was a calming tone while Sam fixed her a bottle of formula.

  “So,” Sam said, hitting the Start button on the microwave. “What’s our plan? Please tell me we’re not hitting the road again tonight. I’m not sure my nerves could take another round of bad guys.”

  “Huh?” he said, distracted. Jack looked up at her and frowned as the words penetrated the good-baby-scent haze in his brain. Glory smelled so good. Did all babies smell that good? Like powder and soap and sunshine and happiness. He’d never noticed before. His mind began to whirr through all the ways her father’s henchmen might be able to track her to this location, putting Sam and Glory and his mom and his entire town in danger. Then he glanced up at Sam again and noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes, how drawn her features looked, and relented. Technically, leaving tonight would have been the wisest choice, but she looked totally exhausted and he couldn’t do that to her. He could keep them safe enough, for now. “We’ll stay here tonight and make plans for tomorrow. Sound good?”

  The dinger went off on the microwave and Sam took out the bottle, testing the temperature of the contents on her wrist before holding out her hands to take Glory back. Jack reluctantly passed his daughter over. There was a trace of baby slobber on the front of his T-shirt now. He smiled. He’d never imagined bodily fluids would be so cute.

  “Yeah. Okay,” Sam said, cradling Glory in one arm as she took a seat at the kitchen table. “Look, I appreciate all your help. I do. But I’ve been taking care of myself and my daughter—”

  “Our daughter,” Jack corrected her as he plopped down into the chair across from her. “Listen. I’m not trying to take over here. But I’ve been in the military. Strategy is what I do. We need a plan and we need to work together to get you both through this safely. I know you’re exhausted. All the more reason you need my help. You don’t have to do this by yourself this time. I just talked to my friend at the marshal’s office and he said—”

  “Wait a minute!” Sam’s expression turned hostile. “You called the marshals on us already?”

  Glory, seemingly picking up on her mother’s shift in mood, became fussy again, turning away from her bottle and wailing at the top of her little lungs.

  “I didn’t call the marshals on you. Like I said, this guy’s my friend. We can trust him.” Jack did his best to keep his tone even and low, even as the argument with Sam grew more heated. Why was she arguing? He was only trying to help, and it wasn’t like she had a lot of other options at this point. “Zeke’s a good man. I’ve worked with him before. He won’t say anything, but I needed to know what was happening. He said that agent who killed the other was bribed by your father.”

  Sam snorted, putting Glory over her shoulder again and bouncing her while rubbing her back to calm her down. “I could’ve told you that.”

  She had a point. Still… “Could you have told me that security camera footage caught the whole thing? They know that guy is dirty, and they’re checking every other agent who has touched your case to make sure your dad didn’t get to anyone else. By keeping a channel open to my buddy, we’ll know when a team has been cleared, making it safe for you to go back into custody.”

  She frowned, but after a moment, she nodded, accepting his explanation. Glory calmed again and Sam returned to feeding her the rest of the bottle.

  Moderately convinced that peace had been restored, Jack continued. “The way I see it, we should st
ay here tonight. Get a good night’s sleep, get provisions ready, and decide where to go from here. I’ll need to make some calls anyway, to have someone take care of the farm for me while I’m gone. I’ve got animals that need to be fed and watered, and I don’t want someone coming in here and robbing the place while I’m gone.”

  He scowled. His old fears about whether he was ready for this, whether he was still up for protecting them after a year away from combat resurfaced before he shoved them aside. Ready or not, here he was. “We’re partners in this, remember? And Glory’s my kid.” At her shuttered expression, he amended his statement. “I realize we barely know each other, and maybe some guys would be okay with walking away from their responsibilities, but I’m not one of them. I’m not sure how all this will work out yet, but I’m damn sure here for the ride, okay?”

  A few tense seconds passed while they stared at each other across the table, then Sam finally gave a curt nod. “Okay.” She sighed and a bit of the tension in her shoulders relaxed. Glory now had her eyes closed as she sucked away on the bottle, the noises she made a faint rhythm in the night. “Let me put her down for the night, and then we can talk.”

  “Good.” Jack pushed to his feet. “I’ll make up the guest room for you. And then I’m going to double-check the perimeter of the property and put some extra precautions in place before we bunk down for the night. Make sure the security cameras are all working and the SUV’s ready to go in case we need a fast getaway tonight. See you in a few.”

  9

  After burping and bathing Glory, Sam finally got the baby to sleep, then wandered back out to the kitchen. It was going on midnight now, but she was too wired too sleep. Plus, she was hungry. The last time she’d eaten had been when Jack had stopped at a drive-through burger place on the way home from Walmart last night.

  Didn’t help she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the shooting at the rest stop or that same gun pointed right at her. A fresh jolt of terror ripped through her and she closed her eyes to keep it together. She needed something to do, something to keep her busy until Jack got back from his security checks. Back in Indiana, whenever she’d been nervous or stressed, she cooked.

  Worked then, hopefully would work now. Plus, it would take care of two problems at once.

  She walked over to the fridge and pulled the door open, hoping the place was better stocked than most bachelor pads she’d seen. Thankfully, it was. Lots of fresh veggies and fruit, chicken breasts, eggs, milk, cheese. Awesome. She began pulling out ingredients to make some pan-fried chicken.

  As she prepared the chicken, then started chopping up onions and peppers, she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised that Jack kept a well-stocked kitchen. After all, he was a farmer. And he was also different from any other man she’d ever met. Tough and strong and smart, but also kind and sweet when warranted. After her father’s world of alpha-assholes, a guy like Jack with brains and brawn who still managed to be decent and honorable was a welcome change. Maybe that’s why she’d never quite forgotten him or that scorching night they’d spent together. Molten warmth spread through her as she recalled his kisses and caresses and those low, feral groans of his as he drove them both to the edge of ecstasy…

  Sam shook off those memories and pulled out a cast-iron skillet, pouring in some olive oil before dumping in the chopped chicken breasts to brown them. The delicious scent of roasting meat was just starting to fill the air when Jack walked back inside.

  He blinked over at her from the living room. The place had an open concept with a clear view from one room to another. Sam stifled a grin at his surprised expression.

  “You hungry?” she asked finally, to break the silence. “I’m making dinner.”

  “I see that,” he said at last. A smile grew on his handsome face and he leaned across the breakfast bar and inhaled deep. “Smells awesome too. No one’s ever cooked for me except my mother. I can make a few things myself, but it always tastes better when someone else cooks.”

  “Good.” She smiled at him over her shoulder, stirring the chopped onions into the pan. “Figured it’s the least I could do after you’ve taken in Glory and me for the night.”

  Jack straightened. “I’m going to go get cleaned up, then I’ll set the table.”

  Her smile widened into a grin as he walked away. This all felt so normal and nice, even if it was only temporary. Soon enough, she’d be back to her usual life of always looking out for the danger lurking in the shadows, but for tonight, they were safe. She’d enjoy it while she could.

  By the time the food was done, Jack still hadn’t come back. She got out plates and silverware and put them on the table, then glanced up to see him sitting in the corner of the living room floor, puzzling over the instructions for a pack ’n play portable playard they’d bought at the superstore. Having set up a couple of them herself, she knew that building a space station would probably be less complicated.

  After getting the table set, she walked over to where he was scowling at the plastic parts. “Dinner’s ready.”

  “What?” He looked up from the instruction sheet. “Oh, I’m sorry. I got so wrapped up in this, I forgot to set the table. I’ll wash up the dishes afterward. How about that?”

  “No worries.” She held out a hand to help him up, her skin tingling from their point of contact. “It’s not that big a deal since there’s only the two of us.”

  He followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the table while she set out the bowl of chicken and veggies. “This looks amazing. Thanks again for making it.”

  “You’re welcome. Now dig in. I’m starving, and we don’t want any leftovers, since we don’t know when you’ll be back to eat them.” At the mention of them going on the run again come dawn, her enthusiasm deflated. She’d love to have a life where she wasn’t on the run, where she didn’t have to be suspicious of every single person she met because she feared they might be in cahoots with her father. That’s why she was taking such an enormous risk to testify at his upcoming trial. She knew things about her father’s operation, had heard and seen things growing up in his household, that no one else knew. Things that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life—setting her free at last. That’s what she was counting on anyway. She cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear as he dug into the food. “And thank you for all this. I’m sure it’s a huge inconvenience and I really appreciate you putting yourself out there for us like that. This is twice now you’ve put your life on the line for me and I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

  Jack watched her, silently chewing for a moment, before giving her a curt nod of acknowledgement.

  A moment passed between them—not attraction, per se, but connection. They understood each other, or at least the situation they were in, and they had a certain level of trust.

  “So,” she said, after devouring several bites of chicken. The warm, salty, seasoned meat hit the spot and the crunchy veggies were just the right complement. “What’s the plan for the morning?”

  “Welp, I’d say we need to lay low for a couple of days. Let my buddy at the marshal’s office in Omaha get things sorted out on their end. Once he contacts me again, then we’ll have a better idea of how to proceed from there. Until then, my cousin has a hunting cabin about an hour from here we can use. After dinner, we can pack up food and water and stuff for Glory, then I’ll get everything loaded and ready to go in the SUV. You can get a couple hours of sleep.”

  “What about you?” she asked around a bite of bell pepper. “Don’t you need sleep?”

  “I’m an ex-SEAL,” he said, snorted. “We’re trained to get by on as little sleep as possible. And I’m a guy. We can do that sort of stuff.”

  Sam managed not to roll her eyes, barely. Okay, maybe he wasn’t as different from her father’s cocky alphas as she’d thought. “Whatever. There’s no one in the world trained to get by on less sleep than a new mom. If anyone’s capable around here, it’s me.”

  Jack narrowed h
is gaze on her a moment, then grinned. “True. Is that a challenge, Ms. Engel?”

  “Do you want it to be?” she said, and just like that, they were back to that long night a year prior, the air sizzling between them with lust and longing, their flirty banter filling the air.

  This time, he was the one coughing and looking away, a slight blush staining his high cheekbones. “Right. I’ll just, uh, start cleaning up then.”

  He took his empty plate to the sink and she studied his broad, muscled back. Coward. She smiled to herself as she finished her last few bites of food. Man, he was still one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen—all long legs and lithe, muscled grace. And that butt of his, taut and tight and cupped perfectly in those faded jeans. She wasn’t usually the sex kitten type, but Jack seemed to bring it out in her. And it had been so long, too long since she’d taken a man to bed. In fact, the last time had been that night in Costa Rica. Yikes, over a year without sex was far too long.

  As if sensing her lingering gaze on him, Jack hazarded a look back at her over his shoulder, then glanced away again fast. But not before she caught an answering glimmer of heat in his gray eyes.

  Yep. If things were different and they weren’t about to go on the run, she might consider another night in his arms. As it was, she had enough to think about right now without her libido getting in the way. With a sigh, she stood and carried her dishes over to where he stood at the sink. Sam went to pick up a dish towel to dry, but Jack shook his head.

  “Go take a shower. Relax a bit. I got this,” he said.

  Sam took him up on the offer. If someone cooking for him was rare, then someone volunteering to take over chores for her was even rarer. Even if he was only doing all of this out of some misplaced sense of obligation where Glory was concerned, she still appreciated it.

  “Okay. If you’re sure, I could use a shower,” she said as she backed away toward the hall.