SEAL Warriors

by Katie Knight

  “What made you join the SEALs in the first place?”

  “My dad.” Jack relaxed back into the seat, the zing of adrenaline from earlier dissipating, leaving bone-deep fatigue in its place. Years prior, when working with his SEAL team, it seemed he’d been able to go for days with minimal rest. Now, he’d be lucky to make it through the next four hours without sleep. Just one more sign he was getting too old for this shit. He chuckled at being able to use a line from one of his favorite movies, Lethal Weapon. It had been one of his dad’s favorites, too. Man, he missed his dad these days. “He was a Marine. Served in Vietnam. Great guy. Hero. Killed in the line of duty when I was only eight. He saved his whole freaking platoon by throwing himself atop a live grenade. I still remember him so well though. Funny, smart, always dependable. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up.”

  “I think you are,” Sam said, her voice quiet in the darkness. “You’re all those things too, Jack.”

  A flood of warmth spread through him at her compliment and he was glad of the shadows, so she wouldn’t see him blush. “Thanks.” His words sounded rough to his own ears. The last thing he needed was to get choked up over his dad right now, but exhaustion did weird things to people. He swallowed hard around the unwanted lump in his throat and took a deep breath, safely sealing off his emotions before he continued. “I try do live up to his legacy. I take care of my mom.”

  “Does she live in Rally too?”

  “Yeah. Her name’s Jillian. She owns the local diner.” He smiled, thinking of the tiny dynamo that was his mother. His buddies used to kid him that she was sweet as apple pie and straight out of some 1950s sitcom. “She still treats me like I’m ten and makes me homemade fudge.”

  “Sounds nice. You’re lucky.” The wistfulness in Sam’s tone struck him right in the feels. “My family treats me like an outcast and the only thing my father makes are threats against my life.”

  He cringed. Yep. He was very lucky indeed, and he knew it. His existence had been blessed. He’d had a happy childhood—even after his dad had died, his mom had gone out of her way to make sure he was well-cared for and well-loved. Sam hadn’t been so lucky. Not at all. The thought that her father could treat his kid with such cruelty was infuriating. “What about your mom?”

  “She died of cancer when I was twelve.” Sam shrugged. “Her name was Gloria. I named the baby after her. I call her Glory for short.” Jack’s heart squeezed at that knowledge, but she continued. “So my father’s all I had. There were my brothers too, of course. Five of them. But two were killed in mob wars against my dad. One, Nick, the oldest, left and we don’t discuss him. Ever. He’s the black sheep. And then there’s the twins, Leo and Lucas. They still work for my dad. They don’t talk to me—never really did.”

  “I’m sorry.” His apology sounded woefully inadequate, but it was all he had at the moment. Jack couldn’t imagine how lonely and scary it must’ve been for her to grow up amidst all that violence and death.

  “Eh, it is what it is,” she said, clearly putting a kibosh on that topic, even though Jack had wanted to learn more about her. They shared a kid after all. She narrowed her gaze on him, the dashboard lights casting a greenish glow over her face. “You got any hobbies? What do you do for fun? Besides farm.”

  Jack laughed. “Farming isn’t fun. I mean, it is, sort of. But it’s a lot of hard work too. And hobbies? I don’t really have time for any.”

  “How about when you were a kid? What did you like to do?”

  “Hmm.” He scowled, remembering back. “I used to play the violin. Love music.”

  “Really? Were you any good?”

  “Not really. I mean I could play a mean Mozart, but that’s about it.” Jack laughed. “It’s why I got my teaching degree though, when I was in the military. In case the farming thing didn’t work out. Figured I could be a music teacher or something. Maybe a band director.”

  Sam snorted. “Mr. Williams’s Opus?”

  “Exactly.” He chuckled again. “What about you? Any secret hobbies I should know about?”

  “Not really. I did like to go horseback riding when I was a kid. My dad kept a stable, mainly for his racehorses. But there were also a few older ones that just needed to be ridden once in a while, so I’d go out there and ride them around the track. It was fun. That’s probably where I got my love of animals from. Then, for my twelfth birthday, I got a tank full of beautiful tropical fish and that was it. It’s why I became a marine biologist. Well, that and I love nature.”

  “Me too.” Jack smiled at her in the mirror. “One day I’d love to raise a whole litter of Great Pyrenees, maybe train them to work the cattle in the fields or be service dogs for the community or something.”

  “That sounds awesome.” Sam yawned and Jack glanced at the clock. After 2 a.m. now.

  “Hey, why don’t you get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get to the cabin,” Jack said. “I’ll keep an eye on Glory. Don’t worry.”

  “You sure?” she said before yawning again. “Sorry. I am pretty beat.”

  “Absolutely. You’ll need your strength to help me unpack all this stuff anyway.” He winked at her over his shoulder. “Take a nap. You need it.”

  “Okay.” She gave him a sleepy smile, then closed her eyes.

  Jack faced front again, a rare peace settling inside him. He’d not talked about himself or his past with anyone in a long time, but Sam made it so easy to open up. That thought both energized and terrified him. He needed to keep his head in the game here, and his heart out of the equation. Sam and Glory needed him right now, but as soon as it was safe, they’d be going back into witness protection. He couldn’t let himself get attached, but the more time he spent with Sam, the harder that was proving to be.

  12

  When Jack had mentioned them staying at his cousin’s hunting cabin in the woods, Sam had expected a small shed-type structure, basically little more than a lean-to. But now, as she stared at the tidy log cabin with the small front porch in front of her, she was grateful to be wrong.

  “This looks nice.” She blinked at Jack over the back of the driver’s seat. “Are you sure your cousin won’t mind us crashing here?”

  “Nah. He’ll be fine with it.” Jack cut the engine, then hooked his arm over the back of his seat to face her. “Besides, technically it belongs to all of us, since we helped pitch in the money to buy it. Plus, we won’t be here long, but I did call my cousin earlier, before I talked to my friend at the marshals’ office, to let him know the cabin would be occupied for a couple of days so he didn’t make any surprise visits.”

  They got out and Sam started unpacking the back of the SUV while Jack went inside to check everything out and turn the power and water on. It was quiet here in the woods, with only the rustle of the leaves in the slight breeze to break the silence. After the adventure earlier in the field, it was a welcome change. Sam made sure to make as little noise as possible to avoid waking poor Glory as she unloaded the bags of supplies they’d bought at the superstore and carried them up to the small porch that ran the length of the front of the building.

  The cabin wasn’t big by any means, maybe twenty-foot by thirty-foot total. Even at night, the thick log beams that made up the walls and the shiny metal shingles on the roof were visible. There was a loud click and suddenly warm golden light glowed out the windows. It looked downright homey.

  Jack grabbed the bags from her while she went back to the SUV to get Glory’s car seat out. As she carried the baby inside, she got another shock. She’d expected a sort of bachelor pad feel to the interior. Maybe a few lawn chairs, a cooler, a cot or air mattress on the floor. But nope. Inside, the cabin was basically one big room, with two doors on the far end that she suspected led to a bathroom and a bedroom. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all done in warm honey-colored maple with a large stone fireplace against one wall. In one corner was a small kitchen with an island, and even a breakfast bar with stools. Perfectly fine for a weekend or even longer.


  “Wow, this is really nice,” she said, staring up at the thick, exposed wooden beams in the ceiling. “You guys had this built?”

  “Yeah. It’s actually not as expensive as you’d think. It’s all pre-fab—you pick the one you want in a catalogue. They make them in the factory then just ship the parts out to the location and reassemble them there. Pretty efficient, eh?”

  “Agreed.” She smiled at him, not quite sure how to act since their kiss in the driveway. With all the chaos of the last few hours, those memories had receded to the back of her mind in favor of survival instincts, but now that they were out of danger—at least for a little while—they zoomed back full force. It was different back in the SUV when they were talking. He had to keep his eyes on the road, and she was tucked away in the backseat, which made it easier to open up. Now, though, they were close enough to touch. She shifted Glory’s carrier from one hand to the other and looked around, anywhere but at Jack. “I, uh, I guess I’ll start unpacking some of these bags then.”

  “Great.” He shuffled his feet, looking as uncomfortable as she felt. “Yeah, I’ll just, um, finish getting the stuff out of the SUV, then park it out in the woods a bit farther so if anyone walks by, they won’t see it. Then I’ll check the perimeter again before locking up for the night.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, moving into the tiny kitchen and setting Glory’s carrier on the island. Her daughter had been exceptional tonight, but she’d be waking up hungry soon and Sam wanted to make sure she had a bottle ready. Jack hesitated for a moment, looking at her as if he wanted to say more, then he turned and walked out. Sam got busy putting stuff away to avoid overthinking that kiss. It was nothing, right? They’d both been caught off guard, a heat of the moment kind of thing.

  That’s all it was.

  Except as she emptied one bag and started on another, the tingle on her lips and the warm clench in her stomach certainly felt like something.

  The kitchen was actually fully functioning, which Sam appreciated more than she could say. There was a small fridge, a stove, oven, even a microwave. The only thing missing was a dishwasher, but she wasn’t about to complain. She’d stayed in far more rustic conditions down in South America when she’d been on her research trips.

  Costa Rica.

  Sudden memories of her and Jack doing far more than kissing swamped her exhausted brain—the way he’d held her, touched her, kissed her and stroked her, the feel of him moving inside her, strong and sure and so, so right…

  Whoops. No.

  Because having a repeat performance of that night now would be so, so wrong.

  She was on the run, in danger, as was her tiny daughter. Doing anything that might distract her from keeping herself and her daughter safe was a risk she couldn’t take. And Jack was definitely a distraction.

  Sam finished putting away the food, then took the bags of clothes and supplies to the bedroom and the bathroom. Both rooms were small and utilitarian, but clean. The bathroom even had a small walk-in shower that looked like heaven right about now.

  A small wail issued from the kitchen and she went back out to find Glory waking up in her carrier. She heated a bottle in the microwave, then started to feed her daughter as Jack walked back into the cabin and locked the door behind himself. He had his duffel in one hand and a final bag of supplies in the other. He glanced over at her, then put his duffel against the wall in the living room, across from the sofa, before walking into the kitchen and unloading the bag of water bottles in his hand into the fridge.

  “You and Glory can take the bedroom,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Sam smiled and cooed down at her daughter, then looked up at him. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Well, first we get some rest, relax a little bit, then we decide where to go from here.” Jack plugged his phone charger into the socket on the wall, then attached his phone. “Good thing I brought some extra gas with us for the generator. There’s a station not too far from here, up the highway, but with the SUV in its current condition, it’s probably best to stay away from Rally and out of sight at this point until my buddy in the marshal’s office gives us the okay.”

  Sam put Glory’s empty bottle in the sink, then cracked open a tiny jar of pears and applesauce, fishing out a small spoon from the diaper bag. Glory was still transitioning to solids, so she tried to give her at least one serving a day to get her system used to them.

  Jack took a seat on one of the stools at the island and watched her feed their daughter, his expression rapt, like he was watching the Super Bowl instead of a baby eating. “She’s a good eater, huh?”

  “Yeah, she is.” Sam chuckled. “Takes after me that way.”

  “And me.” Jack grinned. “I never turn down a meal.”

  “You hungry?” she asked, glancing over at him. “We’ve got all those snacks we brought.”

  “Nah. I’m good. What I really want is a nice hot shower and about fourteen hours uninterrupted sleep.”

  “That sounds amazing.” She smiled. “I don’t think I’ve slept through an entire night since Glory was born.”

  “I can get up with her tonight, if you want. That way you can rest.” Jack blinked. “I mean, if you want. No pressure or anything.”

  Sam was touched by his consideration but wasn’t sure how much experience he had caring for a small child. Glory might weight less than twenty pounds, but she could be more than a handful when she wanted to be. Still, she didn’t want to begrudge Jack the chance to get to know his child either, especially considering they might not have that much time together, depending on how quickly this all went down. “How about we play it by ear? If you hear her first, you can handle it. If I do, then I’ll do it. You know how to change a diaper?”

  “I can take apart and reassemble an AK-47 in under a minute. I think I can handle a diaper.”

  “Uh-huh. Let me just go over it with you, just in case.”

  After she finished feeding Glory, she showed Jack how to bathe her, and then they went over diapering 101. “So, she’s clean now, but if she wasn’t, the first thing you’d want to do is remove the soiled diaper and throw it away, then clean her off with these wipes.” Sam held up the white plastic box. “Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies and between her fat creases.”

  “How many do I use?” Jack asked, looking like a guy cramming for final exams.

  “As many as you need. Sometimes one or two does the trick. Other times, things can get a bit…messy…and you’ll need more. Whatever it takes to get her clean.”

  “Got it.”

  “Once she’s clean, if any areas of skin look red or inflamed, then you want to use some of this.” She held up the tube of diaper rash cream they’d spent forever picking out at the superstore. “Then wait for her skin to dry before you do anything else.”

  “Check.”

  Sam gave him a side glance. “This isn’t like the military, you know.”

  “I know. I just want to do it right.”

  His eagerness made her heart give a warm squeeze. If things were different, she wouldn’t have minded having a guy like Jack in her life, someone nice and kind and dependable and responsible. As it was, he didn’t deserve to get wrapped up in all her life’s drama.

  “Okay. So, once she’s clean and dry, then you take a new diaper and slide it under her bum, like this.” Jack moved in closer beside her to see everything she did. He stood near enough for her to feel the heat of him through her clothes, smell the faint hint of his woodsy aftershave and the fabric softener from his clothes, hear his steady breaths. A yearning, both deep and powerful, sizzled through her before she tamped it down. Now wasn’t the time and this wasn’t the man.

  Sam shook off those silly thoughts of her and Jack having another fling for as long as they were together and instead concentrated on the task at hand. “Right. So, you slide it under her, then bring the front part up between her legs and bring the sides up and fasten them using the tab
s here at the waist. That’s it. Then you put her in a clean onesie and you’re both good to go. Any questions?”

  She turned to look at him, finding him only inches away. His gaze flickered from her eyes down to her lips then back again, his pupils dilating, and the sexual tension pulsed heavy and thick between them. Neither of them were thinking about diapers now.

  Then Glory gave a happy little gurgle and they both snapped out of it.

  “Uh, I think I got it,” Jack said, backing up fast. “If you don’t mind, um, I’ll hit the shower first. That way, I can guard the cabin while you take your time.”

  Swallowing hard, Sam picked up Glory and held her to her chest like a shield. “No, that’s fine. I need to get the rest of my clothes put away anyhow. And I’ll get Glory down for the night.”

  13

  Jack sat alone in the living room, staring at his computer screen. There was no TV in the place and no Wi-Fi, but he’d used his phone as a hotspot to get Internet access. Glory was still sleeping in the bedroom and the only sound was the running water from Sam’s shower. It felt peaceful, despite the danger lurking beyond the woods.

  He pulled up yet another video on infant care on YouTube and watched a tutorial on infant bathing. There was so much to learn, so much at stake. God, he was still amazed that Glory was his. They’d come together that one night in Costa Rica out of loneliness and a sense of desperation, with no idea that something so amazing would come of it.

  Now, they were back together again, under similar circumstances.

  An image of them making love from that long-ago evening flashed back into his mind, along with the rush of lust generated by that kiss outside his house earlier, and his body responded. Annoyed with himself, he coughed and shifted his position on the sofa. No matter how he might want her, sleeping with Sam again would be a mistake. She had so many things on her plate right now. Nothing could last between them since she’d be returning to witness protection soon. There was little Glory to think about.