by Cat Johnson
Thank goodness for that. Isabel was having enough trouble figuring out what to do without having the baby screaming.
She slowed as she approached the turn into the lot for the club and eyed the few vehicles parked there, trying to determine if it was safe to pull in.
The presence of the big truck she’d seen Rocky go to last night surprised her.
Was he back there already? The guy had a problem if he was.
In the daylight she could see the truck more clearly, right down to the US NAVY bumper sticker.
Addiction to strip joints or not, it might be a good thing if he was here. She remembered how big he was. How capable under the hood. And with military training, he’d be handy to have around if the worst happened and Tito had followed her here.
That fear had her pulling past the club. She glanced in the rearview mirror and tried to determine if she was being tailed.
It always seemed so easy for the characters on TV to know when they were being followed, but in real life? Not so much.
Determined to be cautious, Isabel decided to drive around a little while and then circle back.
Better to be safe than sorry.
CHAPTER 4
Rocky emerged from the bathroom in his room in the bachelor barracks a tad hung over but at least he was feeling a little more awake after showering.
Too many beers, and two ill-advised shots of whisky last night, had him staying at the club later than he’d intended.
The whisky hadn’t been all his fault. He’d bought a couple of shots for Jasmine and a gentleman never let a lady drink alone.
Whatever the reasons, it had resulted in him waking up late today. But if no shit hit the fan in the terrorist world that would require his team’s immediate attention, he had a well-earned day off.
Now all he needed was his truck so he could get on with enjoying the day.
His vehicle, unfortunately, was still parked at the club where he’d left it last night.
Even if he could have driven home safely, driving through the gate on base with alcohol on his breath would be a good way to fuck up his career. Elite SEAL or not, command took that shit seriously.
So step one, get his truck. Step two, figure out what to do with his day.
The bachelor-occupied housing on base was cheap and pretty nice as far as these things went, but no way was he spending his day off inside in a space that consisted of two small rooms sporting two windows total.
Nope, not Rocky’s idea of fun.
Brody and Mack were both away for the weekend, but with any luck, Thom was around. And he was conveniently located in the same building.
After shoving his feet into sneakers, Rocky pocketed his keys and headed out. One flight down the stairs and he was knocking on Thom’s door.
Thom answered with his cell phone pressed to one ear and motioned with his free hand for Rocky to come in as he spoke. “Bag of ice. Got it. Anything else?”
After a moment during which Rocky closed the door behind him and had time to wonder who in the world Thom was talking to about ice, Thom nodded. “Okay. See you in a few.”
Once Thom had disconnected the call he turned to Rocky. “Hey, you got plans for the day?”
“Nope, not really. Why? What’s happening?”
“Rick’s throwing some stuff on the grill at his place. Jon is gonna be there. Grant might stop by and supposedly Chris and Brody are on the road back from Alabama and should be there by dinnertime.”
“You sure it’s okay if I come?” Rocky knew Rick through the other guys, but they weren’t especially close.
Not like how friendly Rick was with the Cassidys and Thom since they’d all been on the same team together.
Thom’s dark brows drew low in a frown. “Of course. It’s fine. Rick’s parties are always open door.”
“All right. If you say so.”
“Dude, definitely. The more the merrier.”
He’d have preferred to hear that from Rick himself but he’d have to trust Thom.
Rocky nodded. “Okay. I’ll pick up some beer to go along with your ice.”
“Then he’ll be even happier you’re there.” Thom grinned.
“Good. It’s a plan. Which brings me to the reason I stopped by. Can you drop me at my truck on the way?”
“Sure thing. Where is it?”
“The strip club right outside the gate.”
Thom laughed. “All right.”
“What’s so funny? I would’ve invited you but now that Ginny keeps your balls locked up in Connecticut, I figured you wouldn’t be allowed to come.”
Thom cocked a brow. “You want to walk to your truck?”
Though Rocky felt his statement had been true, he decided to back off any further comments about Thom being pussy whipped. “No.”
“Didn’t think so.”
“So when are we leaving?” Rocky asked.
“When are you ready to go?”
He was as ready as he was going to get. He’d shoved some breakfast in his mouth before he’d showered. He had his keys and his wallet. He was dressed good enough for a barbecue.
Rocky lifted one shoulder. “Now.”
“Okay. Let’s go. We can stop at the commissary on the way off base, and then grab your truck and you can follow me to Rick’s place.”
“Sounds good.” Rocky was all about being agreeable.
He could get his truck without having to call a cab and now he had plans for the day. Life was good.
That was reaffirmed when Thom pulled his SUV into the lot of the strip club and Rocky saw his parked truck, safe and sound right where he’d left it.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few other vehicles already parked there. He glanced at his watch and realized it was noon.
The club was open for another day and he had no doubt there were already dancers on the stage. Another day, another dollar bill shoved in their G-strings. The free enterprise system at work. It was enough to warm any red-blooded American male’s heart.
With a promise to follow Thom, Rocky fished his keys out of his pocket and headed around to the driver’s side of his truck.
Rick’s house wasn’t too far from the base so a short while later Rocky slowed behind Thom’s SUV as he pulled up along the curb in front of a small house sporting a neatly trimmed lawn.
With Thom toting the twenty-pound bag of ice and Rocky holding a case of beer, Thom hit the doorbell.
“I got it!” The sound of Rick’s booming voice came through the door shortly before it whipped open to expose the man himself. “Hey. Come on in.”
When Rick stepped back Thom asked, “Where do you want the ice?”
“Cooler is on the back deck. Beer can go in there too.” Rick nodded to Rocky. “Good to see you, man. Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for having me.”
“Not a problem. The more the merrier.”
Thom shot Rocky a cocky glance that clearly said I told you so as Rick closed the door behind them.
Rocky rolled his eyes and followed Rick and Thom through the living room. They passed the kitchen on the way to the sliding glass door in the back of the house.
“Ladies.” Thom nodded to the three women on the other side of the kitchen island as they passed.
“Hey, Thom.” A blonde called out the greeting as they passed.
As Rick went ahead to open the door, Thom stopped and leaned close to Rocky. “Did you see who was in the kitchen?”
Rocky paused too. “You mean the blonde who said hello?”
“No, that was Rick’s sister Darci. She’s dating Chris Cassidy. And the brunette next to her was Jon’s girl Ali, but Sierra Cox is here. You know, the actress.”
“Really? What’s she doing here?”
“She’s Rick’s girlfriend.”
Rocky frowned as he vaguely remembered Brody mentioning something about Rick and some actress. He supposed he didn’t believe it then, but if she was in the kitchen with Rick’s sister it must be true.
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It still didn’t explain the hows and whys of the situation. “How the fuck did he land her?”
“I guess taking a bullet for a woman has its benefits.” Thom laughed.
Rocky had to agree as they moved toward the open door where Rick was waiting for them on the deck.
Outside, Rocky could see that while the women all seemed to be in the kitchen, the men had settled in on the deck by the beer.
Jon was already there, leaning against the railing with a longneck in his hand.
“We have arrived and we brought provisions.” Thom dropped the bag of ice on the deck and reached to open the lid on a big blue cooler.
Rocky set the beer down and turned to Jon, who stepped forward to shake hands. “Good to see you again.”
Rocky snorted. “Good to see you on US soil this time.”
Jon grinned. “That too.”
Not long ago Rocky’s SEAL team had spent some time with Jon’s company, GAPS, in Nigeria. The military was turning more and more to using private contractors for consulting and extra manpower.
Rick let out a huff. “I can’t believe I missed that job.”
Jon cocked one dark brow. “If I remember correctly you were in New York, no doubt staying at some fancy hotel and working security for People Magazine’s Sexiest Woman on Earth, so no complaining.”
“Yeah. While we were sweating our balls off in the Sambisa Forest. You forget how hot Africa is?” Thom asked.
“I remember.”
Rocky had to laugh as Rick continued to scowl and look unhappy about missing the op. “I gotta agree with them, Rick. You get no sympathy. We were fighting Boko Haram and frigging snakes at the same time. I can tell you one thing, if I’m gonna be killed in action, it better not be from a damn snakebite.”
Thom jumped up from his knees where he’d been kneeling to load the beer and ice in the cooler. “Oh my God. Rick, you have to picture this. There are four of us, in position, on our stomachs sighting the path out of the target’s camp with our rifles . . .”
Shaking his head at Thom’s retelling of the snake story for what had to be the tenth time, Rocky kneeled down and took over arranging the beer and ice in the cooler.
When it was packed, he popped the top on one for himself and settled into a chair as Thom finished the tale and they all had a good laugh at Rocky’s expense over how he’d been afraid of a snake.
Only then could Rocky finally get on with enjoying the day.
“So what did we miss around here while we’ve been gone?” Thom asked Rick.
It was a good question. They’d been away more than they’d been home this year.
“The big guy here made a lot of changes actually.” Rick hooked a thumb in Jon’s direction. “Did you hear he asked Ali to move in with him?”
Thom’s eyes widened. “No. He didn’t mention it. Wow, dude, are there wedding bells in your future?”
Jon glanced at the door of the house and then back to Thom. “Don’t rush things, okay? Her lease was up and the landlord was going to hike the rent up ridiculously high. It seemed practical for her to move in with me.”
“So romantic.” Rick laughed. “You’ll notice, Rocky, that Jon’s not one to do anything fast. Took him over a year to finally rent an office for GAPS and he still won’t hire a secretary.”
Jon rolled his eyes. “I know you and Zane have visions of us hiring some James Bond-worthy Miss Moneypenny to answer the phone, but it’s not gonna happen. We also don’t have Q and all his toys and none of you are getting a rocket-fueled BMW either. GAPS is a private contractor. Not MI6.”
Rick scowled. “I know that but I really do think we need a plane. Chris has his pilot’s license. Think of all the money you’d save on flying commercial.”
“Sure. Why don’t we get a CH-53 too? That way we won’t have to bother the Marines when we need a helo.” Jon snorted. “And what do you care anyway? Sierra has you all sewn up as her head of security. When are you going to be available to work a job with GAPS again?”
“Personally, I think a Blackhawk is more versatile than a Super Stallion.” Thom always was one to stir the pot.
Ignoring Thom’s unsolicited comment, Rick frowned at Jon. “I’m gonna work more jobs with you. I’ll have time between her movies. And I saw you ordered company logo shirts. I want one. An extra-large, please.”
Jon blew out a derogatory sounding snort. “I didn’t order those shirts. Zane did. I’m lucky I talked him out of the logo golf balls.”
Rocky watched the exchange between the two men, happy all he had to do was take orders from his command, because judging by this conversation leaving the military and starting a private company hadn’t been without its challenges for Jon.
Thom glanced sideways at Rocky. “Makes the Navy not seem all that bad, huh?”
Rocky laughed that Thom had been thinking the same thing he had. “You ain’t kidding.”
The glass door sliding open had Rocky’s attention shifting to the house just as Darci popped her head out. “The chili is hot so anytime you want some, just go grab it from the stove.”
“Thanks, Darci.” Rick turned back to the guys. “I figure I’ll throw the burgers and dogs on the grill in a couple of hours. Brody and Chris should be here before dark.”
The distant sound of the doorbell ringing filtered out to the deck. Rick leaned forward in his chair and peered through the sliding glass door. “Who the hell could that be? Chris and Brody couldn’t be back in town yet and everybody else is already here.”
Jon shrugged. “Maybe Darci or Ali asked somebody from work.”
“Or maybe it’s Grant. You said you called him too, right?” Thom reminded Rick.
“Yeah, I did. But he was having trouble getting the wife onboard with the plan and said he probably wouldn’t make it.” Rick hoisted his large frame from the chair and stood. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Rick!” Darci’s shout came from inside the house. “Get in here. Now!”
“What the hell is wrong with her?” Rick drew his brows low as he moved to open the door.
Rocky watched Rick go into the house, curious but not enough to get out of his chair. It seemed the other guys felt the same. Jon and Thom stayed put as well.
“What the hell?” That exclamation from Rick propelled the men into action. They all stood at once.
Jon was the first to get to the door. He stopped dead, blocking Thom and Rocky’s entry and their view.
“Holy shit. Whose is that?” At Jon’s question, Rocky couldn’t take it any longer.
He edged past the blockage and finally got a look around Jon at what all the cursing was about.
A car seat containing a baby sat in the center of the dining room table. And surrounding the table were three very unhappy looking women.
Darci crossed her arms. “That’s exactly what I’d like to know.”
“Zane’s maybe?” Rick lifted one shoulder. “He was a real dog before he got together with Missy.”
The usually lovely and perfectly composed Sierra Cox, at least when he’d seen her on television, didn’t look as if she was buying it.
“There’s one problem with that theory. Your friend Zane doesn’t live here,” Sierra pointed out.
Darci nodded. “But you do, Rick.”
Uh oh. It looked like Rick was in big trouble as both his girlfriend and his sister presented a united front against him.
Rick stood his ground and leveled a gaze on his girlfriend. “The problem with that circumstantial evidence is that before you I lived like a monk. So no, it’s not mine if that’s what you’re both insinuating.”
Darci glanced at Sierra. “That is true. He like never dated. Ever.”
Rick scowled. “Thanks, sis. And might I remind you that you live here too? Maybe this is about you.”
Darci lifted a brow. “I think I’d know if I had a baby, Rick.”
“I didn’t mean you. I’m talking about Chris.”
Rocky watched
wide-eyed as Rick threw Chris Cassidy, Darci’s boyfriend, under the bus. He’d worked with Chris on that op in Nigeria. He was a good man and all evidence indicated he’d been a good SEAL before he’d retired and joined Jon’s team on GAPS.
Darci visibly paled at her brother’s accusation.
Rocky didn’t feel right standing by silently. If Chris’s friends and former teammates didn’t defend him, he would. “Hey, now. Let’s not make any assumptions. Chris isn’t here to defend himself.”
Meanwhile the baby, already squirming in the seat, began to wail. The noise only seemed to ramp up the tension in the room.
No one made a move toward the baby and the screaming continued. It probably went on for less than a minute but it felt like an eternity.
A crying baby was one of those sounds that grated on the nerves pretty fast.
Finally Jon’s girlfriend Ali stepped forward. “For goodness sake. If no one is going to pick up the poor child, I will.”
Instinct and training kicked in for Rocky. A terrorist wouldn’t think twice about wiring a baby seat to explode. He took one step forward. “No!”
Almost simultaneously, Jon shouted, “Ali, don’t!”
Rick ran for Sierra and shoved both her and Darci into the kitchen as Thom dropped to the floor and shielded his head with his forearms.
All of them had to be thinking the same thing. As SEALs they’d all been in too many hellholes in the world where US forces would go to investigate a body or help what appeared to be a person in need, only to be blown to bits when they got close.
Heart pounding, Rocky watched Ali release the buckle and slide her hands beneath the crying baby’s arms.
The whole scene seemed to move in slow motion. She lifted the baby from the car seat before Jon got to her.
Seconds ticked by in the surreal way they do when adrenaline is pounding through the bloodstream during a crisis. But the explosion never came.
Ali frowned at Jon. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Get into the other room.” Jon shoved Ali and the baby toward the kitchen doorway, where Rick had already pushed Sierra and Darci.
Once she was clear of the immediate area, Jon bent low to peer beneath the car seat on the table. Thom hoisted himself off the floor as Rocky stepped forward to join Jon in examining the seat.