Cruisin' for a SEAL

by Sharon Hamilton

  “I know it. I’ll do it. I’ll stow anything I stash there out of sight, under the vests, or in the lockers.”

  “Thanks. I’ll need them by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. I plan to be there for a few hours this evening.” Mark hoped the bright orange sky didn’t show the blush he felt on his cheeks. “You could also give them to Sophia.”

  “Sophia?”

  “The Brazilian dance instructor?”

  “Oh yeah, that one. That the one you were talking about?” Teseo’s handsome face cracked a wide grin.

  “Um hum. She knows right where Lifeboat 26 is. You give anything to her and she’ll get it to me.” Mark pulled a card out of his pocket. “And here’s Kyle’s cell, my cell,” Mark handed Teseo a card with a small American flag on it that was otherwise completely blank except for the handwritten phone numbers.

  Teseo slipped it into his vest pocket behind a small black spiral notebook.

  “Kyle’s is a sat phone courtesy of Uncle Sam. My service is spotty,” Mark added.

  “Will check back with him as soon as I talk to the captain. Thanks.” Teseo and Mark shook, and then he shook Jones’s hand. “Glad you boys are on board. Who would have thought?”

  “I’m hoping they don’t know what we do. But with their advantage of surprise gone, perhaps we can take care of this so no one else knows about it.”

  “That’s the plan, then. Talk to you soon.” Teseo ran to the gate, zipped his card against the metal sensor, and headed up the metal stairs to the Bridge. Mark hoped the captain was good under pressure.

  Chapter 25

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  MAKSYM HAD GONE to Helena’s room and collapsed in her arms. He could tell she was startled at his needy behavior. She tried to talk to him. He was rough with her in return, masking insecurity and fear, finally finding one of her scarves and wrapping it around her mouth to shut her up. Her eyes sparkled as he ripped off her clothes, as he shredded her panties and took her. His need was so great he wasn’t careful. She’d started by being gentle with him, drifting her fingers down his back and over his backside and he didn’t want that.

  “Niet,” he said, getting right in face. Russian was the code for danger. Well, he was dangerous, all right. He scared her with his Russian. Trouble brewed in her brows. He held her two wrists together above her head with one large paw, hiking up her knees and thrusting himself inside her naked, pink body, pinning her to the bed, biting her neck and groaning guttural pleas in rhythm with his thrusting. He would have a hard time explaining why he felt this was going to be the last fuck of his life, but for some reason, that’s how it seemed. It didn’t matter whether she liked it or not.

  He knew she loved the moment when her fear became pleasure, and she didn’t disappoint him now. Subtle, but now she passed that threshold when she commanded him again, because his need was more urgent than hers. In those exchanges of gasping for breath and slapping skin, he had become the submissive and she the dom as he felt her body arch back, and saw her let herself fall into a delicious orgasm that sounded like childbirth. Maybe that’s how it felt, too. The more he pumped her, the more he needed. He gave himself up to her and worshiped, filling her body. Every moan or rolling spasm became what he required, would have at all costs. She could literally kill him by withholding, he had given her so much power.

  He flipped her over onto her stomach, pulling a pillow under her lower belly, splaying the cheeks of her flesh as his wet cock rooted up the cleft of her. He kissed her on one side, making a little bite that would draw blood. She arched back in a moan and then presented her peach to him, ripe with their combined juices.

  He dove into her with his mouth, sucking her lips, running his canines on her delicate folds, lapping and feeding himself like he was starving. And he was starving for her. He hiked her hips higher, found another pillow and pushed it underneath her abdomen, raising her plump little ass on full display. He held her hair at the back of her neck and pulled, arching her backward like a bow.

  He kicked his shoes off, but his shirt, his white pants were still on. The brass belt buckle with an anchor was slapping her ass as he rose up, positioned himself and rammed inside, pressing her down into the bed. He brought himself out, fully out, as she groaned. He let her feel the vacancy he’d created, then gave it back to her, pushing himself deep with a frenzy.

  In and out he fucked her, riding her ass, pushing himself in to the right and then the left. He fucked like the more he did it, the bigger and harder he got, and he desperately wanted to be huge, wanted to explode and make her come.

  She turned her head and looked at him out of one eye when he leaned over and French kissed her ear. He let her hear his cry of need, his complete despair, and his desire to mate, not to make love.

  At last, while he once again pulled her head back by the roots of her hair, he felt her muscles milk him and pull him deeper still as he exploded, pausing to let her feel the force of him, the need of him. Her grunts of pleasure were music to his ears.

  MARK HEARD THE obvious signs of lovemaking on the other side of the cabin door. He thought the cabins on either side and across the hall would be able to hear, too. Jones’ eyes widened and then he wrinkled his nose.

  “Can’t tell if they’re fucking each other or killing each other,” he whispered. “Day-am.”

  The loud bursts of ecstasy on the other side of the door subsided into silence. Mark heard the vibration of a text message on his cell.

  Kyle: Teseo know anything about it?

  He answered, “No. Telling the captain now.”

  Kyle: Good. You find Maksym?

  He texted back: Oh yeah. He’s in the room with her. Fuckin’ animals.

  Kyle: lol. Sweeeet. Don’t get any ideas.

  He answered: Oh I got ideas. Not sharing any of them with you.

  Kyle: We’re on our way down.

  He texted his LPO back: Roger that. “I guess we get to babysit, sort of,” he whispered to Jones.

  “Um hum. Would be a whole lot more fun if we could watch, too.”

  “Don’t push it.”

  Several people slid past them in the narrow hallway. Jones and Mark pretended they were waiting for someone from across the aisle. Mark made a point to look at his watch and frown every time someone came close.

  At last Kyle and Moshe appeared. Fredo rounded the corner and started to say something off color, but was shushed by the crowd in the corridor. He stepped in line with the others. Moshe was right outside the door, so when Maksym opened it, he got a good view of the angry Israeli.

  “What’re you doing here?” Maksym said, then looked to see the other men in the hallway. His shirt was still not tucked in but his buttons were buttoned. His hair was a mess.

  He came out and quickly closed the door to give Helena some privacy.

  “Fellas,” he said. He made a poor attempt to act like he’d been caught doing something naughty and needed a minor hand slapping.

  Moshe was all business. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me, Maksym.”

  “Or what?” Maksym grinned like it would save his bacon.

  “Not funny, asshole,” Mark chimed in and earned himself a glare from Kyle.

  “We are two consenting adults, besides which, what concern is it of yours? The lady and I are in need of comfort. But I hold no claim to her…”

  The door opened and Helena’s eyes were daggers. She leaned forward to check out the hallway and then shouted a command.

  “Inside, quickly.”

  All six of them proceeded. Kyle opened the door to the balcony outside, bringing in two three metal chairs and the table for them to sit on.

  “This doesn’t concern her,” Maksym started to say. Helena cut him off.

  “Oh, shut up and listen to what they have to say, Maksym.”

  She’d yelled at his back and he braced against the sting to his ego.

  “Sit down,” Moshe directed. “Next to her.” He pointed to Helena, who was already sitting on the edge of
the bed. Kyle and Cooper were on the leather bench seat. Fredo remained standing behind Moshe. Mark and Jones took their seats on the metal chairs from the balcony. Maksym sat, appearing in a daze.

  “What is all this about?”

  “The bomb,” Moshe said.

  “The bomb? What—”

  Just then Maksym’s cell phone rang.

  “You will answer it, and you will allow us to listen.” Mark was impressed by how commanding Moshe was.

  “No. I cannot.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Maksym. You have no choice but to cooperate,” Helena spat.

  Maksym turned on her, seething. He was going to say something unkind, but Moshe took the wind out of his sales just after the ringing phone went silent.

  “Maksym, you’re fucked,” Moshe interrupted. “We know about your little plan, and now we’re gonna tell your boss that we know about it. How valuable are you going to be if that happens? I think he’ll feel some resentment towards you, don’t you think? Your chips have just been taken away.”

  The Ukrainian was starting to look like a caged animal. A dangerous caged animal.

  The phone began ringing again.

  “Answer it. And do as we say,” Moshe hissed.

  “Da.” Maksym flashed a look at Helena who shook her head.

  “You fuckin asshole,” she screamed and slammed him with a pillow. Maksym’s grip on the phone faltered and it clattered to the ground.

  He fell to all fours and scrambled to find it, putting it back to his ear. “My apologies Wolf. I am in a serious argument with my woman.”

  He pressed the speaker feature and the Team heard the clipped Italian accent on the other end of the line, full of restraint.

  “Are you in a secure location, alone?”

  “Helena is here, as you know. But yes, we’re alone in the cabin.” Maksym scanned his audience.

  “You are both going to pay with your lives if this is not true.”

  “I have found some relief in her arms. The pressure is getting to me a bit, I admit.”

  “Time enough for fucking when this is over with. I know enough of Helena not to be concerned. She values her lifestyle, even if she doesn’t value your lives.” There was a pause and the man on the other end sighed as though it pained him to do so with patience. “So how did they find out about the bomb, Maksym? I hold you personally responsible for this.”

  Mark saw Maksym react quickly. “Sir, you told me there was no bomb.”

  He realized then that the captain’s call to the main office must have tipped this man off. That meant he was connected with the home office. At least they now knew where the enemy was hiding. Or had been hiding.

  “It’s the delivery device, assuring us the plan will take place. They can’t stop it now if they can’t find it.”

  “Wolf, how can you be sure they found out about it? I’ve heard nothing.”

  “Because your captain relayed a suspicion expressed by some Americans on board. You know any such Americans?”

  Maksym looked at the SEALs.

  “There are several American couples I’ve met. Strictly tourists, I’d say.”

  Mark could see Maksym start to sweat. The officer closed his eyes and swallowed. “What is it you would have me do?”

  “I want you to guard it with your life.”

  “Yes. But what if they contact me?”

  “If they contact you, that means you are a dead man. If they know about you, then you are of no use to me. Make sure that they don’t.”

  The man called Wolf hung up.

  Maksym dropped his head into the palms of his hands, elbows braced on his knees.

  “Where is it, Maksym?” Moshe demanded.

  “It’s safe. Locked in the engine room.”

  “That’s the worst place for a bomb, and you know it, Moshe,” Kyle snapped. “We gotta get it out of there.

  “There’s no way without alerting the crew. Someone will talk. At this point, I don’t know who to trust,” Maksym said.

  “You can trust us,” Kyle said.

  “The chief engineer is my ally. We know there are others.”

  “When is this supposed to take place?”

  “After the next stop, at Cape Verde. When we cross the Equator. The ship will be stopped. Ransom demands will be delivered to the company. The insurance company always pays. I don’t even think there is a bomb, just something to make it look like the threat is real. I’ve seen it.”

  “Would one bomb, if it’s big enough, sink this ship?” Moshe asked. He looked around to the faces of the SEALs.

  “No. It would take several. It could disable it, but the ship is quite safe, and there are lifeboats to launch, plenty, not like on the Titanic,” Maksym added. He buried his head in his hands again.

  “Who stages the takeover, Maksym?” Kyle asked.

  “There are supposed to be more coming on board in Cape Verde. We’ve reported engine trouble and a team of eight ‘mechanics’ are supposed to arrive in the morning when we dock. We’ve been given clearance to allow them and their tools on board.”

  “Sir,” Mark spoke up. “We can’t allow those men to board.”

  “I know it, Mark,” Kyle said. “Moshe, you got anyone else you can call about this? We need some backup. We got nothing U.S.-connected nearby. You have any shipping companies that could be an ally in times of danger?”

  “The Maersk lines, a Danish company, they might. But I wouldn’t know how to reach them, or what ships are in the area. They’re all over the world. Captain Phillips, do you remember him?”

  “We remember. One of our guys was there,” Kyle said.

  That brought Maksym out of his misery. His tear-stained face looked up at Kyle with an almost hopeful expression. “You guys are SEALs?”

  “Nah, man, we’re UPS drivers,” Kyle replied and winked at Mark.

  MOSHE AND THE Team regrouped in Mark’s room. Armando joined them and was brought up to date.

  “I don’t like leaving Maksym on his own. I don’t trust the guy,” Kyle said.

  “He’s a dead man, and he knows it. His best bet is to align with us,” Moshe said. “I’m going to go upstairs and start making calls to see if we can get some support from somewhere. I’m also going to notify the U.S. Authorities, not that they are likely to have any assets nearby. Closest would be the Mediterranean, and that’s at least two to three days away.”

  “Maybe some air support,” Tyler suggested. “What we did in Somalia.”

  “Not unless there’s a real threat. We don’t know for sure it’s a bomb, or even if there is going to be a takeover. I don’t think they’ll commit on a hunch, sad to say,” Moshe added.

  They agreed to station Jones and Fredo near the cabins to guard the women. Everyone else was to be out and about, looking for signs of foul play, things that didn’t make sense. Scouting out places to hide, to stage a firefight. Looking for anything they could use if they had to defend the ship from terror attacks every man knew was definitely going to happen.

  Mark made a beeline for the Kasbah lounge. The sound of disco music wafted his way. A small combo was playing on a raised stage. The singer was a bit off-key and the volume needed to be turned way down, Mark thought. The screeching-fingernails-on-the-chalkboard singer stopped annoying him when he saw Sophia dancing with the Indian security guard.

  Kumar’s shiny satin shirt was undulating in moves Mark didn’t know the guy possessed. His eyes were wide and alert with excitement, like a five-year-old in a chocolate factory, he gazed at his lovely partner, the soft and sensual Sophia. Mark’s heart turned to putty as his libido kicked in. Though he liked the Indian and had spoken to him many times, he did not like the way the guy swung her around, sashayed up to her middle and held her tiny waist as he undulated his hips to their rhythm.

  Mark could see she was actually enjoying herself, that is, until she spotted him in the corner. She faltered for a second, drawing the attention of Kumar, who raised his chin in polite greeting to hi
m, as if to say, “Look at me, I’m dancing.” Poor Kumar was oblivious. Mark actually felt for the man. His finest hour was happening just when all hell was about to break loose.

  The set ended and the seated audience loved it. Couples who had watched from the edges of the dance floor, looking like garnish on a buffet table, clapped and cheered for them. Kumar held Sophia’s hand and they took a deep bow.

  Mark was there in an instant. “Sorry, dance party is over for Sophia,” he said to the tall Indian, who looked puzzled and more than a little disappointed.

  “Mark, please, don’t.” Sophie started to protest. But she glanced up and saw the look he gave her and closed her mouth. He led her off the dance floor and down to Deck 5.

  Chapter 26

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  SHE HOPED THE look in his eyes was urgency to be with her. She certainly felt that strongly about him too, but something else was present. Some kind of danger or unseen evil about to envelop them all. Mark had a message for her of some kind, and it was more than that he loved her. It was something stemming from deep inside his soul, from who he was as a man.

  She felt like she was seven, that day when she and her dad had rushed to the hospital when her mother had taken ill suddenly. She trusted her daddy, but he was driving too fast, he wouldn’t look at her with the reassurance she needed. He was scared for her mother, and because of that, she was scared. They ran to the Emergency Room, desperate to hear about her condition.

  He only looked at her once he knew her mother was out of harm’s way. He’d grabbed Sophia and wept into her chest. And now something awful was happening again. She could feel it. Just when her life with Mark should be starting, something had gone very wrong. She needed to be brave for whatever it was he was going to tell her. Whatever it was.

  He had a vise-like grip on her fingers and it hurt, though she doubted he realized. He pushed through the door to outer Deck 5, their love boat number 26 very close by.

  “Stop.” She said as she pulled away her hand. “Tell me. Tell me what’s going on, Mark.”

  “There isn’t time, sweetheart.” He pulled her into his chest, and that’s when she heard the rumble of his stomach and the fast beating of his heart. The man was running on adrenaline. He was sweating, breathing heavily. “Please, just follow me right now, and I’ll explain everything, baby.”