“Feeling better, Cowboy?” Lucky asked.
Cody stilled from whatever he was doing. Miranda didn’t know because she wasn’t going to look at him. “A shower will do wonders for a guy. Or maybe it was the nap I took after.”
“A nap. Sure, why not?”
Miranda turned to look at him—because she decided that deliberately avoiding him was more of a red flag than trying to make conversation—and her heart did that little hitch thing it always did.
“Is that your team name? Cowboy?”
He gave her a look filled with heat and infinite possibility. “Yep, that’s it.”
“You never told me that back in the desert,” she said, and his brows drew down as if she were in danger of imparting information the others might not know. “Oh, it’s okay.” She nodded at Lucky. “She guessed the truth.”
“Yep,” Lucky said, relishing what she was saying perhaps a little too much. “You were in such a bad mood when Jane showed up that Vic and I put two and two together.”
“I’m still in a bad mood,” he said, tearing off a piece of bread oh so casually. “But we have a job to do, and I’m not going to let it bother me. But Jane’s not planning on performing any death scenes again… are you, Jane?”
Miranda swallowed. “Not on purpose. Any death scenes this time will be real, I assure you.”
“Oh God, I hope not,” Lucky said, sounding horrified. “No death scenes from anyone. That’s an order.”
Kev laughed at his wife as he put an arm around her. “You aren’t in a position to give orders, babe.”
She put a hand on his cheek and smiled at him. “I could be… later tonight.”
Envy blossomed in Miranda’s chest. It was obvious these two were in love. Incredible, deep, soul-mate love. She wanted to know what that was like, and yet she didn’t think she ever would.
She had a terrible penchant for picking the wrong man, apparently. Mark. A couple of lovers who hadn’t lasted. Cody, a man who no doubt hated her deep down but had no problem setting that issue aside so he could gratify urges he probably wished he didn’t have.
She had no illusions about what was going on between them. It was sex, pure and simple. Maybe she was crazy for indulging, but if life had taught her anything it was to seize the day and take whatever happiness she could find for however long it lasted.
Because, in her experience, it never lasted long. Something always came along and ripped it away, whether it was life or a bomb or just the fading of illusions.
Ian Black entered the room and headed for their table. When he sat down next to her, she didn’t shrink from his gaze. Cody might have made a noise beside her, but she didn’t look at him.
“You’re still missing five of your operators,” he said as he flicked a hard gaze over them all.
“We don’t have control of the flight schedules,” Cody drawled.
“No, but I’m getting reports that Conti might move location sooner than expected.”
“Is he going with Okonjo?” Miranda asked. Mendez had said that the Kenyan authorities issued a warrant for Conti’s arrest, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t found a way around it. God knew the man was good at greasing the right palms. It’s how he’d stayed a step ahead of all the traps that had been set for him over the years.
“No,” Black said. “But there’s a ship in the harbor—a ship that holds a cargo no one is talking about. And it’s scheduled to sail in three days. My sources say Conti plans to be on it.”
“They’ll be here soon,” Lucky said.
“Even if they aren’t,” Cody cut in, “we’ve got this. Infiltrating a ship is what we do. It’s what we’re trained for.”
“You’re going to have to plan for two infiltrations,” Ian replied. “One at the palace and one at the ship. Hopefully we’ll know where he is by go time, but if not, you’ll be splitting up. Still think you don’t need those extra bodies? Not to mention the best sniper I’ve ever known… and her husband,” he added, though Miranda would have said that part was added reluctantly.
And then she processed what she’d just heard. Victoria was a sniper, and apparently a damned good one. Whoa. She wasn’t a bad marksman herself, but snipers were a different breed. The patience required—and the distance skills—were incredible.
She frowned as she thought about what else Black had said. Two missions. Two infiltrations. Two possible locations for Conti. Of course, because nothing about Victor Conti had ever been easy.
“I thought you were some sort of badass know-it-all,” Kev drawled in a heavy Southern accent that reminded her of home. “You’re supposed to have concrete intel as to which location we’ll find the bastard.”
The other SEALs had stopped talking and were listening to the conversation. The guys from Alpha Squad were as well.
Ian Black sighed. “As usual, you ungrateful motherfuckers want the world. I’m giving you the best I got. Jorwani is not my primary territory, and I’ve got fewer sources here than elsewhere. We’re working on it, but good sources are hard to come by—sources I can trust, that is.”
“Conti will go to the ship,” Miranda said, and every eye in the place turned to look at her. But she knew the man and she knew what she was talking about. “He’s not the sort of man to stay under another’s thumb, especially a dictator like Okonjo. He’s got his own people, his own empire. He’ll go because there’s something he’s moving on that ship. Weapons. Contraband. Women.”
“Jesus Christ,” one of the men muttered.
She felt the sting of that comment, but she wasn’t going to back down. “You don’t have to believe me,” she said coolly. “I only spent about six months learning the man’s life and turning myself into the sort of woman he’d deal with.”
“That’s not what he meant,” Cody murmured.
“I believe you,” the same man said. A dark-haired man with a slight accent. Who was he again? Oh yes, Matt was his name. Matt Girard. She didn’t recall his team name. “Wasn’t suggesting I didn’t. Just fucking disgusted at the idea he’s trafficking women.”
Miranda drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t used to having a team, as she’d told Cody before. She was used to fighting and scrapping for every bit of ground she gained.
“My mistake.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. My fault for not being clearer.” He stood up at the same time the man she’d heard the others call Viking did. “Looks like we’d better get busy planning two missions, brother,” Matt said to Viking.
The other man nodded. “Roger that. Let’s get that motherfucker and put a stop to his operations.”
25
They met in Ian Black’s war room. It was secure, a smaller room surrounded by a metal cage inside a bigger room, which meant nobody could pick up any transmissions. Both teams were there, with the exception of their five missing operators who were arriving later tonight.
“My source says he’s still in the palace,” Ian Black said. “But Okonjo isn’t leaving for two more days, and Conti could have moved by then. I’ve got people watching the gates, but it won’t be easy to tell who’s coming and going.”
“Anybody watching the ship?” Viking asked.
“I’ve got a guy… but it would be better if you put one of yours on it.”
“All right. What about weapons and gear? We’ll need dive gear if we’re going to infiltrate a ship. We also need Rapid Diver systems.”
“I’ve got what you need. It’s military grade, though not all of it’s strictly American, if you know what I mean.”
“Comm?” Cody interjected. Because that shit was important too.
“Just like you use back home,” Black said with a grin. He walked over to the computer and brought up a map of the presidential palace that appeared on the monitor. “Conti is here,” he said, pointing to a room in the east wing of the vast palace. It was an exterior room, which was even better for them because it would make grabbing him easier if they had multiple points of entry. A point right into hi
s room? Bonus.
“How do you know?” Money asked.
“Multiple reports place him there at night. Conti likes the ladies, and he’s had several brought to him in this room during his stay. They spend the night, sometimes more than one at a time, and then go on their way the next morning. The local madams have been delighted with his appetite for women. Always new ones, never the same girl twice. It’s noticeable, which is good for us. And the madams are happy to let the girls tell my people where they were taken.”
“If he’s bringing in women, why not send one of us in to take him down? I could neutralize him before these guys show up and extract us.”
Cody gaped at Miranda. Instantly, everything inside him went still. “No,” he snapped before anyone could agree. It was a stupid idea. A dangerous idea. And he needed some reason other than he couldn’t stand the thought of her in danger. “He’s seen her,” he added, looking at his teammates. “She looks different than she did then, sure, but it wouldn’t take him long to realize she’s the same woman.”
Miranda arched an eyebrow. “You don’t know that. He doesn’t look at women twice. Well, at least not their faces. If the tits and ass are there, that’s all he cares about. He’ll glance at me, and then he’ll want me on my knees with my mouth wrapped around his dick.”
Anger swelled inside him like a tidal wave. The idea of her on her knees in front of anyone but him was enough to make him want to commit violence. “And how far would you let it go before you neutralized him?”
Her brows drew down. It was an indication of just how pissed she was because Miranda was usually damned good at masking her emotions. “As far as I have to in order to take him down,” she snapped. “Which wouldn’t be far. A hand on his balls and it’s over.”
Lucky snorted, and Cody tried not to glare at all of them for refusing to take this seriously.
“Good God, don’t remind us,” one of the Alpha Squad guys said. “Every time I think of that night, I sweat.”
Lucky grinned. “Sorry, Ice.”
“In case y’all are wondering,” Kev said to the SEALs, “my sweet wife took down the world’s most wanted terrorist with an application of, uh, pressure to his balls.”
“So it works,” Lucky said. “Which all of us in this room know. And Cowboy?”
He looked directly at her because he knew she was waiting for him to do it.
“That wasn’t a fair question of a fellow operator, and you know it.”
He felt the sting of that statement. “No, probably not. But Jane here is CIA. And I’ve seen the lengths they’re willing to go to.”
Miranda knew what he meant. That statement hung in the air between them like a poisonous cloud until she cleared her throat and drew everyone’s attention back to her. “Nevertheless, it’s still a good plan. Send one of the women in as a prostitute. I’ll volunteer since I’m sure Lucky and Victoria are needed in other capacities.”
“It’s a bad idea,” Cody said, trying to remain reasonable about the whole thing. “You don’t need to go in. We can do the fucking job without you taking that risk.”
“Enough,” Viking said. “Can we get on with this? You two can argue later. And Jane,” he added, “that’s not a bad plan. We’ll put it into rotation. If we’re lucky, it won’t be necessary and we’ll get to him another way. But thanks for volunteering.”
“Whatever it takes,” Miranda said, her voice sounding firm and determined.
But Cody was equally determined that it wasn’t going to happen. They’d just have to see which of them won the battle.
Miranda knew Cody was pissed at her, but there was nothing she could do about it right then. They spent the next hour discussing plans to infiltrate both the palace and the ship. Ian Black didn’t have a schematic of the ship yet, but he was working on it. Still, it seemed as if the SEALs already knew what they’d find. It was a cargo ship, but what Conti was shipping was anybody’s guess—though it wasn’t likely to be good. Especially considering the money he’d been sending to Okonjo for the past month or so.
He could be buying guns, sure. He could also by buying something far worse. Nuclear material. Chemical weaponry, which Okonjo possessed because he’d used it on his people. Or he could be buying human beings, which was the most disgusting choice of all and yet also very likely.
Victor Conti had made pornographic films back in Vegas, but he was also suspected of engaging in sex trafficking. As if the films weren’t enough. As if the young women willing to let their bodies be bought for the price of drugs or, hell, just the chance at a certain kind of fame weren’t enough for his operation. He’d made money off those films. When was it enough?
The meeting wrapped up, and everyone headed for the storerooms where Ian Black had the weapons and gear. Miranda didn’t go with them. Instead, she went outside and stood in the courtyard, listening to the traffic moving outside the walls. It was steady, though not fast. The rubble and general state of disrepair in this part of Cape Lucier dictated that.
She could hear a dog barking and then a woman yelling at someone. A child cried. There were cooking smells in the air, and the smell of decay as well. Cape Lucier wasn’t a pleasant place, though it had once been. That’s what happened when warlords took control and did what they pleased.
It disgusted her. It’s what she fought against, what she would always fight against. Stopping the world’s assholes from destroying everything good.
She started to turn and head back inside when a shape appeared out of the darkness. It was a large shape and adrenaline surged in her veins as her fight response kicked in—but then the man moved closer and Cody materialized in front of her. She could feel his confusion and his anger. She didn’t want to disappoint him or upset him, but this wasn’t about what she wanted. It was about what was right for the mission.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Thinking.”
“There’s a lot to think about.”
“There always is.” She folded her arms, hugging herself. “We do what we do because we have to. It’s the same for both of us.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But sunshine, you don’t have to risk yourself. We’ll get the bastard without you putting yourself in danger.”
She didn’t bother to point out that he’d be putting himself in danger—that they all would—in order to get Conti in the first place. “Ideally, yes. But shouldn’t we be prepared for every possibility? Women are a weakness for him—don’t tell me you didn’t think of this solution the first moment Black said he’d been using prostitutes. All of you did.”
He hesitated too long. “It’s not what we do. The CIA might send you in to play a fucking madam or porn purveyor or whatever, but it’s not the way we operate. We don’t need to operate that way. And we don’t involve noncoms in our missions.”
She sighed. “Cody, I’m not a noncombatant. I’m an agent. I’ve been in plenty of battles, though not the same sort of battles you fight. But I still volunteered to put myself in harm’s way for the sake of my nation. Could you please stop acting like you’re the only soldier here?”
“Sailor,” he said.
She blinked. Oh yeah, Navy. She’d forgotten for a second.
“Well, I’m not a sailor and never have been. But I’m definitely a soldier. Just not the kind who wears a uniform. So stop trying to protect me. I can protect myself.”
He blew out a breath like he was patiently trying to explain his obviously superior position to an idiot. Her hackles rose. Damn stubborn man!
“I can’t help it,” he said, his tone no longer superior but sounding tired instead. The anger rising within her subsided just a little bit. Like blowing cool air on a pot of boiling water. She was still angry, but not in danger of boiling over just yet.
“Try, Cowboy. Try to realize I’m your equal, even if you can’t quite comprehend it.”
“I keep thinking about that day,” he said. “You were lying in the dirt, blood spilling everywhere, and all I c
ould think was that I’d failed you. Fucking let them kill you when I’d sworn I wouldn’t.”
Her throat tightened and her chest felt as if someone had punched her and left a hole. If she could change that moment— But God, she couldn’t. “I’m sorry.”
“I know. But I still see it—and I still believe it in some ways. Not that you actually died, but that you could—and if you did, it would be my fault.”
She swallowed. “No, it would be mine. Never yours.”
He raked a hand over his scalp. “That’s easy for you to say. But you didn’t live with it the way I did.”
She took a step forward and then stopped. “I know that Conti sent men after you. I know that’s because of me, because you helped me. Do you think for one second I won’t do everything I can to prevent them from harming you?”
He seemed a bit stunned at first. And then he moved toward her, only stopping when he was right in front of her. Part of her wished he’d take her in his arms, but part of her was scared too. There was something going on inside her, something that made her feel a little bit crazy and a little bit jumpy all at once.
“We’ll get Conti. He’s not going to hurt me—but if you go in there and I have to worry about you— Not a good thing for me, sunshine.”
Miranda stared up into those blue, blue eyes, but she wasn’t expecting what happened next. She wasn’t expecting her heart to crack wide open or a tumult of feelings to race through her. Nobody cared what happened to her the way he did. Nobody tried to stop her from doing her job because they were scared for her. Mark, Badger, Sam. They’d never expressed this level of concern for her.
Hell, her parents had never expressed this level of concern either.
Whoa there, Miranda. Doesn’t mean anything. Doesn’t mean this man wants to tie any knots or have babies with you.
“Why do you care?” she asked, her voice raspy with emotion she couldn’t stuff down. “Why does it matter to you what happens to me?”
“I don’t know,” he said, and her stomach fell to her toes.
Well, what had she expected?
She refused to let her disappointment show. “It’s okay. I was just wondering.”
HOT SEAL Rescue (HOT SEAL Team - Book 3) Page 15