Saving the Seal 2: A BWWM Navy Seal Interracial Romance

by Cristina Grenier

  Around nine thirty the previous night, the power had gone out in her mother’s home. Martha went down to the basement to check the circuit breakers, she’d been captured and hauled up the stairs. Before she could get her bearings and see who had a hold of her, she was knocked out.

  The intruder had used a piece of cement block to hit her mother over the head, creating a wound that required no less than ten stitches. Martha was a bit groggy, and she had sustained a slight concussion, but she would recover well. The police asked her to come down to the station and fill out some paperwork after she was discharged from the hospital.

  Genny spent a couple of hours with her mother, apologizing profusely for what had happened. This was her fault. Whoever had hurt her mother was after her, and she couldn’t stand that someone she loved was being hunted as doggedly as she was. Martha, however, waved off her professions, telling her she had nothing to do with some psychopath’s design. She assured Genny that when her stepfather came home, he’d ‘have a shotgun waiting for the next person who barged into the house.’

  The statement made Genny wince. She was sure that the recoil from a shotgun would knock Jared clean over.

  She left her mother resting comfortably to go and visit Gina and the new baby. At the sight of Owen fast asleep on the room’s only sofa, she smiled fondly. He would probably sleep all day if he was allowed.

  She took the time to talk to a tired Gina and take the baby from her for a while so she could get out of bed and walk around. Little Luis was a spitting image of his father, with a small thatch of dark curls, wide brown eyes, a flat nose and a sweet gurgle.

  He was small and soft in her arms, and as she sat with him, for the first time in her life, Genny’s womb ached with the desire to grow new life.

  She had always been a career woman. For as long as she could remember, Genny had pushed herself. Through high school, through college, through medical school… She was always neglecting her personal life in order to help those who needed it most. But meeting Owen changed something in her.

  Gradually, she found herself beginning to wonder what it would be like to have him make the ultimate commitment to her. To have some huge ridiculous wedding that she would let her mother plan and a romantic honeymoon somewhere exotic. She pondered how it might feel to have his child growing inside her and to watch their son or daughter run around the yard happily with Eddie at his or her heels.

  Could she have those things?

  As much as she loved Owen, he had his heart set on going back to a military existence. Did that mean they would end up like Sean and Gina, missing the most important moments in one another’s lives?

  “He’s cute.” She turned, surprised to see Owen’s eyes open. He gazed across the room at her and the baby, his long form folded onto the couch. “Nothing like his dad.”

  The young woman forced a laugh. “I’m totally telling him you said that.” Against her chest, little Luis burbled nonsensically and she shushed him, bouncing his small form gently. Genny could feel Owen’s eyes on them as she trailed her fingers gently over Luis’ little nose, his small, perfect lips, and let him grasp her finger with his own.

  She wanted this. She wanted a baby.

  “Genny.” Owen’s voice was gruff when he spoke again.

  “Hm?” She didn’t know if she could look at him just now. Her heart was too heavy.

  “Genny, I’ve been trying hard, for a really long time, to work on how to be more upfront with the way I feel about you.” The SEAL’s words were halting and hesitant as he stumbled over them. “You know I care for you.”

  “Of course you do, Owen.” The young woman was embarrassed when tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back rapidly. She would not let herself cry. Not now. “I’d never doubt that.”

  “Genevieve…” She knew he was struggling. She could fairly feel the frustration in his tone. “I l-”

  “Jesus Christ, I feel like my cuca is about to fall out.”

  Of course, Gina chose that moment to make her reappearance, stepping gingerly through the doorway. When both of their gazes turned to her in surprise, she looked from one of them to the other before her cheeks flushed darkly. “Sorry, Owen. I didn’t know you were awake.”

  In reply, the tall man sat up, rubbing his hands over his unshaven face before he grunted. “I’m not even going to ask what the hell a cuca is.” With that, he stood up, striding to the doorway. “Gen, I gotta get home to my own bed.”

  “Alright.” A bit breathless from what could have been, Genny carefully handed Luis back to his mother. At her expression, Gina arched a brow.

  “Did I interrupt something?”

  Quickly, Genny shook her head, pulling the woman into her arms to hug warmly. “We’re going to head home to get some rest, Gina. I’ll come check on you later.”

  “’Course, honey. Drive safe.”

  She and Owen made the trip home in silence, both too tired and wary to speak. He had come so close, Genny knew...but maybe now wasn’t the right time anyway. Not with her thoughts the way they were.

  And definitely not with her stalker still on the loose.

  After being assured that a cop car would be keep constant watch outside the house, they dragged themselves inside. Genny was too tired, even, to keep Eddie from enthusiastically licking her face as she kicked off her shoes. Owen let him into the backyard to run off his energy, and they fell into bed. Though they didn’t kiss, touch or make love, Owen clutched her tightly against his chest as he fell asleep, and Genny found comfort in the circle of his arms.

  Chapter Seven: Jonas

  It was difficult slipping back into her routine.

  Once Martha was back at home and Gina had been discharged with the baby, a strict new set of rules was set into place to ensure all of their protection. There were squad cars on twenty four hour watch at each of their three addresses, and Owen drove Genny to work every day. At Riperton, there was a cop on constant duty at the front entrance, screening all of the patients and employees. After seeing the pictures sent to Owen’s phone, the authorities were sure that whoever was terrorizing them kept a close watch on Genny’s every move, and so would they.

  At the thought of those pictures, Genny shuddered. Someone had been tailing her for weeks, and she’d never even suspected. Of course, she thought something was wrong when the cat had showed up on her doorstep, and she even worried that there might be someone in their neighborhood after children and small animals. But, the truth was even direr than that. Someone was after her.

  Her personally.

  It had to have something to do with the case they won. Which meant that somewhere out there, Admiral Trace and Doctor Kant still had enough support that people wanted to punish her for putting them behind bars.

  What was their world coming to? That justice was punished and those who tried to help persecuted? Detective Miller assured them that a very close watch was being kept on both Trace and Kant in the upstate prison where they were housed, and if they were sending messages to anyone, the authorities would know instantly. They were pretty certain that whoever was stalking Genny was doing it of their own volition. They might feel passionately about the Admiral or Doctor Kant, but they were moving on their own steam.

  Which made them even more dangerous.

  Knowing there was so much constant security around her made it difficult for the young woman to carry out her duties. Her mountains of paperwork seemed even more daunting, she was restricted in where she could travel without her police escort, and waiting for a squad car to pick her up every evening after work made her feel as if she’d lost her personal freedom.

  Even so, she didn’t complain. Genny knew better.

  All of this was being done to protect her – to protect Gina, Luis, Martha, and anyone else that might come to harm as long as that maniac was on the loose.

  Still, as the weeks dragged on, she found herself irate, her nerves frazzled by the constant coddling. Owen even went so far as tasting any food they bough
t before he allowed her to eat, worried that her stalker might poison her.

  The only time in which she received even a semblance of privacy was when she was with her clients. Even then, Genny knew she was being watched on camera, but it was nice to know that her every word wasn’t being monitored. The surveillance system in the hospital had no audio.

  She could try to do her job in peace.

  The break in at her mother’s house had re-arranged her treatment timeline for her patients somewhat. While the department had agreed that certain individuals would need to be placed on medication or admitted based on their progress, her goal of a definite solution for Jonas Kant had somehow been lost in translation.

  After nearly two months of treatment, he still wasn’t showing any results. By that particular juncture, Stella and Genny had spent veritable hours discussing possibilities for him. While most of the other doctors in the office were still a bit wary of him being kin to Daniel Kant, at least Stella agreed with her on the fact that he was just a tormented soul who needed proper treatment. If Jonas wanted to hurt her, Genny knew, he would have done it by now. He’d had every opportunity. They were alone for hours and all he did was wail and cry.

  “He’s a special case.” Stella agreed with her, her expression grave. “We need to try him in a specialized program for a month or two to see if he gets any better.”

  Genevieve reluctantly agreed. Admitting the man to a program outside the hospital was a little different than admitting him to a ward, but it might ultimately be better for Jonas. He was harmless, and being outdoors in the fresh air in the mountains might work on him more than being locked in a sterile room.

  It was decided that after Genny had her session with him that week, he would be referred to an intensive program upstate and they would check back in with him in a few months.

  Despite how unresponsive she knew Jonas was to her particular brand of treatment, she was almost excited to tell him what they had planned for him when he came to her office Friday afternoon. Maybe he would be excited. Who knew? She could certainly use some healthy excitement with all the upheaval in her life. However, when Jonas sat, trembling, in the chair before her desk, to Genny’s surprise, he didn’t immediately burst into tears.

  Instead, he fixed her with a gaze rife with grief and need. “I want to talk about it.” His voice was raspy, but very clear when he addressed her. “All of it.”

  **

  Sean was still mad at him.

  Sitting at the counter and working through his most recent journal entry, Owen winced as he listened to his CO reprimanding him from half a world away.

  “Why the hell would you keep something like this from me, Owen? It involved Gina and Luis! Why wouldn’t I want to know?”

  Owen rubbed at the bridge of his nose, hoping to massage away the headache forming there. “Probably because I was worried you’d react like this.”

  So he hadn’t told Sean that Gina had put herself in a potentially dangerous situation by demanding to go with Genny to her mother’s house. Owen knew how his friend could be. Gina was having a difficult time of it already, and the last thing he needed was for she and Sean to argue when there was already eight thousand miles between them. They’d just had a baby for God’s sake. Weren’t they supposed to be happy?

  “Fucking hell! Of course I’m pissed! Some fucking maniac was in the same house as my wife and son.” Sean fumed, stalking back and forth in front of the camera. The Skype image was fuzzy, but Owen had no problem registering his commanding officer’s incensed pacing.

  “Sean, you know how Gina is-”

  “Exactly! And how she is pisses me off! What the hell was she thinking?!”

  “She was thinking she didn’t want one of her closest friends to go into that situation alone.”

  “Fuck me!” Sean threw up his hands, dropping into the chair before the camera. He seemed to take a deep breath, before rubbing the back of his neck in agitation. “Just…just…tell her I’m still angry!”

  Owen arched a brow in inquiry. “Why don’t you tell her?”

  Sean just stared at the camera, his expression one of flat annoyance. It took Owen about two seconds to figure out what had happened. “She isn’t talking to you, is she?” Sean’s snort of reply was the only answer he needed. “Sean, you know better than to try and win an argument with Gina.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” His friend fumed. “Just tell her that she has it coming in another three months.”

  “Please.” Owen rolled his eyes, closing his journal as he finished his entry. “In three months all you’re going to wanna do is sleep with your wife and spend time with your kid.”

  “That’s what you think,” Sean retorted. But Owen knew better. Even when he was angry with her, Sean couldn’t help the lovesick puppy look that came over him when he spoke about his wife. They would make up within the week, for sure.

  After updating his fellow SEAL on the current situation – stalker still on the loose, Genny not even able to pee without being watched, half the town on high alert – Owen signed off to prepare for his daily session at the shooting range. He was finding his stride – and the targets – a lot easier these days. He found he was better when he just imagined the paper bullseye was the stalker’s head.

  He hit the mark every time.

  Owen was packing up a bag with his scope and gear when he heard the front door unlock. He straightened, immediately wary. It was two in the afternoon. Genny didn’t get off until much later that night.

  Before he had time to go into full defense mode, however, Eddie bounded through the living room and to the door, confirming that it was, indeed, Genny who had entered. Owen’s lover trudged through the entryway and into the kitchen, but when the SEAL caught sight of her expression, he froze.

  Her usually bright hazel eyes looked haunted. She was stiff, her bag clutched tightly to her and her hands trembling slightly. Immediately, Owen dropped what he was doing to rush over to her. “Genny, are you Ok? What the hell happened?”

  He took her into his arms, and she still didn’t relax against him. She was so cold, ice might have flowed through her veins, and she quivered like they were outside in mid-winter. The SEAL felt his heart drop. “Genny, answer me. Are you alright?”

  “He talked.” The young woman returned faintly – almost inaudibly – against his chest.

  “Who talked?” Owen demanded, his heart racing. Staring up at him, her eyes filled with grief and hatred, Genny replied in a whisper.

  “Jonas Kant. He spoke to me today.”

  It took Owen about twenty minutes to calm her down – enough time for him to thoroughly ponder what the hell Jonas could have told her to unsettle the psychiatrist so completely.

  Genny was used to dealing with difficult cases. Though she hadn’t disclosed any names to him, she told him she dealt with patients who had tried to hurt her, men who couldn’t escape the recurring nightmare of watching their fellow soldiers murdered again and again around them. There was a man who had threatened to end his life in her office and a young woman who did nothing but scream in grief at the death of her brother – who had also been active duty when he’d died.

  And then there was Owen himself, with his night terrors, his horrifying dreams and his full scale outbursts of frustration.

  What could be worse than that?

  Owen made a cup of strong coffee and got Genny to sit down on the sofa as she drank it. As if sensing her distress, Eddie hopped up next to her and lay his head comfortingly on her thigh with a concerned whine.

  Genny sipped at her coffee slowly. She had almost finished it by the time she finally spoke. Owen listened in silence, not daring to interrupt her.

  “It started when he was three. His mother died in childbirth and he has no living grandparents, so his father has taken care of him his entire life. He never paid him any real attention until he was three. That’s when his nanny was dismissed and Jonas was left alone with Daniel.

  He touched him for the firs
t time not long after that. He insisted that it was how he showed Jonas his love, and that if Jonas loved him in return, he would allow it. He was a child. What was he supposed to do? He was forced to grow up like that, with his own father preying on him day after day, year after year.

  He’s a shut in. Homeschooled since kindergarten and hidden from the world. He managed to make it through schooling, but his only friend was his father. As he grew old enough to go out and do things on his own, Kant started having him bring other boys back to their house. They would play doctor…all of them together.

  Daniel’s requests grew wilder as Jonas grew older. Apparently, on several occasions, he had his son dress up like his deceased wife before he molested him. He told ‘her’ how much he loved her and how much he hated Jonas for ‘killing her’. Jonas grew to believe that the only way that he could incur his father’s good will was by constantly pretending to be his mother. So, he did. For more than fifteen years, he dressed almost as a woman constantly and fulfilled a role both mentally and sexually that was far beyond him. And worst of all, Daniel always remembered who he really was when he was finished with him.

  Jonas got the tiniest bit of freedom when Daniel started working at Riperton. Because he was spending so much time at the hospital, he didn’t pay as much attention to his son. Somehow, Jonas got hold of enlistment papers for the army and sent them off. Of course, when he didn’t show up for basic, they came to his house to retrieve him. Daniel let them take him, buying their silence with some of the money borne from his deal with Trace and the pharmaceutical companies.

  For two years, Jonas served. It was the first time in his life he’d been outside Daniel’s tightly controlled cage and though he was awkward, he excelled in hand to hand combat and found the presence of his fellow soldiers comforting. But, when his contract was over, his father froze his bank accounts and forced him to come home.

  Daniel, bored, started spending his funds on lavish parties and paid sex workers. He didn’t need Jonas any more so he started to neglect him. He grew tired of the control he had over the poor boy. He locked him away – gave him old clothes to wear and barely fed him enough to keep him alive. Almost no one knew he even had a son.