Holy Jesus, God in heaven. He held himself up on his hands and knees, and closed his eyes to let only the touch of her lips and her tongue circling his head, rampage through his body. She was a quick learner and she had him suspended in a place he’d rarely been. It was a hypnotic passion. Slow. Sensual. One that made his chest expand and his innards tremble with every suck. She’d covered her hand in her own moisture, then squeezed his sac as she worked him down her throat with deep thrusts.
He swung around and wrapped his hands around her thighs, opening up her sweetness to him. Licking her tenderly drove her crazy. She squirmed and mewled under him, giving her the same rhythmic kisses and licks she bestowed on him. His body was hard as a rock, his desire spinning down to the final seconds. He wanted her to come with him and sucked her nub deep into his mouth, flicking at the tender tip. His orgasm made him yell out as he tried to pull from her mouth, but she was coming at the same time and sucked him even harder, throwing his body into convulsive jerks.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and rolled to his side, then lay flat on his back breathing heavily. With sweet little kisses she worked her way up his legs, skimmed his knees and eventually hovered above him, her wet hair raining down with a curtain of little drops falling around their faces.
He palmed her cheeks and kissed her lips. “My lady, I think it’s time for a nap.”
She laughed at him. “Nap, huh?” She scooped their clothes into one arm and gave him a wicked little smile. “What’s the matter, old man? Getting a little slow in your old age?”
“What?” he growled. He lunged upward and she took off running in all her exquisite naked beauty through the trail. He’d let her get to the house, but he’d corral her there and take charge of the rest of their day, and it was going to be spent in bed.
Halfway up the stairs, his cell rang. “Can you answer it, Lumin, my hands are full,” he said, carrying her to the second floor. He was only a few surefooted steps away from paradise.
“Hello?” She paused, and then pointed to the ground hurriedly when they reached the second story. “Yes, Admiral. One moment, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bale, are you close to your computer?” Ghost asked.
“No, sir. Standby.” He ran down the stairs, Lumin close behind him. “Go ahead.”
An incoming CDC brief appeared on the screen. He and Lumin both rose with a jerk, finishing the synopsis at the same time.
An isolated town in the southern region of New Mexico reported an outbreak of what appears to be the Bubonic Plague this morning. Four residents of the town are reported dead. The town has been quarantined as the CDC investigates.
“This is a test,” Tony said into the phone.
“I believe so, Petty Officer Bale,” Ghost replied. “Nina, Kayla, and the children were put on a military aircraft an hour ago, bound for Canada.”
“I’d do the same thing. What are my orders, sir?”
“Bring her in.”
“What? Why?”
“Because we need her to lure the men who were tracking her.”
His guts squeezed tight with protectiveness. “With all due respect, sir, no!”
“If they are testing already, we are out of time. They will launch this on the United States of America if we don’t bring them down now. I have the President’s order sitting on my desk. We have been tasked to find them. This mission is now in the hands of JSOC, Joint Special Operations Command.”
“Sir, you refused to use Kayla to lure the Shark. You expect me to put Lumin on the end of a pole to go fishing? I’m not doing it, sir.”
The line went deadly silent. He was so God damned court-martialed; he just wondered how many years he’d get or, worse yet, if he’d have to find a new job as a civilian.
Instead of blasting out of the stratosphere, Ghost said, “Tinman, I understand why you want to protect her, but this is different. The Shark was one man against all of us. This is an airborne weapon that could potentially kill millions. Lumin is our only link.”
Tony clenched his eyes closed. His SEAL mind understood the logistics, but he never expected his heart to outweigh that nor rebel against his duty to his country. “Sir—I can’t.”
“What can’t you do?” Lumin asked.
Tony shook his head. “I can’t, Admiral, don’t ask me. There has to be another way. Maybe a decoy. A Marine from the base who looks like Lumin. I’ll come back, but I’m leaving Lumin here.”
Ghost paused, considering his request. “If it doesn’t work, we lose them. They’ll know we’re tracking them. They’ll scatter, and our only hope to find our target will be gone.”
“What do you expect Lumin to do? Let them take her?”
“Yes.”
“No, sir.”
“I’ll do it,” Lumin said, backing away.
“No, you won’t. You’ll end up dead. I guarantee it.”
“They’ve already released it once. Where will they release it next time? Can you imagine how many people will die, Tony? If I’m your only chance to find them, I have to try.”
“Bring her, Tinman. Bring her now.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, disconnecting the call. “Get dressed. I’m going to put you on a plane bound for Canada. I’ll say you slipped away.”
Lumin shook her head slowly. “No, Tony.”
He ran a shaking hand through his hair. “This is not an act, Lumin. No second chances. Life and death, and more than likely death. I will not let you do this. You have zero defenses against them. They want you dead because of what you know.”
Lumin backed away from him. “As a SEAL, you’d die to protect your country. I don’t have to be a SEAL to do the same.”
He swallowed heavily as she turned and strode across the vast great room toward the stairs. The scenarios his mind had conjured of his beautiful light waiting for him after a deployment extinguished. A heavy weight hung in his chest as he watched her exquisite body ascend the stairs. He’d just begun to know her. They needed more time, much more time—like maybe growing old together.
* * * *
Lumin tried to lighten the stifling tension in the car as Tony drove them back to San Diego. Miles passed without his severe expression lifting. Once they’d rolled to a stop, arriving at the base, she tried to leave the car, and he gripped her arm.
Tony took a deep breath and turned to her. “I’m not like my father. I know that.” Her heart melted seeing the truth in his eyes. “I watched the guys on the squad fall in love with their wives. They told me when you meet your forever girl, you’ll know.” His rugged jaw flexed with tension and his gaze riveted itself to her, making her heart hammer in her chest. His forehead pinched together. “You shared something with me, trusted me, and I’m honored.” His gaze snapped to their hands as he brushed hers with his thumb. A small smile lifted the edges of his mouth. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that. Girls get a little nervous if a guy throws his heart down too early,” he continued, rephrasing what she’d said to him up at the ranch. “I care about you. I don’t want you to do this. Tell me now and I’ll drive straight out of here.”
She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. “I’m scared. Really scared, but there’s no backing out. I trust you Tony. I know we haven’t had enough time, and Star would say I’m crazy, but I don’t need months to figure out you’re a good man.”
He drew her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. “I don’t want to lose you, Lumin.”
She clung to him, loving the way he nearly squeezed the life from her. Their noses brushed.
Tony possessed her mouth and her heart. His fingers twined in her hair and deepened the kiss, his tongue playing with hers. She’d trusted him with her innocence, now she had to trust him with her life.
He palmed her cheeks and gazed into her eyes. “You’re my lady, and I won’t let them hurt you.”
She nodded quickly and swiped a tear away. They walked arm in arm toward the Base Commander’s office. Part of her felt like a sh
eep being led to slaughter, but she knew Tony wouldn’t abandon her.
Chapter Six
A text popped up on Tony’s phone. He reviewed it quickly and altered course, steering her toward the water.
“Where are we going?” Lumin asked.
Tony kept scanning his surroundings as if there was a concern. Within a few minutes they arrived at a building with a coded lock on the front door.
“It’s our Loadout room.”
“What’s that?”
“We keep our gear in here. Before a mission, this is where we come to gather our equipment.”
Tony’s team stood in a loose arc surrounding Admiral Austen and Captain Cobbs. When they entered, all eyes turned. Ghost nodded and he gave Tony a sage look.
“Reporting, sir,” Tony said through clenched teeth. Mace had his arms tightly crossed and he didn’t look happy. She shifted uncomfortably, and Tony’s arm tightened around her shoulder. “Whatever the plan is, I’m not leaving Lumin’s side. Court-martial me if you want. Throw me out of the SEALs. I don’t give a shit.” Tony glared at the Admiral.
“I understand, Tinman,” the Admiral stated patiently. “We won’t be far away, but she has to leave the base and our protection. They are watching.”
“Are we watching them?” Tony shot back.
“Yes,” Ghost said slowly. “There are two teams of two men.”
“They want her dead, Admiral. They’ll kill her, then head for cover.”
Admiral Austen set his attention on her. “Lumin—”
“No,” Tony said, stepping in front of her. “Listen to me. We can accomplish the same thing without risking her life if we use a Marine from the base. If they catch on and run, we’ll be behind them. That’s what we want.”
Captain Cobbs took a slow pace to stand ahead of the Admiral. “Petty Officer Bale, the percentage is high that they won’t kill her, but take her with them instead. If that happens we trail them and find the nest. It’s a risk she has to take. Ghost has received more intel from JSOC. They’ve known for a year of the potential threat, but couldn’t locate the cell. He convinced them to allow Alpha squad to become the primary team, DEVGRU, Develop Group that which used to be called SEAL Team Six from Virginia, is being tasked as well to work this mission. It is now on us to stop a national disaster. This is the largest threat U.S. citizens have faced in years, if not ever. Time is running out. Ghost just received the first report from CDC on the Plague. It killed all the residents of that New Mexico town in twelve hours.”
“I thought there were only four dead,” Tony said.
“The last one passed away an hour ago. The symptoms of the plague are the same, but far more aggressive with a zero survival rate. The terrorists have attached the genes of a bacteria to a virus. It makes it far deadlier. This hybrid carries both Ebola and the Bubonic Plague. Lumin, the doctor told you he had engineered it to mutate every thirty-six hours.” Ghost held a folder and offered it to Tony.
She swallowed heavily and lowered her eyes when Tony flipped it open. A picture of a little girl, her eyes gazing upward in death, made Lumin’s stomach churn. The lymph nodes in the girl’s neck and near her arm pits had exploded. Blood seeped from her mouth and nostrils. Lumin looked away, her stomach rolling with nausea, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.
“We have one thing in our favor. Although the plague has been screwed with, it has been beaten before. There is a vaccination against the initial bacteria. CDC is working with what they found in New Mexico. The danger is the speed at which this thing will mutate. No scientist can work that fast to find an antiserum. Millions will still die,” Ghost said. “Antibiotics will not stop this strain.”
A tear rolled down her cheek and she began to nod. “What do I have to do, Admiral?”
Ghost nodded at Caleb, their corpsman. “Stitch is going to give you the first of two inoculations. In case they inject you with the virus, this may slow it down.”
“You better have one of those for me.” Watching Caleb withdraw an injection and swabs, Tony’s lips seamed into a tight line.
Ghost took a deep breath. “Petty Officer Bale, I need you with the team.”
Tony started to shake his head slowly. As Stitch reached out to swab her arm, he clamped a hand on the corpsman’s wrist to intercept.
“Tinman, this is for her protection,” Stitch said sternly.
“She doesn’t need protection because I won’t allow her to go.” Tony turned to face the Admiral and Captain Cobbs.
Before he could say another word, the Admiral stepped up to him. “Petty Officer Bale, I am putting you as lead on this mission. Fox?” he barked.
“Sir,” Master Chief Mason Briggs answered.
“Master Chief, you and Petty Officer Bale will lead the squad. Your new lieutenant has not arrived yet.”
“Who is it, sir?” Mace took a position beside Tony.
“You’ve heard his name before.” The Admiral glanced at Cobbs, who arched a brow but remained silent. “Lieutenant Abraham Lewis.”
“Whoa!” The guys took a step back in unison.
“Get the fuck out,” Nathan said, showing his shock with an F-bomb which he rarely used.
“Who is he?” Lumin asked from the corner of her mouth.
Tony blew out a breath. “Just the biggest egomaniac in Virginia. He’s got a rep of never listening to his men. SEALs work as a team. That’s how we stay alive. Eight brains all thinking at once. Lewis is known for deciding unilaterally and getting guys killed.”
“Wasn’t my decision, men,” Ghost explained. “Give him some time.”
“Time to get us killed,” Caleb said with a sour look on his face. “Why the hell are we getting saddled with the son of a bitch?”
“Because you had a vacancy.”
“And Virginia wanted to get him the hell outta there,” Ditz said, winding a cable around his hand, his boy-next-door features looking ill at ease.
Within a few seconds all eyes fell on Ed Saxton. Tony had told her he’d come from the East Coast. Ed eyed all of them in turn. With a slow southern drawl, he said, “Yup, he’s a dick. I switched from Team Two because of him. None too pleased to hear this, Admiral.”
“If there are issues, there is a chain of command. Use it, but I’m hoping you men can change the way he does business.”
The guys grumbled discontent, but nodded.
“Lumin, this is dangerous. I wouldn’t ask you if there was another way,” the Admiral said.
“I want her to join Kayla and Nina,” Tony demanded, pulling her a step back with him.
Lumin forked her fingers through Tony’s, and he clutched them tightly. “Tony, there isn’t a choice. Go ahead, Caleb.”
Tony glared at Stitch as he swabbed her arm and his brow furrowed when she winced as the injection broke her skin.
“Why did you send Kayla and Nina to Canada?” Tony asked.
“He didn’t,” came a woman’s voice from behind them.
“Kayla, what the fuck are you doing here?” the Admiral boomed.
She blinked and calmly threw a look at Nina who stood beside her, hands on her hips. “The children are safe, Admiral,” Kayla said. She and Nina advanced. “Get that god damn scowl off your face. I have a job to do, and so does Nina. We’re part of this team.”
“Is Adam—?”
“Safe at my parent’s place. They’ve already arrived,” Nina said.
Lumin grinned, seeing the shock on the Admiral and Mace’s expressions.
“Gonna fire me?” Kayla said, eyes snapping a challenge at the Admiral.
“Should have done that a year ago,” he growled back.
She put a hand on Lumin’s shoulder. “You’re going to be fine. This is the best SEAL squad in the country. We’re going to track you and think three steps ahead of the bad guys and end this.”
Lumin snuck a look at the Admiral, and he wore about the scariest expression she’d ever seen on a man. He could crumble buildings with that look. Kayla ignored him
. Seeing the maps tacked on the wall, Kayla wandered over to them and the team followed. Nina stepped up beside her.
“Lot of area?” Nina gazed at the map.
“If they didn’t want to attract attention, and Lumin says it was in the middle of nowhere, what does that mean?” Kayla asked Nina as if testing her.
Nina gazed at the map. “Underground,” she said, her eyes darting back to her mentor.
“That’s what I think too.” Both women turned. “This is where the New Mexico town was hit. It’s called Ramah, population three hundred and eighty-five.”
“Population is zero, now,” Nina said churlishly.
“It sits between two Indian reservations and nothing but desert around it. If the lab is in Nevada, there is a reason they used this isolated town.”
“They’re located in eastern Nevada,” the Admiral said.
“I believe so. If you look at a map of Nevada, and I just finished staring at one for an hour, it’s the most likely scenario.”
“Why not Arizona or Utah?” Mace asked.
“A buffer,” Nina surmised. “If you’re guilty of murdering someone, you don’t stand beside the body. It’s human nature to put distance between you and your target or your guilt. I checked the population data. For the most part, Arizona and Utah’s smallest towns are still higher in population than New Mexico.”
“Or they could have two labs,” Fox suggested.
“True. That would not be good, but it would make sense. If one is found, the other could still deploy the virus,” Kayla added.
The Admiral stepped up to the map. “If there are two labs we need another squad besides DEVGRU. Who do we bring in, Petty Officer Bale?”
“Recon specialists,” Tony answered immediately.
“What are they?” Lumin asked.
“They do the same as Kayla, except they’re out in the field. They explore enemy territory ahead of the main operation to supply as much information as they can.”
“Where would you put them?” Lumin asked. “There’s a lot of ground to cover.”
“Fox?” Tony leaned into Lumin. “He’s the best tracker on both coasts.”
Code Name: Luminous Page 8