by Elle Boon
“I’ve never met him. What’s his name?” Jase’s eyes went back to the porch, searching for Jack and Brooke.
“I’ll send over the file I have on him. He had a wife and daughter, but they were killed in a boating accident. Alright, I gotta go, my girls are calling me.” Rowan made a clicking sound with his teeth that had Jase frowning.
“Got it. If you get anymore chatter, you gonna call on the big red phone?” Kai asked.
“For your info, asshole, your cells aren’t secured the way this line is. The chatter I was talking about…was heard through a cell phone.” Rowan hung up, leaving them in stunned silence.
“Well shit, that’s scary,” Oz stated with a frown as he looked at his smartphone.
“Let’s get you into the system so you have access to the different systems.” Kai began punching in keys.
“You trust me enough to do that?” Jase sat down.
Oz snorted. “You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t, dick.” The big guy walked out glaring at his phone followed by Sully.
“He’s gonna be stressing out over the fact someone might hear him talking on the phone now.” Kai sighed. “Somedays, it’s like wrangling a herd of cats.”
Chapter Eleven
Jase raised a brow but didn’t tell Kai he knew exactly what he meant. At one time Jase was in Kai’s shoes, being the team leader and herding all their asses.
“Do you miss it?” Kai’s question startled him.
“What? Being part of the team?” Jase blew out a breath. “At first, when I was arrested, I was sure I’d be freed and all would be set to rights. I kept waiting for you guys to show up and show me you supported me. Then, as the months went by after I landed in Fort Leavenworth, I was too busy staying alive to worry about anything except…well, staying alive. Being known as a traitor and getting an entire team killed didn’t garner me any friends, except ones I sure as shit didn’t want. I spent my days and nights working out and planning my next step. I read when I was allowed to, worked out every other minute of the day. Rinse and repeat.” He lifted his shirt. “This came on day one hundred and two. It was the first time I killed a man behind bars.” Jase covered the scar with his shirt once again.
“I’m not gonna apologize. It would seem hollow, and you don’t want to hear that. We were shown the same evidence that they delivered to the jury. Why didn’t you deny the charges?” Kai turned the chair to face him.
Jase put his elbows on the table in front of him. “I did. I swore up and down I didn’t do it. Then, I received a video of you guys. My team sitting in the barracks. The video changed to the barracks being blown up and bodies that resembled you and the others being identified. Your names scrolling across the bottom. The message was clear. I take the fall or you all died. This wasn’t some small-time thing. Whoever killed one team was willing to kill another, and they had access to the prison I was sitting in, waiting for trial. Do you understand what that meant?” He met Kai’s dark gaze.
“This was an inside job?” Kai said, anger flashing over his face.
He nodded. “For six months, I fought to stay alive, knowing I was going to live the rest of my life as the fall guy, and that was okay as long as you guys lived. Then one day, I had a visitor. He asked if I wanted to blow this place but not actually blow it. I shook my head and thought this dude was crazy. He asked again and told me to think real hard. If I said yes, he’d have me out of there that night. I’d just gotten out of the hole for killing my sixth man. All in self-defense but that doesn’t matter. I killed six men, Kai. I was done. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to continue living. So I nodded, and told this stranger, yeah, I wanted out. I figured even if I died trying, at least the agony of the daily shit I had to do would be over.” He exhaled and looked over at his ex-teammate to gauge his response to what he’d said.
“Go on,” Kai said without inflection.
“After dinner, my favorite time of the night. Not. I was heading back to my cell when one of the guards pulled me to the side. Immediately, my body went on the defense. I hadn’t killed one of the workers there, but hell, there was a first time for everything. He held his hands up and nodded his head toward the side door. There, behind the glass was the stranger. I had nothing in my cell I wanted to grab, so I thought fuck it. I opened the door and followed that man. Erik made good on his promise as he led me out of USDB. Don’t ask me how, but I literally walked out and didn’t look back. From there, we’ve been tracking the real traitor.”
“And covering our asses on occasion,” Kai stated.
Jase shrugged.
“I’ve figured it out. All the times we thought you were killing or the one we were searching for, you were one step ahead of us, taking out a target, right?”
Again, he shrugged. He wasn’t admitting any crimes. “I just happened to be in a few of the same countries as you. I might have fallen on a few guys who might have had weapons aimed at some guys I knew.”
A sob from the door had him jerking his head toward the entrance. Brooke stood next to Coyle, with Oz off to the side. Sully stood back with his arms crossed, silently gauging everyone.
“You…you almost…you could’ve been killed and I’d have…we’d never have known. Don’t,” Brooke backed away.
Jase stood up. “Brooke, listen to me.”
Coyle put his hand on Jase’s chest as he got to the door. “I heard you. I don’t know what to say, except thank you. You made a decision that cost you. Life has taught me many things, but what I just learned is brothers of the heart shouldn’t be cut out without a good ass kicking. Had we come and talked to you, I guarantee there’s no way you could’ve lied to our faces. We fucked up and allowed you to go through this shit alone. We should’ve stuck by you. We’re a team and as such should’ve stuck together. We’re tough bastards as one, but as a unit, we’re unstoppable.”
“Hooyah,” Oz said.
The men he’d considered his friends, his brothers, all yelled the same sentiment. One by one, they moved forward and hugged him. The heartfelt apology lifted another weight off his chest. He’d thought they’d always think he’d been guilty, even if he claimed not to be.
“Just so you know, we ain’t gonna like, make out and shit,” Oz joked.
Kai shoved the big man in the chest then laughed. “Shut the fuck up, dickhead. So, what’s your plan?”
Seeing his team turn to him like old times—as if he were the one in charge, had Jase taking a deep breath then letting it out. “I need to talk to Brooke first. I’ll be back.”
Tay moved aside, clearly knowing nothing would get done until all was right with his woman. He knew the evidence stacked against him was a lot, and his friends were men of honor. It would’ve been hard for them not to have believed what was staring them in the face. With one last look at their faces, he headed toward the back deck, instincts telling him that was where Brooke went. Of course, it didn’t hurt having Alexa standing near the patio door with Jack in her arms, a worried frown creasing her brow.
“Jack and I are going to go build us a compound, and then I’m going to show him how Godzilla destroys it.” Alexa tickled his son’s stomach, making him giggle.
“Alexa said that Godzilla might be a girl.” His son laughed so hard his little body bent over backward almost falling out of the other woman’s arms.
Jase leaped forward, fearing his son would fall onto the hardwood floors. However, Alexa had complete control, scooping Jack back up and nuzzling her nose into his neck, blowing a loud raspberry. “Hey, you doubting my theory, bugger boo?”
As he passed them, Jase couldn’t stop the urge to kiss Jack on the forehead, any more than he could contain the swell of love when he listened to his two year old tell Alexa he wasn’t a bugger boo. God, he loved that little boy more than anything, save the boy’s mother.
Outside, the air was cool with the promise of rain. He found Brooke sitting with her legs curled up to her chest on a lounger, looking like she’d lost her best friend. Jase hated to see the pain and anguis
h, caused by him on her too young features. She was almost ten years younger than him, but in her soul, she’d always seemed older, more mature. Maybe he’d seen what he’d wanted, but he’d be damned if he could let her go. He’d tried three years ago. The loss of her ate at him every hour of every day that he wasn’t consumed by a mission. Yes, he continued to live; he had to as a SEAL. Nobody could accuse him of not doing his job and doing it well those six months after he’d left her on her back patio, but if he’d not been fucked up in the head, maybe, just maybe, he’d have recognized the signs of a set up.
Jase shook his head, knowing there was no sense in playing the ‘what if’ game. You couldn’t change the past or predict the future. Sighing loudly, he strode to where she sat. “You look cold,” he said, eyeing the way she ran her arms up and down her arms.
Brooke looked up at him. “Just thinking. It’s nice out here.” She turned her head back toward the forest.
If he’d been a gentleman, he’d have left her alone, given her space. For three years, she’d had that, or at least, she’d had space from him. Jase was done having a divide between them. Lifting his leg, he gave her a gentle nudge, moving her forward so that he could shift behind her on the lounge. Once he was settled, he pulled until she was reclining against him. Her back to his front. His arms wrapped around her middle. She sat stiffly for all of ten seconds, then he felt the moment she let herself accept his comfort.
“I’m scared,” she whispered almost too low for him to hear.
Rubbing his cheek against the side of her head, he breathed in her floral shampoo. “I know you are, and that’s good. If you weren’t I’d be worried. This isn’t an everyday thing a woman like you should have to experience. Hell, this isn’t something most people deal with. The sad thing is, in our world today, it’s becoming more common. With all the terrorists getting bolder and people from our own country getting greedy or just plain stupid or wanting to join a cause they think or have been brainwashed into believing is right, we have more than just a handful to worry about.”
Brooke shifted so her head lay on his shoulder; her eyes met his. “You think my dad was one of those?”
Jase didn’t want to lie to her. Instead he let her see the truth in his expression. Again, all the evidence pointed straight back to the admiral.
“I can’t wrap my head around that, Jase. He always took his hat off when we walked in a building. Always stood for the National Anthem. I mean, if you were to ask me who was the most patriotic person I knew, I’d have said my father. When a flag was at half mast, he’d bow his head and say a prayer as if he could feel the loss of whoever had…lost their life. He…” she stopped on a sob. “My dad may have manipulated our relationship. No, he screwed you, me, and Jack out of the first two years of our son’s life together, and that was wrong. But, and this is huge, I can’t believe he would intentionally kill or have people killed.”
He brushed away the tears that flowed from her eyes. His words wouldn’t change how she felt. They both knew the evidence and where it pointed. Jase had a deep seated hate for the man, yet he also had, at one time, a deep respect.
*****
Brooke turned back to face the towering trees, knowing nothing Jase or she said would change the mounting facts. Her father had sent Jase away. Even after he’d known she was pregnant with Jack, he didn’t tell her anything about what was going on. A steely resolve settled in her heart. She’d take Jase back to her family home and help him go through her father’s office. Many times, she’d used his computer and had access, even to his desk since the admiral had never thought she’d be a threat to National Security. “When do we head back?” she asked after a few minutes.
Jase’s arms tightened. “First thing in the morning. We’ll get a good night’s rest then head out. I’d like to leave Jack here with the team. Before you object, think about it. He’s in a home with not one, but two safe rooms surrounded by an elite Navy SEAL group, trained for this. I trust them with our son’s life, Brooke. It’s why I called them.”
She bit her lip, hating the thought of being so far away from her baby for even a moment, let alone an entire day. However, the image of him going on the trip with them, of what kind of danger he could be in had her nodding. “You’re right. I hate it, but I agree.”
“He’ll be safe and probably be spoiled rotten by the time we come back. Heck, he’ll learn all kinds of things within hours that most kids three times his age do,” Jase soothed.
A laugh bubbled out of her. “Oh yeah, like what?”
Her son was smart as a whip and caught onto things quickly, but he wasn’t some super child or anything like that. Many children his age could read, which she wasn’t pushing Jack to do. If he learned as they read, she’d be happy. She went back to Jase’s comment. “What do you think those crazy SEAL friends of yours will teach him?”
“Well, lets see,” he paused. “Alexa is telling him that Godzilla is probably female. Which is totally not true. Everybody knows that big bastard is a dude.” He grunted as Brooke’s elbow nudged his stomach then continued. “Tay will probably teach him how to play a video game, only it’ll be a war game. Kai, oh, he’s the one to watch. I imagine he’ll have Jack out in the woods in camo learning how to walk all silent like.”
She smiled, opening her mouth to ask about the rest of the team, but her stomach decided to rumble.
“Come on, I think it’s time I feed you. I bet Jack’s hungry too.”
Jase kissed her on the cheek, meeting her eyes. “Brooke, above all else, know I’d never allow anyone or anything to hurt you or our son. I’ve done a lot of questionable things in my quest to find the traitor amongst us. All that would be child’s play, if one of you were threatened. I wasn’t team leader for nothing. I wasn’t chosen as the scapegoat for nothing. Whoever was or is the traitor, because I believe your father wasn’t working alone, knew if I was blamed, the government would stop looking.” He stood with her in his arms, letting her slide down his body before he continued. “Their ploy worked. For three years, I’ve been hunted, only I turned the tables and became the hunter as well thanks to a little help. Now, let’s put a pin in all this for the next couple hours.”
Brooke could see Jase wanted to ease her worries. His true need to make her feel safe and happy had always been one of the things that had turned her on. “You’re sexy when you get all alphaish on me.”
He stared down at her. A promise written in his eyes. “I’ll show you just how alpha I will be.”
The slide of a door opening behind them had Jase tensing.
“Hey you two, dinner is ready. Unless you are gonna stay out here and do that moony eyed thing all night, I suggest you get in here asap,” Coyle barked.
“I’m gonna beat the shit out of him.” Jase rested his forehead on hers.
She rubbed her head back and forth on him, the action soothing the slight ache forming behind her temples. “No you won’t.”
Jase grunted, which she somehow found endearing. “Let’s go eat and find Jack.”
The name of her son, flowing out of Jase’s mouth with such possession, made her heart melt. God, this man had the power to hurt her and Jack more than anyone else in the entire world.
She froze at the thought of what it would cost her if she lost him again. What it would do to her and their son. “Lead the way.” She tried to take a step back, but his arms contracted.
His jaw tightened. “In life, we live, love, lose, miss, hurt, trust, and also make mistakes. I’ve done all that, but most of all, I’ve learned from all of those things. I won’t ever do anything that will cost me you and Jack. If you believe nothing else, believe that.”
Brooke saw the conviction and total honesty written on his face. If Jase had any say in the matter, she had no doubt he’d have been there for Jack and her. “I trust in you. You, Jase.”
Air whooshed out of his lungs. “That’s the best damn thing I’ve ever heard. Come on, or I’ll be damned if I don’t take you back to that l
ounge and claim you body and soul. Damn, woman. I…you don’t know it, but right there, with those words.” He took a deep inhale before continuing. “My entire life I’ve lived and breathed. I existed but didn’t feel truly alive until I saw that little boy. Now you’ve just given me even more, something that’s been missing I didn’t even realize. True love. I’ve cared about women, don’t get me wrong, but they didn’t have a place in my heart. I thought I would never have that elusive thing written about in books and shit. In all honesty, I thought it was a myth. You’re my very own fantasy come to life.”
She smiled. “So, what you’re saying is I’m your unicorn?”
Jase pulled her flush to his body. “I think I’m the one with something horny on his body.”
“Whoa, did I come at a bad time?” Jaqui asked from the doorway, Jack perched on her hip. “This little guy wanted to see his mommy. We’ll just wait for you inside. Want to go play with the building log things?” Jaqui asked Jack, her voice fading as they walked back inside.
Moving away from Jase took effort, especially with his strong arms and harder body so close to hers. “We’re coming.”
“No we’re not. At least not yet,” Jase muttered with a smile.
She buried her face against his chest. “You are so bad.” A small inhale had her filling her lungs with his scent. In all the years they’d been separated, she’d never forgotten how he’d smelled. Clean, masculine, and a hint of citrus.
His fingers laced with hers, keeping their connection as they entered the cabin, the tangy aroma of something spicy filling the air. “Wow, something smells wonderful.”
“Oz has probably whipped up something delicious.”
As they entered she saw the big red haired giant of a man wearing an apron with a ball cap turned around backward. He should’ve looked silly, but none of these men could be described as anything but masculine. And handsome. Lord have mercy they were most definitely that and so much more. She wondered how they blended into the different places when they were on missions.