He grinned. “Pickles it is. Now let’s get out of here before we get ourselves in trouble and go celebrate with the team.”
She kissed his cheek. “You got it.”
“Kayles, one more thing.” He reached in his wallet and pulled out two business cards. “If this guy shows back up or you feel unsafe around someone in any way while I’m gone, I need you to call this guy.” He handed her the cards.
“Who’s Caden Long?”
“He works for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS. More importantly, he’s here to make sure you are safe. Call him. He’ll open an investigation, check this guy out, and arrange protection of some kind for you. One of us needs to give the other card to Natalie. She’s part of this, too. We’ll keep her out of it as much as possible, but she needs to know there is someone to call and someone who can look out for her from our community.”
Kaylan stared up at him when he grew quiet. She silently willed him to fight against the shield he could so quickly wield to hide his feelings from her. She could see the emotions on his face. He was scared. Terrified. Giving her the card was for the best, but she knew a part of him felt like in doing so he couldn’t take care of her in the way he wanted.
Kaylan rested her hand on his chest and stepped into his embrace, her nearness calming him. “I’ll call him. I’ll be okay.” She smiled and felt his muscles relax. “What have you told me before? The Lord is my protector and defender. He just chose to use you to get the job done.”
“That job is a privilege.”
She giggled and pulled back, needing to lighten the mood. “By the way, you’re going to give Natalie the card,” she teased.
His brows raised, but he remained silent. He placed a feather light kiss on her lips. “C’mon, gorgeous. Let’s go meet up with everyone.” He ushered her to the door and pulled it open for her to walk in front of him. “But if you think we are finished talking about Natalie, you are sadly mistaken.”
She met his eyes as he turned to lock the door. A fire simmered in their depths. “Oh, no, we aren’t. In fact, we’re just getting started.”
Kaylan only grinned at his groan. He’d met his match.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The informant was dead and good riddance, the little rat. While Janus had always found him a valuable asset, she had a strong distaste for traitors. She caught a look at the reflection from the slender window near her bed in the cold cell. My, how the tables had turned.
Whispers had made their way to her in the prison. A bounty had been placed on her head. Sasha was running scared and playing dirty. He didn’t tolerate loose ends. He didn’t tolerate loose anything. She was a liability. She knew his secrets, his hiding places, his buyers, and his deals. She even knew a big one loomed, and now that the Taliban cell had been eliminated and she was in prison, his buyers were terrified and demanding a personal audience for guaranteed safe delivery. Sasha’s presence at a deal meant the highest level of secrecy and security. Multiple bodyguards, all former KGB. All highly trained, deadly, and without morals.
She slammed her fist into the stone wall of her cell and plopped back against the thin mattress. She had to get out of here. Prison had become too dangerous. She would be dead within the week if Jake didn’t make her another deal.
Anya could make him an offer he couldn’t refuse, tell him about the coming deal that would force Sasha into a place where the team could capture or kill him and put an end to his weapons trade. Someone would rise up in his place. Someone always did. But it took time to gain a reputation in her business, one she still maintained with the right people. But sharing the intel would mean a larger bounty and more potential killers on her tail.
A clanging outside her cell sent her jerking upright. Anything would be better than dying like a rat in a cage. She’d rather be a rat on the run. She would call Jake. Set up to meet with another informant who held no love for Sasha, find out the details of the meet, get out of the cell they’d locked her in again.
But this time, she wanted to see Nikolai. And Natalia. She played with the strings on her jumpsuit, tying them in knots before loosening them and tying them again.
After all, children should see their mother on her deathbed. She had ways of making that happen, too. Threatening someone became all too easy when that person loved someone they were afraid to lose. She knew the weakness, she just had to find the scar and make it bleed. She smiled to herself.
She would be out of here again in a matter of days. She only had to stay alive until then.
*
“So then Micah goes to swat the spider off of Titus’s stuff only to swat it onto Jay, who then freaks out and starts running through the bunks shrieking like a crazy man.” Colt had the group rolling at Logan and Kim’s as they swapped stories from the weeks they’d been apart. They squished together in Logan and Kim’s small kitchen, drinks in hand and snacks spread out on the table. It was nearing midnight, but Nick could tell no one was ready to call it a night.
“I think we better let someone else tell the story. And I was not shrieking.”
“Mhm.” Micah took a sip of his root beer. “Pretty much like Molly when she thinks she sees a jelly fish. You stopped short of jumping into Hawk’s arms and begging him to get it off.”
“You ran around the entire room before you got still enough for Colt to get it off of you,” Titus howled, his fingers threaded through Liza’s as she grinned next to him.
“Man, that thing was big. I am deathly afraid of spiders. Isn’t that like the most dangerous one in the world? You guys should really take this more seriously.” He pointed at them before taking a swig of his drink.
Nick chuckled and swung his arm around Kaylan, not wanting to be farther than a few feet from her at all times. “Hey, Jay. Did Colt forget to mention the spider was fake?”
Jay’s face flushed beet red and his gaze darted from face to face. Logan held his stomach, his laughter uncontained.
“Hon, keep your voice down,” Kim snickered next to him. “The kids are asleep.”
“It wasn’t.” Jay shook his head, still looking from one SEAL to another. “No, I saw it move.”
Titus leaned into Liza, tears falling from his face. “That’s because I made sure to jiggle my bag just enough before Micah sent it sailing onto you. We might have put some glue on it so it would stick to your shirt.”
“Et tu, Brute?”
“You got schooled, brah,” Colt howled.
Jay turned his chair backwards and plunked down on the seat. “Payback is going to be brutal.” He scowled.
“It always is with you, but that makes these moments that much sweeter,” Nick said, tousling Jay’s hair.
“I’m so confused. I thought SEALs were supposed to be tough,” Kaylan teased.
“Kayles, I promise you don’t want to get in the middle of this.”
“I grew up with three brothers. I think I can handle it.”
“Oh, babe.” He patted her head. “This would be ten times worse than anything your brothers threw at you. Trust me. Don’t start.”
Kaylan looked from Nick to Micah. “Trust me, Kayles. We were little lambs compared to what these guys dish out.”
“Like what?”
Liza whistled. “Girl, please. Titus still won’t tell me, and I finally stopped asking.”
“Think of the worst pranks you could possibly play and then magnify it by their training and daredevil antics, and you have one gigantic recipe for disaster.” Kim gathered a couple of dishes and plopped them in the sink. “Trust me. Logan isn’t allowed to tell the boys any of these pranks until he is on his death bed.”
Logan winced. “Maybe even then. We’d have to bail them out of jail if they didn’t do some of it right.”
“Well, you are vague with your work and vague with your play. Anything you can share in detail?”
Liza chuckled. “Just wait until you start dishing it back to them. ‘Honey, what did you do while I was deployed?’ ‘Oh, not muc
h. Just worked and hung out. You know, the usual.’” She tapped her hand on Kaylan’s knee. “Drives Titus crazy.” He nodded in affirmation. “Course I can’t do it to him for too long.” Her eyes found his and held. “I love him too much to be mean forever. But it’s fun while it lasts.”
Nick slipped his arm around Kaylan’s neck, causing her to squeal. “Don’t do that. I want details.”
“No promises.” She laughed. “I like Liza’s idea. I might make you work for it.”
Now Nick knew they shouldn’t be alone much until the wedding. A few of the guys whistled as Kaylan turned crimson. “I didn’t mean like that.”
“Sure you didn’t.” Jay let loose a catcall.
“Geez, I’m going to have to cut my ears off. That’s my baby sister. Shut it.”
Nick leaned in and kissed Kaylan, the whistles growing louder before Kim shushed them.
“And now I’m going to gouge my eyes out, too.”
Colt slapped Micah on the shoulder. “Cheer up, brah. We’ve got to find you a girl.”
“So I’ve heard.” Quieter conversations and laughter broke out around the table.
As the clock slipped past midnight, Logan finally cleared his throat. “So when is this memorial for Bates?” Silence entombed the room. Nick heard the drip of the faucet and a car backfire on the street before anyone spoke.
“X talked to the family. They set it for Thursday morning. Those who want to will fly out and fly back in,” Titus informed him, his gaze focused on the flickering candle in the middle of the table.
Nick immediately knew he and Micah would be there. Bates had been a Petty Officer Third Class on SEAL Team 5, Nick and Micah’s team. Nick couldn’t imagine not attending the service, even if it meant a quick turnaround.
“We’ll all be there,” Colt answered for the group. Nick tightened his grip on his water glass, beads of perspiration slicking his palms. When he remembered Bates, he thought of Janus. It was her fault, after all. If she hadn’t instigated this whole crazy op, maybe Bates would still be alive. Maybe Nick’s dad would still be alive. Wherever she went, death followed. Nick’s anger grew, and his hand began to shake. Why did she get to live, while an innocent man like Bates died?
“Babe.” The gentle pressure of Kaylan’s hand on his made him release his hold and reach for her fingers.
“I should have been paying more attention.”
“I saw it go down, Hawk.” Micah’s gaze held a warning to keep the details and his mourning to a minimum. “You couldn’t have done anything differently. It happened. Bates knew what he was getting into.”
“He wouldn’t have changed it, Hawk,” Logan’s booming voice commanded Nick’s attention, his admission. Nick only nodded in response. But inside, he felt Janus had deprived the world of one more good soldier, just like her selfishness years ago had deprived the world of a young airman with eyes the same shade as Nick’s.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A light mist fell in Arlington, Virginia Thursday morning, threatening to turn into snowfall by afternoon. Dressed in his blues and white cover, Nick arrived at the cemetery with the rest of his team. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but he thought it would be quieter than this since Bates’s team was on the West Coast. But as a small-town kid from Virginia, Bates had had folks show up en masse.
Nick couldn’t take his eyes from the flag-covered coffin, the red, white, and blue draping a soldier in glory. Nick hadn’t wanted this. He never did. But he’d buried friends before and would again. It’s what they did. Around the tent that had been erected stood older men and women in varying degrees of uniform. Some only wore hats that dated back to Vietnam. Some wore uniforms from the time of the Gulf War. But each stood solemnly, a flag in hand, in honor of a soldier who didn’t make it home.
A lump formed in Nick’s throat as he felt their pride ripple off them in waves. A young girl no more than twelve or thirteen sat next to a sniffling woman on the front row. Bates’s sister. Nick recognized her from the photo he’d seen Bates carry. He’d left her behind. Nick stared at the photo of the young kid, ready to change the world. He hadn’t believed in waiting until he was older. He’d believed he could make a difference now.
Men from Bates’s BUD/S class and those he’d been close to on the team began to fold the flag, a memento now for his family. A symbol of freedom at the cost of sacrifice. Nick could think of no greater gift to give a loved one in the loss of their hero. He prayed Kaylan never had to experience it, but deep down he knew it might one day be a reality.
Bates’s mother received the flag, steeling her bottom lip to thank the men. She made eye contact with each one. Bates had been raised by a fighter.
As X stood to say a few words, all heads turned toward him. “I’ve done this too many times. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t quite suffice. I’ve never been a man of many words. I’ve always thought I’d let my actions do the talking for me. It’s one reason I joined the Teams. I could hate on politics or the events in the Middle East or the direction our country seems to be going, or I can do something about it.
“We say SEALs are a special breed of warrior, born of adversity. After we come through those fires, we’ve been refined into something stronger. And Bates, well, he believed in what he was doing. I want to read you something we found in his bag. Apparently Bates was a man of words and action.” He reached into his pocket, his white gloves fumbling to unfold a single sheet of notebook paper with a dirty streak on the back side. He cleared his throat to read.
“I’m back in the desert and back to being hazed. But I don’t mind so much. I’m here. I’m here where things are happening. I’m here where I can make a difference. I’m here. And I don’t care how much razzing I have to endure. There’s nothing I can imagine that would be better than being a SEAL or guarding my country with these men by my side. I never have to worry with them at my back.”
Nick’s arm throbbed from his injury as he listened to Bates’s words. He hadn’t had his back, but Bates had Nick’s. To the end. And even then.
“I fight for something good knowing I go to something better if I die in this place. But if I die, it will be next to men I love for a country I love. I earned the title of SEAL, but in truth I wake up and earn it every day. Every day that role, that title makes me a better man, a better brother, a better soldier. One way or the other, even if this ends in death one day, I win. Becoming that man and protecting this country are worth fighting for. If death calls my name, I will be brave. I die a United States Navy SEAL. Some things are worth dying for.”
X’s voice never wavered, but Nick read the emotion that threatened to overtake him if he let it. “Your son, your brother, your friend,” he addressed the crowd, “died a hero. He did not die in vain. He will not be forgotten. His example will keep us going and we will continue what he started.” He nodded at the crowd and then approached Bates’s family and knelt in front of his mother and sister.
Nick rose with Micah and his teammates for their final act. One by one, they filed past the mahogany coffin. With each man who stepped up, a dull thud sounded in his wake as he pounded a gold Trident into the lid. Man after man went before him until it was Nick’s turn. He punched his pin through the wood and let his fist drop with all the anger and pain and grief he held. And he left it there. He leaned forward and touched his forehead to the shiny wood. “Thank you,” he whispered. Without another look, he stood tall and fixed his eyes on the backs of his brothers in uniform who had gone before.
*
Nick never could visit Arlington without visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He watched the changing of the guard, nodding at a few who stopped to thank him for his service. He appreciated their acknowledgment, but he would do what he did without it.
The white marble sarcophagus reminded him of his mortality. This whole place did, but lately he didn’t need any more reminders. From dust he was made, and to dust he would return. Life was fleeting. While many lived for their names to be remem
bered, he lived much like the soldier buried in this tomb. He cared more about doing something worth remembering. He cared about making a difference. For years now, people had stopped by this tomb, watching the guards diligently and meticulously maintaining their post. No one could tell you the man’s deeds, how he died, or his name. But they could tell you how he lived. Sacrificially. That’s what Nick wanted. To be selfless.
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” X stopped next to him, startling Nick from his reverie.
“Makes you wonder what?”
“If it’s worth it.”
Nick shook his head. “It doesn’t make me wonder that.”
X chuckled. “Good. For a second, I thought you were getting all melancholy on me. But I guess a bit of that is allowed after a day like this. Leaving soon?”
Nick looked at his watch. “I’ve got a couple hours.”
“Walk with me.” X nodded to the sidewalk winding past rows of neatly placed tombstones. American flags waved in front of each on a well-manicured lot. Nick thought it might be one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen.
“Our friends in Langley made a deal with Janus to get more info.”
Nick fought the urge to react. He clasped his hands behind his back, squeezing so tight his knuckles ached. “Are they stupid?”
“Just politicians.”
Nick chuckled. “So why are you telling me?”
“You were part of the deal.”
This time he couldn’t help it. He stopped walking. “Me? And you’re okay with this?”
“I’m okay with getting this Kahuna fellow behind bars, and I think you can handle this witch.”
Nick nodded and resumed their walk. Snow began to fall, tickling Nick’s neck where it drifted down his collar. “What does she want?”
“I think just to talk. Probably to try some psycho mumbo jumbo. Most likely just to say she can. The point is, if you can handle it, it may get us everything we need to finish this . . .” X came to a stop and fixed his beady eyes on Nick. “. . . once and for all.”
Surrendered (Heart of a Warrior Series Book 3) Page 15