“Good to have you back,” Owen said when eying Luke in the front passenger seat, alongside Liam, who was behind the wheel. “How’s Eva feeling? Are you going to have one of those gender-reveal-party things to share the sex of the baby?”
“How do you even know about those?” Asher laughed, elbowing him in the ribs once the door was closed.
Luke shifted to face the three of them, wearing a smirk. “She wants to be surprised and wait until the baby is here, but—”
“But you want to have everything planned ahead of time.” Owen smiled, knowing his hard-ass boss wouldn’t be able to handle the not-knowing.
“It’ll be a boy, though. It has to be.” Luke closed his eyes for a moment, and Owen knew exactly what he was thinking. A daughter would be dangerous—for any boyfriend who dated her, at least.
“Girl,” Liam sputtered from behind the wheel with a chuckle.
“Anyway.” Luke pivoted back to face the front window. “How was your time in the sun?”
Mexico had been better than he’d expected. Sam was a hell of a woman. Maybe Asher was right, and he didn’t usually make the time to see people again, because he hated keeping up the lie of who he was, but this felt different. He’d felt a connection with her he didn’t remember ever experiencing, and that had to mean something.
“It was good,” Owen finally said when he felt the soft touch of Jess’s fingers on his tense forearm.
“You okay?” she asked in a near-whisper as if she didn’t want the rest of the crew to know she had a sensitive side—a side he wondered if only he knew about. She was all hard angles with almost everyone, even sometimes with Luke. Although, ever since Luke had “found love,” as Jess liked to call it, she’d softened a touch toward her brother.
But Owen also knew Jess had concerns that love might make Luke weak. That’s what she’d confided to Owen, at least.
Walls all around her, and he knew a thing or two about walls. Most of his team did, too.
“I’m good.” Owen added a nod when it looked like she didn’t believe him.
“Sorry again about cutting your trip short.” She removed her fingers from his arm. “Knox is rendezvousing at the meet.”
“Echo’s not being brought in?” Asher asked.
“Half of them are on a job for the company, and Handlin only requested a five-man team.”
He was surprised they were all meeting with Handlin. The secretary of defense never met with anyone other than Luke or Jess. He preferred to maintain his distance from the team to prevent any suspicious eyebrows from catching everyone together.
“Well, he’s actually getting five guys and a chick.” Asher rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, and it had Owen flipping his eyes to the ceiling, wishing he could remove himself from the center of their hate-slash-want-to-screw sandwich.
“‘Chick’?” Jess bit out. “I had hoped Mexico would’ve gotten rid of some of your testosterone. Guess I was wrong.”
Clearly, the vacation had done nothing to break the tension between them.
Asher edged even more forward as the SUV moved into the flow of traffic. “You love how I am, Peaches.” He kissed the air and winked.
She mumbled something beneath her breath and averted her blues out the tinted side window.
“You two.” Luke shook his head.
“Any clue what this job is about?” Owen asked.
“Only that Handlin red-flagged this meeting as critical, and he needed our asses in D.C. ASAP,” Luke said, and a couple of minutes later, he pointed to a two-story brick building not far from the State Department. “We’re here. Handlin said to park around back.”
“A law office?” Owen asked.
“It’s a front for an off-the-books meeting site,” Jess explained as she reached for the door handle.
Once outside, Owen started to walk to the building, spotting Knox waiting near the side door.
Luke motioned for the team to go in, but he turned to face Owen, stopping him in his tracks. “Can we talk?”
Owen’s hands disappeared into his pockets when Luke’s gaze dropped to the asphalt. “Uh, sure. What’s up?”
“Are you sure you’re good to go on an op right now? With Jason’s—”
“It’s exactly what I need. And I don’t need a reminder of what today is. Believe me, I know.”
“You’re sure?” Luke found his eyes again. “I need you at the top of your game, so you don’t get hurt.”
“Have I ever let you down?”
Luke’s mouth tightened before he gave a curt nod and headed for the building.
Owen swept his hands to his face and dragged his palms down to collect himself before following after the team.
Once inside, Knox met up with him in the hall and bumped a fist into Owen’s shoulder. “How was México?” he asked, adding a Spanish accent to his tone. “Lots of fine women there.” He flashed his classic broad smile.
“It was”—he let his words hang in the air for a moment while he’d thought about what Sam had said to him on the dance floor two nights back—“unexpected.”
“You want to tell me what that means?”
“I’ll let you fill in the blanks.” Owen grinned, his thoughts circling back to Sam. Had a woman ever gotten into his head like this?
The team filtered into a room, and Jess motioned for them to take a seat at a long oval conference table. The room looked to be a place where boring business meetings were held—not a place for highly secretive government briefings.
He dropped into a seat as if gravity were sucking him down with more force than normal today.
“We’re all clear,” Liam announced once he finished sweeping the room for bugs.
When Secretary Handlin stalked into the room with his glossy polished shoes and expensive suit, Owen’s gaze snapped up, and any lingering thoughts in his mind vaporized.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“Of course.” Luke remained standing off to the side of the table that took up most of the space.
Handlin’s eyes narrowed when his gaze fell upon Owen. “I thought I requested Echo Team.” He lifted a brow and looked over at Luke.
“Yeah, but I have two guys from Echo on another job for our private security company right now. I couldn’t pull them in time to meet you today,” Luke explained. “So, you got your five-man team here.”
Owen was pretty sure everyone in the room was wondering the same damn thing: why not Bravo?
“I can’t have York on this mission. I didn’t want to be so blunt over the phone, but that’s the truth.” Handlin coughed into a closed fist a few times and scanned the room, as if expecting a reaction from the team, but they all remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
Jess looked over at Owen, worry crossing her face before she redirected her eyes to the secretary of defense.
Luke’s jaw tightened for a moment before he finally spoke, cutting the palpable tension in the room. “We’re a team. If you want me, you get all of us. No exceptions.”
Handlin circled the table as if the movement would help him collect his thoughts. Owen caught a whiff of rubbing alcohol from him, or the kind of antibiotic soap surgeons use in the OR.
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Handlin gestured toward the door. “Luke. Jessica. Outside, please.” And he left the room without another word.
“What the hell was that all about?” Knox stretched back, his gaze narrowing on Owen.
“I’m about to go find out.” Luke left the room, and Jess gave an apologetic glance Owen’s way and followed him out.
“Why the hell wouldn’t he want me on an op?”
“I can only think of one reason.” Asher’s facial muscles went taut as he gave Owen a quick nod as if to say we’ve got your back.
“Luke and Jess will handle it,” Liam said a beat later. “Don’t worry, mate.” His Aussie accent swept through his words, and he tapped a closed fist against the table a couple of times.
Maybe he was grasping at straws, but if it were true, there was no way he could sit on the sidelines.
He tipped his head back as he waited for what felt like hours for them to return, even though it was a matter of minutes.
“Welcome back,” Asher said with a mock of sarcasm in his tone once Luke, Handlin, and Jess returned.
Jess took the empty seat next to Owen and Luke assumed his previous stance of leaning against the wall with crossed arms. A dark look of worry clouded Luke’s blue eyes.
“Let’s get started.” Handlin eyed Owen one last time before announcing, “I’m going to cut straight to the point. Two Navy SEALs have been taken.”
Handlin’s words had Owen’s spine straightening and the hairs on his arms pricking to attention.
Dropped curses from his teammates filled the room.
“Hank Shaw retired ten years ago, and Aaron Robins, who is still active duty, was on leave.”
The name Shaw didn’t spark recognition, but Robins—he’d been at Jason’s funeral. He’d given his condolences while holding his baby tucked in the crook of his arm with his wife alongside him.
Your brother was a good man. An honorable man. I’m sorry for your loss, Robins had said.
“Robins has a daughter,” Owen rushed out. “She’d be eleven now. Is she okay? Is his wife okay?”
A SEAL wouldn’t cave under pressure, but if their loved ones were on the line . . . Luke had never wanted any of them to have a family while active duty to prevent something like this from happening. Then he went and fell in love and blew that idea to pieces.
“Shaw’s wife is at a safe house, as well as Robins’s wife and daughter,” Handlin said, and thank God for something.
“What the hell happened, sir? I’m assuming these were targeted hits?” Asher’s palms flattened onto the table, a grim twist to his lips.
“Shaw was on a fishing trip in Montana, and Robins was on his way home from the VA outside Dam Neck. When Shaw didn’t check in with his wife, she got nervous, and troopers went to his rental cabin, and they found signs of a fight.” Handlin cleared his throat. “Robins’s car was found abandoned off the side of the road, and there was blood in the driver’s seat.”
“You thinking he was shot?” Owen asked, his stomach tucking in at the thought.
“Probably resisted,” Asher commented. “That’s what any one of us would’ve done.”
“Must have been outnumbered,” Liam said.
“Shaw and Robins were Tier One operatives,” Handlin said, catching everyone off guard.
The government had never officially admitted a “Team Six” even existed, despite the press and Hollywood hoopla about the covert group. But if two Tier One operatives were truly now in the hands of someone, especially a terrorist, Owen couldn’t begin to imagine the blowback that’d result in.
“There’s more I have to tell you.” He paused. “As of zero eight hundred hours yesterday, we learned Roger Canton’s also missing. Based on our calculations, we think all three men were taken simultaneously, we just didn’t know about it at the time. A well-coordinated hit.”
“And who’s Canton?” Asher asked.
“A former CIA officer,” Jess whispered, and her eyes fell to the table.
“You know him?” Asher’s gaze winged straight to her.
She softly nodded but kept her eyes lowered. “He was one of my teachers at the Farm. Sort of a mentor.”
The room grew silent, as if giving Jess a moment to process—to grieve what could be a possible loss if they didn’t find him before it was too late.
Owen’s hands became white-knuckled on the table before him, and he finally broke the quiet and asked, “And what does Canton have to do with Shaw and Robins? What’s the connection?” He paused. “Because I’m assuming there has to be a connection, right?”
Handlin’s gaze journeyed the room, eying the team. “Canton worked an op with Shaw and Robins.” He held up his index finger. “Only one time. One mission ten years ago.” He coughed into his fist a few times and cleared his throat. “Only a handful of people alive today are even privy to that op, so it wasn’t until I heard of all three abductions did I put two and two together.”
Ten years. The number was like a blow to the side of his skull, and Owen’s mind raced with thoughts about his brother again.
“As you know, NCIS handles cases with military personnel, but given the nature of this situation, the FBI is also getting involved. But, under orders by the president, we’re not able to share intel from the op ten years ago with any federal agent. It’s above their security clearance.”
“And the personnel connected to that op, where are they now? Are they being watched in case someone comes for them?” Luke asked, possibly recommending a bait-and-trap play.
“The names linked to the op in question have been alerted. Most of those men already have security detail given their line of work, but we’ve amped it up—without drawing too much attention.”
“They’re okay with using themselves as bait?” Knox asked, surprise in his tone.
“Washington can’t up and fall apart over this—over something that may or may not have to do with that op. The wheels of the nation need to keep running, and these are powerful men we’re talking about. They don’t want to go into hiding.”
Handlin referred to the brass being safe, but what about the men who’d worn the uniform? “And the other SEALs from that op? Are they being protected?”
Handlin’s eyes became pinned to Owen’s, and he said in a steady tone, “No other SEAL from that particular operation is alive.”
His words were like a right hook to the jaw leading to a KO—a knockout, and a flurry of ideas crossed through his mind.
Jason? Brad? Was this the connection? Was this the op that took them out?
But no, they weren’t DEVGRU. It wasn’t possible.
“President Rydell doesn’t want to create a crisis or draw international attention from the media about this. We can’t let people think it’s okay to abduct three of our men. Or have journalists digging into the connection between the three men, either . . .” His voice trailed off as he began hacking into his closed hand again.
“We’ve got to get our men back.” Asher’s fist met the table, and Owen could feel the angry vibrations beneath his palms.
Jess grabbed a bottle of Evian from her work bag and brought it over to Handlin. “You okay, sir?”
Handlin nodded while gulping down some of the water.
“Sir, why were there only four operatives working with Canton? Since when do we send in a four-man team?” Owen’s mind whirled, his heart still pumping blood up and into his ears.
Handlin lowered the bottle to the table. “It was only meant to be a recon and surveillance op, and we needed to keep a low profile.” He filled his chest with air and released it like a balloon losing helium.
“Guessing the op didn’t go as planned.” Asher shook his head.
“I can’t tell you more right now, I’m afraid,” Handlin said.
“Why not?” Luke stepped closer to the table.
“I need to get the final go-ahead from the president. He still has concerns about sharing the operational file with anyone without knowing for sure if the abductions relate to that mission.”
Luke’s jaw tightened at the news. “We don’t have time to sit on this.”
Handlin patted the air with both hands as if to say calm down. “And we have every agent scouring the country for them, believe me.”
“Hard to do without setting off the media alarm bells,” Knox grumbled. He knew a thing or two about the media having grown up in the political spotlight of his father.
“They’re doing their best,” Handlin said.
Knox stood, his palms landing on the table. “Their best is not our best. We need to get started.”
“I’ll give you an answer b
y tomorrow. We’re waiting for one more piece of information to determine if you get the greenlight.” Handlin swung his gaze over to his shoulder and gave a quick nod to Luke. “Okay?”
“You wouldn’t have called us here if you didn’t already think you needed us,” Asher said, joining Knox on his feet. And hell, everyone was standing now. How could they sit given what they’d learned?
“Why are you against me working this case?” Owen couldn’t help but ask, and his question had Handlin looking over at him.
Handlin took another sip of water as if buying himself time, and then he said, “Your brother was on the operation with Shaw and Robins—the op that took his life.”
Owen braced the table, so he didn’t fall. “No.” He shook his head, his brows darting together.
“Jason was DEVGRU,” Luke said.
His words had Owen’s attention floating back to Luke as if time stood still for a beat.
Had Luke always known the truth? Or had Handlin just informed him in the hall before the meeting?
The way Luke’s gaze dropped to the floor had Owen’s heart rate kicking up even higher.
His stomach squeezed.
Luke had known . . . After all these years, how could he not tell him Jason had been DEVGRU?
“Don’t blame him,” Handlin said. “Luke was under direct orders not to tell you about who Jason worked for. And no, he wasn’t privy to the details about the op that took your brother’s life.”
Owen pulled at the skin of his throat, trying to maintain his composure, so he didn’t lose a shot at being part of the mission.
Handlin’s leathery skin tightened around his eyes. “I can’t tell you more right now. I’m sorry.”
“Then what can you tell me?” He cleared his throat. “Tell us, I mean.”
“I need you to understand this case can’t be about finding justice for your brother.” He paused and his nostrils flared.
Justice? Justice meant Jason’s killer was still alive . . .
“This cryptic bullshit we constantly deal with is starting to get on my damn nerves.” Asher eyed the Reflecting Pool, the light of the full moon casting a glow onto the water.
“Considering we do Command’s bidding, you’d think we could get a little more honesty out of them.” Owen looked over at the Washington Monument, American flags skirting the perimeter, and a harsh reminder of the loss of his brother resurfaced in his mind.
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