“No, I haven’t even finished this yet,” she said. “It tastes amazing, by the way. I love chili.”
“Yeah, I asked your mom what you liked,” Grayson said, his lips quirking.
“You did not!”
“Yep,” he said with a chuckle. “I knew you must like lasagna from what you tried to order back in the cafeteria. I’m hopeless at making that though. Fortunately, when your mom listed chili as one of your favorites, I knew we were good.”
“How long did you talk to her?” Hailey asked, smiling at him. It probably should freak her out that he’d talked to her mom, but she’d spent hours talking to Grayson herself on the phone. He was charming and polite, always asking about her day, and he had funny stories to share with her about some of the things he and his teammates did. She’d never know everything of course—most of it was highly classified. She had a clearance but it was lower than his, and she didn’t need to know anything about his specific work.
“Not long, just a few minutes. I was planning to head out to the store soon when she called the second time, so I figured I could assure her you were okay and ask what you’d eat for dinner.”
“The chili is amazing,” she said. “I just don’t have a huge appetite with being sick and all.” She looked down at her phone, frowning as she heard Grayson in the kitchen getting his second bowl of food. She had a text message from another unknown number.
Don’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, catching the expression on her face as he came back in. Hailey showed him her cell phone, and he took it from her, staring down at the screen. “Don’t say anything about what?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I had that other weird text earlier that said ‘be careful.’ This is from a different number though. Am I supposed to think two different people had the wrong number and happened to text me weird messages on the same day?”
“It could be the same person. Maybe they’re spoofing different numbers so you can’t see who the messages are really from,” he said.
“Maybe, but why? I don’t even know what it means.”
He frowned, handing her phone back to her. “You met with people at the Pentagon this week, right? Told them your version of what happened in the explosion?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t really know anything. Nothing more than any of the other women housed there at least. I had to give a statement since I was injured and in the hospital. And I met with someone else in HR to close out my assignment. I never checked out when I left since I was medevac’d out of the country. It’s not like anything unusual happened when I was at the Pentagon though that would lead to the texts.”
“Huh.” He looked deep in thought for a moment, and Hailey simply looked at him, waiting for him to say whatever he was thinking.
“You think the texts are somehow related to the explosion?” she finally asked.
“You worked in the general’s office in Bagram. Do you remember when we spoke in Germany?”
“Yeah, sort of. I was a little out of it.”
He nodded. “I know. You were recovering. But they’ll probably be interviewing you soon because of the people you work with.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, crinkling her brow in confusion.
“Someone got on base and set off an explosive. You know how tight security is, how hard it should’ve been to pull something like that off.”
She nodded uncertainly. “So…you’re saying someone on base was probably involved. I mean, otherwise it would’ve been nearly impossible to do. Someone working there did it?”
He pressed his lips together.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked at him. “Look, I realize you know significantly more about this than me,” she said. “Your clearance is higher because of your job as a SEAL. I assume they’ll be interviewing everyone who was stationed there though. But like I said before, I saw people come and go in my office all the time. I helped schedule meetings and disseminated reports that I had clearance to view, but…. I primarily worked with a small group of people. Guys like you come in—other SEAL teams and such, but I don’t really have any involvement with that sort of thing.”
He looked at her intently for a moment, his hazel eyes serious. Her gaze trailed over his face, down to his beard, eventually landing on his clenched hands. It looked like he was trying to restrain himself from saying something. “Someone in the general’s office was feeding information to the enemy,” he said in a low voice.
“Like a traitor?”
He nodded. “I told you to be careful in Germany. That was just a hunch then, something my team and I were worried about. The investigation is active now. I’m telling you this because you need to let them know about the text messages you got. You just went into the Pentagon for your briefing a few days ago, you moved across the country—a lot is going on. But it can’t be a coincidence the messages suddenly started. You worked there, the office is being investigated, and now someone is threatening you.”
“By saying to be careful?”
“The second text is a warning—don’t say anything. You told me yourself that a lot of people came through there. Even if you really don’t know anything, someone thinks you do.”
“This is crazy,” she said, looking at him in disbelief.
“Maybe you know more than you realize.”
Her phone buzzed again on the kitchen table, and Grayson snatched it before she could read the newest text.
“Fuck,” he muttered. He clenched her phone tightly as her heart began to pound.
“Grayson? What does it say?”
He stared at her phone a moment as if deciding whether or not to show her, and then he finally held it up for her to see.
I know where you are.
“Here?” she asked, her palms beginning to sweat. They knew she was in California or knew she was in Grayson’s apartment? Either way, it was creepy as hell.
Icy cold dread snaked down her spine.
“I’ll speak with my commander. My SEAL team was there on a mission that was thwarted. Then there was the suicide bombing and explosion. It has to be someone on the inside. A traitor. And that burns me up enough as it is, because innocent people were hurt and killed as a result of those incidents. But now someone is sending you threatening texts? Harassing you? Hell no. This fucking ends right now.”
“Jesus. It’s just—I really don’t know anything,” she told him, her eyes watering. “I didn’t even know someone from base was potentially involved in all this.”
“Hell, sweetheart,” he said, crossing over to her. He knelt down beside her chair and collected her in his arms as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why don’t you go shower and change like you wanted. You’re safe here with me. I’ll call my commander and the other guys to give them a quick update.”
She looked at him and shakily nodded.
“Are you done eating?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s get you settled. I already put your suitcase back in my bedroom. I’ll grab you some clean towels and you can take as much time as you need while I make a few calls.”
“Okay,” she said, looking right at him. Grayson’s eyes were filled with concern, but she could tell he was angry as well. He was covering it with the way he was gentle around her, but beneath that he seemed tense, his muscles taut. He was ready to spring into action, and here she was sitting at the table crying.
“We’ll figure this out,” he assured her. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. It kills me that you’re tied up in this somehow, even more than your getting injured back in Bagram, but I’ll keep you safe. I swear that I’ll protect you, Hailey.”
“This is crazy. Should I call the police or something?”
He clenched his jaw. “Let me talk to my teammates and CO first. You can stay here with me until we figure out who’s behind this. It’s not safe for you to be alone in a hotel room. I can protect you, and I will.”
“But what about my apartment?”
“We’ll figure it out. We’ll get you moved in so your things aren’t sitting around in storage, but you can stay here with me until its safe. We should probably just check you out of the hotel since you won’t be going back there this week.”
Standing up, he reached out and took her hand, helping her to her feet.
“Did you get all my stuff from there earlier?”
“Yep. I know you felt like hell, but I put everything in your suitcase, remember?”
“Okay. I’ll call them later on and see if I can just check out over the phone so I don’t need to go back.”
“I’ll send one of my teammates down there if necessary. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you here alone, otherwise I’d go do it myself.”
They paused there a moment in his kitchen, Hailey looking up at Grayson. He towered above her, much like he had in the cafeteria back in Bagram, but that felt like that had happened years ago. Nothing about this entire situation made any sense, and it felt like with every day that passed, some new problem was springing up. First there were her injuries, then moving out here a week early, getting sick, and now the weird texts.
Sighing, Hailey let Grayson guide her down the hallway, wondering how her life had changed so drastically over the past few weeks. At the moment, she just felt sick and lost. Exhausted.
Grayson rested his hand on the small of her back, and she took a deep breath. “We’ll figure this out, Hailey,” he reassured her, his voice deep.
“Okay,” she whispered.
He guided her toward his bedroom, and oddly enough, having Grayson at her side made it all seem like it would eventually work out.
Chapter 12
Grayson clenched his jaw as he paced his living room, on the phone with his teammate. His blood was boiling as he recounted the story of everything that had happened earlier, ending with the latest text Hailey had gotten.
“That’s fucked up,” Troy muttered. “Who the hell would be sending her threatening texts? Did you tell Raptor yet?”
“Negative. He and Clarissa were going camping this weekend,” Grayson said in a low voice. “I didn’t want to bug him unless it was an emergency since we just got back last night. I know how he was looking forward to seeing her. This changes things though.”
“Shit. We should probably notify the commander.”
“Yep. I’ll give him a call. My gut is telling me this is related to everything that went down in Bagram. I don’t like that Hailey is somehow involved in this. She’s already been through hell. But with the investigation continuing, things might only escalate from here.”
“How’s she feeling?” Troy asked.
“She’s sick with the flu or something but seems to be recovering from her injuries just fine. She’s got a scar on her forehead, and I know her ribs have to still hurt. She’s a trooper though—not complaining or anything.”
“I can’t believe she flew out here a week early.”
“Yeah. I guess to train with the person who’s leaving. It makes sense, but I hate that they even asked her since she’s still recovering. She should’ve had another week at home to rest, not to move here early and head into her office each day.”
“Yep. Maybe they didn’t know,” Troy said.
Grayson muttered a curse. “The whole damn reason she’s back stateside early is because of the bombing. There’s no way in hell they didn’t hear about that.”
“You’re right. Some idiot just wasn’t thinking. Is she staying with you all week?”
“Until we figure out what’s happening, absolutely. I already thought she’d be here a few days since she was sick, but damn. I can’t leave her alone when some asshole is threatening her. She doesn’t even have a car yet. She was in her hotel room where anyone could get to her.”
“You sounded worried enough earlier on base, but the threatening texts add an entire new layer of problems to this.”
“Exactly. It’s not safe for her to be in a hotel if she’s being harassed and someone claims to know where she is. One text could’ve been a wrong number, especially since it just said to be careful. But three of them? No way. Someone knows who she is, possibly where she is, and seems to think she knows something about the bombing.”
“We should meet tomorrow with the team,” Troy said. “Go over what we know and how to keep her safe until this blows over.”
“Yeah, thanks man. I know we’re all supposed to be off for the next few days, but this isn’t sitting well with me. Oh, I hear Hailey coming,” he said, glancing up. The hallway was empty, but she might’ve gone back to the bedroom to grab something.
“I’ll call the rest of the guys. Raptor, too, because he’ll want to be updated. Let us know what time you want to meet, and we’ll be there.”
“I appreciate it,” Grayson said with a frown. “I hope Raptor isn’t pissed.”
“He’d want Hailey to be safe,” Troy said. “You’re doing the right thing, Ghost. We’ll figure out what’s going on, hopefully find whoever was leaking intel, and then you and Hailey can live happily ever after.”
Grayson smirked. “It feels right having her here at my place.”
“Another one bites the dust,” Troy joked. “Hell, I’ve got sisters. I know how this shit works. She’ll move in with you and never leave. In another year or two, they’ll be some mini Ghosts running around.”
“Do you hear me complaining?” Grayson asked with a chuckle. “I like having her here. Hey, sweetheart,” he said as Hailey came padding back down the hallway barefoot at that exact moment. His cock instantly hardened as he looked at her, and he tried to get his mind out of the gutter.
She was injured and sick, not coming to drag him off to bed and let him kiss every inch of her body.
“Catch you later,” Troy said.
“Yeah man. Bye.”
Grayson looked back at Hailey and smiled. Her auburn hair was damp, hanging around her shoulders. She’d put on a clean sweatshirt that he’d loaned her, and his chest swelled with pride at seeing her in his clothes again. At knowing she’d be sleeping in his bed tonight. Maybe he wouldn’t be with her intimately—yet. But he had no problem with waiting. He wanted to date her and get to know her more before they finally made love. Whether that took weeks or months didn’t matter—he already knew he’d wait however long she wanted.
The fact that she’d be in his bed though left him harder than steel. A deep satisfaction rolled through him. His woman was here. Safe. And he’d do everything in his power to protect her and keep it that way.
Hailey had used some sort of floral shampoo, and the scent was sexy as hell as she got closer to him. She’d put on some soft-looking shorts, and seeing her bare legs was sending his mind wandering to all sorts of places it shouldn’t.
It might’ve been a little early to get ready for bed, but he knew she was sick and exhausted. Hell, he was still a little wiped out himself from just getting back from his op. Still, he needed to get back on California time since he’d be back on base in a few days. Staying up late with Hailey wouldn’t be any sort of hardship.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked, looking down at her.
“Only if you like chick flicks,” she teased.
Grayson’s lips quirked. “Hell, with you here in my apartment, I’ll watch whatever you want.”
She sank into the sofa, relaxing. “You don’t have any tea, do you?”
His smile faded. “No, I should’ve grabbed some when I was buying groceries earlier. Soup, tea—that would’ve made sense because you’re sick. I’ll go out and get some.”
“Grayson, no,” she said, grabbing his forearm before he could go. “I’m fine.”
He looked down at her, her hand still resting on his bare arm. Her skin was soft and smooth, gentle against him. Her hand looked so small and feminine against his muscular arm, his chest ached. She was so much smaller and more fragile than him, it appealed to all his base instincts. He certainly had preferred
petite women in the past, but Hailey here sent all his protective instincts roaring to life.
He wanted her. Not that anything was about to happen, but his body immediately responded to her touch.
“I want you to be comfortable here,” he said. “I can run out and pick up a few more things. I’ll have one of the guys come by to wait with you so you’re not here alone.”
She took her hand away, and he instantly regretted the loss of her touch.
“I am comfortable,” she assured him. “We can just get some tea next time we go out, or I’ll grab some if I run any errands. I don’t have a car….”
“I’ll drive you if you need to go anywhere.”
“Well, you’ll be at work in a few days. I can take a cab. I’m planning to buy a car soon anyway. I sold my other one before my year in Bagram. It seemed silly to store it and then have it moved across the country.”
“I can go car shopping with you sometime if you want. Are you comfortable to test drive one with your injured ribs?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not yet. I want to wait another week or two. I’ll just take a cab or use public transportation.”
“Hell no. I’ll drive you,” he countered. “And before we pick a movie, I wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with T-Rex. Troy,” he quickly added.
“T-Rex?” she asked, her lips quirking.
“Every guy on the team has a nickname,” he said with a chuckle. “Blake is Raptor, because he can move in on the enemy totally unnoticed. He’s legendary at getting in to places sight unseen. And Troy’s nickname T-Rex came about because of Raptor. He can be a scary son of a bitch—only to those who deserve it though.”
“So what’s your nickname?” she asked.
“Ghost,” he said.
“Let me guess—because of your haunting good looks,” she teased.
Grayson chuckled, moving closer to her on the sofa. “Something like that. Nah, I just was always good at moving around places unnoticed,” he said modestly. “We’re all trained to blend in to our surroundings, to be aware and alert. I can move through areas without being detected—grab whatever we need, get out, and nobody even knows I was there.”
SEAL's Embrace (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 2) Page 12