Once a SEAL (19 page)

She shivered.
Oh, God, please…

Looking up, she could see there were dark clouds overhead and the wind was picking up. She said a silent prayer, hoping her husband was safe. Then she went inside to escape the cold air blowing in from the ocean and locked the door securely behind her.

Dan and JC took turns dozing. For years they had performed this type of task together, and Dan knew keeping himself hyper-vigilant was one of the ways that kept him from giving into the cold. His core temperature was low after spending all day undercover so close to the frigid water. Sure, he’d chugged a couple of thumb-sized energy drinks and downed about ten power bars, but he was still fucking cold and cramped.

He wondered how things were going with Aria. He missed her.

Hammer signaled that it was time to leave as full dark blanketed the area. The moon was just beginning to show a sliver of light, but there was still a ton of cover. Hammer and Dirks left the safety of their cover first. Dan and JC hiked around the lake to their side, keeping to the shadows and the bank. When they reached the edge of the foliage, they silently left the reeds and greenery behind and followed their brethren, acting as rear guard.

A smile formed on Dan’s lips as Hammer detoured them through the hot spring and then up the mountain. Pretty nice to be moving, warming the body up…even for a short time!

The terrain was rough as they worked their way up to the rocky plateau. When they were at the top, Hammer triggered the explosives. The building fell in on itself, killing everyone inside, and they watched until they knew everyone was gone in the fiery wreckage. If the enemy did an investigation, it should all lead back to a traitor in their midst.

That’s for you, Sandra, and all the innocents these bastards have crushed!
Dan felt the emotion rock his gut.

The Team disappeared over the ridge and made its way down into another valley and up the other side. Dan’s memory for terrain images was eidetic. He never forgot a layout once he saw it, and actually enjoyed being teased about being Bravo’s human compass, especially when he remembered a pass between two large mountains that was only a half mile to their right.

Dan led them in the direction they needed to go. It would have been impossible to traverse some of the mountains—the sheer cliffs were dead ends that couldn’t be handled without the proper gear. Regardless, he was glad they traveled light, having left their larger packs behind in the truck.

They were making better time taking the straightforward path, and it would have been a bitch to heft everything through this area, especially for the last part of the escape he had in mind.

“I’d rather go caving than bouldering,” said JC at one point as he sliced his calf on a sharp outcropping. The cut wasn’t too bad, but if they didn’t do anything, the blood might leave a trail behind.

Hammer had threatened to use duct tape, but luckily for JC, he didn’t have any on him. It was in his kit. It was too funny, watching him gesture that info.

Dan gave Hammer a wry look, then split JC’s pants wide and sprayed his injured leg with nonscented hand sanitizer before holding the skin together and slapping superglue on the cut. It worked! The handy items were smaller than a penlight. His amazing wife had given him both of these treasures, pointing out that they’d fit snugly in his pocket, where she’d tucked them. Damned if they hadn’t come in handy! He’d have to thank her…personally.

Catching a few stray sounds, they got moving again. They couldn’t stop for long, as lingering would only provide a target for the enemy, so they scrambled down a hillside and up a different side of the mountain. It would take them longer to go this way, but it was a cleaner escape, in Dan’s opinion.

The stress and exhaustion was starting to hit him. Dan knew he had about eight hours, tops, before he needed to catch at least twenty minutes of catnap and get a serious meal. He’d eaten all of his stash and had even grabbed food from JC, but he could tell the rest of the Team was tiring, too. Luckily, he had a plan that should be a minimal risk and take very little energy to get them to safety.

Avoiding villages and the occasional cluster of houses, they made their way to a cliff overlooking the Sea of Japan. The view was stunning. The smell of the salt air was welcome…like coming home.

The four men took cover under the trees and reviewed the plan. Farther down from them was a rather busy town, even for 0400. Chances were this was the best spot they could pick, and given the footprints, they’d have to go soon or risk being discovered.

“Really? Did you really have to pick a cliff this high? See that spot, the one over there? It’s shorter and leads down to the ocean. You know…walking.” Dirks spat out his comments. He was pissed off; he was not a fan of heights but always managed to deal with them. There was nothing they could do to change the plan at this point. They either leaped into the water or risked getting captured. “I’m not objecting to the whole plan…just how we get into the water.”

Hammer gave Dirks a frustrated look. “By the time we hike over there and climb down the cliff, it will be full daylight and the window will be closed. Sorry, my friend. Suck it up!”

“Damn.” Dirks frowned and then rolled his shoulders and shrugged.

Dan studied the scene below the cliff, finding the landmarks and catching the rhythm of the water. This was the deepest water and the safest jumping point. With the tide going out and the currents pulling south, if they were smart about it, they could catch a ride all the way down to a safe zone. They could practically float their way there, too.

Dan wondered,
How
many
people
have
escaped
this
country
using
this
spot?
Standing on his toes, he looked down even farther without losing his balance.
How
many
have
been
impaled
and
died
on
the
rocks
below?
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Hammer was looking at the sky and checking his watch. “Come on, let’s move. Sun’s going to be up in a few hours—we’ve got to hit it if we’re going.”

“Agreed,” said Dan. Giving his most serious face to JC, he said, “JC, do you want to hold my hand?”

“Ew, I might get cooties!” His swim buddy laughed softly and then checked the area one more time. “All clear. Dan, it’s your idea, so you’re first up.”

Dan nodded. “Remember. Jump to your left—the waves will pull you straight out into the sea without you getting stuck on a rock.” Then Dan took a breath and ran as far and fast as his legs would carry him until he was pumping the air and falling down, down, down, into the ocean below.

Aria’s house seemed to have a revolving door. The minute it closed, another person opened it and came through. They didn’t even bother knocking anymore. It was a strange sensation to know that people felt that comfortable with her and Jimmy.

Exhausted after a day with Judy’s boys, Aria left Jimmy playing video games with a bunch of Dan’s SEAL buddies. She was hoping she could catch a little shut-eye. But sleep was a long time coming. She dozed for maybe an hour, caught up in a string of frustrations and nightmares. She didn’t know what to expect in the fallout with Mark, because she hadn’t talked to him and because everyone was taking the possibility of an incident with him so seriously. Her worry factor was through the roof, and what she really needed was for everyone to go home and give her some space.

After rolling over for the fourth time in five minutes, she gave up, threw back the covers, and left the bedroom. Flipping on the hall light and another one in the kitchen, she felt better.

Night had enveloped their small neighborhood. The sounds of children playing had been replaced with those of dogs barking to come in for the night and ships sounding their horns as they came into the bay. The air was salty and fresh, beginning to turn crisp, and the wind picked up.

She checked the lock on the patio door then laid her forehead against the window, longing for Dan to be home as she stared outside into the darkness beyond her fence. Her nerves were drawn so tightly, she could practically feel them twanging inside of her. She shivered. Her fingers grasped tightly together at the thought of someone out there watching her and Jimmy.

Harvey came up behind and placed a hand on her back.

She jumped a mile and spun on him. “Oh, hi! Sorry.” She wrapped her arms around the front of her body and hugged herself.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Concern wrinkled Harvey’s forehead and eyes, a strange look for someone that usually seemed so carefree. “Is there something outside? Do you want me to check?”

“N-n-no. I’m fine.” She did, but couldn’t tell him yes. How could she admit to being afraid of a bogeyman, when it was Mark who had betrayed her trust. It was confusing and disconcerting at the same time.

“It’s pretty stuffy in here. Let’s get a little air, okay?”

“Sure.”

Harvey unlocked the door and stepped out on the patio. He grabbed the sides of the fences and peeked over them and then walked the perimeter of her patio and backyard again.

She wanted to scream,
No! Come back! There might be someone out there…
But Harvey was a Navy SEAL. She didn’t think he was scared of the unknown…not the way she was. She shivered. Something felt off tonight. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe she was too wound-up. Paranoia was making her crazed with worry.

Her eyes followed him as he circled the back and then stood at the back fence. He stared out for a long time. When he came in, he shrugged. “Nothing out there that I can see.”

Going back into the kitchen, he took out two beers, opened them, and handled one to her. “Here.”

She shook her head. She didn’t want anything clouding her brain, at least until Dan was home and the whole Mark issue was settled. Her phone buzzed again. She gazed at it, unwilling to answer it herself…knowing whose buzzer pattern that was.

“Do you want me to get that?” asked Miller, who was watching the video game that Jimmy and Hayes were playing. “No sweat off my back.”

“No. Let it ring.” She walked over to the couch. “If it’s Dan, the phone dances a different rhythm and plays ‘Does Your Mother Know’ by ABBA. We love that song. It makes us laugh.”

“Aw, man, I can’t wait to tease him about that.” said Hayes, who blew up a zombie. “Does he do the Johnny English dance to it? Man, just thinking about it makes me split a gut.”

“Uh, I don’t think we’ve seen that movie, but we’ll check it out.” Aria felt distracted, and though the guys meant well, she was on sensory overload. She checked the clock. “Jimmy, five more minutes. You played for eight hours today, two of which were on that gaming console with Judy and Duckie’s boys, and it’s almost time to get ready for bed.”

“Twenty more minutes. Please, Aria, I can play less tomorrow.” Jimmy’s voice whined higher, but she didn’t care. She’d give anything to keep seeing that smile on his face and the peacefulness in his eyes. Besides, she could be a soft touch…upon occasion.

“Five. That’s final.”

“Yes!” squealed Jimmy as he blasted a door and shot into the horde of ghouls. “Got ’em. Got ’em. Got them all! I am the conqueror!”

“Pup pile,” said Hayes as he dropped the controller and turned to Jimmy and started tickling him. Harvey joined in until tears were running down Jimmy’s face and he had squirmed away.

“I laughed so hard, I’m going to pee,” he shouted as he ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. The fan snapped on, so Aria knew she could talk freely for a minute or two.

She turned to Dan’s friends. “It’s been great having you here. But I need some space. I’m fine. We’re fine. We can handle it tonight…on our own.”

Harvey finished his beer and placed the bottle on the table. “We can stay. The couch will do fine. We don’t mind spending another night.”

“Really, it’s sweet of you, but I need breathing room. You’ve given up a lot of your free time, all of it probably, and nothing has happened. Maybe Dan overreacted. Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll be okay without babysitters. Promise you won’t stick around.” Aria was adamant. “Promise me.”

The men looked at each other as if they were exchanging silent messages. Finally Miller said, “We get it. You have our numbers. But if you change your mind, day or night, we’re around. And, uh, don’t be surprised if we stop by unannounced.”

“Thanks.” She hugged them each briefly. “You promised you wouldn’t hang around, so don’t. I take that kind of agreement seriously.”

“Understood,” said Miller.

“I’m ready for round two,” announced Jimmy, returning from the bathroom and displaying his freshly brushed pearly white teeth.

“They look clean, but you were hardly in there for a minute. But if you’re ready for bed…”

“I don’t want to go to bed now.” Jimmy frowned at her.

“Listen to your sister, man. Talking back is very uncool,” Miller pointed out.

“Fine. Then I’m ready,” said Jimmy petulantly. “But can I talk to them privately before they go?”

“Yes,” said Aria, going into the kitchen and loading the dishes into the dishwasher. She wiped the counters, keeping one eye on the men as they talked to her brother. Seeing Hayes enter her brother’s bedroom, she gathered the empty beer bottles into her arms and could see that Hayes tucked him in and said something.

Then the men waved at her and left. They’d been super, but she was seriously craving quiet.

Throwing the bolt into place, she had only one more thing to do. Call Dan’s sister.

Picking up the phone, she hit Ignore to the long line of texts without even looking at the ones from Mark and accessed her address book, tapping the box with Caty’s number in it.

She picked up on the first ring. “Hello.”

“Hi, Caty. It’s Aria. Your…sister-in-law.” That sounded weird, even to Aria. In theory, if she wanted to embrace it, she had a sister to do things with. “I just called to thank you for being a part of the wedding.”

“My pleasure.” Her sister-in-law’s answer was definitely on the short-and-sweet side.

“What’s new with you?”

There was a long pause.

“Well, if you really want to know…”

“I do,” said Aria, slipping into her patient voice. Maybe she shouldn’t have called.

“I just finished learning to shoot a shotgun. Did Dan ever tell you about our grandfather’s collection? Well, my hubby and I went to Louisiana and visited the old house. The caretaker, Doc Franks, took us on an old-fashioned hunt, and I shot a feral pig. He took it back to the house and showed us how to skin it, slice it, and cook it. Isn’t that amazing?” Caty’s excitement was evident. “Best meal I ever ate. Do you like to hunt? Being married to Dan…oh, you must! We’ll need to plan a trip…maybe at Christmas, if Dan is free. He loves that old house. What do you think?”

Aria swallowed the acrid bile that had risen in her throat and went to the kitchen. She took out a cold bottle of water and rinsed her mouth. She’d been able to eat game and had for most of her young life, but the one bird she shot had been impossible to palate. “Sounds interesting. I’d enjoy going on a trip with you. We’d have to bring my brother. My uncle passed away, and he’s my responsibility now. He’s a terrific kid!”

“Sorry to hear that. If you need me for any anything, please let me know. You and Jimmy are welcome at our home anytime.” Caty’s voice was sincere—the strident quality was gone—and the sentiment was so genuine, it made Aria feel good about being totally honest.

“What?” Caty called out. When she got back on the line, she said, “Aria, that’s my husband. I have to go. Bye-bye.”

“Thanks, Caty. Good night.” Aria rang off. She laid her phone on the counter and propped her head up with her elbows. It had been a long few days. Getting a good night’s rest would make a tremendous difference. Even when Dan’s SEAL buddies were here, she couldn’t completely let go for very long because she always remembered why they were here. It could be the extra energy in the house buzzing about, too, or her upbringing…her need to be polite and entertain guests. Life was so different when it was just Dan, Jimmy, and her. She wondered how long it would be until Dan was home again. If she didn’t get some real “sleep through the night” rest very soon, she was going to lose her mind.

“Hello, Aria.” Two wet shoes dropped onto the floor. “So convenient that you’re close to the bay. I just rowed right over from the San Diego side.”

Aria’s head snapped up. Standing in the door was Mark. Her breath froze in her lungs.

“No!” she said, racing around the counter, out of the kitchen, and heading for the front door.
No, no, no! Why did I send the SEALs home?
She moved, but her body was working in slow motion as he caught her around the waist and yanked her down on the floor, bringing his weight down on top of her.

“You’re not going anywhere, Aria, my angel.” He petted her hair with his long fingers, and when his nails scraped her scalp, she couldn’t stop the shivers from racing up and down her spine.

Oh, God, help me, please!
She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand around it, and when she struggled, he cut off her air. When she relaxed, he let her breathe through his fingers.

“All I’m asking…is that you to listen to my argument. Don’t convict me until you have a chance to hear my side.” He moved his fingers, stroking her cheek.

Revulsion swept her. She didn’t want him anywhere near her or her brother. “Did you ask Jimmy to spy on me and threaten him to stay silent?”

“Yes.” His grin was evil, and so delighted with himself.

Why
didn’t I see this side of him…before?

“Bastard! Go to hell, Mark!” She spat.

His hands gripped her shoulders and slammed her down hard. “Don’t say that to me.”

Her head hit into the floor. Pain split her skull as the world slowly faded to nothing…but darkness.