SEAL Of My Heart (27 page)

She tried to message him back, but it was undeliverable. She was going to have to accept that as well. Her mind was going wild wondering what he was dealing with. She hoped he was bored to death in a boxcar somewhere playing video games or a little soccer. Someplace safe and sane. Even though she knew it probably was not the case, she imagined him lying on a bed, sleeping, dreaming of her.

“Love you, Tyler,” she whispered. If there was a way to send out a bubble of protection all over him, she would.

Thirty minutes later she was sitting at a table at Sisters, waiting for Devon Dunn. Devon appeared at the doorway like an elegant queen, dressed in a navy blue business suit, her hair shoulder length, and carrying a briefcase. She scanned the room, and when their eyes met, she gave a warm smile and a slight nod. The hostess attempted to stop her from crossing the narrow aisle, but Devon waved her away and then pointed to Kate.

She presented her hand and perfectly manicured red nails. “I’m Devon, and you must be Kate.”

Kate shook her hand and nodded, “Yes.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Devon returned. She quickly set her briefcase down on the neighboring chair and removed her jacket, revealing an off-white silk blouse with a large self-tie. With her long neck and dangling pearl earrings, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Kate realized she was still standing after Devon took her seat and looked up at her.

“Something wrong?”

“You’re—you’re just not what I expected,” Kate answered.

“What, you expected a biker chick? Someone with only half her teeth and tats going up her neck? My Nick wouldn’t like that kind of woman.”

Kate shook herself and sat quickly. The woman across the table was fascinating.

“I have wanted to eat here for nearly three years. Never could plan far enough in advance to get a table. And look at this! You got the best table in the house.”

“They buy a lot of wine from us at a very good price. Not sure if you know it, but restaurants like this make their money on the wine, desserts and extras.”

“Makes sense.”

The waiter gushed over Kate, telling her that the chef had prepared a special dinner for them, requesting they not order off the menu unless Miss Kate’s guest had a food allergy.

“If you could make it calorie-free, that would be perfect,” Devon answered with a straight face.

The waiter squirmed for a second until he saw her broad smile. “I’m sure whatever is being prepared will be wonderful.”

“Oh, thank you. I’ll go tell the chef.”

Kate ordered a bottle of their 2011 Merlot. “Devon, you want some white as well, or—”

“Oh, I love Merlot. My favorite too.”

The woman was confident, striking in every way, including her athletic build. Her creamy complexion, red lips and shiny dark hair were an arresting combination. By candlelight she looked like a goddess.

The wine was uncorked, and Kate examined the cork and then did the taste.

“Perfect.”

“So, Kate. You must have a million questions,” Devon began.

Once again the waiter interrupted to ask if they wanted mineral water or bottled water, and then added, “Are the two of you in a hurry? The chef wants to make his special chocolate bread pudding for you, but it takes a little longer to prepare.”

“I’m fine if you are,” Kate said.

“I think we’ll split the bread pudding,” Devon added.

“Perfect.” The waiter scurried off to the kitchen.

“So, Kate, I’m all yours. What do you want to know?”

“What should I be asking, Devon? I don’t know anything about them except for what I’ve seen on the news, and of course the movies.”

“That’s always fun, going to see those movies with Nick. If we go with one of the Team guys, they don’t stop talking all during the film, making fun of everything. They try to be quiet, but they just can’t.”

“Yet Tyler seems so focused, so calm.”

“Right.” Devon held her glass out to Kate. “To the Sisterhood.”

Kate was puzzled. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s informal. If we lived in San Diego we’d be doing all sorts of things with the other women. The Team wives really don’t hang around women who aren’t married to a Team guy or a SWCC crewman.”

“SWCC crew?”

“Special Warfare Combatant Crew. S.W.C.C., we say SWCC Crew. They do the SEAL pickup and deliveries in some pretty dangerous waters and under hostile conditions. Those guys in many ways have a more dangerous job than the SEALs, but don’t say that around any of the Team guys.”

Kate sipped her wine and stared down at the table. She wasn’t sure she could ask the question she wanted to ask, but remembered the courage she had promised Tyler. “Are they ever violent, Devon? I mean, do I ever have to worry about them as far as womanizing or being physically violent. They have so much training and everything. I was wondering—”

“Well that’s actually a very good question. I have to admit the whole swagger and bravado thing initially turned me off. Way too much testosterone for my taste at the time.” She smiled in a private thought. “But in time you learn to deal with it, and then you love them for it.”

“For what?”

“For being the guys they are. Very special, Kate. When one of them loves you, they will either be your fiercest protector or your worst nightmare.”

“How so?”

“They don’t quit.”

Kate blushed when she thought about how intensely Tyler loved her, how quickly he moved into position without hesitation, went after what he wanted and grabbed his opportunity without second-guessing himself.

“Ask for forgiveness rather than permission,” she whispered into her wine glass before she took another sip.

“You got it.” Devon grinned. “You can’t talk them down. They don’t ever give up. Never. And they love—” Devon teared up. “Once a SEAL has loved you. Well, I don’t want to think about it, but I don’t think I could be married anymore to someone who did anything else. It is the most intense, wonderful life you could imagine.”

Devon looked down and played with her silverware, positioning it evenly with her delicate fingers. “It can also terrify you if you’re not ready for all that intensity. If you don’t like hard loving and intense guys who have egos the size of the room lurking under the surface of their calm demeanor, then you do yourself a favor and bow out now. They never relax, but they’ll look like it. They’re always on duty. And it’s hard for them to retire. Leaving the lifestyle and the community is harder than the things they do while in it.”

“How do they learn to handle it?” Kate asked.

“They don’t. They’re born that way. I’m convinced of it, Kate. The training just reveals who has that stuff and who doesn’t. They only want the guys who have the stuff.”

“I would think it would be very stressful.”

“See, this is the hard part, Kate. They are trained for all these things. And yes, sometimes it can get to them. It did nearly take Nick out of the teams. He was lucky. With a little time off after his sister died, he was able to get back up on the horse. If he missed a rotation due to mental issues, he’d have been out.”

“You mean rotation as in going overseas.”

“Yes. And it’s our job to pick up the pieces when they come home. No training for that. They’ll depend on you, your strength and your courage. You run the house and the enterprise of the family when they are away. When they come back, they are the kings. You work hard when they’re gone, and then you work harder when they’re back.”

Kate’s frown must have been obvious, but Devon let it sink in before they locked eyes again.

“Ask me if it’s worth it, Kate.”

“Is it?” she asked.

Devon leaned over the plates, grabbed Kate’s hand and squeezed it. “With every fiber of my being, yes. You’ve never worked this hard, but you’ll never be so loved.”

‡

T
he plan was
carefully laid out, each man focusing on his part. They’d heard the words before, done the same things over and over again. But there was always something, multiple things that could and often did go wrong.

Nothing ever went exactly as planned. That’s why there was a Plan B and a Plan C, and it was each man’s job to explore all the other options in case it was left up to him and him alone to execute something he hadn’t counted on being in charge of.

They didn’t see any sentries on the rooftop, which was good. Tyler thought if the twenty or so men were back at the compound, the leader and his wives would never be more under-guarded. Right now the SEALs outnumbered the warlord, but that also could change at any moment.

Armando and Ollie scaled the wall with ease, using their clothing to get over the barbed wire and broken glass used as a deterrent. They looked for wires or infrared lines that could be tripped and found none. Once they were on top they would lay cover, if necessary, so the others could gain entry and be semi-protected. They weren’t there to kill the leader, but if he took it in the shorts, Tyler and the rest of the guys wouldn’t grieve. And Jackie had told them none of the women would either.

They were there to rescue the SEALs and other military men and the CIA advisor. As far as they knew, the SEALs had not been identified as such, or at least it hadn’t come up during negotiations.

But Kyle told them that was because the leader had no intention of letting any of them leave alive, including the women and children this man had terrorized in the many months since he’d taken over the dead warlord’s spoils.

“Need to know if all the women will be together in the same room,” Kyle said to Jackie.

“Yes. I think here.” He pointed to the monitor, where several green shadows moved back and forth in a small space. “He locks them up at night so they don’t try to escape.”

“Charming,” T.J. said with a sneer.

“Will they defend him?” Tyler asked.

Jackie shrugged. “They may pretend, but you tell them harshly to go stand in the corner and shut their eyes and they will do it even though you are Americans. They are used to taking orders.”

“What about the kids? Report says there are about six kids, maybe five now,” Luke asked.

“The kids will sit and wait for it to be over. They have learned there is no point to being a hero. You don’t have to be a fighter to die, but if you assist the wrong side you die just as surely, my friend. No, I think they will just sit and wait for the firefight to be over.”

“Ask them if the guard makes regular rounds.”

Jackie typed in the request on Kyle’s computer and waited. “No, she says. They walk around at random during the night. Whenever they wake up.”

“Shit,” Kyle said. “So, the women are locked inside the room?”

Jackie waited for the response. “She says yes.”

“Tell her we’re here and to stay calm no matter what they hear.”

Jackie delivered the message. “Okay, boss.”

“Get your eyes on, everyone,” Kyle said as everyone except Jackie put on their night gear.

“Fredo, go set the charge,” Kyle whispered. Fredo left, with Frankie behind for protection. On Fredo’s mark everyone turned away from the gate while a timed device destroyed the entire entrance and took half the wall on one side with it. Amid falling rocks and debris, Tyler thought time seemed suspended. He and T.J. waited outside while Kyle, Fredo, and Frankie took cover inside the compound. Two men ran from the residence but were easy targets in the courtyard. Armando had no trouble downing them both in seconds and before they could fire a shot. Kyle relayed the news to the others. They raced for the front door, which had luckily been left open.

“I got four, five moving targets, Lannie,” Coop said into his Invisio.

“Copy.”

Tyler thought he saw lights of an approaching vehicle on the horizon, but when he mentioned it to T.J. he couldn’t find it again. He whispered his suspicion that someone might be on their way. He was nervous about the roaming guard. Hearing gunfire inside the house, the guys held their breath until they got word from Kyle the other three guards had been neutralized and the leader killed. The whole operation from start to finish had taken less than six minutes.

“Coop, send them word we’re in, on our way to see if we got wounded.”

“Roger that.”

Armando stayed rooftop as lookout while Ollie jumped to the ground and raced toward the door of the warehouse.

“Nothing much moving, Kyle,” Cooper said as he watched the drone’s monitor. As luck would have it, the door was not locked and Kyle, Ollie, Fredo and Frankie braced for a firefight which never materialized.

It was music to their ears when they heard Kyle confirm everyone was accounted for and was healthy and able to move. “Send for the pickup.”

Cooper was monitoring the drone and signaled for the extraction team.

“Where’s Jackie?” Kyle wanted to know.

“He hasn’t come out of the house,” Tyler informed him.

“T.J., get inside and check him out. Tell him we’re leaving just as soon as that bird gets here.”

“Roger that.”

“Laying charges here,” Fredo barked in his earpiece. “Everyone clear out and stay away. Make sure Jackie tells the ladies.”

“I’ve got him in sight. Big crying orgy here, for fuck’s sake,” T.J. answered.