Wed to a SEAL (Hot SEALs) (Volume 8) (9 page)

Isabel and Lola were in there, the results of a discussion with Darci about Isabel needing to feed Lola. That had put some pretty inappropriate images into his head. Now all he kept thinking about was Isabel’s breasts.

 
“We probably scared the hell out of her.” Jon glanced at Rick. “We entered the apartment like it was a close quarters battle training exercise.”

Rocky snorted at the sad truth of what Jon said. “Yup. We sure did.”

At least the conversation had dragged his attention off his inappropriate thoughts of Isabel inside that bedroom breastfeeding. He was obviously one sick motherfucker.

“Besides you guys showing off your advanced combat skills in suburbia, she’s got a lot to be concerned about.” Rick spun his laptop so Rocky could see the screen. “Take a look. Here’s what my contact in Miami sent me on her boyfriend.”

“
Ex
-boyfriend.” Rocky corrected.

Rick cocked up one brow. “Ex or not, he’s bad news.”

Rocky scanned the email, landing on the signature line. “You have a contact in the Miami police department?”

“Damn right, I do. Sierra’s got a house down there. I made it a priority the minute I took over as her head of security.”

A house in Miami. A suite at the Ritz here. Rick sure had stepped in it when he landed Academy Award winner Sierra Cox as a girlfriend.

If she was as high maintenance as Rocky assumed she was, Rick could keep her. Though Rick’s Miami contact was proving useful . . . and concerning.

Everything in that email convinced Rocky they couldn’t underestimate this Tito guy.

Jon’s cell vibrated where it lay on the table. He glanced at the display. “It’s Zane. He said he’d get back to us after he’d spoken to his contacts in D.C. about the immigration issue.” Jon hit a button and said, “Hey, Zane. I’ve got you on speaker. Rocky and Rick are with me.”

“Hey, sorry it took so long. I had to track the senator down on the golf course.” Zane’s voice came through the cell phone speaker. He sounded weary.

“And?” Rocky asked, afraid of the answer. “This is Rocky, by the way.”

“Hi, Rocky. So long story short, he basically told me that since the US opened relations with Cuba, the whole thing’s one big cluster fuck. Your girl would have been better off before the change. Then she could have tried for political asylum. Apparently things being better between our countries makes it worse for her situation.”

“So what, she’s screwed? They’re just going to send her back?” Rocky wasn’t going to let that happen.

Tito had connections all over, according to his very long file from the Miami police. No doubt he could get to Isabel there, probably more easily than he could here.

“I didn’t say that. We can file some papers. I can get them to the right people and hopefully push the process along a little faster, but it’s still going to take time.”

“Can you forward any information or documents we’ll need to my email address?” Jon asked.

“Copy them to my email too. We can print them out here and get the ball rolling right away,” Rick added.

“You got it, but I’m warning you it could take awhile. Even with my connections.”

“How long is awhile?” Rocky asked, once again dreading Zane’s response.

“Possibly months.”

Rocky drew in a deep breath. “Okay. Thanks for your help, Zane.”

“No problem. Talk to you guys later.”

“Bye.” Jon disconnected the call and glanced at Rocky. “You don’t look happy.”

“I’m not.” Rocky met his blue gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. You guys are amazing. Rick’s Miami contact and Zane’s connections in the Capital. I don’t know what Isabel would do without you.”

He meant every word of it. Everyone had been incredible, taking on this problem as their own.

Currently Thom was outside patrolling the neighborhood on what was supposed to be his day off and the girls were out on the deck watching the food on the grill because Rick was inside on the computer.

“But?” Jon prompted.

“It seems like all we have are problems, when what we need are solutions. And something that won’t take months to implement.”

“I hear you. But we’re working it. You’ve got a place for her for tonight. And for as long as you’re stateside and they have a vacancy, she can stay at the lodge on base.”

“That’s half the problem. I can get sent on a mission at any time.”

“I know that.” Jon’s measured reply had Rocky feeling bad he’d snapped at him.

“I know you do. I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated.”

“I know that too.” Jon nodded.

“The whole situation sucks. Hell, maybe you should just marry her. Circumvent everybody.” Rick snorted out a laugh and stood. “I’m going to check the meat. I don’t trust them out there alone with the grill.”

As Rick went outside Rocky’s brain spun trying to come up with some way to solve Isabel’s problems with the ex and with her visa. No solutions presented themselves except for Rick’s crazy suggestion.
 

Darci and Ali came back into the house, which left Rick and his girlfriend outside on the deck during what was an unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon. A day Rocky would have enjoyed far more if it weren’t for the cloud of the threat hanging over Isabel and her daughter.

Before he could sink further into depression, the front door swung open and had him spinning toward it just as Chris Cassidy’s bulk filled the doorway.

“We’re here and we’re hungry.” Chris made a beeline for the kitchen and scooped Darci into a hug that lifted her off the floor. After a kiss that matched the enthusiasm of the embrace, Chris said, “I missed you, darlin’.”

“I missed you too.” Rick’s sister looked absolutely smitten as she playfully hit Chris’s wide chest with one fist. “Now put me down and I’ll get you and Brody a bowl of chili.”

“Put her down, bro. I’m starving.” Brody closed the front door and moved into the room. “Six hours on the road and Chris wouldn’t let us stop to eat even once.”

“Sorry. I was anxious to get here. Besides, you’re crazy if you wanna eat truck stop food when there’s Darci’s homemade chili waiting on us.”

“Here you two go.” Ali slid two bowls of steaming chili onto the island as Darci went to the drawer and got out cutlery. “And it’s probably a good thing you came straight here without stopping. We had a little excitement.”
 

Chris’s brows rose as he glanced at Ali and then to the men in the dining room. “Oh did you?”

Brody lowered a loaded spoon without taking a bite. “What’s going on? What’d we miss?”

“Well, let’s see. First there was a baby left on the doorstep. And now there’s a stripper in my bedroom.” Darci laughed as she said it, but Rocky cringed at her words.

Maybe he shouldn’t have asked if Isabel could stay the night.

Darci’s announcement understandably elicited more questions from the Cassidy brothers who’d missed the day’s worth of events. As Jon joined the discussion and started to explain what they’d done and what they knew so far, Rocky took the opportunity to go outside.

Rick glanced up from the grill as Rocky slid the glass door open. “Hey. These’ll be done in a few.”

Rocky tipped his head. “The Cassidy boys will be happy to hear that. They just got here.”

“Did they?” Rick’s girlfriend’s eyes widened. “Good. I’m going to go inside.”

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

Once she was gone through the door Rocky frowned at Rick. “What was that about?”

Rick rolled his eyes. “She’s reading for a movie about a woman from Alabama.”

It took a second for all the pieces to fall together in Rocky’s mind. “So she wants to hang around Chris and Brody because they’re from there?”

“Yup. She says she needs to listen to how they talk.”

Rocky laughed. “Okay . . . Anyway, I wanted to make sure it was really okay that Isabel and Lola spend the night here. And me too.”

“Of course. It’s fine. I said it was.”

“Yeah, but are you sure it’s okay with Darci?”

“Sure. She can sleep at Chris’s place. No big deal. She sleeps over there a couple of times a week anyway.”

“I wasn’t sure. Darci doesn’t seem too happy.”

Rick raised his gaze from where he’d been transferring the meat from the grill to a platter. A frown creased his brow. “Why do you say that?”

“She just made a comment about a stripper sleeping in her bed. It’s no big deal to get a hotel room out in town. Really. I’ll just stop by the base and grab the rest of my weapons. I can sit watch all night. I’ve done it before.”

“Dude. No. It’s fine.”

“You sure? Darci—”

“Darci has a chip on her shoulder about the strip club. That’s my own fault. I should have never told her how much we used to hang out there. Now she’s dating Chris, she hates the idea he used to go there.”

“Understood. So given that, are you sure it’s okay?”

“Positive.”

Rocky finally accepted the answer. “Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem. Can you get the door?”

“Sure.” Rocky slid the door open and moved out of the way to let Rick and the overloaded platter through.
 

As he slid the door closed behind them, he glanced in the direction of the bedroom.

The scent of the barbecued meat Rick had carried past was almost enough to distract him from the presence of the woman in Darci’s bed.
 

Almost, but not quite.

CHAPTER 9

The baby stirring woke Isabel. It took a few minutes to get her bearings and remember why she was in a strange room, sleeping on top of the covers in her clothes with the baby on the bed next to her.

It was dark. The only light in the room came from the illuminated face of the clock on the nightstand and a crack beneath the door where a thin strip of light slipped inside from the hallway.

It had still been light outside when she had closed her eyes, intent on just resting for a moment after feeding Lola. She’d obviously fallen asleep.

The house was quiet except for the distant sound of a television playing softly somewhere.

As Isabel got her brain working again, Lola made her desires known. The baby had started quietly cooing but after being made to wait for her meal, she wound up and let out a wail.
 

“Shh, I’m here. I’ll feed you.” She pulled herself into a sitting position and while propped against the bed pillows, lifted the wiggling, squalling babe.

After three months, Isabel could—and had on occasion—fed her daughter while being half asleep herself. The practice helped her now as she opened her nursing bra and positioned the baby.
 

It wasn’t more than a couple of minutes before a soft knock on the door startled her. Luckily, Lola was too involved in eating to be upset by her mother nearly jumping out of her skin.

Surprised by the knock at this time of night, Isabel didn’t have much choice except to say, “Come in.”

The door swung in slowly and she could see Rocky, silhouetted in the light in the hallway.

“Um, hey.” He spoke in a loud whisper. She didn’t know if that was for Lola’s benefit, or to avoid waking whoever else was still in the house. “I heard the baby so I figured you were awake.”

“Yeah. She was hungry. Sorry if her crying woke you.”

“No. I was up. Um, you fell asleep without eating dinner. There’s a ton of leftovers and Rick and Darci told me to help myself so if you wanted something, I could, you know, heat it up for you. When you’re done with . . . uh . . . what you’re doing, of course.”

Isabel smiled at how this man who always seemed in total control since she’d met him, couldn’t seem to get out a simple sentence.

The sight of a woman breastfeeding was enough to have him stuttering and looking at the carpet rather than at her and the baby, even though they had to be barely visible in the shadows of the room.

“I am a little hungry. Thanks.”

“Oh. Okay. Good. I’m glad I asked. I’ll, uh, go get it heating for you. Um, what did you want? There’s chili. And some hot dogs. And potato salad. A little of everything?”

She was kind of enjoying his discomfort. It made her feel like she was on even footing with him. It showed he was human. That he wasn’t completely invincible and perfectly in control as he’d first appeared.