A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (31 page)

She knew Ben would be out of bed, if he wasn't already. She had to somehow get Eric to leave and quickly. It was nearly 6:30 AM, too late. Her phone chimed with a text from Ben, "What is
he
doing here?" She sent a message back, "Let me handle this." Eric complained of a headache. Lara gave him Advil. "I really have a lot to do today, Eric, so if you don't mind…" she held his coat. He moved toward the door. "Thank you, Lara. I hope I didn't spoil it drinking like that. You'll be seeing a lot more of me after next week. I can't wait." With that he kissed her cheek and slowly slogged down the stairs. She watched the black Infiniti pull out of the driveway. Two minutes later Ben was pounding on her door.

As she opened her door, Ben almost fell into her entryway. "What in god's name was
that
all about?" Ben asked in a measured but angry tone. "I can explain everything." Lara started. "His vehicle was parked here all night Lara, did he spend the night here with you?" She thought smoke was going to come out of Ben's ears at any moment. His blue eyes flashed and he was seething with rage. "Okay, this is what happened… Eric dropped in unexpectedly and he was drunk. I didn’t want him to drive like that because he could have killed himself or some innocent person. Eric passed out on the sofa. When he woke he had coffee and Advil and was so hung over he could hardly eat. It was nothing more than a mission of mercy. For god's sake we didn't even shake hands." Lara watched Ben as he absorbed the details.

Lara quickly changed the subject. "By the way, you never thanked me for that fantastic massage last night." Ben's posture relaxed. Finally, he smiled. "Oh you have no idea how great that felt. I only wish…" and he did not have to finish the sentence. Lara could read his mind. "I wish…too, Ben." He moved across the room and embraced her. Her hands gripped his back as she nestled her face into his sturdy chest with the ancient coin now gracing it. She inhaled the warm sandalwood scent that was Ben. She listened to his heartbeat. Finally, not able to resist him any longer, Lara brought her lips to his. When she kissed him, it was as if tasting a tempting dessert…wanting to devour it, but at the same time wanting to savor it slowly. Ben responded as if reading her mind. His kiss was heavenly and naughty all at once.

~Ben~
             

Ben responded eagerly not knowing
why
Lara was kissing him just now but he didn't care about the reason. His desire for Lara had changed from want to need. He would take any morsel of affection she would toss his way. If this was how he had to live with her, he would be grateful and love her forever. Another meeting was coming up at Langley. He would only be gone for one day. He hadn't told her yet. He decided to wait until the details of the meeting had been confirmed.

Ben had to assume that Lara had no idea how much he truly loved her. She probably never experienced the devotion of a man in her life. He knew the level of closeness was new territory for her, especially anything in the physical realm.
But she had kissed him.
That was a step in the right direction. Although he wanted more, that was enough for now. He trusted Lara and made a mental note to rein in his jealousy regarding her relationships with other men. But this was the most difficult part for him. This Eric was not her friend, even though she thought he was. He was hanging around Lara because he wanted her.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Lara; it was the other men he didn't trust. He knew how they thought. He was thinking the same things. How could any red-blooded man look at Lara and not imagine kissing her, mentally undressing her? But he knew he had to trust her, too. It would be detrimental to their relationship if he did not give her credit for taking care of herself before she ever met him. He knew, deep down, there was a side to Lara that only surfaced on rare occasion when she felt threatened. He knew, physically, she had what it took to take a guy down. He had to trust her judgment if he was going to marry her. It was difficult for Ben to put aside his threat assessment state-of-mind and just be Lara's mate. He wanted so much to protect her. He wondered if he could ever really separate that protective instinct out. It was very much a part of him and an automatic response.

~Lara~

Regularly meeting with Rusty at his place, Lara was pleased to see that her mother had some of her personal items there. "Are you guys having slumber parties?" she teased. Lillian was at Rusty's cottage most of the time and it was great to see them so happy together. Rusty, Lara and Ben continued their target practice sessions, however Ben was not there today. Rusty asked Lara if he could speak with her privately after shooting. As they finished the session at the range, Rusty took on a serious tone, "Lara, I want to marry your mother. I hope you approve. I want your blessing." Looking into his eyes, Lara immediately smiled, "Good for you. You have my blessing." Lara squealed and hugged him. "When is the wedding?" Rusty took her arm and linked it in his, "You'll be my step-daughter. I always felt like you were my daughter already. As for the wedding plans, I have left that up to your mother. But, I wanted you to be the first to know." He was smiling. Lara thought she saw a tear in his eye. After speaking with her mother, Lillian said she wanted to get married right there in Rusty's little cottage on the porch facing the water. Nothing fancy for her. She just wanted Lara and Ben to be there and, of course, the minister. She said April 1st would be good timing for her, as she could move out of her condo and have her belongings packed and shipped to the cottage. "Sounds like a plan." Lara smiled and hugged her. Her mother's skin was glowing and Lara had not seen her smiling and happy for several years.

As the wedding night approached Ben and Lara got dressed and made their way to Panther Pond to Rusty's comfortable cottage on the water. It was still cold and the pond was covered with a thin coating of ice, but the sun was setting later now. Ben had been to Rusty's many times before ever meeting Lara, and many times since. They were old friends and embraced one another like athletes going onto the playing field. There was an obvious mutual admiration between the two. Lillian was dressed in a beautiful violet pant suit. Rusty wore a sport coat and tie for the first time since Lara knew him. The minister arrived shortly after. Lillian and Rusty said their wedding vows on the porch facing West just before sunset.

Lara felt butterflies in her stomach as Rusty slipped the golden band onto her mother's finger. Ben squeezed Lara's hand and she thought she detected a tear welling up in his blue eyes. After the legal paperwork was dispensed with, they shared champagne and a delicious meal consisting of pork tenderloin and vegetables brought by Lara. She also surprised them with a small wedding cake for dessert. It was a romantic and beautiful evening. Lara took photographs. The foursome sat in the Adirondack chairs on Rusty's
windowed porch overlooking the water, enjoying the warmth of the wood stove "Spring will be here soon." Rusty said as they observed the birds of prey circling over the pond. The sun slipped slowly toward the horizon in a riot of yellow, gold and red. Ben kissed Lara's hand tenderly. The champagne produced an entertaining burping contest between Rusty, Ben and Lara. Lillian decided she would be the judge. Their uncontrollable laughter could be heard across the pond.

The next day, the dojo was busy when Lara arrived and she went into the locker room to change. Emerging near the front desk, she tapped Don on the shoulder. He turned and smiled, "Fancy seeing you here, where the hell have you been?" Lara hadn't shown up for a week. Don told her he would only be a few minutes and they could get a sweat-inducing martial arts workout underway. She could always lean on Don for support and guidance. In a few minutes he returned and they used a small private room to stretch and get ready for some serious
grappling and kicking.

"What's up, buttercup?" Don asked. "Well, I've been to hell and back. Ben was supposed to be getting his divorce agreement signed, and he flew to Vancouver and
returned. Somehow the agreement fell apart". Don whistled. "Sounds like Ben's wife could be giving him the runaround on the divorce and sometimes these things happen, Lara. If you love him you must exercise patience. Did you hear the good news about Eric? He landed a great job here in Portland at an investment firm. He bought a house already. He told me you'd be renovating it."

Lara told Don about the surprise dinner with Eric to celebrate his new job. Don then moved the discussion back to Ben. "Do you think he's close to getting divorced, Lara?" he asked point blank. Lara wrinkled her nose, "Why do you ask?" He continued, "Well, I'm just wondering, it's been a few months now. What do you think is holding it up?" Lara told him the sticking point was custody of William and financial assets that stalled the divorce. She confessed her frustration to Don. "And, I just got a job offer from the firm. I met with Eliot Stone." Don asked, "What's the offer? Is it what you want?" Lara stopped lunging at him for a moment and said, "I am really not sure…what I want." Then she took the big man off his feet with one quick move. Don hit the mat and she heard him exhale loudly. "You caught me off guard that time!" he laughed. He then set about to give her an hour of challenging moves that required her complete concentration and she ended up on the mat herself a few times. Bowing and out of breath, they agreed to hit the shower and meet at the smoothie bar out front.

Don and Lara picked up the conversation as if it had never been interrupted with a workout or shower in the middle. "I'm thinking of starting my own design firm." Lara said tentatively. "I think that's a great idea. Do it." Don said with complete confidence. "What's stopping you?" Lara thought for a moment. She could live comfortably on her small stipend from her inheritance, but she would need to stick to her small budget. The reality was she needed to make money within a year. And, she didn't have any start-up money, except for her anemic retirement fund. She didn't have the confidence in herself that Don had. "Money is my biggest worry." Lara confessed. Don looked at her and smiled. "Lara, if you end up with Ben, financial issues will be the least of your worries." That comment made her pause. He was right. Ben had a healthy income, but the worries she might have living with Ben would be about something money couldn't buy: safety, security, life itself. Then there was the constant travel. Would she want to live the life Sienna described to her? She made the decision to strike out on her own and start her design firm. She had to come up with a good name. She loved the sound of Dark Horse Renovation.

On the way home from the dojo, her phone rang. It was Eric. He was in Portland and wanted to bring Lara to the house he just purchased. He asked if he could pick her up to bring her there. She made an appointment with him and insisted on driving her Fiat to follow him to the house. He agreed. Just as she finished the phone call, Ben bounded through her apartment door. "I've got to run to Langley for a day of meetings." Lara was finishing up the last of the details for her master's degree and had several client appointments plus a meeting with Eliot Stone coming up. "I have lots to finish up while you're gone. I'll walk Einstein."

She missed Ben when he traveled. He had become a fixture in her orderly world. Her life was not the same without him in it. Ben embraced her. He noticed the faint look of disappointment in her eyes. "Oh my darlin', Lara", his brogue sounded lovely as he spoke softly in her ear.  Ben stroked her hair and caressed her cheek gently. "It's only one day." She pressed against the six-foot two wall of muscles. His arms tightened around her and he slowly pulled her body into his. Parting was filled with melancholy for Ben and this was his expression of it, an embrace that left her wanting more. "A kiss goodbye?" he whispered. She nodded and his lips were now on hers. He always started off kissing her softly, gently, but built to a crescendo that left her breathless. "Oh, Ben, I will miss you so much. You have no idea." He released his grip on her, looking into her eyes, "Just one day." He smiled with his whole face and his blue eyes lit up. "I'll text you on the hour." His hand caressed her soft dark hair as he paused taking her image in, his eyes memorizing everything about her. In a split second he was gone. She heard his truck pull out of the driveway and never felt so alone. Langley. That meant he was getting orders for another mission. She worried about her former Navy SEAL Lieutenant more than he knew.

~Eric~

The movers had packed everything up neatly for Eric. Only his personal possessions were waiting to be put into the black Infiniti. He was thrilled to be moving to Portland to start a new career. But his true motive was to move his relationship from friendship to something much more serious with Lara O'Connell. He could not stop thinking of her. She was the one that got away, the one girl he could not bed. He would make her forget about Ben Keegan. Lara was not just any
girl. She would never tolerate a man who drank to excess or one that was unfaithful or unsuccessful. Only the best man could be her suitor.

Eric vowed to clean up his life and pursue Lara with renewed purpose and energy. He would have much more time with her as she would be renovating and decorating the beautiful home he just purchased. The time together would be good to get closer to her, forge a romantic connection. Ben was a major problem for Eric and his plans. It was important that Ben did not get his divorce from Sienna. Thanks to Eric, Ben's divorce was still in a state of turmoil. His wife, Sienna, had been receiving texts telling her all about Ben's life with Lara. No juicy details were spared. Eric had driven Sienna mad with jealousy regarding Lara, and now she never wanted to give Ben the divorce. Feeling quite pleased with himself, Eric packed up the last of his belongings and tossed them into the Infiniti. He started the drive to Maine. He was moving into his new home this weekend and starting his new job on Monday.

~Ben~

As Ben arrived in Norfolk Virginia, he took a rental car to Langley Air Force Base. It was a direct flight and the time passed quickly. He prepared for the meetings he would be attending. Senator Sam Cohen on the Senate Intelligence Committee requested Ben's presence and sent him 1,200 pages of reading material. Ben read all of the material. He marveled at how the U.S. government printed voluminous documents with many words that virtually said nothing. At Langley meetings Ben always did more listening than talking. The last thing he wanted to do was give too much information to any of these guys, even the good senator.

As he exited the rental car he took the sport coat out of the carry-on bag and slipped it on along with a tie. This was required window dressing and he was fine with it. Whatever boosted his credibility he would wear it. He tossed the carry-on bag into the trunk. The only item he carried was his laptop. After biometric security clearance, his laptop was checked but not scanned. Ben's face was a familiar one at the gate. He made it a habit to be at least thirty minutes early for all meetings. Even if he had to wait, he liked having the chance to see who was coming and going. He did not like surprises.

Walking into the atrium of the CIA he always paused to look at the 102 anonymous stars engraved on the memorial wall. He felt a special affinity with those who came before him. He reminded himself that he was being paid to decrease and intercept threats to the United States of America...the same mission those 102 anonymous stars had. He belonged to a uniquely secret group of warriors. Looking at the wall always reminded him of rule number one: don't get caught.

The meeting was to be held in the Special Activities Division conference room. In the past, his targets had been rogue arms dealers, terrorists dealing in weapons of mass destruction and scientists who were weapons designers, all working for the wrong team. He made his way to the conference room with plenty of time. The meeting was called by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. The subject matter was counterintelligence field activity which seemed vague enough. He knew what that meant as a contractor. The CIA didn't want their fingerprints on anything. He would be given an assignment that was something the government didn't want to be tied to. It would be dirty business, most likely high risk.

Sam Cohen arrived first. "Good to see you, Chief." They shook hands and others began filtering into the conference room. There were twelve people in all. Ben knew ten of them. After the meeting, Ben broke into a smaller meeting in a different room. That's where the details of the mission got revealed. Sam Cohen had to leave early to attend another meeting, but said he would touch base with Ben about this subject. In the smaller room Ben met with one familiar face, the Director of the Special Activities Division, Kip Larson, and was given the outline of the mission. Both men took precautionary measures. Kip Larson waited as Ben swept the room for listening devices and set up a jammer, just in case. Kip Larson used a wand to check Ben for a wire. Everything was verbal. Ben was allowed to use an encrypted program on his computer to take notes.

This would be a big complex mission for the CIA. The bottom line was: the government needed specific information on sleeper cells operating in the United States. The top brass had executive orders to pull the trigger for a drone strike if and when the cell was targeted. However, they needed eyeballs on the target. Ben and his operatives would be the eyes and ears on the ground in the Northern New England sector. The payment would hinge on whether or not the mission was successful. There was no room for error. The mission had to remain top secret. There could be no collateral damage and no one could know about the strike. There was huge money on the table. Ben verbally accepted the contract, with certain conditions, for Dark Horse. The hunt was on. Now there would be a series of tactical meetings in the coming weeks to iron out the details. If Ben or any Dark Horse operative ever got caught
or killed, the government would deny their existence. Payments were made via cash drops and no record was kept of this meeting. This was black ops.

~Lara~

At the firm Lara caught Eliot Stone's attention in the hallway and asked if she could speak with him privately. "Of course
, Lara. Come in." Eliot smiled as he held his office door open. Lara sat in an expensive ultra-modern chair created by a famous designer made of transparent plastic. Wearing a deep burgundy suit with a floral patterned scarf and her favorite dangling diamond earrings, her dark hair was loosely pinned into a French twist. She looked directly into Eliot's soft brown eyes eagerly awaiting her words, "First of all, Eliot, I want to thank you sincerely for the wonderful job offer. I have given this a tremendous amount of thought and have decided to decline it."

Eliot's facial expression changed from excitement to dismay. "I must confess, Lara. I am a bit surprised." Lara knew she had to play her hand carefully with Eliot Stone. He was a powerful entity in the small world of design in Southern Maine, and she preferred to stay on his good side, if possible. "This may come as a surprise to you, Eliot, but I have aspirations to start my own company. I know it will be difficult at first, but I have confidence in my abilities, thanks to you, to go forward with the dream of owning my own company. I was lucky to have the experience of working for you as an intern. Without that experience, I never would have thought this possible." She hoped by laying on the compliments he would at least respect her tenacity. Eliot's brown eyes seemed deep in thought. Lara anticipated he would try to sweeten his offer. That's exactly what he did. "If I gave you a bigger salary or better benefits, would you reconsider it?" Lara looked down at her hands on the table holding the job offer. Without looking at him she slid the envelope toward the middle of his desk. "I can't, Eliot." Lara stood to leave his office. Walking around his desk she faced him and extended her hand and spoke with genuine kindness, "Thank you, Eliot. I won't forget all that you have done for me."

Eliot's brown eyes met hers and she felt the warmth that emanated from them. He grasped Lara's hand with both of his and smiled sweetly. "I shall miss you, Lara." She sensed there was more. "Lara, would you consider having dinner with me?" She was blindsided by this. She never thought Eliot would ask her out, especially at this moment. "Well, I am sort of seeing someone right now…" Eliot was still holding her hand and finished her sentence, "Ben Keegan." He knew. Lara felt embarrassed for a moment. Removing her hand from his she felt a bit tongue tied. "Yes. It's Ben Keegan." Eliot studied her face closely, and Lara felt herself blushing. Eliot surprised her, "If you are going to start your own firm, I want to give you some advice in regards to going on your own. There will be things like liability insurance and contracts that will protect you in client relationships. It may shock you, Lara, but I want to see you succeed." At this, Lara smiled. She knew Eliot would be an important ally. "That's very kind of you, Eliot." Lara said. "Give me a call and we will schedule it."

~Eliot~

Eliot Stone watched Lara walk across the parking lot from his office window. He was stunned by her beauty in the burgundy jacket today. He imagined what her hair looked like when it was loose. She always tied it to the side or wore it in a French twist at work. He was more than surprised she turned his offer down. But he felt a sense of freedom now to
really pursue her. Actually, it would be much easier for him to pave the way for a personal relationship with her now that she wasn't an employee. Very few women ever turned Eliot down in business or in pleasure. He had admired Lara for two years now, remembering the day he talked his father into hiring her for the internship. He knew the first time he met her that Lara's beauty alone would attract clients, but she also had a magnetic personality and was highly intelligent. She wasn't full of herself, but confident and bright. There was a difference. Lara was also a hard worker and she made a good deal of money for his firm. He was confident she would be successful starting up her own firm, this much he knew. Lara would also make a perfect wife and mother. Eight years older than her, Eliot wanted a wife and family, sooner rather than later. His thoughts turned to winning her over. He knew impressing her would be difficult. She was not dazzled by his wealth, as other women were. He knew he would need to impress Lara in other ways. He planned to give Ben Keegan a run for his money.

~Lara~

Taking a deep breath as she got into her Fiat, Lara thought the meeting with Eliot had gone better than planned. She went about her day of classes and worked on wrapping up design projects. Driving into the pink Victorian's driveway her phone chimed, it was a text from Ben. He was on his way home from his meeting in Langley. In his message, Ben told her he was taking her to dinner. She got into a hot shower to prepare for Ben's return. In her bathrobe, as she was putting on her lipstick the doorbell buzzed. Wondering if Ben had arrived early, she looked through the parlor window. Eric's Infiniti was in the front driveway. She ran down the creaky staircase quickly in an attempt to warn him that Ben was on his way home.

Eric had a big smile on his face when she opened the door. "Hi Lara, I am all moved in and want to bring you over to my new place to talk about renovations. Can you come take a look?" Lara felt desperation sweep over her as she expected Ben to arrive at any moment. "Eric, you need to leave right now, I have plans. You can text me and we will set up a time to go over the project." Just as she spoke the words, Ben's truck pulled into the driveway and he saw Eric on the porch with Lara. She could tell by the way Ben jumped out of his vehicle that he was seething with anger. Here she was in her bathrobe talking to Eric on the front porch. She couldn't imagine what was going through Ben's mind at that moment, but she knew it wasn't good.

As he strode purposefully toward the porch, Lara feared the inevitable. Ben walked directly toward Eric and stood within an inch of his face. "What the hell are
you
doing here?" he asked the question with a quiet fury. In shock, Eric backed up and looked at Ben as if he just saw a ghost. Once he got his footing, Eric said rudely, "I'm talking with Lara about renovating my new place. What's it to you?" Ben looked at Lara, "Is this true? Are you going to renovate his house? Tell me this is some sort of joke." Lara had to separate the two of them and fast. Shouting, she asked Eric to leave. Grabbing Ben by the arm she pulled him into the hallway and closed the door in one swift move. As they walked up the stairs, Lara heard the Infiniti driving away. Lara felt her blood pressure rising.

~Ben~

Ben could not contain his exasperation with Lara. She was seeing Eric again and he was furious. "Why are you continuing to see this Eric guy? Is there something that I'm missing? Every time I leave, this guy ends up here." Ben watched Lara as she got into a defensive position. Her arms crossed and her green eyes pierced Ben with an unwavering stare. At the end of his diatribe, there was an uncomfortable silence. Her gaze was intense, filled with frustration. "Ben, not only is Eric my friend, he's a
client
. He will be paying me to do a huge renovation for him. I'm starting my own company. Eliot Stone offered me a job, but I turned it down. I'm striking out on my own….to start my own firm. You will need to put a lid on your jealous outbursts. I can take care of myself. I did pretty well before I met you, and if you leave, I'll be just fine. I don't need you looking over my shoulder telling me what to do every minute of my life."