Defender (Navy SEALS Romance Book 4) (3 page)

J
ake rode around for an hour
, catching up on some errands. He grabbed some groceries, took his laundry to the drop-off, any stupid thing that would keep his mind off the evening. When he ran out of pointless tasks to fill the time, he thought about heading back over to S&R to spend some time working out his injured back. Along the way, his phone lit up with a text. He waited for a stoplight then pulled it from his pocket to take a glance.

“EMERGENCY”

The simple text was all Knox had to send. Everyone got the same message, urging them to get to headquarters immediately for their next assignment. Jake turned around in the road and headed back the way he’d just come, avoiding the long route paste the wharf he’d planned to take in order to get there as quickly as he could.

He pulled into the space in front of their building and slid his bike up the walkway, leaving the parking spaces for the others’ cars who would be arriving behind him. He thought grimly back to his argument with Madison’s friend, gritting his teeth and shaking it from his mind. He wasn’t an entitled jerk who parked wherever he felt like it; he was a considerate person who made sure others’ vehicles had enough room. She was the one with the problem, the one who—

No, no reason to waste time revisiting that. He hurried inside to see what was going down.

“Got your message, Knox, what have we got?” he asked, dropping his helmet inside his locker and depositing his leather jacket on a hook above it.

“This one’s bad…” he answered, distracted by the data still coming across the four computer screens in front of him. “Small commuter plane went down about twenty minutes ago, headed towards Alaska.”

“Twenty minutes? How’d they get the call to us that fast?”

“They didn’t. The news came across the feed, so I called everyone back in. I know, I know, I just ruined a good date night, but with this many passengers, we’ll be getting a call any second now.”

As if he’d had some sixth sense, the phone rang. Knox answered it, took down some information, and signed off by saying, “We’re already on it, sir. Our crew is making its way here now, we’ll have eyes over the water in four minutes.”

Jake was already suiting up, and a noise outside told him that Michael had beaten him there and was running the necessary pre-flight checks. Headlights flashed across the front windows as the other two team members pulled up in Tanner’s Jeep. Angel jumped out of the passenger side and raced inside while Tanner locked up.

Knox filled them in and issued orders while everyone got dressed. They stopped when the door opened again and Veronica walked in, striding right up to the computer station and positioning herself beside the desk. Everyone froze for a split second, then quickly finished their preparations while Knox questioned her.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, this is a private office. This business isn’t open to the public, I’ll have to ask you to wait outside,” he said as firmly but politely as he could while more alerts flashed on his screens, drawing away his attention.

“I won’t be in the way, I assure you,” she answered in the same smug tone she’d used every time Jake had heard her open her mouth.

“Be that as it may, this area is off-limits to the public. I’m going to ask you again to leave, so please drive carefully.”

Instead of moving, she leaned against the door frame, watching the group get ready to depart.

“Yo, Ruiz! Tell your girlfriend to take her lookie-loo friend outta here!” Jake called out, all of his previous irritation with this aggravating woman rushing back at him.

“I don’t know why she’s here. Madison headed home to get her bag. She’s in my car, remember?” Angel looked at Veronica warily, just as confused as everyone else.

“No one brought me here, and I can assure you I’ve never been accused of being a… what did you call me? A lookie-loo? What does that even mean?” Veronica asked before shaking her head. “Never mind. I’m a reporter, and I’m here to observe your team in action.”

“What?” Knox demanded. “With what news outlet?”

“I can’t tell you that yet, I’m afraid,” she answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest and resuming her casual position.

“Reporter, my ass! This is a private company, working on a contract basis with the city of San Diego and the state and county governments. We don’t
have
any news contacts! Now take it outside, lady!” Knox yelled, trying hard to keep his composure while still getting down all the data his team would need.

“It’s not ‘lady,’ thanks… it’s Veronica Thompson, and I have a job to do.” She stared back at him in the same icy way that she’d stared Jake down at dinner.

The only sound in the room was the quiet beep of the computers as more alerts came in. No one moved, no one spoke. The five team members stared at Veronica, who returned their stares without blinking.

“Ma’am, we don’t have time for this. You literally could not have picked a worse time to show up unannounced. I’m sorry, but our protocol remains the same,” Knox explained slightly more calmly. “Until we have official documentation proving you’re on an authorized ride-along, I have to ask you to leave the premises and let us do our jobs. Please call us at a better time and make arrangements to meet with us, if you need to. Now, if you please…”

He gestured to the door and nodded his head. For her part, Veronica gave them all one last look, letting her gaze linger on Jake a little longer than the others. He couldn’t be sure, but there was something strange about the way she looked at him before turning her back on the group and walking out.

“I don’t know what that was about, but don’t let it get under your skin. We’ve got a job to do!” Knox barked, dropping back down in the chair at his station and putting his headset around his neck, adjusting the mic in front of him so he could talk. “Mike, how’s the bird?”

“All systems ready, awaiting orders for takeoff,” he answered through the speaker.

“Copy that, team members headed to the helipad now.” Knox looked up and nodded, effectively dismissing them. As the three agents filed outside, he called out, “Jake? One second…”

Jake stopped and turned, practically bouncing on the soles of his boots from the adrenalin. He had a sick feeling in his stomach about why Knox stopped him, but he heard him out.

“I’m gonna ask you once and then I’m gonna shut up about it. This isn’t a debate, or anything. Are you okay to do this? I can take your place and put you at the controls. I know you’ve got your head clear, even if you’re just jumping back in.”

“No, I’m good. You took the call, you’ve got all the info,” Jake answered, surprising himself with how much he meant it and how calm he was about having his abilities questioned. “If I jumped into command right now, I’d be starting over looking for all the news. You took the call, you know the situation.”

“Got it. You’re right. But if you get squirrely out there or you can’t handle the physical stuff, don’t be a hero. Speak up, say something to one of the guys. They’ll understand, we all do. You just came off a bad injury, no one expects you to have your head back in it one hundred percent.”

“I will, I promise. And actually, I appreciate you saying something instead of just pretending everything’s good and then ordering me to stand down. At least you had the nerve to look me in the face and ask if I can do my job.” Jake nodded and clapped Knox on the shoulder, his earlier anger at the current team captain replaced by something close to gratitude.

The rotors were already in motion by the time Jake boarded the helicopter, ducking under the moving blades and climbing into his position. He buckled in, put on his helmet, and pulled the mic down in front of his mouth, then motioned to Michael to put them in the air. The helicopter lifted slowly, then banked quickly out over the beach until it moved above the water, the moon and the lights from the city reflecting like shimmering pinpoints off the churning ocean.

T
he sun had long
since set when Veronica made it home. Most of the other apartments in her small complex were dark, the tenants out enjoying their warm Friday night. She turned the key in her lock and had just opened the door when Madison stepped out of her apartment a couple doors down.

“Oh, Veronica! Hi! Listen, I’m sorry about the way Jake acted tonight, I never would have invited you if I’d known he couldn’t behave like an adult,” she gushed, shouldering her heavy duffel bag but pausing long enough to explain.

“No, it’s fine. I should have asked you more about him. Then I could have told you that he and I have actually had a couple run-ins already and they didn’t go well. If I’d known it was the same guy, I wouldn’t have come along.”

“Still, I feel bad. I feel like I twisted your arm to even come out with us! I know you said you’re not looking to meet anyone just yet. I just thought it’d be nice to get to know a few people out here since we’re both so new. But hey, I’ve got to run, work emergency. We’ll catch up this weekend, okay?” Madison gave her a small wave and took off for Angel’s car, hurrying to S&R in case she was needed.

Veronica watched her go, then had a second thought. This friendship with her new neighbor had grown organically enough; after all, they were both new to the area, both capable professional women. They seemed to have a lot in common. But if Madison worked at SEArch&Rescue, she might be just the “in” that Veronica needed.

She dropped her keys on the hall table and threw her purse down beside it, then headed straight to her computer. She had the names of everyone who worked at S&R, and now it was just a matter of doing a little online homework. Anything that would help her get what she needed could be a clue, no matter how insignificant it might seem.

Several hours later, Veronica had a file filled with information on the five original members of SEAL Team 11, their girlfriends, and their family members who were still living. She added a page of data on Madison as well, despite her civilian status and her recent addition to the S&R team.

She debated sending it in to her superiors, but Veronica decided against it. There was no point in bothering them with minutia until there was something more to tell. Her weekly status report would be sufficient to prove that she was taking the assignment seriously.

Next, Veronica logged into her secure account through the naval annex and searched for information on the incident the S&R team was busy assisting. A small plane, no more than 60 passengers and crew, had left Hawaii en route to Alaska, intent on skirting up the coast after making stops in southern California and Portland.

So far, no one had heard from the crew. They’d simply gone off radar, disappearing into the darkness.

Veronica searched within a few more classified databases and learned the last known location of the plane, and then picked up some data on where the search efforts would be located. She found a list of agencies who would be involved in the search, then scrolled through until she found one that she had a connection to, even if it was a tenuous connection at best.

“Chugger, I need to call in a favor,” she typed out furiously in a text message. “Gotta get out to that airplane’s search site, can you take me by boat?”

Her phone dinged with a message only a few minutes later.

“Ronnie? Seriously? How ya been! Yeah, I can take you out there. Gimme ten, then I’ll head to the dock. Will take another twenty to get down to your neck of the woods.”

“Thanks, I’ll be there. Slip 28. Now I’ll be the one to owe you.”

With her transportation secured, Veronica set to work suiting up for the trip and throwing some essentials in a waterproof pack. She raced out the door to meet the boat, determined to get what she needed.

* * *

T
he S
&R team worked alongside city and county rescue officials long into the night, following the pinging signal from the plane. Sometime around midnight, Tanner entered the water and reached the first victim, who was still clinging to a piece of wreckage; hypothermia had set in before help had arrived. He and Jake retrieved body after body, pulling them from the waves and helping the boat teams haul them aboard.

The teams followed the trail of wreckage in the direction of the current, and finally had their first victory: a life raft full of passengers, cold and frightened, staring back at the halogen beams that lit up the water’s surface.

Tanner and Angel took the jump into the cold Pacific waters while Jake maintained visual and radio contact with them. The divers secured the lines from the raft to the S&R helicopter in order for Jake to lower a basket to pull up two critically injured passengers. Once those two were on board, the divers stayed with the raft until a boat reached them, calming their fears as best they could as they helped the remaining passengers on board.

As the victims left the raft for the safety of the boat one by one, a smaller vessel pulled up alongside and deposited Madison into the raft. She followed the injured up into the helicopter via the basket, then Tanner and Angel made their way back aboard through their winch-operated harnesses. Madison assessed the patients, then she and Tanner stabilized them while Michael veered back towards the nearest port.

In the chaos of the lengthy rescue operation, no one noticed a smaller boat darting among the pieces of floating debris, scanning the area in between the various rescue boats. Veronica watched everything through night vision goggles, intent on finding out how this group operated.