SEAL Under Siege (Men of Valor) (16 page)

SIXTEEN

“P
etty Officer Damaris Dominguez, I’d like you to meet Staci Hayes.” Tristan pointed in Staci’s direction, and the petty officer, second class, reached out to shake hands with her new ward.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Dominguez didn’t look old enough to have graduated college, let alone old enough to watch over his Staci. But there wasn’t time to question his decision or second-guess the plan. Staci needed a safe place to stay, and the CO’s office was as good as any on the base. Of course, the CO was seeing to his official responsibilities for the commissioning. He was schmoozing senators and other distinguished guests, so there should be no one to bother Staci and Dominguez. They could stay behind the locked door until he gave the all-clear.

Somehow that wasn’t helping to soothe the pounding in his chest.

“You have your orders?” he asked. “No one but my team in or out of this office until we give the all-clear.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned to Staci, whose eyes were marked by a shadow. “Will you be careful?” she asked.

“I’m always careful.”

She smoothed the cotton of his shirt, her eyes never making it north of his collar. “I’m serious. We still don’t know what’s out there, or who’s involved.”

“We have every contingency plan in place.” He cupped her cheek, desperate to push through the barrier that had separated them since the night of Jasper’s birth. “There are Feds, agency and SEAL personnel swarming over this base. We won’t let anyone get hurt.”

Her smile wavered and she dropped her hands to her sides. He missed her touch immediately. “I’m not worried about just anyone. I’m— Well, just be careful. All right.”

She’d been about to say that she was worried about him. He was sure of it.

That definitely didn’t slow down his pulse. To do his job well, he had to leave her side. And that wasn’t going to change on another mission. He was always going to have to leave. But it tore him open to even think of not having her to come back to each time. Could they make it work?

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he held on to her shoulders, keeping her at arm’s length. “I’ll be back. Just don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone. All right?”

Her smile cut through him, and he had to physically hold himself back. If Dominguez had been anywhere else, he’d have hauled off and kissed her again. At least once.

Probably more than that.

He closed the door behind him before he thought about scrapping the whole operation, clearing the base and letting the ship sink.

But he hadn’t invested years in training and service to the navy and his country to give up because of a girl. He wasn’t that man.

Even if he did love her.

He’d just have to keep her safe long enough to make sure the base was secure and no one would ever threaten Staci again. Then he’d tell her he didn’t like her idea about fresh starts.

He didn’t like it at all.

“You ready?” Matt fell into step beside him as he exited the administrative office building.

Tristan let out a long breath between tight lips. Any other op, and he’d have agreed wholeheartedly. But not this time. This was different. “How do you do it every time?”

Matt frowned and gave a small shake of his head. “What?”

“How do you leave Ashley—and now Jasper—at home every time you’re on an operation? Doesn’t that eat you up?”

“Man, you’ve got to realize that she’s not yours to take care of anyway. Never was.” Matt popped Tristan on the chest with the back of his hand. “We’re not promised any moment beyond this one, no matter what our line of work or hers.”

“Sure. I know. I just— Sometimes I wonder, what if I had been here?”

Matt stopped walking as they reached their rendezvous point, his head cocked to the side. “You talking about Phoebe?”

Tristan fit his earpiece and lip mic into place before responding. “Those carjackers targeted her because she was alone. If I’d been in town—”

“You would have done what? Refused to let her drive to and from work by herself, the same way she did all the time? You really think you could have changed the outcome of that day?”

Pain shot through his temple. He didn’t like that question. “Maybe.”

“Maybes’ll kill your peace. You’re either going to trust that God will protect her or you’ll drive yourself crazy. You’re not in control.”

“Is that how you make it through ops and deployments?”

Matt’s eyes turned soft, and he was clearly thinking about Ashley. “You better believe that I’ll do everything in my power to protect my wife and son. But what’s not in my power is so much more than what is. You know that. You see it on every mission.” He flicked his mic on and the rest of his words came through Tristan’s earpiece. “You’ve got to trust her to someone who can handle that ‘so much more.’”

Matt was right.

But could he do it? Could he give up the role of protector to the true Protector?

Willie G., Zig and River joined them, each wearing their BDUs and armed with minimal visible weapons. They clipped their earpieces into place, all performing a quick test of the equipment.

“All right, L.T. What’s the plan?” Willie’s shoulders shook as if he were eager to get to work.

“Rock and I are going to check on the carrier. We’ve got guards standing at every entrance, but we’ll confirm that no one has entered or exited the ship today. Zig, Willie and River, you’ll be scanning the crowd, mingling and keeping your eyes and ears open. The FBI says that the target is certainly the
Rockefeller,
so we’re keeping the public far from it. But as far as the crowd knows, you all are basic MPs. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Three voices in unison sounded through the bud in his ear.

“Keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. And remember that he could be one of us.”

“One of the five of us?” Willie’s voice rose in surprise.

“No. You guys were all with me the whole day that we broke Staci out of that jail.”

“Right.”

River leaned forward, always the last to speak, but usually the most thoughtful. “What about the outside of the ship? What if an explosive was attached under the waterline? Wouldn’t be visible, but it sure could do damage.”

“Yes. Paisley’s boat crew is in the water, checking for something like that.” Tristan swallowed, forcing himself to say the rest. “But I have a feeling he’ll want to put it in place himself to make sure nothing goes wrong. We know he has a trident tattoo and a good knowledge of the harbor, so if he isn’t stationed here now, he probably was once. He’ll know how to blend in with a crowd, just like you do. So go blend and look for someone who could be you.

“And if you see anything, radio it in. We’ve got FBI surveillance working the gate entrance and in the MPs office. Identify and subdue him. Easy as that. Any questions?”

“No, sir.”

“All right. Let’s do this. And Willie, try not to scare any kids.”

Amidst Willie’s blustering and the others’ guffaws, they split, going to their assignments. Tristan took the lead as he and Matt jogged toward the enormous ship. At the gangway, he stopped to speak with the petty officer, third class, stationed on the pier. The young man snapped his salute, and Tristan quickly returned the gesture.

“Petty Officer Trainor, has anyone entered or exited the ship today?”

“Yes, sir.”

Tristan’s heart picked up speed. “Were you not given orders that no one was to enter or exit this vessel?”

The kid’s eyes grew wide at the strained tone of Tristan’s words. “Yes, sir. But the captain requested to come aboard. He was delivering a package of personal items. He dropped it off just an hour ago.”

He glanced at Matt, whose eyes reflected the same adrenaline rush. “Captain who?”

“Captain Crawford, the XO.” The kid wasn’t much over twenty, and his eyes swept back and forth nervously between the two SEALs. “He said he had permission, showed me his documentation.”

Tristan’s chest hurt, his lungs suddenly refusing to work. A dagger jabbed into his temple, and his ears rang, Crawford’s face swimming before his eyes. His stomach rolled at the very idea that the base’s XO could be a traitor. He had the respect of an entire naval base, and he’d thrown it away. For what?

Whatever the Lybanian terrorists had given him, it wouldn’t be worth it when Tristan found him. He had stood right next to Crawford at the ball, chatting about Staci as if she were just another pretty girl.

Well, she wasn’t just any pretty girl.

She was
his
pretty girl, and he wasn’t about to let Crawford lay another hand on her.

There was no time to explain to the kid the error of his ways. Instead Tristan said, “Is he still on there? Or did he leave?”

“Yes, sir. He left, sir.”

Tristan didn’t wait for more, instead barreling past Trainor, Matt at his six.

At the top of the gangway, he motioned to Matt. “You like him for a bomb guy or is he just a delivery boy?”

Matt nodded. “If he left that pipe for Staci that you told me about, building the bombs himself is probably where he’s most comfortable. He was an active SEAL, right?”

Tristan spoke into his mic. “Salano, you there?”

“Right here, L.T. What do you have?”

“Captain Crawford. I think he’s our guy.” Several men on the channel hissed in shock, although no one said anything. “Everyone keep your eyes out for him. Salano, can you check his background for me? I need to know his specialty. I’m guessing explosives and demo, but I need to know everything you’ve got.”

“On it. Give us a few minutes.”

“I’m not sure how much time we have.” Tristan flipped off his mic. “You think it’s got a timer?”

Matt shook his head as he took off running. “I have no idea. Until I see it, I won’t know.”

“If it were your device?”

“Yeah, I’d have a timer.” He paused. “And I’d have a backup.”

Blood roared through Tristan’s ears, and he took a deep breath. He had to keep his head until they could find it. Push out everything but the facts in front of him.

At least he didn’t have to worry about Staci’s safety.

Matt paused on the deck, straight across from the six-story tower adorned with communication and radar antenna known as the island. It was the command center of the ship, the location of the bridge and the controls. Without it, the vessel was little more than a hunk of floating metal. “If his explosive was small enough to carry on, he’s probably not trying to sink the ship. He’s looking to seriously disable it and set off a fireworks show. Only one place to do that on a carrier.”

Their boots thudded across the pristine flight deck as they raced into the narrow confines of the first floor, the flight deck control.

They ducked below every counter, peering into every crevice, hunting for the package that Crawford had delivered. Their flashlights did little in the cramped, windowless confines of the lowest level of the island.

The first two floors were empty, and even though they had the light through the windows to aid the search of the third level, they were still stumped. It wasn’t until they reached the bridge—the level second from the top—that they found a telltale box. Right beneath the captain’s leather chair.

“L.T., we found something on Crawford.” Salano’s voice came into his ear. “When he was an active SEAL twenty years ago, he was known for his creative explosive devices. Including nearly invisible trip wires. Watch yourself.”

* * *

Staci tried again to start up a conversation with Damaris, but had no luck. She was sure that the other woman had some insight as to what was happening outside the confines of the office. She just wasn’t sharing it. After pacing every wall, inspecting every plaque, Staci needed news from beyond.

“Did L.T. tell you when he would be in touch?”

“No, ma’am. I expect you’ll know as soon as I do.”

Staci cringed at the formal moniker. She wasn’t a ma’am yet. She probably wasn’t even much older than the petty officer. But the infuriatingly calm sailor kept her seat in one of the two plush chairs in front of the enormous oak desk.

“Do you have a way to connect with them? A radio signal we could listen to or something like that?”

“No, ma’am.”

She wrung her hands, anything to keep them busy. Tristan could be anywhere out there, facing who knew what. What if he came face-to-face with the man she’d seen?

She wanted to pray for his safety. She wanted that sense of peace she knew came from heaven above. She wanted to wrap her arms around Tristan, knowing that she could be everything he ever wanted.

As regrets for the unchangeable past and fear for the uncertain present mixed, her hands began to shake, and she turned her back on Damaris, folding her hands and leaning against the wall next to the coat closet.
Oh, Lord, keep Tristan safe.
They were the only words that would form, and she repeated them over and over again.

Until three rapid thumps on the door jerked both women’s attention to the door.

The knob unlocked, then turned and the captain with the salt-and-pepper hair that she’d met at the ball poked his head inside the room.

Damaris jumped to her feet and saluted the senior officer. “Sir.”

He waved a quick salute that set Damaris back to normal and offered an apologetic smile. “Excuse me, ladies. Lieutenant Sawyer has been detained, but he’d like to speak with you, Petty Officer.”

Apprehension fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Staci shot a questioning glance at Damaris, who also wore furrowed brows and a frown.

“I’m sorry, sir. Lieutenant Sawyer asked me to stay here until he returned. I’m not to leave her side.”

“Oh.” The captain frowned and looked at his watch. “Well, I suppose I could stay with her while you go see to L.T.’s request.”

Staci pressed a hand over her quivering middle when he gave her a smooth grin. She shook her head at Damaris. Something was wrong. Tristan had said that he or someone from his team would come. And she’d barely met this man.

But Damaris’s face had relaxed and she nodded. “All right. I’ll be right back.” She sailed out of the room, not even looking back when the captain closed and locked the door behind her. Staci noticed four angry scratches that marred the back of his hand. They were too wide to be from animal claws.