Shadowed (24 page)

Nick nodded to the rest of the team as they paused at the door.

“You guys don't need to hear this.” X waved at the rest of the team. His Wisconsin
nasal accent leaked through under pressure, and Nick grinned. So different from Kaylan
and Micah's Southern drawl that stretched and deepened when they were tired. As Nick
approached X, he noted black circles under his eyes. His shoulders slumped slightly
as he leaned against the wall, an unusual pose for the military man.

X sighed and hung his head. “I don't know what to tell you two, and I'm not entirely
sure what to do here. We are highly trained to take on all enemies, but we usually
don't count on them terrorizing our domestic space.” He looked up and met their
gazes, his eyes carrying a new weight and a warning. Nick tensed.

The military bravado faded away, leaving only their friend. “Logan is one thing,
but Kaylan . . . she hits you both at the heart. Can you handle what's coming without
doing something stupid?”

“C'mon, X . . . ”

He held up a hand silencing Micah. “Ever heard of Rudyard Kipling?” He didn't wait
for an answer as he began to pace the small space in front of them. “He was a poet
and writer in the late 1800s, early 1900s.”

Micah snickered. “Man, seriously?”

“What are you laughing at, Bulldog? I may be a po' boy from Wisconsin, but I took
several literature classes in college.”

Micah choked back his laughter. Nick inwardly chuckled, loving the depth some people
hid that emerged in unexpected situations. It astounded him that X could and chose
to wax philosophical.

X continued as if Micah hadn't interrupted. “Kipling wrote this poem called ‘The
Law of the Jungle,' which reminds me a lot of the teams. One of the lines says, ‘For
the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.'”
He came to a standstill in front of them again.

“That makes sense. We're trained to live or die together. As an individual, we can
ring the bell in training and quit, but each man's success is largely determined
by how well he can contribute and compel his team to greatness,” Micah responded,
his grin fading.

“So you're comparing us to a wolf pack?” Nick processed. “We're only as strong as
our weakest member. Only as united as the least loyal man. That's why we all specialize
in different skills and spend so much time traveling to schools all over the country.”

X's voice dropped an octave, gravelly and insistent, passion and
something else,
almost desperation dripping from each word. “The strength of the team is the SEAL,
and the strength of the SEAL is the men around him. This business with Janus hit
home for you two more than anyone else on the team. But Janus is another target like
anyone else, and we have a job to do, regardless of personal cost. We need you two
to be one hundred percent.”

Nick bit his tongue, frustration flooding every nerve and setting them on fire. To
say that this pursuit wasn't personal was a lie. But he knew how to do his job, and
he did it with pure focus, pure passion, and pure adrenaline.

“We've got this,” Nick affirmed, and Micah followed with a nod.

Skepticism clouded X's eyes, and he ran a hand over his head. Lines ringed his face,
whether from war or from two divorces and a third marriage, Nick didn't know. He
couldn't miss this manhunt. They had to end this.

“Let's get it done.” With a final swig of his coffee, X nodded and exited the room.
Micah and Nick left the building without speaking. When they reached Nick's Jeep,
they paused. The sun hung low in a blue sky smudged with a few cotton white clouds.
Nick noticed the tension in Micah's shoulders, the way his hands clenched and unclenched,
knuckles turning white. He knew the feeling. It felt like knives pricked his stomach,
and every nerve in his body stood at high alert. A car door slammed in the parking
lot, and he snapped his neck, following the sound.

Micah threw his arms over the car door. Top down and wind in their hair, Nick loved
driving the beach in this ride. But not even a surfing trip could release the anxiety
he felt.

“I don't know how to separate my heart and head from this, Hawk. I need to turn off
the emotion, turn off caring. Forget everything happening here.”

“Nah, man. You need to focus it. Your strength is your passion, Bulldog. Don't let
her take that from you, but don't let it rule you either.”

Micah growled and smacked the car with his palm.

“Hey, easy on the ride. She's my baby.”

A smile played at the corner of Micah's mouth. Somewhere in the last couple of weeks
they'd switched roles. Micah usually existed to cheer him up, be the life of the
party, and lighten the mood. Nick reached in the back of the black Jeep and tossed
a beach ball.

“C'mon. Your sister is dying to get us ready for the party.”

Micah looked up at the sinking sun. “Think we'll get a full moon tonight?” He howled
and laughed as they climbed in the car.

“If we do, it will only enhance your true nature.”

“What, handsome beast?”

Nick chuckled as they peeled out of the parking lot and pulled off base. “Nope.”
He winked at Micah as he slipped on his shades and gunned the engine. “I was thinking
more yappy mutt.”

The wind sucked away Micah's loud protests, and Nick took a moment to let the sun,
wind, and drive tear away the worry. They worked hard and played hard, and Janus
would not control his life. Of that, he remained absolutely certain. X's words echoed
in his ears as his mind settled in. His strength came from his belief in God, his
country, and his new family. He couldn't separate that, but he could allow it to
motivate him.

As they pulled into their driveway, the familiar gray paneling of their home welcomed
him, Kaylan's car in front. His mind whirled with X's words. He knew he had to be
ready. He muttered under his breath as they opened the door, “For the strength of
the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”

Chapter 29

N
ICK WOULD NEVER
be able to show his face around the team again. Already he felt
emasculated, and he hadn't even changed clothes yet. True to her wish, Kaylan and
Nick were going as Alice and the Mad Hatter. He didn't mind dressing up, but he loathed
makeup. Nevertheless, his face cracked and tightened under layers of white face paint.

“Hold still, babe. You're making it crack.” She ran a blush brush over his cheek
and studied the picture of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter that she had printed and
taped to the bathroom mirror.

“You may need to give me a list of what I can and can't do tonight. Because I will
forget not to move and smile.”

She shoved him. “Don't get smart,” she said with a smile in her voice. “You can be
still for me right now, though.”

“Did you know it is near impossible to make a SEAL be still unless you stick us under
a hide with a gun in our hands? That's life or death. This . . . ” He gestured to
the mirror where the painted face of a stranger stared back at him. “Well, actually,
this might be a death wish.”

She laughed. “Shut up and quit whining.” She replaced the blush and picked up eye
makeup. Before she could open it, he reached for her waist and pulled her onto his
lap.

“Nick!” She giggled as he poked her ribs. “We don't have time for this.”

He kissed her shoulder, resting his forehead there. “There's always time for this.”

She grew still and slipped her arm around his neck. “Rough day?”

He shook his head, realizing the events of the day seemed distant with her in his
arms. His world, his life was right here, no matter how many silly costumes he wore.
He'd do anything for her. His gaze drifted to the long brown velvet coat hanging
on the bathroom door and the purple and lime green scarf draped over it. He cringed.
He really would do anything.

“Tell me why we are going in this getup again.”

“I thought it would be fun and cute.” Her green eyes seemed fathomless, like a forest
that kept going forever—one he couldn't wait to explore. After the past eleven months
they were as familiar to him as his own. Mascara dressed eyelashes he knew to be
a shade darker than her auburn hair. Freckles dusted her pixy nose and cheeks, fading
the less time they spent at the beach. Her auburn hair fell straight around her shoulders,
ready to be tucked under a blonde wig she'd purchased to play the part of Alice.

“SEALs don't do cute.”

“Well, then think of it as very macho. It takes a real man to play the Mad Hatter.”

“Yeah, but we could have been anything.”

Her eyes lowered, hiding under her lashes, and Nick's curiosity was piqued. “I'm
guessing there is more to this than fun and games.”

She shrugged and her fingers wound into the hair on the back of his head. “I think
Alice in Wonderland
reminds me to believe the smallest person can make the biggest
difference. The impossible is always possible.”

Her fingers drifted through his hair, sending shivers down his
back. He leaned into
her touch, gentle but firm, just like her. His Kaylan.

“I used to think we were impossible. That somehow our meeting each other was a mistake.
Now I realize it wasn't the right time, and that if it is the Lord's perfect plan,
all things are possible.” A smile lit her lips. “Even a relationship between a California
Navy SEAL and a Southern homebody. And even when it seemed like no hope existed for
us.” A blush colored her cheeks, as a certain sadness wilted her expression. “Amazing
what the Lord brought through the death of my best friend.” Her fingers drifted to
his face. His breath caught at her tenderness. “He gave me you.”

He cradled her face in his hands, in awe that after the mistakes of his past, the
Lord would grant him this precious gem. “You're amazing, you know that?” He lowered
her face to his and whispered against her lips, “A virtuous woman, who can find?
Her worth is far above rubies.” Their lips met, and in their touch he felt all the
longing for something more. He felt a future.

Pulling back, he rested his forehead on hers. “You'll mess up your makeup,” she protested,
standing up and opening the eye shadow case. “Good thing we didn't put your lipstick
on yet.”

“My what?”

Her lips curled over her teeth, hiding a smile. “Close your eyes.”

He rolled his eyes and acquiesced. He'd humored her this much. Might as well take
the full beating. He peeked at the picture taped on the mirror. Bright frizzy hair
stuck out from a top hat with a bow tied around it. A white face stared back at him
with pink ringing the eyes and lips. White mascara hung from the eye lashes. He snapped
his eyes shut and groaned. This would either be really great, or he would never hear
the end of it.

Kaylan's fingers cupped his face, tilting it up to the light as the brush made a
smooth arc beneath his eyes. He could smell lavender perfume and her vanilla shampoo
each time she moved or
flung her hair. He reached for her legs, squeezing right behind
her knee, causing her to squeal and laugh.

“Nick Carmichael, be still.”

He opened his eyes and studied her, concentration etched in the muscles of her face
and a smile curving her lips, her creative juices flowing as she transformed his
face into a maniacal masterpiece.

“So anything's possible, hmm?”

She met his eyes for a moment and a faint blush colored her cheeks. “Anything's possible.”

“Does that mean it just might be possible for me to ask you to marry me?”

She stilled at his words and met his eyes, curiosity clouding her face. “Are you
asking?”

He grinned. “I'm planning on it. But not just yet. Not like this. I just want to
make sure you actually believe what you're saying. We can make this work. You're
willing to go where I go and be part of this patchwork family from all over the country.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and her Southern drawl seeped through, causing
his heart to leap. “Darlin', you're stuck with me.”

“Perfect.” He looked in the mirror and determined the job done. Without hesitating,
he stood up and kissed her, her mouth moving perfectly with his.

“I don't think I've ever seen a guy kiss a girl and have more makeup on than she
does,” Micah observed from the door. He crunched down on an apple, his arms folded
on his chest. Megan had decided to go with Jay, so Micah chose his own costume. He
wore a skintight green tank top with a turtle shell resembling abs on the front.
A red mask sat loosely around his eyes, and a thin bandana ringed his head.

Nick pulled back from Kaylan as she chuckled and turned to face her brother. “Check
you out. You'll stop hearts at the party.”

Nick did a doubletake. “Are you kidding me? He gets to go as
one of the ninja turtles
and I'm wearing a wig and makeup? Who are the other three?”

“Jay, Colt, and Titus. We decided not to tell you when we found out what Kaylan had
in mind. Better to let you humiliate yourself than have you change your mind at the
last minute.”

Kaylan's hand rested over her mouth, but her eyes sparkled. Nick grabbed her around
the waist. “I must really love you to put up with this.”

“All right, all right. I give up.” Kaylan laughed and ripped away from him, hurrying
to her brother's side.

Micah stopped chewing for a moment, hearing such strong sentiment for the first
time. A wicked grin spread across his face as Kaylan slipped out of the bathroom
to change. “You better mean it too. I have a mean set of nunchucks tonight, and I'm
not afraid to use them.” With that he strutted from the room, leaving Nick to don
the rest of his ensemble, secretly admiring his girlfriend's ingenuity and dreading
his teammate's comments.