Her Adoring SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 3) (2 page)

“We’ve missed you, Jack.  You should come home more often.”

He snagged a piece of cornbread, and she handed him some honey butter to put on it. 

“With food like this it’s a wonder I ever left.”

“Your mother misses you.”  Jack shot Rosa a hard look.

“No, nothing like that.  She’s fine.  That man of hers thinks the sun rises and sets on her head.  She worries when she watches the news.  We all worry, even your brother, David.”

Jack thought about his stepbrother and grinned.  It had taken awhile for them to come to terms when they first started living together, but now David was his best friend outside of his team mates.

“How is Julia?” Jack asked with a sly grin.

“How can he not see her for the cat she is?  It’s been over a year and he still hasn’t realized she wants him for his money and position.”

“He hasn’t proposed yet has he?”

“No.  I’m hoping she shows her hand before he does.”  Jack made a mental note to talk to David and see where his head was at.

“Are he and Dad going to be home tonight?”

“Just your dad.”

“I better go get ready for dinner.”  He gave Rosa a quick hug and went in search of his mom.  As he reached the great room he checked his phone and saw he’d received two calls from a San Diego number he didn’t recognize.  He called back and was soon standing against the wall listening to his commander.

“This is strictly volunteer and you can turn this down.  I know you’re on leave.  Hell, this isn’t even your own team.”  Jack rarely talked to Captain Ivers.  Most of his orders came from Lieutenant Jeffries.

“But you’re saying they asked for me, and it would be a personal favor to Captain Osterman?  Would you like me to do this, Sir?”

“Yes.  I wouldn’t be asking otherwise,” came the decisive reply.

“Where do you need me and when?”  Jack didn’t want to cut short his leave, but if this was important enough for Ivers to be calling, he wanted to help.

“Lieutenant Gault will be calling you shortly.  He heads the Midnight Delta unit.  I don’t know a lot of the details myself, but he and his team are on a special assignment.  I know it is critical, and they asked for you specifically.”

Shit.  Midnight Delta?
 “I won’t let you down.”

“I never thought you would, Preston.”

Within fifteen minutes his phone was ringing.  “Jack?”

“Lieutenant?”

“Call me Mason.  Your captain told me you signed aboard.  Great.  We need you.  You’re to head to Dallas Memorial Hospital where Clint Archer will to meet you.”

“Captain Ivers was really vague on the details.”

“Clint and other members of my team are working in conjunction with various arms of law enforcement to keep a family in protective custody.  Our team rescued them from the Mexican jungle months ago, and since then they’ve been targeted, dammit,” Mason swore.  “We’ve pushed our way back in to help with their protection.”

Mason was pissed, and Jack didn’t blame him.  “Okay, how can I help?”

“Part of my team is being deployed, I need to pull someone else to assist with this operation.  I know you’re the right man for the job.”

Jack was stunned.  Midnight Delta was legend.  The team had been together for years, and after a mission gone wrong they didn’t accept others onto their team.  This was an honor.

“Definitely.  I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

“You’re in San Antonio right now, correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I’m going to e-mail you all of the particulars including his contact information.  Get in touch with him when you land.  If you decide to drive because it’s faster, contact him when you’re close.  I don’t give a shit how you get there, just get there fast.”

“Got it.”

****

J
ack looked at the delicate woman slumped over in the molded chair. She looked so alone, but then one of the senior men in the Midnight Delta SEAL unit sat down beside her and put his arm around her. He saw how she jerked away, and found himself towering above the two before he even realized he crossed the room.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Beth” Clint said to the woman. “I forgot.”

She didn’t seem to hear him, instead, she stared at Jack. He watched as her beautiful black eyes widened with fright. She took in a lungful of air and pushed deeper into the chair. He did what he always found helpful when his size intimidated children and animals, he crouched down, smiled, and slowly held out his hand.

“Hi, I’m Jack Preston.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other SEAL eyeing every move he made.  But he gave most of his attention to the young woman in front of him. He watched as she considered whether to take his hand. When she finally touched her fingers to his, he could swear he felt a jolt of electricity. She took in a deep breath, and a flush suffused her face, and her eyes dilated.

“Elsbeth Hildago.” Her accented voice flowed like warm honey through his system.

“Beth, remember, you need to say your name is Beth Ochoa from now on. Beth and her family are the reason you’re here, Jack,” Clint said, breaking the spell.

“Beth or Elsbeth?” Jack asked the woman in front of him.

“You may call me Beth,” she whispered. Her Spanish accent made her voice sound like a melody.

Beth pulled her hand away and gripped it tightly with the other in her lap, but her gaze never wavered from his.

“How much have you been told?” Clint asked him.

“I know I’m now part of Midnight Delta.” Jack still couldn’t believe it.

“Our captain was looking for different places to hide members of her family. Places the corrupt members of the DEA, or any other agency, wouldn’t find them. Your stepfather’s ranch in San Antonio is damn near a fortress.”

Jack settled back on his heels and gave Clint a knowing smile.  He’d been courted for his family’s wealth and property in the past, this was nothing new.

“Hell Archer, my family will be more than happy to make our ranch available for your operation.  You don’t need to suddenly change your protocol and bring me onto the team.  Whichever military personnel you bring will be welcome, it sure as hell doesn’t need to be me.” Jack shook his head in amusement, and lifted his duffle to leave.

“Preston, if we didn’t believe you were the SEAL for the job we would have done exactly that. We checked you out. Your record is exceptional.  We want
and need
someone like you to join us.”

Jack scrutinized Clint’s face and saw nothing but honesty in the man’s expression. He believed him.

“Beth, this is the man I told you about. I trust him implicitly. You’ll be going with him. I wish you could stay with Lydia or your mother, but we know it will be safer if we split up your family. The rogue DEA agents aren’t going to be looking for individuals.  After what happened with the US Marshals, you’ll be safe with Jack at his family’s ranch.”

Beth’s face held a sense of desperation. It was clear she was scared, and was looking to Clint for comfort. What kind of relationship did the two of them share? If it was intimate, why was she so scared of his touch?

“Only if you promise me Lydia will go with you.  You’re the only one who’ll make her listen.  She never takes care of herself.”

“She’ll go with me and I’ll make her listen, even if I have to sit on her.”

“Where will you go?”

“Some place safe. This should all be over by the time your father testifies.”

“I won’t see my family for that long?” Her bottom lip trembled, but then, she straightened her shoulders and looked at them. “Don’t worry, I will do whatever is necessary. I won’t be a burden to you.  I promise.”

“Of course you won’t,” Jack assured her. Clint caught his eye and gave him a nod.

“My bag is packed. When do we leave?”

“You can go in and say goodbye to your family. Please don’t tell them you’re going to San Antonio,” Clint asked.

“I won’t. You can trust me.” Beth got up and left the room.

“How bad is the situation?” Jack asked Clint.

“It’s bad. They’ve been in a safe house. Lydia was in the hospital recovering from her third bout of pneumonia, and somehow the Mexican drug cartel managed to turn one of the US Marshals, and he made an attempt on her life. “

“Why is the military involved?”

“We were originally involved because a congressman was implicated in the case with the cartel and the DEA. When their father testifies here in Texas, it will come out. The senator from Texas knows this, and he pulled some strings to get us to guard the family.  Now the Marshals have fucked up, we’re back in it.”

“Damn.” Because of his stepfather, Jack knew how complicated and nasty politics could get. He was impressed the senator had stepped in.

“We don’t expect Beth to be targeted. So far, they’ve set their sights on Lydia, and as much as I hate it, we’ll continue to use her to flush them out. What’s most important for Beth is keeping her out of sight, and in an environment where she feels secure.”

“Yeah, I noticed she’s as skittish as a newborn foal.”

“She and her family were kidnapped a few months ago by members of the cartel. Lydia almost died from the beating they gave her. Beth was subjected to abuse as well. She wasn’t raped, but she was violated, and she’s scared of men.”

“My mom is at the ranch. She’ll be a good person for Beth to talk to.” Jack thought back to his younger years with his mother and birth father. Yeah, his mother would be the perfect person to help Beth.

Both men looked up as she walked back into the room.

“I’m ready.” She’d been crying. But she bravely looked at the two of them, ready for whatever came next.

****

J
ack Preston was so big. It was the first thing she noticed about him, but then he had crouched in front of her, and she started to see other things. His white-blonde hair, the laugh lines around his blue eyes, and he was younger than she originally thought.

But now they were in the big truck driving from Dallas to San Antonio, he seemed to take up all of the space in the truck. She’d been zoning, gazing at the scenery and thinking about Lydia.  Somebody had tried to kill her sister while she was in the hospital.  It was surreal. 

“Beth, are you all right? You’re awfully quiet.”

She looked over at Jack Preston, and for the first time she noticed she was alone in the truck with him.  Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. It seemed like his big presence was taking up all of the oxygen. She gasped, trying to suck in air.

“Beth, are you okay?”

He was taking an exit off the freeway. She was having trouble even noticing the wildflowers along the highway. The world seemed to be turning into a long tunnel. Oh God, she was having a panic attack. She saw a diner from a long way off, it was a pinpoint in her narrow vision. Had the truck stopped?

She finally felt a breeze, and she started to hear a voice.

“Just breathe, Beth. Breathe the air. Can you smell the flowers? Just breathe, sweetheart. In and out. Breathe with me, in and out.”

The breeze carried in the scent of the Texas wildflowers she had come to love. She felt a warm touch, so light, caressing up and down along the inside of her wrist in time with her breathing.

“In and out, Beth.” Things began to come into focus. The windows were rolled down. They were in the parking lot of a diner. She looked over and saw Jack, his eyes held nothing but calm, none of the pity she’d gotten used to.

“There you are.” He smiled. “Are you hungry? I sure am.” Just like that, he made it seem like a panic attack was no big deal. She looked at his big hands holding her forearm, and he was still stroking her wrist. She looked up into his eyes, and he gave her a warm smile.

“You have the softest skin.”

“You’re touching me,” she whispered, continuing to look into his eyes, and not feeling an immediate need to pull her arm out of his hands.

“Yes, I guess I am.”

“Nobody touches me.”

He cocked an eyebrow in question.

“Well, I never let any man touch me.  How did you do that?”  She looked back down to where his fingers still stroked her wrist.  It felt good.

“Maybe a part of you knows you can trust me.  At least this tiny little bit.”

She looked back at him and got lost in his smile. 

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Clint told you I was trustworthy and you trust him, right?”

“Oh, that must be it.”

His stomach rumbled and he laughed. She gave a tentative smile. “Stay right there.” He got out of his side of the truck, and before she could blink, he was at her side helping her out.

“I hope you like Texas barbeque, because this is some of the best in the state.” She wasn’t sure she did, but she liked the fact she wasn’t feeling uncomfortable with him anymore, so she was willing to try his barbeque.

––––––––

I
t seemed to take forever to get to the house after they went under the arch proclaiming Glendora Oaks Ranch.

“How big is this ranch anyway?” Beth asked Jack.

“It’s been in my stepfather’s family for generations. It’s ten thousand acres.”

“That must be a lot of responsibility.” Jack gave her an approving look.

“It is good you understand. Most people see it as a pile of money. Richard, my dad, and his son, David, understand they are accountable to the people who depend on them. They’re good men.”

“Why aren’t you working with them?”

“I had a different calling. I felt this need to serve and they understood.  Richard always supported me. I’ve been very blessed with this new man my mother married.” The way he said it made Beth wonder if perhaps the first man in Jack’s life had not been a blessing.

Finally, they made their way around a gentle curve, and she gasped as she saw the beautiful ranch house in front of her.

“We’re home.”

A woman was waiting on the wraparound porch, her long white-blonde hair made it clear she was related to Jack. She leaned against one of the posts near the top step.  Jack escorted Beth up the stairs.

“Mom, this is Beth Ochoa.  This is my mom, Grace Preston.”