Navy SEAL Seduction (19 page)

The soft golden glow of lamplight came from his suite. Lacey quietly walked inside and then ground to an abrupt halt.

Dressed entirely in black, Jarrett sat at the dining table, smearing black greasepaint on his face. A wicked straight knife hung on his belt, near his sidearm. He looked dangerous—the kind of quiet lethalness you would not want to encounter in the night.

Ace was next to him, dressed the same, his normally cheerful grin gone, his face darkened. Dread filled her. He looked up, his body tensing.

“You really are leaving and returning to the Navy. And you’re not coming back.” It hurt to say the words aloud.

“I’m sorry, Lace. I stopped by to see you, but you were sleeping.” He stood, stretching well over six feet and suddenly he seemed as remote as the moon. Inaccessible, an operator who moved in far different circles than she did.

She felt herself mentally shrink into a tiny ball, curled up tight much as Fleur had been sleeping on the bed. At the table, Ace watched her with a guarded look then nodded.

“Iceman, meet me in my room in ten.”

Then Aimee’s brother slipped out, leaving her alone with Jarrett.

Hugging herself, she stared at him. “So this is it. I’d kiss you goodbye, but I don’t want to get greasepaint all over me.”

The lighthearted tone masked her grief and the questions she didn’t dare ask.
Will I ever see you again? Are they sending you someplace dangerous again? Will I hear about you from a phone call or on the news?

Will I finally get the dead letter you always write before you deploy?

He crossed the room, seeming taller than ever, more bulky with muscle and much more serious. This was Jarrett, who had made her feel such exquisite passion, who had bonded with her, had seen inside her heart.

This was a stranger, but one with the power to break her heart.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Sweetheart.” Reaching out, he cupped her cheek with his left, clean hand, thumbing her skin in a tender caress. “I don’t want to leave you, but I must. Do everything Aimee tells you.”

“They’re going to send transport for us.”

At his silence, she knew her instinct had been right. “They’re going to evacuate us from here and stage an invasion.”

“You’ll be safe,” he said softly. “I promise, with all my heart.”

I promise I’ll always be there for you
. Yet it had been a shattered vow. He dropped his hand.

“Don’t make vows you can’t keep, Lt. Adler.”

“Lace...” He started to reach for her, but she stepped back.

“Goodbye, Jarrett.”

She fled out the door, not bothering to look back.

CHAPTER 17

I
nside the captain’s stateroom on board the USS
Tornado
the next morning, Jarrett stared at his CO, his emotions swirling like the patrol boat’s namesake. They had been debriefed, and his head spun. He had tried not to think of the hurt on Lacey’s face when she’d left him, the way her body had pulled in tight, as if trying to draw herself into a tight shell.

Must focus on the job at hand.

The Zodiac had brought them to the patrol boat sitting offshore, where a full-scale US military operation stood by to be launched. He, Ace, Captain Luke Callahoun and Rear Admiral Kurt Walters sat at the conference table.

The USS
Tornado
was a compact patrol boat perfect for staging a coastal invasion. With its machine guns, automatic cannons and Stinger antiaircraft missiles, it was a deadly blip off the coast of St. Marc. Nine SEALs from his team stood ready to detach and invade from the
Tornado
. Another SEAL team was on board the USS
Jack Smart
. And along with eight Army Spec Ops teams, there were marines and eight warships off shore conducting battle exercises near the harbor of the capital.

All that firepower and Lacey was still on the island. Damn it.

“The president has decided to not wait for Congressional approval of an invasion.” Admiral Walters looked neutral as he relayed the news. “Despite the constant, ah, urgings of Ambassador Rossin, POTUS is convinced an invasion is the only way to restore democracy.”

“Our goal is to protect US citizens who insist on staying on St. Marc, as well as keep order during the invasion as we kick General Montana’s ass out and restore power to the newly elected president,” Callahoun said.

Admiral Walters pointed to the strategic map displayed on the computer screen on the wall. “Operation Restore Freedom plans for simultaneous entry in several key areas around the island. We don’t want to engage unless necessary. The USS
Jack Smart
will be the launching craft for spec ops forces, joined by the USS
Donald Fischer
. We have 20,000 troops standing ready to invade, and then when power is restored to President Salles, a peacekeeping force of 4,000 UN soldiers will take over.”

“Has State urged all US citizens to leave St. Marc?” Jarrett tried to keep his restlessness in check. “Are our guys sending a transport?”

“No. POTUS is still hoping for a diplomatic solution, and Ambassador Rossin is working around the clock with State to convince Montana to stand down. Most US citizens have already departed on commercial aircraft.”

Captain Callahoun leaned forward. “Senator Stewart has specifically requested the evac of his daughter and Ace’s sister and her family. No military intervention. We don’t want locals to know and alert the St. Marc Army, so the senator has made arrangements to charter a yacht to transport the civilians. They’re to report to the marina at Paix Beach at 1300.”

His CO kept his gaze centered on Jarrett. “Miss Stewart and her party will board the USNS
Comfort
and remain there until arrangements are made to transport them safely back to the States.”

Jarrett’s head spun. At least Lace would be evacuated, and the
Comfort
was a Navy hospital ship, not a combat vessel. But he worried about Fleur.

“What about Fleur? Lacey’s adopted daughter?”

“She will be allowed to join her mother. Senator Stewart is working out the last-minute arrangements for her passport and entry papers,” his CO told him.

Relief filled him. The diplomats at State could figure out the logistics. At least if Lacey had her daughter, she might be coaxed into leaving.

His CO looked at Ace. “You’re still on medical leave, but you’ll be providing our preinvasion teams with intel necessary for recon. You know the area better than anyone else.”

Ace ground his jaw and stared stonily at their CO. “I’m good to go, sir.”

“No, and that’s an order, Chief Petty Officer.” Callahoun softened his voice. “I need you at full capacity.”

Ace gave a brief nod, but Jarrett sensed the defiance in his friend. He knew Ace’s stubborn streak.

He only hoped his ex-wife’s famous stubborn streak would not surface when she was ordered to board the
Comfort
.

When the meeting was over, Jarrett pulled out his cell. He went on deck to call Lacey. Wind whipped his clothing, and the breeze was refreshing, but did not cool the sweat on his brow.

Lacey answered on the first ring.

“You’re being evaced tomorrow,” he told her.

“My father told me. We have to board the yacht at one o’clock. For a deep-sea fishing cruise.” Her scornful sniff carried through the phone, loud and clear. “We’re leaving while everyone else, all our friends, remain here. And what’s going to happen to them, Jarrett? Will they get caught in the cross fire?”

“Get on that boat, Lace. That’s all I can tell you.” He softened his voice. “Fleur needs her mom. She needs you to be safe and alive.”

“She’ll be on the boat.”

Worry needled him. “Promise me, Lacey. Promise me you’ll be there with her.”

Promise me you’ll be in a safe place so I can do my job.
Promise me we can see each other again and regain what we lost.

Promise you won’t hate me for leaving you again
...

A heavy sigh. “I promise.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw two of his SEAL teammates approach. Then a tiny whisper came over the phone, so faint he almost missed it for the wind and the chatter of his teammates mugging it up.

“I love you, Jarrett,” she whispered. “Even if I never see you again, I know this much is true.”

He gripped the phone tightly, his heart constricting. “Love you, too, beautiful.”

Thumbing off the connection, he stood motionless for a moment. His SEAL teammates, Cooper and Scott, jostled him.

“I loooo-ve you,” Cooper sang out.

He grabbed Scott’s arm and fluttered his eyelashes. “You’re so boo-ti-ful, I could die.”

Jarrett gave the ghost of a smile and told them to do something anatomically impossible. Then he studied Coop, relieved to see his buddy looking more relaxed, the shadows gone from his eyes. Last month they had lost Max, a Belgian Malinois dog who had been conducting recon on a mission. Coop had formed a deep attachment with Max, growing almost as close to the dog as his handler had. Max was killed flushing out a tango, and took a bullet that surely would have hit Coop.

“Hey, Coop. Good to see you again.” Jarrett nodded at him.

“Same here, LT.”

These guys were his buddies, his friends. His family.

Not Lacey. They were no longer together, and he wasn’t sure if they ever would be again after this.

He stared at the coastline. Lights glowed sporadically along the shore, but mostly it was dark, for the electricity was still not working.

He could only hope and pray Lacey would board the yacht tomorrow that would start her journey safely home.

Because by tomorrow night, if they got the green light to go, he wasn’t sure she could make it home at all.

* * *

Jarrett spent the next day prepping and going over the plans with his team. They would approach the shoreline at Paix Beach at 0200 and secure the hotel, for intel said the army was headed there in the morning to commandeer it as a command post.

He hoped to hell Lacey would meet that yacht.

And then late afternoon, adrenaline pumping, they got the news the invasion had been canceled, thanks to a last minute intervention. General Montana had resigned and left the country, but US forces would remain on the ground to ensure a peaceful takeover of power by the democratically elected president of St. Marc.

His team was itching for action, not to stand down, but Jarrett felt nothing but relief. He awaited further orders, while Ace made a call to his sister. He tried calling Lacey, but her cell went to voice mail.

Not a big deal. Cell service on the yacht must be sketchy. Once on board the
Comfort
, he could reach her.

Then at 1700, Ace got a call from a frantic Aimee. She and the twins and Fleur were safe on board the
Comfort
. But Lacey had not been with them.

Jarrett took the phone from Ace. “Aimee? What the hell happened?”

He tried to keep cool, keep his voice calm. Panic wouldn’t help.

Ace’s sister sounded close to tears. “I’m so sorry, Jarrett. I tried to get her to go with us, but she insisted she had to return to her home because Rose had called in a panic and said she needed money. Price gouging is happening all over St. Marc and without that money, the women at Marlee’s Mangoes will go hungry. Lace said she would take my bow rider from the marina and catch up with us. We waited and waited and delayed the trip to the
Comfort
, but she never showed up. I called her cell and it goes to voice mail. I don’t know where she is!”

Aimee burst into tears and began to sob.

His heart pounded a crazy beat, but he forced his mind to focus. “Did she go alone back to the compound? Aimee? I need you to tell me everything. Think! Who is there with you?”

Finally, she gulped audibly. “Sam and Fleur. Lacey wouldn’t let anyone go with her, but Gene tailed her back to the compound. I tried calling him but no answer on his phone, either.”

Relief filled him. The man was good. “Put Sam on the line. Now.”

Sam spoke quietly, his tone grim. “Sir. I’m sorry, I wanted to go with Gene, but I felt responsible for getting Aimee and her children and Fleur to the
Comfort
. I’m headed back to the compound now for Gene.”

“No. Stay there with Aimee and the girls. I need you there. I’ll send word soon as I can.”

He hung up, feeling the cold sweat trickle down his backside. Ace narrowed his eyes. “Son of a bitch. Someone has them both.”

“Maybe. I’m headed back.”

“Word is we’re shipping back to the States, Ice.” His friend’s gaze remained steady. “You gonna go AWOL, I suggest you do it now. I’m with you.”

“No. She’s my responsibility.”

He headed toward the bridge, but before he got there, he ran into Callahoun. His CO rubbed his jaw and looked weary.

“I just got off the phone with Senator Stewart. He’s tried to call his daughter and there’s no answer. He puts the blame on you and he’s making waves in DC.”

Jarrett clenched his teeth. “It is my fault, sir, for not overseeing her evac.”

“You were under orders to report for duty. I’m giving you a direct order now, Ice.” The captain’s gaze flicked to Ace, who had followed. “Return to Miss Stewart’s house. Find her and bring her to the
Comfort
. This is a black op, off the books. Understand? I have no clearance on this mission.”

He nodded, his chest tight. If anything happened to them, they would receive no help. No official records.

“I understand, sir. I’m on my own.”

Callahoun smiled grimly. “No, you’re not. The entire squad is going with you.”

An hour later the sleek black combat boat dropped off Jarrett, Cooper and Ace a few miles from Lacey’s compound. They found a vehicle near the road and Ace hot-wired it.

When they arrived at the compound, it was deserted. No security. No trace of the women, or Rose. Lacey’s house had been wrecked, looking much like Paul Lawrence’s had. Inside the mango factory, everything had been smashed. It looked like looters had caused the destruction.

He knew it was not.

Jarrett heard a low moan come from the storage room and raced toward it. He opened the deep freezers. In the first one lay a woman. Rose, her eyes wide open in an expression of fear and pain. Jarrett felt her pulse.

“She’s gone.”

Damn it. In the second one, a man lay there, curled on his side. Blood streamed from his head.

Gene. Badly hurt, but still alive.

They gently lifted him out, mindful of the head wound, and laid him on the floor. Ace began triage as Coop opened his bag and removed the emergency medical supplies they’d brought.

Gene opened his eyes and gasped. “Easy,” Jarrett said soothingly. “What happened?”

“Followed Lacey...here. Eavesdropped outside...it was a trap. Bastards used Rose...as bait. They killed Rose and took Lacey...” He coughed.

“His left lung’s punctured, Ice.” Ace began treating him. “Miracle he’s still alive.”

But was Lacey? “Talk fast, Gene. Where did they take her? Who?”

“Two men. White. Late 30s. Yacht... The
Crimson Jewel
. Headed to Panama. Lacey’s with them. I tried...tried saving her, but they shot me.” He smiled weakly, his skin pale. “Takes more than a bullet to keep me down.”

“Good man.”

Taking out his cell, Jarrett called his CO. He needed help. It was time to call the support of his team behind him.

He only prayed they wouldn’t be too late to save her.