“That’s what I intend to find out,” the admiral said with conviction. He looked from the redacted document over to the one that Stryker was reading. “How bad?” he asked softly.
“The changes could have meant death for me and my men,” Stryker said. “Fortunately, we have Buzz. He was already gathering a lot of this type of information. But he couldn’t get as much as what is here in this document.”
“Shit. I was afraid you were going to say that.” The admiral shook his head, then hit the button on his phone. “Where is the commander?”
“He’s on his way. He should be over here in just a few minutes.”
“Fine. Send him directly to my office when he arrives.”
Stryker closed up the file, wanting to see how the commander reacted before getting a glance at what Stryker had brought with him. “What’s the story on this commander?” He still watched the admiral intently, not wanting to miss any sign the admiral was trying to deceive him.
“To be honest, I don’t know much about him. He transferred here from Little Creek, Virginia, about three months ago.”
“Little Creek? Is he a SEAL?”
“A wannabe. He failed out of BUD/S training in the first few weeks at Coronado. But he wanted to stay close to the SEAL world and transferred to Little Creek a couple of years ago. I haven’t looked too deeply into why he transferred here. We don’t have an active SEAL team based here.”
“Other than us.” Stryker frowned deeply. “How common is the knowledge of our undercover assignment?”
“Need to know only.”
“Let’s keep it that way, then. When the commander arrives, I suggest we let him believe I’m from Coronado and here specifically for this assignment.”
The admiral nodded. “I agree.”
Within a few short minutes, the commander stepped into the doorway and both Stryker and the admiral stood. They saluted, and Commander Davis removed his hat and assumed an at-ease stance with his legs braced shoulder-width apart and his hands behind his back. “Reporting as requested, sir.”
“Davis, do you recall the file you brought to me about a week ago? The one where you pointed out that your team had narrowed the search for the man who’s been crossing over the border and is suspected of murdering individuals here stateside?”
“Yes, sir. I recall the file.”
“Do you want to tell me how it ended up being transmitted to our SEAL team like this?” The admiral opened Stryker’s folder and held up the redacted papers, his frown dipping even deeper than usual.
Commander Davis swallowed hard. “No, sir. I sent the file to your secretary as you requested, and I’m not familiar with what happened to it from there.”
“My secretary sent me the file he was uploading for the SEAL team. I have it right here.” He pointed to the image on the computer. “It doesn’t look at all like what they actually received. I’m going to ask you one more time, Davis, and I encourage you to think hard before you answer: How did this file end up being transmitted like this?”
Sweat was beading on Davis’s upper lip, and he swallowed again. Stryker wanted to take him out to the training room and remind the man why he had failed BUD/S training in a slow, brutal way. He was clearly lying.
“Sir, don’t you recall, sir?” His eyes were pleading with the admiral, and Stryker’s attention shifted to Haslett.
The admiral’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Recall what, sailor? What am I supposed to remember?” he barked.
“I received a memo from your office, sir, outlining the information to redact from the document. Your instructions were very specific, sir.”
“I never sent such a memo, sailor!” The admiral’s face was turning red.
“It was on your letterhead, sir. It was on my desk when I came back from hitting the head, sir.”
“Do you still have this letter?”
“No, sir. I was instructed to shred the letter, sir.” Davis looked like he was going to throw up.
“Of course you were. Take a seat, sailor. You’re about to be under military investigation. Salas, step out with me.”
“Sir.” Stryker grabbed the folder with the incorrect notes and stood quickly to follow Haslett out the door and into the hallway. Haslett slammed the door to his office shut with such force, a small cloud of dust fell from the ceiling.
“That little shit is telling the truth,” Admiral Haslett growled.
Stryker turned to face him. “I know, sir. Which makes this problem much more complicated.”
“Damn it all to hell. I’ll personally upload the corrected document. Shit. I’m going to need them to investigate my secretary as well.”
“It could be anyone, sir. It wouldn’t be that hard to get ahold of your letterhead. What this does tell us is that there’s someone with military clearance who wants this mission to fail.”
Chapter 13
The package arrived via FedEx and had his full name spelled out: LIEUTENANT AMADOR STRYKER SALAS. He never received packages with his handle included. Something felt wrong. Unease slipped down his spine as he looked at the thick envelope. Not that long ago, there had been a series of bombings in Austin, and a couple of the packages had come through FedEx.
Stryker frowned. He was being too paranoid. The bomber in Austin had been caught. Actually, he’d blown himself up when the police had closed in on him. Shaking his head at his morbid thoughts, Stryker tore open the package. The sender’s address was in Corpus Christi. Which was even more disturbing. Was this from their mysterious “friend” in the military?
He had left the base in Corpus without any further information, other than the assurances that it was all going to be investigated thoroughly. That wasn’t giving him any comfort. The team hadn’t been comforted by the news, either. Discovering that mission-critical information had been deliberately redacted based on mysterious orders from within the admiral’s office had left them all confused and frustrated.
The strange delivery he held in his hands presented a new dilemma. It was a large, flat envelope, the kind you use when you want to make sure that the contents won’t get bent or damaged during delivery. Multiple slick photos came sliding out of the envelope and tension built within his body. He picked up the first one in the stack, and the rage that filled him caused his hands to tremble.
It was a photo of him with Anya. It wasn’t just a random photo. It was a picture of her sitting in front of him on the horse, her head tilted to the side and a sleepy smile on her face as his lips pressed against her neck. This picture had been taken the first time she had come out to help with a difficult birth. Someone had been on their property, hidden within the shrubs, taking pictures of him with Anya.
The next several pictures weren’t quite as disconcerting, but they were still upsetting. There was at least one of every member of his team working on the ranch, even photos of the few times Buzz had wandered outside to join them in a task so he could learn not to be such a greenhorn. The number of pictures of him with Anya disturbed him deeply. Whoever had taken these photos and sent them, if they were one and the same person, was obviously trying to get a point across.
The team had been immersed in preparing for their infiltration of the drug cartel, and he hated to pull their minds off that important task. But they needed to know what was going on, and they needed to be wary of someone trespassing on the ranch with unknown intentions.
He called the team together and tossed the photos on the table. “Someone is watching us,” he said bluntly. “And I doubt it’s for friendly purposes.”
“You never know, boss. It could be they just want some photos of the sexiest men in Hebbronville and are considering us for model gigs,” Snap said cheerfully.
“Yeah, right, pendejo. Nobody would want a picture of your ugly mug,” Santo replied with a growl. “How did they get on the property without our security going off?”<
br />
“That’s the first problem we need to address. Buzz, before we leave, do a complete systems check of all security, and search the tapes to see if he’s getting in somewhere and we’ve just been missing it. Look at the perspective of some of these pictures. He had to have been in the barn with us, or in a tree nearby us, to get the angle of shots he got. That’s way too close for my comfort.”
“So, what do you think this is?” Santo asked, tossing his picture back on the table with an expression of disgust on his face. “You think it’s Big Brother letting us know he’s always watching us?”
“No,” Phantom said softly. “They’re not watching us. Whoever this is, they’re watching Stryker.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at the pictures, Stryker. You’re in every single one of them, either talking to us or working alongside us. It’s the only consistent thing in every picture.”
Stryker sorted through the pictures and realized Phantom was right. He was in every single one of them. What the hell? He looked up, and the team was watching him expectantly. “Buzz, do as I said and look into our security. From now on, we need to be on high alert. Someone is watching us, and I’d sure as hell like to know why.”
* * *
“Today can’t finish soon enough.” Anya grinned as she began to prep the clinic to receive clients. It was hard running the clinic by herself, but, if she kept growing her clientele, she would be able to hire a receptionist soon. Elena rolled her eyes, kicking back in the chair at the front desk and propping her boots up on the counter. “You’re acting like you’ve never been on a date before.”
Anya scrunched her nose and frowned at Elena. “You seemed happy for me when I told you he came by and asked me out.”
“You’re right. I’m happy for you. I’m sure you’re going to have a good time. Just ignore me.”
Anya paused in drawing the blinds up on the windows and looked at Elena closely. “Something’s bothering you. You’ve been acting strange the last few days, but you change the subject every time I try to get to the bottom of it.” She walked over to the counter and sat down next to Elena’s boots. “You can’t get out of it anymore. What’s going on?”
“The Bent Horseshoe Ranch is what’s going on. Or should I say it’s what isn’t going on?” Elena wouldn’t make eye contact with Anya, instead focusing on a fingernail.
“What are you talking about? You aren’t making any sense.” Anya swatted Elena’s boots, forcing her to look up.
Elena sighed heavily. “One of your new pals out there decided the ranch doesn’t need me anymore and I have been fired as their horse trainer.”
“What? You can’t be serious! You’re the best horse trainer in south Texas, if not all of Texas.”
“Apparently this guy doesn’t think my expertise is needed. Goes by the name of Phantom. I can see why, too. He moves so quietly you don’t even know he’s there until he’s right on top of you.” Elena looked back down at her fingers. “With just a few short sentences, it was all over, and I’m not needed back at their ranch.”
“Elena, I’m so sorry. Maybe I can try to talk to Phantom—”
Elena held up a hand and gave Anya a sharp look. “I didn’t tell you about this to get you to do anything. I can look out for myself.”
“Do you want me to reach out to some of the ranchers I know to see if they could use your services?”
“No.” Elena shook her head emphatically. She straightened in the chair and set her feet back on the ground. “Like I said, I can take care of this on my own. I see your first customer of the day pulling up right now. I’m off to go get some new clients. Wish me luck!”
Anya embraced her friend quickly. “You just let me know—”
Elena laughed and returned Anya’s embrace. “I’ve got this. I’ll be fine. And you better be sure to tell me all about your date tonight. Every juicy detail.”
Anya’s day went by faster than she had expected. She was busy trying to help a cow dog that had been trampled by one rowdy bull and was in the middle of setting its broken leg when the phone rang. She tuned it out. The poor dog was whimpering, but she’d given it enough sedative that it wasn’t feeling much of anything. Her phone buzzed and vibrated in her pocket, alerting her that she had a voicemail.
She began wrapping the dog’s leg, focused and intent on her work. The dog had stopped whimpering and appeared to have fallen asleep. The wet plaster was drying quickly, and she cleaned the table and straightened up the other areas of the exam room where she had worked. She peeled off her latex gloves, scrubbed her hands diligently beneath the warm water at the sink, and turned back to the dog, drying her hands on a towel.
The dog was slowly waking up and sluggishly lifted its head off the table to look at her more thoroughly. “You’re a good dog, aren’t you, Ralphie? Such a good dog. Now, stay put for a little longer while I go get your owner for you.”
She opened the door that led into the waiting room and was relieved to see the rancher was the only one sitting in the room. It was six o’clock at night, but it was normal to have these last-minute emergencies. She still had enough time to get ready for Stryker.
She nodded to the rancher and smiled. “Ralphie’s going to be just fine. He just has to wear this cast for the next six weeks. That means no cattle rustling for him for a while. I’ll give you some painkillers for him—give him a dose in about four hours, and then every eight hours or so after that, or whenever he seems to be in pain.”
The rancher smiled and stood, walking into the room and stroking the dog’s head. “We can make it just fine. As long as Ralphie’s okay.”’ He turned and shook her hand. “Thanks so much, Dr. Gutierrez. You always come through for me.”
Anya smiled as she watched him pick up the dog gently, then begin to carry him out. “Come back in six weeks, and of course, call me if you need anything in the meantime,” she called after them, and the rancher nodded as he left her office.
She sighed heavily, still wiping her hands on the towel as she began to peel out of her scrubs and head for her bedroom. She stripped down to her tank top and underwear and lay down on her bed, battling the exhaustion that tugged at her as she picked up her phone and listened to her voicemail.
“Hi, Dr. Gutierrez…I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, but one of my heifers is down. Please call me back as soon as you can.” Anya cringed. No, not today, not when she was supposed to have her first date in years. She squeezed the phone in her fist, wanting to throw it across the room.
What could she possibly do? She had to take care of the heifer. She had to hurry. Maybe things will progress quickly and… She realized she was just fooling herself. There was no way she would be finished and ready for a date with Stryker. Not the way she wanted to be.
With a heavy heart, she hit the redial button and connected with the rancher. He was relieved to receive her call and asked for her urgent arrival. The headache that had nearly disappeared since the accident at Stryker’s ranch came back, pounding in rhythm with her heart, a dull and steady thud. She had to call Stryker.
She couldn’t deny her desire for the man. She had always wondered what it would be like, and Stryker had taken every fantasy she’d ever had and made it ten times more erotic than she could have imagined. She wanted to taste that pleasure again. But it had probably meant more to her than it had to him. What if he had politely asked her on a date because he thought that was the “proper” thing to do after taking her virginity? What did you expect? A declaration of love?
With trembling fingers, she hit the numbers on her cell and connected with Stryker’s phone, listening to the ringing on the other end. Her heart was racing in her chest and she felt flushed from her chest to her cheeks.
“Anya?”
Just the sound of his deep, husky voice seemed to wash over her, and she shivered, remembering the way he had talked to he
r as they had made love. Made love. That’s what it had been to her. But she supposed the accurate description of it was sex. “Hi, Stryker. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m not going to be able to meet you tonight.”
“Did something happen? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s just… There’s a heifer down calving right now, and it doesn’t look good.”
“I understand. It’s what you do.”
Is that it? He won’t even pretend he’s disappointed?
“What ranch are you headed to? Will you be anywhere near here?”
Her heartbeat picked up. “I’ll be about fifteen minutes away. But, Stryker, I have no idea how long it will take. You know how it is. It can go quickly or it can take hours.”
“You’re worth waiting for. I’ll be ready for you whenever you get here.”
How could she respond to that? Maybe he really had enjoyed his time with her and wanted to see her as badly as she wanted to see him. “I-I… I’ll see you as soon as possible.”
What was she about to head into? Frowning at the now silent phone, she quickly got dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a button-down blouse that was a little dressier than she usually wore on her trips to take care of a vet call. She wanted Stryker to be surprised and at least a little impressed. She could give him so much more than he realized. She could love him.
Anya stared at herself in the mirror where she had been concentrating on brushing her hair. Was that what she really wanted? Was that how she really felt? Oh, no, this is a bad idea. I can’t fall in love with this man… Too late.
Anya struggled to control the trembling in her hands as she set down the brush. She didn’t let most people impact her too much. She was friendly with just about everyone, but she didn’t let her emotions flow that strongly for them. Her heart pounded in her chest and she shook her head at herself. I’ve fallen in love with him. How did I let this happen? And now, what do I do about it? The man clearly doesn’t want love or anything that will tie him down to anyone or anything. I’m alone.
A SEAL Never Quits Page 12
