Under Suspicion

by Sommer Smith

  But despite what she wanted in any of these areas, she found she was softening toward him, more all the time, actually. It frightened her. For the most part, men had never been anything but trouble in her life. Her stepfather had always viewed her as a bit of a nuisance. And that didn’t even begin to describe her stepbrother. He was a monster. Her grandfather had been the only exception.

  She could relate to Micah’s loss, although her father was still very much alive. He simply chose to have nothing to do with her. He might as well no longer exist. Unfortunately, her experience with dating hadn’t been much better.

  A quick knock announced Micah’s return. “Sorry. Forgot something.”

  “It’s okay.” Keilani rose as he entered. He moved to the nightstand to retrieve something from the drawer before turning back to look at her.

  “What’s wrong? Is the bed too hard?” Micah glanced at the offending furniture even as she shook her head.

  “No, the bed is fine. I mean... I just haven’t been able to settle down yet.” She felt awkward standing in his bedroom while he scrutinized her. She clasped her hands and unclasped them, bit her lip and then ran both hands down the front of her thighs.

  “Okay. Well, if you need anything just ask.” He started to go, then paused again. “And, Keilani?”

  “Hm?” She tried not to watch his mouth, but her eyes seemed to have their own will.

  “I don’t blame any of this on you. You should know that the navy was investigating the area drug trafficking routes before you came. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He watched her and she felt heat creep into her cheeks. Did he realize what she was thinking? She was getting a little too attached to the idea of having him around to protect her.

  The moment was shattered by the sound of breaking glass. Keilani gasped and Micah was instantly on the offensive. His entire demeanor changed in a flash.

  “Pretty bold move to make so much noise. Must be trying to create a distraction.” Keilani realized he was speaking his thoughts aloud for her benefit. He moved to stand before her like a shield. “Stay with me.”

  “Location?” Xavier called from the far end of the house.

  Both Micah and Emmett called out answers in a number code. Xavier returned with his also. Then he spouted off something else she didn’t understand. When she looked questioningly at Micah he leaned in close and whispered to her, “The intruder tried to come in through the bathroom window. At least, that’s what he wants us to think.” He urged her down behind the bed, away from the window.

  Emmett called out something else she didn’t catch. “What?” She kept her voice to a whisper.

  “Emmett called the police. They will be here in five.” He looked a bit perturbed not to be in the middle of the action, but he answered her patiently enough.

  A hail of bullets began to rain down on the house. Another window shattered, this one just across the hall, and from the sounds coming from the back door, she could only assume the men had broken in there.

  “I guess they didn’t like it that we didn’t fall for their little distraction.” Micah had his Sig in his hand, and he winked at her before leaning around the door to see where the men were.

  A string of ugly remarks from the man who had entered the back door filled the air in the hall, but the second intruder had now discovered their hiding place. He burst through the door and dove for Keilani, but she rolled out of his reach.

  The first man returned then.

  “Micah!” She knew he was already on it, but she wanted him to hurry. He had turned toward the man, ready to fire, but before he could the masked man yanked at Keilani again, this time managing to pull her over in front of him like a shield. Micah jerked the nose of his gun up at the last second, leaving Keilani to wince at the near miss. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Let her go.” His voice was a frightening roar. “You’re surrounded and outnumbered.”

  Keilani looked around to see that what Micah said was true. The other man was now hog-tied on the rug and Xavier and Emmett stood on either side of Keilani and her captor, Micah right in front of them.

  The man in the mask just laughed. “But you’re outmaneuvered.”

  He jabbed a cold-nosed gun into Keilani’s temple and she jerked, but he only tightened his grip on her. She could feel the pounding of her pulse in every part of her body. All of her senses seemed heightened, the man’s strange smell too strong in her nose, the sound of his breathing loud and overwhelming. But worst of all was the rough grip he held on her arm, twisting and threatening her wordlessly while the hateful stab of metal prodded her temple.

  Time seemed to have switched to slow motion, Micah staring at the gun aimed at her, and then assessing her captor carefully. What was he thinking? Did he consider, even for a second, just letting him take her away? Getting out of this mess seemed impossible.

  But then Micah looked at her face, his eyes narrowed slightly, and to her shock a small grin pulled at one corner of his mouth. “That’s what you think.”

  Keilani couldn’t see her captor, but she could imagine his smug grin slipping from place as he considered Micah’s comment.

  Everything happened at once.

  It was so confusing to Keilani that she really didn’t even know how it all happened. She just relied on Micah to see her through. Her feet were knocked out from under her a split second before something flew at the masked man, his gun firing as Micah’s muscular frame covered Keilani’s own on the floor. She wasn’t sure where any of the yelling came from. Breathing was her sole concern as she lay on the floor praying God would keep them all safe.

  Sirens wailed into the driveway about the time Emmett declared the invaders to all be secured. Micah helped her up, looking her over for any injuries. He gave a satisfied nod and then went to talk to the officer asking Xavier questions.

  It was ridiculous that she was so offended by his actions, but would it have hurt him to actually ask if she was okay? The men didn’t even spare her another glance as they went over the events of the evening. They were talking quickly and almost like excited boys about the past few minutes. It felt like she wasn’t even in the room.

  At least her seeming invisibility had one bonus—they weren’t worried about shielding her from the truth. And now she knew that during all the chaos, the man who had held her at gunpoint had somehow managed to free himself and slip out a window while they were securing the other man in the back of the police car. It seemed impossible, but just like that, he was gone, leaving the ropes that Xavier had carefully secured him with behind in an unassuming heap on the floor.

  She shivered as she thought about the feel of his steel grip on her arm and the cold contact of the gun against her skin. Her eyes filled before she could blink the tears away. What would have happened if Micah hadn’t been there?

  Keilani straightened her T-shirt and took herself to bed. If the authorities wanted to question her, they would have to come looking for her.

  The attack had been too real, too much of a close call. She was unsettled by it.

  It seemed that at least one of the men who wanted her dead was more than prepared to deal with a houseful of SEALs.

  FIVE

  Micah watched Keilani stomp off to bed and wondered what had upset her. Maybe she thought the man had come close to capturing her. She didn’t seem to have a clue that the weak plan those men had concocted didn’t even stand a chance. He reminded himself that most people really had no idea what SEALs were capable of.

  He refocused his attention on the task at hand, deciding to let Keilani rest for the moment. There would be time to make sure she was okay once the heavy stuff was done.

  He entered her room almost an hour later after a quick knock. When he spoke her name, she sat up in the bed. He expected her to be groggy, but instead she just looked angry.

  “Hey, are you okay
? I knocked you to the ground pretty hard.” He almost sat on the edge of her bed, and then thought better of it and moved to the chair near the end instead.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice was flat. He frowned in the dark.

  “Are you sure? You don’t really sound like it.”

  “Why all the concern now? I’m great, okay? It’s been a very long day. I just want to sleep.” She began a little loudly, then seemed to calm herself.

  He let out a breath and then stood. “Okay. You’re right, it’s been rough. Get a good night’s sleep. We’ll head back to the base at 0600.”

  “Leave at six?” Her voice squeaked.

  “I thought I’d let you sleep a little later, considering the day you’ve had.” He gave her a tight smile and grabbed the doorknob to close it behind him.

  She grunted as he closed the door, and he headed to his makeshift bed in the living room. His schedule varied based on the training required of SEALs, but he would try to keep to a regular schedule while working with Keilani. He could explain the rest later. There would no doubt be times he couldn’t keep to the same hours.

  The fact that she still seemed upset had him a little concerned, but maybe she just had too much on her mind to settle in and sleep just yet.

  He spent so much time with his brothers on the SEAL team that he forgot how to act around females sometimes. He thought of his little sister and what it would be like if she were in Keilani’s place. Cadence was only eight now, but the idea of her being in danger freaked him out, even though they didn’t spend much time together.

  The truth was, he was just as worried about Keilani being in danger. She was getting under his skin somehow, though he hadn’t known her long. Her soft and sweet smile, the tender care she had shown when he introduced her to the dolphins, her grace and kindness, even in the face of danger, all added up to someone he would love to spend more time with.

  If he didn’t have goals... And phobias.

  His future plans had never included a wife and family. It was one of the things that made him such a great warrior—he didn’t have any of those familial ties causing him anxiety over how they might handle it if he were killed. He never wanted to lose that edge, especially not for something as volatile as family. A family could be lost at any time. Like his dad. And the idea that he might never be enough...well, that didn’t help matters, either.

  “Micah, you okay?” Xavier stuck his head around the doorway.

  “Yeah. Fine. What’s up?” He suddenly realized Xavier had already spoken to him once.

  “Just letting you know the window is patched up for the time being and security specialists will be out to fix the alarm first thing in the morning.” He paused. “I’ll be up. Get some rest.”

  Micah knew Xavier was trying to help, but he also knew he probably wouldn’t really be able to sleep. “I’d like to, but...”

  Xavier nodded. “I understand. But be a SEAL. Shut it off. Do what you gotta do.”

  Xavier was right. He needed to exercise some control over the situation. It was all mental. It was always mental. The heart and emotions had nothing to do with it.

  * * *

  At six o’clock the next morning, Keilani was ready and drinking coffee at the kitchen table when Micah left his bedroom.

  “This is terrible. Remind me to get some good Kona coffee before tomorrow morning.” She grimaced at her cup.

  He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he poured himself a cup of the terrible coffee.

  She was probably hoping that any discussion about last night could wait until later in the day, if he were to judge from her expression. He was in no mood to oblige her, however. He sat down across from her, knowing full well that they needed to get going. “I spoke to the detective this morning. The guy we caught was just a hired thug. According to the investigators, he wouldn’t give up the ringleader.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at him with a nod. “I had decided he must be.”

  Now he was intrigued. “Oh? And why is that?”

  She shrugged. “There are a few reasons.”

  “Starting with?” He really wanted to know now.

  She clasped both hands around the cup. “First of all, the intruders last night were too small to be any of the men I saw yesterday morning. Also, those guys didn’t have the stamina of the man who chased me to the beach. The attacker was breathing hard just trying to catch me, and he seemed to be in charge of the group that attacked last night. The men I saw swimming were tall, fit and more commanding in presence, even underwater.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You noticed all that?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Yes, when I really thought about it. But to begin with, it was just a feeling I had.”

  “I’ve had to learn to trust my instincts. It wasn’t easy. You’re blessed that it comes so naturally to you.” He took a long sip. This coffee really wasn’t all that bad.

  “Trusting your instincts is important when working with animals. Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be going?” She met his eyes then.

  “Yes. Let’s get to it.” He stood and downed the coffee. “We’ll also get you more clothes this afternoon.”

  Xavier had brought in a couple of things for her the night before so she would have something to wear this morning. There were a few female naval officers that lived close by and Xavier had been trying to get a date with one of them. It provided a good excuse for him to visit her.

  “Okay. I’d like to meet Sarah and tell her thank you for loaning me the clothes.” Keilani followed him out.

  “I’m sure Xavier would be more than willing to return them for you.” He couldn’t suppress the chuckle. She giggled, too, and his heart gave a little thud. Not good.

  The base was pretty quiet and the admiral had posted extra guards around the dolphin enclosures just as he had promised. They checked Micah’s ID thoroughly and frowned when Keilani presented the shiny new one the navy had given her the day before. It was obvious that Micah struggled to keep his impatience in check as the man did his job. One thing was certain—he was ready to get to work.

  Keilani picked up on his methods quickly and shared several tips of her own. He found their interactions and experiences with the dolphins were pretty similar, other than the military aspect of his own, and she had some great ideas for improving the safety and contentedness of the animals.

  By the time they finished up hours later, he was even more impressed with Keilani than before. Not only did the dolphins take to her with an ease he had never seen before, but she also managed them with a stern but gentle hand. They responded beautifully.

  Once they finished, he congratulated her on a job well-done. “You have about a thirty-minute break to relax, or whatever you want to do. Then shower and get dressed and I’ll show you to the mess hall for lunch.”

  She asked if she could use the indoor pool to get some cardio in for the day, and he pointed to where she should go. When she disappeared in the direction of the fitness facilities, he headed off to the men’s showers to try to clear his own mind before attending to his paperwork. He had too many thoughts of Keilani to shake off right now. This might turn out to be even harder than he thought.

  * * *

  Keilani sighed as she slid into the warm water of the indoor pool. The base had amazing workout facilities and she had been eyeing this pool area since she arrived. She loved swimming, and getting some laps in was just what she needed to refocus.

  A whole five hours of work this morning with no danger. Maybe it was because of the extensive network of guards surrounding them. Maybe her instincts had been wrong this time. She had expected another attack before now.

  She moved slowly, floating atop the water, and closed her eyes, replaying the hours spent with the dolphins. It was obvious that Micah cared deeply for the animals, so any ideas that he might be involved in the r
umored mistreatment were simply out of the question. In fact, it seemed impossible to her that there could be any mistreatment of the animals at all with him overseeing the program. The people from the World Animal Protection Agency would be receiving her report as soon as she could compose one.

  This afternoon Micah planned to go over the problems needing to be addressed in the new program with her more extensively, focusing on the prevention of drug smuggling in the area. It wouldn’t be much different from the bomb detection the dolphins were accustomed to, but the new substance might present a challenge she hadn’t anticipated. The navy wanted to get the pressing problem under control before the news got out to the public. It was basically a local war against a drug cartel that was using any means possible to get their goods into the country. However they were smuggling the drugs through undetected was making the navy look foolish, according to Micah. And it was up to the dolphin team to put a stop to it.

  But none of that would explain the rumors of sick and suffering cetaceans, and even suggestions that many may be dying. She wanted to know what was going on.

  Something felt off, and not just with the dolphins.

  The water was soothing and comforting at first, but after a few moments in the enclosed area, she began to feel a bit disoriented. Dismissing it as the aftereffects of shock, she just kept swimming and tried to push through it. Dizziness continued to wash over her in waves, however. She paused at the end of the pool nearest the door when she realized her arms were starting to feel weak and uncoordinated. The enclosed space surrounding the pool began to spin, slowing down as she tried to reach for the ladder. She stopped grasping for a moment, then realized her brain and her surroundings were not moving in sync any longer. Nausea hit her like the breaking surf and her heart jerked out of rhythm and began to race. She blinked, trying to think. Slowly, the realization came to her. Someone was gassing the indoor pool.