Santo felt his eye tick. The very idea of her dying was more than he could process. He had just found her. He wasn’t going to let her go. “It’s something she and I are going to have to work on if I’m going to be able to protect her. If she hadn’t pushed me down, I would have been able to kill the asshole who shot her.”
“That would have been good, but there are people out there who want her dead. She may not be as lucky next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.” Santo’s words were clipped. He would make sure Evie never found herself in a vulnerable position again.
Phantom rubbed his lips together, assessing Santo closely. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped abruptly when Evie stirred on the bed.
“Are you saying I’ll never be safe?” Though she spoke softly, the enormity of her words seemed to echo in the room. Though pale and her hair a sleep-tossed mess, she looked gorgeous as she tried to sit up.
“Evie, you need to rest…” Phantom watched her closely.
“No. Santo, do you have a t-shirt I can wear?” she asked quietly, pulling the sheet tightly about herself.
Santo tossed a heated glare at Phantom who returned it in kind. Santo knew he couldn’t blame Phantom for Evie being so stubborn and feeling she needed to take action if her safety could be in jeopardy.
He pulled out a t-shirt from his dresser and kneeled on the bed next to Evie to help her put it on. She shook her head. “I can do it myself.”
“It’s going to be painful, Evie. Let him help you,” Phantom urged.
Evie took the shirt from Santo, and, wincing through the entire process, pulled it over her head and let the large garment engulf her. Santo smoothed her rumpled hair back from her face. “Have you always been allergic to help?” He shook his head at her, though he couldn’t remain frustrated with her, no matter how much he wanted to force her to see her stubborn attitude only hurt her. “It’s still early in the morning, and I can tell from your eyes you are in pain and tired.” He grabbed the cup of water off his nightstand and held out the two Tylenol to her. “This will help you feel a little better. At a minimum, it will take some of the edges off the pain.”
“I don’t want to be doped up. I need to be able to think straight. There’s a lot we all need to talk about, and decisions to be made.”
“You are in no condition to do anything other than rest,” Phantom said firmly.
“It’s only Tylenol.” Santo held his hand closer to her, urging her to take the medication. She eyed the two white pills skeptically, then took them and washed them down quickly with the water he handed to her.
“We all need to face the fact that we aren’t going to get anywhere until I get onto that game and figure out how to get us into all of the secret rooms.” She spoke after drinking most of the water in the cup.
“Buzz will be able to help you. We can’t accept anything less.”
* * *
Evie knew she needed to rest, but her mind raced with all the work she needed to do. Judge O’Connor had been tracking terrible criminals. She knew that much. Why had she stopped everything the Friday before she had been killed? Why didn’t she copy the screens on Monday?
Something had happened between Friday and Monday before her death on Tuesday. What exactly happened, she didn’t know. None of it made sense to her anymore, and the more she thought about it, the more her head began to throb with a painful headache.
The sound of the rain hitting the window and pounding down on the roof lulled her into a restless slumber. She woke frequently from the ache in her chest and fluctuated from feeling too hot under the thin blanket and sheet to fighting off chills. Exhaustion kept tugging her down, though. Every time she would wake up, she would find evidence Santo had been in to check on her, whether it be a fresh cup of water on her nightstand, or the sheet pulled up over her after she had kicked it off.
She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping when she opened her eyes next. The room had been fairly dark earlier due to the black clouds dumping rain on them, but it had become even darker, and she suspected it had to be close to evening. Fighting the pain, she pushed herself to a sitting position and drew a deep breath, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
Clenching her teeth with determination, she got up and wobbled to Santo’s dresser. She had left a few garments in his drawers when she had stayed over the weekend, and fished out a pair of shorts. Usually, she would sleep in the shorts, which made them extremely comfortable to wear around the home. Santo’s t-shirt covered her to mid-thigh, and she considered changing into one of her shirts, but the memory of the pain, when she had pulled on his shirt, stopped her.
She forced herself to stand straight when she placed her hand on the door handle. Not only did she need strength physically, but she also needed to keep her emotions in check. With everything she had been through and all of the startling revelations, she feared she could break down in hopeless tears at any moment.
The house seemed oddly quiet as she walked down the short hall from Santo’s room into the main living quarters. Thirst and hunger drove her to the kitchen. She halfway expected to find Snap preparing dinner for everyone given evening rapidly descended outside, creating long shadows within the home. She didn’t see anyone.
In the refrigerator she found a bottle of cold water and guzzled it, still standing in front of the appliance to allow the cool air to wash over her warm skin. With the bottle half-empty and her thirst temporarily quenched, she studied the refrigerator for something to eat. Nothing jumped out at her, though, and she moved on to the pantry.
“Evie! What are you doing? You need to be in bed!” Elena’s concerned voice startled her and she jumped slightly, grabbing the kitchen island’s countertop to maintain balance. Elena held one of the camping lanterns in front of her and set it on the island, her eyes running up and down Evie as if to reassure herself that her friend didn’t need immediate assistance.
Evie gave her a weak smile. “I couldn’t rest. There’s far too much racing around inside my head right now.”
“Phantom said today and tomorrow are critical for you to recover from the trauma your body has been through. If he or Santo saw you out here—”
“Too late.” Santo’s voice cut off Elena’s words and he stepped into the kitchen with long, smooth strides. “I heard the two of you talking.”
Evie watched him approach, happy to see his face. She wanted him to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. But he knew her role in the mess they faced. How did he feel towards her? Anger? Disappointment? Resentment? The thoughts caused unease to churn in her stomach. What if she lost his support completely?
* * *
“You surprised me. I’m still not used to how quiet you are.” Evie maintained her tight grip on the counter, worried her legs wouldn’t support her much longer.
He shook his head. “What are you doing out of bed?” He continued walking towards her.
“I-I couldn’t stay cooped up in there any longer. And I got a little hungry.” She swallowed hard when he came to a stop directly in front of her.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, his hands smoothing her hair back on each side of her face. “That’s entirely my fault. I got so wrapped up in our work I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t seem to be angry with her. Either that, or he didn’t want Elena to see the extent of his frustration and disappointment. “You don’t need to fret over me. If I need help I’ll find Elena or Anya. What you’re working on is far too important to be interrupted.”
“Yes.” Elena nodded. “We’ll check on her so you and the team can work.”
“We’re still trying to conserve the electricity, but the stove is gas, so Snap can put something together for you quickly if you want,” Santo said, his hands rubbing up and down her arms. Since the moment he had stepped in the kitchen, his gaze hadn’t left her face.
“I don’t want to ask for anything. I don’t even know what I want to e
at. It’s the strangest thing—I feel hungry, but every piece of food I look at seems revolting.”
“That’s because I haven’t whipped up one of my specialties,” Snap said, walking into the room to join them. “Everyone’s getting hungry, so we all decided to come to raid the kitchen. How does a grilled cheese sandwich sound? Not too heavy, but with enough sustenance to give you a good kick of energy.”
“That sounds delicious,” Elena said. “Anya will probably want one, too, Snap.”
“Where is Anya?” Evie asked curiously as the other men began to file into the dining room.
“Here. I thought I’d catch up on invoices since I can’t go to the clinic. Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” Anya peered around Elena and gave her a stern frown.
“Yes, she is,” Phantom answered. He, too, frowned. “Evie, you need to rest. You need to let your body heal.”
Evie’s legs had started to tremble, though she tried her best to hide it. She also felt on the verge of tears, though she couldn’t explain why. “Phantom, if you have a prescription to turn my mind off, I just might be able to get some rest.”
Phantom shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned. “Sorry, Evie. Snap took my last bottle.”
Santo’s hands captured her face and turned it up so she could look into his eyes. “We’re running with things while you heal. Soon enough you can help.”
“I’m ready now. I want to help now.”
“Not until you’ve had something to eat. Then we’ll talk,” Stryker said firmly, wrapping his arms around Anya. “Besides, we don’t discuss missions as a group.”
“You mean Anya and Elena don’t know—”
“No. Nothing. That’s how it always is. That’s how it always will be,” Stryker interrupted before she could give away any information.
“It’s for everyone’s safety, Evie,” Anya said softly, her arms resting on top of Stryker’s. “It’s part of what you accept when you agree to be personally involved with a SEAL. They can’t ever talk about their missions, even when they are finished. But that doesn’t mean Stryker doesn’t need my love and support when he gets back from one. It’s difficult, not knowing where he’s headed or what is happening when he’s gone, but I have to hold on to the faith that he’ll come home to me, and I’ll be here to welcome him back every single time.”
Evie longed to be able to do that for Santo. She wanted to be the one ready to welcome him home no matter how hard it would be to not have him for a while. He watched her closely and gave her a light kiss, leaving her wanting more.
She caught his hands with hers and forced a smile to her face. “Okay. We’ll talk after we eat.”
“Good. Snap, load us up on grilled cheese sandwiches and junk food. We all could use a little break.”
Chapter 27
Santo watched Evie as she nibbled at her sandwich. For someone who claimed to be hungry, she had done little to fix the situation. He should have gone to her sooner. They had their heads buried in reviewing everything in the letters from Francis, analyzing and twisting words around, and by the time he’d glanced up at the clock, he realized he hadn’t checked on her in nearly four hours.
When he’d heard her voice in the kitchen he’d initially been worried, then relieved she felt good enough to be up and around. In the lamplight, her face still seemed too pale for him, and the dark circles under her eyes bothered him. Each time he had gone in to check on her during the day she had been resting lightly, mumbling and shifting restlessly in bed. He doubted she had gotten any genuine sleep like she needed.
The idea of taking her upstairs to meet with the team and discuss progress didn’t appeal to him. They didn’t have much more to go on, as Buzz needed Evie to get into the game as well as help him navigate the county court email and calendar programs to download anything remotely relevant to Francis’s work. From the way she looked at the moment, he doubted she could handle sitting up straight for very long, let alone guide them through complex web pages.
She leaned against him at the table, though he wondered if she even realized she did. Her expression of longing when she’d listened to Anya talking about welcoming home Stryker had struck him deep. He’d never met a woman like her and doubted he ever would again.
Stryker and Phantom had come across two rare gems in Anya and Elena. They would support their roles as SEALs as long as it made them happy and always be ready to welcome them home with open arms. Could Evie be the precious gem for him?
“Evie, are you sure you want to go over things tonight? You look really tired,” Stryker said.
Evie straightened, pulling away from Santo, and he immediately wanted to pull her back against him. “I’m fine. We need to do this. We need to get answers as quickly as possible. The longer we wait, the longer everyone here is in danger.”
“Evie, we’re combing through a lot of information and can make some progress while you heal. There’s no point in pushing you too far.” Santo rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Evie shook her head slowly. “I want to help. I need to help.”
“Then let’s do it. There are some things I want to show you, first, Evie. Are you ready to head upstairs?” Buzz pushed back from the table, waiting for Evie’s response.
Evie began to stand and Santo felt the slight tremble in her body and quickly stood with her. He didn’t want to take any chance she could fall. “Yes. I’m ready. Snap, do you need help cleaning up?”
Snap shook his head. “You didn’t eat much. Is there something else I can make for you?”
“No. My appetite comes and goes. The grilled cheese was very tasty. Thank you.”
“Then let’s get to it so we can get you to enjoy Snap’s cooking again.” Buzz grinned at her. She smiled back at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Santo kept his arm firmly around her waist as she went up the stairs, and it concerned him how unsteady she seemed. She needed to be in a bed, healing, and building up her strength. They entered the conference room, even though her attention kept turning to the communications area holding multiple screens on the wall, several computer monitors, and multiple keyboards.
“We’ll jump onto the computers soon enough,” Buzz said, seeing where her eyes kept drifting. “There are some other things to address first.” He and a couple of others set their camping lamps on the conference room table, creating a soft light in the space.
“I know you didn’t get a chance to read Francis’s letter to you earlier. Are you ready to read it now?” Santo watched Evie’s face closely for her reaction.
“If she accuses me of being OCD and neurotic, I’m at a disadvantage to argue.” She gave them all a lopsided grin.
Santo took folded pages from the center of the conference room table that held multiple documents and handed them to her. “It may be a little hard to read. But we’re all here with you.”
Evie’s hand trembled when she took the pages and squinted as she began to read. Several moments later, tears welled in her eyes. Santo had already read the letter and knew what to expect. He pressed tissues into her hand and she hastily wiped at her eyes as she continued.
The letter went into detail about how Francis felt about Evie and even considered her the little sister she had always wanted but never got. It became clear to all of the team as they reviewed the letter just how close Evie and Francis had been. While most of the letter contained personal information, and the team had been uncomfortable snooping into Evie’s relationship, the end held critical information only Evie could decipher for them.
They sat in silence for a handful of minutes as Evie read the three-page letter. Santo knew the moment she came across the information they needed to discuss as her body language changed entirely. “She did what?” She stared at the page, flipping it over, searching for additional information, but they all knew it ended in the final, cryptic paragraph.
“That’s what we need your help with, Evie. What exactly is she saying in that last paragraph? What does she mean?” S
anto kept his tone soft and even.
Evie’s eyes flew across the words several more times before she lifted her head and looked directly at Buzz. “What did you find when you went into the game? Could you go very far?”
Buzz seemed surprised by her question. “No. And, it seems with each passing day more and more firewalls are trying to shut people out. Whoever is trying to shut down the people who know too much, we can only assume they don’t want to create panic within the larger organization by pulling the plug completely.”
“Because they can’t!” Evie’s voice rose slightly. “I was one of the first people to start playing the game. I just remember—whoever had first designed the site had offered administrative privileges to me, but it never involved any work on my part. And I never saw any of the work of the master designers who traded off different areas of the game to create. But they can’t shut down the site until I deactivate it!”
“Can you do it?” Snap asked, his hands clasped together in front of him on the table.
“I-I don’t know. It’s been two years. I have to dive deep into the system to recover all of my administrative information.”
“You believe one of the master designers is David, right? I don’t understand this technology as intensely as Buzz and you, but how do these designers hand off the program?” Santo pressed his forefinger and his thumb to the bridge of his nose, trying hard to put all of the pieces together. “Is David the one who hired the assassin, or is he trying to keep you alive so he can get some of the information on the site he can’t access?”
“We’ve been tossing around theories all day. A fresh set of eyes can give us a perspective we hadn’t considered before.” Snap nodded to her.
“I think David told the person who sent the hitman to kill Judge O’Connor, Judge Mitchell, and me. This person simply wants to erase all ties to the site and, once all threats are eliminated, he or she will already have a plan in place to handle the reaction once the plug gets pulled for the site I built. I think, whoever David reported this to, is the leader of this group.”
Protected in His Arms: Elite Texas SEALs Page 26
