Hot SEAL, April's Fool

by Becca Jameson

  “Fuck you. Your boss is holding my girlfriend hostage. How the hell does he think he’s going to get away with this?” Cole tried to control his rage. He was fucking trained to remain calm in situations far more serious than this one. But never before in his years of service had he dealt with a hostage situation that involved someone he cared about on a personal level.

  “No one is being held hostage. You’re exaggerating.”

  Cole seethed. “You’ve come to my shop to threaten me, and you think I’m exaggerating?” His voice rose again.

  Dewey shrugged. “All I did was show you pictures of a woman who is currently meeting with my boss about helping him secure the properties on this street. That’s not a crime.”

  Cole narrowed his gaze. “How the hell do I know those pics are even from today?”

  “Text her. Ask her where she is.” Dewey waved a hand in the direction of Cole’s phone.

  Cole yanked it off the desk and sent April a quick text. He already knew the answer though. The question was, why on earth would April go to Chamberlain’s home, and secondly, why hadn’t she told Cole about it?

  His chest seized when her response proved she was indeed in Chamberlain’s home, and his heart stopped when she texted that he’d locked her in a room.

  Cole stopped texting and dialed her number. He heard her soft voice answer, but Dewey yanked the phone out of his hand before Cole could respond.

  Dewey ended the call and held on to the phone. “Enough chatting. It’s time for you to sign the deed over and end this entire situation before it gets messy.”

  “It’s way the fuck past messy, asshole.” Cole did not waste a single second. He vaulted over the desk, kicking Dewey in the chest on the way by, and knocked the entire chair over so that Dewey ended up on his back on the floor.

  Cole never gave the man a chance to react. One second after landing, he pinned the guy down with a knee to his chest and pushed his elbow into the man’s throat. “You messed with the wrong guy this time, motherfucker,” he gritted out as the man’s eyes went wide and he fought for oxygen. It only took a few moments for him to be knocked out cold.

  Cole patted Dewey’s pockets until he was certain he’d removed every weapon and then spun around as the door to his office burst open. “You okay, boss?” Bart was saying as he entered. “Fuck. What happened?” He took a step back.

  “Knocked him out,” Cole responded as he held up the two items he’d removed from Dewey. He set the knife on the desk and turned the gun in his hand around and held it out to Bart. “Know how to use this?”

  “Of course.” Bart took it from him. “I’d rather not though. I assume this asshole thought he could coerce you into turning over the shop?”

  Cole nodded as he grabbed his phone. “Can you call 911?”

  “Yep.” Bart kept the gun aimed at the asshole on the ground while he held up his phone.

  Cole grabbed his keys next. “Gotta go. Fucking Chamberlain is holding April against her will.”

  Bart’s eyes went wide. “Shit. Yes. Go. I’ve got this.”

  “I’ll yell for the rest of the guys to come back this way.” Cole took off running, shouting toward the garage bays as soon as he was outside. “David, get the guys and go to the office.”

  David shoved away from the hood he was looking under and took off running toward the office, not waiting for Cole to explain himself further. The other guys saw him run and that’s all they needed to run too—that and the fact that David would never question Cole. All the guys respected him even though he’d been away for ten years.

  Cole peeled out of the parking lot as he told his phone to connect him to Rodney.

  Luckily, Rodney picked up on the second ring. “Cole. Everything okay?”

  “Not even close. Chamberlain is holding April hostage at his home. Sent one of his stooges, guy named Dewey, to steal my dad’s shop from me. I knocked the guy out with a chokehold. Bart called 911. He’s got Dewey’s gun.”

  “Fuck,” Rodney muttered. “I’ll make sure a team is on their way to the shop and meet you at Chamberlain’s.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cole drove way too fast, but this wasn’t the first time he’d hauled ass to get somewhere. Usually away from danger. Usually in a tank. He could easily maneuver an SUV down a few streets.

  He got to Chamberlain’s in record time, but he spent all of that time dialing and redialing April, who never answered. Surely the fucking mayor wouldn’t be so stupid as to harm a single hair on April’s head. He’d definitely crossed a line this time. Several of them.

  Rodney pulled up to the house at the same time as Cole. Good thing because Cole wasn’t sure he could stay above the law without his friend there to keep him from killing the mayor.

  April paced the library in every direction. She’d already checked all the windows. They were too high for her to consider jumping unless she got desperate. She could not believe the mayor would do this. It was so irrational. How the hell did he think he could get away with holding someone hostage for money? Because she had no doubt it wasn’t an accident she was being held against her will at the same time that he’d sent one of his henchmen to extort money from Cole.

  Violet had called her father several times and left many messages and texts. She seemed to be as frustrated as April unless it was all a hoax.

  “I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding,” Violet said for the tenth time. “After all, my father knows I’m in here with you. He wouldn’t hold anyone against their will. I promise. The door just sticks sometimes. It’s happened before. Once when I was a child—”

  April spun toward Violet and held up a hand. “Stop trying to make light of this, Violet. Nothing your father has done lately has been on the up and up. If you’re not aware of his shady dealings, I’m sorry to be the one to inform you, but you need to stop defending him.”

  Violet gasped. “What are you talking about?”

  April narrowed her gaze at Violet. “Seriously?”

  Violet nodded, her eyes wide, though April had no idea if she was pretending to be shocked or genuinely surprised. “If he’s involved in something illegal, I’m not aware of it.”

  April set her hands on her hips. “For one thing, he’s extorting money from people to get that strip mall built.”

  Violet’s eyes widened farther. “Are you sure?”

  “Jesus, yes. Cole is one of them. Your father’s plan is to take the mechanic shop so he can tear it down. He’s used very underhanded means to make that happen.”

  Violet shook her head. “Surely, you’re mistaken. Why can’t he just buy the businesses?”

  “Because people don’t want to sell them, Violet.” April felt exasperated. “Most of the businesses along those two blocks have been in people’s families for decades. He’s ruining a way of life in order to make a buck. Please tell me you’re not so stupid that you didn’t know this?”

  Violet swallowed. Maybe April was getting through to her. “That’s not true. When Daddy talks about the new strip mall, he always points out how much better it will be for the community and how many new jobs will be provided.”

  April let out a sarcastic chuckle. “That’s so naïve. The only pockets that will get lined from the new development are your father’s. Many families will have to move away because they’ve lost their businesses. Sure, the strip will create new jobs, but most of them will be part-time, minimum wage. Not the kind of jobs people can earn a living doing.”

  “He doesn’t see it that way, I can assure you. But I’ll talk to him. He listens to me,” Violet suggested.

  April pointed at the locked door. “You mean like how he’s listening to you right now?”

  Violet looked uncharacteristically unsteady as she wandered to one of the armchairs and stared into space. What a Daddy’s girl.

  April almost felt sorry for her. Even though she’d always been a nosy, conniving gossip, she didn’t appear to be faking her complete lack of knowledge about her father’
s business dealings.

  After several minutes of silence, Violet spoke again in her more familiar haughty voice. “Are you back together with Cole?”

  April flinched. Did Violet really want to feed the rumor mill in the middle of a crisis? “Seriously? You want to text everyone you know and gossip right now?”

  Violet lifted her chin and shook her head. “No. That’s not what I meant. I just figured you’re probably pissed at me for what happened back in high school, and I wanted to point out that you should redirect your anger toward Cole. He’s the one who shouldn’t have listened to gossip.”

  April’s heart was beating out of her chest as she stared at Violet, not moving an inch, hardly breathing. “What are you talking about?” she finally asked.

  Violet jerked her gaze up and met April’s. She licked her lips. “Uh…what I said to Cole. About you. I mean… Didn’t he tell you?” Suddenly, her demeanor changed and a smirk spread across her face. “Figures. Of course, he wouldn’t want you to know what he did and risk losing you again. Men are so stupid.”

  April shuffled closer, flames heating her face. She fisted her hands at her sides, knowing she wasn’t going to like what Violet had to say but needing to hear it anyway. “Cole did not tell me. How about you tell me now?”

  Violet stood and started pacing, not meeting April’s gaze. “We were young. I was stupid and petty and jealous of you.”

  “What did you do, Violet? Fucking tell me.” April’s voice rose with each word.

  Violet gulped. Her hands were shaking violently now. “I overheard you talking to your friends at lunch that day. You were in a booth at the diner. You didn’t see me. I was behind you.”

  April frowned, trying to remember the scene and realizing which day Violet was referring to. The day Cole didn’t show up for their date. The day her world flipped upside down. What had she said at lunch?

  “You were excited because Cole was taking you out that night to Sherman’s Steak House.” She smirked. “I heard everything. You thought he was going to ask you to marry him that night.”

  April’s heart beat faster with every word. She considered yanking Violet out of her seat and strangling her. She wasn’t going to like the rest of this story.

  Violet shrugged. “I pretended there was something wrong with my car and took it to Landry’s. I spoke to Cole.”

  “What did you tell him?” April asked, her body vibrating with fury.

  “That I overheard you telling your friends you hoped he wasn’t going to ask you to marry him because you were too young and heading in different directions.”

  The only sound in the room was the ringing in April’s ears. She stood rigid, fists at her sides. She’d never hit anyone in her life, but she considered doing so now.

  For a long time, neither of them moved. April’s chest rose and fell, but she couldn’t quite get enough oxygen. She wouldn’t follow her instincts and yank Violet out of her seat and beat the hell out of her. The gossiping bitch wasn’t worth it. It would change nothing.

  Instead, April slowly turned around and paced over to the window. She stared out at the sprawling backyard, seeing nothing. Her brain was still processing this information. Violet Chamberlain had been so jealous of April and Cole’s relationship that she’d gone to extreme lengths to break them up. She had to have known it wouldn’t cause Cole to suddenly be interested in her. She’d done it purely out of jealous spite.

  It was hideous and cruel and cost April ten years of happiness. She didn’t even want to look at Violet. But that wasn’t the worst part. No matter what Violet had done, April didn’t think she could ever forgive Cole for what he’d done.

  First of all, he should have come to her instead of taking Violet’s word and leaving town. But also, she’d been with him for the last four days. He could have told her that at any time. Why the hell hadn’t he?

  Suddenly, the door to the library burst open, yanking April from her pity party. She spun around to find the mayor, rushing into the room. He looked concerned. Cole and Rodney were on his heels.

  “What the hell, Dad?” Violet shouted as she jumped to her feet. “We’ve been stuck in here for over an hour.”

  Chamberlain held up both hands as if he were totally innocent. “I’m so sorry. The door must have gotten stuck. I was on a conference call upstairs. I didn’t get your messages or texts until I hung up just a few minutes ago. I was rushing down to open the door for you when Cole and Rodney started banging on the front door.”

  April stared at the lying piece of shit as Cole rushed to her side. “Are you okay?” he asked, his hand coming to her shoulder.

  She jerked out of his grasp and shot him a glare. “I’m fine.” She had no interest in facing him right now, not about this or any other topic. She needed to get the fuck out of here and find someplace to think. Her skin felt raw as if Violet had scratched off the top layer with her claws. It physically hurt for Cole to touch her.

  She glared at him and then at Chamberlain before running from the room. She ran down the hall, out the front door, and down the eternal front steps to get to her car. As she was yanking the door open, she heard Cole shouting her name, but she ignored him and slid into the driver’s seat. Her hands were trembling so badly it was hard to get the key in the ignition, but she finally managed and then pulled away from the house without glancing back.

  She would have to face Cole, but not now. Not while she was processing all this new information. Not in front of Violet and her fucking lying cheating piece of shit for a father.

  She didn’t want to go back to her apartment because Cole would just follow her there, so she drove to the only place where she knew she could lie low and lick her wounds for a while. Her parents’ house.

  Chapter 14

  Cole had no idea what the hell was going on or why April took off so fast, pulling away from him as if he’d burned her with his touch. Was she mad at him for the fact that Chamberlain had held her against her will? Probably, and she had a right to feel that way.

  Cole did feel responsible for getting April tangled up in this mess, but he still didn’t understand why she’d come to Chamberlain’s house in the first place. Had the man threatened her in some way to get her to come over?

  Unfortunately, Cole needed to deal with Chamberlain right now. He would catch up with April later. After watching her drive away, he turned and stomped back into the house.

  Rodney was already in a heated discussion with the mayor who kept his eyes wide and repeatedly insisted he hadn’t locked April in his library while his henchman tried to extort money from Cole.

  Violet seemed more contrite than Cole had ever seen her. She didn’t contribute much, but she did repeatedly glance at Cole. As Cole stared at her, he realized with bile in his throat that she’d told April about that fateful day ten years ago. Now the only question was, what exactly did she say?

  Cole jerked his attention to Rodney.

  “The police are questioning Dewey Hartman,” Rodney informed Chamberlain as Cole forced himself to deal with this issue first.

  “About what?” the mayor asked. “For trying to collect on a debt I’m owed? That’s not against the law.”

  “Holding a woman hostage to extort money from someone is a felony, sir,” Rodney informed the mayor. Cole heard sirens in the distance, and they were growing louder.

  Chamberlain shook his head and ran a hand down his face. “This is all a misunderstanding. I did not hold April McKay against her will. I’m telling you the door was stuck.” He spun to face Violet. “Tell them, honey. Tell them that the door sticks sometimes.”

  Violet winced as she nodded. “It does get stuck.”

  “See?” Chamberlain waved a hand toward the door. “I need to have a locksmith come out and look at it. I asked Ms. McKay to come here today to help me with a real estate deal. That’s all. Nothing nefarious.”

  “Where were Jeffery and Maxine? I banged on the door for a while.” Violet asked.

  “Jeffery too
k Maxine to the grocery store.”

  “Convenient,” Cole groaned. He wished Chamberlain would give him a reason to slam his body against the nearest wall and squeeze his neck until he saw stars. “If what you’re saying were true, then why did Dewey have fucking pictures of April here in your home to use to get me to hand over the title of my business?”

  Chamberlain played the shocked card yet again. “I don’t know anything about any pictures. That is not what happened.”

  Cole narrowed his gaze. “Your fucking henchmen showed them to me. It’s obvious you took pictures of my girlfriend at your home and texted them to Dewey to use as leverage to get me to sign over my business.”

  Chamberlain shook his head. “That never happened. I simply told Dewey to let you know April was on board and helping me work on a deal for the local businesses.”

  Cole took one step closer. “That’s a fucking lie and you know it.”

  Chamberlain smirked. “What’s a lie? I called Ms. McKay and asked her to come over and help me with the deal. She came willingly. She was going over the files while I took a conference call upstairs.” He pointed at a pile of files on the conference table.

  Several police officers entered the room, followed by the butler, who seemed to have miraculously returned now that the crime was over.

  As the police started rehashing what happened, Rodney nodded over his shoulder for Cole to follow him. They walked outside before Rodney started speaking. “The police couldn’t arrest Dewey.”

  Cole groaned. “Of course not. From that asshole’s point of view, I’m the one who committed the crime.”

  “Exactly, but he didn’t press charges.”

  “Well, isn’t that special.” Cole spun around and threw his hands in the air. “Fuck. Just fuck.”

  “I know it’s little consolation right now, but the department is getting closer to being able to charge Chamberlain.”

  “With what?” Cole asked, still seething and now starting to worry about April.

  “He’s been using all kinds of tactics to get control of the properties on those two blocks. All of them come precariously close to crossing the line. Combined, I think there’s enough to take him down.”