by Susan Stoker
“Here,” Rocco said, holding a towel out to her. “Cover up, baby.”
Caite looked down at herself and winced. She may as well not have been wearing a shirt for how see-through the material was now. She grasped the towel to her chest and tried not to blush.
Rocco pulled her toward him and kissed the top of her head. “There’s a bathroom over there. We can go change before we head back to your place.”
Caite was all for that. The last thing she wanted to do was sit in his car in wet, clammy clothes. She nodded and reached for the bag. Rocco grabbed it before she could.
“I got it.”
“I can carry it,” she protested.
“I know you can,” Rocco said. “But I’ve got it.”
She shook her head in exasperation and walked next to him as they headed for the bathrooms. He reached in and grabbed his clothes, then handed her the duffle. “I grabbed some things for you when I got up this morning. I hope they’re okay.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Caite mumbled, trying not to think about him going through her underwear drawer.
As if he could read her mind, Rocco leaned in and said next to her ear, “It was a tough choice, but I can’t wait to see you in what I picked out.”
Caite giggled and backed away from him.
“I’ll be waiting out here,” Rocco told her unnecessarily. Where else was he going to meet her?
But she simply nodded and headed for the bathroom. Changing in a public restroom wasn’t ideal, but Caite went into a stall and peeled off her wet clothes and quickly pulled on the clean, dry ones Rocco had packed. He’d chosen a pair of black lacy panties that she normally only wore when she dressed up. The bra he’d thrown in was also black and lacy, and her nipples beaded thinking about him seeing her in the ensemble.
She had a feeling that would be happening sooner rather than later, and she was okay with that. She quickly put on the jean shorts and the V-neck T-shirt he’d picked out as well. When she exited the women’s restroom, Rocco was leaning against the wall. She couldn’t help but sigh in appreciation upon seeing him. He was wearing a pair of jeans now with his flip-flops. He had on a black T-shirt, and once again her eyes were drawn to the veins in his forearms.
His hair was wet, as was hers, and she could see it was a bit too long, hanging in his eyes. When he saw her, he flicked his head impatiently to clear his vision. Caite had been working around military men for a while now, and she’d thought she was immune to a handsome soldier or sailor. But she had a sudden wish to see Rocco in his dress white uniform. She knew he’d look stunning.
“Hi,” she said stupidly.
He grinned. “Hey. Ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
He grabbed her hand and they walked toward the parking lot, which was now half-filled with cars, most likely from the young men playing volleyball or people exercising nearby.
“Thanks for forcing me to do this today,” Caite told him.
“Force you? I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do,” Rocco said, frowning.
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” Caite reassured him. “I just mean, thank you for pushing me to try something I wasn’t sure about. You should know, in general, if it’s up to me, I’m perfectly happy sitting at home rather than going out and doing…just about anything. I will if you want to, but if left to my own devices, I’m a homebody and hermit. Just like in Bahrain, it’s easier to just stay in my apartment than to take a risk and explore.”
“I don’t mind that about you,” Rocco said. “Believe it or not, I’m happy to sit at home as well.”
“But you’re a SEAL,” Caite said.
“I am. And as much as I enjoy what I do, I don’t want to do it 24/7. And having someone to stay home with sounds absolutely appealing. If you were always on the go and always wanted to go out and do stuff, things between us probably wouldn’t work. But, Caite, if I ever set up something for us to do that you really don’t want to, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll back off. I mean that.”
“I know. And I appreciate it. I’ve wanted to learn to swim for a while now. At least to be more comfortable in the water, but I felt weird about signing up for swim lessons since they’re usually for kids. And trusting a stranger to make sure I don’t drown isn’t high on my list either.”
“You do know that you’re not exactly ready to try out for the Olympics, right?” Rocco asked as they neared his car.
Caite chuckled. “I’m not? You mean I can’t give Katie Ledecky a run for her money?”
“Who?”
“Never mind. I understand, Rocco. But I already feel more confident. If you’re willing to continue to help me, I know I can get even better. Maybe even float in a pool as opposed to the ocean.”
“Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how in the world you ever couldn’t swim,” he reassured her with a small squeeze of her hand in his. Then he moved his hand to the small of her back and his fingertips dipped to brush against the crack of her ass. “I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do when you put your mind to it.”
“Hand me the car keys and no one’ll get hurt!” a low, angry voice said from nearby.
Caite had been lost in the teasing feel of his fingertips against her sensitive backside but at hearing the threat, she turned to see who had spoken—and gasped in surprise and fear.
A man with a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead, wearing all black, was standing between them and the beach.
He had a pistol in one hand that shook as he aimed it at them.
Chapter Twelve
Rocco pulled Caite behind him with one hand even as he raised the other, showing he was unarmed. “Easy, man,” he said, not wanting to spook the kid any more than he already was.
“Give me your keys,” the punk repeated.
“They’re in my pocket,” Rocco said. “I’m going to have to reach for them,” he told the kid.
“No. Let her do it,” he ordered, waving the gun in Caite’s direction.
Without a word, Rocco felt Caite’s small hand reach into his pocket to search for the keys. In any other situation he’d make some sexually charged comment about being careful what she was grabbing down there, but now wasn’t the time or place.
There was something about the carjacking that bothered Rocco. The kid hardly seemed like a hardened criminal. He looked scared out of his mind. Scared but determined. Rocco knew he could bum rush him and take him down within seconds, but the last thing he wanted was to leave Caite vulnerable. If the kid got off a lucky shot, he’d never forgive himself. Better to just give him what he wanted. Caite’s life was worth much more than his car.
Caite’s hand retreated from his pocket with the key to the Acura in her hand. She went to give it to Rocco, but the kid barked, “Bring them here!”
Rocco shook his head. “No. Take the keys and go.”
“No. She has to bring them to me. Better yet, she needs to get in the car and drive.”
“Fuck no!” Rocco exclaimed. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“Yes, she is! If you want to live, that is.”
Rocco clenched his teeth. There was no way in hell Caite was getting in the car with this jackhole. “Look. She’s my girlfriend. I’m not letting her get in the car with you, man. Just take the car and go.”
At Rocco’s words, the kid’s lips pressed together in frustration. “She has to come with me.”
“Why?” Rocco barked.
“Why?” the kid echoed.
“You don’t need her. Just take the car,” Rocco repeated.
The carjacker shook his head and glanced around before meeting Caite’s eyes. “You need to get in the car. Just get in! You have to.”
Rocco felt Caite’s hand on his back and could feel her shaking. He was pissed off that the punk was scaring her. Enough was enough. He’d have to incapacitate him after all.
Just when he was readying himself to jump the kid in a way that would minimiz
e the danger to Caite, he saw someone running toward them out of the corner of his eye.
Before he could do anything, shots rang out.
Rocco acted on instinct, turning and grabbing Caite while flinging them both to the ground. Grunting when he landed on his back, Rocco barely felt the pain. He was immediately rolling, covering Caite with his body as he physically hauled her around the back of a car and away from the kid with the gun and whoever else was shooting.
Rocco heard shouting, but all his attention was on Caite. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” he asked, running his eyes over her face and down her body.
“I’m o-okay,” she said with only a small stutter. “You?”
“Fine,” he told her, not worrying about the pain in his shoulder blades from landing on the ground. “How’s your arm?”
“It’s good. What’s going on?”
“Stay here,” Rocco ordered. “Just stay down and I’ll see.”
Caite grabbed his forearm when he started to straighten. “You can’t!” she exclaimed.
Rocco didn’t have time to reassure her, but he took it anyway. “Caite, I’m a SEAL. I’ve got this. I could’ve taken that kid down within seconds, but I didn’t want to do anything that would leave you vulnerable. I can take care of this, but I need to know you’re safe. Can you please stay here? Better yet, roll under this car just in case. I’ll be right back. Promise.”
She studied him for a beat, before nodding and scooting under the car on her belly. “Be careful,” she whispered.
Rocco nodded, thanking his lucky stars she was so levelheaded. The second she was under the car, he stayed crouched and made his way to the front and peered around the bumper.
What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
Moving as quick as lightning, he ran toward the potential carjacker. The kid was lying on his back, gasping for air, blood trickling out of his mouth. A red circle was slowly growing on his shirt right over his heart.
Swearing, Rocco tossed the pistol out of reach of the kid and immediately pressed his hand down on the hole in his shirt. “Hang on,” he told him. Then turning his head, he yelled, “Caite?”
“Yeah?” she replied immediately.
“Call 9-1-1. Tell them that we were almost carjacked and now the perp has been shot.”
“Shit. all right!” she replied.
“Are you okay?” a male’s voice said above him.
Rocco looked up to see a man about his age standing nearby. In his grip was a handgun. “Move away slowly and put that weapon on the ground,” he bit out.
“Dude, he had you at gunpoint,” the man said without complying. “I saved your life!”
Rocco held on to his temper by sheer force of will. “Thank you. Now, please, put the gun down.”
“Okay, okay, chill,” the man said, and placed his gun on the trunk of the car next to him.
The kid under him coughed, and Rocco could hear gurgling in his chest. This was not good. “Hang in there,” he told him. “Paramedics are on their way.”
“It’s not loaded,” the kid gasped out.
“What?”
“My gun. It’s not loaded. The guy said all I had to do was bring the girl. That’s all!”
“What guy?” Rocco asked, leaning down and getting in the kid’s face.
“I needed the promotion,” the kid continued, ignoring the question. “He said if I did what he wanted, he’d make sure I got promoted…” He paused to cough again and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Rocco leaned back just in time to avoid it.
“Who said you’d get promoted?” he asked urgently.
But it was too late. The kid’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.
“Fuck. Shit!” Rocco put his free hand against the kid’s neck and felt for a pulse.
Nothing.
“Starting CPR,” Rocco announced.
Within seconds, Caite was there. “What can I do to help?”
“Back up,” Rocco said immediately. “I mean it, Caite. I don’t want you anywhere near his blood.”
“But you aren’t even wearing gloves!” she protested.
“Please,” Rocco begged between chest compressions. “You don’t need to see this. Please, just step around that car.”
“Okay.”
“But don’t go far,” he yelled, looking up at her for the first time. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”
She walked around the car next to them and stood on the other side of the hood, turning her back. “Is this okay?” she asked.
“Perfect.” And it was. She wasn’t watching the guy who’d wanted to kidnap her die, and she was safe from any bodily fluids. He was also between her and the guy who thought he was on the set of Live PD or something.
It took ten minutes for help to arrive, and Rocco knew there was no coming back from a gunshot to the heart, but he kept doing CPR, just in case. One second it was just him counting out chest compressions, and the next there were paramedics swarming around him. Rocco gladly stood, relinquishing control of the scene to the professionals. He looked around for Caite and smiled weakly when he saw her standing to the side, holding a towel from the bag he’d packed earlier that morning.
She held it out. “Thought you could use this.”
Rocco took it and cleaned his hands as best he could. It would take a while for the bloodstains to come out. He yanked off his shirt, knowing it had some blood on it too. Then, before he was ready, Caite grabbed him around the waist and plastered herself to his chest.
Rocco held his arms out, not daring to touch her yet. He didn’t want one drop of that asshole’s blood on her.
She seemed to understand why he wasn’t holding her, but it didn’t faze her. She clung to him and eventually rested her cheek on his pectoral muscle as they watched the paramedics try to bring the young man back to life…to no avail.
By then, the police had arrived. One deputy was questioning the man who had fired the fatal round and another came over to them. “I understand you were the couple the man was holding up?”
Rocco nodded. “He wanted my car.”
“How’d that guy get involved?” the deputy asked, gesturing toward the other man with his head.
“Not sure. I guess he saw what was happening and came over to lend a hand.”
“Did he say anything before he discharged his weapon?”
Rocco shook his head. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. But the kid had a weapon pointed at us. He wouldn’t just take the keys and go,” Rocco said, somewhat defending the civilian who’d been trying to help.
“Okay. I’m going to need both of your statements.”
“Of course.”
“Ma’am?” the deputy asked, looking at Caite.
She shifted until her side was against Rocco’s and nodded. “Whatever you need.”
“Thank you. If you can just head over there where my partner is, he’ll be with you in a bit.”
Rocco nodded again and draped his arm over Caite’s shoulder. He first walked them over to the ambulance and requested some alcohol to wash his hands, which the paramedics gladly provided. Finally having his hands clean enough that he could risk touching Caite, he pulled her to him and held on as tight as he dared.
That had been close. Too fucking close. “Jeez, ma petite fée, you sure know how to make an outing exciting.”
She huffed out a small laugh and said, “It’s not me. It’s you. Before I met you, nothing interesting happened to me. Now I’ve traipsed around a foreign country, saved the lives of three Navy SEALs, been fired from my job, almost run over by a pickup truck, been shot in a robbery, and now carjacked. Sheesh. I’m like Domino from the second Deadpool movie. Luck must be my superpower.”
Rocco froze at her words. “You were almost run over by a truck?” he asked, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.
Something about his voice must have sounded off because Caite looked up at him. “Yeah. Um…it
was the night we first went out. I was late leaving work and was hurrying home because I knew I wasn’t going to have enough time to get ready before you got there. The guy jumped the curb, and someone yelled at me to watch out. I jumped out of the way just in time. My guess is that he was probably texting or drunk or something.”
“The bruise on your back?” Rocco asked.
Caite frowned. “Oh…I guess.”
His mind was spinning, and he recalled what the kid had said. All I had to do was bring the girl. He said if I did what he wanted, he’d make sure I got promoted.
“Motherfucker,” Rocco said under his breath.
“What?” Caite asked, the concern easy to hear in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
Rocco shook his head and pressed his lips together. He needed to get through the interview with the deputies and then have a talk with his team. Once they had the name of the potential carjacker, it should be easy to figure out who he worked under. It was possible that his boss wasn’t the person they were looking for, but who else would have the clout to get him promoted?
Rocco should’ve realized Caite might be a target after what had happened in Bahrain. Contractors like her generally didn’t get fired and rushed out of the country like she’d been. That, along with all the brushes with death she’d had, meant someone wanted her gone. Pronto.
Deciding now wasn’t the time to scare her, Rocco kissed the top of her head and shook his own. “We’ll talk later, ma petite fée.”
“Okay,” she whispered. After a beat she said, “Bet you’re sorry you decided I needed to learn how to swim today of all days, huh?”
Rocco didn’t have an answer for that. He had a feeling it didn’t matter when he taught her to swim. Someone was watching her. Or him. Or both of them. At the moment, it didn’t matter. What mattered was figuring out why someone wanted Caite dead.
One thing was for certain. No one was going to kill his woman.
He’d already made his mind up that he wanted Caite McCallan for his own. But learning that her life was in danger made it all the more clear.
Glancing over at the kid lying dead under the white sheet, who’d just been following someone else’s orders, made him realize it could’ve been Caite lying there.
