ACE (The Trident Series Book 1)

by Jaime Lewis

  “If you had to go with your gut right here, right now, are there any places that come to mind that you would look?” Irish questioned.

  “I have a couple I’d like to check out to rule them out. Our weakness will be the unfamiliarity of the area, while Ashraf knows the region like the back of his hand and can move around frequently and undetected.”

  Alex moved over to the table with the maps. When she bent over slightly to point at something, Ace couldn’t help the movement of his eyes to her ass. She had a mighty fine ass at that, especially in the fitted tan capris pants she wore. When Potter cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at him, he realized he was staring, and that Potter wasn’t the only person who caught him because Stitch was grinning as well as Irish. Fuckers…

  “As there are five hostages, and if Ashraf is making a move to take over a territory of ISIS within this region, that leads me to believe he is in the vicinity. When I say vicinity, I’m talking within a 200-mile radius. From what I know, based on past experiences, Ashraf doesn’t stray too far from his operations. However, he is good at concealing his identity. There are a few potential known hot spots I know off the top of my head, although my gut tells me we won’t locate him or the hostages there because it’s just too obvious, but we wouldn’t be doing our job thoroughly if we don’t put them on the list.”

  For the next few hours, they studied maps, satellite videos and discussed where a good starting point was. Without any credible leads or sightings of the hostages, it was a guess right now.

  Alex’s computer pinged with an incoming message. She excused herself and walked over to see what it was. She read whatever was on the screen, then looked up.

  “What is it?” Ace asked.

  “It’s a video. I’m pulling it up now.”

  Ace’s gut tightened, wondering what type of video because nine times out of ten videos sent in this environment didn’t end well.

  Alex typed in something, and the video appeared, showing five people, kneeling with cloth bags over their heads. Typical MO of terrorists. Since it was daylight, the area around them was visible, giving a telling sign they were somewhere within the mountains. Mountains surrounded the base they were at.

  The guy standing in front speaking was covered from head to toe in black. The only visible feature was his eyes. Ace could tell those were the eyes of a killer. He glanced over at Alex to see if he could gauge her reaction, but she was really studying the video as the man spoke. The problem for most in the room was the guy spoke in a dialect of the region. Unfortunately, no one on the team was fluent. They all knew a couple of important words, but not enough to make out what was being spoken on the video.

  The video ended without any type of bloodshed, which was a huge blessing, but what he caught at the end of the dialogue certainly sounded like the guy mentioned Alex’s name. Again, he glanced over at Alex, who was chewing her lip but still staring at the now blank screen.

  “Alex, did I hear correctly, was your name mentioned there at the end?” Derek asked her, and when she turned to face the group, he knew by the look on her face that it wasn’t good.

  “They know I’m involved. He was taunting me.”

  “Was there any mention about your whereabouts?” Ace asked. This was a huge concern. If these people knew that Alex was in the country, Ace wouldn’t put it past them to go beyond all means necessary to get to her.

  “No, why?” She asked, looking up at him.

  Derek spoke up. “He’s asking because we don’t know if these people know where you are. They could be targeting you.”

  “I’ve only been here for twenty-four hours. The only people who knew I’d be here was Mason, and whoever at the government level that put the request in.”

  Derek blew out a breath. “You know this changes things, right?”

  “How so?” Alex asked, a little on the defensive.

  “Because now I’ve got some sicko terrorist possibly wanting to put you in the middle of this situation.”

  “Whoa! Back up. First, you need to put the Alpha daddy brakes on. Second, I’ve dealt with a lot of other heavy shit in my career than someone just mentioning my name.”

  “What the hell is an Alpha daddy?” Derek fired back, and Ace tried to cover the snort of laughter at her description of Derek’s overprotectiveness. Luckily for him, his amusement went unnoticed.

  “Derek, let me look into this a little more. I need to go over the video where I can study the frames. Give me a few hours, and I’ll give you a call with an update.”

  Ace glanced down at his watch and was surprised at the time already.

  “Fine, but I want an update before you call it a night,” Derek replied, then signed off.

  Alex ran a hand down her face. Derek was right; this video had changed the dynamics of the mission. Whether Alex wanted it or not, she was going to have an extra layer of security on her. Ace heard Stitch ask her if she wanted to join them for a quick lunch, but she politely declined, saying she wanted to review the video and check-in with the division lead back in Washington. He was disappointed but understood that the job came first.

  He wasn’t complaining because, in the last few hours, he had gotten to meet Alex Hardesty, the career woman. He was intrigued by her professionalism as well as impressed with her knowledge and determination. She was a woman who seemed like she’d kick ass first and ask questions later. That just excited him even more. It was no wonder Mason Whittemore snatched her up. She was definitely a valued asset.

  Before they left, he turned toward her, and she looked up at him with those bright green eyes. “Are you sure there isn’t anything we can do to help?”

  She gave him a warm smile. “No, but thanks for the offer.”

  Stitch walked up, “At least let us bring you something back to eat. I’m not sure what they’re serving, but we don’t mind.”

  “I’m good, right now, Stitch, but thank you.” She gave them both another smile, and then the phone rang, bringing an end to the conversation.

  As he and Stitch walked out the door, he stole another glance over his shoulder, then looked back at Stitch. “Irish is going to hang around just to be safe.”

  Stitch smiled, “you must have been reading my mind. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.”

  Stitch grinned, then opened the door leading to the hallway that would take them outside. Ace followed but not before taking one last look at the sexy brunette who stole the show today with her impeccable presentation.

  Stitch slapped him on the back and chuckled. “Come on, Lt. I think you and I need to talk.”

  Chapter Five

  Ace was blinded by the bright afternoon sun as he and Stitch stepped outside. Sliding his sunglasses on, Dino gave a chin lift, “What’s on the agenda now, Lieutenant?”

  “How about some food and then you guys are free to do whatever. Alex said she’d let us know if anything pans out.”

  “She isn’t eating?” Skittles asked, frowning.

  Ace shook his head and had to hold back his smile. From the disappointed looks on the team’s faces, it seemed they were hoping to spend time with her too.

  After chow, Ace was walking with Stitch when Stitch glanced over with an amused look.

  “What?” Ace asked, not breaking his stride.

  “Alex is something else, isn’t she?”

  Ace wondered where this was going, so he took the bait and nodded. “Yeah, she seems to be, but again I just met her.” That wasn’t saying he hadn’t liked what he’d seen so far. He already knew he wanted to talk to her more, although he would be crossing some boundaries considering she was related to his CO.

  “Don’t give me that shit, it’s written all over your face. Since you two bumped into each other yesterday, you can’t keep your eyes off her.” Stitch laughed, “You’ve been around the block with plenty of women, Ace, but I’ve yet to see you look at any woman like the way you looked at Alex.”

  Ace’s stride came to a halt as the others kept walk
ing ahead. He glanced at Stitch. It wasn’t like he was disrespectful towards women. “And what type of look is that?”

  Stitch grinned, “You actually paid attention to her.”

  Ace rubbed his jaw and thought about it. Stitch was right. Although it had been almost a year since he had slept with a woman, it was just two people in it for the sex. Who was he trying to fool? He felt the instant pull the moment the little powerhouse plowed into him. “Okay, I won’t deny it, she has intrigued me. She doesn’t seem to be like the women back home who throw themselves at us. That in itself is a positive.”

  “That’s because she isn’t. She rarely dates.” That was encouraging information to take in. “And forget about the ‘man in uniform’ routine. That doesn’t affect her.”

  “What does that mean?”

  They stopped next to a picnic table, and Stitch sat rubbing his hand over his scruffy face. They all needed a shave.

  “Alex grew up being a military brat. Being who she was raised by, she has seen it all and heard it all, including the guys who thought the uniform could persuade her into their beds.” Stitch chuckled, “She took total offense to it and would tell them that too.”

  Ace grinned, “Smart girl. Although I do recall all of us doing the same a time or two. Especially when we were younger and had just graduated BUD/S.” Stitch laughed but didn’t deny it.

  “Alex is hard to explain. She’s different and special, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my friend. She can light up the darkest room with her bright smile and fun personality. She’s unbelievably smart and holy shit, can she kick ass.” Ace gave him a sideways look, and Stitch continued. “Seriously, you should see her in action. Put any weapon in her hand, and she could disassemble it, reassemble it and fire it, hitting her target dead on 99.9% percent of the time.” He shook his head and laughed as he kicked a rock across the ground. “Derek and those guys taught her everything she needed to know. She is an amazing person and friend.”

  Ace took a seat across from him and stretched his legs out.

  “She sounds awesome.”

  “She is, but I worry about her. Frost does too, and even though the commander would never admit it to us, I know he feels the same.”

  “Why? With how you’ve described her, she seems like she can hold her own.”

  “The amount of time she spends working. She never stops or even slows down for that matter. Shit, when she mentioned she was in Italy on vacation, I almost didn’t believe her. She’s always on the go, bouncing from one country to the next, assisting other operatives. I think she works more now being a freelancer than she did with the government. We are all just afraid that if she keeps going the way she is, she’ll burn herself out.”

  “I’m surprised the commander hasn’t talked with her.”

  “Oh, he’s tried. Believe me. But she tells him she is fine and knows her limitations.”

  Ace wondered if there could be an underlying issue causing her to want to work more, maybe to keep her mind busy.

  “What happened to Alex two years ago was awful. Did you all ever stop to think maybe she’s putting all of those hours in to keep her mind busy so that she won’t think about the past? PTSD can rear its ugly self in many ways. Maybe that’s her way of dealing with it.”

  Stitch removed his sunglasses and started fidgeting with them. Ace took notice of the painful expression on his face.

  “At the time, Frost and I didn’t know all of the details. We only knew she had been injured during an assignment. I never put two and two together when Derek left for Germany. We weren’t even told she was injured until a couple of months after it had happened.” Stitch took a deep breath. “Her whole fucking team was killed right in front of her eyes. Knowing now that it was a phone call that saved her life shakes me to my core.”

  Ace’s chest tightened. Anytime you lose a team member, it is hard, but he couldn’t imagine losing an entire team. He’d known guys who have and had seen what survivors’ guilt could do to someone. It wasn’t pretty.

  “Do you think her being here could hinder our progress?” He felt like such a dick asking Stitch that, but he was responsible for the team. If she weren’t mentally fit for the assignment, it could cause issues.

  “From what I hear, she is one of the best out there in the field she is in. I know Alex, and she wouldn’t have accepted the job if she felt she wasn’t prepared. Alex has a toughness about her, along with a long streak of independence. Trust me when I tell you she won’t be a hindrance.”

  That was all Ace needed to hear. Stitch was her best friend and would know her better than anyone besides her family, of course, so with him saying all was good was music to his ears. They didn’t need to add any more drama to the situation they were currently facing nor the fact that he was attracted to her.

  “What else do you want to know about her?” Stitch asked, and Ace wondered where in the hell that question came from. He looked at Stitch, and Stitch laughed.

  “Oh, come on, man. It is so obvious you find her attractive. Potter and I both caught you looking at her ass.”

  “I don’t know, the way you make it sound about her dating; it feels as if I don’t stand a chance.”

  They were both quiet for a moment. Then Stitch spoke, “Damn, you really like her, don’t you?”

  Ace looked down at his hands and wondered how he could explain the feeling he got when he met Alex without sounding like a total dork. “You know how you hear about people meeting someone and knowing instantly that person is the one?” Stitch didn’t say anything, but he did nod his head. “Well, I think it happened to me.”

  Stitch’s eyes widened, but Ace didn’t miss the sly grin. “You think Alex could be the one?”

  Ace held Stitch’s eye. “Fucking crazy, isn’t it?” Shit, he sounded ridiculous. He shook his head and went to stand, but Stitch stopped him.

  “Hold up. Look, if you’re really interested in getting to know her, just be patient. Don’t push her, and don’t be surprised when she tries to blow you off. One thing I’ve known about Alex is she is exceptionally good at building walls.”

  “Well, I guess I have a challenge ahead of me.”

  Stitch chuckled. “Tread carefully and don’t go pissing her off. Believe me when I say you don’t want to go down that road. She could make a grown man cry.” Ace cocked one of his eyebrows. “Remember, a slew of frogmen raised her. Even though the commander was her legal guardian, each of her father’s teammates treated that girl like their own daughter.”

  Stitched laughed along with him, then got serious again, “You’re a good guy and someone I have the utmost respect for. Knowing you both, I think you guys would be good for each other. All I ask is that you treat her right. She deserves that much. That is if you can make it past the commander.” Stitch chuckled. “Good luck with that one.”

  He nodded his head in acknowledgment that he’d got the message loud and clear. Standing up, Ace stretched his arms and slapped Stitch on the back, “Come on, let’s go meet up with the others. I thought I heard Potter say he wanted to watch a movie. If that’s the case, you and I both know we are in store for a Harry Potter marathon.”

  Walking along with Ace, Stitch put his sunglasses on, shook his head, and laughed. “Too bad Potter can’t learn some of the wizardry shit those kids use in those movies. It’d sure as hell make our missions a lot easier.”

  Ace barked out a laugh. Potter’s fetish with Harry Potter kept the team entertained.

  Chapter Six

  Ashraf leaned back in his chair as he sat behind his desk, looking out of the large window in his home. The backdrop of the Hindu Kush mountain range was breathtaking. The tranquil view of the snowcapped peaks that glistened in the rays of the sun normally brought a sense of calmness to him. But calmness was a far reach at the moment.

  He spun his chair around, so he was now facing the man who sat across from him, Reynolds was his name. Ashraf had to hide his smirk at the look of fear on the American’s f
ace. Oh yeah, Reynolds knew exactly what happens when he gets angry. It would usually lead to someone being severely injured or, worse, killed.

  “Your simple plan, as you put it has backfired. How in the hell did this turn into a train wreck? The last thing I need is your government on my ass again.”

  “Your son was caught on a security feed. Facial recognition traced him back to your organization. It also didn’t help that your crew decided to take five contractors’ hostage.”

  Ashraf tapped his fingers on the wood desk. “But I didn’t.”

  “You didn’t what?”

  “I don’t have any hostages.”

  “Well, our government says otherwise. That is a major reason why they brought that woman in.”

  Ashraf smirked. Reynolds didn’t need to be privy of every single detail Ashraf had planned. Of course, they used real hostages in the video; they just weren’t the hostages the government was claiming they had.

  “That is another problem in itself. She came too close to ruining me the last time she was here. So, my question is, what are you going to do about it?”

  Reynolds swallowed hard. Drops of sweat ran down his temple that he wiped away with the back of his hand. He could portray himself as a big shot, but when he was backed into a corner, he was a coward.

  “First, you have to know that I had no control over who the agency was going to contract. My initial thought was they were going to keep it in house, but then one of the Directors mentioned her name, and now here we are. It’s been over two years, and all the evidence was destroyed before anyone had a chance to read it.”

  “Well, she must have something because why else would she be here? And with a SEAL team at her disposal.”

  That little bitch had nearly brought down his entire organization. He gave Reynolds the evil eye. If he had his way, she’d have been blown to smithereens just like the rest of her team. “Remind me again why she is still alive?”

  “Ask your oldest son. I was ready to put a bullet in her head until he stopped me.”