Tessa pressed against her leg. “I think so,” she said, reaching down to tickle an ear.
His mouth curved. “Must have seen some action. You have that look.”
“What look is that?” she asked, smiling.
“Like you dodged a bullet and kicked some ass.”
She laughed. “The job’s mostly boring as hell. Lots of time on the computer and making calls. So many calls.” She shuddered. “And Jesus, the in-person interviews. Never met so many stupid people in my life.”
Brian grimaced. “Don’t like talking to folks, even on the phone. Glad it’s you and not me.”
“I’m just happy as hell Tessa likes you. Really, you don’t mind looking after her? Sorry I can’t give you more notice when I have to drop her off.”
“Like I’ll ever be too busy?” He held out his hand. “Any time, Jamie. Really. And I worked with her a bit. I know you haven’t had much time for it lately. Had the neighbor’s kid walk from the front porch then enter the woods and hide. Made him keep to even ground so I could follow. Tessa had her nose down from the front step until she found him hiding behind a fallen log.” Brian grinned. “She’s still got it.”
Jamie liked the way his face lit up. Seeing him excited about anything was a relief. She went to her knee in front of her Malinois, her best friend since they’d been paired in training. “Is that right, girl?” she asked, grabbing the brown and black fur on either side of her face and giving her a gentle shake. “Did you find that kid? Did you have fun?”
Tessa’s mouth opened, and she gave Jamie her doggie smile, tail switching a mile a minute.
Brian reached to the side to scratch beneath Tessa’s collar. “She sure perked up after she found the kid. I think she felt proud of herself.”
Jamie petted Tessa as her dog licked her chin. She was not going to cry over the fact her dog was acting like a dog. “I need to work with her more,” she said, knowing her voice sounded too gruff.
“You think about joining that Search and Rescue group out of Bozeman?”
Jamie wrinkled her nose. “I’m not much of a joiner.”
Brian tapped the arm of his chair. “I think Tessa would like it. And you’d make some friends. And it’s not like she’ll be sniffin’ for bombs.”
“I have friends,” she said, giving him a narrow look.
“Yeah, well, new friends. Do you even know anyone who wasn’t with the unit?”
“I know lots of people. I just don’t happen to have much in common with most folks.”
Brian gave her steady look, bleakness stealing the gleam from his eyes. “I know how that is, but, Jamie, it’s no way to live.”
She studied him for a long moment. “Tell you what. I’ll attend a meeting with the search and rescue folks—if you agree to attend a Soldier’s Sanctuary meeting,” she said, talking about the non-profit group that worked to help wounded vets reacclimatize to civilian life. “They have all kinds of recreational activities. You need to get out, Brian, and make some friends of your own.”
He snorted and scratched behind Tessa’s ears. “I have friends, don’t I, Tess?” He angled his head toward Jamie. “We’re a pair, aren’t we? I lost two legs and have a scrambled brain. What’s your excuse?”
She blew out a breath, knowing they’d likely have this exact conversation the next time they met. Neither was ready for any big changes. They were still busy adjusting to life after the sandbox.
Jamie secured Tessa inside her crate in the back of her vehicle, and Brian wheeled backward, stopping at the foot of his ramp to watch as she drove away. Her heart ached for the Brian she’d known before the bomb. She missed his easy humor. They’d been close. Both young and trying so hard not to reveal how scared they were that first time they’d shipped out.
Up until the day he’d been injured, they’d been inseparable. They’d sat at the same tables in the chow hall. Worked out together. Shared pictures of home. Talked about what they wanted to make of their lives after their commitments to the military ended.
Brian had wanted to be a teacher.
She’d wanted to be cop.
Life hadn’t worked out that way for either of them. She no longer had any interest in sitting in a squad car, writing tickets. She preferred the seedier settings, rousting bad guys from bars and deserted cabins. Needed the adrenaline rush of the takedown to feel alive.
Brian preferred his solitude, shutting out the world.
Sometimes, she feared he’d lose all hope of ever finding happiness. He needed someone, or something, to give him a reason to keep living. As often as she could, she’d share Tessa. That he’d agreed to dog sit still surprised her. She’d suggested a few times that he find an animal friend, but he’d refused. She wondered if that was because he feared he’d end up abandoning a creature dependent on his being there to care for it.
Jamie clicked on the indicator and steered into her driveway. A few more paychecks like today’s, and she could kiss off this duplex with the noisy couple next door. She’d like a yard large enough to fence and allow Tessa room to be a dog. Not that she wanted a mortgage or to put down roots. For now, she was content to live day by day, and she couldn’t wait for the next call.
She hoped she and Reaper would pull another Daniel Mosby soon. Someone who’d give her a reason to just let go and kick some ass. Today’s action had made her feel more alive than she had in a long time.
After feeding and walking Tessa, she pulled the top off a beer and settled at her kitchen table, her cleaning supplies laid out in military order, and broke down her Glock to begin the task of cleaning it, even though she hadn’t fired a shot. Better to be prepared for the next time.
The screen on her phone lit a moment before the opening bars of Five Finger Death Punch’s “Bad Company” played. The caller was Fetch.
Her heart tripped. Another job. She picked up the phone and answered. Didn’t matter she hadn’t slept. “Next time” had come.
2
The following morning, Jamie was nearing the town of Eagle Rock when the chirp of a siren drew her gaze to her rearview mirror.
Shit. Yes, she’d been speeding, but the roads were straight and deserted. Asshole must need to make his ticket quota. She pulled to the side of the road, picked up her badge from the console, and rolled down the driver’s side window. Putting both hands outside, one holding the badge, she called out to the deputy striding toward her car. “I have a holstered weapon, deputy. Permit’s in the glove box.”
“It’s sheriff. Sheriff Barron,” the tall man said, stepping next to her window and leaning toward her. “Foot’s a little heavy, ma’am, but that’s not why I stopped you.” He smiled. “Hank Patterson said you were coming. I’m your escort.”
“I need an escort?” she asked, as she withdrew her hands. What was going on?
“I’ll save you time, since I’m heading to the same meeting. All the heavy-hitters are assembling now.”
“I’m not a heavy—”
“You haven’t been read in. FBI’s orders. But you’re an essential part of the team. Fetch recommended you. Said you were the best dog handler he ever had.”
After Fetch’s rather cryptic call last night, she knew something big was up. The fact she was bringing Tessa had rung alarms.
“She’s rusty, Fetch,” she said after her boss told her she had a new job, one that wouldn’t include Reaper. “Only reason I have her is the Army deemed her unsound for further service.”
“Since she won’t be sniffing for explosives, she’ll do. I know you both helped with a couple of missing persons cases in your area.”
“She still has a nose, but... Are you sure we’re up for this?” she asked, hating that she felt so unsure about herself and Tessa. Once upon a time, their working relationship had been rock-solid.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think so, Jamie.”
After packing a bag and Tessa’s gear, she’d settled down for a restless night’s sleep where she’d dreamed about their last miss
ion together, the explosion that had injured Tessa and unsettled her nerves to the point even the hint of explosive materials made her whine and curl her tail.
Jamie waited as the sheriff returned to his vehicle. Then with only his lights strobing, he pulled into the lead, and they set off at an even faster speed than she’d been driving previously.
“Nice to have connections, huh, Tess?” she called out to her dog, crated in the rear, the window open between her cab and the enclosed space so the dog received the benefit of fresh air and her running commentary.
Jamie wished the sheriff had given her a hint of what she was riding into. She supposed someone was lost in the nearby Crazy Mountains—maybe a hiker or a child—but she’d also been instructed to come armed. “Think he’s worried about bears or cougars, Tess?”
The fact Fetch was sending her alone, without her partner, had surprised her. The fact he was unwilling to discuss the details of this case over the phone had further increased her curiosity.
Still, a job was a job. Plus, she’d have the pleasure of working with Tessa again. Something she’d missed over the long months since they’d both mustered out of the Army Reserves. She was sure that, once they were both following a trail, any nerves would settle.
While she’d been thinking back on last night’s call, they’d drawn near a set of gateposts. The sheriff slowed and turned into Bear Creek Ranch, Hank Patterson’s property, and the site of the meeting. She followed him, all the while taking in the rolling plains framed by the distant mountains. They passed a barn and cowboys on horseback, but finally pulled into a wide drive filled with dark sedans and SUVs.
A flutter of uncertainty lodged in her belly. What the hell was she walking into? Stalling for time to get her game face on, she walked around the back of her vehicle, lowered the gate, and released Tessa from her crate.
Tessa jumped down and quickly sat, her body tucked against Jamie’s left leg, her head gazing upward as she patiently awaited the lead Jamie snapped on her work harness.
“Nice dog,” the sheriff said. “She okay around a crowd?”
Jamie glanced up. “She’ll take her cues from me. Mostly stick to my side. It’s okay if I bring her inside?”
“She’s part of the team,” he said with grim smile. Then he waved an arm toward the large wrap-around porch.
When she passed through the front door, she glazed up in awe of the tall ceilings, the floor-to ceiling windows, thick overhead beams, and rich, gleaming wooden floors. With a hand at her left elbow, the sheriff guided her into a large open living room. Sofas and chairs were filled with men in dark suits, some in dark SWAT uniforms, and several more casually dressed men, wearing cargo pants or jeans and sporting scruffy beards. Ex-military from their looks. SEALs, she realized, when she noted a trident tattoo on one man’s forearm.
Shit must be serious if they’ve called in the SEALs. One of them spotted her hovering near the entrance and rose. “Take my seat,” he said, waving her toward the sofa.
When his gaze dropped to Tessa then returned to Jamie, it sharpened.
Her breath caught. She shook her head, her mouth beginning to stretch. “Small world, SEAL.”
“Sergeant.” He didn’t crack a smile, but he held out his hand.
She stopped her smile from stretching any farther. Maybe he didn’t want everyone to know they already knew each other. They shook. Then he dropped to one knee and held out his hand, palm down and fingers straight, to greet Tessa.
Tessa sniffed, and her tail wagged.
“Think she remembers me?” he asked, one corner of his mouth kicking up.
“She never forgets someone who used to bring her treats.”
A throat cleared, pulling both their glances to the tall man standing near a large fireplace.
“That’s Hank Patterson,” the SEAL murmured under his breath. “Also, an ex-SEAL.” He tilted his chin toward the spot he’d vacated on the sofa. “Have a seat. We’ll talk after.”
She nodded, feeling her cheeks warm as she realized his SEAL buddies all stared at them. She took his seat next to them. “Platz,” she said softly, waiting as Tessa lowered to the floor beside her feet. Then Jamie turned her attention to the man who’d called the meeting.
Hank’s gaze swept the room. “This is our team. Some of you haven’t been briefed, but yesterday, the vehicle carrying FBI agents escorting Mohammed Nazari, who folks in Eagle Rock knew as David Perez, to the federal court building in Billings blew up. After the ATF combed through the vehicle, they determined only two bodies were accounted for. Nazari’s in the wind. Obviously, with help. The FBI has put out bulletins all across the country, but late last night, a resident of Eagle Rock, a rancher with property near the Crazy Mountains—the site of Nazari’s former training camp—spotted someone matching his description. We don’t know why he would return here, considering everyone knows him, but the Brotherhood Protectors have been asked to lend a hand with the search, since we assisted in his capture the first time.” He shifted his stance and crossed his arms over her chest. “Most of my team is currently on assignment, but I’ve hit other private security agencies around the country to beef up our strength. We’ll be assisting the ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and state law enforcement personnel with this hunt. And now, I’ll turn it over to the man who’s leading this effort.”
He gave a nod to a dark-suited man wearing a black windbreaker with FBI emblazoned on the back in yellow letters.
“Folks, I’m Dennis Haddock from the FBI office in Billings...”
And so, the briefing continued, Jamie waiting impatiently to hear what her assignment would be. Time and again, her gaze strayed to the SEAL standing apart from the others, and every time, she found him looking back. No smiles passed between them. Maybe he remembered they hadn’t met under the best of circumstances. They’d come into contact often for two people serving in separate branches. As a dog handler, she’d augmented special task forces when they’d hunted high-value targets. They’d met during a mission, and after, when his team dropped prisoners with her unit.
Once, they’d shared a meal, sitting in a mess tent, where they’d spoken a little of their stories, where they were from, and how long they’d been on assignment. Nothing terribly personal, but she’d taken an instant liking to the tall, well-built SEAL with the scruffy beard and steady gaze. She’d known him as “Sky,” his SEAL handle. So named because he was from Big Sky country, like her. She thought it suited him because his eyes were brilliant blue-gray, as changeable as the weather.
With sharp cheekbones, a crooked nose, and a scar that ran down from his hairline and bisected one dark brow, he wasn’t particularly handsome, but he still made her heart pitter-patter. Even now, when his gaze kept landing on her and his expression grew tauter. He tilted his head toward Hank, and Hank looked her way and whispered something back.
She wondered what they’d said, but then the FBI suit ended his briefing.
Everyone stood.
Jamie hated that she’d missed the last part of the briefing, distracted by Sky’s continued stare. A blush rose from her neck to fill her cheeks, but she stood. “Tessa, sitz!” she said softly.
Tessa rose sharply to sit beside her then leaned her body against her leg. As the others began filing out of the room, Jamie waited, because she needed to ask Hank what he needed from her. And she didn’t want to further embarrass herself by revealing to the whole group that her attention had wandered. That wouldn’t reflect well on Fletch, and she represented his agency.
Hank and Sky moved toward her.
“Jamie,” Hank said, reaching out his hand. “Didn’t have a chance to introduce you around.”
She shook, taking her gauge of the man from the firmness of his handshake and his open expression. “Looks like I was late.”
“I told Fetch nine AM. My fault. But you made it, just the same.” He hitched a thumb toward Sky, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
A posture which only managed to make him loo
k larger and deadlier. A shiver ran down her spine. Not because she feared him, but because she remembered all too well how much she’d relied on his strength and deadly skills in the past.
“I’m putting you with Sky. He says he’s worked with you and your dog in the past. He knows what you’ll need.” He laid a hand on Sky’s shoulder. “He’s not one of my Brotherhood Protector guys, but I know him well. One of these days, I’m gonna convince him to sign on. Anyway, he’s your buddy for this op.”
Relieved, because she hoped Sky had kept his attention on the briefing, she nodded. “However we can be of use.”
“Fetch spoke highly of you,” he said, giving her a welcoming smile.
“He was my CO—through three tours. When I finished my commitment to the Army, he asked me to join his agency.”
“He’s every bit as picky as I am when selecting employees. We only hire the best.”
She blushed again and darted a look at Sky who hadn’t moved a muscle, just stood staring, his gaze on her face. Which was beginning to make her uncomfortable.
“I’ll let you two go. The forensics steam is still with the vehicle, and Agent Haddock left a bag with Nazari’s dirty clothing from lockup that didn’t make into the laundry.”
Jamie nodded, and then took a deep breath as Hank wandered away to talk to the guys Sky had been seated with when she’d first come into the room, and who still waited. Finally, she raised her face to meet Sky’s gaze, jutting her chin. “Something you wanted to say?”
His eyebrows lowered. “Did I do something to piss you off?”
Feeling as though she’d been a little too prickly, she shook her head and cleared her expression. Best not to continue looking like an idiot. Apparently, the attraction between them was only on her side. Too bad. She’d often daydreamed about Sky and what might happen if they ever crossed paths again. “You did nothing to piss me off.” You did nothing, which disappoints me. I hoped for a smile. “We better get down the road. I take it they want Tessa to start at the car to find his trail. Don’t know how that will help. If he has accomplices, they left in a vehicle. She won’t be able to track him very far before she loses his scent.”
Brotherhood Protectors: Big Sky SEAL (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Uncharted SEALs Book 10) Page 2
