by B. B. Hamel
“All you, mommy.”
She made a face and took him from me.
I watched as she walked into the other room and shook my head.
What a bizarre thing. That was my baby, and my baby’s mother.
And out there somewhere was one of my biggest enemies, looking to destroy us.
I was going to have to up my game this time.
I grinned to myself, almost looking forward to the moment when I could crush Omar’s skull in the palm of my hand.
Chapter 9
Tara
His son, all right.
As I changed Mason, I couldn’t stop thinking about that. Emory was such an intense man, an enigma in my life. But now that he was back, and apparently intended to stick around for a little while, at least until the danger went away, I was beginning to have hope. It was a strange feeling to have in the middle of the most dangerous situation of my life, but ever since I’d found out I was pregnant, I’d been feeling scared. I was used to being scared.
But now I had a reason to feel less scared. Emory was here, the ghost man, the handsome SEAL who knocked me up. I didn’t know where any of this would lead, if it would lead anywhere, but for the first time since Mason was born I finally felt like I was going somewhere.
As I was finishing up with Mason, I heard a knock at the door. “There you go, little boy,” I said, strapping his diaper on and pulling on his clothes.
“I got it,” I called out. But as I scooped up Mason and walked into the other room, I saw Emory had already opened the door.
“Who is it?” I asked him.
“Nobody,” he grunted.
“Nobody was there?”
“No,” he said. “It’s nothing.”
I made a face at him. “You’re being weird. Who knocked?”
“Just a package.”
“Let me see.”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Emory, this isn’t your house, in case you forgot. Let me see.”
He sighed and shut the door. “It’s just going to upset you.”
“Emory.”
He held up a photograph. It was a picture of the two of us sitting in the café from the other day.
“They’re messing with us,” he said.
I felt fear drop into my stomach. “How did they get that?”
“I’m not sure. Omar didn’t have a camera when I spotted him, and this was taken from a different angle.”
“There are more of them?”
“Probably.” He shrugged. “They normally work in cells.”
“Cells?”
“Groups of terrorists embedded in a country. I’d guess he’s running a group of ten guys, some of them Pakistani, but I’d bet most of them are radical Americans.”
“That’s crazy,” I said, shaking my head. “Americans work with these people?”
“Unfortunately,” he said. “It happens more often than you’d guess. People are easy to turn if their life isn’t going the way they planned, and The Network is one of the best at identifying those vulnerable people and exploiting their fear and anger.”
“Ten men,” I said softly. “How can you protect us from ten men?”
He grinned at me and stepped close. “You don’t think I’m worth fifteen men?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Listen to me, princess,” he said. “I’ve got more man in my little toe than any one of those terrorist fucks out there.”
“Still. Fifteen?”
“I’m a SEAL, and don’t you forget it. I’m worth at least fifteen of them.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I really think we should go to the police.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I have orders. Now, I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Take Mason and go up into the nursery.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Why?”
“I need to sweep the neighborhood. I might be able to grab this guy if I hurry. I need to know exactly where you are while I’m out there. Go into the nursery and lock the door, and don’t open it until I get back. Understand?”
“Okay,” I said softly.
“Go.”
I stared at him for a second. In the short seconds while he was giving me my orders, he had transformed from a cocky, grinning asshole into a serious and intense mystery. It was such a strange transformation, but in that moment I could see that there was so much more beneath the surface of his cocky attitude, so much more down underneath it all. I wanted to find out what was there, to pry him apart and learn his secrets, but I knew I likely never would.
I turned and headed up into the nursery. I shut the door behind me, locked it, and sat down in the comfortable chair, Mason in my lap.
I began to read to him to pass the time. He was too young to really understand what I was saying, but he seemed to like to hear my voice. He squirmed in my arms and my thoughts wandered as I read the same familiar story, the same story I always read to little Mason.
Things were moving so fast. Just a week ago I was a totally normal person, starting back up at college. Sure, I was a single mother, but there were hundreds of thousands of single mothers all over the place.
There weren’t many single mothers that were also wanted by international terrorists.
All of it felt so unreal. My emotions were twisting in the wind, shifting from one extreme to another. One second I felt terrified, and the next I felt safe with Emory around. I barely knew him, and I already felt like he was the strongest person I knew, like I could trust him instinctually.
It seemed like he’d do anything for me and Mason. I got the sense that he was already sacrificing just to be with us, protecting us the way he was.
I didn’t know how we could ever have a normal life after this. I didn’t know if there even was anything after this. He never said he was going to stick around and help with Mason or if he even wanted anything to do with Mason. In fact, he barely ever spoke about his son, although he had gone out of his way to hold him.
And on top of everything else, all the confusion and the danger, there was the way I felt every time he was close to me.
My heart began to beat fast when Emory was near. My stomach felt light, nervous, and I could feel excitement running in my veins. Every time he said a single dirty thing, it drove me wild, my panties practically dripping and useless. I was trying hard to resist that, since sleeping with him again was only going to make things more complicated, but I couldn’t help myself.
Not around him. He was too attractive, delicious, strong. Not to mention the memory of what he did to my body still lingered. Even though that was my first real experience with sex, I knew it was extraordinary just from talking with people I knew.
He was an incredibly capable man in everything he did, and he drove me absolutely wild.
Emory Rush, my mystery man, my SEAL.
What the hell was I going to do?
Chapter 10
Emory
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the suburbs as I tracked dangerous terrorists through the well-manicured front lawns.
Fortunately it had rained the night before, which meant they had left tracks. Not easily visible, but enough for me to get a sense of their general direction.
They had cut across her neighbor’s lawn and headed through that backyard, cutting across to the street behind Tara’s. There they went onto the sidewalk and fortunately left a few muddy boot prints on the concrete.
From there they cut across another lawn, left more footprints, but the trail eventually went dead another street over. They probably got into a car at that point and drove off.
I looked around. There was a single house on the corner, a cute little thing with a single old car in the driveway. I headed up its front path and knocked on the door.
I waited a minute, and slowly the door opened.
A little old lady with frizzy white hair was looking out at me.
“I’ve already found J
esus, if that’s why you’re here,” she said.
I grinned at her. “No, ma’am, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Good,” she said. “I always hate turning religious folks away, but I’ve got a cup of coffee to drink and a paper to read.”
“I just need one second, if you don’t mind.”
“Talk fast, young man.”
“Was there a car parked out front of your house? Maybe left between five and ten minutes ago.”
“As a matter of fact, there was,” she said, sounding annoyed. “A big white van. If they were your friends, tell them they’re not welcome to park out front of my house.”
I repressed a smile, keeping a serious face. You had to hand it to the elderly; they were cranky and curious, which meant they were great for spotting out people and things that didn’t belong.
“Can you tell me anything about them?”
“Just saw one boy driving. Looked like an Indian fella. He just sat in the car. Then I heard the doors open and shut, and then they drove off.”
“Did you see how many there were?”
“No, I didn’t. Are you done?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m done. Thanks for your help.”
“Have a great day.” She slammed the door in my face.
I grinned to myself as I headed back to Tara’s house.
Although I hadn’t caught them, I had learned a few important things. First, I was reasonably sure that Omar wasn’t working alone. It was my guess that Omar was the one the old lady had spotted behind the wheel. Omar would stand out too much in a white, middle-class neighborhood like this one, especially in a place like Indiana. There probably were only a few thousand Indians in all of Indiana, and people tended to take notice of people who looked unfamiliar.
Which meant that the three separate boot tracks leading up to and away from Tara’s house were likely Omar’s accomplices’. I couldn’t be sure that Omar only had three people working with him, but he’d definitely brought three this morning.
Finally, I knew he was being careful. He knew I was around, which meant he couldn’t risk any more obvious and direct actions. Dropping a picture off at the front door and then running away was probably the extent of his confidence.
Still, this situation was getting worse. Omar was definitely working with a local cell, probably local people who could blend in pretty easily.
This whole thing felt strange as I made my way back toward Tara’s house. Why was Omar coming after me through this girl? He knew who I was and where I lived. I understood that he likely didn’t want to risk coming at me directly, since I wouldn’t be such an easy target. He wanted to go after the girl, since right now she was my biggest weakness.
But why get an entire local cell involved? He was taking an enormous risk just to get some revenge. Sure, I’d killed plenty of his comrades back in Pakistan, but he was a smart man. He knew that he was more valuable to the cause alive, and coming after me was begging to get killed.
Plus, he was risking local American jihadists, which weren’t exactly common. Every natural-born American who was turned toward jihad was an enormous success for The Network, and although there were many of them out there, there weren’t enough that they could risk any of them getting captured, killed, or identified.
It all just felt so strange to me. I leaned up against Tara’s garage, hands in my pockets, running through the situation in my mind.
But I just kept coming back to Tara and Mason. They were the key to all this, or at least they were the key to me right now. Although I barely knew Tara, and barely knew my son, I was quickly finding that I would do anything to keep the both of them safe. Just because I didn’t know about Mason didn’t mean I could simply walk away from my fucking responsibility.
I knew what it was like to grow up without a father. I didn’t wish that fucking shit on anyone, and I wouldn’t let that happen if I could avoid it.
Worse than that though was the way I felt around Tara herself. Fucking stupid, was how I felt. Stupid, and my cock was constantly rock hard, just begging to fuck that incredible pussy again and again.
I shook my head, getting my shit together. I couldn’t fantasize about her, not when the risks were so high. Even though I could easily take out Omar’s entire cell, I realized that I was going to need backup. I was just too distracted by Tara and Mason, too interested in getting to know them, and in getting a taste of Tara’s tight pussy again.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. It rang and rang but didn’t go to voicemail.
“Come on,” I grumbled, not surprised that he wasn’t picking up.
Finally, the line clicked to life. “What?” he groaned. “What do you want?”
“Morning, Travis,” I said.
There was a short silence. “Hey, cap,” he said. “Didn’t know it was you.”
“Since when did you disconnect your answering machine?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. Maybe a few days ago. Time blurs together when you’re not out saving the country, you know?”
“Yeah, soldier, it sure as fuck does.”
“What can I do for you, cap?”
Travis was the second in command of our team. He was an expert in espionage, counter-surveillance tactics, and sniping. Plus, he was one of the few men I trusted with my life implicitly and without question.
“I’m on a mission,” I said.
“I thought we were supposed to be on vacation.”
“Plans change. Listen up.”
I gave him a quick rundown of the situation. I started with the package from The Network, told him briefly about Tara and Mason, and finished up with recent events.
“Holy shit, cap,” he said when I was finished. “You’re a fucking daddy.”
“Don’t I know it,” I grumbled.
“How’s it feel?”
“Strange,” I said. “Not sure it’s really hit me yet. Been too busy with Omar Hooth.”
“Well, what do you need from me?”
“I want you to get your ass out here as soon as you can.”
“Fuck, you’re killing me. You want to tear me away from my bender so that I can hunt some fucking terrorist scumbags?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Great. Be there in a few hours.”
“Sending you my location. Call when you’re near.”
“Roger that.”
We hung up. Travis was in Chicago, and he was probably nursing one hell of a hangover. If there was one thing SEALs liked to do when they weren’t out killing America’s enemies, it was getting drunk and fucking.
I wasn’t an exception to that.
I pushed off the garage and headed inside. Tara was probably waiting for me, terrified. I headed up and knocked on the nursery door. “It’s me,” I said.
I heard her unlock the door and open it slowly. “Quiet,” she said. “He fell asleep.”
I gestured for her to follow me. She shut the door behind her and we went down into the kitchen. She turned the baby monitor on and sat down while I started to clean up the mess I’d made while cooking breakfast.
“When will your parents get back?” I asked her.
“Soon,” she said.
“I think we should tell them when they get here.”
She sighed. “Okay. If you think that’s the right move.”
“I don’t want to, but Omar is working with a local cell, and who knows what their plan is.”
“How do you know?”
“There were multiple tracks leading to and from the house.” I decided she didn’t need to know about the grouchy old lady.
“Okay,” she said. “Fine. But I want to tell them myself.”
I looked at her. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. They’re my parents.”
“Might be easier if I did it.”
“You’ll be there. You’ll explain it all to them. But they’re my parents and my mess, so I’m the one who tells them.”
; I was impressed. She could have easily passed this shitty task off to me, but instead she was taking responsibility for it. Not a lot of people would be willing to step up like that.
It only showed me how strong she was. I already knew she was an impressive person just for raising a small child on her own and for going back to school, but she had an even deeper strength inside her that I realized I was only beginning to see.
“Okay then,” I said. “We’ll do it your way.”
“Good. I like getting my way.”
I grinned at her. “Don’t get used to it, princess. You’ll find that you like doing what I tell you to do.”
“You think so?”
“I sure do, princess.”
“So far the only thing you’ve made me feel is scared for my life.”
I laughed and moved toward her. “We both know that isn’t true.”
“You can’t just order me around you know.”
“I’m the SEAL Team captain. You’re going to want to obey my orders.”
“Oh that’s right, military man. You’re just so good at what you do. Right?”
“Damn right. Remember the way your body felt when I pressed my tongue against that clit?”
“No,” she said, but I grinned. I could see her cheeks turning red.
“Sure you do. I know you still touch yourself at night remembering the way I made you sweat, the way my cock filled your tight cunt to the brim and made you scream my name.”
“Emory,” she said.
“Exactly. Just like that.”
“No, Emory. I think my parents are home.”
I grinned at her and nodded. “Yeah. That’s their car.”
“Let me do the talking.”
“It’s your show, princess.”
She made a face. “And stop calling me that.”
I grinned hugely at her. “No thanks.”
I went back to cleaning up, my cock hard as hell. I loved the look on her face when I talked dirty to her, both surprised and loving every second of it. She acted like she was this nice girl, but I knew the truth underneath all that polite, Midwestern bullshit.
She was a fucking animal. That night she showed me her true colors. She loved fucking, loved having my cock deep between her legs, and she could barely pretend otherwise.
