The SEAL's Surprise Bride_Special Forces_Operation Alpha

by Rachel McNeely

  Maybe if I invite her to meet some of the wives, they’ll change her mind. Someone other than her best friend, Kayla. It can’t hurt to try one more thing to help her see the danger she denies.

  He had her number on speed dial. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hello.”

  “It’s Heath. Put my number on your speed dial just in case you need to call.”

  “I won’t.” Her voice had an angry edge to it.

  “Look, I had an idea. Some of the guys are going to the beach to wrestle, and their wives will be there. I thought you might like seeing me twisted around.”

  “You are too ornery. I expect you’ll win.”

  “Thanks.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment. But I have no plans for the afternoon, and I like the wives I talked with during the party at Caroline and Wolf’s house.”

  “They’ll be there encouraging us.”

  “Good, I hope one of their husbands win.”

  “I expected you would cheer for them. Gordy and I will pick you up in about forty minutes. We’re leaving soon.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “Humor me and wait in your apartment.”

  Her voice softened. “I will. The red car is still out behind my condo.”

  “See you soon.” He hung up and walked out the door. Gordy waved from his driveway. Heath turned to Gordy when he got in the car.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but we have someone to pick up on the way.”

  “Just message Bear and tell him we’ll be late.”

  “Okay.” Heath pulled out his phone and put in the message explaining he was bringing Cheryl.

  “Want to tell me how to get to Cheryl’s house?”

  “Don’t dare make a smart remark when she gets in the car or the stubborn woman might change her mind and stay home.”

  Gordy glanced in his direction. “And you’d be disappointed?”

  “Watch where you’re driving. Cheryl lives in the Baker Hill area.”

  “Must have some money. The places around there go for a mighty fine price.”

  “I didn’t ask her. She was mad enough at me without my being nosy.”

  “Must not be too mad if she agreed to join us.”

  “Cheryl is Kayla’s friend. We think she’s in danger and the stubborn woman won’t accept help.”

  “I remember meeting her. Seems like a nice, intelligent woman.”

  “She is, but she’s the attorney who put away Rocco Zaiden.”

  “His gang will be after her.”

  “There’s a red car sitting behind her condo. We suspect the guys in it are part of Rocco’s gang. The police arrested his second-in-command Thursday night, and Cheryl’s boss wants her to take on that case.”

  “Damn, does that woman have a death wish?”

  “No, but she’s stubborn and won’t let me get someone to protect her. She says then all her badass cases will terrorize her.”

  “She might be right. Can she refuse this case?”

  “Yes, but it will be good for her career.”

  “Not worth much if she’s tortured or dead.”

  “I’ve tried scaring her.”

  “Maybe the wives can talk some sense into her. Caroline is bringing the wives on their team, and Jackie is picking up Kayla and Sherry.

  “Turn here. Go to the top of this hill and turn right. That large condo is where she lives. Drive around back. Perhaps the two of us can scare those guys off for a while.”

  “Sounds like an idea to me. Maybe it will help limber us up for the wrestling match.”

  “The red car’s still there,” Gordy said as they turned into the narrow driveway. “They’ve parked off the drive on the grassy area.”

  “Park in front of them.”

  Gordy looked across at Heath. “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right.” Gordy parked in front of the red car before the men sitting in it suspected anything.

  “Stay here. Keep your gun ready. Let those guys see it. I’ll go to the driver’s window and tell them what they are going to do.”

  “Get their license plate number first.”

  “Right.” Heath slowly got out of the car. He strolled past the driver’s door and quickly memorized the tag number. The driver had got out of the car.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m going to report you for stalking, and I needed your license number.”

  “You didn’t write it down.”

  Heath moved quickly and yanked the man onto his tiptoes by the front of his shirt. “I have an excellent memory. You’ve been here all day waiting to grab my woman. I don’t like you or your reason for being around.”

  The other man, sitting on the passenger side, jumped out. “You don’t know anything about us.”

  Gordy stepped out holding his gun in his hand where the men saw it. “Watch your step. I’m a good shot, and I’d like some practice.”

  Heath pulled the man’s shirt tighter around his neck. “Listen closely, so you can report this to whoever is the new boss. If even a hair is disturbed on Cheryl Buckley’s head, I will personally seek every one of you out. You don’t have to worry about a trial.” He shrugged. “None of you will live that long. Got that straight?”

  “And who the hell are you?” the man in front of him asked and tried to break free.”

  “Gordy, show him how good you are with a gun.”

  “Sure, no problem.” He shot the cap off the guy standing closest to him. The man fainted.

  “You get the idea?” Heath asked his guy, who had a stain on the front of his pants. “Deliver our message to the higher-ups.” He abruptly let the guy go, and he fell to his knees. “Gordy, I think these guys understand us. Let’s go get my lady.”

  “Damn, we may get in trouble for this. Captain Buchanan will have our tails,” Gordy said after they were in the car.

  “It’s worth it. I’ll explain I involved you.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Gordy said. “He knows we’re all like brothers, and you didn’t need to twist my arm.”

  Cheryl opened the door on the first knock. She looked angry enough to chew nails. “What the hell were you doing? My neighbors have surely called the cops.”

  “You’re welcome,” Heath said. “This is my buddy, Gordy, who helped. I don’t think those guys will bother you anymore, but there will be others. Just not today. Are you ready?”

  Gordy looked down the stairs. “Here come the cops.”

  “Stay here.” Heath shut the door behind him, and he and Gordy greeted the two police officers who had their guns out and pointed at them.

  “We can explain,” Gordy said.

  “I doubt it,” the older cop said. He had his gun still pointed directly at Gordy.

  “Let me explain.” Heath held his hands up. “The lady who lives in this condo,” he nodded toward Cheryl’s door, “works in the district attorney’s office. She put away Zaiden and will probably do the same to his brother. I was at her house earlier today, and the red car was sitting there parked where the men could keep an eye on her window.

  Heath shrugged. “So, when I saw them again this afternoon, I decided to talk with them. No one was hurt, but I scared the pee out of one of them.”

  The younger cop tried not to smile. The older cop asked to see Heath’s identification, and the cop watched Heath closely as he pulled it out of his wallet. “I’m in the Navy, and I have a concealed carry permit.” He showed it to the older cop.

  The older one punched in some numbers on his cell phone. “Let me talk to the Chief.”

  Heath and Gordy listened as he reported what Heath had said. “You sure? All right, but the neighbors might not be happy. Okay.” He cut off the call and glared at the two of them. “My boss said to let you go with a warning. He doubts we’ll have any report from the guys in the red car. But he’s met your boss and said he might not be as forgiving.”

  Gordy leaned toward Heath a
nd whispered, “I’m pretty sure our boss and the Chief are friends.”

  “Right.”

  The police officers put their guns away. They knocked on Cheryl’s door. “Are you all right, ma’am?” the older cop asked when she opened the door.

  “I’m fine, thanks to these gentlemen. They knew I’d be scared to leave my condo.”

  “Next time call us. We can help, and maybe they won’t get in trouble.”

  “You’re right, Sergeant,” she leaned closer to see his name. “Witmore. I’ll send a letter of appreciation to your Chief.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “I’m Miss Buckley. I work in the district attorney’s office. My friends got a little too rambunctious worrying about me.”

  Sergeant Witmore frowned at Heath and Gordy. Then he and the other officer left.

  “Don’t say a thing,” Heath said before she could speak. “Our Captain will ream us out more than you ever could.”

  “How will he know?”

  “I think he may be a friend of the Chief of Police,” Gordy said.

  “Well, are we going to the beach or not?” Cheryl grabbed a beach bag and her sunglasses.

  “We might as well enjoy ourselves today. Monday, we’ll be having our butts wrung out.”

  Cheryl chuckled. “I wish I’d be a tiny mouse on the side of the room viewing it all.

  “My wife’s going to give me a bad time tonight when I tell her,” Gordy said as they walked down the stairway.

  “Don’t worry about telling her. I’ll entertain all the wives with the story of how you both protected me.”

  Heath glanced back and frowned at her. “We did it for you.”

  “But it’s such a wonderful story. I’m certain the wives will be happy to hear of your adventure.”

  “No wonder you like being a prosecutor. Lady, you have a mean streak.”

  There was silence in the car all the way to the beach.

  Cheryl sat in the back and held her hands tight. Her talk had been more bravado than anything else. She didn’t want Heath to see she’d been shaken up.

  What am I going to do? I can’t let anyone else take this dangerous job and be hurt. I’d not forget or forgive myself. Hank has a family. I don’t. When the car turned and slowed to park, she put back her shoulders and returned to playacting. If Heath knew how I felt he’d never let up until I had constant protection. The court would deny them entry to the courtroom saying the armed guards present were enough. But were they?

  “Are you going to daydream all afternoon or get out of the car?” Heath asked. “I never thought of you as the daydreaming type.”

  Cheryl climbed out of the back seat. She stood straight and looked up directly into his eyes. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, big guy.”

  “Before this is over, I’ll know everything.”

  “No, no one knows everything.” She looked down to hide her expression. He tipped her face upward.

  “That’s true.” He let go of her and walked toward the edge of the water where the other men stood.

  The wives waved, and Cheryl took off her sandals and trudged through the sand to where they had an empty chair waiting for her.

  Chapter 5

  Kayla leaned over and whispered, “How are you and Heath getting along?”

  “All right, I suppose. Heath’s consumed with the idea of protecting me.”

  “Do you agree you need protection?”

  “I’m considering it.”

  “Good.”

  “Can I hold Jacob?”

  “Sure.” Kayla handed the nine-month-old baby over to her. “He’ll be walking soon. He already can get into things just crawling.” She smiled at her son.

  “I’ve never been around babies much, but he is a sweetheart.”

  “I know. Jacob’s going to look just like Jackson.”

  Cheryl hugged him and then placed him on her lap where he could see the men forming up in pairs. His little arms waved. I wonder if he recognizes his daddy. His sweet baby smell almost makes me wish I had a little one. Almost, but I have a career ahead of me. There’s no place for children or a husband in my future.

  Cheryl studied the men and found Heath paired with a man from Wolf’s team. She soon realized as one man won, he then wrestled with the winner of another team. It was fun to watch, especially seeing Heath win.

  The men had constructed a canvas cover to keep the sun off the ladies. As the afternoon went by, a cool breeze and the shade kept them comfortable. Cheryl handed Jacob to Kayla, so she could rub more sunscreen on her exposed skin. Then she took him back in her arms.

  At dusk, the teams were down to two challengers, Heath and Mozart. Wolf and Bear stepped forward.

  “We are naming both these men winners. It’s getting late, and I’m hungry,” Wolf said. “Let’s go to my place. Caroline and I have a picnic meal ready to go.”

  Everyone cheered. Cheryl handed Jacob back to Kayla.

  “Thanks, I had an afternoon off. I’m so surprised to see how attached you are to Jacob.”

  “I am, too. In the past, I’ve avoided babies or any child less than six years old, but Jacob’s special.”

  “Or maybe you’re changing.”

  “No, not me.”

  “Hi, Kayla.” Heath glanced around and nodded to the other wives still there. “Are you ready to go?” he asked Cheryl. “I thought you might like to join the others at Wolf and Caroline’s house.”

  “Sounds like fun, but I have a lot of thinking to do before tomorrow morning.”

  “Come on, it’ll be fun,” Kayla encouraged her.

  “Okay, but I can’t stay too late.”

  “Deal.” Heath took her hand, and they started to leave. He stopped and turned back. “By the way, Kayla, you might tell the others I have a new nickname.”

  The wives and their husbands looked at him.

  “It’s about time your team started naming each other,” Mozart said. “What is it?”

  “Blaze. Gordy came up with the name. We need to find a good one for him. Gordy is short for Gordon. We can do better than that.” Heath squeezed Cheryl’s hand and walked her to the car.

  “Jackie’s meeting us at Wolf’s. A few of the wives needed to go home, so she’s dropping them off,” Gordy explained as he started driving. “That’s the trouble with having a minivan and a truck. We’re always both driving. I miss having her by my side.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get crazy enough to settle down.”

  “I doubt you’d find someone to marry you. You’re so hard-headed and bossy,” Cheryl added.

  Both men laughed. Gordy said, “We all are. We want to keep our families safe, and we do what’s necessary to succeed.”

  Sitting between the two men, Cheryl decided to not respond.

  Heath glanced down at the woman sitting so close to him. Her sexy scent and soft body made him want to take her home and spend the evening exploring both their minds and bodies. He grinned, wondering what her response might be to his suggestion.

  But he’d be swimming in dangerous waters. He didn’t want a wife. Since he and Allie had ended their relationship, he’d decided marriage had best wait until he left the SEALs. If I ever decide to commit myself to the wedded state. I doubt I’d find a woman around here who’d want to live on a ranch in Wyoming, especially not one like Cheryl.

  “What are you grinning about?” Cheryl asked.

  Deciding to shock her, he answered honestly. “The thought of you, and I married and settled on my parents’ ranch in Wyoming.” He didn’t have long to wait for her response.

  Cheryl started laughing. “That is funny and about as sure to happen as you deciding to be a rancher.”

  “I was at one time. Growing up, my Dad made my brother, and I learn all about the ranch. He hoped one of us would take over the reins when he decided to retire.”

  “Is your brother running the ranch now?”

  “No. Dad still does, but he has hired someone t
o help him. He recently hired a retired SWAT team member from Cheyenne. He grew up on a ranch and wanted to return to that type of job. It worked out good for my brother and me.”

  “What does your brother do?”

  “His name is Paxton. We call him Pax, and he’s an attorney. Pax moved to Washington to work.” Heath shrugged. “He seems to like all the craziness in that city.”

  “Must not be much like you.”

  “No, we’re different but close. We each respect what the other does.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this much at one time.”

  “Me, either,” Gordy said as he turned into the driveway at Wolf’s house. “My ears are burning from so much tongue-wagging.” He chuckled. “Wait until I tell the guys you can say more than two sentences at a time.”

  Heath pretended to growl at Cheryl. “See what you’ve done?”

  “What?”

  “Ruined my reputation.” He lifted Cheryl out of the truck and let her body side down against his. “You owe me.”

  “Really? Okay, I’ll take you to lunch again,” she said and sauntered ahead of the men to the door.

  “You’re no fun at all,” he teased and followed, enjoying watching the swing of her hips.

  The men ran after her, and her breath came in gasps. Up ahead, she saw other men waiting to grab her.

  “We have you now. No one will find you. Your family and friends will wonder what happened to that snappy little lawyer.” Laughter rose around her as she fought with her hands and feet. Her scream woke her.

  The knocking on her door must be what had brought Cheryl out of the horrible nightmare. She pulled a robe over her gown and looked out through the peek hole.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as she unlocked the door and opened it.

  “It’s a good thing I arrived in time,” Heath said. “Your next-door neighbor was ready to call the police. I told him and his wife I’d check on you.”

  Cheryl saw her neighbors peeking around their door. She smiled and waved. “It was a nightmare.” They nodded and shut their door.

  “Come in. I need a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”