Tumult

by Lea Hart

  “Are you kidding me?” Kelly asked with a laugh. “A hot man wants you to go to Coronado and stay with him at his house close to the beach and you aren’t sure?” Holding out her hand, she wiggled her fingers. “Hand me your phone.”

  “What for?”

  “So I can accept for you.”

  “No, thank you, your meddling won’t help.”

  Eating the last dumpling, she shrugged, and then wiped her mouth. “I bet you’re making more out of this than there is. Why can’t you enjoy the affair and not worry about how it will turn out?”

  “I was more than happy to have something casual with him, but he’s said some things that lead me to believe he’s not seeing this as a short-term thing. In fact, he’s said just about the opposite, so I don’t want to do anything that might lead him on if that’s not what I’m interested in.”

  “Just to play my favorite role of devil’s advocate—why couldn’t something long-term happen between the two of you? Does he have some sort of horrific habit that you haven’t told me about? Is the sex just so-so and you don’t want to bother? Is he boring and uninteresting?” Tapping her chopsticks on her plate, she looked up at the ceiling. “I know, he only likes the missionary position.”

  Letting out a snort, she folded her hands. “No, definitely not a missionary guy.”

  “Thank God because, if he was, it would rock my faith in humanity if all that alpha testosterone was good for just a pump and dump.”

  “Where do you come up with these expressions? Jeeeze.”

  Another plate of dumplings was delivered, and Kelly looked around the restaurant. “Unlike you, I hang out with mostly creative and colorful people and like to pay attention to what the latest lingo is. It makes things interesting and I like to be on the cutting edge.”

  Audrey lined up the bottles of condiments and then looked over at her best friend. “Something happened between us that has never occurred with anyone else and I’m not sure if it was the adrenaline from the trip that made it happen or…”

  “If this is the man for you?”

  Nodding, she felt a weariness wash over her shoulders. “In a way, I don’t want to find out and just leave all the lovely memories as they are. What if I see him again and it’s not a big deal? What if the magic and connection that I felt was just a one-time thing?”

  “What if it isn’t?” She put her hand over Audrey’s and raised an eyebrow. “You have never been a wimp and I think you’d really regret not finding out if what you two made is possible in everyday life.”

  “Maybe after I’m done writing the book, I’ll think about seeing him.”

  “I have a feeling that he’s not going to wait that long and may just show up on your doorstep one day soon and force your hand. He didn’t strike me as someone who waits around for things to happen; he seems more of a ‘tear the world apart, so his will can be imposed on it’ type of guy.”

  “Yeah, I know you’re right.”

  Lifting the plate of dumplings, she smiled. “Eat because I think you’re going to need your strength.”

  Lifting a dumpling, she nodded in agreement. If and when Carrick came for her, she had no idea what she would do. Hopefully, if it happened, some sort of answer would reveal itself.

  ***

  San Diego

  Carrick walked into the conference room of Titan and dumped his tablet on the table along with copies of the after-action reports he’d just completed. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Andrew walk in and do the same thing. “Did you finish your paperwork?”

  “Yes, and I dislike it now as much as I did when we were in the Navy.”

  “At least we can autofill a lot of the answers on the ones we’re required to file for Titan.”

  “Being a civilian has more than one advantage,” Andrew commented as he took a chair. Leaning back, he scrubbed his face and let out a groan. “I have no idea what time zone I’m in or whether I should be sleeping or not.”

  “We were in Tanzania day before last, and they’re eleven hours ahead of us, so we should probably be sleeping instead of guzzling coffee.”

  Andrew rubbed his shoulder and then lifted his coffee cup and drained it. “I just need to stay awake for another eight hours and I’ll be golden.”

  “Are you heading home next week for Thanksgiving or did you put yourself on the active roster?”

  “I’m heading home because my sister informed me that I haven’t been back in four years and I’m a stranger to my niece and nephew. Considering she’s a master at applying guilt, I’m heading back and going to reacquaint myself with my family. What about you?”

  “I’m thinking of heading to New York to spend it with Audrey. She can’t get out of the city because she has to be in court the day after, so I think it would be a perfect time for us to reconnect.”

  “Really?”

  Carrick took a seat and then rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Yeah, really. I don’t know why you find it so shocking that I might want to spend the holiday with her.”

  Hitting the table with the flat of his hand, he let out a laugh. “You have never wanted a woman in your life for more than a couple of days, so don’t pretend that your behavior is typical.”

  “You saw us in Turkey and Syria, do you really think that I would let a woman like that slide through my hands?”

  “Honestly, I really didn’t think you had the relationship gene in you. Audrey is a terrific woman and a hell of a catch, but you’ve never been interested in catching anyone.”

  “I think that’s true of most men until they meet the one. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met, and it has taken a lot of damn work on my part to convince her to keep in touch. She wasn’t all that interested in staying in contact after the trip and the only reason we’ve managed to is because I call or text her every night.”

  “Damn, had no idea. I thought she might be the one moving the thing along.”

  “Hell, no. She’s digging in her heels and throwing up every roadblock she can think of. It’s damn irritating, and if I’m being honest…I may have to up my game so she stops it once and for all.”

  Laughing, Andrew shook his head. “And how are you going to manage that?”

  “Not any of your business.”

  “Not that I know shit about romance, but you may want to add some flowers or something, so she doesn’t feel like she’s on the sharp end of your sword. I’ve seen you when you up your game and what works on the battlefield might not work with a woman.”

  Before he could reply, Rear Admiral Foster walked in and looked between the two of them. “Everything all right?”

  “Sure, Andrew was just offering his relationship advice.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” Foster replied. “I checked the schedule and I see you both have signed yourselves off the active duty roster. Any chance I can talk either one of you into rethinking it?”

  “Is it vital to national security?” Andrew asked.

  “No, a client from the North Carolina office has a requirement and I told them I’d see if we could make someone available. It’s a personal security assignment, so it’s an easy one.”

  “I’m headed home,” Andrew commented, “I don’t feel like listening to my sister complain if I cancel, so I’m going to respectfully decline.”

  “I am too, sir because I’m headed back East to see my girlfriend.”

  Tapping his knuckles on the table, he nodded. “Good enough. I’ll let the office know.”

  “What are your plans for the holiday?” Carrick asked.

  “My daughter has invited me to join her and Frisco for dinner. Unfortunately, Chance won’t be able to join us because he’s on active duty with HRT.”

  “It’s great to see you and Brooke reconnect,” Carrick commented.

  “It’s been a long time coming and I’m grateful to have a chance of having a place in my daughter’s life again.”

  Carrick watched the emotion cross his commander’s face and knew his words bare
ly scratched the surface of what he was feeling. He’d been all but estranged from both his kids for more than ten years and the fact that Brooke was willing to give him an opportunity was a damn miracle. Standing, he handed him the after-action reports. “That’s the last of the reports I owe you.”

  Taking them, he nodded. “Thank you. I checked the training schedule and it looks like you two have agreed to take the next set of classes, so let me know if you need anything.”

  “Roger that,” Andrew replied as he handed him his reports. “A week in-house is exactly what I need right about now.”

  “Makes sense,” Foster replied. “The last thing I want is burnt-out operatives. We didn’t let it happen when we were employed by the government and I’m sure as hell not going to let it happen here. There will always be demand for our services, but I’m not risking you men to satisfy corporate directives.” He nodded to them both and then walked out of the room.

  Carrick let out a chuckle. “He’s the same commander now as he was when we were on the Teams. His men always came above everything and that included some of the fucked-up assignments we got.”

  “It was because he was an active SEAL for close to fifteen years before he became a commander. He knows what it takes to complete a mission successfully and never much cared how much push-back he got from the brass.”

  “True.” Lifting his tablet, he decided to start looking for flights. It was time to see Audrey and he didn’t much care how many arguments she gave him against the idea. In fact, he wasn’t going to tell her, and he’d make it a surprise. That way, when he saw her face, he’d know for sure how she felt. Her words couldn’t get in the way and her eyes would tell him everything he needed to know.

  Hell, what had happened several nights ago told him how strong their connection still was. When he’d started to tease her, he had no idea if she would go along, and when she did, it had blown his mind. Along with another significant body part.

  Smiling, he thought about what their reunion was going to be like and wondered if he’d last until next week. He missed the shit out of her and not just physically. All the conversations they’d had over the last month had reaffirmed that she was his perfect match. Not only could they talk about inconsequential mundane things, but they could exchange ideas about world events. They came at most things significantly differently, but it didn’t bother him. In fact, it made things interesting because she was open-minded and was always interested to hear what he had to say. Even if she disagreed with it.

  Which made him want to listen and understand her point of view. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the need to be right and, as far as he was concerned, that meant he was evolving. Since it was probably way past due, he tried not to make a big deal about it.

  When he looked at the flights, he decided to take the redeye out on Tuesday, that way he could go to court and see Audrey in action. Thinking of what her face was going to look like when she caught sight of him made him laugh.

  “What’s funny?” Andrew asked.

  “Just thinking about how surprised Audrey is going to be when I show up.”

  “You’re living on the edge, my friend. I hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”

  “Not a chance,” he replied confidently. “She’s going to love it.” He clicked on the flight and started inputting his information. In one week’s time, he was going to be headed to New York, and he could hardly wait.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Wednesday, November 22nd

  New York City

  Carrick strode down the hall of the courthouse and checked the numbers of the courtrooms. When he found twelve, he let out a breath and squared his shoulders.

  Do or die, he thought as he opened the doors. Walking quietly in, he grabbed a seat in the back row and felt his heart pound against his chest as he watched Audrey address the jury. A month had passed since he’d seen her and, somehow, she’d managed to become more beautiful.

  He took several measured breaths and willed himself to calm the hell down as he watched her finish speaking and walk back to the table facing the judge. Checking his watch, he saw that it was close to lunch time and wondered when the judge was going to call a recess.

  The opposing counsel started speaking and Carrick noticed the man kept glancing at Audrey and not the jury, which seemed strange. Not that he knew much about courtroom tactics, but he sure would bet that looking at Audrey wasn’t a winning strategy.

  Narrowing his eyes, he studied the attorney and determined he probably had the hots for his girl. “What an ass,” he mumbled quietly. A man sitting across the aisle looked at him and shook his head. Might be best to keep his thoughts to himself for the remainder of the day.

  Leaning back against the hard wooden bench, he relaxed his muscles and settled in, waiting for the moment he could have Audrey in his arms. A month apart was too damn long and, going forward, they needed to come up with a plan that would allow them to see one another more frequently.

  Unfortunately, the only way for that to become a reality was if she’d be willing to relocate to San Diego. Which was a hell of a thing to ask a woman to do without offering her some sort of promise about the future.

  Was he ready to do something like that?

  He had no fucking clue.

  One thing he did know unequivocally was that he wanted to find out, and the next four days they had together were going to be the first step in achieving it.

  Tuning back into the proceedings, he realized the attorney who had the hots for his girlfriend was finally winding down, and he noticed Audrey was getting ready to stand. He leaned forward in anticipation and couldn’t wait for her to do her thing and decimate the douche.

  Before she had the chance to, the judge banged his gavel and called a two-hour lunch break. The room began to empty as the jury was led from the box and he watched Audrey stack her papers and push them into her briefcase. Standing, he waited until she finished to move in her direction.

  When he was within a foot of her, he watched her turn, and when she caught sight of him, he knew she missed him as much as he missed her.

  At least he thought that’s what the gasp and tears meant when she stared at him and covered her mouth. “Hey, babe.”

  Leaning over the low wall that separated the attorney’s tables from the public, he took her in his arms and hugged the hell out of her. Hearing her say his name, he pulled back and saw the thing he prayed for…affection and excitement in her eyes.

  “I think we should celebrate holidays together, so I decided to come out and surprise you.”

  Shaking her head, she pulled him close and wound her arms tightly around his waist. When her face was buried in his sweater and she held him tightly, he took his first relaxed breath since they’d said goodbye.

  Hearing someone clear their throat, he looked over and saw the attorney who was Audrey’s opposing counsel. He gave the guy the look he reserved for combatants and saw him take a step back. Damn straight he should step back, considering he was interrupting their reunion.

  Audrey pulled away and swiped her hand over her face and let out a sigh. “Something you need, Harold?”

  “I thought you might want to introduce me to your…”

  “Boyfriend,” Carrick answered. He put his hand out and threw the asshole a smirk. “Lt. Cmdr. Carrick Young.” He never used his rank when he introduced himself, especially since he’d been retired, but this douche seemed to need to be fully informed of who and what he was dealing with.

  Audrey looked up and he noticed her eyes were sparkling and she was doing her best not to laugh. “Harold…is it?”

  “Yes. Harold Farris. Audrey and I are old pals from law school.”

  “I wouldn’t characterize us as pals, Harold,” Audrey replied as she lifted her bag onto her shoulder. Stepping away from the table, she walked around Harold toward Carrick and took his hand. “Let’s go grab some lunch, honey. I’m starved.”

  “Great idea,” he responded h
eartily. Tilting his chin, he gave ol’ Harold a shit eating grin as he led Audrey out of the courtroom. Once they were in the hall, he heard her start to laugh. “We pissed all over his hopes and dreams.”

  “He’s been a thorn in my side since we were in school and, I have to admit, I liked seeing him step back when you introduced yourself.” She looked from side to side and then pulled him into an empty room.

  “Where are you…”

  Audrey dropped her bag on the empty table and pulled him into an embrace. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  “I wanted to surprise you and not give you a chance to tell me not to come.”