Alpha Bravo SEAL

by Carol Ericson

  Nicole ended the call and took another sip of wine—she needed it. “Hit-and-run, no witnesses.”

  “Not surprising.” Slade shoved the bread basket her way. “Have some before I inhale the rest.”

  She picked up a piece of garlic bread and ripped it in half. “If they were trying to kill me by running me over, they must not be interested in recovering the footage.”

  “Maybe they already know what’s on it and just want to stop anyone else from seeing it.”

  “How do they know Lars didn’t copy and send the footage to multiple people?”

  “They don’t.” Slade wiped his greasy fingers on a napkin and then swirled his wine before taking a sip. “But whatever outcome they fear from having that film go public or having it fall into the hands of the wrong people obviously hasn’t occurred yet. They know nobody has made any significant sense of what Lars filmed—including Lars.”

  “So it can’t just be the interview subjects speaking out on behalf of women’s rights. If that were the case, they’d want that film so they could punish those women.” She slumped in her chair and stuffed some bread in her mouth. “I don’t get it.”

  “Give your brain a rest and eat.” Slade gestured to the waiter, who came scurrying back to their table.

  They both ordered the lasagna and a salad to share, and Nicole hadn’t realized how hungry she was until later when she dug into the food.

  As she twined her fork around a strand of cheese, she said, “I’m going to have to come back here. The food’s great.”

  “Maybe it’s just your hunger that makes it seem special.”

  Or maybe it was the company. She dabbed some tomato sauce from the corner of her mouth. “You’ve practically licked your plate, and you’re trying to tell me you didn’t enjoy it?”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” He pressed his thumb against her chin. “I liked everything about this meal.”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Do I have marinara sauce all over my face?”

  “No.”

  She parted her lips on a quick breath, waiting for his explanation of why he’d touched her chin.

  His crooked smile told her he didn’t plan to give her one. “More wine?”

  “Two glasses with food is my limit. No food, one glass.”

  “And what’s your limit for some faceless stalker out gunning for you? I think you have a good excuse to imbibe.”

  “Since he’s still out there gunning for me, I should’ve limited myself to water. In fact, I’m going to have a cappuccino.”

  “I guess Marley doesn’t have the same rules as you do. Maybe you can hit her up tomorrow when she’s sober and ask her if she knows where Trudy and Lars went.”

  “I’d better give her plenty of time to get past her hangover, and we may have already nailed down one place, if that corn dog stand matches up to the one in Coney Island.”

  “We can check it out when we get back to your place tonight, but if they did go there, it’s probably significant. Who goes to an amusement park when you feel your life is in danger?” Slade pushed away his own half-full wineglass. “You know what? I’m gonna miss Chanel.”

  Nicole snorted. “Liar.”

  “I’m totally serious.” His eyebrows formed a V over his nose. “I’ve always had dogs, but my current lifestyle doesn’t allow pets.”

  “Your current lifestyle doesn’t allow a lot of things. Wife?” She held her breath. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked him this question before. What if she’d been salivating over another woman’s husband?

  “No wife, but some guys manage. We do go home between deployments.”

  She thanked the waiter for her coffee and picked up the thread of the conversation. “Must be tough on their wives.”

  “The ones I know are some of the strongest women I’ve ever met. They make it possible for those guys to do their jobs.”

  His blue eyes kindled with admiration. Slade Gallagher seemed to appreciate strong women.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. “It’s Marley. Maybe she thought of something. Hi, Marley.”

  A man responded in accented English. “Sorry, this is not Marley. I met you when I walked her home.”

  “Conrad, right?”

  Slade glanced up from studying the check.

  “That is correct.”

  “Is Marley okay?”

  “She is fine, just...snockered.” He paused for a few seconds. “I think I know what Trudy’s friend Lars left for you.”

  “You do?” She kicked Slade under the table and turned on her phone’s speaker, keeping the volume low.

  “Yes, I have something and can give it to you tonight, if you like.”

  Slade hunched forward, his head cocked toward the phone on the table between them.

  “What is it?”

  “It is in a padded envelope. Do you want me to open it?”

  “No, please. I’ll come and get it. You’re still at Marley’s?” He had to be if he was using her cell phone.

  “I left her sleeping and do not want to disturb her, but I’m still in the area. Are you still in Brooklyn, or did you go back to Manhattan?”

  “I—I’m still here. We decided to have dinner before going home.” She frowned at Slade. “Why do you still have her phone if you left her place?”

  “I am returning to her place. You understand.”

  “Completely.” She smirked at Slade. He’d been right about Conrad moving on from Trudy. “I can meet you.”

  “That is perfect. I’m at a bar on Union, and there is a small park across the street. Can we meet there?”

  Slade tapped her hand and lifted his shoulders with his hands out.

  She nodded. “Why there and not the bar?”

  “Trudy told me something about this package. I want to give it to you in private.”

  “Okay. What time?”

  “Thirty minutes by the playground on the corner of the park.”

  As soon as she ended the call, Slade said, “That was strange. Why would Trudy give the package to him?”

  “Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she told him about it, and when he met me tonight he decided to get it from her place and hand it over to me.”

  “You should’ve told him I was coming along.”

  “I’m sure he knows that.” She tapped the check on the table. “Let’s take care of this and get over there. I’ll have just enough time to finish my cappuccino. Maybe this is our lucky night.”

  “I don’t trust the guy. Why wouldn’t he just meet us in the bar?”

  “Remember Dave? He didn’t want to be seen with us, either.”

  “Yeah, but Dave had already talked to Lars. This guy Conrad probably never met Lars and doesn’t have a clue about what’s going on, and how did he know you live in Manhattan?”

  “Marley could’ve mentioned it. Besides, he was dating Trudy. She probably told him about Lars’s strange request. Conrad ran into me tonight and figured he’d hand over the package.”

  “Or maybe once he put a snockered Marley to bed, he thought he’d try his luck with you.”

  “And he just happens to know about Lars and the package?” She rolled her eyes. “This is our chance, Slade. Let’s take it.”

  “All right, but I’ll be right by your side.”

  “I’m counting on it.” In fact, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Twenty minutes later, they strolled up to the park with the empty playground on the corner.

  Slade faced the well-lit bar across the street. “I feel like marching in there and telling him to hand over the package. This is ridiculous.”

  “And scare him off?” She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket and kicked at some bark in the playground. “L
et’s just wait for him.”

  The chains on the swings creaked in the wind, and Nicole hugged her jacket around her. She’d rather be in that bar than out here, too.

  Slade started whistling, and she turned toward him to ask the name of the song. She jerked back, her eyes widening. “What is that red light on your forehead?”

  “Red light on my...get down!”

  Then her easygoing SEAL lost all his senses as he lunged at her and tackled her to the ground.

  Chapter Eight

  Slade heard the bullet whiz over his head as he took Nicole down.

  Her knee gouged his thigh as he landed on top of her, and she grunted softly. He’d probably knocked the wind out of her.

  His lips close to her ear, he whispered, “Stay down. That red light you saw on my forehead was a laser marking the spot for a bullet.”

  She gasped beneath him and then choked. “Where did it come from? Are they still out there?”

  “Let’s get over to the slide, but stay down.” He’d pulled his weapon from his pocket and clutched it in his hand, finger on the trigger.

  Nicole must’ve done this before because she assumed the position and army crawled through the bark to the base of the slide.

  Slade stayed behind her, his gaze scanning the tops of the trees. When they reached the slide, he rolled over and studied the skyline. He nudged Nicole’s shoulder and pointed to a three-story building next to the bar. “I think he’s up there. To get that bead on my forehead, he had to have some height. Unless he’s in the trees.”

  Nicole twisted her head over her shoulder to take in the trees behind him. “I’d feel more comfortable knowing where he was before I make a move.”

  “We don’t have to make a move yet. It’ll be interesting to see if Gunther shows up.”

  “It’s Conrad, and if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, he’s not going to make an appearance.”

  A scuffle of leaves had Slade grabbing Nicole’s calf and squeezing. “Shh.”

  The wind picked up his hushed whisper and rustled the branches of the trees with it. If Conrad wasn’t the shooter, he could be on his way to deflect suspicion—or to make sure his man had hit the intended targets.

  As they huddled together against the cold plastic of the slide, Nicole’s breath came out in short spurts, tickling the back of his neck.

  His muscles ached with the tension, and his eyes burned in their sockets as he peered into the darkness, his gaze darting from the swings stirring in the breeze to the shadows cast by the jungle gym.

  He eased out one long breath between clenched teeth.

  “We’re going to get out of here—on our bellies. I don’t want you standing up until we reach the sidewalk, and you’re staying on my left. We don’t want to give this sniper any opportunity.”

  “Got it. Wouldn’t want to make it easy for him.”

  “Head down, face in the bark, let’s move.”

  A split second later, Nicole flattened her body against the scattered pieces of bark and scooted out from their hiding place. He kept to her left from where he figured the first shot had been fired. He hoped it was the last shot.

  He sealed his lips against the dry bark as it scratched his chin and the side of his jaw. They couldn’t give the shooter one glimpse of their faces, which would give him his bull’s-eye. The sniper’s scope probably had night vision, but Slade knew too well the difficulty of hitting a dark target level with the ground.

  He bumped Nicole’s shoulder. “You’re doing great, just a few more feet until the sidewalk. We’re rolling into the gutter and hunching behind that car.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  Slade’s hands skimmed the rough cement of the sidewalk as he extended his body into a human log and launched himself at the gutter.

  Nicole hit first with a thud.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I rolled faster than I thought I would. I guess that happens when you’re fueled with fear and cappuccino.”

  Slade grabbed the bumper of the car and pulled himself up to his knees. He put an arm around Nicole’s shoulders as she crouched beside him. “We’re going to cross the street, hover in that doorway and wait for the next taxi. Are you ready?”

  “What I’d like to do is go into that bar and find Conrad.”

  “Not a great idea.”

  “Do you think he’s in there waiting for some kind of signal?”

  “I could give him a signal...or two, but I doubt he’s in the bar, and we don’t need to expose ourselves any more tonight.” He grabbed her hand and they ran across the street, doubled over at the waist.

  A taxi came out of nowhere and honked at them, and Slade pounded on the hood to stop it since they might not find another.

  The driver’s scowl melted away when he realized they wanted a ride. He took them to the train station, and ten minutes later they collapsed into a couple of seats as the train lurched into motion.

  Nicole’s eyelashes dropped for about a minute and then she was studying him with that curious spark in her green eyes. “Conrad hit up Trudy after she met with Lars, probably fished for info about Lars and then killed her when he found out we were in contact with her. Does that about sum it up?”

  “I don’t think she was killed just because we contacted her, and you forgot the part where he tried to have us killed, too.”

  She smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Silly me.”

  He gave voice to one more concern. “I hope Trudy’s roommate is going to be safe.”

  “Oh, God.” Nicole plowed her hands through her hair, loosening stray bits of bark. “I’d call her, but Conrad has her phone.”

  Slade dragged his own phone from his jacket pocket. “I can place an anonymous call to the police to do a well check at Marley’s place. I can say we saw a man carrying her into the building, which is pretty close to the truth. At least that might get the police over there and scare off Conrad if he has any plans of returning.”

  “Could you do that? I’d feel better and not like we completely abandoned her.”

  “We can’t check on Marley ourselves. We could be walking right into an ambush.” He held up the phone. “I’ll make the call.”

  Nicole listened intently as he spoke to the police and grabbed his arm when he ended the call. “What was that all about?”

  “Seems we got a little lucky, if you want to call it that. There may be a serial rapist in the area, and the police are going to check it out right away.”

  “That’s terrible, even though it’s a win for Marley. Could this night get any worse?”

  A muscle jumped in Slade’s jaw as he turned his head to the side. “I think it just did.”

  Her knee bumped his as she jerked her head in his direction. She squinted into the glass partition to the next car. “What do you see?”

  “A man moving down the center aisle in the next car. He’s hunching forward like he doesn’t want to be seen.”

  “Then he’s successful, because I don’t see anything except a woman reading and a man with big headphones on.”

  Slade sat up straighter, craning his neck and lifting his chin. “I swear I saw him. He must be slouched in a seat.”

  Nicole slouched herself, sticking her legs in front of her. “I don’t want to see him, either. I’m exhausted.”

  Licking his lips, Slade glanced to his left, where a couple had their heads together over a cell phone, looking at pictures. Beyond them, a single man and two young women took up a few seats between them and the next car.

  “I think we should move.” Slade lurched to his feet and grabbed her hand.

  “If he comes after us, we’re going to run out of train.”

  “Not if we move fast enough. We’ll get to the station in Manhattan before h
e gets to us.”

  She tilted her head to the side to look past his body into the next car. “I still don’t...”

  Her words died on her lips as a head with a dark cap popped up and back down. She gasped. “Did you see that?”

  “I did. I’m thinking we were followed. Get moving to the next car and stay in front of me.”

  The man in their car glanced at them with halfhearted interest as they shuffled down the length of the train car.

  When they reached the end of the car, Slade gave the door a shove and they stumbled into the next car. This one contained a few more people than the previous one, but nobody seemed to care about a couple bursting into their space.

  Slade twisted his head over his shoulder and said, “He’s on the move.”

  Nicole stumbled as she reached for a seatback to steady herself. The train curved to the right and the rails squealed.

  “Keep going.” Slade propelled her forward with a hand on the small of her back.

  Nicole was panting now and slammed two hands against the next connecting door. It burst open.

  The faces in the next car stood out sharply as Slade’s gaze darted from person to person. He just wanted to put as much space as possible between Nicole and the impending doom tracking them through the train.

  Of course, that guy would have to get through him to get to her, and he’d never allow that.

  As they crashed into the next car, Nicole said, “Only one more car before we’re trapped.”

  “He’ll be trapped, too. I just don’t want things to get messy on the train.”

  “Messy?” Her eyes widened as her gaze dropped to the bulge of his hand in his pocket. He wouldn’t hesitate to use his weapon in this public place to protect her—after all, that’s what he did. The guy following them through the train wouldn’t hesitate to use his, either.

  They hustled into the last car just as an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the next stop was in Manhattan.

  Nicole turned and lined up her spine against a silver pole, wedging her feet against the floor of the car. She could slide down that thing in a second if she had to. Would the attacker come in with guns blazing?