Breaking Through (Book 2 of the SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers)

by Reasor, Teresa

  “I have a new one already. I did not wish anyone to find and use the old one.”

  She nodded. He paused to cup her face in his hands and look down into her dark eyes. Levla had been as lovely at this age and just a little older when they’d been promised to one another. But had she ever been so trusting, so loving as Amira? “You are my world, Amira. You and your mother are everything to me.”

  A smile spread across her delicate features, her thin arms looped around his waist and she hugged him. ‘Sanjay will come home soon, won’t he, Baba?”

  “He will come home soon,” he said. But it no longer mattered if his son came home. A man who had decided to give up his life for a cause was a dangerous being. He would wait for Tabarek’s men to come. And he would protect the family he had left. But they would not take his daughter.

  ***

  Tess drew a deep breath, attempting to settle the uncontrolled, nervous flutters beneath her ribs. She had to calm down. At this point, if they called her into Senator Welch’s office, she doubted she would even be able to speak. She ran through the information Brett had gotten during his trip to the base the day before. Why had no one discovered it before?

  She scanned the room for a distraction, and noticed the warm gold color of the walls, the foot-wide crown molding that decorated the ceiling, the expensive artwork that hung behind the secretary’s desk, and the heavy maroon area rug that covered the floors.

  History had been made within the Russell Senate Office Building since 1909. And it was an impressive place, with its rotunda and highly polished marble floors.

  She focused on the woman behind the large maple desk in the anteroom. She had introduced herself as Madeline Schaffer, the Senator’s secretary. She looked to be in her early forties. Her hairstyle was short and hugged her head like a cap. Her clothing, a skirt and blouse, appeared all business. Her movements confident and quick, she opened envelopes and sorted the correspondence into neat stacks. “How long have you been with the Senator?” Tess asked.

  “Nearly ten years. I worked in his law office before he ran for the Senate.”

  “It’s a shame about his stepson,” Tess said. She truly felt sympathy for any family who had made such a sacrifice.

  “Yes, it is. Michael was mischievous and smart. Always laughing and pulling pranks. We were all stunned when he joined the Marines.”

  Tess read grief in the woman’s face and said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  The woman nodded. “Thank you.” When the phone buzzed, she reached for it. “The Senator will see you now.” She rose and came around her desk. Tess, on shaky legs, followed her back out into the main hall. The cream-colored walls glowed with care beneath the lights. The sound of their shoes on the marble echoed along the way. Tess curbed the urge to place each foot as lightly as possible.

  Ms. Schafer paused outside the second door on the right and tapped lightly. At the sound of a male voice from within, she opened the door and stood back. “Good luck,” she murmured softly.

  Tess’s face felt stiff as she smiled in response. She was trying to ambush the woman’s boss and she was wishing her luck. Her thoughts jumped to Brett waiting for her at their hotel. If Senator Welch was responsible for releasing his name to terrorists, directly or indirectly, the world deserved to know. If he wasn’t, no harm would be done.

  Tess stepped past the woman into the office and the door closed behind her.

  ‘Hello, Miss Kelly.” Senator Welch strode toward her, his hand extended. His grip felt warm around her nerve-chilled hand.

  Welch stood about six feet. When elected to the Senate for the first time, his hair had been prematurely gray. Since then, it had turned completely white, the color a striking contrast to the healthy tan of his skin. For a man of fifty he appeared in good physical shape. She’d read somewhere he played tennis and golf every chance he got.

  “I would have known you were your father’s daughter just from looking at you. But you’re a darn sight prettier than he is.” He smiled.

  Tess forced a smile to her face. “Thank you, Senator.”

  “Please come in and have a seat.” He pointed to the dark leather couch against one wall. The room, decorated in gold and blue, had a decidedly masculine tone to it. Welch took a seat in a chair diagonal to her. “Would you like anything to drink?”

  “No thank you, sir. So, you’ve met my father?”

  “Yes, possibly four, maybe five years ago, during my re-election campaign. He’s a sharp man and doesn’t beat around the bush.”

  “No, he doesn’t.”

  “I read the story he’s covering in Iraq.” His features settled into solemn lines. “Darn shame about the missing boys over there. I hope they’re able to find them, or at least give their families closure.”

  “I hope so too, Senator.”

  He scooted back in his chair and crossed his legs. “What sort of story are you doing that you wanted to interview me, Ms. Kelly?”

  “I have a large readership of military families in my area, Senator. And I know that you and some of the other senators have been working on a package to help those families whose husbands and fathers will be discharged once they’re home. My thoughts are to write a piece that might assuage some of their concerns.

  “I think we can do that to a certain degree, but not completely. The problem is a complex issue and may take years to address satisfactorily.”

  She drew a deep breath. “Understood. Might I use my recorder, or would you prefer I use pen and paper, sir? I prefer using both, so there’s no question of my misquoting you.”

  “Both will be fine.”

  She eased into the interview, asking some background information. She asked how he felt about being on so many committees and how he had time to do so. Welch projected the charm and wit of a practiced politician.

  Tess looked down at the notes she’d taken and the questions she’d written down.

  “There are one hundred thousand military personnel in San Diego alone. What kind of financial package are you working on for those who are discharged?”

  “We’ve spent billions paying military salaries. Once they are discharged, some of that money can be redirected to create civilian jobs and training programs for those coming out. ”

  “And what about those who have been injured during their service? Do you have programs in mind for them?”

  “We’ve spent millions caring for them. Some of that burden may have to be shared with the individual states they settle in. We’ve been at war for twenty years, and our debt is astronomical. We have serious economic issues. It’s time to find a way to solve them. Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices.”

  “What kind of incentives are you going to offer the individual states to make it worth their while to take on this extra burden, sir?

  “That will all be part of the financial package we’re working on.”

  She waited for him to finish, and when he continued to look at her, she moved on. “Don’t we have to make sure the country is secure before any of this can take place?”

  “Certainly. But there are other methods we can use more thoroughly to ensure that what happened on 9/11 never happens again.”

  “Are you talking about covert technologies?”

  “Yes, as well as more strenuous use of diplomatic channels. We can use harsher economic sanctions against those countries that harbor terrorists.”

  “President Clinton tried that in Iraq to control Saddam Hussein. The SEALs had to go in and board vessels to confiscate the oil cargo ships were smuggling for the sanctions to have any affect. If you cut funding for the SEALs and other special operations, who do you plan to have take on those types of missions?”

  “It has always been my belief that we need to revisit our policy on foreign aid. If we cut aid and combine that with sanctions, it will put pressure on countries to turn over terrorists in exchange for payments. Eventually they’ll police themselves.”

  “Are you talking about Afghan
istan?”

  “Among others.”

  It was like wading through sludge trying to pin him down. When she asked another couple of questions and got similar answers, she nearly sighed aloud in frustration. She changed tactics and moved on to the harder questions.

  “There has been speculation that you, Senator Skidmore, and Senator Drummond, have a history of voting for cuts specifically directed at the Naval Special Warfare Group. Is there some reason for that?”

  His eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened. “Special Operations soldiers are costly to train, and their equipment is more expensive. It is our belief that they’ve had carte blanche far too long. We don’t need to fund their toys any longer.”

  “They are experts at using those stealth technologies you mentioned earlier. And they’re already trained and possess the expensive toys they’ll need to complete covert missions. Isn’t cutting their funding counterproductive? ”

  He didn’t bother to answer but rose to his feet instead. “I’m afraid that’s all the time I have for now, Miss Kelly. I hope you got what you needed. I have another appointment in ten minutes.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Senator.”

  He herded her toward the door with a hand that brushed her arm but never quite grasped it.

  “I meant to offer my condolences on the death of your stepson. I’m truly sorry.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m sure the SEALs who tried to rescue him did all they could, sir.”

  His jaw tightened and his expression grew angry. “It wasn’t enough.” His eyes suddenly widened as he realized what she’d said.

  “The way my son died is not common knowledge, Miss Kelly.”

  “No, it isn’t. And I don’t really know any of the details. But there are Marine Corps personnel who know about it and are sympathetic. Is there some reason why you don’t want what happened to him to be common knowledge? He died a hero.”

  “He died needlessly because some—CO in an office somewhere didn’t want to risk his Special Ops team.”

  “But they went in, didn’t they?”

  “They went in too late.”

  “How many others did they save?”

  “Fourteen men, but three died needlessly. Had they gone in an hour earlier, they would have all survived.”

  Tess swallowed. God, she hated to push him anymore. “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve read the official report. I know what happened,” he said, his tone sharp.

  Sympathy for his pain nearly prevented her from saying more.

  “If I felt so very strongly, sir, and had the resources to do so, I believe I’d send in someone to look into the way things were done and who was responsible.”

  Welch’s features turned to stone. “The incident has already been reviewed, Ms. Kelly.”

  “Is it very hard to maintain your objectivity when dealing with Special Ops funding because of your experience, Senator?”

  The anger drained from his features and he became distant and cold. “Of course not. It’s part of the job. I have another appointment now, Miss Kelly.”

  It was a good thing he wasn’t the only man on the committee. “I appreciate your help with my article, Senator.” Tess extended her hand. He was slow in taking it.

  “I’ll be looking for it, Miss Kelly.” His tone was a warning.

  “I won’t misquote you. I promise. Thank you for seeing me.” She nodded, and sauntered out of the room. But all the way down the long hall, she was aware of his gaze burning into her back.

  ***

  Brett stared out the window toward the Washington Monument. He narrowed his eyes against the piercing blue of the sky.

  How would he tell her? She’d be on a high from the interview. God, he’d have to crush that. His stomach churned as though filled with gravel. Jesus. If anything happened—

  He turned as he heard an electronic key being used in the lock. Tess was smiling as she came in, her cheeks flushed.

  “I’m so relieved. He was very receptive to all my questions, but the last one. He ignored it. I don’t think he caught on to what I was doing until then. He was mad as hell when I left. But he did send someone to investigate the mission, Brett, and he holds some CO he wouldn’t name responsible for not sending in your team in time. He is manipulating things in the background. He said the mission was investigated. But I couldn’t figure out a way to ask about the investigation into the boys. Ian said another team of military investigators was following them. Do you think he put them on it?”

  “I don’t know, honey.” He smiled at her excitement, though nausea threatened. He enfolded her in his arms and held her tight. “You left your cell phone here.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t want it ringing while I was doing the interview.”

  “A man called while you were gone. His name was Ahmed Hannah.”

  “Yes, he’s Ian’s friend. He’s a writer for Al Zaman.”

  Brett swallowed, though the action did nothing to relieve the dryness of his throat. She had done everything in her power to help him, help his team, and he could do nothing to cushion the blow. “He was calling about Ian, Tess. He was kidnapped off the street last night.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Hawk followed Captain Frank Morrow’s progress from the open door to the front of the room where a small table supported a projector. The thirty-two SEALs, members of Hawk’s platoon and one other, rose to attention.

  “At ease,” Captain Morrow said as he reached for the remote. He motioned for his aide to adjust the focus on the projector. When the image was crystal clear, he forwarded the first slide. “I know some of you have only been on the ground for thirty-six hours, but in light of all the shit that’s gone down, I thought you’d all want to be a part of this mission.”

  “Hooyah,” The room full of SEALs bellowed.

  “Twelve hours ago, Ian Kelly was kidnapped by an extremist group associated with al-Qaeda. For several weeks, Kelly has been investigating the disappearance of young men and boys in the area. With Kelly’s help and the use of satellite technology and local intel, we’ve discovered the location of the boys and believe that Kelly has been transported to that location as well.

  Morrow hit several slides showing a clustered group of ramshackle buildings. “The location is just outside the village of Zalem, which lies close to the border of Iran. If we don’t move quickly, the group may slip over the border into Iran, taking Kelly with them. We all know what will happen after that. ”

  He muted the view on the projector. “We have an opportunity, gentlemen, to return at least thirty young men, possibly more, to their families here in Baghdad. This mission has the possibility to earn us some major goodwill from the Iraqi people and cooperation in the future.”

  Morrow’s attention swung to Hawk for a moment. They’d had a long briefing about the political situations driving the deployment, the indictment, as well as Brett’s situation, including the fact that he was dating Kelly’s daughter. Though they couldn’t allow personal relationships or feelings to direct the missions they chose to undertake, other considerations carried enough weight to drive this one forward.

  “Ian Kelly came to this country to investigate a situation that we, and the Iraqi forces, had overlooked. He was the main source of information about where these boys are being held. The assholes who have him don’t know that he had an opportunity to pass that info on to us some hours before he was abducted. This gives us the opportunity to make things right. He did our job for us. He deserves to go home in one piece.”

  Morrow hit the mute button again, uncovering the next slide. “This is a detailed analysis of the complex. We’ve already got people designing a simulation of the main building where the boys are being held so you can do practice runs. We’ll be sending out drones to do surveillance before the raid to make sure no major changes have taken place. Now let’s look at the firepower they have at their disposal.”

  For the next two hours, Morrow covered every aspect of the mis
sion. Every scrap of information they’d been able to collect was gone over, as well as numerous pictures of the complex and the terrorists’ movements in the last twenty-four hours.

  When he finally killed the projector, he concluded, “You’ll have twelve hours to prepare, gentlemen, then get some rest. You’ll need it. Dismissed.”

  Hawk rose to his feet and bowed his back to relieve the cramped stiffness from sitting too long. Morrow approached him. “In my office. We have some things to discuss that have a bearing on the situation in San Diego.”

  Hawk turned and instructed Lang to gather the team in their barracks and fell in behind the Captain as they made their way down a narrow hall to the Captain’s office. The small square room barely had room for a green metal desk and an office chair. “Have a seat, Hawk.” Morrow motioned to a sturdy metal folding chair with little padding.

  “The team sent in to investigate Weaver and Armstrong’s protection detail were special investigators, sent at Senator Welch’s request. He also sent in a team to go over every aspect of his stepson’s death, including your team’s part in the rescue.”

  Hawk shifted back in his chair. “I’m not surprised.” He controlled the urge to run a tired hand over his face. Jet lag, and, though he didn’t want to admit it, emotional issues had drained him over the last thirty-six hours. And now they had twelve hours before they stepped into a rescue and recovery mission.

  “I know you and your team are still finding your feet after this sudden deployment. But I don’t have to tell you how important your platoon’s part in this rescue will be. It will be harder for someone to sling mud on a team who’ve just rescued kidnapped kids than one being investigated for overstepping their boundaries at home.”

  “We’re all well aware of that, sir. That’s why we’re here to begin with.”

  “Good. I’m documenting Welch’s movements in all these matters. And a copy will be sent to the Secretary of the Navy, as well as all the other interested parties at WARCOM. It will be up to them to pass these concerns onto the Senate Arms Committee. The possibility that these investigators might have identified some of our operators to the people they spoke with opens the possibility of the Senator taking some heat. I’d like to open a full-fledged investigation, but we may never be able to prove that’s what happened. The suspicion may be enough to make him back off.”