Mindy gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock.
“Thank you, Dr. Franklin,” Moss said.
Dr. Franklin nodded and stepped back. Mindy looked out over the men assembled in the room for the first time, and turned a bright shade of red. In her desire to defend herself and her work she hadn’t paid attention to how many strangers filled the room. Her eyes went wide and her hand went to her chest, and Buck worried she might faint on the spot.
He was ready to jump out of his seat and catch her, protocol be damned, but she cleared her throat and managed to step back, too.
“We’ve been monitoring a facility in Siberia used by Russian mafia. We’ve determined that they scientists and others there and force them to work on research and development of everything from drugs to weapons to advanced tech that they then turn around and sell on the open market. We believe this is the source of the Amaranthine. Our mission,” Moss said as he pulled up the satellite shot again. “Is to infiltrate the site and capture the administrator of the facility, Dr. Alexei Petrov, and the data and research on Amaranthine. Petrov received his education in America, so he speaks English. You’ll have no trouble with interrogation.”
Moss clicked again and a picture of a nerdy Russian-type filled the screen. “This is Petrov. The facility is so remote, everyone lives on-site. It’s well protected and nobody ever leaves.”
It must be the same place the Russians who’d kidnapped him and Mindy had planned to take them.
“Dr. Emerson will go along on the mission as a consultant to assist in the interrogation of Petrov, and identify and obtain pertinent information,” Moss said.
“I’m sorry,” Mindy said, her voice thin and brittle. Buck could only imagine her fear of anything Russian. “I won’t be going to Russia.”
“Sorry, ma’am, those are your orders.” Commander Gerald “Hard-Ass” Hardigen entered the room through a door at the front corner, and everyone in the room shot up from their seats to attention. “Have a seat, men,” he said.
Buck dropped into his chair, numb that his first mission with his new team had his loyalties divided between the mission itself and protecting Mindy no matter what. Certainly protecting a civilian asset would be part of the mission, but this was the woman he loved who had exactly zero military or covert ops training. She could barely hit a fucking target with a handgun, and she fainted in crowds.
“Sir,” Mindy said. “What’s the purpose of my going? Couldn’t Dr. Franklin go? He seems knowledgeable enough.”
Buck bit back a grin. She managed to drag Franklin for his disrespect simply by adding ‘enough’ to her comment. Good girl. But one look at Franklin and the guy was in no better shape for a mission than Mindy.
“No. You’re going. You have two of the Navy’s finest SEAL teams protecting you. Trust me, you’ll be fine,” the commander said, implying the discussion closed. Buck knew she’d have at least one SEAL stuck to her like glue the whole time. “All right, men. You have your orders. Team Leaders will be given infil, exfil, rendezvous, and mission details, and teams will receive those on the flight. You’re to prep and report for departure at oh-six-hundred tomorrow. Dismissed.”
As the rest of the men filed out of the room, Buck worked against the flow to get to Mindy. She looked stunned, just standing at the front of the room like a lost little girl.
“Mindy,” Buck said. When she saw him she came to life, her eyes welling up with tears.
She threw herself into his arms. “Buck. I don’t want to go.”
“I know. But you work for the CIA now, too, right? I assume when the Commander said you had orders, that’s what he meant?”
She pulled away and swiped at her eyes. “Yes.”
Ice Bates stepped up and cleared his throat. “I assume you two know each other, then?”
If the guy wasn’t his team leader Buck would have shot back with some sarcastic response. “Yes, sir,” he said instead. “Dr. Emerson is my girlfriend.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you on this mission?”
“No, sir.”
“Because if it is, I can replace you for this one.”
The hell he would. “Having Dr. Emerson on the mission will not compromise my ability to perform my duties, sir.”
“Good to hear.” He turned to Mindy. “Nice to meet you ma’am. You’ll be briefed further in transit. I suggest you go home and pack a small bag, make whatever arrangements you need to for your job, then report back in the morning.”
“Any idea how long we’ll be gone?” Mindy asked.
Ice held her gaze, his expression flat. “No.”
Buck and Mindy followed Ice to the door. Wolf Steele met them near the exit, offering his hand to Ice to shake.
“I’m Wolf Steele, leader for my team. We’ll be working together on this mission.”
“We will,” Ice said, shaking Wolf’s hand.
“You know, my wife’s call sign is Ice,” Wolf said.
Ice paused for a beat then said, “I trust you won’t get us mixed up.”
Buck swallowed a snort, and Mindy covered her mouth to muffle her snicker. Wolf just grinned.
“No chance of that.”
Ice nodded. “See you all in the morning.”
After Ice left, the three of them looked at each other.
“Wow. He needs a sense of humor,” Mindy said.
“Hey, if he’s good at his job, he doesn’t need one,” Buck said.
“I haven’t had a chance yet to welcome you to Coronado,” Wolf said, offering his hand.
Buck accepted the handshake. “Thanks, Wolf. I’m looking forward to working together.”
Wolf turned his attention to Mindy. “You okay, Melinda?”
She smiled, having collected herself enough to do so. “I will be. My experience with the Russian mafia so far hasn’t convinced me I’m any more qualified to deal with them now than I was the first time.”
Wolf rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “We’ve got your back. You’ll have fourteen of the best soldiers the Navy has to offer, protecting you. I promise, it’ll be a breeze. In and out and home before you know it.”
Mindy raised an eyebrow, not buying into the hype. “Thanks, Matthew. I appreciate your confidence. And your protection.”
Wolf smiled and patted her shoulder. “You’re practically part of the family. Besides, Caroline would never let me hear the end of it if I allowed anything happen to you.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I need to talk to her before we leave. You think she’d watch Mr. Wiggles while I’m gone?”
“I’m sure she would.”
Mindy dug into her purse, her hair falling in her face while she did. His fingers itched to tuck it behind her ear, but he balled his fists at his sides to stay the urge. He had no idea how he’d manage to focus on the job with the instinct to protect her flooding his every breath and fogging his brain.
He wanted to get her home, help her pack, and give her a pep talk. In his experience with her so far, she came across as fragile and nervous sometimes, but that hid a smart, determined core. She shied away from the unfamiliar, but once she’d oriented herself to a situation, she was tough and capable.
She pulled a single key from her purse. “This is my spare house key,” she said. “Would you give it to Caroline? She knows where the cat food and litter are. I’ll call her before we leave.”
“Sure. See you in the morning,” Wolf said.
Buck drove them to Mindy’s house in her car, parking at the curb. They didn’t talk. He sensed Mindy coming to terms with the mission and what lay ahead. He needed her to make the shift from fear to strength. He’d seen her do it before, so he knew she could.
“We can’t spend a long time here,” he said, releasing his seat belt. “You should pack a small bag, preferably a backpack with just the essentials, and do what you need to prep for leaving Wiggles for a while.”
He exited the car and circled the front, meeting her on the other side as she stepped o
ut.
“I have no idea what to pack. How are we going to get there? I don’t suppose we’ll be staying at a hotel or anything,” she said as they walked up the path and entered the house.
He chuckled. “No hotel. We’ll fly in dark and drop near the site. Once we take the site and it’s in our control, the goal will be to find the target and get the information we need as quickly as possible.”
She looked up at him, her sea green eyes wide with worry. “Are you going to torture him?”
“Interrogation isn’t my thing. But they’ll get the information one way or another.”
She broke eye contact and nodded before unlocking the door. He didn’t want to make the mission more difficult for her to stomach, but he wouldn’t lie to her, either. She had to adjust to reality whether she wanted to or not.
Once in the house, Wiggles trotted in from the bedroom to greet them, meowing as if scolding Mindy for leaving him alone. He was in for a surprise in the next few days. Mindy squatted to rub his head and mutter her usual lovey words to the cat.
“Come on, we need to get going,” Buck said.
He headed for the bedroom and Mindy followed. While he sat on the bed, she dug in the closet, coming out with a backpack.
She went to the dresser and rooted around, tossing underwear and shirts and socks on the bed, but when she turned, she looked lost. “I have no idea what to pack,” she said.
“Underwear, a couple of warm shirts, and socks, deodorant. We’ll find you snow boots and winter gear at the base.”
“So pack like I’m going into the jungle, but I won’t have a camp, and it’ll be cold instead of hot.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Are we staying here tonight, or your place?”
“My place. I still need to pack, and it’s on base so we won’t have far to drive,” he said.
“Okay. I’ll shower when we get there.”
With that information, she shifted into work mode, efficiently packing very few clothes, saving space for other essentials.
He sat back on the bed and watched her work, enjoying the grace of her movement. She changed her clothes matter-of-factly as he watched, stripping out of the things she’d worn all day. Her figure appeared slender when dressed, but when undressed revealed strength and definition. She spent time climbing and running and cultivating that strength, and he never got tired of admiring her body and the way her muscles moved, or the way she used that strength to cling to him when she came.
Suddenly he really wanted her.
5
Melinda had no idea what she’d need, but since she only had a backpack’s worth of space, she used it as best she could for a few clothes, deodorant, a couple of ponytail ties. She put on clean jeans and layered tops including a tank, a short-sleeved tee, and tied a hoodie around her waist. She shoved her feet into her sneakers, knowing she’d change into boots later.
“Ready? Buck asked.
He wore his sexy face, which didn’t help her any. Her emotions had all switched on at once, nervous anxiety being primary among them. She was jumpy and itchy and couldn’t decide if she wanted to run or scream or cry. Or all of the above.
Maybe some athletic sex would drain some of that energy, even though they’d already done that. Maybe more would help.
She left the bedroom and headed for her desk in the living room, grabbing a hard-cover journal and pen and shoving those in her pack. A tablet or laptop didn’t seem practical because she couldn’t be sure she’d have a reliable power source. Without power, electronics were worthless, so she’d go old school with pen and paper.
“Can you get a big bowl out of the cupboard and fill it with water for Mr. Wiggles?” she asked Buck.
“Sure thing.”
While he did that, she scraped the litter box while Mr. Wiggles paced back and forth waiting for it to be clean, only to scratch around in it then walk away.
She joined Buck in the kitchen and filled another bowl with cat food. When Mr. Wiggles settled down to eat, she rubbed and scratched him and pulled him up into her lap to kiss his head. He meowed and purred and bumped against her chin.
“You be a good kitty while I’m gone,” she said, hoping she’d be back and this wouldn’t be the last time she’d see him. Buck assured her this mission would be in and out and easy peasy and all that garbage, but she remembered the last time they’d dealt with these Russians and there’d been nothing good about it. There had been gunfire and violence and sinking ships in the middle of the Pacific. This time there would probably be gunfire and violence and freezing to death in the middle of Siberia. They’d fought to get off that damn ship to avoid going to Siberia, and here they were walking in of their own free will.
“Stop worrying,” Buck said.
She looked up at him from the floor with Mr. Wiggles curled up in her lap.
“I can’t help it.”
He squatted down and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look into those mesmerizing blue eyes of his. “I promise to protect you. You’ll always be safe with me.”
The earnestness in his voice, the raw emotion, tugged at her heart. She wanted to believe him, but there were always forces beyond his control. He’d do everything possible to keep her safe, up to and including giving his life for her. She knew that beyond a doubt. But he couldn’t promise nothing bad would happen.
But, it shouldn’t be his responsibility alone. She’d never condone him giving his life for hers, anyway.
“The promise I want from you is that you won’t do anything stupid or heroic. If things go badly, we work together to keep each other safe.” She stretched her neck to reach his lips and kiss him. “I don’t want to live without you.”
He grinned and rocked back on his heels. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’ll take more than a few Russians to take me down.”
“Hmph. Don’t dare the universe. It’s got a shitty sense of humor.” She stood and straightened her clothes. “Let’s go. I’ll call Caroline on the way.”
They took her Jeep, Sylvia, to Buck’s apartment. While they drove, she pulled out her phone. As she dialed Caroline, the phone lit up the front seat of the car with a cozy glow.
“Hello?” Caroline answered on the second ring.
“Hi Caroline. It’s Melinda. Did Matthew talk to you about watching Mr. Wiggles while we’re gone?”
“He did, and I’m happy to. I wish you weren’t going. I’ll worry about you.”
Melinda chuckled. “Me, too. But I have a whole pack of big, strong SEALs to protect me, including Matthew. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Just make sure you all come back in one piece.”
“We will.” Melinda wished she could guarantee that. Guilt wracked her conscience that Caroline’s husband would be putting himself in harm’s way to protect her while leaving Caroline at home. What if something happened and Matthew was injured, or didn’t come back? Melinda would never forgive herself.
She sent her boss an email while they drove, telling her she’d been called out of town on a family emergency. She didn’t know how long she’d be, but she’d send instructions to her lab assistant, April Nguyen about what she should be working on while Melinda was gone.
At Buck’s place, he let them in and said, “Make yourself at home. Let’s shower and eat something. I’ll pack and we’ll get a few hours of sleep.”
He’d shifted into SEAL Buck mode, all professional business, which was fine with her, although she wished he’d maybe wait until the morning. She could use a few more hours of normal before they headed off into crazy.
From the bedroom he said, “There are towels in the bathroom if you want to shower first.”
She wandered into the bedroom. She’d been to his place a few times, but they spent more time at hers. His was simply utilitarian. Hers was home.
He had a pack out and was busy selecting what he wanted to take. She dropped her backpack on the floor next to the bed and tossed her hoodie on top of the pile, following it
with her tee-shirt.
“You want to join me?” she asked.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at her like she’d woke him from sleepwalking, he’d been that deep in thought and planning.
A slow smile spread on his face. “Yes, ma’am.”
He dropped what he’d been doing and peeled his shirt over his head the way that turned her on so much, by reaching over his head and grabbing the shirt at the back of his neck and hauling it over his head.
She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of his body filling and overwhelming her senses. The taut skin and multi-pack of abs, that knee-weakening V of muscles at his hips in combination with a treasure trail that led unerringly down below the waistline of his pants always short-circuited her ability to think. Which was pretty much what she needed at the moment.
“You’re staring,” he said as he rounded the bed and approached her. “You going to start drooling, next?”
She gave him a playful shove. “Someone thinks pretty highly of himself.”
“You get naked and you’ll see the same look on my face.”
She hooked a finger into his belt and hauled him toward the bathroom. “Deal.”
One look at the standard tub-shower combo gave her second thoughts.
He caught her expression and said, “It’ll be cozy, but we’ll manage.”
“I’m not flexible enough for that. I’d have to hike my knees up to my ears to make that work, and hope neither of us slips and falls.”
He crowded her back against the counter. “Then we’ll have to improvise.”
Slipping his hands under her tank, he slid the shirt up and over her head, then leaned down to kiss the swell of her breasts. His deep rumbling hum of satisfaction resonated between them, triggering a delicious contraction of her lady bits.
He fumbled with the opening of her jeans and pushed them down. While she kicked them off, he got his own pants open and pulled out his cock. She couldn’t resist wrapping her hand around it. The thing had an irresistible appeal. When it was out, she had to touch it.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Buck the System (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Sealed With A Kiss Book 2) Page 4
