Smug

by Alana Albertson

  I had read the files. There had been no mention of a lover. She would’ve been raked over the coals by the base gossip queens if it had been discovered that she had had an affair. Had my mom chosen pride over finding her baby?

  I looked back at Mia, who was now biting her lip. Why was she so nervous? Did she know she was my sister? Had she brought me this picture as a way to get me to trust her? So, I would grow close to her, and then she could use me to feed information to the cartel?

  Or was she truly clueless?

  No. She couldn’t be clueless. I had to remember who I was dealing with. A cold, calculating bitch. A woman who had literally destroyed her body to trick her ex into believing she was a Ukrainian stripper.

  What kind of con was she trying to pull now?

  What were the chances that I would be reunited with my sister years later? And granted, this was insane. This was so unlikely and ridiculously coincidental that I was stupid to even think about it.

  Except I didn’t believe in coincidences.

  But I would leave no stone unturned in the search for my sister.

  Even if she was the bitch standing in front of me.

  12

  Mitch

  “Daddy, can I have an ice cream cone?”

  My little girl batted her eyelashes at me, and my stone-cold heart expanded despite myself. Today she had dressed like Rey from Star Wars. She looked completely badass. My little warrior. She had me wrapped around her finger. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her.

  “Sure, princess. Do you want one, buddy?” I asked Sam.

  He shook his head. “No, Daddy. I only want to be a Jedi.”

  I smiled. I appreciated my little man’s focus on the task at hand. The Jedi Academy. I had woken them up at five a.m. to make sure we got in line early to register for the Jedi Academy. Sam was so excited to become a Jedi and fight Kylo Ren. I just hoped he didn’t get tempted by the dark side as his dad had.

  I took out a few dollar bills and handed them to the lady who ran the ice cream cart. Two days at Disneyland, and I was already exhausted. In a way, watching my two kids alone was like monitoring my men in the field. I had to know what they were doing every second of the day. And even though I was at an amusement park, I just couldn’t turn off my training. Every person, every attraction, every display was a threat to my family and me. My mind was in overdrive, assessing suspicious people, glancing at hidden nooks and crannies. Sometimes, I wished I could deactivate, just be a normal dad for two days out of the year.

  But that was never a possibility. I was a SEAL. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, until the day I died. And today I was protecting the most important people I would ever protect: my children.

  I handed Sienna the vanilla and chocolate-swirl cone. She took a lick, and the ice cream dripped down her chubby cheek.

  Sam pulled on my shorts. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s go. We are going to be late.”

  “We’re fine. Check-in is right over there in the Launch Bay.”

  But my words did little to soothe Sam. “Daddy, now!”

  “Fine, fine.” Warmth filled my chest. Sam was just like me—completely driven. But my happiness was quickly taken from me because I was aware of the reality of my life and my chosen profession. I wanted to be around my kids every day. There has still been no improvement from April. I, of course, wanted her to recover, but selfishly I wanted to get full custody of my kids, which I realized was an impossibility with my job. I took a deep breath and forced myself not to think of the past or the future, but to focus on the present and be happy for this amazing day spent with my kids.

  A day I would remember forever.

  Sienna finished her cone, and we walked over to the check-in for the Jedi Academy. I signed my name, and then the main Jedi told my children to sit on a white line, where they would await their Jedi assignments.

  A few other parents milled around, taking pictures. My gut wrenched when I saw a husband and wife laughing with each other. He playfully pinched her, and she smiled and whispered something into his ear. His eyes lit up, and then he kissed her. I clenched my teeth, stifling my jealousy.

  I wanted that. I didn’t just want a woman. I wanted a family. Someone to go through life with, someone to have my back. Though my nights with Ashley had been incredible, I could sense that she wasn’t that into me for anything else but sex. I was down to fuck her as long as she would let me, but I wanted more, so much more. I was pretty sure she still thought I was a selfish asshole. And I definitely had been after my divorce. But I had changed. Coming back home after almost dying in battle and having no woman to greet me when my ship came into port gutted me. I had no woman to miss me when I was gone. Mia only had eyes for Grant. They had been through hell and back and were completely solid now.

  I couldn’t blame Ashley for not wanting to get involved with a single dad who quite possibly could be raising two young kids on his own. Especially since I deployed so fucking much. But I was worth it. I will worship her and treat her like a queen if she let me. I just wished she would really give me a chance.

  A younger man dressed as a Jedi walked over and addressed the parents. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for bringing your young Jedis here to train with us. Your children are safe with us. Please proceed over to the stage to take pictures. The first three rows are reserved for families of our newest Jedis.”

  My throat tightened. I didn’t trust anyone with my children. Anyone. Definitely not some fool in a Jedi suit. I glanced around, and the other parents walked over toward the stage, following each other like mindless cattle, but I stood in front of my children, refusing to take my eyes off of them.

  After a few minutes, I was the only parent left.

  My children were now dressed in robes standing in line waiting to get their pictures taken.

  Another Jedi walked over to me. “Sir, would you like to buy a picture package of your children as Jedis?” He flashed pictures of other kids fighting Kylo Ren and Darth Vader.

  “Sure.”

  “Here is a coupon. Just go inside and pay and then you can meet us over when the performance starts.”

  I exhaled. My kids would be fine. This was Disneyland. The happiest place on earth. There was no need for a paranoid prick like me here.

  I waved to my kids, and they waved back, and I walked inside to pay for the pictures.

  A few minutes later, I walked back outside. I could no longer see my children, but I told myself that they were fine, so I made my way over to the stage where the rest of the parents were already seated to get ready for the performance.

  I sat next to the couple that I had seen earlier. The dad had his phone out ready to film it.

  “My boy, Jared, is so excited. It’s his birthday, and this was all he wanted to do.”

  I wasn’t used to people talking to me out of the blue, but this guy clearly wasn’t from around here. “Yeah, my kids can’t wait, too. It’s really great that Disney does this.”

  He nodded. After a few more minutes, I saw the original Jedi I had spoken to walk toward the stage, followed by twenty or so kids. I immediately saw Sam, who was smiling proudly in his brown Jedi robe and waving to me.

  But Sienna was nowhere to be found.

  My heart stopped, and my throat burned. Where the fuck was she?

  My eyes scanned every little girl on that fucking stage. The main Jedi began to speak, but I ran onto the stage and grabbed Sam.

  “Where is Sienna? Sam where is your sister?”

  “She went with a Jedi. She was right behind me. He told me he was taking her for special Jedi training.”

  Oh my God. What the fuck? My daughter had been kidnapped. I screamed at the main Jedi. “My daughter has been taken. I left her with the other children. She was talking to the Jedi who sold me the pictures. Where is she?”

  “Sir, calm down. There must be a mistake. We are the only two Jedis in the show.”

  A few security men ran over to me, and the performers stopped t
he show. An alarm immediately sounded, but I couldn’t hear the blaring noise. I had gone deaf to everything but my panic.

  I began cursing at the Jedis, clutching Sam for dear life. I ran over to where I had last seen my little girl. But she was nowhere to be found.

  My mind raced. I remembered watching a documentary about all the tunnels in Disneyland. She could be anywhere by now. Some sicko could have already taken her out of the park. He could be a child molester, a murderer, a sex trafficker.

  All the millions of dollars of training the Navy had given me didn’t mean shit right now. I was helpless.

  By now every cop in the park had been alerted, and the entrances had been shut down.

  As the police escorted me to a room, I became completely numb. Nothing in my world mattered anymore. My entire life I had trained to protect others in the word. And I couldn't protect my own daughter.

  I was a failure.

  My little girl had been taken. On my watch.

  And I would tear up this world to find her.

  I reached and grabbed my phone and shot Ashley a text.

  Mitch: I need you now. My daughter has been kidnapped. We are at Disney.

  Thank you for reading SMUG! Will Mitch find his daughter? Read SLACK to find out.

  SLACK

  Se7en Deadly SEALs are tangled in a web of lies.

  6ix hours since Sienna has gone missing.

  5ive days since I went on a date with Mitch.

  4our of us will stop at nothing to find Sienna.

  Thr3e years since I first became entangled in their world.

  Two days until I discovered my enemy was my partner.

  One goal—crack their secrets.

  I won't stop until I crack the code of the Se7en Deadly SEALs.

  ONE CLICK SLACK NOW!

  * * *

  And sign up for my newsletter to find out about my latest books.

  * * *

  If you love my SEALs, you’ll love the thrilling, dark, and sensual Trident Code series. INVINCIBLE is available now.

  * * *

  And don’t miss my Beauty & The Beast retelling, BEAST, available now.

  * * *

  And if you are looking for a poignant military romance, try BLUE SKY, available now.

  * * *

  Want to connect with me? Stalk me on Instagram, like my Facebook page, or join my Facebook group, Alana Albertson’s Allstars for exclusive giveaways and previews of my latest books.

  * * *

  I would love your help in spreading the word about my books, including telling a friend. Reviews help sell books. If you liked my book, would you please consider leaving a review for Smug?

  * * *

  XOXO

  Alana

  Also by Alana Albertson

  Want more romantic reads?

  Try my other books!

  * * *

  Se7en Deadly SEALs

  Navy SEAL Romantic Thriller

  Season One:

  Conceit, Chronic, Crazed, Carnal, Crave, Consume, Covet

  Season One Box Set

  Meet Grant! She wants to get wild? I will fulfill her every fantasy.

  Season Two:

  Smug, Slack

  Meet Mitch! I’ll always be your bad boy.

  * * *

  The Trident Code

  Navy SEAL Romantic Suspense Series

  Invincible

  Meet Pat! I had one chance to put on the cape and be her hero.

  Invaluable

  Meet Kyle! I’ll never win MVP, never get a championship ring, but some heroes don’t play games.

  * * *

  Heroes Ever After

  Military New Adult Fairy Tale Retellings

  Beast

  Meet Grady! With tattooed arms sculpted from carrying M-16s, this bad boy has girls begging from sea to shining sea to get a piece of his action.

  Triton

  Meet Erik! I’m a Navy SEAL, a Triton, a god of the sea.

  And she will never be part of my world.

  * * *

  Blue Devils

  Military Pilots Contemporary Series

  Blue Sky

  Meet Beckett! I’ll never let down my guard for this Devil in a Blue Angel’s disguise.

  Blue Moon

  Meet Sawyer: One Night with this Blue Devil will make you a sinner.

  * * *

  Rescue Me

  Romantic Comedy Series

  Doggy Style

  Meet Preston! When it comes to doggy style, he’s behind you 100%.

  * * *

  Snow and Her SEALs

  Contemporary Reverse Harem

  The Temptation of Snow, The Seduction of Snow

  Meet Snow’s SEALs! Seven sexy Nave SEALs. Why should I limit myself to just one?

  (co-written with Lisa London)

  * * *

  Men of Oz

  Contemporary Reverse Harem Series

  Desiring Dorothy

  Meet Tin, Crow, Lev, & Wiz! Seven sexy Nave SEALs. Why should I limit myself to just one?

  (co-written with Nicole Blanchard)

  * * *

  Dance with Me

  Swing

  Meet Bret! He was a real man—muscles sculpted from carrying weapons, not from practicing pilates.

  * * *

  Military Contemporary Stand Alone

  Badass

  Meet Shane! I’m America’s cockiest badass.

  (co-written with Linda Barlow)

  About the Author

  ALANA ALBERTSON IS the former President of RWA’s Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, and Chick Lit chapters. She holds a M.Ed. from Harvard and a BA in English from Stanford. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, she lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and six dogs. When she’s not saving dogs from high kill shelters through her rescue Pugs N Roses, she can be found watching episodes of Cobra Kai, Younger, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

  For more information:

  www.authoralanaalbertson.com

  alana@alanaalbertson.com

  Acknowledgments

  I WOULD LIKE TO THANK my husband, Roger. Thank you for entertaining our children for hours on end when I write. I love you.

  To my two beautiful sons, Connor and Caleb, for your hugs and smiles that brighten my every day.

  To Tamara Lush for become my writing bestie this year.

  To Kimberly Kincaid for the amazing edits on this book.

  To all the fans who have written me about Se7en Deadly SEALs. Thank you for all your support! And you ain’t seen nothing yet! Wait until Season 3!!!