Page 25 of False Flag

But before he could surprise her with a visit to her project, he needed to win her over here and now. The buses would leave here at ten a.m. tomorrow. He had seventeen hours to convince her to give him her number.

Chapter Nine

Staci and the other women pretended not to hear the altercation by the pool tables, even though Morgan took her hand when one of the SEALs repeated the rumor about Double D waitresses.

On the plus side, it was handled quickly and firmly by the men who mattered.

“There’s always one,” Morgan muttered.

“Overall, they’re a good team,” Stephanie Kramer said. “Dillard was practically a baby when he passed BUD/S. He’s been on the team almost as long as Jeremy, but he’s an immature little shit when it comes to women and sex.”

Staci had nothing to add to the conversation. She’d only heard the last comment, but guessed her history with Rand had been cited as proof she slept around with SEALs. Not that it would matter if she did. It just angered her that it was considered a strike against her.

She had no intention of getting involved with Jake, but she definitely wanted to sleep with him.

He was equally interested in sex with her, but she was the one who would be considered problematic and a SEAL hussy—or whatever the hell term they whispered among themselves to label the women they hooked up with.

Dillard was probably the type who frequented bars near Little Creek, prowling for women to have no-strings sex with. It was all consensual and fine, but he looked down on the women he screwed as if he were somehow morally superior.

Kira smiled at her, then her gaze flicked over Staci’s shoulder, and she signaled with a slight nod. Staci turned and saw Rand in conversation with Jake.

Her gaze locked with his, and she felt the same jolt that had hit her the very first time their eyes met.

He slowly smiled, and there were those dimples. A second jolt speared her. She wanted to cry foul. Unfair that he had such a potent weapon in his arsenal. And then there were his kisses, which had practically melted her panties.

But that was her own fault. He wouldn’t have kissed her if she hadn’t started it.

She turned back to Kira, breaking the intense eye contact but in no way lessening the shiver of excitement that coursed through her.

“Jake’s a good guy,” Kira said. “Not that you need anyone’s permission or seal of approval.” She made a face. “Pun not intended.”

Staci laughed. “Noted. You have excellent taste in SEALs, by the way, so your opinion matters.”

Kira practically glowed as she turned her gaze to her fiancé. “He’s amazing.”

Staci glanced in Rand’s direction and saw Jake was taking his turn at the pool table. “I can’t get involved with him,” she murmured.

“Don’t let a jerk like Jeff Dillard influence you.”

“It’s not that. It’s…” She stopped herself. If Kira and the others didn’t know about Jake’s interest in pseudoarchaeology, she didn’t want to taint their opinion of him. It wasn’t her place to introduce strife between him and his teammates’ spouses, and being a fan of a podcast wasn’t a criminal offense. Campbell had plenty of listeners who just wanted to be entertained.

She shrugged as if it had nothing to do with Jacob Burns and everything to do with herself. “It’s that I need to figure out what I’m going to do with this job offer.”

“Save life’s big decisions for tomorrow. Tonight, we play.” Kira stood. “C’mon. I’m in the mood for pool.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Sure it is. It’ll be fun.”

“Rand won’t want to play against us.”

“Then I’ll be on his team,” Kira said.

Staci smiled. No one could claim she hadn’t tried.

They approached the table, where Rand was about to take the winning shot.

“Would you guys mind if I partner with Rand for the next round?” Kira asked. “Jake, you can team with Staci.”