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“Glad to hear it.” A moment later, an MP came out to the truck.
Cole gave their names, including rank, and showed his identification card. “We’re here to see Commander Dobson.”
The MP flipped through papers on a clipboard. “I don’t have any record that he was expecting you or Commander Reeves, lieutenant.”
“I guarantee that if you call his corporal, Commander Dobson will give permission for us to come to his office,” Cole said. Dobson would probably salivate at the thought of getting Edwin under his control. Less than a minute after the MP went into the booth and phoned, he waved them through.
“Here goes,” Edwin said when they pulled up in front of Dobson’s office and Cole killed the engine. “You need to walk me in like you’re doing your duty, turning in someone who’s been AWOL.”
Cole hated everything about this situation. He didn’t want to hand over Edwin, and he sure as hell didn’t want to face Kelsey when he returned alone. “Just walk ahead of me.”
Inside, they were ushered directly into Dobson’s office. Edwin stood rigidly near the door, at full attention. Cole kept his focus on Dobson and saw the predatory gleam in the other man’s eyes. He quickly masked it in a calm, but stern expression, but it had shone clearly in those seconds.
“What’s this about, lieutenant?” Dobson addressed Cole.
“I received an email from Commander Reeves,” Cole explained, “so I set up a meeting and convinced him that it was in his best interest to turn himself in.”
“Turn himself in?” Dobson questioned.
“Yes, sir, to explain why he’s been AWOL for several weeks.” Cole intentionally hesitated, letting a beat of silence pass. “And I think there may be questions for Commander Reeves to answer even though Lieutenant Gomez has been arrested for the traitorous activity.”
Dobson’s mask stayed in place, but Cole spotted a flicker of evil delight. The commander was tangibly thrilled that Edwin had been brought in, since it would make it easier to figure out what Edwin had learned through his own investigations—and make sure that information never got out. Cole didn’t need any more convincing that Dobson was the guilty party. Proving it might be harder, though. Could Kelsey use her impressive computer skills to dig into the man’s financials and see if he'd taken money from foreign entities? She wasn’t a hacker, but she’d know how to look for the intel. Or had Edwin done that already? It didn’t seem like he had solid evidence; otherwise, this ruse of turning himself in wouldn’t have been necessary.
“Thank you, lieutenant. You’ve done a service for your country,” Dobson addressed Cole with a smile that belonged on a snake. “I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision, but it was the right one.”
“Yes, sir,” Cole said as he evaluated the man. Dobson was dangerous. He was cool and polished on the surface, but that belied his true nature. A cold sweat broke out on Cole’s forehead. He wanted to bolt from the office, speed back to the safe house, get Kelsey and Eddy, and disappear with them. His mind was already ticking over places they could go to escape Dobson’s reach. That action would end Cole’s career, but his family would be safe.
Except for Edwin, who Cole thought of as a second father and mentor. That would mean leaving Edwin in the lion’s den. And there was no way he was going to abandon him.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Reeves?” Dobson switched his attention to Edwin. “You’ve been gone nearly two months.”
Edwin smiled, meeting Dobson’s gaze. “I’ve been thinking about retirement lately. I’ve got my eye on a real nice place in the South Pacific.”
Dobson scowled at Edwin’s statement. Cole didn’t know how to interpret the expression. Was the South Pacific where Dobson was hiding the money he’d made from the leaks?
“You’re free to go, lieutenant,” Dobson dismissed Cole. “I’ll take it from here.”
Cole’s legs felt heavy. The SEALs lived by a code, and part of that code was that they didn’t leave a man behind. Walking out of that office made Cole feel as though he were abandoning Edwin. He caught Edwin’s eye and saw his slight nod. He was telling Cole to go.
Cole snapped a salute and left, wishing he’d had a different choice to make, one that didn’t leave Kelsey’s father in the hands of someone he now knew was responsible for the deaths of his fellow SEALs.
TWENTY-FOUR
“Where’s Dad?” Kelsey demanded as soon as Cole entered the safe house alone. She’d walked circles in the house since putting Eddy down for a nap thirty minutes earlier, too restless to sit.
“Kels…” Cole frowned, and he held his hands out to her.
She backed up a step, clutching the kitchen counter to steady herself. “You left him there.” She put a hand to her chest, feeling shortness of breath. While she knew this was the plan, she’d still held on to hope that they’d find another way, that Cole would somehow manage this impossible situation and not leave her father in the hands of a potential enemy.
“Give me a minute,” Cole said and went past her to where Raymond and David were.
The safe house had an open floor plan, so she followed his motion with her eyes. He spoke with his two buddies for a minute, no doubt getting and giving an update. Without looking at her, both of them mumbled their goodbyes and exited through the front door.
Chickens. They were afraid to be here when Cole told her what had happened on the base. She could guess, but she was going to make him say it.
“I want to know every detail,” she said, skipping any preamble when he came back to her. She stood there with her arms crossed while Cole relayed what happened in Dobson’s office.
“It confirms what your dad thought,” Cole concluded. “Dobson’s the one. He’s the leak. We just need to prove it, and that was why Edwin stayed behind. I’m sorry about your dad, but—”
