AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Giles Iseman shookhis head in disgust. “Doesn’t it just fucking figure? We finally get a break, and some asshat has to screw up a perfectly peaceful night on the water by racing a damned jet ski in the moonlight.” He might not be a romantic bastard, but Giles appreciated the simple joys as much as anyone else.
“Running without lights will draw as much attention as his speed. If he had a pretty passenger, it might be easier to convince the locals he had a temporary lapse of judgment.” Essex Hall pushed himself from the deck lounger and stepped closer to the edge of the fishing boat they’d rented for the week. Standing at six feet four inches, Essex had no trouble steadying himself against the vessel’s low railing. Spending time on a boat that wasn’t skimming along the surface of the water at top speed was a luxury they’d only recently been able to enjoy. Retiring their Navy SEAL commissions hadn’t been an easy decision. When their former team leaders, Kent and Kyle West, first approached them two years ago about joining their team, Giles and Essex hadn’t been ready to admit the writing was on the wall.
Neither man wanted to believe the entire world could lose its way so quickly. They’d been seeing the worst the world had to offer since joining the Special Forces but tried to hold on to the small spark of hope things would turn around. The battle between good and evil had been waged since the Garden of Eden, the delicate balance between the light and dark sides kept in check by some unseen cosmic force known by as many names as there were cultures. Not long before the two men had been scheduled to renew their commitment to the U.S. Navy or walk away, it became evident, the good guys were losing. Tangled in piles of bureaucratic bullshit and miles of red tape, they lost more often than they won.
Giles looked on as Essex scanned their surroundings with binoculars specially designed for low-light conditions. A subtle shift in Essex’s body language was all Giles needed to know something wasn’t right. Getting to his feet, Giles automatically moved toward the bow. Raising the anchor was the first step in prepping to move, and even though it might not prove necessary, they’d spent too many years preparing for every conceivable outcome and contingency to underestimate the power of readiness.
“What the fuck?” Essex tapped the locator buttons on the side of the binoculars, marking the GPS location of whatever he’d seen. Giles sprinted to the stern, starting the winch that would raise the second anchor. He didn’t ask for an explanation. It was already obvious they were moving. “Let’s go. I don’t know what he rolled off the side, but the hair on the back of my neck is standing straight up. Everything about this feels wrong. Hell, I’m getting Adler vibes—didn’t something similar happen to Kensington’s wife, Denali?”
“Someone rolled her up in a damned carpet and threw her off a bridge in Colorado, right? I remember hearing about that during one of Kyle’s training exercises.” Giles had talked to Kyle after the class because the more he’d thought about his former leader’s comments during the training session, the clearer it was there was more to the story. He hadn’t come away with any answers, but he’d been more convinced than before that there was a big part of the Adler story missing from the narrative. In typical Kyle West fashion, he’d dodged the question but not before giving Giles a look promising they’d finish the conversation later.
Essex shouted the coordinates to Giles, who tapped them into the onboard guidance system and let the craft direct itself to the site. Before they reached the black tarped roll, it bobbed beneath the surface.
“Fucking hell,” Essex’s curse mirrored Giles’s opinion.
If the roll stayed beneath the surface, it would be virtually impossible for them to retrieve it without the special lighting equipment. They would have had the underwater lights at their fingertips if this was a mission. Unfortunately, fishing expeditions weren’t outfitted for anything other than basic water rescues. They weren’t far from shore, but they damned well didn’t have enough time to make a run for underwater lights. Whatever the jet ski driver pushed over would be thirty feet below the surface long before they returned.
“It’s back on top. Run the boat between the shore and the package in case anyone’s watching. I have a feeling they wouldn’t welcome us picking up whatever they’ve cast aside.”
Giles agreed it was in their best interest to hide their interest and involvement until they knew what they were dealing with. He easily maneuvered the boat, so anyone watching from the marina wouldn’t see them pull the roll from the water. Diving smoothly into the gently rolling waves, Essex surfaced immediately, cursing the chilled water.
“Fucking hell, I’m out of shape.” The hissed words made Giles chuckle.
Maybe they needed to ask Kyle to schedule some cold-water training so team members didn’t go soft. They’d been working in warmer climates for several months, and even though the Gulf was considered warm water, recent tide shifts had cooled things considerably. Unfortunately, the shift had also extracted a heavy toll on their fishing success. The fish had moved farther south, and the trip that was supposed to yield enough seafood for a big bash back at Prairie Winds quickly changed to a weekend to kick back and enjoy a little downtime.
*
Essex reached theroll in two long strokes and slipped his fingers beneath the rope wrapped tightly around the plastic tarp. Reversing direction with a swift scissors kick, he eased the roll onto the rear diving platform and took the knife Giles handed down. Smiling to himself, Essex knew the knife hadn’t come from the tackle box—this bad boy wasn’t a damned fillet knife, that was for sure. A couple of quick flicks of his wrist were all it took to lay soggy rope pieces on the redwood deck. Once the tension was relieved, he was startled when whatever had been bound inside moved.
“Woah. Easy before you roll back into the cold water.” He hadn’t been sure if it was a person or animal until whoever was inside froze. “Fucking hell, let’s get you out of this mess and find out what the hell’s going on here.” Giles leaned forward, grasping the closest edge of the tarp. Pulling it slowly to keep from sending whoever had been bound inside rolling into the dark water, his heart raced in anticipation.
Essex nearly fell back on his ass when he pulled long, blood-caked strands of dark hair from a battered face he failed to recognize until her eyelids slowly fluttered open. He’d only met one woman in his life with eyes the color of violet staring back at him. Essex heard Giles gasp beside him when her gaze flickered between them.
“Miami? What the fuck?” Giles sounded as shocked as Essex felt. Miami Walker was the only woman they’d ever agreed was perfect for them, and she was the one whose heart they’d broken. Before they could explain and make amends, they’d been called back a second time. They hadn’t even made it off-base before being deployed on a mission that ended up lasting months longer than planned. When they finally made it back to the states, she was gone, and none of her friends or family would give them the time of day.
“Essex? Giles?” As swollen as her eyes were, Essex was surprised she could see clearly enough to recognize anyone in the dim light. “How did you know? How did you find me? They wanted me to drown.” Tears filled her eyes as she pulled in a shuddering breath. “All I wanted to do was help. They killed her. I’ll never forget the gurgling sound when they slit her throat.” When Miami started gagging, Essex rolled her to the side, but it was obvious she’d already lost the contents of her stomach before being tossed into the frigid water.
“Let’s get her inside. We need to get her cleaned up and find out what’s gone down here tonight.”
Agreeing, Essex slipped his arms under her, easily lifting her into his arms. Cradling the battered beauty against his chest tighter than necessary, he wondered who he was trying to reassure. As he moved inside, Essex heard Giles wrap up the plastic tarp and stuff it into one of the deck trash bins. They’d make certain to dispose of the contents themselves rather than leaving it for the rental agents. There was no reason to give them anything to report to anyone showing up later making inquiries.
He’d intended to settle her on the sofa but decided to move into the kitchen, where the lighting was better. They needed to assess the damage and treat her wounds for infection as soon as possible. God only knew what all disgusting crap was floating in the water this close to the marina. The rules about disposing of fish cleaning waste were prominently posted at the cleaning stations, but Essex knew people often took every shortcut they could when they were trying to turn a profit.
Essex kept an eye on Miami while he filled a small basin with warm water. Setting out soft rags and a cleanser he hoped would do the trick without causing her too much discomfort, he watched as her entire body started trembling. Moving to kneel in front of her, Essex wrapped his much larger hands around her trembling fingers. Her lips were blue, and her fingers felt like ice. Damn. She was going into shock. They needed to get her warmed up as quickly as possible, and he wasn’t sure she was going to be thrilled about how he planned to make that happen.
“Why is she in here? Stop coddling her. Come on, Miami. We’ll get you into the shower so you can warm up.”
Essex smiled when she pushed to her feet and lifted her chin. Defiance swirled around her like a storm before her knees started to shake. She’d have gone down like a petite sack of sugar if Giles hadn’t caught her.
“Stubborn woman.” The words were muttered under his breath, but Essex hadn’t heard an ounce of real condescension. Picking her up, Giles stalked down the hall to the luxury bathroom suite off the main cabin. Essex gathered the supplies and followed. By the time he entered the en suite bathroom, Giles was already cutting off Miami’s tattered, blood-splattered clothes with a pair of scissors he found in the cabinet.
Miami’s lack of concern for the ruined clothing didn’t surprise him, but her obvious emotional disconnect was concerning. She wasn’t intimidated or embarrassed. Hell, she didn’t seem to have any emotional connection to anything happening around her. Essex and Giles had enough experience with victims to recognize shock and the onset of post-trauma symptoms, but this was something different. Essex understood his previous experience with victims hadn’t prepared him to handle a similar situation when it involved someone he cared about on a personal level. After spending his entire adult life focused on planning, Essex hated how lost he felt.
Shaking off his growing frustration, Essex looked on as Giles methodically checked Miami for injuries while gently scrubbing the dried blood from her bruised face. Gritting his teeth to keep from snarling demands for information, Essex silently vowed to hunt down the bastards who’d dared put their hands on her. Miami’s eyes darted to his when his fists clenched at his sides, making him regret whatever negative energy he’d been projecting.
“Lean your head back, and let’s get some conditioner in your hair, love.”
Giles was right. They’d never get the tangles out without smoothing out the tresses. It was obvious her attackers hadn’t planned on anyone concerning themselves with her physical condition. They’d planned for her to sink to the bottom of the bay.Fucking hell. Turning to the counter, Essex started pulling first aid supplies from the limited selection. Whoever stocked the fishing boat had focused on the fishing equipment.
Frowning, he made a mental note to send a request to Tobi West for anything she felt would be useful. Tobi and her business partner, Gracie, recently eased back into the forum shops business they’d started years earlier. Once their kids no longer needed to be chauffeured everywhere, the two women found themselves at loose ends after handing over the day-to-day operation of their business. Their husbands had enjoyed having them travel less, but technology made it much easier for them to work remotely, so they’d branched out. Their men laughed, explaining they saw their wives less now that they were working from home than they did years earlier when they’d traveled every week.
“I’m sorry to be a pain in the ass, but I don’t think I can… “Miami’s whispered words faded so quickly, Essex barely had time to turn back to the shower before she fell forward. Covered in soap, she’d slipped out of Giles’s hold. Luckily, Essex caught her before she face-planted on the tiled floor.
“Jesus Christ. When she finally let go, it was all over.” Giles used the handheld sprayer to wash the last of the bubbles from her tanned skin before taking her in his arms. “You might as well rinse off while I dry her. We’ll move back to the kitchen so we have better light for first aid. She has some cuts that will need steri-strips, but I don’t think any of them need stitches.”
Twenty minutes later, they’d treated the worst of her injuries and finally detangled her hair before braiding it into a thick rope hanging to the middle of her back. They’d also convinced her to take a few sips of brandy, so her cheeks were finally beginning to show a bit of their usual rosy glow. She hadn’t spoken much as they’d taken care of her wounds, choosing to simply nod or shake her head when he’d asked about pain and discomfort. Essex was pleased she’d passed on pain medication since he doubted she’d eaten enough to handle anything more than the few sips of liquor she’d taken. When her hands trembled, he took the glass and set it aside.
“Time to talk, Miami. We need to know what happened.” Essex was finished waiting for her to spill the story. Giles was right. Essex would coddle her if he wasn’t careful. Damn, she’d always gotten to him in a big way. Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly before recalling what little she remembered. Remarkably, she seemed to have a firmer grasp on the sequence of events than Essex expected, but she was clearly frustrated with the gaps that remained just out of her reach.
