Delta Recon (SEAL Team Phantom Series, Book 2) (16 page)

Clicking on the ominous looking email, he read the message, then re-read it to make sure he was reading it correctly. “Fuck,” he swore, looking around for his cell, then realized he must’ve left it in Jaqui’s room. Swiftly, he forwarded the message to Kai and his commander with a note he was calling in two minutes. Knowing Kai, he’d have his phone on him with the email notifications turned off.

He hurried back down the hall, making sure not to make any noise and alert Jaqui or the others. The devastating email would rock all their worlds. Inside the bedroom, he looked at the wrecked bed, and then his suitcase. Finally, his eyes fell on the floor next to the bed where he’d dropped his jeans earlier. The sound of the door opening behind him, had him drawing his gun automatically, only to exhale as Jaqui came in with a smile on her face. After putting the weapon back in place, he advanced on her.

“Holy shit, Tay, sorry I scared you.” She raised her hands up in the air.

When he stayed quiet too long, she tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me,” she whispered.

“I got an email from an organization called Nameless. You’ve heard of them, right?” At her nod he continued. “They aren’t naming names, but someone close to our team has been leaking information to Medellin, and even gave them your parents’ name and address. I’m sorry, baby.” The words came out in a rush before he could stop them.

A tear slipped down her cheek. “So, my parents’ accident wasn’t an accident, but a hit?”

He grabbed her, holding her like the anchor he hoped she wanted him to be. “I’ve got a call into Kai and the commander. We will have protection on them at the hospital and here.” The promise made his words harsher than he’d planned.

Tay closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Hearing her suck her breath in, he fought the urge to ship her back to Hawaii where she’d be surrounded by the Navy. His entire being shook with the force of the need to protect.

“We need to get my cousins out of here. More than likely they are watching this house. How are we going to protect them, too?” Jaqui pushed away from him, and he let her go.

Bitterness tinged her voice. She’d suffered at the cartel’s hands. Knew firsthand what happened and barely survived with her life.

“We’ll take them with us to the hospital and explain the danger they’re in. By then I should have some reinforcements.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, hating the worry on her face.

She wiped her palms on her thighs, straightened her shoulders, and stood straight. “Okay, let’s do this.”

If he hadn’t already loved her, he would have fallen head over ass in that moment.

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S
he automatically wanted to stand behind Tay and let him take the lead. Years of training kicked in. Yes, she’d been tortured. But, she survived, and she would not allow Jose Medellin and the Bloque Cartel to take anything or anyone else from her. Especially not her family. The borrowed gun Tay gave her was secured in her purse. How she wished she had her own weapons, and the holsters she was comfortable with. Looking over as he drove them back toward the hospital, his white knuckle grip on the steering wheel didn’t make the butterflies in her stomach any easier.

“Okay, so are you going to explain why we couldn’t drive ourselves to the hospital, or keep us in suspense?” Mo’s exasperated voice belied the tension in her cousin’s tone. Jaqui wondered if the family had been filled in on her injuries while in Columbia by her mother.

Jaqui turned to face Mo and Nettie, wanting, needing them to see the honesty in her expression. “I need for you to trust Tay and I. As soon as we get to the hospital we will explain everything to everyone at the same time. But, this is a huge deal. Both of you need to promise not to leave our sides until after we have explained. Promise me.” Jaqui met two pairs of blue eyes in the backseat of their rental car. Damn, she wished they had a military grade rig that was bulletproof. With the new information, driving through the streets of Vegas, she felt like a bullseye was drawn on them.

Nettie nodded. “I want to go home. Shep would send a plane for me in a heartbeat. Is that possible?” The southern accent she’d had since Jaqui had walked into her parents’ kitchen was gone.

She automatically shook her head, reaching back to take Nettie’s hand. “Not yet. I know you think you’d be safe with him or in your own home, but we just don’t know. I’m sorry I brought this here.”

“Bullshit,” Tay snarled.

Jaqui turned to stare at him. “What?”

Tay glanced her way, then back at the road. “This is not your fault. Don’t apologize to them or anyone again. You didn’t do shit except get kidnapped, beaten, and nearly die at the hands of a fucking madman, so don’t fucking apologize. You survived. Don’t let me hear you say you’re sorry for that again or I’ll turn your ass over my damn knee and spank you.”

Gasps echoed from the back, but Jaqui couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man she loved and knew he loved her just as fiercely. “You’re right. It’s not my fault.”

“Damn right it’s not.” He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. The tingle of awareness went straight to her heart. She sucked in a breath of air, savoring the light caress.

A nagging feeling that they were running out of time hit her. She catalogued every detail as they entered the hospital, knowing Tay did the same. Her cousins, the laughing women from earlier no longer laughed, instead they were wary and stayed close, looking at each person they passed as a threat. God, she hated that she’d brought her shit to them. No matter that she hadn’t done it on purpose.

Luckily, her parents had been moved to a private room and with the amount of pull they’d had, were able to get both beds in the same area. However, they were unable to be put in the same room due to the difference in their injuries, and the amount of machines her mother still required. They stopped in to see her dad first, his demeanor much more aware, yet the strain of the move and surgery showed.

“Hi, Dad. You look like you’re ready to jump out the window, or rip the IV out any moment.” She kissed his cheek.

His eyes looked past her and landed on Mo and Nettie then Tay. “Why are you all looking so somber? Is your mother okay? Laci said they’d moved her just down the hall.” He attempted to pull the blanket off, his voice rising.

Jaqui put her hand over his, stilling his movements. “First off, mom is fine. Second, we came here to speak with you first. I have some news that will impact all of us.” She took a deep breath, then looked over for Tay’s support. His nod of encouragement gave her the strength to go on. After she explained what she could about Columbia, and how it now impacted her family, she could see the worry etching his fifty-one year old face.

“Is your mother safe here in the hospital?” He asked gruffly.

“Sir, the Navy is sending personnel to protect you both. Every employee will be thoroughly checked before they are allowed entrance into either of your rooms. We will do all we can, but until we have eliminated the threat, we need you to take extra precautions as well.”

Her dad narrowed his eyes. “Son, I can assure you I’ll do my damndest. What’re you doing to protect my baby?”

To give Tay credit, he didn’t squirm under her dad’s direct gaze or question. Most men, or boys in her past had never been able to handle his gruff attitude.

“Believe me, sir. I will protect her with my last breath.”

If it came to it, she’d do the same for him.

“Good enough. Now, what about my other girls?” Her dad pointed to his nieces standing far too quietly by the door.

Nettie was the first to speak up. “I want to go home to Shep but he says it’s not safe.”

“We’ll do whatever we’re told, Uncle Lance. I have a confession to make that nobody, or at least not many people know about. I was actually going to tell my parents this weekend.” Mo looked nervous. “I’ve been dating the owner of one of the largest casinos here in Vegas for a while now. He’s sort of asked me to marry him.” She flashed a guilty look at her twin sister.

“What,” Nettie squealed.

Mo smiled. “My point is, nobody knows and he is very rich and has lots of bodyguards. I could easily secure a suite for us in his hotel with none the wiser. Believe me, you can’t get in the elevator to his area unless you have the proper access. Jose whoever wouldn’t be able to get in there.”

Tay asked which casino. Jaqui couldn’t help but smile as she heard.

“What do you think, Tay?” Jaqui looked at her lover.

“Let me clear it with Kai and the Commander. We need to fill your aunt and uncle in, but I don’t think it’s wise to tell your mom in her present condition,” Tay spoke with conviction, looking at Lance for confirmation.

Lance Wallace nodded in agreement. “My wife has suffered enough already. The last thing she needs to find out is that our baby,” he stopped and choked up. “That’s the last thing a parent ever needs to know, especially when you can’t hold her properly.” He held his arms out.

Jaqui went into them willingly. Her dad’s arms were always a place she felt safe, yet now she had Tay. She let her father hold her a few moments, loving his fatherly embrace and knowing he’d always be there for her. “I love you, daddy.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

When she’d finally realized Tay wasn’t coming back, she’d wanted to rush home and let her parents do what they’d always done, and that was hold her and make her feel better. At the time she’d decided big girls didn’t need to run home and cry to mommy and daddy. It wasn’t until six weeks later, when she’d missed a period, her life had turned upside down. She’d been frightened. Scared. When she thought of having a baby, every emotion had ran the gamut, but then she’d come to the conclusion she’d love to be pregnant. At ten weeks, she’d worked up the courage to call Tay, had it planned out in her head even though he’d avoided her like the plague, when she’d woken in the middle of the night with the worst cramps she’d ever had. She’d stumbled to the restroom only to find herself bleeding. She’d called her mother from Hawaii crying. They’d wanted to rush to her side, but by the time they got there it would’ve been too late.

A shiver wracked her frame at the memory of the loss. Yes, they’d used protection, but somehow, whether the condom had leaked, or what, she’d gotten pregnant, and then lost their baby.

Her dad held her away from him, but she shook her head. He’d wanted to track Tay down and beat the shit out of him then, but she’d told them he had no clue she was pregnant. Now, looking at him, she tried to convey that she still hadn’t told Tay about the loss.

“You have some explaining to do, girl. You know things tend to come out when you don’t want them to. It’s always best they come from us, than someone else,” her father warned.

Yeah, she knew that. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Tay yet. What difference would it make in the long run? “I will, promise.” There was a lot she needed to do and think about, but right now protecting her family was more important than something that couldn’t be fixed or changed.

****

T
ay watched the exchange between father and daughter, and knew he was missing something. Lance Wallace was warning Jaqui, his words made her body stiffen, and he didn’t like it one bit.

A brisk knock on the door kept him from demanding answers. Nettie and Mo both jumped like cats on a hot tin roof. A fact he hated, especially when he’d witnessed the fun, easy going women from earlier.

Two soldiers stood at the entrance and saluted him as he approached, their military attire and stance made them appear official. However, Tay wasn’t taking anything at face value. “Credentials, men.” Yeah, he outranked them and wasn’t above using it. They gave him the code word they’d been given. He nodded, then looked back at the others in the room. “One will be stationed outside of your dad’s room, while another outside your mother’s. They will have twenty-four hour protection, and a new code will be selected for each change. It’s the best we can do right now. As for the staff at the hospital, the commander is handling the background checks, and making sure each man guarding your mom and dad has a list of who can, and can’t enter. That includes the nurses and doctors on staff. If someone calls in, and a replacement is in place, there is going to be a hiccup that will no doubt create issues. Again, nothing is foolproof, but we will do the best we can. Our best bet is to have someone we trust with each of your parents.”

“My aunt doesn’t want to leave my mom, but I don’t think Dave will want her here once he finds out the danger.” Jaqui chewed her lip.

Mo stepped forward. “It’s probably safer for her to be here, than their sprawling ranch outside of the city limits. I’ll just point that out. As for my dad, he’s going to be the one we need to worry about. He thinks he’s all big and bad.”

Nettie sniffed. “Oh, he’ll listen if I have to hogtie his ass.”

The girls laughed at her southern accent and words.

“There’s my new hillbilly sister.” Mo wrapped her arm around Nettie.

Tay led the way toward the other hospital room. Glances cast their way made him swear beneath his breath as they headed into the wing where Maci was. He hoped like hell the staff didn’t go around running their mouths about the security that was now in place. He could see Jose and his men coming in like a tornado ripping through, destroying everything in its path.

Jaqui eased inside the door, making sure she didn’t open it wide enough for the occupants to see the military personnel now stationed outside. Although it was for all their protection, she agreed the less stress on Maci the better. Moments later Laci and Dave came out, leaving Jaqui inside with her mom.

Laci was quick to embrace her daughters, while Dave, the man the twins had said would be the bull in the family stayed back, eyeing him.

“Alright, son, explain,” Dave said, suspicion laced his deep rumble.

The clearly perceptive uncle was no dummy, yet he knew the man was going to put up a fight.

He led them all over to the visitors’ area, making sure they were alone before he explained what he could. Each minute away from Jaqui felt like hours. He kept staring toward the area where Maci’s room was. Although he’d left her with the soldier outside keeping guard, he wouldn’t relax until she was next to him.