Hacking the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 2) (12 page)

“Scotty glanced at her over his shoulder. “What’s so funny, Red?”

She shook her head and grinned. “If you would’ve asked me a week ago if I ever thought I’d be doing something like this with a guy like you, I would’ve asked if you were on crack.”

He chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side, his heat warming away her chill. “Stick with me, Red. I’ll take you all sorts of fascinating places.”

“Ouch!” Scotty flinched away from the hydrogen peroxide Hayley dabbed on his cuts and narrowed his gaze. “Do you have to do that?”

“Do you want this to get infected?” Hayley raised a brow at him and scrunched her nose. “Stop being such a baby.”

“I am not a baby.” Scotty scowled.

“Wait!” Spence snorted then made a show of searching the area around him. “I think I’ve got his pacifier here somewhere.”

Scotty picked up the nearest thing he could find, a box of bandages, and hurled them at his teammate’s head. “I’ve got your pacifier right here, asshole.”

“Are you guys always like this?” Hayley said, her tone disapproving as she flicked a glance toward the bathroom door, which was doing little to muffle Kyle’s Commander voice.

“No.” This from Gage, who’d taken up residence in one of the armchairs in the condo living room across from Hayley and Scotty on the couch. His girlfriend, Anna Middleton, had rushed over after seeing the incident on the news. She was now curled up on Gage’s lap, hugging him tight, her face buried in his neck. He spoke to Hayley over the top of Anna’s head. “Usually we’re worse.”

“Great.” Hayley muttered.

“Hey, I can’t help it if that shit stings like fucking battery acid!” Scotty said.

Gage was lucky. Anna had tended to his wounds with gentle touches like freaking Florence Nightengale. Unlike him, who had to endure the brutal treatment of Nurse Ratched here. As if reading his thoughts, Hayley poured more antiseptic on a gauze pad and slapped it on a fresh abrasion on his bicep. He’d been wrong. Not battery acid, more like flaming gasoline.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
“Easy, Red. I might need that arm for later.”

“You’ve got another one.” She shook her head and finished cleaning and dressing his arm before moving on to a scrape on his cheek. “We were lucky to get out of there alive.”

He reached up and plucked a dried leaf out of her hair. She might put on a brave front, but she was worried about him and her concern made fresh warmth sizzle in his chest. He’d been worried about her too, more than he’d ever say out loud. Instead, he tried to play it off his deeply intense and disturbing emotions with humor. “Afraid you’d miss out on more shagging sessions?”

She glanced up at him irritation sparking bright in her green eyes. “You are such an ass.”

“I second that.” Spencer again.

“Third.” Gage raised his hand then lowered it and placed his arm protectively around Anna’s shoulders. They were so sweet and affectionate it damned near made Scotty’s teeth ache.

“What are we voting on?” Kyle asked, coming back into the room. His shoulders were tense and the faint lines around his eyes and mouth looked deeper. He slumped down onto the other end of the sofa and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Whether Scotty’s an ass,” Spence supplied helpfully.

“We actually need to vote on that?” Kyle snorted. “I just got off the phone with Commander Brighton. Filled him in.”

Scotty cringed on his leader’s behalf. No wonder the guy looked exhausted. They were on thin enough ice as it was with the higher ups. The fact they’d had just a very public run in with the FBI, dirty agents or not, wouldn’t bode well for Brighton’s continued support. Kyle’s stellar negotiating skills aside, it would take a damned miracle to talk their way out of what happened earlier. “What did he say?”

“He wants us to go talk to Natalie while she’s still in the hospital. He thinks we might still be able to get something out of her about where those files are and about what happened to Nick. Maybe about Becks’s whereabouts too.” Kyle leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.

“What do you think?” Scotty asked, catching Hayley’s hand and bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss.

“I think it’s our only option at this point.”

Hayley pulled free from his grasp and cleaned up her supplies. “Is she well enough to have visitors? She was in pretty bad shape at the row house.”

Kyle squinted open one eye to peer at Hayley. “Doctors say she’s stable. Single gunshot to the shoulder. Through and through. Brighton talked to them and they said Natalie could speak to someone for short periods this evening.” He lifted his wrist and checked his watch. “Visiting hours end at seven.”

“Damn.” Spencer tried to reach a bloody area on his right upper back without much luck.

“Here.” Hayley walked over to clean and patch the abrasion up for him. The sight of her hands on his buddy nearly did him in. Still, Scotty did his best to be proud of his angel of mercy and resist the urge to punch Spence in the jaw. She cleaned and bandaged the area efficiently, then stood again and grinned down. “Better?”

“Much.” Spencer winked at Hayley and Scotty growled low in his throat. Maybe slamming his fist into the guy’s face wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. Spencer gave Scotty a droll look and raised a brow as Hayley walked away. “Jealous, bud?”

“She’s mine.”

“I heard that,” Hayley called from the bathroom.

“Good,” Scotty yelled back. “And don’t you forget it, Red.”

“Listen,” she said, coming back into the living room. “I get that maybe you guys have gotten a little ‘caveman’ since going rogue, but I am not a steak, okay? You can’t just order me. I’m a strong, independent woman who can date and sleep with any man I choose. Got it?”

Scotty frowned. “I thought—”

“You thought what?” Hayley continued. “That because we slept together you could claim some kind of ownership? That because you helped rescue me I owed you something? I can take care of myself, all right? Been doing it a long time now, and I’ll keep doing it long after you’re gone.” She swiped the back of her hand beneath her eyes.

“Okay, Red. You want walking papers, you got ‘em. From me and the FBI,” Scotty said, trying to make it sound like even floating an idea like that didn’t touch him at all, didn’t gut him.

Her color went up. “Do you have any idea what it was like for me to see you on your knees on that dock, a gun pointed at your head? Do you? You could’ve died, Scotty. Then where would that leave me, huh? Where? I happen to care about you, you big, dumb idiot.”

Before he could answer, she stormed off back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Flabbergasted, Scotty pursed his lips and cocked his brows, gazing around at the stunned faces of his SEAL team mates.

“Well, then,” Kyle said, his gaze lowered.

“Yeah, buddy.” Spencer shook his head and frowned. “Wow.”

“I like her,” Anna said, still cuddled beside Gage. “She’s got guts.”

“That she does.” Scotty rubbed a hand over his bruised jaw. “That she does.”

“Right.” Gage checked his watch. “It’s almost six now. If we’re going to get to the hospital to see Natalie, we should get going.”

“Yeah, I wonder where Michelle’s at now?” Hayley said, standing. “Probably holed up in some seedy hotel somewhere contemplating her shitty life choices. God, I hope her son’s all right.”

“I’ve got Commander Brighton working on it,” Kyle said. “Her son will be taken care of.”

“Do you think she’s hooking up with Becks?” Scotty asked, grimacing.

“If she is then she’s got even worse judgement than I gave her credit for,” Hayley said.

The men pushed to their feet. Gage picked up Anna and kissed her thoroughly before letting her slide down his side. Scotty averted his gaze from their obvious intimacy. He’d always been in relationships for the fun, the adventure, the cheap, fast thrill. But with Hayley he wanted more.

“Let’s go.” Kyle stretched and blinked his eyes several times as if to wake himself up. “I’ll drive.”

Scotty gave him a dubious look. “You sure? You look ready to drop.”

“Are you questioning my abilities?” Kyle scowled over at him.

“No, sir.”

“Good. Don’t.” Kyle stomped off for the kitchen and pulled an energy drink out of the fridge. “Never underestimate me. Ever.”

Well, fuck.
The guy had been unusually touchy since they’d discovered Natalie was still alive. Deservedly so, Scotty supposed, but it didn’t make Kyle any easier to get along with. They were like the brothers Scotty never had and he’d give his life for them, knowing they’d do the same for him. Outsiders didn’t always understand their unique bond, but it was a connection forged in sweat and steel and battlefield blood.

Instead of getting into again with his buddies, Scotty headed over to the bathroom door and knocked softly. They were all tired and irritable and grouchy as hell and picking a fight right now would be a bad, bad idea. Still, if Hayley was going to go with them to the hospital, she needed to get a move on. “Red, you coming out anytime soon?”

“Fuck you, Scotty.”

Any time, darling.

Behind him, Spencer snickered. “Your way with the ladies is impressive, dude.”

Scotty gave him the finger. “We’re going to the hospital. If you want to come along, you need to get out here. Now.”

Nothing.

He almost preferred the “fuck you” to stone cold silence. An eternity of seconds ticked past and he’d just about given up hope of her emerging when the door whooshed open and Hayley rushed past him, in a bluster of attitude and sweet strawberry scent. Scotty’s body tightened involuntarily and his heart squeezed with tenderness. He could smell strawberries every day for the rest of his life and never tire of it.

He couldn’t believe it, but he wanted forever.

Now clearly wasn’t the right moment to tell her. And maybe he needed a minute to get used to the idea. But yeah. He was a goner. One of those guys he’d swore he’d never be—head over heels and hopelessly devoted to a woman who had the power to destroy him with just one look.

As he trailed across the living room after Hayley, admiring the lovely view of her ass in those tight jeans, he couldn’t help but grin. Hells yeah, she could destroy him, but what a way to go.

“All right, kids. Let’s head out.” Kyle checked and holstered his weapon and the rest of them did the same, as they all followed him out the door, including Anna. Downstairs, Scotty and Spence did a quick check of the perimeter before they hustled over to their beat up SUV parked near the curb. Kyle climbed in the driver’s side and Spence took the passenger front, while Gage and Anna and Scotty and Hayley filled the rear seats. “Everybody buckle up.”

Groans and whines ensued, but they did as he instructed.

“When we get to the hospital, Gage, I want you to keep a lookout in the lobby. Spence, you stay with the van. Scotty, you and Hayley come with me to the room. Brighton thinks your girl might have the best chance of getting something out of Natalie.”

Hayley frowned. “What about the FBI? Won’t they be looking for us?”

“I doubt it.” Kyle signaled, then pulled out into traffic. “Brighton said that boss of yours has a warrant out for her arrest, along with what’s left of her team. Her career at the Bureau’s over.”

“That makes two of us.” The dejectedness in her tone made Scotty’s heart ache. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if anything ever happened to his SEAL team and he knew Hayley felt the same about her career at the Bureau. He tried to take her hand, but she shook him off. “Did your Commander Brighton say anything else? Like why he thinks I’d be able to get something out of the widow?”

“You mean other than the fact she’s been asking for you, specifically?” Kyle met Hayley’s gaze in the rearview mirror, and Scotty felt her posture stiffen beside him.

“She asked for me?”

“Only you. Won’t see anyone else.”

“Huh.” Hayley slumped back in her seat and her shoulder bumped against Scotty. This time when he reached for her hand, she let him take it. “I wonder why?”

“Maybe it had something to do with the fact you were going to help her escape.” He glanced sideways at her and smiled. “I did say we were going to talk about that later, right?”

“I couldn’t just let her go down like that, Scotty. Like some kind of trapped animal. Everyone deserves a fighting chance.”

“Even husband killers?” Kyle’s tone had turned decidedly frigid.

“She said she didn’t kill Nick and I believe her. She loved him. That much is obvious. After all, she went to jail to keep his cover from being blown.”

“She did?” the guys asked in unison.

“Yeah. I told you she had a criminal record and this is what I meant. When you guys were pulling that job out of South America last year, the one in Venezuela? Somehow some cops showed up at their house with a search warrant. At first I couldn’t figure out how a random search warrant would just happen like that, but now I think Becks set it up. He wanted to get inside that place and snoop around.” Hayley shrugged. “Anyway, the cops claimed to have found some unlicensed firearms and paraphernalia on the premises. She claimed all of it was hers and went to jail for three days until she could post bail. Never said where the weapons came from or the fact they were military-only, special ops kinds of equipment.”

“Nick never said a word about it.” Kyle frowned.

“I doubt she told him.” Hayley wrinkled her nose. “But she did it for him. And if that’s not a show of love and loyalty, I don’t know what is.”

“Well, she trusts you, Red.” Scotty laced his fingers through hers. “You will, of course, share all of the information you gather with us afterward, right?”