Shadowed (7 page)

“Our friend in the Agency fed us intel that Janus has pretty expensive taste. He
confirmed that she lives on a small yacht anchored in the harbor. Since tourist season
died down toward the end of August, we will have less interference. This is our target.”
Logan slid a photo in front of them.

Jay moved in to look at the boat. “That's a Ferretti 800
Superyacht. It would comfortably
fit a couple of people but offer untold ease for one.” His responding whistle stretched
long and low. “Maybe I need to find a different day job.” Nick popped him on the
back of the head. “Kidding. Kidding.”

Titus sat down and rocked back in his chair. “
The Jupiter
. How much y'all want to
bet our chick has a thing for Roman mythology?”

The guys around the table grew still and Logan studied Titus. “Now how do you figure
that?”

“She goes by Janus. But if you study Roman mythology, Janus was an obscure god known
as the god of transitions. Some even considered him duplicitous, the god of choices.
This ship is named
The Jupiter
, another name for Zeus, the most powerful god of Roman
mythology. If I'm right, there may be a pattern or identifying mark that we can
track.”

Micah smirked. “Smarty.”

Titus rocked back in his chair like he didn't have a care in the world. “Some of
us like to read.”

“So far intel has tracked four people who got on that boat today. Two left, which
means as of right now they still have eyes on two, one being Janus. They will keep
us updated as time draws closer.”

Colt walked over to a laptop, pulled up the ship model, and walked his team through
the interior. Anticipation charged the air as they set about finalizing plans. Nick
would be part of the team to board the boat. Thanks to a childhood love of Russia
instilled by his history teacher mother, Nick had gone on to take enough classes
in college to achieve fluency in Russian. The language came naturally, rolling off
his tongue as if he'd always spoken its strange cadence. Micah, Logan, and Colt would
team up with him. Jay and Titus would run the two Zodiacs, ready for pickup and any
other issues that might arise.

“We move out at zero one thirty, drop into the Black Sea at roughly zero three thirty.
We're back here before zero seven
hundred. Clean up, check your gear, get some shut-eye.
Let's catch this witch.”

Guys from the base directed the team to some bunks for sleep. Nick struggled with
the time change every deployment. His brain said dive into the water and soak up
the sun; his body screamed for sleep. The team settled into bunks, curtains shielding
the light streaming in as the sun rose.

Micah yawned. “What day is it? My body is jacked up right now.”

“September seventh.” Jay's always playful tone fell flat.

For a moment no one spoke. Nick related to Jay like few could on the team. They'd
both lost their dads. However, Nick had been able to tell his dad good-bye. Jay's
dad had gone down in the 9/11 attacks. His death date drew near. Nick finally broke
the silence. “How you doing with that, man?”

No one moved and Nick wondered if Jay would answer. When he finally spoke, Nick detected
his pent-up emotion. “He's the reason I joined the teams, you know. When his plane
went down, I thought my life had ended too. Then I got angry, so angry I don't remember
much of my teen years. In one moment I became the man of the house. By the time I
graduated from high school, I wanted to do something about those guys. I wanted revenge.
But in BUD/S, I realized anger and revenge wouldn't get me through. Those emotions
aren't powerful enough.”

A heavy pause hung in the air, and Nick prayed Jay would keep talking. He'd never
heard the details. Jay cleared his throat and then continued. “My dad loved this
country. We flew the American flag loud and proud in front of our home in Jersey.
He taught me to put my hand over my heart, to thank those who served, and to thank
God for our freedom. I thought of my mom and brother, how I wanted to protect them
from anyone who would ever do that to my country again. Vengeance turned to passion,
and here I am.”

For a moment the only thing permeating the stillness was the sound of base life happening
outside their bunks. Colt's rusty, deep voice broke the silence. “I remember where
I was on nine eleven. My parents were on this kick to find all the major surf spots
in California and Baja after spending a year in Hawaii. We were traveling the coastline,
my mom kinda homeschooling me when she felt like it. I was eleven and felt more at
home on a board than in a classroom. That day I was up at the crack of dawn owning
some sick waves. When I came into our trailer, a couple of the guys we were traveling
with were gathered around the small TV. I watched the second plane crash into the
World Trade Center.

“My parents were anti-rules. Anti-government. Shoot, they are the definition of hippies.
But something inside me snapped. They didn't just hit buildings; they killed people.
People, brah. I couldn't let that alone. Every time we got close enough to a library,
I would disappear for a few hours, find newspapers and websites, and read about what
was happening. I started finding books about SEALs and hiding them in my bunk. As
soon as I got my GED, I walked into a recruitment office, shaved my awesome hair
off, and set my sights on BUD/S. Those men thought they would injure a country. What
they did was raise a generation of warriors instead. You don't kill thousands of
Americans without serious consequences.”

“Where were you, Logan?” Micah asked.

“University of Montana. Nineteen years old. I was at the school gym when the bulletin
came on. I watched one plane, then two. I dropped the weights and headed to Kim's
dorm. Know what she said as soon as she opened the door?”

“You smell like a sewer?” Nick chuckled, thankful Jay's sense of humor remained firmly
intact despite the seriousness of the conversation.

“She said, ‘I'm going to be a military bride, aren't I?' We finished school, got
married, and here I am. She never wavered. I guess I
married a soldier in her own
right. That woman is a greater patriot than anyone I know.”

“How does she handle your deployments?” Nick wondered out loud, thinking of Kaylan
back home.

“She believes that this is bigger than either one of us. She fights for her country
by letting me go and holding down the home front. I have no idea how she does it,
and sometimes I feel guilty for leaving her. But she shoves me out the door and tells
me to go do my job and not to come home until it's done.”

Nick watched Logan raise his hands in front of his eyes. “Sometimes I hold my kids
and wonder what they would think if they knew of the men I've killed. Know what my
wife says?”

“You need to use more lotion?” The guys howled as Jay made another jab.

“You make it really hard to tell a story.”

Jay leaned over the bunk to peer down at Logan. “I'm done. For now. Continue.”

“C'mon, Pops,” Titus cut through the laughter. “What does Kim say?”

The silence lingered for a moment. “She says they're the hands of a hero and that
she wouldn't have it any other way. Know what I think? My wife's the hero. I couldn't
do this without her.”

“My wife's the same way,” Titus chimed in. “Liza had a cousin living up in New York
when the towers were hit. A fireman in the city. Really shook her family when they
couldn't contact him for hours after the buildings collapsed. She hates the work
hours, but her biggest complaint is missing Texas. Heck, I miss it too, so those
complaints I can handle. Where were you, Bulldog?”

“Getting out of the car for school. I'd just started tenth grade. My mom loaded us
back up and took us home. We watched the news the rest of the day. I thought the
world was ending. I was a superhero fanatic as a kid, and I kept thinking that Superman
just needed to fly in and save the day. If only, ya know? The guys
responsible for
nine eleven taught their kids to hate America. But in the process they taught American
kids to love their country and fight for her. In a way they hurt themselves more.
Hawk?”

Nick thought back to that morning. “Mom woke me up for school with pancakes and bacon.
She never cooked during the work week. I immediately thought someone died. I didn't
realize thousands had. That memory didn't impact me fully until college. I looked
around and hated my life. Found the Lord and wanted to fight for something bigger
than myself. I wanted to do something that meant something. And I wanted a team to
do it with.”

“You think God actually cares, Hawk? We're killers. If He created life, aren't we
violating some intergalactic law by taking it away? I mean, that's pretty serious
stuff.” Colt's questions shook Nick. He'd wondered the same thing before.

“Man, God doesn't care. He took all those people. He took my dad. What's a few more
if we're actually doing it for a good reason?” Jay's voice held a bitterness that
Nick understood well. His own voice had once held that tone.

“Jay, I don't think the Lord ever likes the loss of life. But we're human. And people
are evil. God didn't kill your dad, man. Evil people who chose not to follow a good
God did that. They'll pay someday.”

“Whatever, dude.”

Nick glanced to his right and kept going at Micah's encouraging nod. “My mom used
to read me stories about King David, whom God called a man after His own heart. David's
hands were marred with the blood of thousands that the Lord commanded he battle.
He promised David victory, and thousands of mighty men fought with him. The first
time I fired my gun on my first deployment, I got sick. I watched a man go down.
It didn't hit me until we got back to base. I couldn't help but think of those stories
and that God still loved David.”

“So how does that justify the massive amounts of death in war, Hawk?” Colt's curiosity
bled through his question.

Nick took a deep breath, praying his words would count for something later. “This
war . . . it's ugly. We're fighting to protect our own and fighting to defend countless
others who don't have a government to fight for them. I hate it. But I've got to
believe that though the Lord doesn't like war, He allows it, and I'm going to wage
it for the people I love. I'll answer to Him for what I've done. I fight, and I'm
going to keep fighting.”

The silence stretched again, and Nick shut his eyes, praying his words would take
root. Praying that these men would understand the goodness of God, that His justice
and mercy existed in equal measure.

Jay's deep Jersey accent jarred him from his drifting. “You know if we catch this
witch, we'll be cutting off the weapons supply to the very guys that killed my dad.
Fewer American lives lost.”

Logan's voice boomed in the silence. “Let's get some shut-eye.”

Nick drifted to sleep, preparing to make war.

They were coming. Janus ended the call and took another sip of bourbon, the amber
liquid burning her throat and stomach. She grimaced.

How had they found her so quickly? She stood and walked to the windows, the smell
of salty air faint but familiar. She squeezed the crystal glass in her hand and wondered
if Nick was with the team that would try to take her out. She hated losing the upper
hand. But this game wasn't over. Far from it.

She would have to disappoint them. She glanced toward the bedroom and the packed
bag on the bed. No, she wasn't ready to be caught yet.

“Sorry to disappoint, little SEAL. But you will not catch me tonight. You may even
catch more than you bargained for.”

She paced back to her chair and studied the man sitting opposite. He had proved
to be a useful distraction at times.

Ivan raised his brows at her perusal. “Is it time?”

“
Da
,” she answered. “You know what to do.”

Chapter 8

I
NTEL HAD LOST
their vantage point on Janus. The call came thirty minutes before
the drop-off. They'd seen Janus and a man periodically come up on deck, but for hours
now, nothing. But the team was launching anyway. Her boat. Last confirmed location.
Everything was a go.

A knot built in Nick's gut, and no amount of prayer eased the uncertainty. But he
shoved it aside. No room to think about possibilities. They had a job to do.

Nick's head breached the water, his eyes barely above the surface.
The Jupiter
bobbed
two hundred feet away. Micah touched his shoulder then submerged again, approaching
the sleeping vessel. With his teammates by his side, Nick sliced through the water,
taking slow breaths through his face mask, feeling the cool currents of the Black
Sea moving around his body. Somewhere nearby Titus and Jay lurked in black Zodiacs,
monitoring the area around them.