Authors: Marliss Melton
In the two weeks since, she'd been so blissfully happy that it was hard to remember when she and Gabe had ever been emotionally distant. While she was sorry for the suffering he'd endured in North Korea, she was grateful for the changes it had wrought in him. Gabe was the most considerate, most compassionate, and the sexiest husband in the whole wide world. And she was the luckiest of all women.
Passing a bowl of chips to Westy, she gave a start at the directness of his gaze. The slightest of smiles hovered at the corners of his mouth, though it was hard to tell for sure with that goatee.
Still, she got the impression that Westy was happy for her. Helen smiled shyly back, rousing from her satisfaction long enough to reflect on the circumstances of others.
Why was Chief McCaffrey alone? Beneath his fearsome facade she sensed a heart as big as the wild, wild west for which he was named. He was intensely attractive in a dangerous sort of way. Yet, according to Gabe, Westy struck up affairs with married women to avoid the marriage trap. Being a counterterrorist SEAL, she supposed it was better in his line of work not to have a family of his own. Still, it seemed a shame. She sensed he would love a woman the way Gabe now loved her—completely, no holds barred.
Carrying the bowl of chips across the deck to Luther Lindstrom, her thoughts continued along the same vein. Luther sat directly beside his fiancee, Veronica, but the strained silence between them hinted at underlying issues. Gabe and the others were placing secret bets as to how much longer the couple would last.
Luther helped himself to a fistful of chips. "Thanks," he said, flashing a boyish smile. Veronica, with her eyes concealed by dark sunglasses, declined the offering.
Helen crossed the deck toward Leila, who stood off to one side. She'd come only at Helen's insistence, keeping as much distance between herself and the master chief as possible. Ever since the episode aboard the
Nor'easter,
Sebastian had seemed emotionally aloof. Confused by his apparent change in attitude, Leila was also withdrawn. It was apparent to Helen that both stubborn souls were waiting for the other to break the ice.
"I think I need to go, Helen," Leila said, taking a couple of chips from Helen's bowl. The ache in her voice told Helen that Sebastian's continued silence was taking its toll.
"Oh, come on. One of you needs to back down first. Just go up to him and get this stalemate over with!"
"What if he doesn't want me anymore?" Leila agonized.
Helen snorted in disbelief. "I guess you haven't noticed those fierce looks he's been shooting at you for an hour now?"
"What looks?"
"Oh, Lord. Just walk over there and ask him what his problem is."
Leila darted a look at Sebastian's taut form. "I'm afraid he's still angry with me," she admitted.
"He isn't. He's upset with himself now for pushing you away," Helen reasoned.
"You think so?" Leila blew out a steadying breath. "Okay, just give me a minute."
Satisfied that her friend would find the courage to bridge the gap, Helen returned to Gabe's side just as he raised his plastic cup. "I propose a toast," he called.
The men responded enthusiastically, reaching for their drinks.
"Here's to Master Chief, who kept me from choking Lovitt to death," Gabe began. "Without your intervention, my sorry ass would be in jail."
"Hear, hear!" the men confirmed.
Sebastian spared them a distracted smile and raised his cup.
"To Lieutenant Lindstrom," Gabe continued, acknowledging the oversized SEAL, "who can dodge any kind of tackle, even a tackle by an Osprey."
"Hoo-yah," said Vinny.
Veronica swiveled her head in his direction.
"To our XO, Jason Miller," Gabe continued, on a sarcastic note, "who did this country a great service in retiring."
The men groaned and shrugged off their memories of Jason Miller. The man had resigned his commission without explanation. He'd refused to say a word against Lovitt, even though the Naval Criminal Investigation Service pressured him continuously for a statement. He'd also kept mum about the incident last year, failing to acknowledge any role in Gabe's disappearance.
"And also," Gabe added, his tone turning serious, "a toast to Hannah Geary, wherever she is. God keep her safe until she's found."
The men murmured their agreement and took a sip of their drinks. Silence fell over the bunch as they contemplated the disappearance of the DIA analyst. The notebook she'd carried in her possession was needed to corroborate Commander Lovitt's crimes. While the CO had been interrogated concerning the incident aboard the
Nor'easter,
there was no hard evidence that could tie him to weapons seizure and sales, not without the notebook Geary had disappeared with. The thugs who'd backed him up on the PC were either dead or missing. True to his threat, Lovitt was insisting that Gabe was the one responsible for the fiasco aboard the boat, having succumbed to a paranoid attack. Until the NCIS completed their investigation, it wasn't clear who was going to face charges: Lovitt, Gabe, or even Luther and the master chief for appropriating and destroying military property.
Nonetheless, the men had faith in the system. The NCIS was bound to bring the hammer of justice down hard over Lovitt's head. It was simply a matter of time.
But what about Hannah Geary, who'd been seen entering the gates of the US Marine base, Quantico? Her car was discovered outside the Military Police Headquarters, where two officers had been on duty that day. Neither one had reported any face-to-face contact with a flaming redhead.
It was a sobering scenario. That a woman could be whisked away on a military base without a soul noticing raised some serious questions. Who had pulled what strings to enable such a neat abduction?
The loose ends suggested the corruption didn't begin and end with Edward Lovitt. There were bad guys that hadn't been identified yet, but since Gabe didn't know who they were, he figured he was safe from any vendettas. Just in case, his men remained vigilant, rotating duty as they guarded Gabe and his family.
It maddened Gabe that his memory of that night in Pyongyang eluded him, still. He could not remember Miller turning on him. He could not even recall what he'd done to make Lovitt so wary of him that he'd ordered Miller to finish him off.
Perhaps it was better this way, Noel Terrien had suggested. The blow to Gabe's cheek had left a void that served to protect him. With that part of his memory permanently lost, Gabe was less likely to be targeted again.
"A toast to the members of Echo Platoon," Gabe continued, breaking the heavy spell that had fallen over the group. "Specifically, my favorite squad." He raised his cup toward them. "There isn't a finer group of men in the service. Hopefully I'll be working with you soon."
The men roused from their contemplative moods to smack their cups and bottles together, drinking heartily to Gabe's toasts. With Dr. Terrien's clearance, Gabe had been recommended for active duty. It was up to Admiral Johansen, the base commander, whether he'd be struck from the disabled list and placed on active duty, and whether he'd be put on the same team or not.
"To the new XO of SEAL Team Twelve," Vinny countered, giving voice to the men's hope that Gabe would be slated to replace Miller.
"Hear, hear!" the men said in unison.
"One more toast," Gabe added. "This one's for my wife and my daughter." He reached for Helen, pulling her snug against him. Mallory, who was supposedly listening to CDs on a headset, looked up, proving she'd been attentive all the while.
"I have this to say to you two: I once was lost but now I'm found." His yellow-green eyes glinted in the sun as he smiled self-consciously. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you ladies. You gave me a reason to resist the enemy and to survive. That's why I'm not ashamed to say it in front of God and everyone: I love you both, I really do."
Helen's breath caught Gabe had pledged his love privately and repeatedly in the past few weeks. But proclaiming it before his men was a deliberate gesture. He was making it clear to Helen that his commitment to the SEALs would never surpass his commitment to his family. His dual identity as SEAL and a family man were intricately bound up in each other. Loving his family had given him superhuman strength and courage. With their help, he was nearly whole. He would soon be a SEAL again, but the team wouldn't take him away this time. His heart would remain at home with the ones he loved.
Gabe sealed his proclamation with a kiss. As was their custom, he and Helen kept their eyes open, ensuring their connection was complete.
In her peripheral vision, Helen saw Leila make her way cautiously toward Sebastian. Their gazes locked, and they came together like two magnets. Wordlessly, and to everyone's astonishment, Sebastian snatched up Leila's hand and pulled her swiftly toward the stairs.
Half a dozen pairs of eyes watched them leave. No one dared say anything, but the expressions of amazement on their faces made Helen's ribs ache.
Oh, Leila! May you find the joy that you deserve with the one you love!
With a satisfied smile, she went back to kissing Gabe, sharing private laughter that danced in their eyes. Their future was secure; their bond as true and fast as the surest link ever made. Nothing would ever come between them.
Mallory, who in a few weeks' time would be Mallory Renault, gave it her best shot. "Urn, excuse me," she said, peering through chestnut bangs. "I'm supposed to be in on this."
"Well, come on in." Gabe threw an arm around her shoulders, bringing her into their circle.
With a lump in her throat, Helen recalled the first time Mal and Gabe had hugged since their reunion—in the hospital, the day they'd gone to pick him up. It had been that hug that convinced Helen to give Gabe another chance.
Thank heaven she did!
Daughter of a U.S. foreign service officer, Marliss Melton enjoyed a unique childhood growing up overseas. As one of five children, she was encouraged to think creatively and wrote her first book at age thirteen. In addition to writing, Marliss taught high school for a decade. She now teaches Linguistics at the college of William and Mary. A Golden Heart and RITA finalist, Marliss writes both medieval romance (as Marliss Moon) and romantic suspense. Her husband, a warfare technology specialist, is her real-life hero. Together, they have six children and a Bassett hound.
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