Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight

Prologue

Jeremy Quinn squeezed the hand of the youngest member of his SEAL team. Davey was usually called “The Kid” not only because of his age—not quite twenty-one—but also because of his youthful and optimistic attitude. Davey could buckle down and be still and serious on a mission, but the rest of the time, he was as bouncy and enthusiastic as a kid on a sugar rush. Except for now. Now, he was on life support after a botched mission in Afghanistan. A wave of frustration and guilt smacked Jeremy for the hundredth time in the few days since what seemed to be a routine recon mission went sideways.

Jeremy was still struggling with the outcome. Five men were hospitalized with injuries, including “The Kid,” who was facing months of rehab when he got off the machines that were keeping him alive. But at least Davey was here, getting treatment, getting better. The worst blow was that Blake Greenwood, Jeremy’s closest friend on the team, was missing, apparently captured during the exchange of gunfire.

All that would have been agonizing enough, but to add to it, Jeremy was going to take the fall for all of it. His forced “retirement” from the Navy and the SEALs went through faster than he’d ever seen anything in the military move. He was headed stateside the next day. His career in Special Forces, the only one he’d ever wanted, was over.

“I’ll see you around, Kid,” Jeremy said, squeezing his teammate’s hand again, and walking out of the intensive care unit.

He stopped to see the other four injured guys, giving them words of encouragement and saying his goodbyes. Once he left the base, his contact with them would be limited, which also meant that he wouldn’t know anything about Blake’s status and the attempts, if any, made to rescue him.

That was going to be hell. He’d return to San Diego and do what? Twiddle his thumbs? Look for a job in the civilian world? Spend time with his family? He hadn’t wanted any of that at eighteen, and he sure as hell didn’t want it at thirty-two. His life was defined by serving his country. He didn’t know how else to live it.

Jeremy was walking out of the hospital when he heard a voice calling his name. “Hey, got a minute?” Two of his uninjured teammates approached him. Mason Roberts was the tech wizard of their team and a man who had initially gone through BUD/S—Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL—training with Jeremy. Their bond went back more than ten years. With him was a newer member of the team. Percy Baldwin. The guy had struck Jeremy as a good addition to the team. He was savvy and had impressive skills.

“We wanted to catch you before you left,” Mason said when the three of them stood at the hospital’s entrance. “Let’s go somewhere quiet where we can talk.” Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan was like a city on its own. Planes landed constantly, trucks rumbled by, and soldiers from all branches of the military marched past.

Percy led them to the quarters their team shared and closed the door connecting the bunks from their ready room. Fortunately, no one else was around, so they took seats at the round table. “This is as private as it’s going to get,” Percy said and sent a glance toward Mason.

Jeremy sat back in his chair and waited for them to share whatever was on their minds.

“First, we want to say that you shouldn’t be the scapegoat here. What happened wasn’t your fault,” Mason said. “And we think it’s a mistake that you’re getting forced out like this. It’s not right.”

“What happened sucks.” Percy’s hands gripped the edge of the table. “I still can’t quite believe it, but nobody blames you, and that includes the guys who were injured. We’ve talked to all of them, except the Kid, and you know he’d never see this as your fault.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Jeremy said. What they said wouldn’t change his situation, but it did ease his mind a bit. They’d gone to that location based on his information, given by a source Jeremy had cultivated and vetted himself. It was supposed to be a safe recon mission, and instead, it had turned out to be a trap. Jeremy still couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong, how the situation had fallen apart so fast. Had his source betrayed them? Had someone intercepted the message and messed with the coordinates? Who was really responsible for what had happened? He didn’t know—and it was way too easy to blame himself, especially when his guys got hurt. He hated letting down his men and not fulfilling his duty.

The brass, of course, was only too happy to dump all the blame on his head, actually insinuating that he’d taken his team into harm’s way on purpose, as some sort of macho posturing thing, looking for a chance to show off and get a piece of the action. The very idea that he’d do such a thing was horrifying…but the higher-ups had seemed all too willing to believe it, or at least claim to believe it. If they could say it was all his doing, it kept them from having to take any responsibility.

“What we really want to say,” Percy continued, dropping his voice, “is that you may be off the team officially, but we want to keep you in the loop. We’re guessing that you want to clear your name, and we want to help you with that if we’re able to.”

“It’s a priority,” Jeremy said. He wouldn’t have access to any of his resources once he left the Navy, and since the brass didn’t seem interested in investigating beyond pointing the finger at him, getting answers had seemed impossible. “Not sure how at the moment.”

“Right, that’s where we come in,” Mason said. “You might be shipping stateside, but we can keep you informed and help you dig for intel. Anything we can do for you, we’ll do.”

They’d be taking a risk on his behalf, possibly breaking rules about security clearances, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse their offer. Because Jeremy was sure, given time and information, he could work out what really happened, clear his name, and find Blake.

“What do you know about the efforts to locate Blake so far?” Jeremy asked. No details had been shared with him, and he assumed it was because he was being retired.

Percy grunted. “Nothing. Not a damn thing.”

“What the hell?” Jeremy said, his anger rising. The higher-ups were willing to sacrifice a good man? That didn’t make sense.

“Nothing official,” Mason clarified. “I don’t get it, and it’s why we want to help you out. Getting to the bottom of who was behind this could help identify who took him, and where they might have gone. We’re pledging to do what we can to bring Blake home.

Jeremy nodded as he thought of Blake’s family. Since Jeremy’s parents hadn’t always welcomed him, he’d spent big chunks of time at Blake’s house during leaves over the years. His friend’s mother was a resilient woman, caring and loving. His stepdad was a good guy who had a close relationship with both of his stepchildren.

And then there was Gina, Blake’s younger sister. She’d long been a woman who held an attraction for Jeremy. He could never define it exactly, and he sure never acted on it. But there was chemistry between them, the kind that manifested itself in constant, little disagreements. He’d enjoyed every one of them.

Jeremy didn’t know how he’d face her or any of Blake’s family when he returned stateside if his friend was still missing.

“I’ll be calling in those offers of help,” Jeremy said to Mason and Percy as he shook hands with them. “It means a lot to me to have your support.” There was no way he was going to let this lie. Once he got stateside and settled, he’d do what he could to locate Blake.