Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight
Five
Gina turned onto her street, a queasy feeling in her stomach. Maybe it was from waking up in Jeremy’s apartment again. She chastised herself for falling asleep at his place. When she’d woken in his bed, she’d had a powerful sense of déjà vu. This time, at least, she was alone and the only clothing missing were her shoes.
When she crept into the living room, she’d found him under a blanket on the couch with papers scattered haphazardly all around him. She’d almost slipped out the door again, but she’d made herself wake him, despite how awkward she felt. If they were going to work together as partners, they needed to push through any awkwardness. Last night, she’d been pleased with the progress they’d made and the way they’d worked as a team. She wanted to keep that going.
She pulled into the lot of her apartment complex and got out of the car. When her feet touched the pavement, a sudden feeling of dizziness hit her. She definitely should have had the breakfast Jeremy had offered. She leaned against the car until she found her balance before making her way to her apartment. Five feet from the door, she stopped cold. Her door was ajar. Now, her stomach did some serious somersaults. She reached in her purse for her mace and gripped it tight in her hand as she pushed the door open wider.
“Oh, no,” she gasped after her first glance at her living room. It had been trashed, completely wrecked, but her attention was immediately drawn to the large red letters spray painted on the wall.
Stop looking.
Her stomach revolted. She clasped her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. She knelt on the floor by the toilet but somehow managed not to be sick. After a few minutes, she rose and splashed cold water on her face. Her hands were shaking.
When she felt steadier, she unlocked the door and went back to the living room. Books were pulled off shelves and scattered across the floor. Furniture was overturned. It seemed someone had been looking for something. She saw no signs of theft; her laptop sat where she’d left it. She picked up a picture frame from the floor and put it on an end table. The frame contained a photo of her and Blake taken at Santa Monica Pier the last time he was on leave. The glass was shattered, but the picture intact. She sighed, missing her brother terribly. What kind of trouble was he in?
Slowly, she let her eyes rise to the wall and read again the message scrawled there. She reached for her phone, typing in 9-1-1, but before she hit send, she stopped herself. Something in her gut told her to call Jeremy first.
* * *
Jeremy stacked up the new documents that Mason had sent that morning. He and Gina had made progress toward finding Blake, and now Jeremy just had to keep the momentum going.
His phone buzzed, and he smiled when he saw Gina’s name appear. She could barely have reached her place, and she was already calling him. The morning had been off between them, so he was glad she was reaching out.
“Hey,” he answered.
“Jeremy,” her voice cracked. “Someone broke into my apartment.”
His excitement at her calling instantly faded. “Where are you?”
“I’m in my living room.”
“Are you sure they’re gone?” he asked, worried for her safety.
“I think so,” she said.
He was already grabbing his wallet and keys. “Have you called the police?”
“Not yet, but I will. I thought I should call you first.” Her voice sounded stronger the longer she talked. “Whoever it was left a message for me.”
“What?” he said as he opened his front door and beeped his SUV to unlock.
“‘Stop looking,’” she said. “It’s painted on the wall.”
“Jesus,” he breathed, running now to get to his vehicle. “Don’t do anything until I get there. I’m on my way. On second thought, stay on the line with me.”
As he drove, she told him more about the message and the damage to her apartment. He wanted her to keep talking to him, so he knew she was safe. Every instinct in him was screaming that this break-in was related to Blake’s disappearance.
He got to her place in record time and jogged to her door. She was standing just inside, her arms wrapped around her waist. He pulled her into a hug, and she buried her face against his shoulder. While he held her, his eyes scanned the apartment, taking in the spray-painted message and destruction.
“Stay here,” he said a moment later. He made his way through her apartment, checking under the bed and in closets, anywhere someone could be hiding. When he was satisfied that they were alone, he returned to her.
“Should I call the police?” she asked, seeming steadier now.
“It might be better not to.” He’d thought about it on the drive over. “If we’re going to operate behind the scenes to find Blake, we don’t want the police looking over our shoulders.”
“Okay,” she said, stooping to pick up books from the floor. “I’ll get this cleaned up, then.”
“Gina, you can’t stay here. Pack a bag and go to your mom’s house for a few nights.”
“You think it’s the guy from the grocery store, don’t you?” Her eyes went big.
“Likely,” he said, feeling sure it was. “My guess is that he works for the gun smugglers that kidnapped Blake.”
“So you think that’s what happened to him? Last night you weren’t sure.”
After she’d fallen asleep, he’d combed through everything again and felt confident that his informant in Afghanistan had been onto something. Blake must have been, too. It was the only possibility Jeremy had, and his gut told him to follow it.
“I’m ninety percent sure now, and I’m guessing that the operation is big. It has to be if it’s got reach on three continents—which is why I need you to lie low. I’ll keep digging for intel, but I don’t want you to be in harm’s way.”
“I don’t want to hide,” she said, coming to stand in front of him.
“Gina, if this is what I think it is, I don’t want you anywhere near it.” He saw her bristle but kept talking, hoping he could convince her. “I contacted Mason again late last night with what I’d figured out. He did some work on his end and narrowed the location to a region of Colombia.”
“How?”
“I didn’t ask details, but he’s got connections in military intelligence, and he’s pretty amazing at pulling information out of digital sources. He even sent through some satellite images taken three weeks ago at an airstrip in the jungle. The images aren’t super in quality, but they show a plane on the ground and vehicles waiting. In one frame, a figure with a hood over his head is being taken from the plane and led toward an SUV. The next frame showed the hood down as the guards were trying to force him into the vehicle. I’m sure the prisoner was Blake. Sure of it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Do you really think…? We have to go. Now.”
“I’m on it. I was looking into a flight when you called,” Jeremy said. “I plan to fly into Bogota and drive from there. I’m just waiting to hear back from Mason and Percy. I have them both checking on some additional intel. I need more precise coordinates and anything else they can tell me about criminal organizations operating in that area. It shouldn’t take them long to pull that info together.”
“And you’re sure you can trust them?” Her question surprised him.
“No doubts about that,” he responded. “Before I got sent home, they both promised to help find Blake and clear my name. Besides, they’re like brothers to me, same as Blake is. I’ll keep the circle small, though—just them.”
“Okay,” she said and walked away from him. He followed her into her bedroom where she pulled a suitcase from the closet. He was relieved that she was willing to go to her mother’s without more of an argument. She’d be safer there while he set off on the mission that would hopefully bring Blake home.
She put the suitcase on the bed and flipped it open. Then, she dug in the back of the closet and pulled out a pair of worn boots, a civilian version of combat boots. Next, he watched her toss in cargo pants and neutral-colored T-shirts. Wait a minute. That wasn’t what she normally wore. Her usual look was professional and polished.
“Gina, what are you doing?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“Packing for the jungle. What am I forgetting?” She eyed what was in her bag. “Rain gear.”
“Stop,” he said. “You aren’t going. Not a chance.”
Her hands went immediately to her hips. “I’ve been in rough environments before. I won’t slow you down.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve volunteered with Doctors without Borders three times. All the trips were to remote places in South America, including Colombia. I can handle it.”
“You might be able to manage the terrain, but this is a rescue mission that could get ugly,” he said. She had no training to handle that scenario, and he didn’t want her in danger. Shit, if he did find Blake, he’d never forgive Jeremy for bringing Gina along on this.
“My Spanish is excellent,” she said. “Native speaker. How’s yours?”
“Good enough,” he replied, and she shot him a glance before rattling off several sentences in rapid-fire Spanish. He managed to grasp about a third of the words and was trying to string together the meaning when she came around the bed and stood in front of him.
“I said that if you don’t take me with you, I’ll go alone. Is that what you want?”
Hell, no, it wasn’t. What he wanted was to drop her off at her mother’s house with a promise she’d stay there until he returned, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. She’d do as she said and go on her own. He couldn’t let that happen. She might think she was prepared for what she’d face, but she wasn’t.
“You might be able to contribute to the mission, but I can’t risk taking you,” he said, hoping that she’d see his perspective.
“He’s my brother,” she said softly.
Dammit. Did she have to use that argument against him? He tried to think of something to say that would keep her safely in the States, but there was nothing he could think of. Left without options, he gave in. “All right, we’ll go together, but I’ll call the shots. Understood? We play this the way I see it.”
For one second he thought that she wouldn’t agree to his terms, but she nodded and stuck her hand out. “Deal.”
He shook her hand, knowing that he may have just made the biggest mistake of his life.