SEAL’s Command by Makenna Jameison
Chapter 12
Four days later, Slate strode into the bullpen on base, fists clenched. He’d called in both of his teams for a briefing and was irritated as hell at the slow progress of the investigation into the domestic terror cell. Several men were still on the loose, wanted by the FBI. Even though no one had been spotted near his home since his neighbor had been shot last weekend, he wouldn’t let his guard down until all the tangoes were brought in. Especially with Ashleigh now sleeping in his bed.
After spending an entire night driving for twelve hours, and then continuing for several hours the following day after a brief stop to rest, they’d made it back to San Diego. He’d gotten Ashleigh settled in his home, with her laptop and work area spread out across his dining room table. After having her sleep in his arms at the motel, he’d brought her suitcase straight into his bedroom. They hadn’t had sex yet, but he loved kissing her thoroughly and holding her as she slept at night. Ashleigh was somewhat shy in bed but always came alive under his touch. He loved teasing and caressing her until she couldn’t take anymore and exploded in his arms. Nothing was sweeter than hearing her cry out his name as he pleasured her.
He might not have taken her yet, making her completely his as he sank into her welcoming channel, but hell if he didn’t want to ruin her for any other man. Slate could spend hours exploring her body with his mouth and tongue, his fingers trailing everywhere. Having her surrender to him was a heady feeling, and he knew he’d never take it for granted.
Ashleigh had put her hands and mouth on his cock as well, and holy hell. He didn’t think he’d ever come so hard in his life.
He’d spoken with Jett, who’d arranged to have Ashleigh’s rental car returned. His sister-in-law Anna had been extremely upset by the entire incident, and they’d all tried to calm her down since she was already on bedrest.
It had killed him to come into base today and leave Ashleigh. He’d spent several hours here late last night briefing with some higher-ups. Ashleigh had assured him she was fine at his home. Today he’d asked one of his men to stay with her. Although the swelling had finally gone down on her ankle, Slate had taken her to the Urgent Care a few days ago. A fracture had her wearing a boot around his home, and while he hated that she was hurt, he had to admit he loved helping her shower and dress. He absolutely didn’t love leaving her alone in his house when extremists from a domestic terror cell knew exactly where he lived.
“Sir,” Ace said as he walked into the room. “How’s Ms. Moore doing today?”
Despite his irritation, Slate’s lips quirked. He’d introduced a couple of the men to Ashleigh, and they’d insisted on addressing her as Ms. Moore despite her protests. He knew it was because he was their commanding officer. They certainly had no trouble calling the women on Raptor’s team by their first name.
“She’s doing better with the walking boot. I hate that she was in pain, but her ankle should heal with no issues. Trigger is with her right now,” he said, referring to Tyler “Trigger” Howard, one of the men on Ace’s team. Although Slate’s home was secure, the men had offered to rotate staying with Ashleigh when he couldn’t be there. Slate knew this was only a temporary solution. The men who’d fled the warehouse raid needed to be brought to justice. He wasn’t about to sit on his ass waiting for the FBI to find them though—not when his own life had been threatened and as a result, that of the woman who’d slowly crept into his heart.
The San Diego PD had been patrolling the neighborhood at the request of his neighbors after the shooting. Slate knew none of them would stop someone determined to harm Ashleigh or himself though. He felt better having one of his SEALs there when he couldn’t be. Slate had no doubt he could defend her if anyone breached his home’s security.
“That’s good to hear. I know Harper is looking forward to meeting her,” Ace said, referring to the fiancée of one of the other SEALs.
“I’m not surprised,” Slate said with a low chuckle. He and Ace had rescued Logan “Hurricane” Hudson’s girlfriend—now fiancée—when her stalker had turned out to be the delivery driver for her bakery. Logan had been deployed, but Ace and Slate had rushed to her rescue. She’d jokingly offered to set Slate up with a woman as way of thanks. He’d been amused at the time, a relationship the furthest thing from his mind. Little did he know, he’d meet someone that captured his interest and made his heart pound only a few short months later.
He’d known Ashleigh for less than a week, and it was already hard to imagine saying goodbye to her when this was over. She may have only been in his home a few short days, but eating meals together, showering together, and falling asleep with her in his arms had made Slate more content than he’d been in years.
The other men began filing into the bullpen, and his mind snapped back to the present. Raptor’s team had just returned from a mission yesterday, and Ace’s team was still benched courtesy of Havoc’s involvement in the bar fight. Slate glanced around the room at his men as they took their seats, waiting until all eyes were focused on him.
“We’ve got several things to go over this morning,” he said. “Raptor’s team is back from a successful operation in Egypt, as everyone is aware. We’ve got multiple other situations we’re monitoring, but the most pressing is the remaining members of the domestic terror cell who remain at large. Base security was moved to FPCON Charlie last night because of new intelligence gathered. At least four operatives are believed to still be in the greater San Diego area.”
He nodded at Ace, who stood and crossed the bullpen toward the massive TV screen. “The commander asked me to share the latest intelligence we have on the men at large,” he said, bringing up the list of names and photographs. “These are the individuals wanted by the FBI. The others were taken into custody during the warehouse raid. Jacob Glasgow is the alias of Amir Mohammad,” he said, pulling up a larger picture on the screen. “He’s the man who shot Commander Hutchinson’s neighbor in broad daylight and then boarded a flight to Seattle.”
Raptor glanced from Ace over to Slate. “I realize we just got back from Egypt and aren’t up to speed, but how’d they track you so quickly, sir?”
Slate frowned. “They have a sophisticated network that includes communications on the dark web. Someone in the group is highly skilled in computers and was able to hack into secure databases, both quickly and efficiently. This person is either a member of the terror cell or was hired to complete the job. They discovered my car rental information after hacking into the systems at the airport. Ace was brought in on this to help track the security failures.”
“The group has video surveillance of the commander at the airport,” Ace said. “They tracked his vehicle after obtaining the information from the computer systems and used the GPS to find him at his brother’s cabin.”
Slate scrubbed a hand over his jaw, watching as his men processed the information. Although the Navy had a slew of computer experts, Ace was practically a computer genius when it came to computer forensics. He was a damn good SEAL, too.
“I assume you have since returned the car, sir?” Troy “T-Rex” Harrison asked.
“Yes. I returned it the day we arrived in San Diego. They already know my home address though. Fortunately, Ashleigh and I made it safely back. If I was aware they had the GPS for my rented Jeep, I could’ve ditched the vehicle and rented something else.”
Troy nodded, frowning. “You were lucky. Not that you can’t handle yourself, but with a civilian with you….” He trailed off, and Slate nodded in agreement. He knew exactly how lucky they’d been. Not only was Ashleigh untrained for situations his men dealt with, she’d been injured. It would’ve killed him to let any harm come her way while she was under his protection.
“Amir Mohammad is extremely dangerous,” Ace continued. “He was radicalized during childhood trips to the Middle East by several relatives who still live there. Amir is a United States citizen and was able to build an underground terror network right here on U.S. soil. He brought others into his fray, although the group was fractured during the raid.”
“How many are still on the loose?” Jackson “K-Bar” Clinefield asked with a frown.
“Four are here in San Diego,” Slate said, nodding at the screen.
Ace clicked on the slide showing all four terrorists. “The longer list includes those on the East Coast. That’s part of a separate investigation. Our concern is the four men at large. They’ve threatened the commander and Havoc, as you’re aware. Not only that, but Ms. Moore was at the cabin in Washington with the commander. Her life could now be in jeopardy as well simply because of her connection to him.”
“I should’ve killed that bastard when I had a chance,” Havoc said, clenching his fists. “He was pawing at that poor woman at the bar.”
“He was egging you on,” Slate said, glaring at the younger man. “While I understand why you stepped in, the police should’ve been called immediately. You’re a U.S. servicemember, not a local LEO.”
Havoc grunted in response.
“So why the hell does Amir have a beef specifically with the commander?” Logan asked. Slate’s eyes swept to the SEAL. “I understand targeting military servicemembers, but why go through all this trouble? It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier just to attack Havoc and the other guys at the bar or show up outside of base one day, not go to all of this trouble tracking you up to Washington.”
“It’s retaliation for a terrorist cell leader that Raptor’s team took out in Afghanistan,” Slate confirmed. “Although I’m sure they’d love to have the blood of U.S. servicemembers on their hands, they’re aiming for leadership. Last year, Raptor and his team tracked down Abdul Sayed from a forward operating base in Afghanistan. This group had ties to Sayed and are vowing to seek revenge for his death.”
“That’s bullshit,” Havoc muttered.
“And Ms. Moore’s connection to this?” Jackson asked. “I understand she’s friends with your sister-in-law, but why are you concerned they’ll target her as well, sir?”
“Her rental car was at the cabin,” Slate said. “If they hacked into the database to track me, I have no doubt they pulled her name from the plates of her rental car as well. They don’t know that I just met her,” he said, clenching his fist. “We were up at the cabin together last weekend—a bit of a misunderstanding on our parts.”
Raptor raised his eyebrows, and Slate muttered a curse. “Some of you have met my brother Jett. He set the whole damn thing up.”
Slate noticed Raptor’s lips quirk and saw some of the men exchange glances. He didn’t give a shit who knew he was there with Ashleigh or that he was concerned for her safety. Although they’d started out as strangers, he’d already grown to care for her.
“Just her being there last weekend puts her in danger. As everyone is aware, she’s staying at my place. She’s a writer and can work remotely, plus she’s injured. I’ll be damned if anyone touches a hair on her head. She doesn’t deserve any of this and has a right to live her life free of danger.”
The other men nodded, angry on her behalf. Slate knew they were probably confused as hell by his intensity toward her, but he didn’t give a damn. Just because he hadn’t dated in the past didn’t mean he couldn’t start now. Assuming Ashleigh even wanted that. He’d do everything in his power to ensure her safety. If he could convince her to give him a chance for something else, all the better. He knew the chemistry between them was real, but was she in his bed simply because she was frightened? Or did she feel a stronger pull toward him, too?
It wasn’t a question he’d get an answer to today.
“What can we do, sir?” Ethan “Everglades” Flannigan asked, his gaze narrowing as he watched the commander. Like many of the men here, Ethan’s own girlfriend had been in danger before. Ethan and the men on Raptor’s team had rescued his now-girlfriend Kimberly from being held hostage in Afghanistan.
Slate crossed his arms, eyeing his men. “That’s what we’re about to discuss. Nothing in here leaves this room. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the men replied.
Slate crossed toward the massive TV screen, nodding at Ace to pull up the next slides. He wouldn’t rest until Ashleigh’s life was no longer in danger and the men at large were caught. Anything else was unacceptable.