SEAL’s Command by Makenna Jameison
Chapter 9
Ashleigh awoke with a start in the middle of the night, gasping in surprise as she lay alone in her bed. Her heart pounded as she listened for whatever had awoken her, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. The cabin was completely silent, with Slate asleep down the hall.
She strained to hear something. Anything. The stillness was almost unnerving.
Why had she suddenly woken up?
She blinked, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart. Knowing she wasn’t completely alone comforted her. Although in theory a cabin in the middle of the woods sounded like a perfect and cozy writer’s retreat, being alone here in the dark of the night would’ve been a little bit terrifying. She couldn’t yell for help. There was no landline if her cell didn’t work or battery died. She couldn’t even run to the nearest neighbor—not with an injured ankle, and not with the woods that surrounded them.
After Slate had been on the phone for an hour earlier, he’d made them a simple meal. They’d laughed together and shared some details about their lives. He’d told her more about his marriage. The man she knew today didn’t seem like the marrying type, not that she truly knew him after twenty-four hours. Then again, his brother had married her best friend later in life. Anna and Jett certainly seemed happy.
She and Slate had chatted in the living room for a couple of hours before finally saying goodnight. She’d told him about her writing career, how she loved the ocean and warm weather and hated the cold winters in New York. Slate had shared that he’d always been drawn to the water as well, joining the Navy right out of high school. He’d gone through BUD/S to become a SEAL and moved up the ranks in the military over the years, eventually commanding multiple SEAL teams. He disliked cooking, loved action movies, and seemed fairly independent like her. He was also significantly more adventurous and still did things like rock climbing, hunting, and of course shooting at gun ranges.
Although she’d notice his eyes heat slightly when looking over at her, he’d kept his distance. After they’d finally said goodnight, she’d read for a bit, feeling restless, and eventually fallen asleep before midnight.
Sitting up in bed, she glanced around the dark room. Normally Ashleigh was a sound sleeper, especially when she’d gone to bed later than normal. Uneasiness washed over her. She didn’t think she’d wake up for no reason at all.
A light tapping sound outside had her jolting in panic. Her heart pounding, she twisted in bed, glancing at the window. The master bedroom was on the back side of the cabin, closer to the woods. Was someone outside? Was it the same person who’d shot Slate’s neighbor? What if they tried to get in her window?
Gingerly getting out of bed, she stilled. She’d unwrapped her ankle last night and didn’t want to risk reinjuring it. She needed to tell Slate that something might be outside though. It could be an animal, she supposed. But what if it wasn’t? He’d been on the phone for over an hour yesterday discussing whatever was happening back in San Diego.
After quickly rewrapping her ankle in the bandage, she slipped down the hallway, knocking softly on his door. She felt silly standing there in plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a top, but she didn’t have time to change.
“Ashleigh?” he asked, his voice gruff with sleep.
She edged his door slightly open, noticing Slate was already sitting up in his bed. “I heard something outside,” she said, her voice shaking. “A tapping noise. It sounded like it was near my window in the back of the cabin.”
Slate was out of bed in an instant. He’d been sleeping in boxer shorts and no shirt, and she quickly looked away. Not that she could see much, with only the dim light from the hallway casting a gentle glow in his bedroom, but the man was ripped. Gorgeous.
She looked the other direction down the hallway. No one was behind her. No one else was in the cabin. That didn’t stop her heart from pounding as she strained to listen outside.
Slate was dressed in jeans, a thermal top, and boots in an instant. How he’d gone from sound asleep to up and ready in mere seconds, she’d never know. He slid a gun into the back of his waistband, and rather than feeling frightened, she was relieved he’d brought it with him. She knew next to nothing about guns or weapons, but she had a deadly Navy SEAL commander here in the cabin with her. Slate would protect them both.
A thump on the front porch had her jumping and Slate moving forward. He pushed Ashleigh behind him, telling her to stay there in his bedroom. Before she could utter a word, he was moving through the living room toward the front door. The fire had died down, and she edged back into Slate’s room, wondering if she should shut the bedroom door. It smelled like him in here—clean and masculine, with that faint scent of pine. Oddly enough, being in his space calmed her, even though he’d gone to find out what was wrong.
She heard the front door open and shut, and she sank down onto Slate’s bed, trembling. There was another thump outside, and she looked toward the window. Should she help Slate? Stay here like he’d asked? She didn’t hear voices or gunshots. That had to be a good sign, right? Even if she went out there, she wouldn’t easily be able to help him. He was a trained Navy SEAL, not to mention much bigger than her. She wouldn’t know the first thing to do.
“Damn it,” she whispered, realizing she’d left her cell phone in her room. She couldn’t even call for help if someone burst in here or Slate needed something. Deciding to chance it, she hurried down the hall to her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She sank down onto her own bed, looking toward the door. Only the dim light in the hallway was on, and she didn’t dare switch on her bedroom light and let whoever was outside know she was in here.
Would they shoot through the windows? Burst in here and try to harm here?
Two long minutes later, Slate was coming back in the front door. “Ashleigh,” he said urgently.
“I’m back here!”
He was hustling down the hallway toward her immediately, and her breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him in the doorway. Slate had grabbed his winter coat at some point, and he stood there looking alert and ready to roll even though it was only three a.m. and he’d just been awakened from the dead of sleep.
Tears filled her eyes, and she finally let out a shaky breath as he moved toward her. She realized he was clutching a flashlight in one hand, and he turned on the bedside lamp as he knelt down by her. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you stay in my room?”
“I came to get my cell phone.” She was clutching onto it so tightly, the edges bit into her skin. He gently pulled it free from her grasp, setting it on the nightstand. She swiped a tear away. “I thought I might need it to call for help,” she said, her voice wobbling. “Who was outside? Was anyone there?”
He searched her face for a moment, his green eyes intense even in the low light. “I spotted a bear around back,” he finally said. “The flashlight scared it away. It must’ve come after the deer I hunted today. But when I did a quick perimeter check, I saw footprints in the snow. The treads don’t match the ones on my boots, which means someone was out there watching the cabin.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “In the middle of the night?”
He nodded. “Most likely. It’s too much of a coincidence to be random. The cabin is tucked away, and we don’t usually get people prowling around unless they come up the wrong driveway. The shooting in my neighborhood was this afternoon. If the terror cell did indeed track me here somehow, a flight to Seattle is two and half hours. They could’ve rented an SUV at the airport and driven to the cabin. I didn’t see any tire tracks, but someone could’ve parked on the road and walked through the woods. Maybe they thought a car or headlights would wake us up.”
Ashleigh’s jaw dropped. “How’d they find where you were staying though? No offense, but Seattle is a large city. Even if they knew you flew up here and looked up addresses using your last name, which I assume is the same as Jett’s, they couldn’t find you that fast. And how’d they know you weren’t in a hotel or something?”
“This terror cell is a large, sophisticated operation. We don’t know what they had access to. Did they get my rental car information? Hack into the cameras around the airport to see which way I went? I don’t have a damn clue, but someone was out there earlier.”
She looked at him, tears filling her eyes. “What scared them off? The bear?”
“That, or someone came earlier to conduct surveillance. I wasn’t worried anyone would look for me up here, but my neighbor told everyone I was in Seattle. This is a well-organized group that was under FBI surveillance, not some yahoo randomly shooting people on my street. Part of the operation was taken down, but there are several members that scattered and are still on the loose. They’re looking for me.”
“I mean…wow. That’s almost unbelievable. Why wouldn’t they just target someone at your Navy base? Not that I want anyone to get hurt,” she hastily added. “That just makes more sense than going through all this trouble to track down you or anyone else specifically.”
“You’re right. However, there’s been an active Navy investigation about some threats we’ve received. I can’t go into specifics, but unfortunately, a man in my position makes enemies. You may have heard about the admiral’s boat being hijacked months ago. He was targeted then. If this group can’t cause mass casualties somewhere because their plans were thwarted, they want to target some of the higher ups. Unfortunately, they got my name during a police investigation and are now looking for me and one of my men.”
“So…what? Do we need to leave?”
“I’m afraid so. I can protect you, but if they know we’re here, it’s foolish to remain sitting ducks in a secluded cabin. It’d be better to return to San Diego. My house is secure, and my men are there. I think you should come with me.”
“What? Why?”
“They know two cars are here, Ashleigh. If they could track me, they could’ve used your license plate and hacked into the system to find out who you are, too. Just being here with me has unfortunately put you in danger. It’s not safe for you to go off on your own while they’re hunting me down.”
“Well, where would I stay? I can’t just fly down to San Diego with no plans,” she said, feeling bewildered.
“We’re not flying; we’re driving.”
“That’s like twenty hours or more—assuming we never stopped.”
“We can’t go back to the airport, Ash. It’s just not safe. Someone found me here. I don’t know what type of resources they have. Let me keep you safe, sweetheart. This will blow over in a few days, and I’ll get you a plane ticket home then. I can’t just send you off on your own though.”
“Because I’m your sister-in-law’s friend.”
“Because I care about you,” he countered. Slate’s large hand reached out, gently cupping her cheek. “Maybe I shouldn’t want you, but I do. I want to protect you, too. Even if you want nothing else from me after we part ways, let me do this for you, Ashleigh. Let me keep you safe.”
Her lips parted in surprise, and Slate slowly moved in. He gave her a chance to move away, but she was frozen in place, unable to avoid the crazy chemistry between them. He was gorgeous—sexy and strong, with stubble on his jaw. Even in the low light she could see the intensity in his gaze. Her nipples pebbled beneath her thin pajama top and her breath caught as Slate kissed her softly, alighting her with his touch. He smelled slightly of the smokey mountain air but was otherwise all musk and man. Her hands clung to his biceps, and then he was pulling back. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” he said, not looking sorry in the least. “I’ve been trying to stop myself from kissing you since the moment you pulled up yesterday.”
“What? But you told me to leave,” she protested.
He lightly ran his thumb over her lips, as if remembering his own mouth pressed against hers, and then removed his hand. Slate stood and helped her to her feet. “I was drawn to you the moment I came out of the woods and saw you standing there in front of my brother’s cabin. It made no sense. I was out alone on a hike, a woman the farthest thing from my mind, and suddenly, there you were. You looked worried and were so damn beautiful, it took everything in me not to pull you into my arms right then and there. I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt because of me. Pack your suitcase. I’m sorry we have to rush off in the middle of the night, especially since you came for a relaxing weekend, and I’m even sorrier that you got dragged into this mess.”
She looked up at him, her entire world feeling off-kilter. The man had just kissed her. He’d said he’d wanted her from the very first glance. Slate was a man who didn’t often reveal his feelings. Ashleigh knew he was used to being in control. Did he feel like he was free-falling through the air like her right now? Nothing about tonight made sense, but she knew with everything in her that she trusted the man in front of her.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“It’s okay to be scared, Ash. I can protect you though. Let me do this for you. The FBI and Navy are investigating this group. They won’t be on the run for long. Part of the organization was already taken down.”
She nodded, and he swiped the stray tear running down her cheek.
“Please don’t cry,” he said huskily.
“So we…what? Just hop in the car and start driving?”
He nodded. “We’ll stop somewhere along the way to rest and then continue back. You can stay with me in San Diego.”
She looked at him in shock.
“I won’t expect anything,” he assured her. “I’ve got a house and plenty of room. You’ll be safe there. And if you need to work, we’ll get you situated in an area to set up your laptop. I love the idea of having you in my space, but I’d never rush you into something you didn’t want. You can trust me, Ashleigh.”
“What about my rental car?”
“We’ll figure something out. I’m sure Jett still has contacts around here. Why don’t you leave the car keys here in the cabin? I’ll get it taken care of and returned to the airport for you.”
“You’ll find someone to return my car.”
He nodded, watching as she processed everything.
“Okay. Can I change first?” She flushed as she looked down at her flannel pajama bottoms. She wasn’t wearing a bra and wondered how much Slate could see. Not that he’d say anything untoward. The man might’ve kissed her but had been a perfect gentleman.
“Yes. I’ll get my stuff and make sure the property is secure. Let’s head out in ten minutes. If someone was out there earlier, they might be back. And I don’t want to sit around waiting for them.”