Chapter Twenty
O ld Glory was hopping with customers and Sera perched on a stool at the end of the bar, watching the team get ready to depart on their mission.
Once they were ready to leave, Brand caught Julia’s waist, reeling her in for a steamy goodbye kiss.
Then Chaz swept Lottie off her feet and kissed her hard.
Sera wanted to kiss Corey, too. But would he welcome it?
As if in answer, he walked through the door after stashing his gear in Brand’s truck and brushed the snow from his head.
God, he looked as big and wild as his wolf.
She squeezed her thighs together as his gaze searched the room and landed on her.
He stalked straight over with zero hesitation, bent down and kissed the crap out of her.
Surprised, but in the best possible way, her arms wound around his neck and she leaned into him, holding on tightly or else she would’ve fallen off the stool.
He didn’t hold back despite being in front of his friends, Mitch and a room full of strangers.
It almost felt like he was staking his claim, and she loved it, kissing him back eagerly.
“And another one of my boys falls,” Mitch murmured, unable to hide his smile.
A couple of low whistles pierced the air before they finally ended the kiss. Staring into Corey’s piercing blue eyes, she laid a hand lovingly against his stubbled cheek and said, “Be careful.”
“I will.”
“Come back to me as soon as you can.”
“You can count on it, sweetheart.”
After pressing another quick kiss to her lips, he turned to face his smirking teammates. “Let’s go,” he said, leading the way out the door.
“Good luck, men,” Mitch said, and they all nodded. Once the door closed behind them, he announced he was heading upstairs. “You ladies have fun. This old man needs his beauty sleep.”
The women chuckled and Sera sagged on her stool, her lips still tingling from Corey’s kiss.
“Wow,” Lottie murmured, bright blue eyes wide. “That was some kiss goodbye.”
“So was yours,” Sera said, and they grinned at each other.
“I knew our Wolfman had it in him,” Julia said, sidling up alongside them. “After the bar closes, we’re having drinks in front of the fire, and Lottie and I want all the details.”
Sera laughed, shaking her head. She wouldn’t be sharing all the details, but, God, it felt good having girlfriends to confide in again. She wished Ellie were there, too, but she’d volunteered to babysit Reya.
Ever since the incident at the mall, Sera had pulled away from everyone, shutting down.
Closing herself off in every possible way.
She was too scared to go to public places, so meeting people for drinks or going to a club held zero appeal.
New friends would’ve been impossible to meet, much less keep, because she rarely left her apartment.
And she didn’t want people to think she was weird and overreacting.
But now, things were changing. And for the first time in a very long time, she could see good things on the horizon.
Since Old Glory was so busy, Sera wrapped an apron around her waist and jumped into the fray, helping Julia and Lottie take orders, serve drinks and wipe down every surface once the place closed.
“I don’t suppose you’re looking for a job?
” Julia asked after locking the front door.
The women sat down at the corner table with hot chocolate.
Sera and Julia’s was spiked with peppermint schnapps, but since Lottie was pregnant, she enjoyed hers without alcohol and an extra dollop of whipped cream.
A job would make the situation in Cielo Springs more permanent, and there was no denying how much she’d love that.
But was that what Corey wanted? Because if he wasn’t on the same page, she would leave.
As much as she enjoyed spending time with these women, she didn’t want things to become awkward, or for him to think she was encroaching on his territory.
They all loved and cared for Corey so much, and she refused to do anything to disturb those relationships.
“Well, if there’s a reason for me to stay,” she began carefully, “I would need a job.”
“I think that grizzled recluse of a mountain man just shaved his Yeti beard off for you,” Julia said coyly. “Seems like a reason to me.”
“I don’t know about that. He just said it was time.”
“I bet,” Lottie added with a snicker.
Sera looked from Julia to Lottie and knew they could see straight through her. They were far too perceptive. “Okay,” she admitted, caving to the pressure, “I like him. I like him so much it scares me, because I have no idea how he feels.”
Lottie clapped her hands gleefully. “Aww, sweetie, if you could see what we see, you’d know that man has a serious case of Sera Darling.”
“He doesn’t bring women around, much less suck face in front of everyone,” Julia assured her.
“He’s such a good man,” Sera said. “The sweetest, gentlest soul. And we connect on so many levels.”
“The sexual level?” Lottie asked, innocently batting her lashes.
Sera bit her bottom lip then gushed, “I’ve never had so many orgasms in my life. I swear, when we came together, I saw Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Three Wise Men.”
Julia and Lottie burst out laughing.
“Cheers to that,” Julia exclaimed, clinking her mug against Sera’s.
“It’s more than that, though. He understands me like no one else does.” She hesitated, not sure how much to share, but then burst like a dam.
She told them what happened at the mall.
How she couldn’t seem to forget or heal.
The way guilt consumed her and how her life had become stagnant and filled with fear.
And, most importantly, how Corey had listened to her, held her and validated her feelings.
Julia and Lottie were excellent listeners and offered her sympathetic ears, chiming in every so often with words of reassurance.
And Sera discovered recounting her tragic story had become a little easier with this retelling, the weight of her guilt a little less.
“He hasn’t shared his story with me, and maybe he never will, but he makes my emotional scars feel a little less heavy.”
Julia touched her arm then pointed to the scar on her own face.
It was a thin, faded line that ran down her cheek.
“Courtesy of Fernando Lazaro. We all have scars. Inside and outside. They’re a roadmap showing where the journey went bad but also showing you healed.
They’re proof of your resilience. You didn’t break, Sera. You fought and survived. We all did.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I think Corey and I can help heal each other,” she said, trying to hold her emotions back and failing miserably.
“Let it out,” Lottie said, getting up and hugging her. Julia stood and joined their hug.
“I’m so glad I met you,” Sera whispered, sniffling, and they all hugged harder. God, she adored these women. They accepted her, hangups and all, and she could see a future here in Cielo Springs. Wanted it so damn badly.
Maybe she’d found her new home. And that beautiful, broken protector was going to be all hers. She sure hoped so. Because, without a doubt, she was falling in love with him. And by some miracle, they were healing each other in the moments they spent together.
◆◆◆
Once again Corey found his ass vibrating up in the air, but this time they weren’t on Lex’s bucket of bolts.
Things had turned into an official op, and—thanks to Mitch and his extensive connections—they’d been quickly transported down to San Diego on a private jet and then hopped straight onto a waiting helicopter.
Now Lex was currently flying them over the ocean, closing them in on their prey.
It was pitch black out over the Pacific, and the sooner they intercepted the rogue submarine, the better.
But it wasn’t an easy, cut and dry op. Narco subs had improved over time, becoming faster, more seaworthy and possessing higher cargo capacity.
The CIA estimated its departure and travel time based on when Corey snapped his pictures, when it disappeared and how many nautical miles it could most likely travel per hour, so the Motley Crew had some catching up to do.
Brand laid out the details provided by Mitch via the CIA. Intel confirmed the sub was traveling down the Baja Peninsula then would head toward Mazatlán. Submarine smugglers routinely unloaded their cargo onto fast-boats for the final leg to shore.
If Corey and crew were lucky, the gunrunners wouldn’t get that far, and they’d capture the sub sooner. In the meantime, Corey triple-checked the quantum sensors he’d attached to his drone.
Due to satellites and cutting-edge technology, submarines weren’t truly invisible any longer.
Thanks to a fun CIA gadget on loan and delivered straight to Brand in record time, also courtesy of Mitch, they were employing some of that tech on Corey’s drone.
The compact and lightweight quantum sensors could analyze data and pinpoint the sub’s exact location by detecting subtle magnetic and gravitational changes.
It was pretty freaking genius, and Corey was excited to play with the tech.
“According to Cor’s pictures and CIA intel,” Brand stated, “we’re dealing with an eighteen-meter long narco sub that can carry up to ten tons of cocaine.”
“That’s a whole lotta blow,” Chaz commented.
“Or, in this case, weapons,” Brand stated.
“How fast is it moving?” Wes asked. “Will we be able to catch up?”
Brand nodded. “With its diesel engine, it can reach speeds up to nine-point-seven knots. It’s also made mostly of fiberglass and is fully submersible, unlike a lot of the semi-submersibles used by the cartels.
It travels just beneath the surface and will be very difficult to spot visually, especially since it’s camouflaged with blue paint and produces almost no wake. ”
“Who’s the eagle eye here?” Lex asked through the radio. “Did you remember your glasses, Madden?”
“I only need them to read. My distance vision is twenty-twenty, asshole.”
“We don’t have to eyeball this fish until it’s time to board. The drones will do all the work,” Xander stated confidently.
“How many crew on board?” Jayson asked.
“Up to four, and cramped as hell.”
“Any sane person would say it’s nearly impossible to pirate a submarine,” Chaz stated.
“But that person isn’t a motherfucking Navy SEAL,” Wes responded.
“And by the time you find out a SEAL team’s hit you, we’re already gone,” Corey added.
“Hooyah.” Murph and Corey bumped knuckles then mimicked an explosion with their fingers.
“And, let’s face it, who among us is sane?” Xander drawled lazily.
They all chuckled, knowing they’d done too many crazy, dangerous ops to ever be classified as well-balanced or normal. Mad, demented and maniacal? Definitely.
“Okay, so Plan A is to intercept and commandeer the sub,” Brand recapped. “If we don’t find it—”
“We will,” Xander assured them.
“If we don’t find it,” Brand repeated, “Plan B is to head over to Mazatlán where the fast-boats will be waiting to take the cargo. It’ll mean more tangoes and add extra complications, though.”
“I assume Plan C is to blow shit up?” Chaz asked.
“Hopefully, we don’t get to Plan C,” Brand said.
Corey finished reviewing the quantum sensors on the drone then glanced over at Wes who checked his weapons. It felt like old times. Well, before things went to shit. Missions like this filled him with purpose once again.
When Mitch first pitched forming a ghost ops team to Brand and the others, Corey didn’t have to think too hard before joining.
None of them had. They’d all happily come out of retirement to take on dangerous, secret missions too hot for the US military.
He liked working off the books because they didn’t have to take orders or deal with red tape.
And Mitch proved to be an excellent handler.
Forget the superheroes in the DC Universe. General Mitchell Evans was Superman in the Special Forces Universe.
“Okay, eyes on the water,” Brand said, lowering his NVGs. “Emerson, is the drone ready to deploy?”
“Locked and loaded,” Corey replied, standing up, legs akimbo as he aligned his balance with the helo’s movements. Lex slowed the bird down, and when they were hovering in position, Corey looked over at Xander who had eyes on the laptop screen where intel scrolled.
Xander gave him a thumbs-up, and Corey released it. Using the remote control, he guided it forward over the open ocean.
“Why do I feel like this is going to take for-fucking-ever?” Chaz grumbled. “Like searching for a needle in a haystack in the dead of night.”
“Because you don’t understand the capability of the sensors attached to that drone,” Xander said.
“Yeah, Mitch gave a brief explanation,” Jayson said, “but quantum sensors are above my pay grade.”
“What the hell is a quantum, anyway?” Wes asked.
Xander studied the screen. “In physics, it’s the smallest unit of something. The sensors on the drone will tell us exactly where that sub is by detecting the most minute change in fields like gravity and magnetism. Trust me, there’s nowhere for it to hide.”
“Looks like there’s a whole ocean for it to hide,” Chaz said dryly.
“Sonar or radar are pretty useless, but those sensors will get the job done faster than you can imagine,” Xander assured them.
“I’m imagining myself stuck out here for days and days and endless fucking days,” Chaz said grumpily. “I hope somebody brought snacks.”
“Ye of little faith. I don’t need days,” Xander said with a cocky grin.
Chaz let out a snort of disbelief. “I’m giving you ten minutes, spook. Otherwise, I’m going to be supremely disappointed.”
“I may need eleven minutes,” Xander responded smoothly. “Unless, of course, your eagle eyes spot the sub sooner.”
Chaz barked out a laugh and slapped the other man on the back. “I think he’s developing a sense of humor. Fuck, Hawke, against my better judgment, I’m really starting to like you.”
“Call me crazy, Madden, but the feeling might be mutual.”
“Do we have a bromance brewing?” Jayson asked, and everyone chuckled.
“Okay, eyes on the water,” Brand reminded them.
While Chaz, Jayson, Wes and Brand kept their gazes glued to the ocean below, Lex kept the helo flying steadily as Corey expertly manned the drone and Xander studied the real-time readouts pouring in from the sensors.
Of course, the former CIA agent proved to be right, and by midnight, they had a clear reading on a submarine. And, as luck would have it, the sub floated to the surface, most likely recharging its batteries before setting off again.
“Cor and Jay, you’re up,” Brand announced.
It was time for them to fast rope down onto the submarine, force the hatch open and neutralize the crew.
Nothing to it, Corey thought as he pulled his gloves on, checked his helmet and moved over to the open door.