SEAL's Justice: A Military Romance (SEAL Team Four Book 6)

1. Nataliya

ONE

“Oh my. Look at that,” Alice, my partner for the lunch shift, wolf-whistled. Alice was in her sixties and absolutely unafraid to say whatever was on her mind. I admired her for that.

I followed her gaze to the man standing in the doorway to the diner. Oh my, indeed. The adage tall, dark and handsome definitely fit this guy: broad shoulders, strong jaw, piercing eyes. A real dish, as Alice would say.

Not a St. Francisville local, that was for sure. My son, Elias, and I had been living in the small Louisianian town since October, almost five months now, and I was pretty sure I’d met just about everybody. If I’d crossed paths with him before, I’d have remembered. He wasn’t the kind of man you forgot.

Should I be worried?I wasn’t sure. On the one hand, strangers could mean bad news for me. On the other hand, I didn’t want to upend this new life I’d managed to carve out for Elias and me just because I got paranoid.

I shrugged and tried to ignore the little thrum of adrenaline spidering through me, turning instead to grab the carafe of coffee on the back counter. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”

I smiled at the pair of elderly men in front of me. “More coffee?”

They both nodded and thanked me as I filled up their half-empty mugs. Lunch was usually crowded at the diner. St. Francisville was the only “town” for miles around, so the locals all tended to coalesce here around mealtimes. It made those shifts a little chaotic, but I didn’t mind. I liked the day patrons. They were nicer and tipped better.

Alice’s laughter was warm. “Now, don’t be coy,” she chided me. “That’s a good-looking man.”

One of the elderly men—Lester, always orders a tuna melt, I thought absently—grinned at Alice. “Handsome as me, cher?” His voice was thick with a Cajun accent I still sometimes struggled to understand. I’ve been fluent in English all my life—it’s one of the three national languages of my home country—but before I moved to the US, I had no idea just how heavy different American accents could be, especially in Louisiana. Sometimes I wondered if Southerners actually enjoyed being hard to understand.

“Oh, much more handsome than you, Les,” she cooed, and I laughed with the rest of them, warm and happy.

I glanced at the man in question again. He had found a booth in the corner and had dug out a menu from the pocket fastened to the wall. “Well, there you are,” I said. “He’s in your section.”

Alice clicked her tongue against her teeth. “I think you should take him, darlin’.”

“He’s in your section.” I glanced over at my section. The patrons there were all eating and chatting. I’d need to check drinks in a few minutes, but there was nothing I needed to rush to handle.

“Leah, honey,” Alice said, “sometimes you gotta live a little.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. “Live a little by taking your customer for you?”

“He’s handsome,” she insisted. “Go flirt with him.”

I scoffed at her. “Absolutely not. You know I don’t bother with all of that.” Even if I wanted to bother with a relationship, which I didn’t, caring for Elias didn’t leave much time for it.And anyway, it wasn’t safe. Letting anyone in too close risked them finding out too much about me. I couldn’t risk it. Not after last time.

Alice pushed at my arm, playful but firm. “I’m not telling you to marry the man, darlin’. Just go get his order for me. Smile pretty at him.”

I sighed, but my irritation was mostly feigned. Something about Alice reminded me of my mother, and it was hard to say no to her when she got stubborn like this, especially when I knew she saw it as her way of looking out for me. I grabbed my order pad. “Okay.”

Alice smiled, brilliant. “I’ll start marrying the ketchups for you.”

I waded through the busy diner, noting the plates that could be cleared and drinks that needed to be filled for when I came back through, until I was standing beside his booth. Up close, the man was even more attractive—he’d taken off his jacket, and his Henley emphasized the muscles in his shoulders and arms. For a moment, I let myself wonder what it would be like to flirt with someone like this for real. But I couldn’t—not here, not now.

I put on my best smile. “Hi, I’m Leah,” I greeted, doing my best to keep my words in the front of my mouth. To sound American. In a big city, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered that I spoke English with an unusual accent, but in a small town, I did my best not to stand out in any way. I couldn’t quite sound like a native Louisianan, but I could sound neutrally American. “Do you want to hear about today’s specials? Or are you ready to order?”

“I’m not actually here for lunch,” he said. He flipped over what I thought was his wallet on the table to reveal a badge. “Nataliya Koza, I’m Special Agent Adrian Pierce, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I need to ask you a few questions.”

As soon as he said my real name, the bottom dropped out of my stomach. “I don’t know who that is,” I bluffed. “My name is Leah, like I said.”

Agent Pierce didn’t believe me. I could see it in his face. “I know that’s not true, Ms. Koza.”

A tremor of fear ran through me, and I gripped my order pad until the paper crinkled beneath my fingers. “I’m not who you’re looking for,” I said. “If you’re not going to order anything, you need to leave. We’re busy.” I tried to turn and leave, but then I felt his fingers encircle my wrist. I jerked back out of his hold. “Do. Not. Touch. Me,” I hissed at him. “Get out of here.”

“I can’t do that, Ms. Koza,” he insisted, his long fingers still gripping me tight. “I need to talk to you about the night your brother was killed.”

Anton. My mouth filled with saliva and bile splashed the back of my throat, but I forced myself to breathe through it. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about my brother in a long time. Since I’d gotten word that he’d died nearly two years ago, shortly after Elias and I left the Republic of Waathan. “You need to leave. Now.”

“Your brother?—”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to hear about my brother.”

His face was triumphant…and I realized, a beat too late, that I had confirmed what he already knew: that I was Nataliya Koza. Moron, I berated myself. It was only a matter of time before he called in backup or ICE or whoever to haul me away?—

“I’m not here to bust you for forging your documents,” Agent Pierce said, motioning for me to sit down. “I really do need to talk about your brother. I was a part of SEAL Team Four, the SEAL team that was sent to extract him and bring him here to the US.” A pained look shadowed his face. “I was with him when he died.”

“I don’t want to hear any of this,” I protested. Even to myself, I sounded weak—and I didn’t walk away. But I didn’t sit down either. I needed to be ready to run.

“Just hear me out,” he said. “Your brother said some things after he’d been shot. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but I didn’t get the impression he was babbling or delirious. I think he knew exactly what he was saying—that it was some kind of code. I thought you might be able to help me interpret it.”

He sounded earnest, but that didn’t mean I was ready to trust him, badge or no badge. Stan Pullman from the US Marshal’s office had a badge too. He’d been perfectly professional at first…until he sold us out. For all I knew, this man was here to do the same thing.

I couldn’t believe this was happening again. Elias was finally making friends at school. His “bestie” was turning nine this weekend: Elias had been invited to a sleepover.He’d been looking forward to it for weeks. But now, instead of cake and ice cream, he was going to have to go on the run, sleeping in the car and driving until we ended up God knew where, where we’d have to start all over again. I’m so sorry, sakharok.

I looked around at the busy diner, at the large picture windows and the sunny, chilly day beyond. Would there be Federal officers waiting for me when I stepped outside later? Would someone be there to stop me when I tried to make my escape?

“I need to check on my other tables,” I said.

“Ms. Koza,” Agent Pierce said, voice gruff now. “This is a serious matter.”

“I get a break in twenty minutes.” It wasn’t even a lie—and it was enough for him to let me go for now. But he’d be in for a surprise in twenty minutes when he realized I was long gone.

I forced myself not to rush back to the counter. I knew Agent Pierce would be watching, so I took my time, picking up plates and checking in with customers as I went. By the time I’d gotten back to Alice, I had a hold on myself and a plan forming in my head.

“How was Tall, Dark, and Handsome?” Alice asked as I came around the counter and began printing receipts for the tables who were ready for their checks.

I snorted. “He asked too many questions.”

Alice chuckled. “He was interested, then.”

Not in the way you’re thinking. “The only person who matters to me is Elijah.”

Being only eight, Elias did better with an alias that was as close to his actual name as possible. He’d only slipped up once, back when we were in Las Vegas and everything was still new.

I hated that we’d have to find yet another new name for him…but there was nothing to be done about it now. If Agent Pierce had found us, others could as well. It wasn’t safe to stay. I looked at Alice, and my heart panged. She was such a dear friend; I was going to miss her. For safety’s sake, I couldn’t even tell her goodbye.

“You’re still so young,” Alice said. “Surely you won’t spend the rest of your life alone.”

“Elijah—”

“Will eventually leave the nest,” the older woman interrupted. “That’s what little chicks do. You have to think about your life after he’s gone.”

She had no way of knowing how much those words were a punch to the stomach. Elias was diagnosed with Loorer’s Disease at age five. In most cases, a child with Loorer’s didn’t make it to age eighteen. His diagnosis had been devastating for all of us. My then-husband, unable to deal with the news, withdrew more and more until our family crumbled apart. We were divorced within the year, and he made no effort to keep in touch. My brother, on the other hand, leaned in, going above and beyond to make sure we were looked after in every way he could provide. He was a good man, and even if his profession was…not exactly legal, he made good money, and I knew he would have spent every penny on us if I’d let him. He’d adored his nephew—they’d had a wonderful, special bond. And when Anton learned the best medical treatment for Loorer’s was in the US, I knew he was going to find some way to get us here. I just never expected him to turn informant against his powerful boss, agreeing to trade information to Interpol in exchange for witness protection and a new life for the three of us in the US.

Elias and I arrived first and were given our new identities and taken to our new home by the US Marshals. We expected Anton to join us any day.

But nothing turned out how Anton and I had hoped.

I swallowed around the sudden clench in my throat. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Before Alice could say anything else, our manager—a heavy-set man that we called Cookie—stuck his head out of the kitchen. “Leah, empty the trash, will you?”

It was normally the dish washer’s job, but the teenage boy Cookie had hired was still learning the ropes, and he didn’t always move swiftly. And besides, I would take any excuse to get away from Agent Pierce’s measured gaze. “Sure, Cookie.”

Alice put a hand on my arm. “I’ll take care of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome while you’re gone, if you want.”

I could kiss her. My heart ached at the idea that I would never see her again. “Thanks, Alice,” I said, unable to stop myself from adding, “for everything.”

Tears stung at the back of my eyes as I walked into the kitchen. It was small and crowded, stuffed with every kind of commercial kitchen appliance Cookie could get his hands on. I wasn’t sure if he knew how to use half of what he had.

Cookie had put the bags of garbage near the back door for me. I opened the door and held it open with my foot while I grabbed the two bags.

I hadn’t taken a half a dozen steps toward the dumpster when a strong arm wrapped around my waist. I dropped the bags, inhaling to scream, and a hand, meaty and sweaty, clamped over my mouth. Agent Pierce, I thought, berating myself for not being more cautious. When his “Nice Guy” approach hadn’t gotten him what he’d wanted, he’d resorted to violence. I should have expected that.Men like him don’t care what lines they have to cross to get what they want.

“It would be a mistake to scream.” Shit, that wasn’t Agent Pierce. So who was it? His partner? Someone else? Just how many people had come here to track me down, and were they all working together? Not that it mattered, really. I wasn’t about to go willingly with any of them. I struggled in the man’s grip, but it was like trying to fight a steel wall. “Settle down,” the man crooned. Bile splashed the back of my throat. “You did a good job hiding since Las Vegas, but our boss needs to speak with you.”

Las Vegas? The memories of what had happened there made me shiver. I could still hear Elias screaming as men busted through our front door. I had given myself shin-splints running with my boy in my arms. But I couldn’t afford to get lost in memories now. Instead, I opened my mouth just enough to set my teeth into the man’s palm. He grunted in pain and squeezed my nose shut, cutting off my airway.

“That wasn’t nice, you bitch.”

The lack of air burned my lungs, and the harder I tried to fight, the less my muscles seemed able to move. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes. I was going to pass out. My last coherent thought: Elias.