Chapter 13
Cullen hadn’t gotten very far walking the perimeter of the base when a Jeep pulled up, and two Military Police got out.
“Looking for something,” the short redhead asked.
“Several nights ago, a group got on this base, murdered a team of Black Ops, and kidnapped my father. I’m trying to figure out how they got in,” Cullen stated.
The second MP took a step closer. He was taller with hawkish features. “Most of us knew the Admiral. I’m sorry about your father.”
It had been a long time since Cullen heard anyone call his father “Admiral.” Orrin’s rank while he was still a SEAL had been Vice Admiral. The nickname had stuck.
“I’m Wallace.”
Cullen shook Wallace’s hand and noted his rank. “Thanks, Lieutenant. I’m Cullen Loughman.”
Wallace jabbed his finger at his partner. “That’s O’Mara, but we all call him Red.”
Red moved closer. “The first thing Wallace and I did was check the perimeter.”
“You were both on patrol?” Cullen asked.
Wallace shook his head. “They called us to duty when the bodies were discovered. We were only supposed to inspect one side, but Red thought we should drive the entire base.”
“We didn’t find a single place where they could’ve gotten in,” Red said.
This wasn’t good news. He’d hoped that Davis didn’t have anything to do with Orrin’s kidnapping, but it was looking more and more like he was involved.
“This makes us appear like we’re not doing our jobs,” Red continued. “I didn’t have a mark against me until this.”
Cullen ran a hand over the top of his hair. “As you said, you weren’t on duty until after the murders.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Wallace shared a look with Red. “It goes against every MP on base.”
“There would’ve been eight to ten men. Someone should’ve seen them. If they didn’t sneak in, someone let them in.”
Red’s face mottled with anger as he said, “I knew the fucking bastard lied.”
“Who?” Cullen pressed.
Wallace held up a hand to stop Cullen from talking any more. He turned to his partner. “He said he didn’t see anything.”
“How did that crew get inside, then, Wallace? They didn’t fly over. They would’ve been seen parachuting in. Besides, they left with the Admiral.”
Wallace’s chin dropped to his chest. “Which means, they drove. He did lie. Fuck! And we believed him.”
“We all did,” Red said, his hands fisted by his sides.
Cullen was fast losing patience listening to the two talk. “Who?”
“Second Lieutenant Ernie Mendoza,” Wallace replied.
“I’d like to talk to him.” Because Cullen knew Mendoza would be able to answer most of the questions he had.
Red turned and motioned to the vehicle. “He’s not on duty. Hop in.”
In no time, they were at the barracks. Cullen followed the two men into the building to Mendoza’s room. Wallace knocked on the door, but there was no response.
Red then pounded on it. “Mendoza! Open the damn door.”
By this time, the noise had caught the attention of others. Cullen looked at every face, catalogued expressions, and took mental notes of who spoke with who. And who left.
“He’s not going to come out,” Red said crossly.
Wallace shrugged. “Then we make him come out.”
“What’s this about?” someone asked.
The two MPs ignored the others and prepared to kick down the door. Just before they did, there was a commotion as someone pushed through the crowd.
A major, followed by the man Cullen had seen depart, stalked toward Wallace and Red. “What’s going on?”
It was Wallace who stepped forward. “We need to question Mendoza about the night the Admiral was taken, and his team was executed.”
“Why?” the major asked, brows knitting.
“Because someone let the men responsible inside,” Cullen said.
The major’s attention swung to him. “And you are?”
“He’s the Admiral’s son,” Red said.
At this, the major’s shoulders dropped. “I could’ve saved you a visit. We’re doing our own investigation.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Cullen said. “However, our government pulled me and my two brothers off missions around the world specifically to find our father. Continue your investigation, but I’m going to do my own.”
“I’ll need to talk to General Davis,” the major began.
Cullen stopped him by saying, “I already saw Davis this morning. He knows I’m here and what I’m doing.”
With no other recourse, the major pulled out a set of keys and moved to Mendoza’s door. He unlocked it and pushed it wide. Cullen was behind him, with Wallace and Red right on his heels.
All four came to a halt when they saw Mendoza hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck. There would be no getting information out of him now.
“He killed himself,” Wallace said from beside Mendoza’s desk.
Cullen glanced around for a suicide note. When he didn’t find one, he turned on his heel and made his way out of the room. There would only be one reason for Mendoza to kill himself. He’d had an order and executed it. Only after, did he learn what had come out of that order.
When questions began, Mendoza most likely tried to answer as best he could without alerting anyone to the truth. But that truth had weighed too heavily. The deaths of fellow military brothers were too much for Mendoza to bear.
Cullen walked from the barracks. While others rushed to see what was going on, the sound of a fighter jet taking off drowned out everything else for a moment.
The one person who could’ve given them answers was dead. Whether by suicide or murder, Mendoza wouldn’t be talking to anyone.
Cullen started back toward the hangar. At every turn, the search for his father was being blocked. Who were the Saints? And how did they have such connections?
Connections that seemed to reach everywhere. Including targeting Mia on a seemingly unrelated job. She’d thought she was safe on the base, but that wasn’t true.
If the Saints could kill six men and kidnap another, they could get to Mia anywhere. So what had they been waiting on?
Then it dawned on him. They’d known that one of the Loughmans would visit Mia. The Saints could then take out both him and Mia at once.
He pulled out his phone to call Owen and Wyatt to fill them in on everything when he caught sight of Mia. Except she wasn’t alone. She was talking to an older man in uniform. A guy in a Russian uniform.
Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, Cullen hid so he could watch them. Mia didn’t say anything. In fact, she refused to even look at the man.
The major general spoke using stiff hand gestures. She then turned and walked away. The Russian didn’t stop her.
Cullen wanted to get closer, but if he moved from his spot, they’d see him. If he hadn’t stopped to call his brothers, he’d never have seen her and the general.
A few seconds later, the Russian pivoted and strode away in the opposite direction. Then Cullen lost sight of him. His gaze swung back to Mia to find that she’d ducked behind a building and was taking in deep breaths.
Another two minutes ticked by before she pushed away from the structure and headed toward the hangar. He remained where he was as his mind raced with possibilities.
He’d known Mia was keeping something from him. Was it coincidence that it involved the Russian military? That was doubtful.
For now, he wouldn’t let her know he’d seen her with the Russian. It was another piece to the ever-growing puzzle, but this one annoyed and worried him.
When he entered the hangar, she was looking over her plane. The way she whispered to it and stroked it as if it were a lover turned him on.
He watched her hands glide softly over the metal and wished her hands were on his body. His gaze moved to her mouth, his balls tightening as he recalled their searing kiss.
It wasn’t his nature to not go after a woman he wanted, and yet that was exactly what he was doing with Mia. Suddenly, her dark gaze turned to him, causing him to rein in his desires.
Her hair was in a ponytail, the long, black strands falling in a cascade down her back. “Hey. I was hoping you’d get back soon. I found something.”
“Me, too,” he replied.
“Want to go first?”
He watched as she closed a hatch and wiped her hands on her jeans before facing him. “You go first,” he said.
She smiled and reached into the neck of her shirt to pull a piece of paper from her bra. There was a smile in place as she waved the paper. “Here is the order from Davis allowing the Russian crew inside.”
He eagerly took it from her and opened it to reveal a copy of the order. It was signed by Davis, which meant he’d lied to them earlier, just as they’d known.
“I have a feeling that he’s going to send me away so I can’t help you,” she said.
Cullen could investigate alone, but he did find it curious that Davis wanted Mia gone. “That won’t stop me from looking.”
“It’ll make you easier to kill.”
He raised a brow. “Then Davis obviously doesn’t know who I am.”
“I think that’s the point.”
He folded up the paper and put it in his back pocket. “Why not kill you, as well? Wouldn’t it be easier to take us both out together?”
“That’s a good question.” Her forehead furrowed.
“Where did you get the copy of the order?”
“From Schenck. He’s one of the general’s aides.”
Cullen jerked his chin to the plane. “Are you headed out soon?”
“I like to be prepared just in case. Oh,” she said, eyes wide. “Davis arrived at his office while I was there, but he wasn’t alone. There was a Russian major general with him.”
He had to give her credit for adding that bit into the story. But he doubted she’d tell him about the confrontation she and the Russian had. “I’ve not seen any other Russian military on the base.”
“About a year ago, five arrived and trained with our pilots. We weren’t the only base that had such a training exercise. Something about our two countries working together.”
“Did you talk to any of them?”
She hesitated for just a second, but it was enough that Cullen noticed.
“I did.”
“The Major General that was with Davis?”
She nodded woodenly. “Him a few times. I was more interested in speaking with the three pilots. You said you had news?”
“I did.” He walked around the wing of the plane, noticing how she’d swiftly changed the direction of their conversation. “I found two MPs who said they’d done a perimeter check the night Orrin’s team was killed.”
“You believe them?”
“I do. Especially when they said they knew the man who was on duty that night.”
She followed him around the wing. “Did you talk to this man?”
“Mendoza. And we tried. He hung himself.”
“What?” She halted, her face going slack with shock. “He’s dead?”
“There wasn’t a suicide note.”
“So you think he might’ve been killed?”
He raised a brow. “I do.”
“I can’t believe this,” she said. “What now?”
He walked to her, stopping a foot away. He smoothed away a lock of hair that had caught in her lashes and saw her pulse at the base of her throat jump.
The hunger to pull her into his arms was strong. Almost stronger than the need to find answers.
“I want to know all your secrets, Mia Carter.”