Chapter 4
Pid had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what Commander Huttner had to say, so he braced.
“I’ve ordered Mustang to bring Monica Collins back to Hawaii.”
“Come again?” Pid asked.
“It’s a matter of national security that I speak with her,” his commander said.
Pid was shocked. And he knew Monica definitely wasn’t going to be happy with this development. He looked at her and, sure enough, her mouth was hanging open as she stared at the phone in his hand.
“She’s a civilian, Sir,” Pid said.
“I’m aware of that. She’s also the only person able to describe this asshole claiming to be a SEAL. I need to know everything about what happened and what she saw. I also need her to sit with one of our forensic artists to create a likeness.”
“Um…I’m sure she’d be willing to do a video chat and tell you everything she knows.”
“Not good enough. Hall…we have prior intel on this man. He’s been doing this for a long time.”
“Doing what, Sir?”
“Taking advantage of conflicts around the globe. He enters countries dealing with civil unrest and incites protestors. He spreads rumors and flat-out lies to prolong the riots. Once he’s stirred the pot and things get out of control, he breaks into certain buildings to steal whatever he can find.
And the man somehow knows exactly who to hit.
He’s taken millions of dollars in cash, weapons, stocks and bonds, and jewels.
He’s damn good at what he does…too good…
and he needs to be stopped. As far as I know, that woman is the only one who’s come face-to-face with the man and lived to tell the tale.
I want her on base by the end of the day tomorrow. Is that clear?”
Pid swallowed hard and kept his eyes on Monica.
She wasn’t happy, and he couldn’t blame her.
She hadn’t been asked if she was willing to cooperate.
There were other ways his commander could get the information he needed without resorting to hauling her all the way to Hawaii to interrogate in person.
Hell, Commander Huttner could fly out to wherever Monica was going.
“And if she doesn’t want to come?” Pid couldn’t help but ask.
“She doesn’t have a choice,” Huttner responded flatly.
Pid pressed his lips together in frustration. “So you want us to force her if she doesn’t agree,” he couldn’t help but say.
“Yes,” the commander said without hesitation, surprising the hell out of Pid. “This is a matter of national security. That man’s been a thorn in our side for longer than we care to admit.”
“How come we’ve never heard about this?” Pid asked.
“Because it’s an embarrassment. To the Navy and to the United States.”
“So he really is a SEAL?”
“I’m not willing to talk further particulars over the phone,” the commander said. “Mustang tells me you took fire as you were extracting the woman.”
Pid didn’t like how his boss referred to Monica as “the woman,” but he confirmed.
“And how do you think anyone knew where the chopper would pick you up?” The commander didn’t wait for a response.
“Because he knows our tactics. Knows that you would’ve hunkered down until it was safe, then find the nearest available space where a helicopter could land.
He’s smart. And again—he needs to be stopped.
To date, Miss Collins is our best chance at figuring out who he is.
Bring her back to Hawaii. That’s an order. ”
Pid sighed. “Yes, Sir.”
“Give the phone back to Mustang,” Huttner ordered.
Pid held out the satellite phone to his team leader without another word.
There was so much he wanted to say to Monica, but had no idea where to start.
A part of him was glad she’d insisted on listening in on the conversation.
The last thing he would’ve wanted to do was break the news that instead of going back to her life as a nanny for the Laws family, she was being forced to fly back to Hawaii with them.
“I—”
That was as much as he got out before Monica shook her head. “Don’t. Will I at least get to say goodbye to August and Remington before we leave?”
Pid looked at Mustang, who had hung up with their commander and looked just as frustrated as the rest of the team. His team leader nodded. “Yes.”
The next thirty minutes were some of the most excruciating in Pid’s life. They all headed for the building where the American citizens were waiting for their flight back to the States.
It was obvious how much Monica cared for her charges, and they for her. She spent a bit of time reassuring the boys that she was fine and listening to their stories about how they’d gotten to fly in a real-live helicopter.
Mustang explained to the ambassador that they were going to have to find another nanny, as Monica was being taken to Hawaii. Little August cried when he found out she wouldn’t be going with them, and Monica didn’t look any happier.
She hadn’t said a word to him or the rest of the team since they’d been ordered to bring her back to the States. It felt as if all the progress he’d made with her in the last few hours had been wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Pid couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened in the field.
He’d been desperate to get her into the chopper and away from whoever was shooting at them, getting onto the ladder first to stabilize it before helping her get on and strapped in.
Being above her would’ve also given him a better vantage point to fire back at the mystery shooter, if given the chance.
But she’d frozen when he’d reached down for her. In hindsight, he had a feeling it was because of what had happened with her father; she’d told him and Slate enough for Pid to know better. Though he couldn’t have known she had post-traumatic stress disorder related to the incident.
The horror in her eyes had been enough for him to realize what was happening almost immediately, and he’d been able to shift to plan B.
But he hated that he’d caused her such angst in the first place.
He’d been relieved to see recognition in her eyes in the chopper, and that she’d allowed him to help her with the headphones.
Still, he was certain that any progress he’d made toward helping her trust him even a little bit had been blown out of the water.
She didn’t say a word when he told her it was time to go.
She didn’t make a sound as they led her toward the military plane that would fly them all back to the States, and then on to Hawaii.
She kept her lips pressed together as she got settled in a seat, then turned her head away from Pid and the rest of the team.
He sighed and took a seat a few rows away, leaving her alone as she so obviously wanted.
Slate sat on one side of him, Mustang on the other side.
“She’s not taking it well,” Mustang observed after they’d taken off.
“Ya think?” Pid said sarcastically.
“She doesn’t have the best opinion of men in the military,” Slate offered.
“Why?” Mustang asked.
“Her dad was a controlling asshole,” Pid told his team leader.
“I’m guessing he ran his house with an iron fist. Taught his daughter that asking for help was strictly forbidden.
” He told Mustang the story of how Monica had hurt her hand.
By the time he was done, his friend was just as furious as Pid had been when he’d heard the story.
“Well, shit. Being forced to come with us isn’t helping her opinion of the military, is it?” he asked.
“No. And speaking of which, have you ever seen Commander Huttner so worked up about something before?” Pid asked.
“Absolutely not. He’s usually very even-keeled. This guy has really gotten under his skin,” Mustang said.
“Enough to basically order us to kidnap a woman who likely won’t have enough information to ID the asshole,” Slate added.
Pid agreed. He hadn’t really been looking forward to saying goodbye to Monica, but this definitely wasn’t the way he wanted to stay in her life, that was for sure.
“Well, hopefully she’ll tell Huttner what he needs to hear and she’ll be headed off to wherever she wants to go fairly quickly,” Mustang said with a shake of his head.
The men fell silent as the plane climbed higher, giving Pid time to think about the situation.
It was honestly fucked up. Monica literally had nothing beyond what she was carrying on her person.
The fact that she’d had her passport on her made their lives much easier as far as leaving the country and entering the United States, but everything else was completely up in the air.
He supposed Huttner would arrange for someplace on base for her to stay.
He’d have to. She also needed clothes, food, possibly transportation.
The more Pid thought about it, the angrier at his commander he became.
He totally could’ve interviewed her via video chat. He also had enough connections that he could’ve arranged for someone to go to wherever the ambassador and his family ended up. Instead, he’d used his position to force their team to bring her back to Hawaii.
No wonder Monica had a poor opinion of the military.
Sighing, Pid glanced over at the woman he couldn’t get off his mind. Her hands were clasped in her lap and she was staring blankly into space. It was going to be a long trip home.
By the time they landed at the Naval base in Honolulu, it was once again dark outside. They’d been traveling for over twenty hours and Pid was exhausted. All he wanted to do was go home and crash. But first, he wanted to make sure Monica was settled in and had everything she needed.
Mustang, Midas, and Aleck were more than ready to see their women, and even Jag and Slate had been focused on their phones the second the wheels of the plane touched the tarmac.
The latter two might not be hooked up, officially, but they may as well have been, considering how eager they were to touch base with Carly and Ashlyn, respectively.
Pid hung back and waited for Monica as his teammates exited the plane.
“You okay?” he asked quietly as she headed his way.
“Fine,” she said stiffly.