Chapter 11
Mike was shocked when he got a phone call from Reece Brenner announcing that he was bringing Kam over to his office. Of course, he was surprised she was on the base, but a little stunned because she was with the commanding officer of another SEAL team.
Why didn’t she call me? How the hell does she know Reece? She’d never mentioned that she knew other SEALs. Is she dating Reece? He is single. Is she secretly a SEAL slut and I’m just on her list?
“Kam. Reece.” Those were the only words Mike could get out when the two entered his office acting friendly.
“Delivered safe and sound.” Reece smiled at Kam. “I’ll see you next Monday.”
Kam looked surprised. “Will you be attending the class?”
“No. I just want to make sure you have everything you need the first time, and the facility is set up as you wish.” Commander Brenner explained.
“Thanks for that.” Kam gave him a warm smile. “Then I’ll see you Monday.”
Mike remained silent during their friendly exchange, but something deep inside him started to rub and agitate. If he didn’t know better, he’d think it was jealousy. But Mike had no claim on Kam. Not yet.
When Reece finally turned to him, he gave his counterpart what he hoped was a passive face. “Mike, I believe the two of you know each other, so I’ll be going.” He pointed to Kam. “Glad you found her. She already made an impression on my men.”
At that, pride swelled within Mike at the same time realization hit. Reece’s men had been chosen to learn Brazilian jujitsu. Damn, he wanted his men to be selected so he would have another excuse to see Kam more often.
“See you later,” Reece called and waved as he left the office.
“This is a pleasant surprise.” Mike didn’t bother to hold in his smile.
“You might not think so in a few minutes,” Kam warned.
Instantly on alert, he asked, “What’s wrong?” He came around his desk so he could be closer to her.
“I need Lieutenant Chaney again.” She looked nervous as though he might not give his permission.
Mike gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down, please. Tell me what’s going on.” He took the seat beside her rather than across his desk.
She quickly explained that Tala thought she might be able to find the high-end sex club in Los Angeles but would only talk to Dylan. Mike was half-surprised that they hadn’t deported her yet.
“Now?” he asked. “It’s almost time for dismissal, but I can require him to stay.” Then Mike remembered that Dylan had an infant cared for by Captain Hubbard’s wife. “Is there any way we can do this tomorrow?”
“That would work out even better for us.” Kam then explained, “Tala is being kept in a secure location. She’ll have to be brought to our offices.
I really don’t want to put her into an interrogation room again, so I’ll have to see if I can get access to the conference room.
Can you let Dylan know now that we’ll need him tomorrow morning?
I’ll have to call you to confirm the time but let’s say around ten o’clock? ”
“I’ll have to run this past Captain Hubbard, but I think I can catch him in his office now.” He circled around his desk and picked up the phone, then gave instructions to his administrative assistant. “I’m not sure if the captain will want to join us this time but I need to give him that option.”
Five minutes later, arrangements had been made for Lieutenant Chaney and Mike to go to Kam’s office the next morning. Mike returned to the seat in front of his desk next to Kam.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Now that’s out of the way, I want to tell you how sorry I am about your men. I’ve lost teammates, so I kind of understand how you feel.”
That was not what he’d been expecting her to say.
Mike ran a hand over his face remembering the phone calls to the parents.
Lying to them was often the hardest thing he had to do as the commanding officer.
The men weren’t killed in a training accident.
They were killed overseas doing what they do best, and they had done a damn good job of it. Another scumbag had been eliminated.
Only a very few people knew Farbod Ahmadi’s atrocities. The man didn’t understand the concept of collateral damage. He had wiped out complete villages, allowed his men to rape and pillage, often kidnapping young girls to keep his soldiers happy. Those stories had never made it to the popular news.
Mike patted Kam’s hand. “Thank you for your condolences.” He needed to change the subject. “So, I take it you got the training contract?”
Kam brightened. Smiling, she regaled him with her entire experience.
“I thought for sure the gate guard was going to pull his gun, but I wasn’t going to lie when he asked me if there were any weapons in my car.
When I reached for my badge, he’d already put his hand on his side arm.
I think the clincher was when I mentioned if he had any questions, he could call Marta Merkel.
I offered to give him the number and he literally took one step backward three feet. ”
Mike burst out laughing. “Ms. Merkel is a force to be reckoned with; that’s for damn sure.
She’s one woman I never want to get on the wrong side of.
She’s worked in the Admirals’ office for nearly twenty-five years.
There’s nothing that happens with SEALs that she doesn’t know about.
If she likes you, she’ll help you bury the bodies.
But if she doesn’t like you, she’ll fuck you over in a heartbeat. ”
“I saw her in action today. She was pissed at some state senator for barging into Vice Admiral Maddox’s office,” she said with wide eyes.
“Whoa. I’ll be surprised if that guy gets reelected.
Marta Merkel has a long reach. Not that she ever wears the stars of the men she works for, but that woman can make things happen, on both coasts.
” Mike had seen her pick up a phone and people in Norfolk scramble to support the SEALs at Virginia Beach.
But that actually made sense. Mike often forgot that Vice Admiral Maddox was in charge of all SEALs everywhere in the world even though his headquarters was on Coronado.
Kam’s phone buzzed and she looked at the screen. “Shit.” She stood and looked at Mike. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go. They’re giving us problems about transporting Tala to our office tomorrow.”
Mike stood. “Where did you park?”
“In front of your building.” She was quick to explain, “It was quicker to drive over here from Vice Admiral Maddox’s office. Commander Reece Brenner was nice enough to guide me, but I guess his office is close to yours.”
“It is. I’ll walk you out.” As Mike followed her through his headquarters, he noticed the stares she was getting from his men. It wasn’t because she was wearing the ICE uniform and a weapon; female appreciation was on every face. Kam Hood was hot.
When they reached her car, Mike had the sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss the hell out of her.
That would be bad in so many ways. Their relationship wasn’t at that point, yet.
Also, it would be a serious infraction of public display of affection, especially in front of his men, on duty, in uniform.
Instead, he opened her car door. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at ten.” He grinned. “Call me tonight if that changes.” Hell. Just call me. Tonight. As soon as you leave. When you get home. Anytime.
As she backed out of the parking space, she smiled and waved.
Mike strode back into his building. Kam’s sudden appearance in his office, the way she’d made him laugh, that smile as she waved. Yes. He liked the way things were moving.
“Tala, I’m going to be right here beside you.
I’m not going anywhere. Now, please understand that Kam, Jeremy, and Mike might have to leave the room at some point, and they may rejoin us, but you are safe with me.
” Once again, Mike was extremely proud of his lieutenant.
Dylan had instantly made Tala feel comfortable when they arrived at Kam’s office building the next morning.
He took great care in showing her the conference room and even allowed her to assign seats.
Kam had a computer and a tablet with her and was working both at the same time.
She looked up from her screens at the opposite end of the table.
“Tala, I just want to remind you that everything that happens in this room is being recorded, just like last time. We want to be sure we get every detail that you tell us.”
“Okay. We start? I have good idea.” The small woman seemed extremely excited.
“Sure.” Kam nodded.
“Perlah tell me when she very, very good, Big Daddy give her specials.” Her young gaze darted to each person at the table expectantly.
Disappointment washed through Mike. This was nothing new. Had Tala been playing them just so she could see Dylan once again?
His lieutenant stared at Tala. “You told us that before. What does that have to do with your idea?”
“Perlah say sometimes when all girls very good, special is good food from Filipino restaurant, like home.” Tala set her folded hands on the table as though she’d just given them the key to breaking the case.
“Tala, I’m afraid I don’t understand. How is Filipino food going to help us find Perlah?” Dylan was asking the right questions the correct way. Mike found this interesting to watch in person, reaffirming the techniques SEALs are taught.
“Inasal. Perla say they get to eat real inasal. Taste just like at home, not made like America.”
Now they were getting somewhere. Mike glanced over at the tablet where Kam had a picture of the dish. It looked like barbecue chicken to him.
“Tell me, Tala, what’s so special about this food? Couldn’t I find it at any Filipino restaurant?” Go, Dylan .
Tala’s long black hair swished through the air. “No. Americans no make good inasal. Hard. Take time. Special mix.”
Dylan smiled at the young girl. “Can you tell me how to make inasal?”
For the next five minutes, Tala led Dylan through the process of marinating chicken in coconut vinegar, pepper, something called calamansi, and annatto.
Mike knew his way around the kitchen, mostly because he enjoyed eating and had been single longer than he’d ever been married, but he’d never heard of those last two ingredients.
Tala went on to describe what he thought was charcoal, and she pretended to baste and turn over the chicken. It still sounded like barbecue chicken to him.
“Is this a popular dish in the Philippines?” Dylan was zeroing in on the details.
Long black hair flew again as she shook her head no. “Bacolod. Where Perlah come from. Very special. We make sometimes…before they take us and bring us here.”
Dylan glanced down the table to the seats at the far end where Tala had assigned Kam, Jeremy, and Mike. Kam gave him a small nod.
“So, what you are saying Tala, is that if they can find a Filipino restaurant that makes inasal, someone there might be able to lead them to the club where Perlah works?” Dylan clarified.
“No. I go.” Tala patted her chest. “I’ll go find.”
“Oh, no. That’s far too dangerous.” Kam called from the seat beside Mike. She looked over her shoulder at her partner. “Let’s get the team up there. If this is as rare a dish as she thinks, it should be relatively easy to find.”
“No!” Tala stood up. “They no talk to you. Owner talk to me. I go. You not Filipino.”
“Tala, take a deep breath. Sit down, please.” Dylan was using a very soothing voice and the girl quickly responded. “They don’t want to put you in danger. If you get close to the club, the bad men may try to take you.”
“Dylan go, too. You keep me safe.”
Lieutenant Chaney looked at Mike. They had permission to come to Kam’s office today but anything beyond that was out of the agreed-upon scope. Using hand signals, he indicated that the request would have to be run up the ladder.
“Tala, I don’t know if I can go with you. I’m not part of this operation. You will be perfectly safe with special agents Kam and Jeremy.” Dylan had worded the explanation perfectly.
“You no go, I no go.” Tala sat back in the chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the far end of the table.
“Give us a minute.” Kam stood and tapped both men on the shoulders indicating she wanted them to exit the room with her. Once outside, they huddled close together. “What do you think? Is this worth the time and effort?”
“I think Tala believes that it will be. Nobody wants to find her friend, Perlah, more than she does.” Jeremy shrugged. “Besides, this is the first break we’ve had.”
Mike had already been dialing Captain Hubbard’s office. “Give me a minute to see if Lieutenant Chaney and I can get permission to accompany you.” It took nearly fifteen minutes, and a conference call with Vice Admiral Maddox, before authorization was granted.
By the time Mike reentered the conference room, the group had already rejected several Filipino restaurants. Dylan and Tala had moved close to Kam where everyone was huddled around her computer.
Jeremy caught Mike’s arm. “It looks as though there is a predominant Filipino section on the northeast side of Los Angeles just off the 101 and 110. It’s not far from the Staples Center, kind of between Chinatown and Koreatown.
Right now, they are narrowing down the possibilities.
Tala is being very helpful, but she doesn’t stray far from Dylan.
I hope to hell you got permission to go. ”
“We did. Can we do it today?” Mike had no desire to work over the weekend and doubted they would want to put it off until Monday. He had plans for tomorrow. With Kam. That would hopefully not end until Sunday. It was still before noon and they could get to at least a few restaurants today.
“There’s a vehicle already waiting for us. Our backup team left five minutes ago.” Jeremy gestured to Kam. “Let’s put the three of them in the backseat and get a move on.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Using hand signals once again, Mike told Dylan that they were moving out.