Chapter 16
Mike must’ve been dreaming as he crossed the edge and emptied himself while buried deep inside Kam. Had she really said that she loved him? No. There were extra words in there. But she had used the word love.
When he was fully revived, he quickly slid out of bed and took care of the condom over in his own bathroom.
They’d only gotten about three hours’ sleep.
There had been a time in his life when that was enough, but he was no longer that young man.
He was heading back to bed, especially since a naked woman was waiting for him.
Around nine-thirty, Mike was disposing of the third condom when he heard a phone ring.
Since the house had no landline, and the ring tone wasn’t one he’d ever select, it had to be Kam’s.
He wanted her to continue to sleep because of the rough night she had but as he reentered her bedroom, she’d already found her phone in the bathroom.
Talking as she walked back to the bed, she went out of her way to pass him.
Her kiss was sweet, like a good morning kiss between longtime lovers. When she didn’t crawl back in the bed, grabbing the T-shirt instead, he changed his plans for more sleep.
“Hang on, Audra, I’m going to put you on speaker. I think Mike needs to hear this.” Kam crawled onto a stool at the kitchen island and set her phone down between them. “Audra, I need you to start over.”
“From the beginning?” Her friend protested on the other end of the line.
“Only the highlights. Especially the military part.” Kam got up and wandered over to the refrigerator.
“Mike, first of all, it was nice meeting you, finally. Second, you’d better be taking good care of our girl.” Audra sounded like a mother hen, very protective of her chick.
“He is,” Kam called with her head in the refrigerator.
“She’s safe here, with me.” Mike hoped that was reassuring enough.
“Okay, the two men Kam shot last night are so similar, right down to what they’d eaten for supper.
Both had been shot more than once but in different places.
In my expert opinion, these men are, or were, military.
” The line went relatively quiet except for a few clicks.
“I’ve never seen such an unusual tattoo and they both have the same one in the same place.
I’m sending Kam a picture. They look like four sticks.
Maybe they’re like tracks or something.”
When the photograph came through, Mike knew exactly what they are. “Those are frog footprints, very popular with Navy SEALs and wannabes. These men may be still active-duty. Audra, can you send me pictures of their faces?”
“No can do,” she instantly replied. “But I can send Kam pictures of them. Give me a few minutes.”
Mike looked up from examining the tattoos to find Kam unloading food out of his refrigerator. “What are you doing?”
“Making breakfast for us. I’m starved.” She gave him a sassy grin. “You take a lot out of a girl. I need to store up some energy.”
Mike stood and headed into the stove. “You’re my guest. I’m supposed to cook for you.”
“Listen to you two fight,” came the voice from the phone. “You sound like an old married couple.”
He looked at Kam. Really looked at her. He could see her in his kitchen, their kitchen, twenty years from now still arguing over who was going to make breakfast.
“Have the pictures arrived yet?” Audra called from the phone on the counter.
“Checking now.” Kam picked up her phone and punched a few buttons. She held the phone up to Mike. “What do you think?”
“I think I know this guy. I can’t be sure because there are several thousand SEALs between the two coasts but I’m pretty sure this guy is a SEAL, or was. Hell, I don’t even know everybody in my command now.”
“They moved as though they were highly trained.” Kam shrugged. “I’m not sure how I got the drop on them. God was looking out for me.”
“I ran the pictures through all the databases we have and Noellyn is doing her magic, but we haven’t come up with anything. And I mean not a thing.” Audra let out a long breath. “It’s been a long night. Kam, your two dead guys are done. I’m going home and sleeping for the next sixteen hours.”
“Audra, before you go, am I allowed to share these photographs?” Mike flipped back and forth between the two pictures. The frog footprints were usually a strong indication of SEALs.
“This is Kam’s investigation. I’m just the medical examiner. The one who is hanging up now so I can go home.”
“Good night, Audra. Careful driving home.” Kam ended the call. “Who are you thinking about showing these to?”
“Captain Hubbard.” That’s where Mike would start. “If they are current SEALs, he needs to know they’re dead. If they are former SEALs, then you can hopefully get an identity.”
“Why wouldn’t they appear in any search? Noellyn has access to some pretty serious search engines and databases.” Kam started opening cabinet doors and drawers.
“The military is very careful about scrubbing everything on the Internet that may indicate anything about members of the special operations community.” He stopped Kam by putting his hands on her shoulders.
“That’s why it’s so important that anything you see, hear, and do on base,” then he went on and added, “and around me , never gets discussed with anyone else. Every SEAL has a price on his head.”
“Every SEAL?” Kam asked cautiously.
“Yes, even me. Hell, especially me. I command hundreds of SEALs. I know about every top-secret mission my men are sent on.”
Kam stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Please be careful.” She lifted her face to his and kissed him.
“Said by the woman who last night was threatened by two men who are most likely special operators.” He gave her a kiss, turned her around, and swatted her ass…which was bare. That’s all it took, and he was hard again.
“Why don’t you call Captain Hubbard while I make brunch?” She turned him around and swatted his ass. Mike loved this playful side of Kam.
His conversation with Captain Hubbard was relatively brief since he’d only taken command in early April and so much had happened in the past six weeks.
“Hey, Kam,” Mike called as he left the study after speaking with Captain Hubbard.
She’d been working hard in just those few minutes.
An entire spread was starting to form on the island.
“What did you find out?” She asked as she carefully set poached eggs on top of ham-covered English muffins.
“He’s going to have to ask Admiral Maddox on Monday. Sorry it’ll have to wait.”
Kam smiled at him over her shoulder. “I’m not.
I’m technically on administrative leave until Monday.
Had those men been identified, I’d have paperwork to do.
” She poured some kind of yellow sauce over top the eggs.
“Instead, I can do you as often as we wish until I have to be at work Monday morning.”
He kissed her, bending her over backward. “I like the way you think.”
The rest of the weekend was a repeat of Saturday morning.
Sex. Food. Sleep. Not necessarily in that order.
After sex in Mike’s huge shower, they’d moved to his bed.
This was where he wanted Kam. His house.
His shower. His bed. He was more than happy to share it with her because she made him happy.
For the first time ever, a woman got him.
Around seven Sunday evening, Mike was surprised when Captain Hubbard called.
“Sorry to disturb you but I thought you’d like to know right away.
Vice Admiral Maddox and I got called in, so I showed him the pictures you sent me.
They were both SEALs that were kicked out soon after Vice Admiral Maddox arrived in Coronado.
They were running buddies and into some really bad shit.
They spent six months in the brig and got bad conduct discharges.
” He gave Mike their names. “Hope that helps Kam. I have to admit, I’m impressed she took them both down.
Unless these guys got really sloppy after spending time in jail and whatever the hell they’re doing as civilians, she’s one hell of a shot.
Clever too, to get the drop on to special operators who worked together for years. ”
Mike was proud of her. “I’ll be sure to tell her. Thank you, sir.”
“This worries me at how embedded this whole human sex trafficking is with the SEAL community. This is exactly the kind of thing we fight all over the world, and now we discover it literally in our own backyard.” Someone behind the captain called him. “Sorry. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Mike handed Kam the notes he’d taken during his conversation with the captain. “It’s confirmed. You shot two former SEALs. From the sound of it, though, they were dirtbags.”
“Thanks.” Kam put the information with her computer then gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll deal with this tomorrow. Our weekend isn’t over, yet.”
Mike grabbed her and pulled her to him. “Is that code that it’s time to go back to bed?”
She wound her arms around his neck. “Are you trying to convince me with orgasms that I need to stay here? Because if you are, it’s working.”
Mike didn’t care how he convinced her, just as long as she didn’t leave. Ever.