Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Three days later, Remi couldn’t stop smiling. She’d never been as happy as she was now. Even Marley had commented that she didn’t remember ever seeing Remi so content. She and Vincent had finally had a chance to have dinner at Marley’s house with her family. Vincent had spent a lot of the time in the backyard with her husband and son, throwing a football. Then after dinner, he’d played gin rummy with her daughter and gotten his ass handed to him.

Needless to say, he’d fit in perfectly and had gotten a huge thumbs up from not only Marley, but her entire family. When she’d used the restroom before she and Vincent left, Marley had intercepted her upstairs to tell her how happy she was for her. That things with her and Vincent would work out, she just knew it.

Remi hoped her friend was right. They were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and Remi had no illusions that things would stay shiny and rosy, but she hoped they could weather any storms that might come their way.

She’d talked with her parents last night, and Vincent had a chance to meet them…sort of…over the phone. He’d been polite and respectful, and Remi had high hopes that when they did finally get a chance to meet in person, things would go just as well.

The plan for today was for her to get a drawing done that morning, then Caroline was going to pick her up and take her to Aces, where they’d meet Vincent for lunch. She’d argued that he could just come back to his apartment, but he’d said that he didn’t want to keep her a prisoner in his place and mentioned that Wolf had said Caroline would love to hang out with her again.

She couldn’t say no to that.

Being in Vincent’s space wasn’t a hardship. Yes, his apartment was smaller than her condo, but it was very Vincent—no frills. She’d spent a few hours poring over the books on his shelves and checking out the shows he’d saved on the streaming apps he watched on TV. They were amazingly similar in their likes and dislikes, and as she’d told him, she could draw anywhere. And she liked being surrounded by his things. Liked being there when he got home at night. It was obvious he was stressed about the mission he and his team were planning, but she hoped being there for him, talking about her day to take his mind off things, cooking dinner for him, was helping at least a little bit.

And the nights…she’d never slept so well, or been loved so hard. She had no doubt that Vincent liked having her in his bed, though he never made her feel as if she was there simply for sex. In fact, he’d admitted that she was the first woman who’d ever spent a night in his bed.

Remi had almost blurted that she loved him more than once, but she didn’t want to be cliché. Didn’t want to freak him out. Although she’d caught him watching her with a longing in his eyes that she was sure echoed her own gaze, something held her back from saying the words. Maybe once they’d made it through his first deployment, she’d feel more confident in sharing her feelings.

Until then, she’d show him nonverbally that she was fully committed to being with him.

Two nights ago, she’d shyly shown him the cartoon she’d drawn Kevlar into, and he’d been silent for two whole minutes as he’d taken it in. Just when she was worried that he hated it, that he thought it was silly and stupid, he’d put down the paper—careful not to wrinkle it even one little bit—then dragged her into their bedroom and shown her exactly how much it meant to him to be drawn into her world.

Remi checked her appearance in the mirror one more time. Vincent never complained about her penchant for wearing T-shirts and sweats when she was in the house. He actually loved that she didn’t wear a bra, because he said it gave him instant access to her tits. It was such a guy thing to say, but since Remi benefited from the pleasure he gave her when he got his hands on her, she didn’t complain.

But today she wanted to look nice. Put in the effort to show him that she cared about how she looked when she was out with him. She was wearing her usual jeans, but she’d chosen a new pair of skinny jeans that clung to her curves more than she was normally comfortable with. Though with Vincent as a lover, she was beginning to adore her body. He certainly showed her in no uncertain terms how much he appreciated her curves.

She’d paired her jeans with a V-neck shirt that dipped low enough to show off some cleavage, but not low enough to be sleazy. It was yellow with pale blue flowers on it and it made her feel pretty and feminine.

Glancing at her watch, Remi saw she was ready too early. Caroline wouldn’t be there for another thirty or forty minutes. The anticipation of seeing Vincent in the middle of the day was too much for her to resist, and she’d gotten ready way before she had to.

She’d just sat on the couch to find something to watch for the next half hour when her phone rang. She smiled. Vincent had been checking in with her as often as he could, usually during breaks from his meetings.

But it wasn’t Vincent’s name on the screen—it was Howler’s. Frowning, wondering why he was calling, Remi unconsciously braced herself as she answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Remi, it’s Howler. Kevlar’s been hurt. I’m on my way to get you to bring you to him. I’ll be there in two minutes. Meet me in the parking lot.”

“What?! What happened?”

“No time to talk now. I’ll tell you everything when I get there. Be ready, Remi. It’s serious.”

“I will. Drive safe—don’t you get in an accident or anything.”

She couldn’t read the tone of his voice when he said he’d be fine, then abruptly hung up. But Remi couldn’t dwell on that. She was freaking out that Vincent had been hurt. It had to be serious if Howler was coming to get her, if Vincent hadn’t called himself to break the news.

Remi stood, then spun in place, not even sure what to do for a second. Then she took a deep breath. She had to get herself together. Vincent would need her to be calm. He’d be okay. He had to be.

She grabbed a long-sleeve cardigan from the back of the couch, thinking that hospitals tended to run cold and she’d probably need it, before heading for the door. She didn’t bother with her purse. Her only thought was to get downstairs to meet Howler. To get to Vincent. Nothing else mattered.

Nate “Blink” Davis watched as Kevlar’s girlfriend paced the parking lot in front of his apartment. He and Kevlar lived in the same complex, although their paths didn’t cross much, probably because Blink spent most of his time inside his apartment or at Aces.

But today, he’d been staring out at his vehicle…contemplating whether or not to go to the base to work out, something he hadn’t done in weeks. He was sick of himself. Sick of spending so much time in his own head.

Intellectually, he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong on that last mission. The one that had taken out so many of his teammates. Sometimes things just went to shit. Bad luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that’s what happened in Iran.

It had been a long time coming, but Blink was finally pulling his head out of his ass.

Thanks to Remi Stephenson.

She’d approached him in Aces, braved his bad mood and glacial stares and babbled about nothing and anything. She’d been nervous, that much was obvious. But she’d stuck to her guns. Even sounded sincere when she’d called him a hero.

Blink didn’t feel like a hero. Far from it. Didn’t want to hear that kind of thing, from her or anyone else. But that wasn’t what made the fog in his brain finally clear.

It was her cluelessness about the Long Island iced tea. And her laugh. And the way she looked at Kevlar when she didn’t think anyone was watching. The woman didn’t have an artificial bone in her body. She was exactly what she seemed—sweet, kind, and willing to do whatever it took to heal a stranger’s fractured heart.

But it was her touch that really broke through.

No one had touched him in weeks. It was as if they were afraid to. Yes, he’d put up one hell of a shield, effectively keeping everyone away, including his own twin brother. But it was as if Remi hadn’t even noticed his remoteness. Or she just didn’t care. Her gentle hand on his arm broke through his shields as if they were made of paper. And then she’d kissed him. Him. The fucked-up SEAL who others were afraid to approach.

But not Remi. She’d done it without a second thought. It wasn’t sexual. It was a small gesture of friendship, of caring…that made Blink feel human for the first time since shit hit the fan on that mission.

Now he was staring at her pacing in agitation in front of his apartment—and he knew something was wrong. Something big.

As soon as Blink saw Howler’s beat-up old pickup truck pull into the lot, his oh-shit radar kicked into gear.

No way in hell would Kevlar send Howler to get his girl. He’d heard the rumors. Had seen first-hand the disrespect Howler had for his teammate and friend.

No. The man was up to no good.

Making a split-second decision, relying on the skills he’d spent his entire adult life honing yet ignoring in recent weeks, Blink strode for the door. Whatever was happening, he wanted in. He might not have a team anymore, but he’d be damned if he stood by and watched bad things happen to good people ever again.

Remi bit her thumbnail as she paced and waited impatiently for Howler to arrive. With every second that passed, her imagination threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t guess what might have happened. Had Vincent gotten into a car accident? Was there a shooting on the base that he’d been involved in? She hadn’t heard any kind of alert on her phone, but that didn’t mean something big hadn’t gone down.

When she finally saw Howler’s older-model pickup pulling into the parking lot, she was both relieved and even more scared. She walked toward the front passenger seat, ignoring the sound of an apartment door slamming behind her. She tried the handle and was annoyed when the door didn’t immediately open.

She waited for Howler to unlock the door, and when he finally did, she quickly opened it and got in without a moment’s hesitation. “What happened? Where’s Vincent?”

Howler didn’t get a chance to respond because suddenly the door behind her opened and someone slid into the backseat.

Whipping around, Remi saw it was Blink. The SEAL from Aces. The one who some claimed was days away from being committed because he couldn’t snap out of whatever had happened on his last mission.

“Get out,” Howler told him.

“I want in,” Blink said.

“No.”

“I want in,” Blink repeated firmly. “Whatever it is, I’m in.”

Remi looked from Blink to Howler, then back to Blink. She didn’t understand the undercurrent between the two men.

“You get spit in the face enough, you want to show the spitter that you’re more than the dirt under his shoe. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m in. I’ve watched you, Howler. You’re better than the hand you’ve been dealt. You’re a born leader. If I was still able to be on a team, I’d want to be on yours.”

Remi’s brows drew down in bewilderment. She had no idea what Blink was talking about. Who spit on him? And he wanted to be on a team? What team? Was Howler in charge of a team now? She was so confused.

“If you think I’m afraid to get my hands dirty, you’re wrong. They’re already dirty. Filthy. I’ll follow a good leader anywhere he wants to lead me,” Blink said calmly.

A strange smile formed on Howler’s lips. A smile of…satisfaction? “I planned to do this alone, but I’m thinking I could use some help. All right, you can stay. But you do what I say, when I say it. Understand?”

“Yes,” Blink agreed, and shut the door behind him.

“What’s happening?” Remi asked.

“I’ll tell you, but I need to make a stop first,” Howler said.

“A stop?” Remi practically yelled. “No! We need to get to Vincent.”

“And we will, after I make a stop,” Howler said somewhat brusquely.

“But—”

That was all she got out before Blink said, “Hush,” in a low, scary voice.

Turning to look at him, seeing the coldness in his blue eyes, Remi did the only thing that seemed smart at that moment—she hushed.

She held her tongue as Howler drove them down a few streets to another apartment building not far from Vincent’s. He parked and handed his phone to Blink. “Take this and your cell to my apartment. Number one-oh-two. First floor. Go to the sliding door in back, it’s unlocked. Keep them on, but put both phones on the table in the kitchen.”

Without hesitation, Blink nodded and held his hand out for Howler’s phone.

“This is a test,” he said, his voice hard, before releasing the cell to the man.

“And I’m going to pass,” Blink assured him, before opening the door and heading toward the side of the building.

“Howler, seriously, what’s happening? Why are you leaving your phone behind? What if someone tries to call you about Vincent?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he told her.

But Remi was plenty worried. Howler was acting weird, Blink didn’t seem like the same man she’d met in the bar the other night, and she was freaking out about what could have happened to Vincent.

Moments later, she saw Blink headed back in their direction. She was relieved that he’d returned so quickly, that they’d finally be on their way to see Vincent and she could find out for herself if he was all right.

Blink got back in the truck and said, “Done.”

Howler smiled. Then he put the truck in reverse and backed out of the parking space.

“Now will you tell me where Vincent is and what happened to him? If he’s okay?” Remi asked.

Howler didn’t respond. It was as if she wasn’t even there.

For the first time, Remi felt seriously uneasy. But…Howler was a member of Vincent’s team. Was one of his oldest SEAL buddies. They’d been through the iconic Hell Week together. She hadn’t hesitated to get into his truck, because why would she?

“Howler?” she asked.

“What?” he answered in a harsh tone.

Remi winced. “What happened to Vincent? You’re taking me to him, right?”

“Of course. Patience, Remi. All will be revealed soon.”

His words didn’t make her feel better. Not at all.

Realizing she was still holding her phone in her hand, she made a split-second decision to try to call Vincent—which she should’ve done already. He might answer, or one of his other friends would, and she could tell them to let Vincent know she was on her way.

She unlocked the phone and had clicked on the icon that would bring up the keyboard when something hit her in the face.

It was sudden and unexpected, and Remi cried out in pain.

“Give me that!” Howler ordered.

Blinking in confusion, she looked over at Howler. He was scowling at her. As she stared, his fist flew toward her—and she realized in the second before he connected, that’s what had struck her face the first time. Howler had punched her.

She tried to jerk away from his fist but it was no use. His knuckles struck her cheek again, in the same place as before.

Remi groaned, dazed and unable to fight when Howler pried the phone out of her hand.

Then she cried out in shock when arms from behind grabbed her and manhandled her into the backseat of the truck. She hadn’t put on her seat belt earlier, completely forgetting in her panic.

She was slow to react to being dragged over the seat, but now she fought. She had no idea what was happening, but it wasn’t good.

“I’ve got her,” Blink said as she struggled against him, to no avail. He was bigger and stronger than she was, and she quickly found herself on his lap, her back against his chest, his arms around her like steel bands. She wiggled and squirmed, but with her arms pinned to her sides, she couldn’t get any leverage to try to fight the muscular SEAL.

“Let me go! Stop it!” she yelled.

Then one of Blink’s hands covered her mouth, effectively cutting off any further protests she might make.

“Fuck. What a cunt,” Howler muttered from the driver’s seat. He met Remi’s gaze in the rearview for a moment before returning his attention to the road. She stilled at the pure hatred she saw in his eyes. Was this the same man she’d met at Aces? The guy Vincent said was one of his best friends?

“This is your fault,” Howler said. “If you’d behaved, I wouldn’t have had to hit you.”

Anger swam in Remi’s veins. Figures he’d blame her for his violence. She tried to get Blink’s arms to loosen again, but it was a wasted effort. He had a firm grip on her and she wasn’t going anywhere.

The feeling of betrayal hit her out of the blue. She’d thought Blink was a good guy. Had done her best to befriend him, to be kind to him. And this was how he repaid her? What a dick!

Her anger made her renew her struggles. She called him and Howler every bad name she could think of, but the hand over her mouth made her efforts fall a little flat, since the men couldn’t understand her.

“Settle, Remi,” Blink growled in her ear.

For some reason, she froze.

“You got her?” Howler asked from the front seat. “The last thing I need is the bitch getting free.”

“She’s good,” Blink told him.

As she struggled to get her panicked breathing under control…Remi realized that while Blink was holding her immobile, he wasn’t hurting her. The hand over her mouth wasn’t covering her nose, so she could breathe easily. His arm around her was tight, but not painfully so. He’d also wrapped one of his legs around hers, so she couldn’t kick him or use her feet to try to escape.

She was more confused than ever.

She thought about Vincent. Was he okay? Had his so-called friend hurt him too?

“Vincent?” she mumbled behind Blink’s hand. Somehow, Howler understood her.

“Kevlar’s fine. For now,” he muttered darkly. “I just needed a way to get you to come with me on short notice. We don’t have much time to get this done. I have to be back on base for the afternoon meetings. So you need to cooperate. Understand me?”

Cooperate, her ass. If he was supposed to be somewhere, and she could prevent that from happening so someone might ask questions, she was all for it. And now that she knew Vincent was all right, she was all the more determined to get away from these psychopaths.

She realized they were driving west, and Howler was definitely speeding. She prayed that he’d get pulled over, that would be her best chance at getting away. But of course, the farther they drove from the city, the lower her hopes got.

“What’s the plan?” Blink asked after ten minutes or so.

“I’ve got a place already prepped. We’ll leave her there, then get back to the city. Our phones are our alibis. We’ll leave hers with her so she’ll be found. I’ll join in the search parties for her. Of course, when her body’s found, I’ll be just as devastated as everyone else.” An evil smile spread over Howler’s face. “But the show must go on, right? We’re supposed to leave for that mission in Chad in three days. Kevlar will be too devastated to go, I’m sure. So I’ll take over as team leader. We’re gonna need a seventh man. You in? You over whatever bullshit had you all tied up in knots?”

There was a lot to dissect in his little speech, none of which Remi liked. Her heart was beating as fast as a jackrabbit’s and she couldn’t believe Howler was…what was he doing? It sounded like he was taking her somewhere to kill her!

No. That couldn’t be right. And why? Just so he could take over Vincent’s SEAL team? That was…completely insane!

“As I said before, I’m in,” Blink said in a calm, even tone.

“Everyone said you were done for, man. That you’d be chaptered out. But I had a feeling they were wrong. I saw something in you, something I recognized in myself. I need strong people at my back, because Lord knows the fucking team I’m on now are a bunch of pussies. They’d rather sit around like old men at Aces than partake in the buffet of pussy elsewhere. Don’t know why you were wallowing in that place. Everything seems better when your cock is deep in a chick’s hole.” He grinned at Blink in the rearview. “Maybe I’ll take Kevlar’s bitch for a spin, see how she got him wrapped around her finger so fast.”

Remi stiffened. Her anger was fading and panic was quickly returning. There was no way she could overpower Howler. Especially not with Blink holding her as easily as if she were a child.

“I’m thinking we don’t have time for that,” Blink told the other SEAL.

“Damn. That’s probably true. I’m on a timetable here, just over an hour to get this shit done and return to base,” Howler muttered.

“So you were responsible for the Hawaii job, then,” Blink said almost nonchalantly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he retorted.

“Right. Well, it was brilliant, if you ask me.”

“Fucking captain,” Howler muttered. “If he hadn’t fucked up and stopped too early, it would’ve worked.”

“Kevlar’s one of the best swimmers on the team,” Blink argued.

“He is. But twenty miles would be tough at the best of times. He had his wetsuit and scuba gear, but those wouldn’t have helped him against a shark. And if the boat captain had done his job, it would’ve been dark by the time Kevlar got even close to land. At worst, he would’ve been exhausted, maybe even injured and unable to assume his duties. At best…Well, you know.”

Remi felt sick. The things Howler was saying—they were horrible. Especially about someone who was supposed to be his friend. His teammate.

“Fucking asshole captain,” Howler mumbled as he drove. “If he’d just listened to the instructions he’d been given, we wouldn’t be here now.” He looked in the rearview at Remi. “With you along, Kevlar would’ve played the gallant hero he thinks he is, which meant you both would’ve died out there. You weren’t part of the plan, but honestly, I should’ve thought about including a civilian from the start. A helpless chick, someone he wouldn’t be able to leave behind to save his own ass. Kevlar’s always been the noble one, which makes him a shit team leader.”

Remi’s fists clenched. She was back to being pissed. Her emotions were all over the place.

Then she felt something against her arm, and her breath caught. She wanted to look down, to make sure she was feeling what she thought she was, but Blink’s hand was still covering her mouth. She couldn’t move her head, which rested on his shoulder. All she could do was stare straight ahead.

Then she felt it again.

Blink’s thumb…gently stroking her arm. As if he was trying to soothe her.

But that couldn’t be right, could it? Remi was utterly baffled.

Howler was driving even faster now. Her face was throbbing where he’d hit her—hit her, twice—and he was taking her who-knew-where to do who-knew-what before going back to the base and pretending he was as worried as everyone else when it was discovered that she was missing.

Well, screw that. If she got any chance, she was taking it. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. At the very least, she’d get Howler’s DNA under her fingernails so the crime lab would know she’d fought someone. If she could, she’d run, but with Blink helping him, she wasn’t sure that would happen.

Screw him. Screw them both.

“Thanks for taking control of…that,” Howler said, his gaze flicking to Blink.

“Would’ve been hard to drive and subdue her,” he replied emotionlessly.

“True. I’m thinking it was a good thing you snapped out of your shit and decided to come along.”

“Me too,” Blink said.

Remi wanted to plead with Howler to let her go. Promise that she’d leave the Riverton area. That she wouldn’t see Vincent anymore. Anything that might prolong her life. But she couldn’t say anything with Blink’s hand over her mouth, and she didn’t think there was anything she could say that would change Howler’s plans.

But mostly, she knew that she could never give up Vincent.

She swallowed hard and tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She had to stay alert, ready for anything. For the smallest chance to escape. Remi had no idea what Blink would do if she ran, but she had no doubt Howler would do whatever he could to prevent her from getting away.

The next sixty minutes would be the most important of her life. She could give up and accept whatever Howler had planned, or she could fight. And while she might be an introverted nerd, she wasn’t ready to die.

“What do you mean, she’s not there?” Kevlar asked Caroline in confusion. She was supposed to pick up Remi at his apartment and drive her to Aces, where he would have met them for lunch.

That was the plan, anyway. But the meetings had run late that morning and he’d had to cancel. Which pissed him off, but it couldn’t be helped. It looked like they would be going wheels up in thirty-six hours or less, and he wasn’t satisfied with the latest intel they’d received. He wasn’t sending his team into a situation without as many concrete facts as possible, if he could help it.

The HVT they were being sent to neutralize had several safe houses in the city, and while they had good intel on the one where he’d most likely be hiding, they needed to know the layouts of every house. Just in case. There were dozens of things that could go wrong, and it was his job as team leader to mitigate as many of the roadblocks as possible.

He’d texted both Caroline and Remi about the change in plans twenty minutes ago…and now that he thought about it, Kevlar hadn’t heard back from Remi after he’d sent that text. Which wasn’t common. He’d been so intent on figuring out egress routes for the team, it hadn’t hit him until right this moment that she hadn’t texted him back.

“She’s not here,” Caroline told him again. “I’m at your place, and she isn’t answering. Her car is here though. Maybe she got a ride from someone else?”

But Kevlar was already shaking his head. No, she wouldn’t do that without letting him know. When he brought up their text string, his message to her was the last one.

Kevlar’s mind immediately went into planning mode. His team was on a much-deserved break. They’d left about half an hour ago and weren’t required to be back for another hour. “If you could head to Aces and see if she’s there, I’d appreciate it,” Kevlar told Caroline calmly. If his team was here right now, they’d know immediately something was wrong, because whenever shit hit the fan, while others might get hyped up and excited, Kevlar did the opposite. He got hyper focused, almost unemotional.

“Of course. I’m sure she’s fine,” Caroline said.

“Yeah,” Kevlar agreed, but deep down he knew something wasn’t right. He didn’t know what, but Remi wouldn’t change plans without letting him know. He may have only met her a short time ago, but he knew that without a doubt.

“Kevlar?” his commander asked when he’d hung up with Caroline. “What’s wrong?” Just like his team, Kevlar’s commander could also read his moods.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Remi’s not home.”

“And that’s unusual?”

“Yes.”

“What do you need from me?”

That was the thing—Kevlar had no idea what he needed to do, or what anyone else should do, for that matter. All he knew was that every fiber of his being was screaming that something was wrong. That Remi was in trouble. “Can you call the team? See if they can come back from lunch early?”

“Of course.”

Kevlar took a deep breath. Everything within him was telling him to leave, to find Remi. To confirm with his own eyes that she was all right. But that would be a mistake. Without any intel, without knowing where to start looking for her, all he’d be doing was spinning his wheels.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He couldn’t panic. Not now. He prayed there was a good reason Remi was in the wind. That she’d tease him later for his overreaction to her not being at the apartment when Caroline got there. He hoped against all hope that she’d simply gotten the plans mixed up, and had maybe called an Uber to take her to Aces instead of waiting for Caroline. That she’d roll her eyes at the fuss when she was discovered at the bar, safe and sound.

But deep down, he knew she wasn’t there. Something had happened…and his gut told him it had to do with Hawaii.

He’d been an idiot for not taking her safety more seriously. If someone was after him, it only made sense that they’d try to get to him through Remi. It wasn’t as if he’d hidden how much she was coming to mean to him.

How much he loved her.

He wasn’t even surprised at the thought. He loved Remi. Hell, he’d basically moved her into his apartment without a second thought and had every intention of convincing her to stay. He couldn’t wait to see her at the end of each day and lived for the cute texts she sent him randomly while he was working.

The thought of something happening to her because of him was unacceptable. She didn’t have an enemy in the world. She was in trouble because he hadn’t worked hard enough to figure out who wanted to hurt him.

The phone rang in the silence of the conference room, bringing Kevlar back to the present. He ground his teeth together. No one hurt his woman and got away with it. He’d find Remi and fucking destroy whoever it was who dared try to take her away from him.