SEAL by Fate Read online

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He grabbed his phone from his pocket and hit a number. It was answered on the second ring. “I have an ID…Phantom’s real name is Duncan Hart, or at least an alias…I’ll send over the address of his place and a church on Whispering Mountain that needs scoured…and by the way, we also have an ID of who he’s working with…Rani Maldez.”

  After he clicked off, he saw her pale expression and he felt a stab in his gut. Why hadn’t he realized this before? It all made sense now. He’d fucked up.

  Stacking the photos, he shoved them back into the folder. “It’s okay, Stormy. You’ve helped. Can you give me the address where Duncan lived? Any information you can think of.” He pushed over the folder and a pen. “Write it on here.”

  “I-I can, but I don’t know anything about him. He was very private.”

  “I’m sure he was.” He scowled. He couldn’t sit still, pacing the floor. Gray was tired of Phantom’s games. And the fact that the bastard had used Stormy in his scheme ripped through Gray, leaving a pain unlike anything he’d ever felt.

  “He’s the man who’s planted bombs? He’s killed people?” Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “I don’t think our meeting was an accident, Stormy.”

  “But…that’s not possible. Duncan had no clue about the cabin. Or that you’d be on the mountain at that moment.”

  Gray sat back in the chair, rubbing his brows. “Yeah, he could have. I was lured by an informant, just as you were given the keys by a woman. You said a wedding planner, right?”

  “Yes, but that’s not possible. Is it? Oh no. Tiffany was in on this with Duncan?”

  “I doubt her real name is Tiffany. Just as I don’t believe Dory was her real name either.”

  Several expressions flitted across Stormy’s face before settling on confusion. “Duncan used me to get to you, didn’t he?” She shoved her chair back. The legs squealed across the wooden floor. “I led him to you. Didn’t I?” She stood and took several steps to the center of the room. She had lost most of her color and he wondered if she’d fall.

  “Do you need your medicine?”

  She gave her head a jerky shake.

  Gray leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees while keeping his gaze glued on her. “You couldn’t have known. Hell, I’m not a newbie investigator and I missed the clues.” Hell, he hadn’t only missed the clues, but he played right into Phantom’s plans.

  “How did you find out? Did you catch him? Please tell me he’s behind bars.” There was a deep penetrating anger to her voice. Gray understood. This would be hard to swallow, and yet he hadn’t told her the most horrifying news yet.

  He gave his head a shake. “No, unfortunately not.”

  “Are you not telling me something?”

  Getting up, he walked the short distance to her, needing to be close as he told her the most difficult news. “You should sit.”

  “I’m not sitting, Gray. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “There was a car bombing in front of a church yesterday. The Hawks investigated the scene because it was identical to Phantom’s previous jobs. They traced the owner of the vehicle through the vehicle identification number that was found in the rubble. Your sister, Colette, owned the car.”

  *

  Stormy felt her world collapse. Her knees weakened but Gray was there, catching her in the secure grip of his arms and carrying her into the living room. He sat down, placing her on his lap. “My sister’s car was bombed? Oh my God, Gray. Is she dead?” Tears streamed down her face and she couldn’t stop them.

  He wiped away some of the moisture with the pad of his thumb. “No. We don’t know that, Stormy. There were no signs that she had been in the car when the bomb was detonated There was nothing found that indicated anybody was in the car at the time of the explosion.”

  “But would there be evidence? What if…” she couldn’t even finish the grotesque words. Acid churned in her stomach and she wanted to vomit.

  “We’d know if there was a body in the car, sweetheart.”

  All the strength in her body faded and she buried her face in his neck, allowing her emotions to succumb her. “I haven’t been able to reach her in days. She’s not okay, is she? Where is she?”

  He laid his hand on her head and massaged her scalp while the other hand was on her back. “We’ll find her. The team is searching.”

  “Duncan did this. I know he did. He hated Colette. She hated him.” Stormy lifted her head. “He’s a killer. Oh my God, Gray. I was involved with a killer.”

  “Have you had any contact with him since we left the cabin?”

  She gave her head a shake. “No. None at all. I had no clue that he was tangled in this. That he is a wanted criminal. A terrorist! How did I not know?”

  “Good criminals can hide right under our noses. It’s easy to miss the signs.”

  “You’re just being kind to me. You must be wondering too how I didn’t know.”

  “Hush.” He lifted her chin. “That’s not true. This isn’t your fault.”

  “He’s killed her.”

  “I’ve investigated many crimes, Stormy. If he killed her, she’d have been in the car when he set off the bomb. This is a message from Phantom. It’s a personal message for us both.”

  She blinked. “A message? What message? If it is, it’s a sinister one.”

  “Phantom enjoys playing games. You can give us information on him. Useful information. Will you speak to one of the Hawks and tell them everything you know about Duncan?” He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

  “Why can’t I tell you?” She was comfortable with him.

  “I can be with you, but when we nail this bastard for his crimes, we don’t want him to get off on a technicality. An attorney worth his weight could make it seem as if our relationship skewed my way of thinking.”

  21

  STORMY WOKE TO the sunlight streaming in and heating her face. She stretched lazily and her foot skimmed something warm. Then she remembered, Gray was in bed with her. She’d asked him to stay with her and he had told her, “I wouldn’t leave you for the world.”

  She smiled, although it didn’t last long as her memory came rushing back. Yesterday had been one of the worst in her life. First, she’d found out that Colette was missing and possibly Duncan had kidnapped her. Then she was questioned for two long hours about what she knew on Duncan. The men from Ghost Hawks, Jamison and Cowboy, had been all business and she’d wondered if they blamed her for any of this.

  What had gotten her through the event was having Gray sitting next to her the entire time. He could have left her alone, but he’d chosen to stay with her and that had meant the world to her. He’d even held her hand at one point when emotions had overcome her, and she knew that was huge considering his partners were watching with an inquisitive eye. She guessed the team of tough men watched each other’s back and she was the stranger who drifted in…Duncan’s ex of all things. She’d understand if they hated her.

  Right now, Stormy couldn’t focus on what people thought of her. She needed her sister. But there was nothing she could do. Her hands were tied. She had to trust in the Ghost Hawks.

  After the men had gone late last night, Gray had held her closely until he’d carried her to bed. He hadn’t made a move to make love to her, but just held her close, massaging her head and her back until she must have fallen asleep.

  Now she cuddled close to him, absorbing his warmth and inhaling his spicy scent. His body felt so good—a body she’d gotten to know very well. Her heart was heavy, but she desperately needed him. Wanted to feel his arms around her.

  A moan slipped from his still body and he rolled over, tossing one brawny arm over her waist possessively. Even when her world was falling apart, right here with him, she knew she was safe. She trusted that he would find Colette.

  This man next to her had been so kind, but once this was over, and Duncan was caught, would Gray no
t want anything to do with her? It made her sick to know that she and Duncan had been intimate.

  She needed to erase all memory of Duncan from her mind and body.

  There was only one way…

  Lifting the sheet she looked down Gray’s beautiful naked body. He was hard and ready. He could help her rid her body of Duncan’s touch.

  She shimmied down the bed and touched his erection. He shifted and moaned, and she wrapped her lips around his hot shaft, taking him in like a candy cane. She felt him rustle and a deep groan escaped him.

  His hands were now on her head, entwining his fingers in her hair and lightly tugging. She needed him so desperately. Wanted him to erase the memories of her past. Tears filled her eyes, but she enjoyed his taste—loved feeling powerful. She needed a moment’s peace, and in return she wanted to please Gray. Wanted to show him how grateful she was to have him here with her.

  Gray’s moan reached her ears like a raw invitation. A sexy, passionate sound that made her inner thighs tremble.

  His hips moved slightly, slow at first, then they began an erotic pattern. He drove himself between her lips, but he was gentle, and she could feel him holding back.

  Desire made her toes curl. Giving a blowjob had never been at the top of her list for pleasure seeking activities, but having him under her, in her mouth was easily the most sensual sexual act she’d done in a long time. Never had she been so wet and full of excitement. She suckled him deep in her throat, clenching against his tip and he jerked in response.

  “I’m going to come,” he said on an exhale of breath.

  Instead of pulling away, she swallowed him, feeling the warm flood down her throat. When his spasms stopped, she slipped him from her mouth and crawled back up to lie next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” he mumbled in a sleep-hazed voice.

  “No, thank you. I needed that. I need you.”

  “How are you this morning, sweetheart?” He caressed her back, down to her buttocks, then back up to her shoulders. Then he was massaging her thighs and he was hard again, pressing the apex of her thighs.

  “Is it normal to want to have sex when life is crumbling and so uncertain?”

  “I find that sex is about the only thing that calms me after I had a screwed-up day.”

  “Then you won’t think I’m foolish if I ask you to make love?”

  He growled and rolled over to look down at her. “That would be such a selfish request.” He winked. “But I think I’m up for it. Literally.”

  Heaven help her. He was ready again and she wanted him so badly. Her entire world was exploding in all different directions, even as her thoughts overwhelmed her, she spread her legs and rolled her hips, inviting him to take her.

  His head moved down her neck to her naked breasts as he took one thick nipple into his mouth, suckling and nibbling the tip. While he tended to one, he squeezed the other, molding the mound to his palm. She pushed her head into the pillow, closing her eyes and allowing the amazing sensations to come over her in waves. For the moment she didn’t want the reality of their situation to bleed into this fantasy world. She deserved this. Hell, she needed this more than her next breath.

  His hand slipped down between their bodies and touched her most sensitive part. She pressed her slit against his palm, craving more.

  His mouth was on her breasts and he removed his hand from between her legs, pressing the head of his cock against her warmth. In one thrust, he pushed himself inside her. Her body was still chafed from the last time, and yet she was so hypersensitive, her clit swollen. She found his touch more arousing, loved the new ache in her body.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered.

  “Yes. No. I mean…I’m on fire.”

  He began a rhythm that had her writhing under him. Their bodies fit so perfectly as if they were built to make love—built to be one.

  All worry and stress floated to the background of her mind as she was overtaken by a fierce longing. Their hearts beat in unison. She clung to him tightly. She pressed her hips higher, demanding that he go faster. He followed her lead and pounded her fast and hard. She sunk her nails deep into his back and squeezed her thighs around his hips, burying the heels of her feet into his buttocks. Not sure what came over her, but she rode the wild waves.

  His pants became heavy.

  Sweat soaked their bodies, making them slick and slippery. He grabbed her ankles and lifted them high and he continued to drive deep inside her. He was so deep, touching virgin parts of her. She cried out, clinging to his shoulders, until she gave him a push. He dropped back onto the bed and she crawled over him, grabbing his shaft as she came down on his large cock, riding him like a wild cowgirl racing against the wind. He stretched her, his hands on her back, massaging her muscles. Her heart was beating so fast that her ear drums throbbed. “Yes! Yes!”

  He shuddered and a satisfied moan slipped from his lips.

  She fell to his moist chest, not caring about anything but the post-orgasmic high.

  They lay there a long time, silence a pleasing blanket.

  He’d breached all her safety zones. What would become of them after all this was done? Could she possibly think of life without him?

  The chirp of his phone from the nightstand was a harsh interruption. He reached over and read the screen, his jaw tightening.

  When he laid his phone back down, she asked, “Work? Is it about my sister?”

  “Sorry, no. I’ll need to go in.” He kissed her fully on the mouth, then slid from the cocoon of the bed.

  At a cross between disappointment and excitement, she reminded herself that he had a job to do. He needed to find her sister. She couldn’t rely on him to comfort her.

  He didn’t have any modesty as he moved to the dresser and pulled out boxers and jeans. He had every reason to not be self-conscious.

  When he looked at her, she didn’t bother hiding the fact that she’d been admiring him. After all, she’d gotten to know his body well over the last few days.

  “Will you be okay?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I have Lola to keep me company.” At the mention of her name, the dog perked her ears, but didn’t bother lifting her head. “I think she must miss her family. She seems depressed.”

  “I think she’s just lazy.” He laughed.

  “Either way, I think we should do everything we can to find her people.” Lifting herself up on her elbow, she watched Gray take his gun from the safety box.

  “We will. When this is all over. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “That seemed half-hearted.”

  “It’s just that…” She couldn’t seem to work the words around her tongue.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He came to sit next to her on the bed.

  “How can you forget that I was involved with Duncan?” She looked up at him through the veil of her lashes. “I feel sickened by that fact.”

  “You didn’t know, Stormy.”

  “No, I didn’t, but if you had known he and I…well, that we were involved, you wouldn’t have wanted to get close to me. Would you?”

  He swiped a hand over his head. Stress lines appeared around his eyes. “I can’t answer that. We are where we are and I’m not complaining.”

  “Your friends, Jamison and Cowboy, don’t like me. They see me as the enemy.”

  “Not true. Jamison and Cowboy don’t hold anything against you.”

  She nodded, but the feeling in her body didn’t disappear.

  He kissed her cheek. “Remember, don’t let anyone through the gate. If you need me, I’ll be here. Okay?”

  “Sure. Of course. I need to go to the post office to get my mail and I need to pick up my prescription. I also want to stop by Colette’s apartment. I know you said it was scoured, but I’d feel better. I’ll call a cab—”

  “Don’t bother with a cab. I’ll leave you the keys to the SUV in the garage.”
>
  “Gray…”

  “Before you try and resist, I won’t take no for an answer. However, you can’t go alone to your sister’s place. It’s possible Phantom or one of his goons will be watching.”

  She could see his point. “I promise I won’t go there alone, but will you go with me as soon as possible?”

  “Yes.”

  “Find my sister, Gray. Please.” She pleaded.

  “We’ll find her. I know it’s hard, but after all the information you gave us, it’s only a matter of time. His apartment was cleared out and he was renting it under a different name, of course.”

  “How does he get by with this?”

  “He’s a professional criminal. He’s always one step ahead. However, he must feel his rope getting shorter.”

  *

  “This is her. This is the woman who was with Phantom.” Gray stared at the picture of the woman.

  Cowboy tapped the picture. “From the bruising on her neck, he strangled her to death, then dumped her.”

  Jamison leaned against the corner of Gray’s desk. “From what the detective said, she was there less than twenty-four hours and there were no prints.”

  “Do they have a definite ID on her?” Gray leaned back into his chair.

  “Her name is Natasha Reed, but she’s used at least a dozen pseudonyms. So, she is the woman who was the wedding planner too?” Cowboy asked.

  “I’m sure she was, and the informant that led me to Whispering Mountain. Phantom had used her, and Stormy, and then when he was done with Natasha, he disposed of her. That doesn’t surprise me.” Gray felt a stab of anger. He realized how easily this could be Stormy lying dead in a dumpster. Once Phantom had used her up, he would have taken care of her too. There were still missing pieces, like whether Phantom had initiated a relationship with Stormy for his own personal leverage, or did he decide after they’d been dating that he would use her? No matter which way, it made him a low-down scumbag. This only put the need to catch him even higher on Gray’s priority list.