Page 81 of Don't Look Back

“Did he have any idea who you are? That you’re a SEAL?”

“I told him my name, but he has no reason to suspect anything. Listen, it’s a long story about where I was and why we were there. But this casts the shooting on Little Creek in a new light. Kira might have been the target then, but with Laskin involved, there’s got to be more to it.”

Chris’s mind reeled as if he’d taken a blow and was trying to shake it off and stay on his feet.

Laskin was ultimately responsible for the deaths of three SEALs, but there was so much more to the story. “I’ll call Commander Gleeson and Captain Huang. It’ll probably take an hour to get everyone on base. I’ll get one of them to contact you and give permission to read Kira in.”

“Good. Freya should be read in too. She has details on another oligarch associated with Laskin. There’s more with the CIA that she’s looking into, but as far as I know, Freya knows nothing about Laskin.”

“Got it. I’ll make my calls, and one of us will get back to you ASAP.”

Chris hit the End button and met Diana’s gaze. They’d been lounging in bed enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning now that she was mostly recovered from surgery.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

He kissed her. “I’ll tell you if I get permission. It has to do with Kira, but it probably doesn’t have anything to do with you or last December. Kira can tell you her part when she gets back if it comes to that.”

“Damn. Sounds serious.”

“Very.” He ran a hand over his face. The desire to tell her burned deep, but he had to honor his oath, just as Rand was doing in Malta.

He kissed her, gentle and soft, mindful that she was still recovering, then climbed from the bed. “I need to call Commander Gleeson, then head to the base. Don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“If everyone is called in, I can give Steph a hand with the kids. Lily’s birthday party is today.”

“You sure you’re up for that?”

“Yes. And I’ll be bored without you home today.”

“If you could help Steph, it would be amazing. Tell her I’m sorry to ruin Lily’s day, but Kramer is needed.”

“She knows the drill.”

Stephanie Kramer did know the drill, and Diana was getting used to it. But then, she had her own work for Friday Morning Valkyries that had her versed in national security and intelligence gathering. She got it.

Chris left her and went to his office to make the calls. It was going to be a long day, and probably even longer night.

Grigory Laskin.

Holy fuck.

He wished he could call Xavier, but there wasn’t time.

Teague Collins settled in the seat next to Chris Flyte—at once familiar, but also new. He’d been glad to end up on Lieutenant Flyte’s team again after more than a year of recovery and rebuilding strength. Different base, different team, but same Assistant Officer in Charge.

Today his AOIC had called him personally before the meeting. After saying he had no time to explain, Flyte instructed Teague to take Fallon’s place at the table. He braced himself, knowing Flyte wouldn’t have given those instructions lightly. If anyone should have a seat at the table in Rand’s absence, it should be the team’s new junior lieutenant, Jacob Burns, not a mere Petty Officer Second Class like him.

He and Flyte had very different experiences when it came to the training exercise that had stolen a year from Teague’s service in the SEALs. He’d watched Flyte make his HALO jump into the storm and followed with the others, splashing down in a frigid lake and swimming to the designated spot with his Fire Team.

Twenty minutes later, Teague was injured and the other three men on his team were dead. He went in and out of consciousness for what he was told was a few hours, then sank into total oblivion until he woke in a Navy hospital a few days later.

During that time, Flyte and the rest of the platoon had been in a fight for their lives against an unexpected enemy, armed only with guns that fired paint pellets.

Teague was lucky to be alive. Even luckier that his injury hadn’t prevented him from returning to active duty and reclaiming a spot on a SEAL team. He felt stronger than ever and was determined to prove he deserved this second chance to be a special operator.

He’d failed his Fire Team. He knew it wasn’t his fault, understood that the training had been jacked before he jumped from the plane. But there was knowing and there was believing.

Every day was an exercise in trying to be worthy of being the one who’d survived. Of figuring out how he could best represent the three men who’d died.

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