Page 78 of SEAL by Fate

“No, not at all.” Jamison laughed. “I knew hitting him in the right spot would paralyze his trigger finger. It’s a chance we had to take to save thousands.”

*

“You don’t like me much, do you, Abel?” Stormy whispered so she didn’t disturb Colette who was cuddled up on the couch in the office of the Ghost Hawks. They had been waiting for hours for the other men and the sun had come up long ago.

Abel brought his gaze upward. He was a nice-looking man with stunning eyes, but he’d barely said more than two words to her since they’d arrived. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re mistaking my feelings.”

Stormy paced the floor, then stopped in front of Abel. “Then maybe you think I’m at fault like the rest of your team.” Why was she pushing for answers? Shouldn’t she be glad that Duncan was dead and she and Colette were safe? No…she needed more answers.

He sat straight and swiped a palm down his cheek. “I have nothing against you, but…” he gave his head a shake.

“It’s okay to tell me.” She took a seat and clasped her hands nervously in her lap.

“Listen, Carlisle and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, but we have each other’s backs. It isn’t that I have anything against you as much as what the team is losing. He’s a damn good agent and they’re hard to find.”

She blinked. “What do you mean? What you’re losing?”

“He’s screwed up on this assignment and because of that, he’ll be pushed out. Whether he acted in self-defense or not, this is serious.”

“And you think I made his do these things.” She lowered her eyes.

He shrugged. “You don’t get it, ma’am. In this career we need a clear head. He thinks he fu—" He squinted. “Sorry. I mean, he messed up. What will he do if he leaves the team? Become a rancher? It doesn’t work like that, not for SEALs—not for members of an elite team. We live and breathe this work and so does Carlisle. Don’t let him fool you.”

Wrapping her brain around his words, her heart skipped several beats and her palms became clammy. What Abel was telling her was that Gray could never be happy doing anything but being on the elite force. It wasn’t as if she wanted him to lose his job. He might never forgive her.

“Storm?”

At the sound of Colette’s soft voice, Stormy went to her sister. “It’s okay, Colette. We’re fine. Let’s go home.”

“Wait. You’re supposed to stay here,” Abel said.

“Look, Phantom is dead. The woman Natasha is dead. We need to go home.” Stormy helped Colette up from the couch. “I’m taking my sister to have her checked out to make sure she doesn’t have any serious injuries. You can tell Gray that we snuck out of you have to.”

He stood and opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come. He nodded his understanding. “I’m sorry.”

She nodded. “Thank you for bringing us here.”

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