Page 2 of Loving Leila
Chapter 2
Kyle
“All right team, listen up.” I wait a moment as the room settles down. “Communications received a distress signal from the Mystique, a luxury cruise liner out on the Caribbean route. They managed to get a partial call out before communication was lost. Despite numerous attempts, we were unable to raise them again.”
“They still floating, sir?” Hot Sauce, the youngest on the team, asks.
“Yeah. We got eyes on them via satellite, and as at the start of this briefing, they were.”
“Possibly someone jamming the signal, Merlin?” Ace pipes up, addressing me by nickname.
“Yeah, we suspect so.”
“Any demands yet?” This from Phantom.
“Nothing yet, no. So we’re unsure if they’re simply in distress or there’s something more sinister at play. We do, however, know that Senator Grant Stanton’s son is onboard with a team of employees as an incentive trip. There’s a strong possibility that, if this is in fact a hijacking, he’s the target.”
Pulling up an image on the screen behind me, I continue, “However, this is Phillip Stanton, CEO of StanCorp. The woman with him is his executive assistance, Leila Asherton. Stanton’s been pissing off a lot of captains of industry lately with a revolutionary new product aimed at phasing out the use of fossil fuel. The reason why he’s top of our list of targets if this is, in fact, a hijacking.”
The questions come fast and furious, and I spend the next fifteen minutes answering them. “The only way to ascertain which scenario we’re dealing with is to get on board that ship. To that end, we’ll rendezvous with the USS San Remos. They’re returning to the US after trials on the new submersives, and we’re being given the opportunity to take them out on their inaugural run.”
Over the next fifteen minutes, I lay out our strategy for boarding the cruise liner.
“All right, that’s it. Boots up in thirty, team. Dismissed.”
As the rest of the guys vacate the room, I turn to look at the screen. My heart squeezes so hard I rub it in an effort to ease the pain.
I walked away from her five years ago, the one woman who means everything to me. And it’s something I’ve regretted. Every. Damn. Day. Since.
* * *
Lost in thought,the voice of our pilot pulls me out of my head.
“About to commence descent, Chief.”
“Copy that.” Smooth as silk, the bird comes to rest on the deck of the USS San Remos. “Let’s go, gents.”
As we land, I find the ship’s commanding officer waiting for us.
“Welcome aboard, gentlemen.”
Saluting, I shout to be heard above the sound of the rotor blades. “Thank you, sir.”
“You, Jackson?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good to meet you.” His eyes track behind me. “Looks like you’re all safely aboard. Follow me.”
Below deck, we gather for a briefing, talking strategy and figuring out the final details of this operation. Before long, the team is loaded in two of the submersives, and we’re ready. I’m curious about these new mini submarines. There’s been a lot of talk about them, not least because of their radar signature. Even if we’re picked up on the ship’s radar, they’ll think we’re nothing more than a couple of whales.
The small subs cut through the water fairly quickly for their size, and in less time than I would have thought, we’re approaching the cruise ship. My thoughts shift from the tiny vessels we’re on to the mission at hand. I’m trying to keep thoughts of Leila at bay. I need my head in the game.
I can’t keep her — and the others — safe if I can’t keep my mind on the task at hand. Not to mention my team. These men are more than teammates; they’re family. And it’s my job to ensure their safety.
“Gentlemen, thank you for sailing USS Champion. Please remain seated until docked and remember to take all personal items with you when disembarking,” our pilot jokes. It breaks the tension for a moment.
We feel the gentlest of bumps as the submarine nestles up to the hull. The engine hums as we rise to snorkeling depth to survey our surroundings via the surveillance cameras mounted on the outside. Giving us the all-clear, he surfaces for us to board.
