Page 4 of Married to the SEAL
She squeezed her eyes shut. “That’s three months from now.”
“Yes. Three months of inconvenience for you to give those people out there a better life.”
She laughed without humor. “Inconvenience. Marrying someone I don’t even know is an inconvenience.”
What does it matter now, anyway?
Her heart was already broken, her hopes for the future shattered. Nico’s father would never be part of her life again.
“Getting married now won’t change the fact I wasn’t married when he was born.”
“A minor matter of the date. I’ll take care of it.”
She nodded and stood. “Does he have a name?”
“Matteo Cruz.”
“He must be a real winner if he’s willing to marry a stranger for a paycheck.”
“Or else he’s willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good, just like you are.”
A pounding on the study door made her jump, and her eyes met her father’s, seeing the matching concern there.
“Come in,” said her father.
His security advisor walked in. “There’s been an explosion on the pedestrian bridge downtown. It’s collapsed, sir.”
“Any casualties?”
The man’s face was gaunt, haunted. “There appear to be hundreds.”
4
Matteo had been followingthe news out of the Republic of Lutsia closely. The election was hotly contested, a tight race between the long-term incumbent, Anton Vasile, and his opponent, Victor Trane. Each was laying the blame for the terrorist attack at his opponent’s feet.
When Matteo got in this car at the airport, he’d been surprised to find Vasile’s security advisor, General Talia, waiting inside—ostensibly to brief him on the leader’s security concerns for his daughter. But it was clear to Matteo the other man was really here to assess him.
“We have no definitive evidence on who blew up the pedestrian bridge,” said the advisor.
“I saw the coverage. It was horrible.”
“Yes. One hundred forty-five people gone in the blink of an eye, with twenty-two still unaccounted for.”
“Have any terror groups taken responsibility?”
The older man fingered the brim of his hat in his lap. “Only one. A group claiming to be in support of Vasile.”
“They’re trying to make you look bad.”
“Yes.”
“Or they are telling the truth.”
“Are you insinuating President Vasile would plan a deliberate attack on his own people?”
“Someone did.”
“Trane’s team is the one that did this. They are attempting to stir up unrest among the citizens as a way to show Vasile is incompetent.”
