Page 17 of Harbored by the SEAL
“I can’t believe you left them alone. Someone was killed on this ship already.”
“But you said that wasn’t a big deal! That it was a crew member fighting with another crew member or something.”
“That was before all this other shit hit the fan.”
Cowboy opened a drawer and withdrew a handgun, stopping to put on a holster beneath his shirt. Were there other weapons on this ship? He and Abby had bypassed the scanners the other passengers went through, but he had to believe their enemies were armed, too.
“Get your weapon,” he said. “We no longer know what we’re up against. Go back to the pool deck and look for them. Don’t leave there no matter what. I’ll check in with you within the hour.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to check their cabin.”
“The prince and princess? They’re not supposed to know we’re watching them.”
“So if they answer I’ll tell them I knocked on the wrong door. Jesus, Abby. It’s more important that we find them.”
He took the stairs two at a time and made his way to the Lido deck. It was faster to walk outside than through the ship.
It wasn’t looking like Abby was going to have a future career with HERO Force, after all, but Jax was right. They needed some women on the team. Calling in someone like Abby when they needed a female was downright dangerous.
He told himself to calm down. The royals had probably retired to their cabin for some honeymoon sex and a nap, for Pete’s sake, but Cowboy's mind had already taken a turn toward the dramatic and he needed to see for himself that they were okay.
He made his way past the towering slides of the waterpark and a fenced-in basketball court on his way to the private elevator. He took it to one of the ship’s most expensive suites three floors below, where the prince and princess were staying on this journey.
He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. He pounded some more. When he was satisfied no one was inside, he withdrew a key card from his pocket — which Harrison had given him when he boarded the ship — and opened it himself.
His eyes took in the chaotic scene, even as his mind refused to process it. A fight had taken place here. A very physical fight, from the look of things. A painting was askew on the wall, pillows from the couch thrown this way and that. A glass coffee table was cracked.
He drew his gun, clearing first the kitchen, then a small study and a master bedroom and bath. The suite was empty.
He walked back to the sitting room, where he’d entered, swearing mightily as he kicked a couch. The royals he was hired to protect were gone.
He needed backup, and he had no way to send word to HERO Force. He was supposed to check in with them twice a day. Would Logan take his missed check-ins as the sign of trouble they were?
He liked Logan. The kid was smart — smarter than almost anyone else Cowboy knew — but he’d yet to prove himself to be the highly valuable member of the team Cowboy knew he could be.
Come on, Doc. Figure it out for me, or we’re all dead in the water.
Literally.
12
Jax staredat the picture Jessa just texted him of baby Emily sleeping in her arms and gently touched the screen. He never knew he could love so much, be so fulfilled by a woman and a child.
His daughter wasn’t even a month old and already he knew he wouldn’t miss his role at HERO Force half as much as he thought he would. He was ready to be another kind of hero now.
A father.
Soon he’d be a husband, too. He’d already picked out the ring and was just waiting for the right moment to get down on one knee and ask Jessa to be his bride.
They’d talked about it enough that it wouldn’t be a surprise. Hell, he’d practically begged her the whole second half of her pregnancy. Now that the moment was almost here, he couldn’t wait to officially become a family.
Cowboy would take good care of HERO Force when Jax wasn’t around. Yes, Leo was ready for the responsibility, had already proved himself along the way. If there was anything that gave Jax pause about handing over the reins, it was his own fixation with the company, not Cowboy’s ability to handle it.
HERO Force was in need of some staffing additions. A woman or two — for sure — maybe another man. Someone who could take the abilities of the team to the next level. And with the long-term assignment he’d just agreed to send Matteo on, he’d need another pilot.
He leaned back in his chair, which squeaked beneath his weight. He should probably let Matteo know about his upcoming job. It wasn’t the kind of assignment Jax usually accepted, but an old friend was in need.
