Page 10 of Troubled Water
8
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO— AGE 30
Stunned by discovering the identity of the outlandishly beautiful woman I just kissed, I’m infuriated when my Rolex vibrates with the signal I’ve been waiting for all day. Two short pulses followed by a long one. Shit. Still, even as I break the kiss, I verify, “Bethany McCallister?”
When she nods, my head spins at the irony of fate throwing Linc McCallister’s daughter in my path. The SEAL motto floats through my mind. “The only easy day was yesterday.” Obviously my predecessors who believed that never knew they’d be confronted by the daughter of past missions’ ghosts.
Unfortunately, I have to leave her to her caterwauling friend and haul ass as my transpo is leaving downstairs in less thanthree minutes. Slinking away, as soon as I’m within the shadows of my room, I snatch up my go bag.
Still, I can’t help but look back at the blond standing just where I left her.
Fuck.
The Mexican sunis quivering low on the horizon, casting long shadows as I crouch behind an abandoned building on the outskirts of Playa del Carmen. Sweat drips down my neck as the heat rises in waves, trying to suffocate me in my gear. But the discomfort caused by the heat isn’t what has my nerves frayed.
It’s remembering the look on Bethany’s face as I turned around at the last second at the door.
One minute, I had her wrapped in my arms, feeling a connection I’d never felt before. Something real. All day I’d been enchanted by her laughter, the way her eyes lit up when she flirted with me. Then there was that kiss—that punch to the gut. A moment of time I never wanted to end, but then, it was gone. Snatched away by duty.
Adjusting my earpiece, I keep an eye on the small compound across the road. The worn structure blends seamlessly into the rundown neighborhood surrounding it. But the intel I was provided makes me know better. Inside, behind those crumbling walls, are two high-value targets—a cartel lieutenant and a computer filled with information on several arms deals of stolen US prototypes. That was why I was sent to Playa del Carmen in the first place. Why I had to leave without a warning or a goodbye to Bethany.
Certainly, I couldn’t give her an explanation even if I did know the integrity her family possessed firsthand.
Lifting my sniper rifle, I peer through the night scope to see into the ramshackle building. Just then, a familiar voice comes through my earbud. My former SEAL teammate, Kyle, asks, “Thorn, do you have eyes on the target?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, my voice low and steady. “Gutierrez is prepping for the meet.”
“Hold position. We’re two minutes out.”
“Roger that.”
I sit back on my heels, my mind wandering despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. This is the life I chose—a life of duty, patriotism, and protection. It was what I was trained for, what I was good at. But now I’m wondering how many more times I can walk away unscathed. How much time have I lost because I closed myself off?
I glance at my watch. Time is running out. I have to stay sharp, stay focused. The cartel is ruthless, and any mistake would be deadly—not just for me, but for my team and anyone else in the vicinity. There is no room for error, no space for my personal life to interfere.
My whole life has been like this. Secrets. Lies. The job. Having to compartmentalize. Never letting someone—save a select few—get too close. But tonight…felt different. Walking away from Bethany felt wrong. The look in her eyes as I left stayed with me when I normally could shove anyone or anything aside.
Damn it, I can’t stop thinking about her. The way she’d looked at me just before I left—it was like I’d betrayed her, even though that couldn’t be possible. She wasn’t associated with the men inside this dump. Maybe it’s because of who she is, but something inside me calls out for her approval.
Well, you ass, kissing and running probably wasn’t the best way to get it,I mock myself.But this is the life you choose to live.
I hear Kyle murmur in my ear again. “Thorn, we’re in position. Green light. Move in on my mark.”
“Copy that,” I reply, forcing myself into mission mode.
I can’t afford to think about anything but the mission right now. Not when I am about to provide backup for a situation that could go tits up any second. But as I ready my weapon and peer through the scope to support the primary team, a small part of me wonders if I’ll ever have the chance to make things right with her.
9
“It’s nice to know you aren’t just a cretin to your employees.”
I glare up at Fox for an uncomfortably long minute—for her—before I unexpectedly admit, “I started young.”
“Yet, you had a solid home life.”
“Like I said, it was difficult for me after my parents died.”
“Was that before or after the events aboard theSea Force?”
