Page 64 of Wild Card (The Trident Trilogy 3)

Mack closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the baby laid her head on his shoulder. He turned around and walked out the door. When he saw a man approaching him, he lowered his baseball cap and held the baby’s head tightly to his chest. The man passed without even looking at him. Two more people passed him as he left the building. They barely noticed him. He kept his head down until he got to his car.

Mack put the baby into the car seat that the woman at the rental car agency in Budapest showed him how to use. He told her that his sister had died in childbirth and that he was the baby’s only living relative. After she heard that, she spent an hour with him outlining everything he needed for the baby. She told him exactly what he needed and where he could buy it in Budapest.

After he left her, he filled his trunk with baby supplies—diapers, formula, pacifiers, blankets, baby wipes—before he started the long drive to Bosnia. He mixed several bottles of formula yesterday and iced them down in a cooler he bought. He was more prepared for this mission than he had been for any other in his career. He had no idea SEAL training would be so useful for baby preparation.

As he started the car, he looked back at the baby. “We have a long drive ahead of us, sweetie. I’ll stop when we get out of town to feed and change you.”

Mack laughed at himself, knowing the baby couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but she stopped crying every time he talked. He told her all about Nejra until he couldn’t hear her whimpering anymore. After he was sure she was asleep, he called Chase.

“I’ve got her,” he said as Chase answered.

Chase took a deep breath. “Are you sure she’s yours?”

“Not a doubt in my mind.”

“Where are you? Is the Sarajevo airport still closed?”

“Yeah, I’m driving back to Budapest.”

“That’s a long drive—”

“She’ll be fine.”

“I’m more worried about you. Do you even know how to change a diaper?”

“Did you how to when you had Sammi?”

“No, but I had Mariel and grandmas and aunts—”

“I’ll figure it out. It can’t be that hard. I didn’t know how to shoot a rifle before I joined the navy, but I’m an expert at it now.”

“That’s debatable,” Chase said, laughing. “Mack, are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, the second I looked at her.”

He sighed. “Okay, brother. Just get her home. We’ll figure it out together. I’ve got your cell tracked, but still call me when you get to the airport in Budapest. Tell me what airport you’re flying into here. I’ll pick you up.”

Mack was almost to the Croatian border before the baby woke up. He pulled over when she started crying.

“All right, first things first,” he said as he closed the trunk and climbed into the back seat with her. “Let’s get your diaper changed. Uncle Chase doesn’t think we can do it, but it can’t be that hard, right?”

The baby looked up at him and cooed when he started talking. He kept talking as he attempted to change her diaper several times. He held her up after he fastened the tape on the third diaper. It stayed in place and she smiled at him, so he figured he had it right.

“We did good. Okay, now clothes,” he said, reaching into the baby bag he bought. “These are called onesies. I didn’t know such a thing existed until last week. I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot of new things with you. And I have the little footed pajamas for you. Those are the best. I had some when I was little.”

He laughed as she pumped her arms and legs in the air. “You’re a wiggly, little thing, aren’t you? You’re making it hard to get this on. Are you always going to be this stubborn? I’m guessing by the look in your eyes you are. I’m stubborn, and I think your mom was, so it makes sense that you would be, too. I hope you look like her when you grow up because she was beautiful. You might have her eyes, but I think you’re going to have my hair.”

Mack finally got her dressed and grabbed one of the bottles out of the cooler. He snuggled her to his chest as she greedily sucked on the bottle. “Big appetite, too, huh? Yeah, you’re definitely my kid.”

After she finished, he burped her as the rental car woman had instructed him, and rocked the baby until she fell back asleep. As he put her back in the car seat, he tried to remember the car rental woman’s name. She said it was French.

“Millicent,” he said out loud. “It was Millicent.”

He looked at the baby, peacefully sleeping next to him. “Yep, that’s it. Your name is Millicent, but I think I’m going to call you Millie. Is that okay with you? It is? Okay, it’s settled then.”

He smiled as he walked to the driver’s door. Before he got in the car, he looked up at the sky. “Did you name her? I hope you don’t mind if I change it. I’ll take such good care of her. I promise. Nothing’s more important to me from this day forward. Rest easy, Nejra. I’ve got her now.”

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