Page 16 of Lacey's Fight

“I’m in,” he said.

“Good. When I heard what you did last night, jumping into the ocean in the middle of a storm to go after Lacey and that girl, I knew you were who I’d been looking for. My other teams are all off on missions or otherwise occupied, and I think you’re a good match.”

“A good match for what?” Or who?

“Your partner,” Eagle replied.

If Eagle knew enough about him to be here, then it went without saying that the man knew about his past and how it had affected him. It was no secret that while he worked well with his team, he was hard to get along with. Whatever was asked of him he’d do, but he couldn’t promise that whoever he was going to be working with would enjoy spending time with him.

“Who will I be working with and what’s the cover story?” As a SEAL, he didn’t do much undercover work. Sometimes, he and his team needed to be able to blend into their surroundings but never full-on undercover work.

“Cover story is that you and your wife are looking to purchase several young girls to start an upscale brothel,” Eagle replied.

Wife.

The word exploded through him with a ferocity that about tore his breath right out of his lungs.

It had been so long since anyone had used that word in conjunction with him.

Too many emotions crashed into him too close together, and he felt like he was back out in that storm being tossed around like he had been in those waves.

The storm.

Lacey.

Something soured in his gut. “Who’s my partner?” he asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

“I think you know her,” Eagle said.

That was what he was afraid of.

The universe wouldn’t do that to him, would it?

Punishment for the way he’d behaved, punishment for his failures, and punishment for pushing everyone away in the aftermath.

“Lacey is going to be playing your wife,” Eagle said the words Ben had been dreading hearing.

No.

Not possible.

In the three long years since his wife had been murdered, his body had never responded to another woman’s.

Until now.

Until her.

Until Lacey Smith with her bubbly personality he could see covered pain she didn’t want anyone to know about.

There was no way in hell he could play her husband and walk away from this mission unscathed.

CHAPTER FOUR

August 3rd

2:32 P.M.

“I swear this baby gets cuter every time I see her,” Lacey gushed as she bounced one-year-old Indigo Voss on her knee. Making neighing sounds like a horse made the baby giggle in delight, and she swore every time she played with one of the SEALs’ kids she just wanted to run out and have a bunch herself.

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