Like a deer caught in a set of bright, shiny headlights, Lucky’s brows shot up in surprise as he spun around to face the source of the comment. Chase inwardly groaned, barely resisting the urge to shake his head at his teammate’s most recent foot-in-mouth display.
“Uh…hey, Boss!” Lucky chuckled nervously before rushing into a rambling barrage of CYA. “Youdoknow I was just kidding about the whole ‘gracing us with your presence’ thing, right? I mean…” Another huffed laugh. “I knew you were there the whole time. Spotted you the second I walked into the room, in fact.”
Webb approached Lucky with an outstretched hand and a look that said he wasn’t buying the man’s story for a second. “Of course you did.” A hint of a smile softened the powerful man’s stoic expression. “Glad to see some things never change. Good to see you again, Lucky. Been too long.”
“Right back atcha, Boss.”
A salt-and-pepper brow rose high above one of Webb’s dark brown eyes. “You know, one of these days, you’re gonna have to stop calling me that.”
“Never.” The two parted hands before Lucky turned and took his usual seat at the table. “So seriously. What’s going on? Must be important for you to fly all this way.”
The man’s words matched Chase’s thoughts exactly. No way the Secretary of the United States Navy drops everything to fly from D.C. to Seattle without having a damn good reason.
And Chase’s gut had a pretty good idea of what that reason was. Or at least what the man’s unexpected trip here was about.
Maybe we’re finally going to get some answers.
As if reading his mind, Archer Nash chimed in from across the table.
“This about Hunt?” The dark-haired explosives expert fixed his gaze on Webb’s.
A familiar weight settled in Chase’s chest at the mention of their fallen brother. Hunter Garrison had been one of the finest SEALs to have ever served. And the man was an even better friend.
We won’t stop until we uncover the truth about what happened that day, Hunt. You have my word.
“As a matter of fact”—Secretary Webb answered Archer’s question—“that’s exactly why I’m here. But if it’s all the same to you, gentlemen, I’d rather wait until Hayes gets here to go over what we’ve uncover?—”
“Sorry I’m late.” Logan Hayes rushed into the secured room. “Nat was having contractions, and we thought?—”
“Contractions?” Chase spun his cushy leather chair around to face his friend. “But she’s not due until?—”
“It was a false alarm.” Logan raised a palm, cutting Chase’s concern off at the pass. “Just a case of Braxton Hicks. From what they told us in her birthing class, they tend to start any time after the 20thweek and can even mimic the real thing before stopping altogether. Especially when the mother’s only a few weeks out, like Nat. The body’s way of preparing for birth, she said.”
“And Nat?” Archer inquired about the man’s wife.
“Oh, she’s perfectly fine now. But damn…” Logan raked his fingers through his short brown hair. “For a minute there, I thought for sure that was it.”
Poor guy looked as frazzled as he sounded. Very un- Logan like.
Typically the former SEAL leader was as cool as a cucumber. The only time Chase had ever seen the guy this flustered was back when he was trying to figure things out with Nat. The whole will they-won’t they dance those two did was one for the books, for sure.
In the end, the couple was able to get past the guilt of Natalie having been married to Hunter at the time of his death. Like Chase’s grandmother used to say…
Love is love, and the heart takes no prisoners.
Scottie’s smiling face filled his mind’s eye. His lips twitched, and he started to smile but became refocused when Webb finally got to the reason for the locked-door meeting.
“We found Farzad Akimi.” The man’s intelligent stare swept across every man at the table.
Every muscle in Chase’s body locked down tight at the name. Farzad Akimi was a trusted CIA asset who’d gone missing several months back. From what his team had been told, the young Afghani man had intel on what really happened the day they lost Hunter…including those who’d been involved.
Before Akimi went MIA, Webb had contacted the team to inform them of the man’s claims. From what Webb had shared, Akimi had supposedly overheard a conversation about the ambush that ended Hunter’s life…and Chase’s and the others’ Naval careers.
It was reported that Akimi became paranoid, willing to do whatever it took to free himself from the dangers of being a spy. Which apparently included pulling a pretty convincing disappearing act by vanishing into thin air.
Even Lucky, who was literally the most intelligent human being Chase knew, hadn’t been able to pick up a lead as to the man’s whereabouts. It seemed, for all intents and purposes, that Farzad Akimi had floated away with the wind.
Along with our hope of finally getting justice for Hunter.