Way of the Warrior (Troubleshooters #17.5)(97)
SEALED WITH PASSION
ANNE ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 1
His index finger flexed like it needed to pull a trigger. He took a slow deep breath and forced himself to relax. It was hard to calm that reflex after months on the job.
The drive up to Julian from Coronado, California, was a long meandering one, full of twists and turns and no passing zones. After months of driving in a hot desert where there were no roads or rules, only crazy drivers with junker cars and way too many enemies with guns perched in odd places, it felt good to be back in the U.S.A. His mind and body needed the break. Tough to stay on alert for extended periods of time, the tension wreaked havoc on…everything.
Navy SEAL LT CMDR Jonah Melo scratched his chin, grateful to be free of the whiskers that had plagued him. Nothing felt better than smooth-shaven skin. Being part of a SEAL Team meant he had to go native at times. Since he had been home, he’d shaved twice and already showered four times, and his boots had only been on the ground for two days. It was relaxing to be in a place where water was bountiful and the heat didn’t fry his genitals when he had to take a leak.
He wasn’t complaining. Hell, he loved his job and would never trade it in. But being in Africa had been tough, the overall mission fraught with complications. His Team had come at their objective from five different angles and still couldn’t get the results they wanted. At that point, Command had rolled up shop and shipped them all home. There had been more injuries in his group on this deployment than had been counted for the entire year for all the Teams combined.
Sometimes, shit just went down that way. No matter what anyone did, it was determined to go sideways. A better approach would present itself, and then they’d get another chance or someone else would.
Damn, I hope it’s me. I’ve got an ax to grind with those bastards. He slapped the steering wheel.
His eyes strayed to the chicken farm he sped by on his left. With his car windows open, he could smell the stink, and it was oddly comforting. This was one of his favorite routes up the mountain, and he had driven it at least a thousand times over the years.
He took a slow, deep breath of the acrid stench. His olfactory sense might have objected, but his body released the tension by at least a few more degrees.
Command had been adamant about the entire Team taking time off. Spending time with their roots, they’d called it. He’d rather be getting his feet wet on the next available operation, but this frogman was going to follow orders.
R&R for him meant working, so he was on his way up to Julian to find out the progress of his best friend’s—Kevin Toms—house, which happened to be a part of the Wounded Warrior Project in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Housing Project. He’d contributed sweat to many of their building projects, but this one was particularly special. It was for a man who had been his buddy for a long, long time. If Kevin were up there, his arrival would be a surprise. Even his family didn’t know he was going to be in town.
Cows stood in the front pastures chewing the long grass, and from the looks of things, he could tell that it had rained recently. This area wasn’t known for its rainfall, but the wetness would keep the dreaded wildfires away.
A mile down the road, the camel farm came into sight. He smiled briefly at the child pointing to the large animal and jumping up and down with excitement. They sold camel milk and cheese there. Having been forced to ingest it upon occasion, he was happy to stick with cow or goat if circumstances allowed a preference.
His mind went into overdrive as a camper pulled over to allow him to pass, and he drove the rest of the way up the mountain. When he pulled his old Ford truck onto the curb in front of the Tomses’ house, his eyes assessed the vision before him. This was indeed a brand-new home that was complete on the outside and, by the looks of the paint cans stacked outside, nearly done on the inside.
Putting the truck in park, he turned off the engine and got out of Big Berta. The vehicle had been in his family for years and pretty much lived on the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado. He preferred this beauty to any speedster on the road when he was on the West Coast. Nothing beat the dependability, although she could probably use some paint where the salt air had been tough on her.
He grabbed his toolbox and closed the truck door quietly, a matter of habit, and took his time admiring the house.
Walking up the recently laid front path, he waved to a few of the guys he knew. This spot was special to him. They had all bought it together after graduate school and whoever married first was going to be the happy recipient. Jonah had made sure it was Kevin. The man’s life had been rough, and he wanted the best for him.
Spotting his buddy’s van in the dirt driveway, he grinned to himself. His showing up here was going to be one helluva surprise.
Placing his hand on the knob, he turned it and walked inside where his enthusiasm fizzled out like a warm beer on a hot day.
Nothing prepared him for the sight that greeted him as he stood in the open doorway. Seeing her was like driving a Ka-Bar straight into his heart—voluntarily! Since that wasn’t something he would normally do, Jonah realized that he probably should have checked to see if the devastatingly gorgeous Alisha Winters, Interior Decorator Extraordinaire, was going to be at the Tomses’ new home.
“In or out!” yelled a frustrated voice.
He cringed. Not a chance he was standing on ceremony. He knew that sound all too well. Alisha was Julie’s best friend, and Julie was the wife of his buddy Kevin. Alisha was also the, ah, maid of honor he had slept with once and hadn’t seen in over five years. If he’d been thinking, it wouldn’t have surprised him that Alisha would be here.