Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(63)

Cara studied her daughter, wondering where these new fears had come from. “Of course he wouldn’t. Now it’s time to strap in because we’re ready to take off. Can you hear the motor change rhythm?” When all else failed, distraction was the best answer, Cara knew.



In the wing of the small airport north of Monterey, a technician in gray coveralls moved unhurriedly, recording equipment transfers and completed repairs.

With a new girlfriend who liked pretty things, Ray Markle had a salary that never stretched far enough, so the quiet offer that had come his way four months ago proved to be a godsend. All he had to do was note any flight plans filed for Senator Winslow’s Cessna Grand Caravan, then make a call to an anonymous voice-mail box with all the details.

Ray had been able to take his astonished girlfriend to Acapulco the following month, and now they were planning a trip to Paris, thanks to payments wired directly into his new bank account in the Caymans. Ray accessed the account from an ATM card sent to him in an envelope with no return address, and he had no idea of the source of these payments, nor did he care. He told himself it wasn’t breaking the law to jot down a few flight details.

As Senator Winslow and his group boarded the Cessna, the technician stood behind a wall of outbound cargo, dialing the phone number burned into his memory. When he heard the short electronic click, he rattled off the details of the senator’s flight plan. Next stop for the Cessna was Elko, Nevada. Ray hadn’t been able to track any stops beyond Elko, but he had a cousin near Vegas who worked weekends in Elko. In exchange for one month’s payment on his new truck, his cousin would track the plane outbound to its next destination.

The whole arrangement suited Markle just fine—except for one detail. He wasn’t an imaginative man, but the day the offer had come by phone, he’d been warned by a harsh, electronic voice exactly what would happen to him if he ever decided to discuss the arrangement.

The graphic description still made his skin crawl.

As the Cessna lifted smoothly from the runway, Ray was already on the phone with his cousin in Nevada.



“But I don’t understand? Where is Ms. M? Why isn’t she going with us?”

“Lower your voice, Sophy.” Cara was sharper than she intended, all too aware of the airport crew scattered nearby. “I told you we’d discuss this at the ranch.”

“But why—?”

“Stow it, Sophy.” Audra bent down beside her sister, glaring. “Can’t you see this is important?” she hissed.

Sophy swallowed. “Important how?”

“Later.” Gripping her arm, Audra walked Sophy to the front of the plane. “Look, Mom brought Liberace’s cage up here.”

Instantly distracted, Sophy let out a yelp and crouched down to chatter nonsense at her pet ferret, which answered with noisy indignation at his incarceration.

“Thank you, Audra.” Cara put a hand on her daughter’s arm. “Sometimes she wears me out. We’ll discuss everything, I promise, just as soon as we get to the ranch.” She squared her shoulders. “I shouldn’t have waited this long to tell you the truth, either. Now maybe you’ll share something with me.” She softened her tone. “Like why you believe you’re fat.”

Instantly Audra flushed bright red. “She told you?”

“Of course Summer did, darling. And we can work this out, I promise, but only when we stop keeping secrets. That goes for me as well as you.”

“You’re worried about something bad, aren’t you, Mom? No offense, but you’ve been a little hyper lately.”

Looking at her suddenly mature and thoughtful daughter, Cara felt a crazy urge to laugh. They grow up, she thought in amazement. They argue and they yell, but then they grow up, and one day they actually give you great advice.

Life couldn’t be all bad.

“We’ll talk about that, too, honey. I promise.”

“Cara, can I talk to you a moment?” Tate Winslow made a small gesture toward his pilot, who was walking down the aft stairs.

“Of course. Audra, will you stay here with Sophy for a second?”

“Sure, Mom.”

Cara followed Tate outside, where he scanned the nearby runway. Seeing no one within hearing range, Tate nodded to his pilot. “James tells me there’s a storm front running through southern Wyoming. Things could get bumpy up there.”

“Is that dangerous?” Cara asked the pilot.

“No, ma’am. Mainly uncomfortable. I suggested we alter our route to avoid the turbulence, but it may involve an extra stop and more airtime.”

“I’d like to make it easy on the girls.” Cara looked up at the open door to the Cessna. “Audra gets airsick, I’m afraid.”

“No problem. I’ll arrange it.” The pilot nodded and headed off across the runway.

Tate moved closer to Cara as a small Jeep lumbered past, loaded down with cargo crates. “There’s a tropical storm heading toward the Pacific Coast of Mexico, too. Bad time for flying.”

“But Los Reyes is—”

Tate cut her off, frowning. “No names, honey. Our travelers have been informed. They’ll be considering alternate routes.”

Cara rubbed her neck as another cargo transport lumbered past. “I’m having second thoughts about this plan, Tate. It’s going to be very dangerous if they question the wrong people.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “There must be an informant there at the clinic. No one else could have known about me or the date.” She hesitated for a moment.