Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(18)

“Um, okay. But…” Her voice trailed off.

“What, Carly? You can ask me anything. Tell me anything.”

“You only have one bedroom,” she blurted. “I thought I’d sleep out here.”

“No.” His response was firm and nonnegotiable. “If anyone’s sleeping on my couch, it’ll be me.”

“I can’t take your bed,” she protested.

“Why not?”

“Because,” she said.

“That’s not an answer,” he teased. “Look, it’s a king-size bed. There’s plenty of room for both of us. I swear on my honor as a SEAL, I will not touch you or do anything to make you uncomfortable. You’re safe, angel. From anyone who might want to get their hands on you, and from me. But if you don’t feel comfortable with me sleeping in there, I’ll stay out here. It’s fine. This couch is comfortable, I’ve fallen asleep on it plenty of times while watching TV. Besides, I’ve slept in way worse places in my lifetime. The only thing I care about is you, about you feeling safe.”

Carly stared at him for a long moment. He couldn’t read the emotions swirling in her eyes, which bothered him. A lot.

“Okay.”

He relaxed a fraction at her answer, but still grinned and echoed, “Okay what? You want me to stay out here, or in the bedroom with you?” He held his breath as he waited for her answer. Mostly because he wanted to sleep next to her more than he wanted to breathe.

Last night had been a dream come true. Her presence calmed the demons swirling around in his head, which seemed like a minor miracle, since he’d lived with them for so long. But he’d do whatever she needed him to do, and would simply be grateful she was sharing his space.

“I have one question,” she said.

“Shoot.”

“Which side of the bed do you like? Because I like the right, and I’m not sure I can sleep on the left.” Her lips twitched as she waited for his response.

Jag chuckled. “You can have the right.”

“Jag?”

“Yeah, angel?”

“I can’t thank you enough for—”

“No.” He totally interrupted her, but didn’t care.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” she protested.

“I do, and the last thing I want is your gratitude,” he said honestly. “I’m already kicking myself for not acting sooner. The thought of you huddled in your apartment, scared out of your mind, is…” He shuddered. It hit too close to home, is what it did. But he didn’t say that. “You’re here because I care about you. Because I hate the thought of you not living your life. So no more talk of gratitude, okay?”

“I’ll try,” she said.

“Good. I’ll be in a bit later.”

Carly stared at him for a beat before nodding and standing. She headed down the hall and he heard the bedroom door shut.

Taking a deep breath, Jag stood and grabbed his phone. He’d been itching to call Baker all afternoon. The man wasn’t going to take what he had to say well, but he didn’t want to wait another second.

Keeping one ear open for Carly coming out of the bedroom, he impatiently paced as the phone rang in his ear.

“Baker.”

“It’s Jag. I have info.”

“Hit me.”

And he did. Jag told Baker all about the detective speaking with Luke in person, and how they believed his alibi. He went on to detail the other people Carly had mentioned, explaining that the police didn’t believe any of them were involved.

When he was done, there was silence on the other end of the phone line.

“Baker? You still there.”

“I’m here,” he said. “It’s obvious I haven’t been putting enough effort into this. That’s gonna change right now.”

Feeling a little concerned about the lack of emotion in Baker’s tone, and knowing that didn’t bode well for Luke Keyes or anyone else, Jag said, “Carly’s safe. She’s here with me.”

“About time,” he bit out.

Jag wanted to laugh. It hadn’t been that long since he’d first met Carly. Only someone in their circle would think too much time had gone by before he’d moved her in. The only person moving slower was Slate. “Keep me in the loop,” Jag ordered. “I want to know what you’ve learned the second you touch base with any person of interest.”

“I work alone,” Baker reminded him.

“Not in this you don’t,” Jag insisted. “I don’t know your story, but SEALs work together. And you might not be active duty anymore, but you’re still a fucking SEAL. Not to mention, this is my woman we’re talking about. This is Carly’s life at stake, and if I’m going to keep her safe, I have to fucking know what the hell is going on. Got it?”

Baker hesitated for a beat before Jag heard a rusty chuckle across the phone line. “Shit, man, I don’t think I’ve heard you talk so much in one breath before.”

“Fuck off,” Jag griped.

“You believe the detective?” Baker asked, abruptly switching topics.

“Yes and no. Obviously I don’t think all the suspects are guilty, but I absolutely believe one of them is. Someone was out there in the ocean waiting for some sort of signal from Shawn to come and get him.”