Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(34)

Slate whistled low under his breath.

“Good choice,” Midas said. “I have to admit, she kind of scares me.”

Jag nodded. Elizabeth Albertson was in the Naval security force and was damn good at her job. She wasn’t a SEAL, but she’d actually gone through the training just to prove that women could do it. She was the perfect choice to help Carly gain some confidence that if something happened, she could defend herself.

“Any chance Elodie can tag along?” Mustang asked.

“Oh, yeah! Kenna would love to try something like that,” Aleck agreed.

“Lexie too,” Midas said.

“Fuck. Well, we can’t leave Mo out then,” Pid said.

“I’ll try to convince Ashlyn to attend,” Slate added. “She thinks she’s invincible, and I hate that she goes to so many strangers’ houses delivering food.”

Jag nodded. “I’m sure Albertson wouldn’t mind.” He sobered and turned back to Baker. “If you were me, what would you do? Would you lock your woman away until we’ve got some concrete evidence, or would you encourage her to go about her normal life, albeit with a lot more caution?”

“I can’t answer that,” Baker said.

Jag sighed.

“If it was Monica, I’d lock her up and throw away the key,” Pid said. “But then again, Mo likes being by herself. If I’d known she was in any danger whatsoever from that piece of shit Shane Beyer, I would’ve done just that.”

“Carly tried that. It didn’t help. It made her paranoia worse,” Jag said.

“She thrives on interacting with people,” Aleck said. “Like Kenna.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Mustang said. “Let her live her life…while taking precautions.”

“Anything you need from us, you’ve got it,” Pid agreed.

“You need me to stay at your place?” Slate asked. “Give you another pair of eyes?”

Jag paused. This was why he loved being a SEAL. Loved being a part of this team. He looked over at Slate. “I think we’re good. No one’s getting into the apartment complex without being on camera. And at the moment, Carly’s not too keen on driving anywhere herself. She still doesn’t feel all that safe outside.”

“But she’s okay working, right?” Pid asked.

“She is,” Jag said. “Today’s only her second shift, but so far, I think she’s doing well, all things considered. The first day back she had a mini panic attack, but Kenna was with her and talked her down. Then she thought she saw Luke and panicked again. One of the bartenders ran down to the beach when he found out what was happening, toward the guy Carly was looking at, but it turned out to be some random dude, not Shawn’s son. But she didn’t dwell on it after work. I’m still hoping today goes a little smoother.”

His teammates all nodded.

“I’ll keep you in the loop as to what I find out,” Baker said. “I’m not gonna let up on this until we have some answers.”

“Thanks,” Jag said.

“And I’ll talk to the commander,” Mustang said. “I know we can’t exactly schedule our missions around our personal lives, but I’ll make sure he understands how serious the situation is and, if at all possible, give us some breathing room.”

Jag’s chest immediately tightened. “I can’t leave her alone,” he told his team leader. He felt bad enough that Carly had been on her own for a week and a half when they’d last been deployed. But now that they were together…it didn’t sit well with him to leave her when they didn’t know which of Shawn’s friends might be holding a grudge.

“If you get deployed, she can come up to the North Shore and stay with me,” Baker said.

Jag looked at him in surprise. “But…and don’t take this the wrong way…but will that send the wrong message to Jody?”

“What do you know about Jodelle?” Baker sat straighter and glared at Jag.

He held up his hands in capitulation. “Nothing really. Just that you seem very protective of her, and the last thing I’d want is her getting the wrong idea about you and Carly.”

Baker took a deep breath, and Jag could see him trying to get control of himself before responding. “Jodelle won’t get the wrong idea,” he finally said simply.

Jag wanted to ask more questions about the mysterious woman Baker seemed extremely protective of, but he was itching to get to Carly. He was picking her up from work, even though Aleck said he was more than happy to give her a ride when he went to get Kenna. Jag was anxious to see her for himself. To make sure she was all right. To hear how her day went. It seemed as if from the second he left her each morning, all he thought about was Carly, and looked forward to being with her again.

He’d never felt that way about anyone. And he had his reasons. But everything about Carly appealed to him. Drew him in. She was nothing like—

No. He wasn’t even going to think that bitch’s name.

She was in his past, and that was where Jag was determined to keep her.

He nodded at Baker. “Thanks.”

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” Mustang said. “If necessary, I’ll tell the commander that you need to be taken off the deployment list.”