Share

Chapter 7

Author: Desiree Holt
last update Last Updated: 2022-04-29 14:06:55

Si leaned over and whispered, "She works out every day. She could probably take you in two out of three falls."

Max raised an eyebrow. But Si had already turned away from him, facing everyone seated there.

"I don't have to tell the rest of you why we're here or what's going on, but before we go any further, let me introduce you to Max DiSalvo, Commander, United States Navy SEALs, Retired. Max." He turned. "Meet the teamKevin Markham, George Lorenzan and, yes, your newly minted wife, Regan Shaw."

Max nodded. "Happy to meet you."

"The first thing we need to do is bring Max up to speed."

"I thought you did that when you went to Maine," Kevin Markham said.

"I gave him the nuts and bolts, but we need to fill in the spaces." He paused. "First, however, I have a piece of information that Regan picked up just last night. Regan. Let me give Max your credentials and then you have the floor. You're the one who discovered this ugly little plot."

She nodded. "Have at it."

"Okay, Max. Regan has been with Bone Frog for about a year and a half. She was working at Naval Station Norfolk as an analyst until Homeland Security discovered her skills and brought her to Washington. When she tuned into this particular disaster, we stole her for Bone Frog."

Max lifted an eyebrow and looked at the woman. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Altogether?" She wet her lips. "Twenty years."

Max's cock flexed and he had to swallow a moan. "That's a long time."

She nodded. "My husband was based out of there. I had a degree in computer science and a specialty in languages. They were looking for someone who could track chatter, and a friend opened doors for me." She swallowed. "After Dylan was killed, it just made sense for me to keep my job. I had a circle of friends in the area, and I really liked my job. At least I felt as if in some small way I was helping him and his team. Doing something to get the people who killed him. It gave me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction, especially when I found out I had a knack for it."

Her husband was killed? Max wondered how long ago.

"She has a gift for plucking information from out there and making sense of it," Si told him.

"I'm sorry about your husband," he told her.

"Thank you, but the possibility of it was something always in the back of our minds. The nature of his work, you know." She ran her tongue over her lips again.

Max was sure if she did it too often he'd come just sitting there. Damn. This was what abstinence did to you,

"Would it be inappropriate for me to ask what he did and how he was killed?"

"He was a SEAL," Si told him. "Like you. His team was ambushed on a mission, and everyone was killed. Regan's got incredible skills, and she insisted she could find whatever information the Navy was looking for to see how the disaster happened and why. She knew how to search and what to look for, and went after it with ferocious determination." His smile was anything but humorous. "She was as good as her word. After that, there was no question of her leaving."

Max looked at Regan. "Can I ask how long ago that was?"

"Twenty years. My husband was twenty-four when he was killed."

Max felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. She'd been a widow for twenty years? Devoting her life to helping take down bad guys who were very dangerous? Well, damn!

"I don't know what to say," he told her, "except I know we are all grateful to you."

She shook her head. "I don't want gratitude. I want to get as many of these bastards as I can. My husband died, like many others, to prevent people like this from gaining control of our country. I want to help in any way to make sure they didn't die in vain."

"Okay," Si broke in. "I think we're all in agreement here. What we need to do now, Max, is share with you all the information Regan discovered plus everything we've learned. It won't make you happy, especially this latest bit."

Max leaned forward. "Then we'd better get started."

While George Lorenzan busied himself setting up electronic equipment, Regan looked around at everyone.

"Last night I plucked some additional bits of conversation out of the stratosphere that frightened even me. We can definitely confirm that it's going to happen on July 4th."

Kevin whistled. "Holy shit! This country will be filled with targets of hundreds of thousands of people celebrating the holiday. I hate to even think of what can happen."

Si nodded. "That means our married couple here has to be thoroughly drilled so they can pass muster, get into the three-day meeting, find out what's going on, and make sure we know about it ASAP." He nodded at Kevin who plucked sheets of paper from a folder and handed them around. "These are the people involved. They have the money to finance this without any outside help. That's one of the reasons this is so easy for them. However, as an added benefit, the Alvaros also are connected to one of the largest drug cartels. There's probably an unlimited supply of funds available from that source."

"Will they be at this little get-together?" Max asked.

Si shook his head. "Luis Rojas isn't part of the core group. He is keeping a low profile, at least for now. But be aware he could insert himself more visibly at any time. Your job, and Regan's, is to get to this meeting, get pictures of everyone there so we have proof of their participation, record what you can so we have the evidence [K1]we need, the location of whatever they have planned, and get the fuck out of there. Once we have that info, we can proceed to set up protection for the target sites although we really need to stop this before it gets any further. The protection is in case something falls through the cracks. Once we have the information, however, we can move forward to arrest this unholy group."

"You'll need a shitload of proof if they're as wealthy and connected as you tell me," Max pointed out. "They'll have the best attorneys putting up roadblocks."

Si nodded. "Exactly. Okay, Regan, the floor is yours."

Regan Shaw moved to the head of the table, opened a slim laptop, and searched until she found the file she wanted then clicked to open it. A photo popped up on the screen.

"Jed Whitlow, the nominal leader of the group, and his wife Anna."

She took them through each of the people who made up the cabal, explaining who each of them were.

"Being rich isn't enough for them?" Kevin asked, his tone edged with sarcasm.

"It isn't the money," Regan told him. "It's about the power. That's what drives them and what made them bond together."

She clicked again, and a timeline filled the screen that had been set up.

"Si, you already know all of this." She looked at the other two men. "George and Kevin, you know most of this, also. But since you gentlemen are to be the lead in our backup, Si and I agreed you can't hear it too often."

Related chapters

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 8

    The tall blond who had been introduced as Kevin nodded his head. "We want everything you've got to help you take down these fuckers. I can't wait to get my hands on the traitor who thinks he'd be stepping in to head all this up."Regan nodded. "I know just how you feel. Si, I think you should go first, laying down the background on this and letting us know what caused us to dig deeper. I'll get the rest of this ready."Si nodded, took a swallow of coffee and set his cup down."It all started when the DEA got a tip from one of its informants about unusual activity around some of the largest ranches in Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.""What kind of activity?" Max wanted to know."The owners were getting more unusual visits from the high-level drug dealers from Mexico. In particular, one dealer, Luis Rojas, the leader of the second-largest cartel. Their interest grew when he began visiting the ranch of Lorena and Elias Alvaro on a regular basis, often bringing his usual group o

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 9

    Regan was the central point of information as they spent the morning going over the basic facts as they knew them so everyone had as comprehensive a picture of the situation as possible. Everyone had questions about the people involved and how the extraction would work if it had to happen before the three-day meeting was over. She and Si answered all of them.George and Kevin would be the backup crew, monitoring any calls from the special phones Max and Regan would have if they couldn't get through to Si, and constantly in touch with any resources they might need. They were also working with an unexpected bonus on the ground. In checking all key personnel in the area, he'd discovered that Lou Valenti, the county sheriff, was also a former SEAL. He'd gotten clearance to be read in, and the man had nearly been shocked out of his shorts."Jed Whitlow and his wife have owned that hunting lodge forever," he'd told Si. "They're around a lot during hunting season, but in the past couple of

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 10

    Max let out a long breath. What the hell was wrong with him? Even when he was deliberately looking for female companionship, he didn't have this kind of reaction to someone. Sometimes he wished he did, and that his dick was a little more enthusiastic about some of the women he chose to spend his free time with.Not that that particular organ had shirked his duty when it was clothes off and onto the mattress. But he'd made up his mind he couldn't give the proper attention to a relationship while he was still in the SEALs. And in retirement he'd finally realized that just having sex as an exercise didn't have the excitement it once did. As the rest of his life stretched out before him, he finally understood that he wanted what many of his friends had. What Si had. A woman he connected with on all levels who wanted to share his life with him. But why did she have to be the one he was going into a dangerous mission with?They'd have to make sure they convinced the people in the cabal the

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 11

    "Question." Max looked down at the open folder in front of him. "According to this info you gave us, she's really the one who calls the shots in this nasty little group."Si nodded. "Jed Whitlow thinks he's in charge but he's fooling himself. That woman is tougher and more heartless than most of the men I've met in my life. She's hungry for power, and I'm not even sure if taking over this country will satisfy her.""Jesus." Max blew out a breath. "Those are the worst kind of people. Heartless, soulless, and feeding on power and control. Other people's lives mean nothing to them.""You got that right. In many ways like the tribal leaders you knocked heads with in the sandbox. Human life, except their own, means nothing to them. Money and power. Those are their drugs.""And they don't care who they kill to get it," Kevin added. "I've seen more situations like this than I can count. Too many of them.""Next up are the Cavanaughs, Kurt and Hildie. Their ranch is in Colorado and has been in

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 12

    Max stood on the back patio, staring out at the vast expanse of green lawn that stretched away from the house. Trees stood as tall sentinels bordering each side, and he knew that beyond them was electrified fencing with concertina wire on the top. He knew it because Si had given him the video tour of the property and pointed out all the security measures. For a moment, he wished he could drag all these people he and Regan would be meeting with back to this house and beat the shit out of them until they were bloody and broken. What kind of people were they who would turn on their own country that way?He heard the sliding door open behind him and turned to see Regan step out onto the patio. Despite the intensity of the day-long session, and the stomach-turning events and people they were discussing, she still looked cool and contained. The only indication of its effect on her were the faint lines of strain at the corners of her eyes and her mouth. She carried a tablet in her hand simila

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 13

    "You're right." She took a sip of her drink and set the glass down. "Okay, Commander, fire away.""I'm curious. How did you get into the data mining business to begin with? It isn't, at least in my limited knowledge, a career that's hot in the marketplace.""I got lucky." She shrugged. "I've always been interested in puzzles of all different kinds. I read some books about people who could listen to fractured conversations, pick out key words and discern the purpose of the dialogue. I had a double major in college, languages and computer science. And I was fascinated with the military. Always had been. A friend of a friend knew of an opening for someone with my skills. I got an interview, and that was that.""Where do you get the information you analyze?" He chuckled. "That is, if it's not a national secret.""If Silas picked you for this mission, I think there's very little that would be secret from you.""Thanks for that."She shifted in her chair, and, when she re-crossed her l

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 14

    The sun had set and day was fading to night when Si joined them on the patio carrying his ever-present mug of coffee."You kids playing nice with each other?" He smiled while asking ."Yes, Dad." Max winked at him. "We're sharing our toys and everything."'We've been doing our getting-to-know-each-other thing," Regan assured him.Si dropped into a chair at the table where they sat. "Glad to hear it. You'll be walking into a group of people who aren't even sure they trust you being there and who probably are suffering paranoia off the charts because of Bernardo's 'heart attack.'""Tomorrow, one of the things we need to prepare is the electronics," Regan reminded him.A slow grin spread over Si's face. "Anxious to get your hands on those gadgets," he teased."You bet." She looked at Max. "I don't know if Silas has told you, but he's got special pens for us, one of which records voice and the other video. They are sound-and-motion activated."Max knew his eyes lit up. He, too, was

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29
  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 15

    "Yes, Lorena, I'm just walking into the hotel now."Jed Whitlow squeezed his cell phone so hard he wondered if it might break. The woman was driving him crazy. Too many times in the past month he'd wondered if it had been a mistake to include the Alvaros in their little group. But Elias Alvaro had been the connection to the cartels, and, without him, smuggling the high-profile terrorists they were using might have been impossible. The woman was just a control freak who was getting on everyone's nerves. That could not happen. What they had planned was only step one in their blueprint for global domination."So you have not met with them yet?" she asked? "Vetted them?""Did you just say vetted them? Lorena, this is Bernardo's brother and his wife. For all intents and purposes, they are already vetted."Jed gritted his teeth. The woman had begun to get on his last nerve. With everything at stake and the target date so close, he had to get past that."Yes, that is exactly what I said.

    Last Updated : 2022-04-29

Latest chapter

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 40

    "I suppose someone should check on Max Whatever His Last Name is," Anna said."Why?" Jed asked. "He isn't going anywhere.""True. I just thought we might get him down here and find out who he works for. Who got onto us and how."Lorena gave an unladylike snort. "You think he'd tell you? I'd bet he's former military and has withstood more than you can dish out to him.""You haven't seen me at work," Gavin told her.She actually burst out laughing. "Gavin, you're a fifty-five-year-old rancher who has never been in the military yourself. Wrestling bulls isn't the same thing.""So, you don't think we should try to question him?""I don't think we'll get anything from him, but you're certainly welcome to try."Gavin looked around the table. "What do you all think?"Elizabeth, his wife, leaned forward. "I think I'd like to know where whoever planted them found someone who could be a double for the real Max Ferren.""And I'd like to know more about where Jeanne and Bernardo are," An

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 39

    The afternoon brought more of the same with one exception. Everyone at the table seemed a lot more uptight, and every so often he would catch someone glancing at both him and Regan with a strange look. He was beginning to think Si was right and they needed to split ASAP. Nothing changed until late in the afternoon when there was a knock on the door."I'll get it," Lorena said, pushing her chair back.Everyone seemed to freeze in their seats while she walked to the entrance. Max watched her carefully, shocked to see Luis Rojas and three men who could only be his "fixers" walk into the room. The muscles in his stomach tightened, and he pushed back in his chair, reaching slowly for his gun. Before he could get his hand around the grip, Gavin Emery was behind hm, grabbing his wrist. When he glanced at Regan, he saw Whitlow had pulled her from her chair and yanked her hands behind her back. In seconds, he had her gun, also."What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.Anna Whitlow l

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 38

    Breakfast was over and the dishes cleared, and everyone was back at their seats at the table with full coffee mugs. They had their folders open and pens out, and Max made sure he and Regan had their special pens in their hands. "Okay." Jed Whitlow looked around. "We have the shipments confirmed, the cartel soldiers at the ready, a schedule for when each event is to take place""I have a question." Lorena looked at Max. "Did you happen to bring any of the weapons you'll be shipping so we can take a lot at them? Maybe you could give us a demonstration.""I don't think that's necessary," Jed told her. "We won't be firing the weapons ourselves.""Luis wants to be absolutely sure they'll be top quality. He doesn't want inferior goods that will derails the entire event."Max looked at Lorena. He and Si had discussed this but neither of them were excited about the prospect of doing this."You can rest assured only the finest weapons are being loaded for the shipments." He looked over a

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 37

    Jed Whitlow was shaving the next morning, standing at the bathroom sink wearing just a towel wrapped around his waist, when his wife walked in, holding her cell phone."I have a question."He rinsed his razor and stroked it through another line of cream. "Okay. Shoot.""Do you think I should try and call Jeanne? Maybe she isn't sure if she should contact us. Or it might be that Bernardo is worried that somehow whoever has them squirreled away has set up a way to trace cell calls."Jed thought for a moment while he shaved the rest of his face. Finished, he rinsed the razor, knocked it against the sink for good measure, and wiped his face. "Good point," he acknowledged at last. "It might be worth the chance, though, to see if we have enemies in our midst.""Okay. I'm going to call her right now before we go downstairs." Jed watched as she brought up her contacts list, found number for Jeanne Ferren, and hit Dial. He waited, watching, but nothing happened."Don't leave a message

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 36

    "Maybe we shouldn't have let them outside by themselves." This came from Kurt."Just how would you have us stop them?" Jed asked. "Tell them they can't go anywhere by themselves?""It doesn't matter," Kurt interjected. "They can't go anywhere without us knowing, and it gave us a chance to learn this information. But, somehow, we have to validate them. Make sure they are the real Regan and Max Ferren.""Exactly how are we going to do that?" Hildie Kavanaugh demanded. "It's not as if we can take their fingerprints and run them through a database.""If Bernardo's in the hospitalor even if he's somewhere else and Max is here, who's running the factory?" Gavin asked."Their general manager," Jed answered. "I called him when I was in Denver and again before I met with the real-or-not-real Max and Regan. Told him I was just checking on things. Bernardo had involved him from the start. He said sometimes both of the brothers are away at the same time. He's been with the company for fifteen

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 35

    Lorena Alvaro filled her wine glass and glanced at her husband, who nodded. Then she cleared her throat."Excuse me, everyone. We need to take advantage of the fact that the Ferrens are out of the room for the moment and discuss something that's come up. Something very important ad worrisome." Jed looked over at her."Is it about Max and Regan Ferren? I wonder if I'm the only one here who thinks there's something not right there. I can't put my finger on it even though I spent two days with them.""They're almost too good to be true." Gavin Emery's gravelly voice rattled in the air. "I said that from the beginning.""Exactly," Lorena agreed. "And they might very well be. You won't be happy with what I have to say. Things aren't exactly as we've been led to believe.""Well, what the hell is it?" Kurt Cavanaugh demanded. "Don't keep us waiting. We have enough to be on edge about.""All right." She let out a breath. "I know Luis can be a bit uncontainable at times but he can usual

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 34

    And that's a big fat lie, Max thought. We're not even close to being out of the woods yet."Okay, everyone." Jeanne Whitlow clapped her hands. "The steaks are ready, and everything else is set up on the buffet table. Please help yourselves."They ate at the umbrella tables on the patio. Max and Regan ended up with the Alvaros, not his favorite couple. In fact, although it wasn't blatantly obvious, they had maneuvered the seating to end up this way. By the time the meal was over, Max felt as if they'd been given the third degree by someone as expert at it as anyone he'd ever met. It was after eight by the time the patio was cleared. He was pretty sure Anna Whitlow didn't do any of her clearing and washing up except at these meetings. Nor, he thought, did the other women, but you had to make adjustments when you were plotting to overthrow your government. Of course, considering the subject matter, he wouldn't have wanted anyone around, either. He wondered where the hell Whitlow's se

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 33

    At that very moment, Max was standing on the patio at the lodge with the rest of the unholy group, trying to do more listening than talking. The afternoon had been devoted to analyzing the timing of each event, whether they should all happen at the same time or one after the other. Where each of the couples should be when it happened. At home, was the prevailing opinion. Max did his best to find out what the plans were after that. The best he could get was they would have observers at each site and convene the next morning to move forward from there. They touched briefly on the steps they would take to put their own people in place but not nearly as much as Max had hoped they would. He didn't want to push and call undue attention to himself, any more than his arrival already had.Immediately after the afternoon meeting broke up, he and Regan had begged a few minutes to unpack their suitcases. Jed followed them upstairs to show them which room was theirs and hung around the doorway.

  • SEAL Undercover   Chapter 32

    Silas Branson was sitting at his desk, studying a report and wondering how things at the cabal meeting were going when one of the cell phones on his desk rang. It was the line he'd set up dedicated to this mission, now titled Operation: Zeus, for the Greek god of law, order, and justice. Only select people had the number.He glanced at his watch as he reached for the receiver. Not quite dinnertime yet. Assuming he wouldn't be hearing from Max or Regan until later in the evening, he frowned as he lifted the receiver."Branson.""Sir," a deep masculine voice said, "this is Kaminski at the hospital in Denver. I think we may have a problem."Immediately, Si's hand tensed on the phone, but he forced himself to remain calm. Get the details, assess the situation then decide if you need to panic."Give me the details.""We had an odd situation here just a few minutes ago. A man showed up in the CCU who said he was looking for a friend. He was dressed in Broncos gear, and he told me his

DMCA.com Protection Status