“Yeah, sure. On weekends. He was the only friend Vetter ever brought around.”

  “Anything else you might know that could help us locate him?”

  Freddy thought for a minute then gave a description of the boat. The size, color, features and more, right down to the make and model. “I hope this helps, and he’s not too far up the coast by now.”

  Jackson agreed and thought about how they were going to bring this guy in. The helo was the only answer. The chopper averaged two hundred miles per hour. By the time they got airborne, they’d catch Vetter in an hour about a hundred fifty miles north of their location, which was right around Newport.

  “Thanks for your help.” Jackson quickly shook the man’s hand and jogged over to Blake who stood talking to Maggie.

  Blake was an inch or so over six feet tall, muscular, and fit, and Jackson respected him for keeping in shape when, as the sheriff, he rode a desk a lot of the time.

  “Are you finished with us?” Jackson asked.

  Blake eyed him from under his hat. “You got somewhere more important to be?”

  “Yeah, going after Vetter.”

  Blake arched an eyebrow. “The neighbor tell you something?”

  “Vetter bought a speedboat and is heading up the coast to Washington. We’ll take the chopper and stop him.”

  Blake narrowed his eyes. “Trailing Vetter is better left to law enforcement or the Coast Guard.”

  “Really?” Jackson scoffed. “Can any of you have a chopper in the air and launch a Zodiac and five trained operators within an hour?”

  “Zodiac?” Maggie asked coming to her feet.

  “An inflatable boat used by special forces,” Blake said. “These guys will push it out of the chopper and follow it into the water. They’ll have the boat up and operational in a matter of minutes.”

  Jackson had to admit he liked hearing the admiration in Blake’s tone. “Something no other team in our immediate area can do.”

  “True,” Blake said, crossing his arms.

  Jackson got that Blake wanted to follow official protocol, and if he called in the Coast Guard in Newport, they could launch a chopper to find Vetter, then dispatch a boat to bring him in. But after making a huge mistake and triggering the bomb, Jackson needed to arrest Vetter as much as he needed to breathe.

  Jackson stared at Blake. “I know you have to report this and call in the Guard. Just give us a head start.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “C’mon, man. Let me make up for tripping that wire.”

  Blake’s expression turned sympathetic, and he nodded.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Keep me informed of your progress.”

  “Roger that.” Jackson grabbed Maggie’s hand. “We have to move.”

  He started for his truck, walking so fast she had to jog to keep up, but he couldn’t slow down. He had a killer to catch.

  In the vehicle, he put his phone in the dash holder and dialed Gage on speakerphone to report the news as he got the truck going. “I need the Zodiac and scuba gear in the chopper by the time I get there. And have Riley and Coop get started on the preflight checklist so you’re ready to take off.”

  “Understood,” Gage said.

  “Thanks, man,” Jackson said, thankful that his boss didn’t mind taking direction from one of his subordinates. But the guy didn’t stand on ceremony when there was a job to be done, and one of his team members was in charge. Unless of course, they were headed in the wrong direction. Then Gage was more than glad to step in.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen,” Jackson said.

  “Roger that,” Gage replied.

  Jackson ended the call and got on the road.

  Maggie swiveled toward him. “Tell me exactly what will happen on this mission.”

  “We’ll fly up the coast until we see Vetter’s boat. We’ll travel a little further until we’re out of his eyesight. On the way, we’ll suit up in dive gear. Then, like Blake said, we’ll drop the Zodiac and jump in after it.”

  “Just like that. You’ll jump out of the chopper.” She shook her head. “Will you have parachutes?”

  “Nah. Coop or Riley will hover the chopper right above the water. Maybe ten feet or so. Our drop won’t be far.”

  Worry flooded her eyes. “Can I trust this Coop guy with your life? I mean, I haven’t even met him.”

  “He’s the senior pilot of the two, so yeah, you can trust him.” He met her gaze. “You can trust all of us. I know that sounds like a bunch of baloney after I nearly let Vetter blow you up, but each of us puts everything into our job.”

  “I know you’re doing your best. I can’t ask for more than that.”

  He believed she meant what she said, but he knew he could always do better. Be better. Faster. More capable. But with the entire team on this mission, there was no better force in the world. “We’ll get this guy today. You can count on that.”

  “I know you will. But promise me you’ll be careful and not take any unnecessary risks.”

  “I promise to be careful.” And there was no such thing as an unnecessary risk to him. Either he needed to take a risk or not. Simple as that.

  “I’m glad. Now that we’ve reconnected I’d hate to lose you again.”

  He glanced at her to see if her comment held a deeper meaning, but she turned to look out the window. Did that mean she wanted a future with him?

  The feel of the explosion’s hot wave came rushing back, reminding him of what he almost lost. He could lose his life if need be. For her. For others. But losing her? He couldn’t abide that. Couldn’t even fathom the pain he would feel. Something he might never recover from.

  Stunned at the depth of his feelings, he glanced at her. Admired the curve of her neck. Her soft hair falling over her shoulders. He wanted to reach out to her. Just touch her and connect in a physical way, the urge nearly overpowering his good sense.

  That shocked him even more.

  Had he already come to need her in his life? He cared about her, that was never in question. Loved her and always would. But really love her in an ask-her-to-marry-him kind of way? Had his heart seriously gone there?

  “Do you think Hannah would let me wait with her?” Maggie asked, not looking at him.

  “That’s a great idea. I’m sure she would. Use my phone to call her. Gage’s home phone is in my contacts.”

  She reached for his cell, and he felt an almost overpowering urge to take her hand back. To hold it close to his heart. To tell her that when he came back, they could talk about a future.

  But he couldn’t.

  As much as he wanted to do so, he hadn’t worked through the loss of Alison, and he just wasn’t ready to commit his whole future to Maggie.

  15

  Jackson wished there’d been time to stop at Gage’s house on the way in to drop Maggie off, but every minute counted so he headed straight for the helipad. He heard the helo rotors before he saw them spinning, and Coop sat in the pilot seat, Riley next to him. Gage, Eryn, and Alex were still loading gear.

  Maggie peered ahead. “That’s Coop, huh?”

  “It is.”

  “He looks a lot like the rest of you. Fierce with a go-getter attitude.”

  “Gage wouldn’t hire anyone that wasn’t.” Jackson shifted into park and faced Maggie. “I’ll come to the house the minute we get back, okay?”

  “Can you call me first? You know, the second your mission is over, and you’re out of danger?”

  “Sure.” He hated that he was putting her through this, but this was the life of a man or woman who loved a soldier, law enforcement officer, firefighter, or his team. The ones left behind had the difficult jobs. Far more difficult than Jackson’s. He trained. Knew he was well prepared, and that he could do the job. And then he was actively doing it while the woman he loved would sit and wait.

  Hold on. The woman he loved. He couldn’t deny it—he loved her. But did she love him?

  He looked into her eyes. Those big eyes that saw him more than anyone else ever had. He took her hand and squeezed it to reassure her. “Don’t worry. We’ll all be fine.”

  She reached up and cupped the side of his face. He leaned into the softness of her hand and ignored that his team waited for him. He drew her close for a hug and held her tight. Inhaled her unique citrus scent. Felt the warmth of her body next to his. Wanted to linger, but he had a job to do.

  He released her, and without thinking, he kissed her. Nothing deep, just a peck on the cheek before spinning and exiting the truck, leaving the keys so she could take the vehicle to Gage’s house.

  He strode toward the helo, his feet dragging as he didn’t want to leave. He resisted looking back, or he might change his mind and tell the team to go after Vetter without him. By the time he reached the helo, the others had boarded. Eryn and Gage dropped onto seats on the far side of the aircraft. He ducked under the whirring rotors to climb aboard and take a seat next to Alex.

  “Saw you and the missus,” he said for Jackson’s ears only. “Kissing, huh? Things have moved along.”

  “Stow it.” Jackson fired his buddy a warning look.

  “Dude, you’re the one who needs to stow it. Better not let Gage see your puppy eyes for Maggie, or he’s gonna plant your feet at the compound and assign Maggie’s protection to one of us.”

  “Zip it, man. I’ve got everything under control.” The last thing Jackson needed right now was for Gage to pick up on his developing relationship with Maggie. But she wasn’t here now, so he didn’t have to worry about that. He just needed Alex to keep his mouth shut.

  Jackson located the gear bag labeled with his name and tugged it over to his seat. He put on his headset while squeezing his feet in the small gap in front of him. Due to the added boat and motor—packaged tightly to about three by four feet—leg room was limited. Would make for a challenging ride, too. They would slip into their wetsuits and other gear with the big package in the middle. He noticed that Riley was already suited up. Made sense as he wouldn’t be able to change in the small cockpit seat and he’d be joining them on the dive.

  “We good to go?” Coop asked.

  “Roger that.” Jackson swirled his finger telling Coop to lift off.

  He took them smoothly up into the sky which was now turning overcast and gray in the distance. They didn’t get a lot of rain in the summer, but it looked like a storm was moving in from the north. Would make the op more difficult, but it wouldn’t stop them. And who knows, it might slow Vetter down.

  Gage stared across the chopper at Jackson. “Now’s a good time to fill us in on your plan.”

  “We’ll drop the boat north of Vetter. Let him catch up and pass us. Riley will take out Vetter’s motor with a copper sabot slug.” The special bullet would penetrate Vetter’s fiberglass hull and cowlings to reach the engine block, stopping him dead in the water. “Most of us will keep his attention while one of us takes a dive and comes up on Vetter’s flank to take him by surprise. That person will detain him until we can board his boat.”

  “I’ve already loaded the sabot slugs in my diving jacket,” Riley said.

  “Without an intel or recon, we’re facing a lot of unknowns,” Jackson said. “It’s gonna be one of those ops where we have to play it by ear.”

  Gage locked gazes with Jackson. “I don’t like that, and you know it.”

  “Your concern is duly noted,” Jackson replied. “But we have to act or miss the opportunity.”

  “I get that. Just don’t like it.”

  None of them did. It was far better to have good intel and a detailed plan at the get-go, but no matter the op, they always needed to improvise.

  Jackson kept his focus on Gage. “You have a better plan?”

  “Wish I did.”

  “Your SEAL experience makes you the best to take the dive, but if you don’t want to do it, I will.”

  Gage glanced down at his injured arm that severely hampered his swimming abilities. He lifted it and didn’t say a word.

  “Hey, man.” Jackson hated to see the look of disgust on his boss’s face, though Jackson thought the same thing about his knee. “Injured arm or not, you’re still better than any of us.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “You have more underwater experience.”

  “True that. We’ll see.” He frowned.

  Jackson knew how he felt. Not a person on the team didn’t wish to have their limitations removed. Coop had a bad back. Riley lost a kidney from shrapnel. Sure, he could still shoot, but with only one kidney, the police department wouldn’t risk him getting injured on the job and ended his employment. Alex had hearing loss and Eryn wasn’t able to clench her left fist. All injuries they needed to overcome, but not one of them was a quitter.

  Jackson looked out the window to the ocean below. Even flying, it would still take time to catch up to Vetter, but Jackson wanted to be ready when they got there.

  “Time to suit up.” He hung his headset on a hook behind his seat and dug out his thermo hooded wetsuit designed for assault swimmers. With fewer seams, an assault suit allowed more range of motion, and he was glad Gage sprung for the extra cost.

  Jackson turned the top of the front zip suit inside out and rolled it down before stripping down to his skivvies and T-shirt. He slipped his foot into a large plastic bag and tied it near his knee before sliding his leg inside. The others once razzed him about the bag, but a surfer friend taught him that it made sliding on the suit’s tight legs and arms far easier. Now everyone used a bag, even die-hard SEAL, Gage.

  Once Jackson had his suit on, he slipped on his dive jacket with emergency buoyancy and breathing options built in and tools mounted on the front, then checked to be sure their rifles were bagged and ready to deploy. He put his headset back on for the remainder of the flight and focused his binoculars out the chopper window as they skimmed up the coast. He spotted a boat and zoomed in.

  “Looks like Vetter, due north,” Jackson announced into his mic. “Let’s drop for recon, but not low enough to spook him.”

  “Roger that.” Coop took the chopper down slowly.

  Jackson watched through the binoculars as they flew over. Vetter looked up at them, but didn’t watch for long. Their chopper likely held no interest to him as it held no markings, and he probably assumed they were sightseeing. “Didn’t see a weapon. Anyone else?”

  Responses of “negative” came over the headset.

  “As a ghost gun maker, we have to assume he’s armed.”

  “Agreed,” Gage said.

  “We’ll have to be mindful of that in our plan. Drop the boat out of sight and wait for him to catch up and pass. Riley takes out his engine block. Gage you’re in the water and will apprehend Vetter.”

  Gage nodded his agreement, and Jackson was glad to see his boss agreed.

  “We good to go?” Jackson let his gaze rove over the team pausing at each face. They nodded. “Riley, Coop?”

  “Affirmative,” Coop said.

  “Ditto,” Riley replied.

  “Then let’s get this door open, and the boat ready to deploy.” Adrenaline raced through Jackson’s body. He didn’t wait for anyone to move but put on his goggles and shot to his feet to slide open the door.

  Salty ocean air rushed in, slapping him in the face. He loved the feel of it. The speed of the chopper. The op just ahead. The danger. Yeah, he loved that, too. Maggie didn’t like it. He could understand that and felt bad putting her through the worry, but he could never give this up. And there he was. Back at the point at which he didn’t want to be a husband and father.

  But as a Beret, he’d been gone on long deployments. Now, he didn’t travel far from home and rarely was away for more than a week. That would allow him to be the husband and father he wanted to be.

  Could he really find a way to have a future with Maggie, maybe have children with her?

  He looked out the door at the choppy ocean. He would have to figure it out soon as they were about to take Vetter into custody, and she would soon be free to return to life as normal. Life without him.

  Maggie didn’t like being left behind to wait. Not even if it was out on Hannah’s patio in the bright sunshine, a tall glass of iced tea in her hand, and the children playing on a structure that was built by the team. When she dated Jackson, he’d left her behind plenty of times, but back then she had no idea of his dangerous maneuvers. Today? She could easily visualize the helicopter hovering over the water. The doors opening, and Jackson plunging into the ocean depths. All the while, a man who made ghost guns coming up the coast toward him. She didn’t even want to think about more.

  She’d sat in the truck for the longest time, watching the helicopter swirl up into the air, her fingers pressed against the cheek Jackson kissed. He’d kissed her. Actually kissed her in front of the team. Nothing romantic. Just a quick peck on the cheek. But that was even more special to her. It was a kiss that said, I’ll be back. Wait for me. Not one that said, This is dangerous, I don’t know if I’ll be coming back, and I need to kiss you with every ounce of my being.

  And then he was gone. Now she needed to trust that he would return to her uninjured. However, after this situation was resolved, someone else would hire the team. They’d need protection, and he’d do something like this again. That’s the kind of man he was.

  “You seem lost in thought.” Hannah set down her tea.

  “I was thinking about Jackson. He has this tremendous need to protect others, and if he fails at doing so, it really eats away at him.” She looked at Hannah. “Is Gage like that?”

  “Yeah. Everyone on the team is. I’ve also seen it in Blake, too. But Jackson seems to take it to an extreme that the others don’t.”

  “I thought that, too.”

  “Has he always been this way?”

  She nodded. “But it’s gotten worse.”

  “Have you ever asked him about it?”

  “We talked about it a little, but he didn’t seem to know why he did it. I’m hoping to ask him about it tonight.”

  “Are you in love with him?”