A throat cleared. “Mymen actually rescued you,” Jace, his CO and close friend corrected. He brushed a hand through his short blond hair. “Thank you for saying how handsome and angelic we are.”
“Oh, excuse me.” Melene shared a look with Aiden that made his stomach do an interesting somersault, then she focused on Jace and nodded. “Thank you, sir, for allowing the handsome and angelic Aiden Delta, aka Aquaman, to rescue Thomas and me.”
Jace gave Aiden a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. “Always the hero with the women, aren’t you?”
“Someone’s gotta be.” Aiden gave his devil-may-care grin to his friend, but he didn’t like the way Melene’s smile dimmed at Jace’s comment and his response.
The Executive Officer clearly didn’t think they needed to waste time with all this banter. Jace and Aiden would’ve just been getting started. Especially with a fun, beautiful lady like Melene around to tease with. You could always tell how long an officer had been in the office and out of the field by if they still understood the need for banter and dark humor.
“You’ve created quite the mess, Lieutenant.” He pointed at a chair next to Melene.
Aiden sat straight in the chair and faced the men. “General Carl Phillip created the mess. We were just evening the score a bit.”
“Whatever you want to call it, thank your lucky stars you’re related to Admiral Davidson Delta.” The XO said his grandfather’s name with the utmost respect. Aiden’s neck prickled. He tried not to call in favors based on his grandfather’s reputation, but he sure would pull that card to get Melene safely back home. He already had by reaching out to his grandfather.
“You’ve been assigned on a special mission, Lieutenant,” the Skipper said.
Aiden looked at Jace. He nodded slightly, though his bluish-gray eyes showed he didn’t appreciate losing a member of his team for an undefined amount of time. Especially if war was on the horizon.
Aiden hated the thought of leaving his team, brothers almost as close to him as the four blood-related ones he’d left in America, but he could only assume the “special mission” meant getting Melene home and far from General Phillip’s reach. His shoulders tightened, remembering how the man had looked at Melene and his threat that he would find her.
“You and Miss Collier will move from ship to ship until you are deposited at an unnamed location in the Caribbean where you will hide until General Phillip tires of his quest to acquire Miss Collier.”
“Hopefully gets distracted by his next beautiful target,” the Chief of the Boat put in.
Acquire? Nobody was acquiring Melene. She wasn’t just some beauty, though he couldn’t claim she wasn’t exquisitely beautiful, but Melene had depth, character, grit, and the most charitable nature he’d ever known.
The muscles bunched in Aiden’s neck and he wished he would’ve just pummeled and then drowned that loser General Carl Phillip when he had him in his grasp. Sure, it could’ve become an international incident, but it would’ve saved a lot of misery for a lot of people. Melene included. Aiden would’ve happily taken the wrath for it.
“You have been informed that Phillip has a million-dollar bounty on her head?” the Chief of the Boat asked. “Only payable if she’s alive and uninjured.”
Melene sucked in a breath next to him.
Aiden had the craziest feeling that he should take her hand in his and reassure her that loser would never get close to her again. Of course he refrained.
“I wasn’t aware of that, sir,” Aiden said.
The Chief of the Boat looked as disturbed as Aiden felt. “Admiral Delta has arranged everything and I’m sure you two will be very comfortable. When the bounty is removed, as I’m assuming it will be soon—Phillip is smart enough to know he should concentrate his time and money on his leader’s agenda and not his own—you will escort Miss Collier back to Colorado, where she will stay, and you will return to active duty.”
“Excuse me, sir, but I am not one of your sailors,” Melene said, her voice dripping with sweetness. Aiden was glad it wasn’t him who’d made the comment. “I am a manager for Health for All, and when the danger has passed, I will also ‘return to active duty.’” She smiled so beautifully Aiden didn’t know how anyone would tell her no. He was so impressed by her bravery, but terrified that she’d get hurt or killed one day. Especially if General Phillip survived this war of Banida’s and gained more clout, money, and authority. The man was brilliant, ruthless, and powerful. And no matter what the Chief of the Boat said, Melene would be impossible to forget, and Phillip might always have a barbed hook angling for her.
The Chief of the Boat stiffened and looked at the Skipper. The Skipper appraised her and said solemnly, “Miss Collier. You are correct that we are not your commanding officers. I only hope you think of your own safety and the family who loves you back home before you decide to assume another position in an uncontrollable environment.” His voice dropped and his gaze became penetrating. “Besides the usual dangers to a beautiful American woman, you have an added layer of being a target of General Carl Phillip. The man has proven to be sneaky, well-connected, well-funded, smart, and he loves to coerce women who are … a challenge.”
Melene’s face tightened, and once again Aiden wanted to reach for her hand. He would protect her. But what about after he returned to active duty and she doggedly insisted on returning to her charity work? Could her family talk her out of going back? Was that fair to her? Aiden tried to change the world by using his well-honed fighting skills to right wrongs and protect those in danger. Melene changed the world by loving, teaching, and empowering the motherless and the oppressed. She was incredible. And he couldn’t stand the thought of her in danger like she’d been in last night. Next time, he and his buddies would most likely not be there.
“We can’t force you back to America, but I would plead with you to think of one other thing besides your family and your own safety. You prayed for help in that cove and Commanding Officer Pitcher, Lieutenant Delta, and six other men came to your rescue. What if they or someone who’s willing and able to fight for you don’t miraculously show up next time? What if you had the opposite odds and our SEALs were outnumbered four to one and you got those eight elite men killed?” He stared her down.
Aiden and Jace exchanged a look. If the four to one comment had been from anyone closer to their rank level, they would’ve asked for an actual challenge. They both held their tongues out of respect.
“Something to think about,” the Skipper said. “Meeting is adjourned. Get these two on a submersible to theU.S.S. Bravado.”
The Skipper stood, which meant all the men in the room stood as well. At attention.
“What about Thomas?” Melene asked, rising out of her seat and pinning the Skipper with a determined gaze.
Aiden had always liked and admired Melene. She was sweet, beautiful, smart, and fun to talk to, but his estimation of her kept rising. Of course she would make sure the boy was taken care of.
The Skipper looked to the XO. “We’ve assigned a team to escort the boy to a refugee camp in Texas where he’ll be far from General Phillip’s reach. He might not have a price on his head like you do, but he’s in a significant amount of danger.”