Harbored by the SEAL (HERO Force Book 3) Read online

  But it was fucking incredible.

  He smiled. They had six days left, and he was going to enjoy every minute with that woman. He felt a moment’s guilt. This wasn’t a vacation, it was a HERO Force assignment and that had to come first. But still, a man had to sleep, didn’t he? And he planned to sleep with Charlotte by his side.

  Or underneath him.

  Or on top of him.

  An image of her going down on him the night before popped into his mind. She was such an arresting lover, open and unashamed. He was getting aroused just thinking about it, so he forced the thought to the back of his mind.

  He hoped the communications problem would be resolved soon. Life would get complicated pretty quickly if he wasn’t able to reach Abby on her cell phone and he wasn’t staying in his own room.

  He thought of Charlotte’s stateroom with its large living area and even a kitchenette. Logan had mentioned something about his sister getting a large settlement in the divorce, and how his ex-brother-in-law had deserved to be on the generous side of that arrangement after the way he’d treated her.

  It seemed like Charlotte had gone through a tough time, though whether it was from her marriage or subsequent divorce he still wasn’t sure.

  Are you looking to find out?

  This was a fling, not a relationship. That was how Charlotte presented it to him, and that was what he had agreed to. He wasn’t quite sure of the rules, but it just made good sense not to go digging through her past looking for answers.

  Keep it light.

  Keep it simple.

  Keep it sexy.

  He smiled and pushed through an unmarked door. Inside was a long hallway with many doors off it. The administrative headquarters of the Gem of the Seas. He made his way to Harrison’s office and knocked on the closed door. An unfamiliar man in an employee’s uniform opened it. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Harrison.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Harrison—”

  “It’s okay, Nicholas,” said a voice from behind the man. “He can come in.”

  Something in Harrison’s tone had the hair on Cowboy's arms standing on end. Cowboy had been around trouble enough in his lifetime to feel it in the air. It had a physical presence, just like a human being.

  “What’s going on?” asked Cowboy. Two more men sat at a desk along the side of the room working at computers with multiple screens.

  Harrison crossed his arms over his chest. “I was just about to look for you. I would have called, but you’ve probably noticed our communications are down.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “That’s why we’re all here. We have a problem, Leo. The cellular service and Wi-Fi were deliberately taken out.”

  “By whom?”

  “I wish I knew. Hell, for that matter I wish we could get it back online, but we can’t. Whoever did it installed a virus that took over our computers. Made them forget how to interface with the satellites that connect us to the world.”

  Cowboy’s spine tingled. “That doesn’t sound like a couple of kids playing around.”

  Harrison shook his head. “No way. Whoever did this is a professional, and it took planning. Hours of computer programming.”

  “Why would someone do it? What’s their motivation?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” Harrison cursed under his breath. “My gut tells me this is big. Like there might be more to come.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” There was no way to know if this attack had anything to do with the royals, or was an isolated incident. “Can you fix the network?”

  “So far, no. And the more they try, the more security cameras go off-line.”

  Cowboy cocked his head. “I don’t understand how those two are related.”

  “Me either. It seems to be part of the virus. A punishment of sorts for trying to free ourselves from it.” Harrison’s phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to take this.” He stepped out of the room.

  Cowboy looked around at the men working. They seemed frantic, their attention clearly focused on the screens before them. He would bet none of them were computer programmers, and he mentally gave them fifty to one odds of getting the communications system back online.

  He walked toward a wall of screens. Clearly these were the surveillance feeds from around the ship, nearly a quarter of them dark. He stared at one of the black screens, mentally surveying the situation.

  A crew member had been killed. On its own, that was not necessarily anything that would affect the ship at large. But the deliberate attack on the communications system changed all that, making it far more likely that the two were related.

  He remembered the thick folder Logan had given him before this trip. Briefing documents they’ve received on the prince and princess from the princess’s mother, who’d hired them.

  It contained general information on the royal couple and current threats to the British Empire. The dossier clearly outlined some long-standing political grudges, a handful of nutjob royal watchers, and the pervasive threat of global terrorism.

  Terrorism.

  Prince Hugo was a member of the French Parliament, Princess Violet the youngest daughter of Princess Mary. Together they represented the coming together of two great families. It was a good thing, assuming you wanted them to come together peacefully.

  But if you didn’t, taking over a luxury cruise liner where the young and beautiful royal couple were beginning their life together would make one hell of a statement, especially with thousands of innocent people on board.

  “Wilson.” Harrison gestured for Cowboy to come to the door, then led the way to a conference room, closing the door behind them.

  “That was the captain.” He sighed heavily. “The ship’s radio just went off-line.”

  11

  “How the hell is that possible?” asked Cowboy.

  Harrison dropped into a chair. “A well-trained saboteur would have little trouble knocking out our radio ability. The difficulty lies in the access. In order for someone to take out our radios, they have to have access to the bridge and an ability to override the computer. We’ve already seen their computer prowess.”

  “I can’t believe it’s that simple.”

  “Oh, I can assure you it is not. There are many safeguards in place. Double and triple checks to ensure this doesn’t happen.”

  “Who has access to the bridge?”

  “Me. The captain and first mate. About a dozen other crew members who work there. No one who should be suspect.”

  “One of them did it. But why?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Because of the royals.”

  The security chief nodded. “Maybe. It could be terrorists. With the royals on board–”

  “And thousands of built-in hostages—” added Cowboy.

  “They have the ability to capture the attention of the world.”

  “I need to call for backup from HERO Force. I’ll call the authorities as well.”

  “You can’t. The communication system—”

  “I have a satellite phone.”

  Harrison made the sign of the cross. “Then you will be our saving grace. May I use it after you? I will phone the cruise line and let them know of our difficulties.”

  “Of course.”

  Cowboy went back to his room. He picked up his satellite phone from where it sat charging, then took it out to the balcony to search for a signal.

  The screen was black. “What the hell?” he whispered, pressing buttons to no avail. He knew it was working when he plugged it in yesterday morning, but now it was clearly dead.

  So much for being anyone’s saving grace.

  He was supposed to check in with HERO Force twice a day. In theory, failing to make that call should alert the team that something was wrong. He looked out at the seemingly endless sea, wondering if the lack of a check-in call would be motivation enough for HERO Force to do something about it.

  He walked
back inside and plugged the phone in again, just in case. He nearly bumped into Abby. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  She bit her lip, making her look like a teenager. “Please don’t be mad. I can’t find the royals. I’m sure they’re fine, I just don’t know where they went.”

  Cowboy’s eyes went wide. “Why did you leave them alone?”

  “Because I had to go to the bathroom! I waited as long as I could, but you didn’t come back and I couldn’t call you.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “I’m sure they’ll turn up really soon. I’m sorry, Leo.”

  “It might not be that simple,” he said. “The Wi-Fi and cellular service going down was no accident. Somebody did it on purpose, probably the same somebody who disabled the ship’s radio.”

  “The radio is down, too?”

  “I can’t believe you left them alone. Someone was killed on this ship already.”

  “But you said that wasn’t a big deal! That it was a crew member fighting with another crew member or something.”

  “That was before all this other shit hit the fan.”

  Cowboy opened a drawer and withdrew a handgun, stopping to put on a holster beneath his shirt. Were there other weapons on this ship? He and Abby had bypassed the scanners the other passengers went through, but he had to believe their enemies were armed, too.

  “Get your weapon,” he said. “We no longer know what we’re up against. Go back to the pool deck and look for them. Don’t leave there no matter what. I’ll check in with you within the hour.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m going to check their cabin.”

  “The prince and princess? They’re not supposed to know we’re watching them.”

  “So if they answer I’ll tell them I knocked on the wrong door. Jesus, Abby. It’s more important that we find them.”

  He took the stairs two at a time and made his way to the Lido deck. It was faster to walk outside than through the ship.

  It wasn’t looking like Abby was going to have a future career with HERO Force, after all, but Jax was right. They needed some women on the team. Calling in someone like Abby when they needed a female was downright dangerous.

  He told himself to calm down. The royals had probably retired to their cabin for some honeymoon sex and a nap, for Pete’s sake, but Cowboy's mind had already taken a turn toward the dramatic and he needed to see for himself that they were okay.

  He made his way past the towering slides of the waterpark and a fenced-in basketball court on his way to the private elevator. He took it to one of the ship’s most expensive suites three floors below, where the prince and princess were staying on this journey.

  He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. He pounded some more. When he was satisfied no one was inside, he withdrew a key card from his pocket — which Harrison had given him when he boarded the ship — and opened it himself.

  His eyes took in the chaotic scene, even as his mind refused to process it. A fight had taken place here. A very physical fight, from the look of things. A painting was askew on the wall, pillows from the couch thrown this way and that. A glass coffee table was cracked.

  He drew his gun, clearing first the kitchen, then a small study and a master bedroom and bath. The suite was empty.

  He walked back to the sitting room, where he’d entered, swearing mightily as he kicked a couch. The royals he was hired to protect were gone.

  He needed backup, and he had no way to send word to HERO Force. He was supposed to check in with them twice a day. Would Logan take his missed check-ins as the sign of trouble they were?

  He liked Logan. The kid was smart — smarter than almost anyone else Cowboy knew — but he’d yet to prove himself to be the highly valuable member of the team Cowboy knew he could be.

  Come on, Doc. Figure it out for me, or we’re all dead in the water.

  Literally.

  12

  Jax stared at the picture Jessa just texted him of baby Emily sleeping in her arms and gently touched the screen. He never knew he could love so much, be so fulfilled by a woman and a child.

  His daughter wasn’t even a month old and already he knew he wouldn’t miss his role at HERO Force half as much as he thought he would. He was ready to be another kind of hero now.

  A father.

  Soon he’d be a husband, too. He’d already picked out the ring and was just waiting for the right moment to get down on one knee and ask Jessa to be his bride.

  They’d talked about it enough that it wouldn’t be a surprise. Hell, he’d practically begged her the whole second half of her pregnancy. Now that the moment was almost here, he couldn’t wait to officially become a family.

  Cowboy would take good care of HERO Force when Jax wasn’t around. Yes, Leo was ready for the responsibility, had already proved himself along the way. If there was anything that gave Jax pause about handing over the reins, it was his own fixation with the company, not Cowboy’s ability to handle it.

  HERO Force was in need of some staffing additions. A woman or two — for sure — maybe another man. Someone who could take the abilities of the team to the next level. And with the long-term assignment he’d just agreed to send Matteo on, he’d need another pilot.

  He leaned back in his chair, which squeaked beneath his weight. He should probably let Matteo know about his upcoming job. It wasn’t the kind of assignment Jax usually accepted, but an old friend was in need.

  In need of a husband for his daughter.

  A pretend husband, to be exact. Jax would just keep that little nugget to himself until it got closer to the time Red would be going undercover. No need to give one of his best men the wedding day jitters prematurely.

  He laughed to himself and looked at the clock. He would call Jessa quickly and see how she was doing. Better yet, he’d head home early. There was nothing going on at HERO Force headquarters that was more important than his new family.

  The door to his office opened and Logan walked in, looking disheveled. “Sir, we have a problem.”

  13

  “Is your hand broken?” Jax asked, raising one eyebrow and looking back at the door pointedly.

  “Oh, s-s-sorry.” Logan ran a hand through his hair.

  “What is it?”

  “Cowboy's in trouble. We just got a call from the headmaster at the Academy, who was just notified by the New York PD that Abby Granger was found dead in her hotel room this morning two miles from the cruise ship terminal where she was supposed to board the Gem of the Seas with Cowboy.”

  Jax stood up quickly. “I thought you said she was already on board?”

  “She was. Cowboy told me she was there in his first briefing yesterday. But according to police, she was dead at least twelve hours before they boarded the ship.”

  “Son of a fucking bitch,” said Jax. “It isn’t her.”

  “No, and it gets worse. Cowboy hasn’t checked in today.”

  Logan swallowed against the tension in his throat. He should have realized then. He should have known something was wrong before he found out about Abby. “After the call from the Academy, I immediately tried to call Cowboy. He doesn’t answer his cell phone.”

  “So try the satellite phone.”

  “I did. I also tried to reach the security director on his cell and his direct line. And I tried his assistant. Nothing.”

  Jax leaned forward and braced his arms on his desk. “So radio the ship’s captain, for God’s sake.”

  “I did. He said everything was fine.” Logan took two steps farther into the office, facing Jax across the desk. “But I don’t think I was talking to the real captain.”

  Jax eyed him sideways. “What are you saying?”

  “I think the cruise ship has been hijacked, sir.”

  “Hijacked.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Exactly what did the captain say that convinced you he was an imposter?”

  Logan shifted his weight. “It wasn’t anything he
said, exactly. When I identified myself as being from HERO Force, there was a pause on the line.”

  “A pause? People occasionally hesitate in their speech. You can’t assume that an entire goddamn cruise liner has been taken over because of an awkward fucking pause.”

  Logan clenched his teeth. He’d been afraid Jax wouldn’t listen to him. None of the guys took him seriously, and this was too important to be ignored. “Think, sir!” He knew when he did it he was crossing the line. A line that needed to be crossed if it meant Jax would take action.

  “We know Abby is an imposter,” he said. “Is it that much of a stretch to think there’s more than one?”

  Jax just stared at him.

  Hell, at least he’s listening.

  Logan lowered his voice. “However it happened, Cowboy does not have access to a phone. The ship's radio should only be answered by the captain, the first mate, or someone on the security team, all of whom know we have an agent on board. None of them would have paused. Not for a second.”

  “Have you checked with the cruise line? Seen if they think anything is wrong?”

  “I did. The crew has reported a problem with their navigation system. They're more than five hundred miles off course and counting. I’m telling you, someone else is running that ship. The prince and princess are in danger.”

  “If you’re right, Logan, everyone on that boat is in danger.” He sat down heavily in his chair and brought his hand up to stroke his chin. “Tell Red to get the bird ready. I’ll call the Coast Guard. We’ll need their help to rendezvous with the ship.”

  Logan puffed out his chest, turning to leave the room.

  “That’s good work, Doc.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “But next time, you better knock on my fucking door or I’ll throw your ass right back out of it.”

  14

  The bridge of the cruise liner was eerily empty, save for its captain and first mate, their presence much like that of mourners at a casket. A long row of monitors reflected the view of the security cameras that were still online, the randomly placed black screens between them foreboding and strange.