Page 13 of Meaner Than Evil

He nods, pours three whiskeys, brings two over to us, and returns to retrieve his as Bette waves me to sit down on the couch with her. I feel like a grimy gorilla. "Ma'am, I came straight from training. I haven't showered. I'll stand out of respect if that's okay with you."

She looks me over and nods. "You're a lot bigger than I imagined."

I smile, not having the faint idea what made her say that, and she smiles back. "But you have a beautiful smile."

Banks clears his throat and raises his glass. "Here's to rescuing our girl."

I slam mine back, and both Banks and Bette only sip theirs. I step forward and set it on the coffee table. "What do you want to know?"

"Why would Logan ask for you? She had limited time to get a message out, and after ten years, 'Find Jack' is what she texted."

I look at both of them. They are distressed their only daughter has been kidnapped and clueless about who I have become. "I'm a former Navy SEAL, a Tier One Special Warfare Operator."

"OH!" Bette whispers in awe, and Banks says, "Makes perfect sense now why Logan wanted you."

"Yes, sir. I currently work for a group that specializes in fighting Human Trafficking. We have confirmed that Luis Morales abducted your daughter, and I will lead the extraction team to rescue her."

They exchange a meaningful look, and Banks asks, "You don't think this was drug-related?"

"I didn't say that. It most definitely was. Logan disrupted the Diablo operation, and Morales wants her out of the picture, but he's a greedy bastard and intends to sell her on the dark web instead of killing her."

"Oh. My. God." Bette's hand covers her heart. "Banks?"

He comes over to sit with her and puts his arm around her. "Logan's smart. She knew who to call."

She sobs, "My poor baby."

I vow to them, "I will bring her home. You have my word."

Banks says, "They are pure evil!"

I look at their stunned faces and realize they are clueless about what SEALs do, so I tell them to offer comfort in the only way I know how —with facts. "My team calls me Hammer because I strike hard. I'm violent. I bring down the house. I will find Logan, and I will destroy the evil bastards that took her because I am meaner than evil."

Seven

Hammer

I step out of the Tisdale’s house for some fresh air. I need to clear my head. Being surrounded by pictures of Logan’s childhood was gut-wrenching. The thought that our baby might have been a little girl who looked like her mom as much as Logan looks like hers was hard.

I breathe deep and exhale nice and slow. The front door opens and closes quietly, then soft steps on the portico echo, and Banks comes to stand next to me. We both stare across the landscaped yard.

“What’s the next move?” He asks without looking at me.

“We wait,” I answer, knowing it’s the most challenging part.

He glances at me, then looks back out over the yard. “Logan still loves you; you know.”

I nod. “I do her too, sir.”

He cuts his eyes again, and this time, he stares at my profile a little longer. “You are nothing that we were expecting.”

I nod again, and a slight smirk teases my lips. “I figured that out when I exited the vehicle.”

He nods. “That kind of shock is hard to disguise. Even for politicians.”

This time I let the smirk spread. “I wasn’t expecting your house to be so extravagant.”

He laughs. “We come from two different worlds, don’t we?”

---