Page 30 of SEAL's Sky
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll stay with you in the cabin or your place. I can handle it.”
Promising to love him forever wouldn’t make him as happy as this moment. Knowing he’d earned her trust enough to be alone with him was huge after what Walker put her through.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“You’d better not let anything happen to me. My mother will kill you.”
“Yes, I will,” Pam said from behind him.
When he looked over his shoulder and saw Pam’s smile, it was as if she gave him her approval.
Chapter 11
After their morning intel meeting, they briefed the captain on the situation with Sky and her mom. He’d had several questions about the veracity of their plan and after going over the details and dialing in Tex, he didn't have any objections.
Murph was approved for a week off and Ryan had the rest of the day to help him do what was needed to make the cabin ready. He’d hoped that the whole team could get the time off, but with the ongoing Iranian issue, it was a no-go. If they were sent out on a mission, he’d have to go, and they would have to come up with another option.
The team would follow their usual training schedule during the day and at night they’d take turns as extra security at the cabin. They needed to be careful since it was US soil and they weren’t allowed to operate at home. Murph wasn’t concerned about being alone with Sky but welcomed the extra help from his teammates.
Following the coordinates Pam gave them, there was so much overgrowth it was like trekking through the jungle rather than a park just outside of Norfolk. If the landscape was any indication, the cabin could be a total loss. Depending on how well it had been built in the first place, and after sitting neglected for twenty years, they wouldn’t have been surprised to find a pile of rubble.
Lady Luck was on their side. When they finally found it, it was not only standing but looked halfway decent. Murph didn’t know what to expect, it could have been a one-room box more like a hunter’s blind, but this was a small house.
Using the key Pam gave him, Murph unlocked the door. Filthy, stagnant air made his eyes water, but it wasn’t anything a good airing out wouldn’t fix. The important thing was that roof hadn’t leaked or collapsed, and no animals had taken up residence
They got to work and a few hours later Murph had most of the inside livable for now, while Ryan cut back a lot of the overgrowth outside. He’d have preferred to get new furniture or at least a new mattress for Sky to sleep on, but he’d pick up some blankets and new sheets. If their luck continued and things went according to plan, Sky should be free of the dirtbag soon.
Murph dropped Ryan at the base then went shopping for supplies. Then he swung by his place and packed a bag. All packed, he almost forgot to grab the SAT phone in case reception got wonky. A box of unopened condoms was next to the phone in his drawer. Picking up the phone he stared at the box and actually thought about throwing them into his bag too. But a moment later he came to his senses and shoved the drawer closed. She was coming off one helluva horrible relationship. The last thing she needed was proof that he was as much a horndog as Rafe suggested. What was he thinking? Feeling like an ass, he grabbed his bag and dialed Tex as he ran out the door to pick up Sky.
“Hey, Murph, everything cool?”
“Yeah. Ryan and I took care of the cabin. Ryan did a good job of hiding their locations. It was pretty easy since the place was crazy overgrown. Are you seeing the feed?”
“Yup, crystal clear. It’ll record when the motion sensors are triggered on the cameras. If Walker lays a hand on her or even threatens her, we’ll have his ass over a barrel.”
“I hate that we have to use her as bait.”
“I don’t like it either. I don’t see any other way since I couldn’t turn up any other exes. You know that makes me itchy.”
“Me too. I don’t want to think about what the son-of-a-bitch does when he’s finished with them and decides it’s time for new prey.”
“Me either. I’ve widened the search for missing person reports of women in Sky’s age range. New York might have a serial killer on their hands. Although, this other shit doesn’t exactly fit any standard profile.”
“I know. Chrissy and Ryan were talking about it and she said the same thing.” Murph threw his bag in the backseat and climbed into his truck. “I’ll check in after I get back to the cabin with Sky and we can do a system check.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, for everything.”
“What do I tell you guys about thanking me?”
Murph smiled at his phone and didn’t bother to answer. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, Tex had already disconnected the call.
Starting the truck and heading toward the bar, Murph should have been searching for holes in their plan and not wondering what it would be like to be alone with Sky. He needed to keep his head in the game, but every time he looked into her deep green eyes he was lost. If he didn’t concentrate and Walker showed up, he could put them both in danger. He’d give anything for this to be a cozy trip where they got to learn more about each other and see if there was a future together, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
* * *
