Page 5 of SEAL's Sky
Waiting in line at the ticket window, she kept expecting Kurt to show up and grab her by the arm and drag her off, threatening her if she made a sound. There was also the chance that someone would have seen her on TV and recognized her. But she’d been lucky so far. Her next hurdle was buying the ticket. By law, she needed to present her ID. If the person on the other side of the window recognized her name she’d be in deep shit.
The line moved slowly, it was mid-morning and busy in the terminal. Finally, she was the next in line. Anxious she’d be discovered, sweat broke out on the back of her neck, and her hands shook as she handed over her license and money for the ticket. She was prepared to run if the worst happened.
The ticket dude didn’t even look at her, just printed the ticket and handed her back her ID, the ticket and change. Breathing a sigh of relief, she double-checked that her ticket was for the ten a.m. train to Washington, D.C. With time to kill before she needed to be on the platform, she stopped at one of the kiosks and bought a couple of bottles of water and snacks.
The trip took a few hours and even though she wasn’t hungry now, she would be. Looking over her shoulder and checking her surroundings had become second nature for her and she hated the feeling she was being watched. It wouldn’t surprise her at all for Kurt to hire someone to find her, but they’d be looking for a blonde-haired Jen, not Sky with the blue and pink hair.
As the train pulled up to the platform, Jen took a deep breath. Going back home to escape a lunatic boyfriend wasn’t part of her life plan, but if it worked she could start over. After climbing onto the train, she walked through a couple of cars before she took an empty seat by the window. Before sitting down she stowed her backpack on the rack above her head but kept her oversized tote with her. With each passing moment her tension eased, and the stiffness in her neck and tightness in her shoulders relaxed. Not that she was totally in the clear yet, but it was getting closer. For the first time in months, her stomach stopped its flips and churning enough acid to melt steel.
The wheels squealed as they departed the Penn Station and she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer as a single tear slid down her cheek. It was a non-stop to D.C. and the railcar she’d chosen was about two-thirds full. The seat next to her had remained empty and she put her tote beside her. She’d done it. After two weeks of hiding in the city, she was on her way to freedom from the psychotic bastard who’d tried to enslave her. When it came right down to it, she couldn’t look at it any other way.
When talking about her past she’d always been vague and couldn’t be more thankful for that now. Even if he did figure out where she was from, would it be worth his while to follow her so far away? There were so many women in New York, he probably had a list to choose from. Not that she’d wish him on anyone.
Chapter 3
Waking up at zero dark thirty didn’t bother Murph. After eight years in spec ops, it was just part of his routine. But he had to admit, the first morning after returning from a mission and getting to sleep in his own bed made it less desirable. Not bothering with a shower since he was meeting the guys for a ten-mile run, he headed to the kitchen to make coffee.
While waiting for the coffee to brew, he turned on the TV to see what he’d missed over the last two weeks. After the typical political back and forth by the talking heads, they went on to the regular news. There were two police officers shot in New York, a workplace stabbing in Florida, and more kids arrested for attempted school shootings. What the fuck was wrong with the world?
The more they tried to protect America, the more it destroyed itself from the inside. Deciding he’d had enough bad news for one morning, he picked up the remote to turn off the TV when a woman’s face appeared on the screen. She seemed familiar, but he didn’t remember meeting her. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from the TV. It wasn’t just her long blonde hair and pretty face, there was something about her expression and the light in her emerald eyes. He was so focused on her that he didn’t hear what the newscaster said, and he had to rewind it to hear the report. The woman named Jennifer Turner was missing for over a week from the apartment she shared with Kurt Walker in Tribeca. Then they flashed a photo of Walker on the screen since he’d been the one to report her disappearance.
Looking into the man’s eyes made Murph’s skin crawl. They were cold, not worried, not remorseful, or even shining with love. From his experience, someone like that was never a good guy and he hoped the police took a good look at him. Unfortunately, the odds weren’t in the woman’s favor if she’d been missing that long.
Shaking off the feeling he knew her, he poured a cup of coffee, downed it, and then filled his travel mug to take with him. After adding a couple of water bottles to his workout bag, he headed out the door to start the day.
As he climbed into his truck his cell rang. Tossing the bag on the passenger seat, he pulled the phone out of his sweatshirt pocket and checked the caller ID.
“Hey, Jake. What’s up?”
“Head to Base. There’s been a development.”
“Copy that. I’m on my way. Do you want me to call anyone?”
“Already taken care of, but thanks.”
The first few days after returning from a mission were usually just light duty, mostly just PT and any extra debriefing that might be needed. If they were being called in, something major happened. Murph hoped that they’d gotten a good location for Azfaar and they could finally put an end to that twat waffle once and for all. Maybe that’s what Jake and the captain were talking about yesterday after the debriefing. Although, it was weird to wait until this morning to tell the rest of the team.
Everyone else except for Jake was waiting in the parking lot for him. Pulling into his usual spot, he jumped out with his coffee.
“Morning.” Murph joined his teammates and patted Halo on the head.
“Morning,” the guys responded almost at the same time.
“Anyone know what’s going on?”
“Not yet. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Since the captain is here too it could be news about Azfaar,” Rafe answered.
“I really hope it’s that douche canoe, he’s way overextended his life span,” Murph remarked as they headed into the building.
“Agreed,” Ryan replied. “Now go put on your uniform, Murph, so we can get in there before we get our asses chewed.”
There wasn’t one member of the Black Eagles that didn’t want Azfaar’s head on a plate. He’d done more than enough damage to their team individually and the rest of the world even though most people never heard of him. If they’d found him, Murph would be happier than a pig in mud to head out after him.
The conference room was almost full by the time the SEALs entered. Murph and Ryan exchanged glances. This had to be something bigger than Azfaar since not only was Captain Knox there but also the assistant director of the CIA, and Mark Wood from Homeland Security. With all the alphabets except the FBI in the room, Murph stowed his snarky greeting and took a seat at the conference table with the rest of his team.
The moment they were told to take their seats, and then the door opened, as the Red Falcon team filed in. They gave Murph's team a chin lift in greeting and then stood at ease in the back of the room. The last time the conference room had been this packed was when they were being sent out after Osama Bin Laden. SEAL Team Six did the actual takedown but they’d been on standby for back up if needed.
Captain Knox stepped up to the podium and looked around the room. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he started speaking.
