Her Daring SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 5) Read online

  Her Daring SEAL

  Midnight Delta Series

  Book Five

  By Caitlyn O’Leary

  © Copyright 2016 Caitlyn O’Leary

  ISBN # 978-1-944785-23-9

  All cover art and logo © Copyright 2016 by Passionately Kind Publishing, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Lynne St. James

  Cover by Valerie Tibbs

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and places portrayed in this book are entirely products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find any eBooks being sold or shared illegally, please contact the author at [email protected].

  Dedication

  To all of our men and women who have served

  Synopsis

  A WOMAN WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING

  Rylie Jones is on a quest to single-handedly take down a human trafficking ring. She knows she’s close to accomplishing her goal when her younger siblings discover her secret double life and all hell breaks loose.

  DETERMINED DEFENDER

  Darius “Dare” Stanton has been trying to find Rylie since he first met her six months earlier. She’s already trouble to his heart, and he’s worried she’s in over her head. When he finally finds her, he’s going to make sure Rylie is protected.

  UNDERCOVER LOVERS

  When Rylie’s younger brother contacts Dare’s Navy SEAL Team there is only one option—Rylie and Dare will have to go undercover as lovers. Surrounded by spies and ruthless killers, will they be able to protect the captive women and survive as their passion blazes out of control?

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Synopsis

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  Biography

  Books by Caitlyn O’Leary

  Chapter One

  “No, Sawyer, I can’t come to the phone right now,” she whispered. Rylie glanced at the man across the room who was tapping a cane against his foot.

  “I’m counting on you. Tell him you’ll give him one hour of iPad privileges if he takes his meds.” Rylie listened, and then lowered her voice even more. “I promise I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about.” The tapping grew louder.

  “I have to go. I’ll call back in a few hours, then I’ll I have time to talk to him. I appreciate everything you’re doing.” Rylie hung up.

  “Problems?” the well-dressed man asked.

  “There are always problems,” Rylie said easily as she looked over the lushly appointed salon. “Of course, I believe you have more.”

  The tapping stopped.

  Three women were kneeling in front of the man. They wore sumptuous dresses, their hair, and make-up professionally done. He used his cane to lift the chin of the one closest to him.

  “You’ve done well. I never thought to present the product in such a manner.” He glanced sideways at Rylie, and nodded regally. “Tell me, Ms. Hessman, what price would you demand for this one?”

  “I wouldn’t. I would put together a party, and have them circulate. Then I would have a silent auction.”

  “I just had a traditional auction and got high prices for the women sold on my behalf.”

  “I find them garish and outdated. But if you insist...” Rylie purposely let her voice trail off. He pinned her with a cold stare she was sure cowed many of his employees. She stayed quiet.

  He stood up and walked to where she was sitting. Rylie was small, but she knew that if she stood they would be eye-to-eye. She stayed seated.

  “You insult me on purpose. Why?”

  “I am not insulting you. You were not responsible for those choices. Your old partners were. What you were responsible for is not being involved in their process. I am the best at what I do, but I want you involved so you can trust my decisions, and question them when it is appropriate.” And so I can take down you and your fucking operation, Rylie thought.

  “I had already come to that very conclusion.”

  He turned around and spoke softly in Chinese to the three men standing behind the women. They pulled them up by their chained arms. The women either cried or groaned in pain as their arms were yanked. Rylie shook her head.

  “What?”

  “It is unfortunate.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “You don’t understand English?” Rylie regretted her words as soon as they were out of her mouth, but she was sick of all the nonchalant violence.

  “Ms. Hessman...do not play games. What is unfortunate?”

  “When I said circulate at the party, I thought the girls would be seductive, touch and please the men and women who would bid on them. If their arms have been ripped out of their sockets by your men’s careless actions... Well, that is unfortunate. Perhaps worse.”

  “Ahhh, I see your point. Damaged product always has a lower price point.”

  Turning his head, rapid-fire Chinese was spoken, and the men immediately loosened their grips on the young women.

  “You are inordinately concerned with the care of these women. I have never seen a trader with such a soft heart.” Rylie leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs. If Liu had been heterosexual, he would have noted the garters she was flashing, but he wasn’t interested in what she had to offer. But the other men in the room were, particularly Liu’s so-called lover.

  “You see it as a soft heart, I see it as business acumen. As I said before, we’re not peddling flesh, we’re selling women. We either circulate them as models amongst your party-goers or as cowering slaves, I can guarantee, these polished girls will bring in ten times the price of the product you normally showcase. I don’t leave that kind of money on the table. It’s the reason I work so closely with these girls. But you can call it a soft heart if you want.”

  “You can’t mean all the trash that comes in on these containers are worth training,” Brandon said as he finally got up from his spot in the corner of the room. He had been silently watching everything. Mr. Liu smiled indulgently at the young man.

  “Allow Ms. Hessman to explain. It’s why we contracted with her, she has an impeccable reputation.”

  “She’s only been at this for six months. Prior to that time, we know nothing about her.” Brandon looked her up and down as he sidled up to Liu and put his arm around his waist. Rylie was always amazed how Liu put up with his lover ogling her.

  “Look at her, she was only a child before that. Of course, her resume is sparse, but I am impressed with her advice,” Liu said admiringly. “Ms. Hessman, can you please explain to Brandon if every woman coming off the shipping container is worthy of your
make-over. I have to admit. It is something I have often wondered about myself.”

  Every woman was entitled to have their lives back. They were entitled to escape the horror of the slave trade. But she couldn’t very well say that.

  “Not every woman is worth the same level of time and effort. I’m not going to spend the same dollar amount, nor am I going to showcase them the same way. But our operation is going to be different than others. It’s going to be what sets us apart.”

  She stood and then bowed at the waist to brush off a non-existent piece of lint from her skirt. It did two things. It made Liu think she was giving him the obeisance he so craved, and gave Brandon another view of her breasts, placating both men. Personally, it made her want to throw up.

  “Brilliant, my dear. I knew I had chosen the right woman to do business with.”

  “Knowing who to get into bed with is always important,” Brandon concurred.

  “You are such a flirt, Brandon,” Liu said looking up at the blond-haired younger man. “You should be careful I never misconstrue your flirtation with real disloyalty.” Brandon paled.

  “Albert, you are my soulmate. I would never endanger our love with something so tawdry.”

  It took all of Rylie’s discipline not to flinch at the word. People had used words like trash, low-class, and tawdry about her for most of her life. To have this man say it should not matter, but somehow it pierced her armor. She needed to leave.

  “Mr. Liu, you have things well in hand. As you noted earlier, I have some personal issues that need tending. I will be back in touch tomorrow.” She bent again and picked up her briefcase. She couldn’t stop herself from looking at the Ukrainian women, and saw Ursula was crying. Rylie prayed she could stop the auction from happening, but it would mean she would have to get her shit together in just six days.

  “Are you leaving Vancouver?” Mr. Liu asked.

  “Yes. I will be back the day after tomorrow.”

  “You do realize soon you are going to have to avail yourself of the accommodations on my island.” A chill ran down Rylie’s spine.

  “I would love to. Something came up at home, otherwise, this trip I would have been happy to stay at your home,” she lied through her teeth.

  “Do you have a family? Perhaps you can bring them? I’m a firm believer in getting to know the people I work with. Family is everything in my culture, Ms. Hessman.” Rylie didn’t say anything, merely looked at Brandon and raised her eyebrow.

  “I know my lifestyle is not normal for my age and culture. However, I am the head of the Liu clan. They embrace who I have chosen.”

  “What Albert means is he holds a lot of power. They don’t want to piss him off.” Liu gave Brandon a dark look.

  “Not all of the power, Brandon. You should never say such things.” Liu gave the Chinese men, over in the corner, a significant glance.

  Brandon paled.

  Rylie looked closer and saw a little bit of white powder on Brandon’s nose. Liu saw her looking and brushed his thumb under his lover’s nose with a frown.

  “Brandon, excuse yourself and clean up. Ms. Hessman and I have more business to discuss.” Brandon looked from one to the other with a calculating look.

  “You’re right, I need to go and rest. I do hope to see you and your family or significant other the next time we meet...Sylvia.” Brandon gave her cleavage one last glance and left the room.

  “You’ll have to forgive him, he’s young. You might be chronologically younger, but you were never really a child, were you Ms. Hessman, or may I call you Sylvia?” Albert looked at her shrewdly.

  “By all means, call me Sylvia.”

  “And please begin to call me Albert.”

  One of the women started to moan in pain, this time, Rylie was unable to stop herself from wincing.

  “Ah, you still have a soft heart.”

  “It allows me to better empathize with buyers, sellers, and product.”

  “Hence your stellar reputation. Do you need a ride to the airport?”

  “My car is waiting.”

  “Remember, on Tuesday when you come back, you’ll be staying at Taskalish Island. Since you will be staying until the auction is complete, I hope you can bring your family.”

  “We’ll see,” she said.

  Chapter Two

  “Dare!” Darius shook his head. The last thing he needed was Mason breathing down his neck.

  “Report!”

  “He’s going to fucking die if you don’t shut up and let me do my job!” How could a quick in and out rescue mission go to hell so quickly? Darius did patch work. He wasn’t a surgeon, he was a field medic, and this had to be the worst situation imaginable. They were going a million miles a minute over rough seas, and the water was coming over the edge of the Zodiac.

  He had his hand in Tate’s chest almost up to his elbow.

  “Dare?”

  Just another second. Tate would live or die.

  Please God, let it be live.

  Like an answer to a prayer, Darius finally found the bleeder and was able to pinch it closed. It wasn’t a guarantee, but there was a damn good chance if he held on, Tate could last until they got to the ship.

  “Our man has done it. But you’re going to have to act fast once we get there. He’s literally holding him together.” Darius heard Mason Gault say into the radio. After that, Darius tuned out everything but his patient. He was peripherally aware when they got close to the ship because activity went into overdrive.

  “Careful!” Mason yelled. “Don’t do anything to dislodge Darius’ hand. He’s keeping Tate alive.” Finally, a crane was used to pluck the Zodiac out of the water and onto the deck of the ship.

  “I’m the ship’s surgeon,” a voice said over his shoulder. “Can you hold on to him while we move him to the operating room?”

  Dare nodded.

  Corpsmen carefully lifted the CIA operative out of the boat, while the surgeon and Darius worked to make sure Darius’ hand never moved out of his chest cavity. As they went below decks, Darius heard the captain of the ship and Mason talking.

  “Lieutenant, what in the fuck happened out there?”

  “Tate saved them, sir. He saved them all. They got away, but he sacrificed himself to do it.”

  “Nobody was supposed to know where they were. That compound was a highly guarded secret.”

  “Sure it was, and that’s the reason Darius Lane has to hold Tate together like a split piñata.”

  The door closed behind Darius and the medical team, and he didn’t hear any more of the conversation. At no point had he stopped pinching the artery shut. By God, Tate Llewelyn was not going to die today.

  ***

  “Dare, you have to wake up. We have to debrief.” Darius heard his friend’s voice like it came from the far end of a tunnel.

  “Shit, he’s really out of it.”

  “He was awake for forty-eight hours straight, dumbass. Dare?” Finn’s voice sounded worried.

  “I’m fine.” Darius propped up on his elbows on his bunk. He barely remembered coming down here after the surgery. He woke up with a vengeance. “How is Tate?”

  “He’s stable. They airlifted him to San Diego after the Doc gave the thumbs up. He’s still not talking. The folks from Langley couldn’t wait until the ship docked, so they’re waiting for us to assemble. I heard from the captain’s aide that Langley was all up in his shit until they heard it was our team that pulled Tate out.”

  “Our reputation proceeded us,” Drake said with a grin. “It’s good to be the best.”

  “Cut the shit, Avery,” Finn growled at Drake. “Mason told us to can the attitude, and you know he meant you. We need to act professional and walk them through this by the numbers.”

  “I don’t see why they have their panties in a twist, their guy is a hero,” Drake complained.

  “He might be a hero, but five Middle-Eastern scientists are no longer under our care. He was supposed to be babysitting them so we could hel
p bring them to the states,” Darius explained patiently.

  “Fuck, Dare, you know damn good, and well those five scientists really didn’t want to come to the good ole U.S of A. They’d heard so much negative propaganda about us they decided to go to Europe for asylum.”

  “We can’t know that for sure. It’s possible they went straight into the hands of ISIS. That’s why we have some pissed of CIA folks. In some ways, Tate’s being looked at as a traitor for saving those men and woman. Some of the thinking is they would have been better off dead than going into the wrong hands.”

  “Tell me that’s not for real.” Drake groaned.

  “There is a real asshole in the captain’s quarters. Mason wants you there to explain just how dicey it was for Tate.”

  Darius swung out of the bunk, his feet hitting the deck. “Lead the way.”

  ***

  Rylie swung Georgie up into her arms. Had he lost weight? She knew the new meds he was on made him lose his appetite, but please God, let him not have gotten any smaller. She looked at Sawyer and Charlotte, they looked as concerned as she was.

  “Don’t go away anymore.” Rylie bit her lip.

  “Sweetie, just a few more times, and then I’ll be home for good.”

  “No!” Georgie hit her hard, his boney fist catching her on the cheek.

  “Georgie, no hitting,” Rylie kept her voice soft but firm, as she staggered a step.

  “Little man, what did we say about hitting?” Sawyer took Georgie from Rylie, and the boy immediately started to cry.

  “Want Rylie.”

  “You shouldn’t have hit her,” Sawyer said reasonably.

  “Let me get you some ice before you end up with a black eye.” Rylie looked around the small bright kitchen of their house in Oklahoma. The yellow daffodil wallpaper was beginning to swim in front of her eyes.

  “Rylie,” Sawyer said sharply. “Sit down. Charlotte, help her.” She looked at the tall boy she had helped to raise and plopped her ass down in a chair like he had commanded.

  “Rylie! I want Rylie!” Georgie was now screaming.

  “Give him to me.” Rylie held out her arms.