SEALs Love Curves Book 6: Family
Autore
Mary E Thompson
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Nicole Burke would do anything for her child. As a single mom, her son always came first. She never thought twice about giving up dates or jobs or friends to take care of him. When all hope was lost, she dove deep into a dark world she never knew existed and made a deal with a man she was sure would just as soon kill her as help her. Rocky showing up was the answer to Nikki’s prayers, until he said he wanted to know his son. Too many people let Nikki down for her to trust again, but her son is the most loving person she’s ever known and welcomes the tough, strong, sexy former SEAL into their lives with wide open arms. The happy reunion doesn’t last long. Threatening phone calls and late night visitors make it clear the man Nikki went to for help is ready for his payment, and he is more than willing to take his fee from her. By any means necessary.
Surveillance
Book 6: Family
Adrian Malone rolled his neck to the side to work out the kink in it. He was sore and stiff and in desperate need of a shower and a few hours in a bed. After spending the last thirty-six hours on surveillance in the back of one of the team’s SUVs, he was dead on his feet.
Even worse, they didn’t catch the guy they were after.
Adrian, known as Rocky to his closest friends and teammates, was a member of an elite group of former SEALs who spent their days and nights protecting the borders. Stationed in Niagara Falls, New York, they did everything they could to make sure no one came in or out of the country without permission.
Unfortunately, people always slipped by. Which was why Rocky was part of a multi-day surveillance. A failed one.
Rocky sifted quickly through the mail and tossed it on the counter. He barely noticed what was in there and figured there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until he got some sleep and food. Preferably something that didn’t come out of a bag and wasn’t room temperature.
“Anything good?” his friend and roommate, Ryker ‘Dex’ Hamilton, asked. Dex was on the same surveillance as Rocky and just as tired, but he wore it better. His eyes actually stayed open on the drive home.
Rocky shook his head and walked toward the fridge.
“What about this?” Dex asked, holding up one of the envelopes.
“What is it?” Rocky asked without looking.
“From the living donor registration place. You could be a match for someone.”
Rocky shrugged and continued his search for food. He’d been registered as an organ donor forever, but it was only in the last month that he’d signed up as a living donor, willing to give pieces and parts of himself while he was still breathing to help others. He wanted to give back, but at the moment, food was a higher priority.
Their fridge was sparse and the cabinets worse. He debated ordering a pizza, but after the chips and sandwiches and junk he’d eaten lately, he couldn’t stomach the thought.
“You need to open this,” Dex pressed.
Rocky wasn’t sure about it. They were in the middle of a huge case that required all hands on deck. They’d been working around the clock for weeks. He was starving and exhausted and not looking for something else to do at the moment.
The sound of tearing paper met his ears, and he spun around. “What the hell?”
Dex shrugged and pulled the letter out of the opened envelope. “It says you’re a match. Someone needs you.”
“The team needs me,” Rocky said, his senses of duty warring. “I can’t leave right now.”
“You can always leave,” Dex said. “We always have a big case, and we’re always working crazy hours. You wanted to do this. You chose to do this. How can you walk away now that it’s here?”
Rocky shook his head and turned his back on his closest friend. He and Dex went through BUD/S together, then were matched to the same Team. Rocky had spent most of his career with Dex by his side. They knew each other better than most people knew another person, but at the moment, that only meant Dex knew how to push Rocky’s buttons.
“What if it’s a kid?” Dex asked. “Can you turn your back on a kid?”
“They don’t give out any information about who it is. I’ll never know. And right now just isn’t a great time. I’m starving. Do you want food?”
“Yeah,” Dex said. He continued to stare at the letter while Rocky pretended it didn’t exist.
Rocky settled on veggie pasta and a meaty sauce in the freezer. While the water boiled, he defrosted the sauce. Dex went to his room to shower, leaving Rocky alone with the letter. He shook his head at himself and tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t. All his life, he’d been called to give back, to serve. His mom was a nurse, and his dad was in construction. They always helped people and taught Rocky and his two sisters to do the same. It was why Rocky trained as a medic in the Navy and became a SEAL. And why he signed up to be a donor.
He added the pasta to the boiling water and stirred the sauce. He continued to stare at the letter without actually picking it up or reading it. It scared him. No matter how much he felt the pull to help, the act of surrendering his health for another person was terrifying.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, startling him. He dropped the spoon he used to mix the sauce, cursing when red splattered all over the floor. He left it there and dug his phone out of his pocket.
“Yeah?”
“Can you come in for a meeting?” Daniel Dunn was his XO as a SEAL and his boss as a civilian. Rocky trusted Dunn with his life.
“What time?”
“Thirty minutes.”
Rocky groaned and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Thanks.”
Dunn hung up, and Rocky hung his head. He was not in the mood to go into work. He knew if he did, he would spend the day there and get even less sleep. But it wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last he had to spend the day at work without any rest.
He finished cooking and wolfed down his breakfast, adding a cup of coffee to the mix. The combination would have made him sick years ago, but he learned as a SEAL to eat what you had and not worry if it went together.
Dex got the call, too, and shoveled his food in as quickly as Rocky had. They were out the door in fifteen minutes and on their way to work. When they arrived, the rest of the team was rushing around the office. Rocky didn’t know what was happening, so he followed Dex to the conference room to wait, knowing the team would fill them in. Rocky put his head on the table and closed his eyes for a minute.
The next thing he heard was a mug of coffee placed on the table in front of him. A soft hand on his back would have made him jump a few years ago, but he stifled the urge to attack whoever touched him and looked up at Kyra.
“I figured you could use this,” she said with a smile.
Rocky nodded and accepted the mug gratefully. Kyra was their office manager and friend. She was also crazy in love with one of Rocky’s teammates, Slade.
“Thanks,” Rocky said, smiling at her. He brought the mug to his lips and drank. The hot burn of the coffee and the jolt of caffeine helped him as the others walked in and took seats around the table.
“We have a problem,” Dunn said as he set his stuff down on the table.
Rocky just closed his eyes and groaned internally. He was definitely not getting any sleep.
* * *
It was dark when Rocky and Dex made it home again. Exhaustion had set in and neither of them were in the mood to talk or think or eat. They bypassed the kitchen and went straight to their rooms without a word. Rocky didn’t bother stripping out of his clothes before he headed for bed, falling onto the covers and passing out almost instantly.
His internal clock woke him far too soon, but Rocky knew it was useless to fight against it. He never slept past six, and even sleeping that late was a challenge most days. He went for a run and lifted with the free weights he kept in his room, then showered and returned to the kitchen for breakfast.
He groaned when he opened his fridge and saw the same nothing he had the day before. He shook his head, grabbed his keys, and decided to stop for something on his way to work.
The letter caught his eye, and he paused to read it. It ended with a phone number to call for more information if he was still interested. He pocketed the letter and went straight to work, forgetting all about breakfast.
“I need you to check this out. Tell me if it’s legit,” Rocky said, handing the letter over to their resident computer expert, Liam Johnson.
English looked up at him when he saw what the letter said and simply nodded. Then he went to work and within a few minutes, he had his answer. “It’s legit. Are you going to do it?”
Rocky took a breath and shook his head. “It’s a shitty time to be out of the pocket. I wanted to, but I can’t leave the team. Not when we’re this close to closing this case.”
“Want to know who it’s for?” English asked.
Rocky snatched the letter away and shook his head. “No. I think it’s better if I don’t.”
English shrugged and went back to whatever he was doing.
* * *
Nicole Burke sat across the desk from Dr. Andrews and held her breath. She knew finding a donor was a long shot with her son’s rare blood type and antibodies, but she had hope that somewhere out there, someone was a match.
“I wish I had better news,” Dr. Andrews said. “There is a match registered in the system, but the person has declined.”
“Why?” Nicole asked. Her throat seized, taking all her breath with it. She was out of options. Out of hope. Her son was only six. A six-year-old shouldn’t have to go through what Sly had gone through. But things were only going to get worse for him. Without a donor, and soon, her son was going to die.
“We have no way of knowing that. Sometimes donors change their minds, sometimes they aren’t available for some reason, and sometimes they have medical issues that prevent them from donating. We really don’t know.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Dr. Andrews said the words Nicole never wanted to hear. “Enjoy the time you have and prepare yourself.”
She sucked in a breath and nodded, but inside, she wasn’t accepting that answer. She would find another option, a solution that didn’t involve waiting and struggling and praying for someone else to do something. She was a mother, and she was not going to let her son die. She didn’t care what it took, she was going to fix this. She was not going to sit back and watch him fade away. That wasn’t an option. There had to be another choice.
And she was going to find it.
* * *
The next two weeks were a whirlwind for Rocky. He worked nights with Dex, and they were called into the office half the time for meetings. Every time they thought they were getting close to closing the case, something happened, and they ended up three steps backward. Until it all blew up in their faces and months of work led nowhere.
“Dammit!” echoed down the hall when the team returned.
Fists beat against the walls as each member of the team took out their frustrations on the inanimate objects around them. It was going to be a busy day in the gym with all that anger.
Rocky stood at his doorway and waited for Dunn to reach him. He didn’t need confirmation from Dunn that everything went sideways. He already knew, but Dunn jerked his head toward his office for Rocky to follow.
“What’s up?” Rocky asked, taking a seat across the desk.
Dunn took all his weapons off, setting each on the desk before pulling off his bulletproof vest. When he looked more like a normal guy, he sat down and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a match?”
Rocky groaned and closed his eyes. “Dex needs to stay out of my business.”
“He came to me because we all know you signed up for a reason. He knows this will eat at you if you don’t go. What’s going on?”
“The timing sucks,” Rocky said simply.
“There’s never a good time. Never will be. But whoever it is you’re helping needs you now, so you have to go.”
“I just—”
“When I was off with Ashleigh and Junior, you guys survived. We’ve all been out of commission for injuries. This team doesn’t function if we’re not all at the top of our game. You’re distracted by this because it’s what you want to do. So, why aren’t you?”
“If I do this, I won’t be at the top of my game. I’ll be down a kidney.”
“And you think we’ll give you desk duty?” Dunn asked. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.
Rocky shrugged.
“Will you be able to forgive yourself if you don’t go through with this? If you know someone out there is out of options and you said no?”
Rocky blew out a breath and closed his eyes. He’d been pushing the entire thing out of his mind for that very reason. He didn’t want to think about who wouldn’t make it.
“You’re a healer, Rocky. You’re the guy who takes care of everyone else. If you decide not to do this, I’m not going to think any differently of you, but I think you will. I think you’ll regret it.”
“It’s a month,” Rocky said.
“What is?”
“I would need to be there for a month. Because of what we do, I would have to be observed for a month by whatever doctor so they know I’ve healed completely before they’ll let me return to work.”
Dunn shrugged. “And?”
Rocky shook his head and ran a hand over his face. He hated missing anything, but missing a month was not going to be easy. “I—”
“Don’t,” Dunn said. “Whatever it is you’re feeling guilty about, don’t. You are saving someone’s life. That’s why we do what we do every day. You’re just doing it in a different way. An easier way than we usually have to do it.”
Rocky stared at his boss and friend and admitted the truth. “I’m not sure I can walk away from this.”
“Then don’t. Do what you need to do and go save someone. We’ll survive without you, but this other person might not.”
Rocky took a breath and nodded. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He was going to help. To give back. To do what he knew was right.
He was going to save a life.
* * *
It took a few weeks to get more testing done to confirm Rocky was, in fact, a match. When he was finally given the go-ahead, he booked his flight to Tennessee and headed south. Rocky checked in with Dunn and Dex when he arrived and ordered a car to take him straight to the hospital. His surgery was scheduled for the next morning, and they wanted him admitted overnight so they could monitor him and start surgery at the crack of dawn.
Rocky walked into the waiting room and glanced around. He didn’t know who he was donating his kidney to, but he was still curious. Could it be the teenaged girl in the corner with her mom and dad? Or maybe the toddler sleeping against his dad’s shoulder? Or the young boy…
Rocky tilted his head to the side. Wow. The boy looked just like Rocky’s dad. Same shape of his eyes. His ears stuck out a little too far. His chin was long and thin.
His father died when Rocky was at BUD/S. He was repairing a weak spot on the roof of his house and lost his balance. He was on life support for two days, but his mom knew he would do more for the world if she agreed to donate his organs. Rocky wasn’t there when the rest of his family said goodbye. His dad was proud of him, and his mom assured him his dad would have wanted him to stay at training and finish, but the guilt of not being there and not having patched the roof before he left ate at Rocky.
Rocky smiled at the boy and knew he made the right choice. If he was seeing his father’s face, there was no doubt in his mind that walking away from his team and giving up his kidney to help a stranger was for the best. He’d go back to his team when he was healed, but the person he was matched with couldn’t wait any longer.
His phone buzzed. Rocky pulled it out and smiled at the screen. His teammates had been sending him texts since he left, mocking him and saying he was a hero. He shook his head. They were teasing, but they meant it, too. Every single one of them was signed up to donate their organs if something happened. Rocky was the only one who signed up to be a living donor, and even though it scared him, he felt good about finally agreeing to go through with it.
Someone sat down next to him, and Rocky shifted to give her space. He glanced over and smiled, then did a double take.
“Hi, Rocky,” she said, sounding less than happy but not surprised to see him.
“Nikki?” he asked.
She nodded and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.
“What are you doing here?”
She chuckled. “I’m here for the same reason you are.”
“You’re a donor?” Rocky asked, surprised at the coincidence. He met her on leave seven years earlier. They spent a weekend together, more time in bed than out. Rocky told himself she was better off not knowing his real name and refused to tell her who he was, using only his nickname when they were together. She played along, only giving him her first name.
Rocky thought about trying to find her after she disappeared their last night together, but he figured it was for the best. Still, he never forgot her, or the connection he thought they had.
Nikki shook her head and looked at the boy Rocky had been staring at. “I’d almost given up hope. I never thought you’d be the person who showed up.”
“What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “You’re here to save my son’s life. His name is Sly. Sylvester. I named him after Sylvester Stallone.”
Rocky chuckled. “What are the odds? I got my nickname after his iconic character.”
Nikki nodded. “I always assumed. That’s why he has that name.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she let them fall when she met his gaze. “He’s named after you. You’re his father, Rocky.”
