SEALs Love Curves Book 7: Forbidden

Megan O’Keefe stepped off the plane and took a breath of fresh air. Well, not fresh. Airport air. But it was better than the air on the plane. She was on the ground and ready.

The walk through the airport was quick, and she found her bags without any trouble. When she got outside, the line of cars waiting to pick people up almost brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t have anyone there. But she could have. She was the one who chose to surprise her brother.

The cab dropped Megan off in front of Justin’s house, Slade according to his friends, and for the first time since she came up with her plan, she faltered. Since she didn’t tell her brother she was coming, she had no idea if he would be home.

“Crap,” she said.

Instead of chasing down the cab that had left her at the end of the driveway, Megan grabbed the handles of her suitcases and headed up to the house. Maybe Justin and Kyra were there. Maybe she’d get lucky.

She rang the doorbell and was immediately met with a loud barking that only got louder as she stood there. After a second, a voice, Justin’s voice, shouted over the dog.

“Megan? Are you seriously at my house right now?”

“Hi, big brother! I wanted to come up and visit before your wedding.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s a surprise! I wanted to meet Kyra and your friends and see what’s so great about Niagara Falls. You know, besides the obvious.”

“Awesome. I’m so glad you’re here. Um, but I’m not home.”

“Yeah, sorry. I should have called you. I really didn’t think this through.”

“It’s fine. I promise. Listen, Kyra and I are just finishing up with work. We’ll head out shortly. You can go around to the back and hang out there if you want. I don’t have one of those doors I can unlock from here. We’ll be there as soon as we can be.”

“That sounds good. I can use some of this Niagara Falls sunshine.”

“Because you don’t get enough at home.”

Megan forced a smile for her brother and chuckled. “Something like that.”

“Okay, I’m gonna go so we can head out. See you soon.”

“Yep. Bye!”

Megan wasn’t sure if the camera thing in the doorbell was still on, but Justin was silent, so she assumed he signed off. She looked at the well-manicured lawn and the massive trees around the property. There wasn’t another house in sight from where she stood. With how loud the barking inside was, she couldn’t say she was surprised.

Megan grabbed her bags again and dragged them through the grass to the patio in back. It ran the length of the house and extended at least ten feet. There was plenty of grass beyond the patio before the tree line interrupted the open area for the dog to run around.

The dog. Megan turned to the full glass doors to see if she could spot the front door from where she was. He was looking back at her.

“Oh, you are the cutest thing ever, aren’t you?” she cooed to him through the glass. He smiled and wagged his tail. “You know you are, don’t you? Hi, Howler. I’m Auntie Megan. I can’t wait to come inside and give you a big hug. But for now, I have to sit out here.”

Megan left her bags next to the door and picked a chair facing the woods. She sat down, relieving the pressure on her back. Standing and sitting on an airplane for hours was murder on her body. She wasn’t the healthiest person, even under normal circumstances, but it was worse when she was forced to cram herself into a tiny seat. Her oversized body was not built for airplanes.

After sitting for a few minutes, Megan kicked off her shoes and went out onto the grass. It was warm on the surface but cool underneath and refreshing to her tired feet. She stretched and moved her body, trying to work out the kinks. She took a deep breath and thanked God for delivering her there safely.

Megan went back to her chair and sank into it. The warm afternoon sun soothed her. She hadn’t been sleeping well, and before she knew it, she was drifting off in the chair, not a care in the world.

“Megan,” Justin called out, startling her awake.

“Hey. Hi. I’m here. I’m up.” Megan swung her feet over the edge of the chair and looked up at her brother. God, it was good to see him.

“Come on, little sis. You need some rest and food.”

“Are you going to cook for me?” Megan teased.

“Yep. I’m a pretty good cook. But you can help if you’d like. First, Megan, I want you to meet my soon-to-be wife. This is Kyra.”

Kyra was standing at the door holding on to Howler’s collar as he strained to get away. She waved and Howler lunged, nearly breaking her grasp.

“Dude, calm down,” Kyra said with a laugh. “Sorry, he’s even more excited that you’re here than Slade. Are you okay with dogs?”

Megan nodded. “Absolutely. I told him I couldn’t wait to give him a big hug.”

“He’s not going to wait long, either. I’m letting him go. Are you ready?”

Megan chuckled and nodded. Howler took off as soon as the resistance against his collar was gone. He ran toward her and made it about halfway before his hind legs gave out and his butt hit the patio. He didn’t stop, though, just scrambled through it until he reached Megan.

Megan laughed and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Howler’s neck. He panted happily while she rubbed his body and told him what a good boy he was.

“He’s a spoiled rotten creature,” Justin said playfully. “And he knows it.”

Howler looked up at his owner like he was a god. Justin grinned at the dog. Megan knew she made the right choice coming early. She needed to see the life her brother had. Decide if it was a life she wanted. Not that she was telling him that. Nope. As far as he was going to know, she was just visiting. When she made her final decision, then Megan would tell him she planned to move there.

“Come on. Let’s head in. We can start dinner. What are you in the mood for?” Justin asked.

Megan kissed Howler once more, then stood and hugged her brother. “I’ll eat anything. You know that.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Me, too,” Kyra said, gesturing her own full figure.

Megan was happy to see Kyra was a woman like her. Not as big, but not tiny either. She knew it wasn’t entirely fair, but Megan always felt more comfortable with women who carried a little extra weight like she did.

“You’re beautiful. And I’m so excited to get to know you better. You can tell me all about this lump of muscle and why in the world you decided to fall for his charm,” Megan said, looping her arm through Kyra’s.

Kyra laughed and said, “He’s definitely charming. I’ll give him that.”

Justin grumbled behind them as they headed inside. Howler trotted along next to his owner. The boys went to the kitchen while the ladies sat on the couch and talked.

“His teammates are awesome,” Kyra said. “You’re going to love everyone. They all wanted to come over and meet you, but Slade told them to give you a couple of days to settle in. If you’re okay with it, they’re all going to come over on Friday.”

“All of them?” Megan asked. Fooling her brother was one thing, but deceiving an entire group of SEALs trained to sniff out lies and half-truths was very much another.

Kyra nodded. “Yeah. We all get together all the time. At least once every weekend everyone comes here or we all go to one of the other houses. These guys are all really close.”

“That’s very cool. I’ve never liked any of my coworkers enough to want to spend time with them outside of work.”

“I thought you were dating someone from work?” Justin asked.

“Oh, my gosh, of course,” Kyra said. “I’m so sorry. I never thought. It’s down the hall, first door on the right.”

“Thanks.”

Megan followed Kyra’s directions and locked the door behind herself before the tears made it to her cheeks. She’d cried enough tears for that asshat, but she hadn’t cried for her child yet. The tiny, helpless unborn baby just starting its life inside her.

The ex that Megan thought was at least a friend told her the baby couldn’t be his because they were not exclusive and he always wore a condom. Megan thought they could have been more than friends who occasionally slept together, but he was screwing other women. She told him he was probably right and ran. Because what else was she going to do? Saddle her child with a useless father for the rest of their life? Saddle herself with a worthless man? Nope. She was going to raise her child on her own. Maybe near Justin and Kyra and Justin’s army of friends.

Megan used the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She sucked in a deep breath and shoved down the emotions. She could do this. She had to do this. For her baby.

Mason O’Connor stared at the man in the mirror and wondered where his life went. He had hopes and dreams once upon a time. He wanted kids, a full life with his wife. They talked about the house they were going to have one day, the backyard they would have for their family to play in.

Mason glared at his reflection. He was the one who ruined that. He let the outside world get into his head and he pulled the trigger on his own wife. Ending all their dreams in seconds.

It wasn’t the first time a nightmare had woken him, but it was the first time in a while. The first year after she died, he barely slept. When he did, he saw her face. Lifeless and cold. It haunted him. But after a year, the dreams began to fade. Mostly thanks to the help of the court mandated psychologist he saw in prison.

Mason shook his head and forced himself away from the memories. He got dressed, swallowed a cup of coffee, and punished himself with a long run. By the time he got back, his muscles were screaming for relief. Instead of a hot shower like he wanted, he settled for a quick, lukewarm one so he would feel it all day. Remind himself that the pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain he’d caused.

He drank another cup of coffee and ate some toast before heading to work. Things had been quiet for the last few days, and if he knew anything about the kind of work they did, quiet only lasted so long.

As soon as he set foot in the office, he knew the quiet was over for a while. The team was running around. They weren’t in gear, but they were busy.

“What’s going on?” Mason asked Jack as he brushed past.

“We caught a new case. Missing firefighter.”

“Why are we being called in on something like that?”

“All hands, dude.”

Mason nodded and followed Jack into the conference room. Jack was the jokester of the group, always ready to make everyone laugh, but he wasn’t smiling. Shit was serious.

They already had their war board full of data, including a large picture of the man who was missing. Mason didn’t recognize him, but he knew the Niagara Fire uniform. The clean-cut, smiling man in the photo had no shadows in his eyes, no demons hiding. The guy looked like an ordinary man. Which only made Mason wonder…

“What’s the story?” he asked Dex as he put another picture on the board.

Dex was the unofficial second in command. He was crazy smart and unmatched when it came to putting pieces of a puzzle together. And he was a damn good shot when he needed to be.

“His wife thought he was on shift when he didn’t come home. Said he usually calls, but it’s not unheard of for him to forget since time seems to blend together for these guys. When she didn’t hear from him on the second day, she reached out to the station. They said he was supposed to be there three days ago but never showed up. Seventy-two hours missing. Cops tracked his phone, but it’s dark. English is going through cameras, and the rest of us are helping dig into his life. Grab a spot and pick an area to search.”

Mason nodded and took a seat at one of the computers in the room. He pulled up social media first, fumbling through the program he wasn’t familiar with. Mason didn’t use any social media. There wasn’t a person alive who cared about his day-to-day life, so he kept it to himself. But someone cared about this guy.

Mason kept searching, looking for anything about the firefighter, Wray Allen. He went through photos his wife posted of the two of them, then searched through all the people in those photos to see if there was anything that could tell them where he might be.

By the time he looked up, it was lunch.

“We all need a break,” Dunn said. Daniel Dunn was their elected boss. The SEALs, except Mason, built F-BOMB together, but they chose Dunn to run the operation. He was their XO in the Navy and the man the rest of them decided to work under. Dunn and Dex ran a tight ship. They were efficient and effective, and damn good leaders.

When Mason joined the team, he was surprised how easily they welcomed him in. Their first introduction wasn’t simple, but once they realized he wasn’t stalking Kelsea, things went a little more smoothly. She kept inviting him to gatherings with the group, and after a while, they asked him to help out with some of their jobs. Before long, he was offered a salary and an office.

And a new place to call home.

Mason grabbed a sandwich from one of the platters Dunn delivered. He snagged a bag of chips and a bottle of water also. They all ate in relative silence, their minds on the man they were searching for.

After lunch, Dunn stood in front of the board and asked what they were missing.

“I haven’t found anything to indicate he’s having an affair,” English said. As the computer expert of the group, he was the one tasked with finding information that wasn’t publicly available, like searching the man’s phone records and his inboxes.

“Okay, good. What about family or friends? Anyone with a shady past?”

“No,” Dex said. “Not that I’ve seen. He spends time with the other firefighters. His wife spends time with their wives. His circle is small. Dad was a firefighter. His sister is a firefighter. He has a cousin who’s a firefighter. This guy is in deep, and he’s squeaky. Not even an unpaid parking ticket.”

“What are we missing?” Dunn asked.

They all stared at the board with the man’s life on display. Something wasn’t there. Something that could tell them what happened to him. People didn’t just disappear. There was always a trace. The hard part was finding that trace and seeing it for what it was.

“Let’s start at the beginning,” Archer said. “He was reported missing on day three, but what happened the last day he was seen. Where was he? What did he do? Who did he see? When were his last social media posts? Let’s paint a picture of his life up until he vanished from it.”

“He was home over the weekend,” Jack said. “Dinner with his family Sunday night. Wife said that’s their normal routine. She doesn’t remember anything odd happening. They were at his parents’ house, came home afterward, watched TV, and went to bed.”

“Monday he supposedly went to work, right?” Archer asked.

“Yes,” Rocky agreed. “Monday he left, his wife went to work, and since he was working, she didn’t think anything of him not being home. He should have been home Tuesday, but she assumed he picked up an extra shift. Wednesday, she called the station. They said they hadn’t seen him all week.”

“Why didn’t they call Monday when he didn’t show up?” Dex asked.

They all looked around the room. No one had an answer.

“Dig there,” Dunn said. “Who at the station was he friends with? Who should have made that call? Look into the chief and the lieutenant, his bunkmate, best friend, anyone who would have made an excuse or covered this up.”

Heads down, they all started digging. Dex got on the phone with the local PD to get statements from the other firefighters. They went through everything.

“Call records. One of the other firefighters called our guy. Thirty-seven seconds. I’m trying right now to find…” English trailed off. He hit a button and leaned back as another voice filled the room.

“Where the hell are you? I covered for you, but you need to call me. I don’t know what is going on with you lately, but this shit is not okay. I can’t keep doing this. Call me.”

The room was silent as they all looked around at each other.

“Well, we have our first lead. Find out what this guy knows. Now.”