Sean sucked in a deep breath and let it out. How long would it take to get over Martys death? The man had been his friend ever since theyd been in the military together. Marty had been the one to introduce him to Royce and the other S.O.S. agents, giving him a new purpose in life since his discharge from the Army Special Forces unit.
Marty married S.O.S. agent Kat Jenkins over a year ago after a very stormy courtship and almost getting her killed on a mission. Sean had stood beside Marty as his best man.
Forcing air past the tightness in his chest, Sean reminded himself to breathe. A terrorist set off that bomb at the embassy. A terrorist was responsible for Martys death.
If hed been on time that day, hed have died with Marty, a situation he preferred over the gut-gnawing guilt he harbored for his friends death. He should have died, too. Then he wouldnt have to see Kats sad eyes or listen to her sobs in the night. Shed moved into one of the spare apartments in the upper level of the S.O.S. building shortly after Martys funeral. Right down the hall from Seans apartment.
Hed heard her crying when she thought no one was around and he blamed himself every day since the bombing for losing focus on the mission.
When hed woken in the hospital late in the night, hed arranged for his body to be transferred to the morgue, forging the paperwork indicating his own death and resurfacing under another persona to arrange for the immediate transfer of Martys body back to the States. It was the least he could do for his friend when all he could wish for was to take Martys place so that Marty could be with his wife, alive and well.
Hed spent the next month hunting down leads on the terrorist responsible for the attack, pushing aside his longing for the woman hed let get in the way of his duty. If he hadnt been with TJ that morning, he would have arrived on time. Maybe hed have found the bomb or seen the terrorist coming or going from the embassy. Or perhaps he would have died in the explosion.
Since the attack, hed made it his mission to discover who was behind the bombing and bring them down. Sean had already located Manu Attakora, a known terrorist-for-hire in Dindi. Hed found Manus apartment with the terrorist dead inside, as if someone had been a step ahead of him in his search. Witnesses mentioned a dark-haired Anglo businessman seen coming and going from the apartment in the days prior to the bombing, but no one could give him a name.
Disappointed he didnt have the terrorist to question, Sean had located a laptop in Manus apartment. He hoped it was the one Manu had used to communicate with the person whod contracted him. Sean brought the computer back to the States and turned it over to S.O.S.s resident computer guru. They hoped to have the files decrypted soon.
Back in the States, hed done everything in his power to avoid running into a certain legislative assistant. His memories of TJ burned in his gut each day following the bombing. Damn it! He was an S.O.S. agent, not a fool in love.
Fools got killed or, through their actions or lack of actions, got others killed. As far as he was concerned, his involvement with TJ Barton was history and was not to be repeated.
Never mind that her face haunted his every memory and that the smell of springtime in D.C. reminded him of the scent of her hair. Today, jogging on the towpath along the C&O Canal, he felt her presence. She was here in D.C. and, even as large as the city was, with as many people working there daily, he stood a chance of seeing her again. A shorter haircut and sunglasses helped alter his appearance, but the woman wasnt dumb.
He chose to jog early in the morning to avoid any chance of running into heror anyone else for that matter. Yet, even early in the morning, there were plenty of people getting their daily exercise. The beautiful weather brought out all manner of joggers, bicyclers and people out rowing.
He didnt know what hed say if he ran into TJ. How would he explain to her his sudden death and reappearance? If the terrorists hadnt been aiming for Dindis prime minister or Congressman Haddock and instead had wanted the S.O.S. team out of the way, he wanted to make sure they thought theyd accomplished the job.
As Sean passed through the office area, Casanova Valdez looked up from his terminal. Hola, McNeal. He leaped to his feet and pulled Sean into a big bear hug. Heard you were back. Valdez hugged him like he hugged everyone, with a lot of backslapping and exuberance. From a large Latin-American family, he wasnt embarrassed by blatant demonstrations of emotion. Its good to see you in one piece.
Sean suffered through the embrace, putting distance between them as soon as Valdez let go.
Hey, Sean. Nicole Steeles voice, as smooth as liquid chocolate, drew his attention. Her nickname in the agency was Tazer for a good reason. Her soft blond hair and blue-gray eyes had deceived more than one unsuspecting male. Known for her deadly self-defense techniques, Tazer could take down a man twice her size and hed never know what hit him. Thank goodness she was loyal to the S.O.S. team.
Sean nodded a greeting.
Sorry about Marty. She gave him a weak smile. Its good to have you back.
Damn. He should have jogged earlier to avoid this kind of reception. He didnt want the ranks of the S.O.S. converging on him. Not yet.
Its good to be back. Although he said the words, he didnt mean them. Maybe hed stayed in Dindi so long to avoid just such a meeting with the rest of the S.O.S. team. The organization was small, consisting of one leader and less than twenty agents. Some were out on assignment. The others gathered around him.
The walls closed in on Sean. He needed air.
Sean, glad youre back. Royce stepped out of his office. I want to talk to you.
Glad for an escape, Sean eased through the team to stand in front of Royce. Thats what Kat said.
Royce motioned toward his office. Why dont you come in and take a seat?
Sean glanced down at his sweaty clothes and running shoes. So long as you dont mind a little sweat.
Not at all. He patted his tight abdomen. Need to get out and exercise myself. I spend entirely too much time behind the desk.
Sean followed the older man into his office and dropped into a brown leather armchair.
Royce didnt have a spare ounce of flesh on his body. He was as tough and athletic as when hed left the Navy SEALs ten years ago. I know how personally youve taken Martys death in Dindi, and I admit Im concerned.
Dont be. Im going to find who killed him if its the last thing I do.
Yeah, but you might lose yourself in the process. You threw yourself into the investigation before youd fully recovered, and you havent taken any time off to decompress.
Sean frowned. He didnt like the way this conversation was going. You cant take me off this case. I was there. I have to find who did this.
Royce raised a hand. Relax. I wont take you off. But I want you to know Im watching you. If you show any signs of cracking, Ill yank you off this case so fast you wont know what hit you. Agreed?
Agreed. Sean breathed in a deep breath and let it out. Is that why you asked me in here?
No, intel came available you might be interested in.
If it has anything to do with the bombing, youre right, Im interested.