The Final Reveal Read online

  THE FINAL REVEAL

  SEALs of Steel, Book 8

  Dale Mayer

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About Ethan

  Author’s Note

  Complimentary Download

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

  About This Book

  This is a novella tying up the SEALs of Steel series.

  A prosthetic design engineer, Kat Greenwald is in love with Badger Horley.

  The former SEALs team leader is the love of her life. But she’s seen and heard firsthand of the fears and commitment issues Badger and his closest friends—once part of Navy special operations teams—struggle with on a daily basis. During their weekly get-togethers, the women in love with these former SEALs open up to each other about their longing to tie the knot and start families.

  More than two years ago, Badger was badly injured after the truck his eight-man unit were in hit an antitank landmine. While he and his team have finally discovered the truth behind that devastating set-up, Badger sees the reality of his precarious future. His health could decline at any moment and he wants Kat to know exactly where the door to get out is if and when it does. The last thing he wants to do is invite pity, especially where the woman he loves is concerned. In a perfect world, he would have proposed to her the day they met. In the world he lives in, he can only conclude that harboring fears are always better than regrets.

  But Kat isn’t the type of woman to fear hard times and she’s willing to take a leap of faith as far out into the unknown as she can get if it means her most fervent wish comes true.

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  Prologue

  Kat sat curled on the couch in Badger’s place, their home. Dennis—Allison’s brother with the Santa Fe Police Department—had just left. Everybody else remained here, after giving their statements. Dennis would get them typed up; then they’d have to sign them. As far as Kat was concerned, this six-week long nightmare was finally over. Even longer actually. She couldn’t believe how far Badger and his unit had come in such a short time.

  She curled up against Badger’s side, petting Dotty. She’d moved into his house weeks ago. It felt as much like her own as it felt like his now. As if she’d come home. Dotty apparently approved too. Kat still had her house, and it was rented out. She wasn’t sure what to do with it long-term. At the moment, she wasn’t planning on making that decision.

  So much had happened in such a short time. She knew she wanted one more thing to happen, but Badger was still dealing with commitment issues. He would have a lifetime of physical problems, and he figured he didn’t want her to be beholden to him. She thought his logic was stupid, as love was about taking care of each other, regardless of what happened. In sickness and in health, as the wedding vows go.

  As she sat next to him, a plan formed in the back of her mind. She half straightened up, caught Badger’s questioning look and then sagged back down again. She didn’t dare let him know what she was thinking. Someone like Badger needed some things to happen without his involvement.

  She looked over at Honey and Allison, the two women she could see from where she sat. Allison, a cop like her brother, was a hell of an addition to the group. Seven men, seven women. Who knew such a thing was possible and all so fast? Some of them had known each other longer, like Clary and Talon, like herself and Badger. Even like Honey and Erick in a manner. Yet the others—Jager and Allison; Geir and Morning; Lazlo and Minx; Cade and Faith—had never met before this Mouse hunt started. But sometimes the good things happened fast.

  “So is this done now? Everybody got their questions answered?” Kat asked lazily. “I’d say we could put it to rest, but I think we probably all still need to talk about it for a few days or so until we finally wind down.”

  “The conversation will probably continue for a while,” Jager said quietly. “I’ve got the main answers I needed. I just didn’t realize how twisted a person can become.”

  Allison nodded. She was tucked up against his side, her head against his shoulder.

  Kat looked at Jager and smiled. “Speaking of decisions, I took another look at your file and I think I can help you get more mobility with more advanced prosthetics.”

  Jager’s face lit up.

  She held up a cautionary hand. “We’ll have to do some measurements and getting the right design could take time. You were the only one of the unit I didn’t think I could help, now, however … I have an idea that might work.”

  Jager reached out a hand and Kat grasped it, gave it a gentle squeeze, then turned her attention to Allison. “You have decisions to make too, don’t you?”

  Allison chuckled. “They’ve been coming hard and fast ever since I met Jager. Not just about a place to live but also about what I want to do with my life.”

  “Oh, don’t we love those major decisions we’re forced to make from time to time?” Morning said on a chuckle. She leaned forward. “I know this isn’t really related or anything, but I just heard from the San Diego gallery owner. He’s superthrilled and has already presold the four paintings I took in.”

  “Presold?” Badger asked in surprise.

  Morning nodded. “He showed them to a private collector, and he wanted all four of them. The thing is, the amount of money the gallery owner charged was just incredible. I’m still in shock. I didn’t know people would pay that much.”

  “It was still too cheap,” Geir said, chuckling. “Your work will be worth way more soon.”

  “I don’t know what art is worth,” Honey said. “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but I really admire people who can create beautiful paintings. The buyer obviously felt that way too.”

  Morning chuckled. “I don’t know how beautiful they are. I’ve certainly got some pressure on me now to create more for the show in the fall, but he charged over ten grand a painting. Honestly, I’m dumbfounded.”

  “Wow. Did you basically make a teacher’s annual salary by selling four paintings?” Kat asked.

  “Go, you!” Honey cried out.

  Morning beamed. “I know, right? It seems unbelievable.”

  “I think all of us have come to a point where some decisions definitely need to be made,” Cade said lazily. He was sprawled on a big armchair, with Faith half lying on him, half beside him. “It’s been a hell of a ride. But I, for one, am so grateful to get off.”

  “Hear, hear. It’s been six weeks since Badger badgered us to go to England,” Talon said with a grin. “That’s just a little too unbelievable.”

  “I know, right?” Badger shook his head. “But not even I understood what we would find at the end of this. It breaks my heart. Mouse had seemed to be such a good kid.”

  Minx—Mouse’s childhood friend—had been even more traumatized than the others over last night’s episode. “He was a good kid, but he became a very broken man. It’ll take me a while to grieve for the loss of the boy I knew.”

  “It’ll take all of us time to grieve,” Laszlo said with a quiet smile. “We have to understand that who we thought Mouse was, he wasn’t, and we need to lay to rest that version of the man we believed in.” Lazlo sighed. “We also need to follow-up with Mason about Mouse impersonating Ryan Hanson and Poppy hacking into the navy’s database.”

  “So much planning to maneuver himself into his dream career,” Badger said, “just because he d
idn’t want to put in the time and effort to try to make it on his own merit. And all those senseless deaths …”

  “The thing is, as we all know, very few make it through BUD/S,” Geir said. “The training is brutal. The endurance required is horrific, and Mouse probably knew he didn’t have what it took if he tried the normal way. But he had spent a lifetime getting what he wanted in other ways. That’s why his relationship with Poppy lasted so long. Poppy had been in the navy, still had connections. Poppy hadn’t been a SEAL himself, like he had told Mouse, but Poppy had access to a lot of people to help Mouse’s agenda. And, sadly, money buys almost anything.”

  “Mouse took such a chance though,” Kat said. “To blow up a military transport truck and expect to walk away uninjured is asking a lot.”

  “I know,” Badger said. “And it always bothered me that he was the one who had supposedly died in our land mine accident. I never heard much about his injuries. I should have followed up on it. We never did talk to the medics, and we never knew about the man who switched the bodies.”

  “He didn’t have to switch bodies. He just had to switch tags,” Erick said. “And you know what Afghanistan was like for our troops, dealing with our dead over there. This accomplice of Mouse’s in some makeshift desert morgue could have chosen from any number of corpses, picked the one most likely and switched out a toe tag. Nobody knew. Nobody cared. I don’t know if we’ll ever sort out that mess. As far as Ryan’s family goes, it’ll be a shock for them to find out the truth.”

  “I wonder if the brass will take this down to the truth?” Laszlo asked. “We need to do what we can to recover Ryan’s body and have the soldier buried properly for his family’s sake.”

  “And that is a thread I do want closure on,” Geir said. “It’s not fair for that family to not know.”

  “Agreed, but we may never locate him unless something in Poppy’s laptop reveals that information,” Cade said. “And that is certainly possible, since Poppy loved to document everything. It’ll take weeks, if not months, to comb through all that evidence. Including stuff about Poppy’s relationships, shall we call them. And he had plenty. Most of them were much less than savory.”

  “Mouse was always very focused,” Minx said. “It’s hard to see his dedication and determination focused on something so wrong.”

  “I don’t think that was it at all,” Talon stated. “Mouse had a fantasy, a dream, but he was focused on being something other than what he was capable of. He wanted to be a SEAL, something that made him smile, that he could be proud of. Even if he didn’t do the work himself, he had convinced himself he still was a SEAL. And when it was all about to blow up in his face, he had to do something to keep from being exposed as the fraud he was. The easiest way out was to fake his death, take himself out with an honorable funeral. But to live through an explosion and to endure rehab only then to come after us again, … that’s just twisted.”

  Kat hopped to her feet, Dotty jumped up with her. “I’m going to make a big pitcher of iced tea. Then I’m going for a swim in the pool. The conversation here is rough and heavy.”

  “Are there any salads left from last night?” Badger asked.

  She nodded. “And, if need be, we can come up with other food for lunch too.”

  Immediately the conversation lightened.

  Kat smiled as she walked into the kitchen. Badger’s house was fantastic. And it was great for having big gatherings like this. She put on the teakettle, and, instead of opening the fridge to check for more food, she opened the double glass doors and headed outside to the pool. Dotty bounced across the green grass in delight.

  A huge grassy area was on the far side. Kat wondered how that would work for what she had planned. And how much could she plan alone?

  She shook her head. She would need help with this. She sent Stone a text. He’d long been a patient of hers and had often said, if she needed anything, to just call. Well, this might not be what he expected, but she was calling. I need help.

  What do you need? You know I’m here for you.

  I need help with something for a few months down the road. It’ll take that long to plan this out.

  Plan out what?

  She chuckled and explained in as few words as possible. Are you in?

  Hell no came back his instant response.

  She laughed out loud. Chicken?

  Hell yes. That’s taking a path with massive repercussions.

  She was still amused when she sent Ice a quick text. I need help.

  Ice responded. What’s up?

  I have a plan. I’m thinking three months down the road.

  What kind of a plan?

  She explained.

  Instantly Ice’s response came back. I’m in. Don’t worry. I’ll get Levi to help too.

  Kat glanced inside at the group seated in the living room and started to laugh. She was still laughing as she walked back inside.

  Badger looked at her. “What are you up to?”

  She smoothed out her expression and smiled at him. “Nothing. What could I possibly be up to?”

  He studied her face and frowned. “You look like you’re hiding something. And, in my world, that means trouble.”

  “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  She gazed over the backyard. It was definitely big enough for a wedding.

  Chapter 1

  A week later Kat walked into the room, whistling. Badger looked at her suspiciously. She just beamed. Had been since she started toying with this wedding idea.

  “You still haven’t told me what you’re up to,” he said mildly.

  She gave him an innocent look. “I’m up to nothing. Can’t I just be happy?”

  He groaned. “I’ve asked you a dozen times what’s going on, but each time you’ve given me the same answer.”

  “So maybe by now you should believe me.” She chuckled and sat down on the lounger beside him. “Did I ever tell you how much I love your house?”

  “At least twice a day,” he said blandly. He reached out a hand.

  She slid her hand in his and sat back. “It’s really nice to have a peaceful haven to come home to at the end of the day.”

  “You are looking more tired today.” The worry in his voice was obvious.

  She shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. No starting to worry about me. I’m fine,” she said firmly.

  “Starting has nothing to do with it,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve always been worried about you.”

  She smiled, her head rolling to the side so she could study his lean chiseled features. “It’s just me worrying about you. Making sure you don’t overdo anything.”

  He smiled. “I have something—no,” he corrected. “I have everything to live for.”

  She smiled. “I’m really glad to hear you say that. For a long time I wasn’t so sure.”

  “I know. But it’s all good now.” He reached down to massage his stump.

  “How is it?” She walked a fine line between worrying and nagging. They’d both lived independently for a long time. Looking after and worrying about someone else was both unique and richly rewarding.

  “Achy. And itchy.”

  “Both of those are good signs.”

  He smiled. “Only you’d say that.” He looked over at her prosthetic. “Was it hard for you to get used to it?”

  “For me it was a blessing. I was dragging around a nonfunctioning limb, and it was getting in my way. I kept injuring it, kept breaking it, and all I really wanted was freedom from something holding me back.”

  “Interesting. I guess in that sense, it released you from a prison.”

  “Exactly. Too often people feel like they’re in a prison once they get a prosthetic. It’s one of the reasons I went into the business I did. There’s a need for a huge mind-set change.”

  “You’ve been great for all of us.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” Out of the blue, she announced, “I don’t feel like cooking tonight.”

&nbs
p; “It’s Friday. We can go out if you want.”

  She shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think so. Maybe order in though.”

  “Yeah, what you got in mind?” he asked. “We’ve always got to feed our appetite in bed too.”

  She laughed, her voice ringing out free and happy. “Men and sex.”

  “I didn’t hear any protest out of you last night.” His grin was wide. “Or this morning.”

  “Only that I had to make it to work on time so my clients weren’t waiting for me.” She chuckled.

  “We’ve got a good life here, don’t we?”

  “Yeah, we sure do.”

  “I still have to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

  “Nope,” she said. “I think you all have to figure out what you all will do together.”

  He glanced at her. “I’m not sure some group venture will work.”

  “I’m not sure something apart will work. The bond between your unit is more than just friends. It’s more than brothers even. And to leave one out or to separate in any way, I think would be devastating on many fronts.”

  “Still, I don’t know that any of us have a clue what to do.”

  “You don’t have to do anything. Technically you have homes to live in and pensions to pay your bills. You can just rest, and continue the spiritual and emotional healing that you’ve been doing. The mystery of Mouse was resolved. That closure and the additional passage of time is huge in and of itself.”

  “I know,” he said. “Something that drove me for so long has ended. This first week afterward, I felt like I was staring at walls, not quite sure what to do with myself.”

  “And it may stay that way for another few weeks,” she said. “A transition period for you. And that’s not a bad thing.”

  “I know, but I want to do something more … worthwhile.”

  “So you want to go to the veteran hospitals and drag out patients for me? Future hires for you?”

  He turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”