Axel: SEALs of Honor Book 25 Read online

  “Of course not,” Mason said, a note of humor in his voice. “You know how this works.”

  “I know,” he said. “I was just hoping.”

  “Did she recognize him?”

  “No, but I think she feels vindicated. At least the presence of that one shadow gave credence to her account.”

  “Here’s the problem,” Mason said. “I’m getting the impression from someone above that, because she’s still alive, she was likely to be the person in partnership with Hostettler.”

  Axel froze, stared at the parking lot, as if suddenly seeing it for the first time. “Seriously?” He tried to think back to everything he’d learned about her, which was damn little. How she had conducted herself, where she’d been hidden, and what she was like now that she was awake. And none of it jived with that theory. “I don’t believe it,” he said.

  “The question is, do you believe her?”

  “Yes,” he said instinctively. And then he frowned. “But I don’t know why.”

  “Sometimes our gut is all we have to go by,” Mason said.

  “I know. She feels honest.” And he stopped. “You’re right. It’s just gut. It’s instinct. I trust her.”

  “Well, the brass wants a full investigation into her history, background, connections, because they think that, through her, they’ll find him.”

  “That’s possible,” he said, grasping at straws, “but that doesn’t mean she’s aware of the connection or that she played a role in this somehow.”

  “You mean, somebody was doing this to get back at her?”

  “Or used her somehow as a way to get in to where he needed to go.”

  “It’s possible,” he said thoughtfully. “We do tend to see only what’s in front of us. And people are looking at her as the sole survivor and potentially the only one who can tell them anything. The problem with that is, they won’t be looking at anyone else.”

  “Sure,” Axel said, “but that doesn’t mean she can tell the investigators anything useful.”

  “Anyway, I suggest you stick close to her and see what you can find out.”

  “The navy is doing their investigation already as well?”

  “An investigation is going on right now, yes,” he said, “but it’ll be at a different level. You know that.”

  “So, I’m to do this on an unofficial level?”

  “Yes,” Mason said. “It’s kind of half-cleared, let’s say.” He chuckled, adding a note of humor. “So it may take a bit of your free time.”

  “I don’t give a damn about that,” he said. “Besides, now you’ve got me going, I’ll be pissed if she’s involved.”

  “Ah, she’s gotten to you, has she?”

  He frowned at that. “I don’t know that I would say that,” he said cautiously.

  “I would,” Mason said cheerfully. “Get to know her. See what’s behind this thing.”

  “She won’t like that I’m buddying up with her to investigate her.”

  “You’ll have to figure out the best way to handle it,” he said quietly. “If she is found to have played a part, you know what’ll happen to her.”

  Axel winced because being a traitor to your own country, sabotaging millions of dollars of equipment, and causing the deaths or being directly involved in the murders of a eleven countrymen and fellow military personnel would never be a good end. “I still don’t think she could have anything to do with this,” he said.

  “Then prove it,” Mason said and hung up.

  The question was how, why, and where to even begin. Did he tell her about it? She’d be more open if she thought she was helping him clear her. But she also might get her back up and not want to contribute anything. That wouldn’t be to her benefit, but people weren’t always reasonable about things like this. He wanted her cooperation. It was by far the easiest way to get what he needed to find out.

  He turned and stared up at the hospital. He was here already. He could just go back in and see what she had to contribute. As he stood here, another vehicle drove past. And then another and another. He realized the workday was starting, and the hospital’s day shifts were coming on as it got busier and busier. That also meant a lot more other people would be walking in and out of the hospital. His mind automatically went to the guy who had the access to get into the sub when he shouldn’t have. If he got onto the sub, he could easily get into the hospital. But why would he? The only reason he would care if she was alive or dead was if he’d heard about her surviving—and if he thought she could identify him.

  Frowning at that, he slowly walked to his Jeep. He needed his laptop, and he needed to do some background checks on who she was, who her friends were, and what was going on in her world. No point in going up there blind without any intel before looking for her assistance.

  She would just get angry and hurt.

  Whereas, if he had a case to present, it would be a lot easier. Not feeling good about the situation in any way, shape, or form, he figured he’d camp out in her hallway as he did research. Then he’d approach her.

  This time he didn’t go into her room, finding a nearby empty hospital room to use temporarily. If the nurses needed it for a patient, he’d find another empty room.

  He accessed her personnel file, at least what he was allowed to see, and found she was thirty-one years old, single, and never married. Her family consisted of a brother and her parents, who lived in Australia. Her father was an engineer, working in building construction. Her mother had been a stay-at-home mom but apparently was heavily involved in charity work. Axel made a few notes, but not a whole lot was here.

  He focused his efforts on her again and checked her education. He could see her path between degrees, until she finally ended up in her specialty. He frowned at that. She had gotten a lot of her training in the military, which was not uncommon, but she had excelled and was always at the top of the class. She could do very well in the private sector, but instead she stayed in the service.

  He knew a lot of people made the military service their career, and others just stayed until something in their life caused them to move on. He wondered what she would do after this accident. Apparently she had always been a fanatic about submarines, so she was technically doing what she loved to do. But then people would say things like that, but it didn’t necessarily hold true. Over time, all these ideals and goals could change. Career interests changed as well. He wondered just how much hers had changed and how much they were changing now.

  He searched on Google to see what else he could find. He found her Facebook page with very sporadic posts. He checked a few of the dating sites, but nothing was under her name. Of course she could have used a different name. She looked like the straight-shooter kind of person, but then what did he know? According to Mason, an awful lot of questions were being asked about her role in this as it was.

  Axel decided a few hospital sandwiches were in order, so he got up, found the lunchroom, and was just about to get a cup of coffee, when his phone rang. “Hello?”

  “He was here,” she said, her voice tense, sounding thin and high.

  “Who was here?” He could hear her gasping in the background, realizing that, even though she hadn’t stated who she was, he had no trouble recognizing Ally’s voice. “Ally, what’s the matter?”

  But her breaths were raspy and harsh.

  “Come on. Talk to me. You’re okay. Talk to me.”

  She gave a high-pitched laugh. “What do you mean, I’m okay?” she said. “I just told you that he was here.” And the phone went dead. Having heard the emphasis on he, Axel snatched his laptop and his phone and was out the cafeteria door in seconds. As he barreled up the steps, then through the hallway to her room, one of the nurses stepped forward from the nurses’ station and said, “Sorry, sir. She can’t have visitors right now.”

  “Oh, she’s having a visitor,” he said, his voice hard. “She sent out a call for help. I need to know what the hell is going on.”

  The nurse looked at hi
m in shock. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “She had her checkup not even forty minutes ago.”

  “And lunch?”

  “Yes. Her lunch was delivered probably about five to ten minutes ago,” she said, checking her watch. But he still walked rapidly down the hallway, the nurse racing to catch up. When he finally got to Ally’s door, he pushed it open and stepped in. He didn’t care about knocking. She sat there with her arms wrapped tight around her chest, curled up into a tiny ball at the headboard, as much as she could with a cast. At least her leg wasn’t in traction at the moment. He raced forward and, without even thinking about it, scooped her into his arms, turned to sit down with her in his lap and wrapped a blanket around her.

  The nurse caught up with him and immediately looked at her. “Dear God,” she said. “What happened?”

  “She’s in shock.”

  The nurse quickly checked her vitals, but Axel wasn’t really concerned about that. He just held her close and spoke softly to Ally. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

  She started to shake her head, and she couldn’t seem to stop.

  And he knew exactly what that was—shock. And that it would take a lot for her to calm down. Looking at the nurse, he said, “I’m just holding her for now. Give us a few minutes.”

  She frowned, nodded, and said, “I’ll have to report this though.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “You and me both.”

  She gave him a startled look, then left the two of them alone.

  Chapter 4

  When Ally slowly became more aware of her surroundings as the shock wore off, she realized she was wrapped up in Axel’s arms. Still on her hospital bed, her bad leg in a cast, just stretched out in front of her, she shivered as soon as the stiffness receded.

  He grabbed another blanket and awkwardly threw it around her.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, her teeth chattering.

  “Sure you are,” he said.

  Obviously he didn’t believe her, but then she didn’t believe herself either. She snuggled closer. “I-I saw him. You know?”

  “Who?”

  “The shooter,” she whispered. “From the sub.”

  He stiffened and then relaxed.

  “You knew that’s who I was talking about.”

  “But I still needed you to say it,” he said. “Did you get a good look at him?”

  She shook her head. “He was walking away. But I’d seen him the same way, walking away on the sub,” she whispered. “So I knew it was him.”

  “Same body type, same coloring?”

  “I don’t know about coloring,” she said. “He had a black mask on in the sub.”

  “So you said. How can you possibly know it’s the same man then?”

  “Same hitch to his leg,” she whispered. And the shivering got worse for a few moments. He rubbed her arms and her back, waiting for her to calm down. “I’m not normally like this,” she said. “But seeing him, it was such a shock. It was like seeing a ghost. I knew he was here for me.”

  “Wait. Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No, and he didn’t come far into the room,” she said. “Neither did he have a weapon, that I could see.”

  “So what did you see?”

  She frowned. “Well, he was leaving the room, pushing the trolley.” She shook her head. “So I guess he did come into my hospital room. I didn’t think to ask anyone about him.”

  “So he works here?”

  “I assumed so at first sight, but now I think it was just a ruse,” she said. “He didn’t turn back for me to see his face though. Maybe he was checking out that I was there and how easy it would be to gain access to me.” It was pretty damn hard to stay calm and to discuss this as everyday conversation. The truth was, she was freaked. And yet part of her worried she’d imagined it all. Maybe it was a new orderly, and he was just lost.

  “When was that?” he asked, checking his watch.

  “Just before I phoned you,” she said. “Why?”

  “I can check the camera feeds.”

  She tilted her head back from his chest to look up at him. “Would they let you?”

  “If it’s connected to this case, you can bet they will. If not, maybe somebody else can get it for me,” he promised. “Chances are this guy hid his face from the cameras though.”

  She frowned at that. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised. He probably had a hat close by or something.”

  “Maybe, but as long as we can connect that same hitch in his step, it will identify him.”

  “I can’t believe I froze like that, but, when I saw him, I freaked out.”

  “Do you think that gait is natural or put-on?”

  “What? Why? Somebody would have to be really good to do that all the time,” she said.

  “A lot of people step into these roles,” he said. “And they play them very well. Sometimes they forget to step back into them too, so that, when you see them walking without something like that hitch, it’s disconcerting, and you’re left figuring out what’s going on. Just think about it.”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” she said, sagging against him. “Anything is possible at this point. Anyway, I’m fine now, really.”

  “I’m not,” he said cheerfully. And he squeezed her gently. “That phone call took ten years off my life.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered, then just relaxed against him, wondering about the connection that had sprung up between them. “I didn’t even know what to do. I just reached for my phone and dialed.”

  “Well, I’m glad you called my number. It’s a good thing I left it for you.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But I don’t know, I probably should have called the MPs.”

  “Maybe. But then they aren’t up to speed on the case, are they?”

  “I think that’s why I called you,” she said in a wry tone. “You also said you lived on base, so I knew you’d be nearby.”

  “I was here still. Right out in the hallway for a while. Then headed to the cafeteria for lunch and coffee, while continuing my work on the investigation.”

  “Did you get official permission?”

  “I’ve asked,” he said with a smile.

  She nodded. “I hope they find him.”

  “Oh, we’ll find him,” he said.

  The absolute surety in his tone made her realize that, if this guy could help her out in any way, he would.

  “But I suspect,” he said, “that you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

  She stiffened and slowly pushed herself away from his chest and glared at him.

  But his gaze was steady and held hers true. “And you need to,” he said. “All of it. I don’t care how dirty, how ugly, or whatever, it needs to come out.”

  Her breath caught in her chest. “Nobody likes to talk about unpleasantness in their world,” she said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. And this time he was adamant. She wasn’t getting away from this. “What the hell is going on? What’s going on with this guy?”

  “The only thing I can think of,” she said, “is because of the submarine. He knew I was here. Somebody must have leaked that I survived somehow.”

  “I don’t think too much leaking would be required,” he said. “You’re here in the hospital. How many hundreds of people work here?”

  “Meaning that he could have just checked to see if anybody came in?”

  “I would,” he said. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Well, potentially, yes,” she said, realizing the common sense of that. “Still,” she said, “it can’t be.” She closed her eyes.

  “What can’t be? What do you know?” he asked urgently.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know anything,” she said.

  “Then what is it you are trying to hide?”

  She stared at him, wondering if she dare tell him.

  *

  Axel could see it in Ally’s eyes; something was there. He didn’t know how
to get the truth out of her. She clearly had something she needed to say, and she needed to do it fast. If this was the same man who had been on the sub, her life was in danger. And it could happen at any point in time. He didn’t know how to get the truth from her. He waited a long moment, shifted on the bed, so that she could lie back down normally. “Was your life in danger before this incident?”

  She stared at him in confusion. “Before the sub was sunk?” She shook her head. “How would I know?” she asked in surprise.

  “I guess I’m asking if you knew of any other threats against you before this. Any boyfriends or ex-husbands?” He knew she hadn’t been married, but she didn’t know he knew that.

  “No,” she said. “I’ve never been married. And, no, I don’t have any vindictive exes.”

  “And yet the one ex posted those nude photos of you.”

  “That was his revenge moment,” she admitted, “but it’s hardly likely he is going after my life now, some four years later.”

  “What was his punishment?”

  “He lost his job. The police were on his case, but the judge just gave him a thirty-day sentence and a slap on the wrist,” she said bitterly.

  “That doesn’t seem like very much.”

  “But still,” she said, shrugging, “I guess I’m glad he got any kind of reprimand.”

  “Losing his job might have hurt though.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it. He got another one right away.”

  “I’m gonna need his name, phone number, and address,” Axel said.

  She frowned at that. “I don’t want him involved.”

  “Too bad,” he said. “What’s his name?” And he stared at her, waiting.

  Finally she grudgingly gave it to him. “He’s married and has a little girl now,” she said.