Page 40 of Protection for Asher (Safeguarded By The SEAL #4)

Squat stared at the screen, wondering if he was reading it right. Could he have found a connection? He closed his eyes, clearing his mind.

“Hey, Squat, you tired?” Sharp asked.

He shook his head. “No. I think I found something.”

All activity stopped as everyone in the room turned to him. He glanced up, meeting their gaze.

“So you found the bastard who did this to me?” Thario asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe. I need someone to check my work.”

“Tell us what you’ve got,” Sharp said.

Squat went into explaining the link he’d found between the shell company and Nelson. “I know we thought Nelson was innocent.”

“He sure as hell acts that way,” Shine said.

“So this is the account I found that is connected to him by this email address.”

All the guys were looking over his shoulder, leaning in close. He felt the heat of their breath on his neck and wanted to tell them to back off, but this was why they were there. If the connection was as solid as he thought it was, they could save people.

Thario was the first to head back to his computer and start typing furiously. Then Sharp and Jay moved away. He turned and met Shine’s gaze.

“What do you think?”

Shine shrugged. “I don’t want to be disappointed. I think this is it, but Nelson would be the easy answer.”

Thario stopped typing. “I think it’s him. I can connect this email to him and the email he used for the account Squat found. It looks like it really is him.”

Jay leaned back in his chair. “I found the connection. It wasn't the email, it was a phone number.”

Squat didn’t want to get too excited, but he saw this as a huge win. “Shit, we’ve got him.”

Sharp rubbed his jaw as he stared at his computer. “Now we just have to figure out how to get him arrested and get it to stick.”

“Who are we going to tell?” Shine asked.

No one spoke for a long moment. It was their word against a captain. They had evidence, but it wasn’t much. They shouldn’t have access to information they shouldn’t have.

Squat laced his fingers behind his head. “We need someone who will believe us.”

“I could tell my friend at the FBI,” Thario said.

Sharp shook his head. “That might work, but it could take a long time for it to go through, and they may not even investigate.”

Griz didn’t look happy. “We need fast action. They could kill off another team.”

Jay grunted. “We didn’t die. That probably spoiled their plans.”

Griz stood and cracked his knuckles. “The next team could die. Heck, our teams don’t even know someone is working to derail our missions. We have guys operating right now. They could end up dead because of this jerk. I say we go confront him right now.”

Sharp shook his head. “Slow down, Griz. We need a better plan than just confronting him. The shore patrol would have a field day with us.”

Jay nodded. “Yeah, he's a captain, and we're not.”

Apple grunted. “Sucks.”

“Who of the officers do we trust?” Sharp asked.

“With this?” Squat asked. “I don’t know.”

“What about Admiral Dickinson?” Jay asked.

“Admiral Dickhead?” Griz shook his head. “Is that wise?”

Jay shrugged. “Well, Bancroft has retired. Dickhead is mean, but he's fair.”

Thario blew out a breath. “I don’t know Dickinson well. He was in Virginia when I was active.”

“I was called into his office after I got back from our last mission,” Squat said. “Maybe I can get him to listen.”

Sharp blew out a slow breath. “We’ve got to be careful. One wrong move and Nelson finds out.”

“I wish we could just go and take him out.”

Squat understood Jay’s wish. If they could just take the guy down without any flourish, it would be easier.

They could just go kill him and it would be over.

No one would ask questions, because it would be part of their mission.

Their oath did include protecting the USA from foreign and domestic enemies.

Nelson was an enemy who just happened to have power inside the USA.

“Which house does Admiral Dickinson live at on base?” Squat asked.

“He's the fourth house on the left.”

“Okay. I guess I’m headed over there.”

Griz held up one hand. “Nelson lives close to Dickinson.”

“Shit. I guess I’ll be careful about who sees me.”

Apple stood. “Want me to go with you?”

Squat narrowed his gaze as he stared at his buddy.

Having Apple with him would give him an advantage if Nelson came at him.

He was better but still favoring his arm.

Apple was strong, but Sharp had lost a team, and maybe he should be there.

But if Nelson saw them together going into the admiral's house, it might look suspicious.

“Yeah. I think the two of us going together would be good.”

Griz stood. “We need to be close. We should all head that way.”

Sharp nodded. “I agree. We should all be close.”

Thario decided he was going to go with the other guys. He and Frog rode with Jay and Shine. Squat let Apple drive as he went over what he would say to Admiral Dickinson. The man was known to be a hardass and may be pissed that he and Apple were showing up unannounced on the weekend.

They headed home and changed into their military uniform instead of wearing their civilian clothes. It was a matter of respect for the position. They approached Dickinson’s house the long way around, not going past Nelson’s place. “You ready?” Apple asked as he parked.

Squat nodded. “I think so.”

Apple stopped the car and cut the engine. “No backing out.”

“Can’t. The safety of all SEAL teams is too important.”

“If he doesn’t believe us, what do you think will happen?”

“I don’t know. Probably be disciplined harshly.”

Apple nodded. “Still worth it if it gets Nelson to stop.”

They had the evidence on a thumb drive and a computer they could use to show Dickinson what they’d found. This was make or break. If they explained it wrong, Dickinson would be pissed at them for stopping by.

He stepped from Apple's car, and the front door of Admiral Dickinson's house opened. Squat's left food dragged a little as he hesitated, but he didn't slow for long. They had to get this solved or it could end disastrously for another team.

The person at the door was the admiral's wife. She waved. “Hello, boys. The admiral is finishing getting dressed. He'll be down. Would you like some tea or coffee?”

“Water would be nice, Mrs. Dickinson. Thank you,” Apple said.

“Now then, you aren’t the usual guys who show up on the weekend. So, come in and relax a little before the admiral comes downstairs.”

“Thank you, ma'am,” Squat said. He doubted he would be able to relax. He was at the admiral's house. He'd never once been into any of the officers’ houses. That seemed way too intimate.

A door opened upstairs, and then he heard someone running down the stairs. Mrs. Dickinson leaned out of the kitchen, a frown on her face. “Baxter, slow down. We have guests.”

The kid, about fifteen if he judged correctly, rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom. Who are you two? You aren’t officers. Why are you here?”

“Baxter, you know better than to ask.”

“Jesus, Mom, I was just asking. It’s not like they have anything important to say. It’s probably just normal briefings like usual.”

Squat kept his expression neutral. The kid was wrong. They were not discussing normal stuff. This could probably end up getting them all in trouble.

Another door opened, and the admiral stepped out. He and Apple automatically came to attention. It was ingrained so deeply into their lives they couldn’t help it.

“At ease. Em texted me that you were here. You aren't the usual weekend crew for briefing. You're a SEAL. Squat, and…”

“It’s Apple, sir.”

“Yes. Apple. Why don't you two come into my office? Em, why don't you and Baxter go out to lunch.”

“Can’t, Dad. I’m headed to Luke’s for study group.”

“Okay, that will do.” Admiral Dickinson moved to his son and gave him a hug, kissing the top of his head. It was more affection than he thought the admiral was capable of, but it was his son, and if he had a kid, he would make sure the boy knew he was loved.

Dickinson turned to them, and his eyebrows lifted high. “So, gentlemen, to my office. I assume this isn't a social call.”

“Yes, sir, your office would be good.”

Squat turned to Mrs. Dickinson and flashed a smile. “Thank you, ma'am, for the water. I appreciate it.” Apple thanked her, too, before they both turned back to the admiral who was smiling at them.

“Come on, I'm sure whatever you two have is important if you're at my house on the weekend.” They followed after the admiral, but before they entered his office, he glanced over his shoulder. “I appreciate you being nice to my wife. Not everyone who comes here thanks her.”

“She deserves as much respect as I would give you, sir, maybe more.”

Dickinson threw back his head, and laughter spilled out. “You're right about that. She's had to put up with me for decades. We got together in high school, and somehow, she stuck with me, even when I was a dumb kid barely out of basic. She's the reason for my success.”

They were in Dickinson's office and Apple closed the door then moved to stand next to him. Dickinson took a seat, and they both stood at ease in front of his desk. Music started up in the main part of the house, which was probably a tactic the admiral's wife used to drown out their conversations.

“Okay, tell me why you’re here.”

Squat blew out a breath. “There has been a rise in problems with missions. It’s more than we expect from intelligence that isn’t as solid as we think it should be.”

Dickinson pointed at Squat's arm. “You getting shot. Is that what you're talking about?”

“They knew we were there. The target we were supposed to be retrieving wasn’t there. There have been other missions that have gone wrong over the last few years. We’ve lost whole teams. Good men who were capable have been sacrificed because of bad intel.”

“And this wasn’t brought up in a meeting on base during the week because?”

Apple cleared his throat. “Sir, we think we know who it was. We have a trail of evidence linking someone to a bank account that has more money in it than I will ever earn in the military, even if I retire. The missions have been sabotaged, and this individual accepted payment for that action.”

Dickinson frowned and narrowed his gaze. “How solid is the evidence?”

“Very.”

“I know SEALs are very serious people. I’ve been around you all for the twenty-five years I’ve been in the Navy. Who is the person you believe all of this ties to?”

Squat drew in a slow breath, hating that he was here accusing an officer of a terrible crime. He hoped the admiral believed them. “It was Captain Nelson, sir.” The words felt weird coming out, but it was the truth and he would stick by what he said.

Dickinson picked up his phone and dialed someone.

Squat hoped it wasn't Nelson. “Beene, this is Admiral Dickinson. I need you to stop by my place.” The person on the other end said something, and Dickinson nodded.

“Yes, sir. Right now.” Dickinson ended the call and met their gaze.

“That was NCIS Division Chief Craig Beene.

He's headed our way. Why don't you tell me what you've got, and then we can explain it to Beene.”

“Yes, sir,” Squat said as he opened the laptop where he'd compiled the information. Dickinson was sharp, and he didn't have to explain anything twice. By the time Beene showed up, they'd gone through the basic evidence.

When Beene stepped into the office, Mrs. Dickinson stepped in and delivered a plate of cookies. “For you all.”

“Thank you, Em.”

Both he and Apple expressed their thanks before Mrs. Dickinson stepped out. Introductions were made, and they all moved to the round table in the corner of the office.

“Beene, I believe you'll want to hear what the boys have to say.”

“Okay, what’s up?” Beene asked.

Squat began his explanation, telling the NCIS division chief what they’d found. The man sat back after the explanation and nodded. “I need to get my people on this.”

Dickinson shook his head, looking disgusted. “Do you think it really was Captain Nelson? He’s headed out next Wednesday to take over a destroyer. I can’t have him in charge of anything if this is real.”

Beene wiped his hand over his face. “We’ve had an investigation on the back burner. We didn’t have all this evidence. We don’t want to warn Nelson. If he gets wind of this, he could flee. He has the money to disappear, and we’d never find him.”

Admiral Dickinson stood. “Thank you two for bringing this to our attention. It sounds like we have a lot of moving parts to work through before Nelson ships out.”

“Yes, sir.” They were being dismissed, which Squat understood. This was now in the hands of NCIS. They would have to move it forward. He and his team had done all they could.

Squat and Apple shook Dickinson’s hand and said goodbye to Beene. Mrs. Dickinson was there with a plate of cookies for them to take.

“Oh, wow. Thank you. This is very generous of you.”

She smiled and patted him on his shoulder. “Baking keeps my anxiety at bay.”

He nodded. She must have lived an interesting life having military people show up at her house to discuss things important to national security.

He put his hand on the front door and cracked it open but turned to face Mrs. Dickinson before he stepped outside.

He opened his mouth, ready to say something to her, when gunfire erupted, shattering the window beside the door.

A shriek rose up, filling the hallway. Someone was shooting at them.

Were the bullets aimed at the admiral or them?