Page 54 of Stranded with the SEAL

Hawk turned to see her standing right where she’d been, staring at Steele, and knew she was going into shock. Jax knew it, too, because he said, “Logan, send Red and Cowboy to free the prisoners. We need you down here for a medical eval on Olivia.”

“I’m sorry,” said Hawk, but she didn’t seem to hear.

Hawk looked long and hard at Steele’s dead body, then turned and walked toward the door. Olivia would never forgive him for this, but he couldn’t forgive himself if he’d let Steele kill another one of his brothers.

34

The HERO Forcemen made it back to the chopper and stowed their weapons and gear. Matteo settled into the pilot’s seat while Cowboy, Logan, Hawk, Jax, and Olivia buckled into the passenger compartment for the ride.

She hadn’t spoken to Hawk since he killed Steele.

“Where are we headed?” asked Hawk.

“We’re working out of Gamma Squadron’s facilities. We’ll stay there tonight,” said Jax. “Olivia, you’ll spend the night in the infirmary.”

She nodded.

“Someone should call Jessa when we get back,” said Cowboy.

Hawk frowned at the mention of Ralph’s widow, her name so deeply engrained with the painful memory of Ralph’s death, though Hawk was grateful they finally had some good news to give her.

“I’m driving out there when we get back to Gamma Squadron,” said Jax.

Hawk’s eyebrows went up. “To Ralph’s place?”

Cowboy looked from Hawk to Jax. “What is that, like, a fifteen-hour drive?”

“Sixteen,” said Jax.

Hawk and Cowboy exchanged a look.

“Jax, have you kept in touch with Jessa since Ralph died?” asked Cowboy.

“No.”

Matteo started the chopper, the noise instantly discouraging further conversation, even as the men donned communication headsets.

Jax looked out the window and Cowboy looked at Hawk, making a classic female hourglass shape with his hands, exaggerating the size of the ass, and pointing at Jax with a wink.

No way.

While it was true Jessa McConnell had a beautiful behind — one of Jax’s favorite attributes in a woman — there was no way Jax was interested in Ralph’s former wife.

Right? That would be too…weird.

Cowboy’s voice came over the com set. “You know, Jax, I slept in the chopper on the way down. I can drive out to Jessa’s place if you want. Give you a chance to sleep.”

Hawk looked sideways at Jax to gauge his reaction. He’d swear the other man’s posture stiffened at the suggestion.

“Nope, I’ve got this one, Cowboy,” said Jax. “But thanks for the offer.”

35

Nineteen hours later, Jax sat in his car and stared at the pale yellow house across the street. A tire swing hung from a tree in the yard, and he imagined Ralph’s son or daughter playing there alone.

Had Jessa had a boy or a girl? Either way, it ate Jax up inside to think of the child growing up without the dad who would have loved him so much.

The child would be beautiful, he was sure. Even half of Jessa’s genes would have made certain of that. He imagined she’d had a girl with black hair like her own, the Cherokee blood showing strong in the little girl’s face.