Page 8 of Stranded with the SEAL
Jax exploded again and Logan let the insults wash over him. “I’m sorry, sir,” he said, reverting to his more formal address for his boss. “I should have checked with you first.”
“Damn straight you should have checked with me! Give me his coordinates.”
Logan clicked to another screen and rattled off a series of numbers. “Sir, I’m only a few hours from there. I can drive up and check on him myself.”
Charlotte hit him on the back and he gaped at her.What was that for?
She shook her hand at the TV, where traffic was crawling through snow-covered streets. The headline at the bottom of the page read, “Storm of the Century Strikes Colorado Mountains.”
Logan reached for the remote control and turned up the volume. “Scratch that, Jax. We have a problem. As we speak, Warsaw Mountain’s in the middle of the worst blizzard they’ve had in years.” The scene changed to a round and balding weatherman in front of a color-coded map. “Hang on,” Logan said into the phone. “The weather’s coming on.”
“…a northeasterly direction. Conditions rapidly deteriorated through the early morning hours, resulting in the governor declaring a state of emergency for the northern part of the state here in red, as well as the closure of all interstates and local expressways, with a ban on unnecessary travel in place for Dublin and Marcos Counties. With more than three feet forecasted for the highest elevations, we don’t anticipate that travel ban to be lifted anytime soon.”
Logan rubbed his lower lip. He knew as well as anyone what would happen if they couldn’t get to Hawk before Hawk made it to Steele.Total annihilation. Sweat broke out on Logan’s palms and brow. “They’re expecting three more feet on Warsaw Mountain,” he said into the phone.
“Did Hawk make it to Steele?” barked Jax. “Is he at the top of the mountain?”
“Checking the coordinates now.” Logan copied and pasted the numbers into a map program, the view zooming in from the globe to the United States to Colorado in a whoosh. A pinpoint appeared. “Not yet, sir. He’s eleven miles from the compound.”
Another stream of profanity raged in Logan’s ear, followed by a heavy, angry huff. “Then we’re fucked,” finished Jax. “Two goddamn years and he’s going to go in there and blow everything to hell, and HERO Force to hell with it. All for Ralph, like he thought I wouldn’t take care of it.”
Logan held his breath. His eyes met Charlotte’s as she mimed her concern. But he knew better than to speak, the temptation to fill the silence nothing compared to his desire to slip unnoticed from this conversation. He didn’t know who Ralph was, but the one time he’d heard the name — while Jax and Hawk were screaming at each other across the conference table about Steele — told him the topic was more explosive than nitro.
The voice of a newscaster trailed on in the background. “…some concern about the structure, as it is scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt in the spring after failing an engineering inspection in the fall.”
Jax’s voice was deep and foreboding. “Where is he now?”
Logan refreshed the software, wondering if this was how the next hour would be spent — tracking Hawk’s phone as they watched him approach the Steele mansion, stay for a while, and retreat. The screen repopulated and Logan frowned. “He’s not moving.”
“What do you mean?”
“His coordinates are exactly the same, right down to the seconds. He hasn’t moved at all since our last scan.”
Jax growled. “Wait two minutes and try it again.”
A knock at the door and it opened, the alabaster face of Sarah Davenport contrasting sharply with her coral-painted lips. Her eyes dropped to Logan’s nearly naked body, roving up his legs and pausing too long where his brief-clad body bent in the chair before making her way to his face. She smiled tentatively, and Logan imagined those coral lips giving way beneath his kisses before Charlotte corralled her into the hallway and shut the door behind them.
God, it would be good to get laid, and from the look on Sarah’s face, that was a distinct possibility. He shook his head as he stood and pulled on pants, then sat and refreshed the screen again. “Same coordinates.”
“What does it mean?”
“Could mean he left his phone there. Could mean he’s taking a leak, or a nap. Whatever the reason, he isn’t moving.”
“He might be stuck in the storm,” said Jax.
Logan bobbed his head. “Possible.”
“If he’s stuck in the storm, he hasn’t killed anyone yet.”
“True.” Logan knew what was coming.
“How fast can you get yourself to Gamma Squadron headquarters?”
“Couple hours.”
“Then do it.”
The line went dead in his hand.