Page 44 of Unintended Love

Clint’s gaze went to the cameras. “Off, please.”

She leaned over and pressed a button on the device in the middle of the table. “Black Swan out.”

“Operations out,” a man replied within seconds. She pressed another button and gave him the thumbs-up.

Ashlin and Kayla left the room.

Chapter 17

Clint admitted to himself that he could see both sides of Shawn’s situation. The translators and people in Afghanistan who had helped the American military were worth their weight in gold. He was aware of the secretive team of retired SEALs who had purchased aircraft, made their own deal with countries close to Afghanistan, and had rescued dozens of Taliban traitors and hundreds of family members. Clint had made those same promises to several men, and even a few women, who had helped his team while he was still in the Army. On the flipside, as a CO, he had to follow the rules. Shawn had lied. He had gone into Afghanistan, which was absolutely forbidden by the US government. He had broken several rules and the trust of his commanding officer.

Those rules were one of the reasons that, when Clint’s contract with the Army ended, he left and never looked back. He’d always known that whenever he was finished with the Army, his choice, he’d return to Ethiopia and join his father’s company.

When the women left the conference room, Clint had already made up his mind. “I’m sure Hank told you that you were on probation for the first six months. I’m going to keep you on my team for this mission. We’ll see how things go. If anyone questions you about this meeting, I suggest that you tell them that Homeland Security had questions about your vetting, which were quickly straightened out. It’s the truth. It’s your secret why you left the Navy, yours to tell or keep. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes. How is this dual senior NCO supposed to work?” Shawn asked.

“Has there been a problem?” Clint had been thrilled to promote Lukas Murillo. But in his own grief and the necessity for someone to fill Javier’s role on the team, Lukas was next in line.

“I’m not sure the men respect him. It’s hard on both sides when you promote someone from within. Someone who had been your buddy for years is suddenly your boss. That’s why, in the military, they usually imported someone from another team. I believe that’s why Hank hired me.” Shawn was absolutely correct. That was exactly why the military brought in someone new.

“To clarify,” Clint repeated himself from the first breakfast they’d had together, “you report directly to me, like any other senior NCO would. If you see the situation becoming volatile, come directly to me. I want to know which team members resent Murillo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s get back to work.” As they stood, Clint wanted to reassure him. “I’m testing you both, and that’s why I will give each of you specific jobs.” He made a mental note to repeat that part of the conversation with Murillo. He’d also have Dell pull his file to see whether other commanding officers, while he was in the Army, recommended him for leadership positions.

When Clint had spoken with Murillo, reminding him that he was on probation per the Riggs’s personnel manual, he hadn’t hidden his irritation. It lay right beneath the surface. Perhaps a less experienced commanding officer wouldn’t recognize it, but Clint had seen plenty during his years in the military. When he asked the man about working with the women, he commented, “It’s going okay, I guess. I hadn’t expected the women to perform as good as they have.” Clint recognized it as the backhanded comment it was. It made him wonder about Lukas’s real opinion of women in general. He’d keep a closer eye on him and his interactions with the female team.

Over the next few days, Clint became more impressed with how both teams blended. Even Lukas treated the women with respect. Perhaps he hadn’t heard the negative opinion he thought Murillo had.

Clint loved his nights with Ashlin. For the first time, he felt married. On Thursday, they came straight from work to his suite and changed clothes, then went to join the others for supper. After the first night, when both teams had eaten supper together, everyone seemed to enjoy it so much that they repeated it again. This time, including Shawn Beck. He had a very mature way of socializing. He seemed to blend into every group, and by the end of the night, he had mingled with every person. He even came over and spent time with Clint and Ashlin.

Once again, they excused themselves early.

In the car on the way back to the hotel, curious, Clint asked on their way back to his hotel, “What’s your honest opinion of Beck?”

“I like him.” She looked up at Clint, and he could see honesty in her eyes. “He asks intelligent questions, is good at playing devil’s advocate, and is very respectful of my team. I’ve watched him try to get to know your team better.”

Clint nodded in agreement. “What about Lukas Murillo?” He watched her make that face, like when she wasn’t really sure about something.

She paused as though gathering her thoughts, reassembling her words. When she shrugged, he knew he was going to get the truth. “I can’t pinpoint it, but there’s something about that man that rubs me the wrong way. One minute, he’s all buddy-buddy with the men on your team, then the next, he’s trying to boss them around. Sometimes, with the women, it’s as though he’s looking down his nose at us. Acting like he’s better than us.” Her eyebrows shot up. “It’s how he says things to us.”

This interested Clint. “Can you give me an example?”

“Yeah. Today, while we were talking about the possible weaponry that we might encounter at the terrorist camp, Kayla mentioned manpads. Lukas said under his breath to Mack, ‘Wonder if she even knows what those are?’ Kayla carried on as though she hadn’t heard him and reminded everyone that those particular shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles were made in China. They had a lot of problems with the barrel getting too hot if fired rapidly.”

“Back-handed compliments.”

“Exactly,” Ashlin said while nodding.

Clint added her opinion to the mental file he was collecting. Changing the subject, he asked with a sly smile, “Are you excited about your birthday dinner on Saturday night?”

Her eyes slanted toward him. “You’re not planning a big party, inviting everybody I’ve ever known, and making me walk into a dark room so they can all jump out and yell surprise…are you?”

His smile was reassuring. “Definitely not.” He leaned down and kissed her nose. “I’m selfish. I want you all to myself, starting with the ride to the restaurant.”

“How fancy is this place?” He could see the worry in her eyes.