CHAPTER TWENTY
YOU’RE NOT REALLY falling for this load of crap, are you?” Isaac demanded as SAIC Danner and several other senior FBI agents sat back in the chairs around the conference table and considered the story Kendall just finished telling them. She and Holden had been in the San Francisco field office all morning.
She’d spun a tale about how a Navy SEAL had been tricked into stealing something without knowing what it was and how he’d decided to work with a rookie undercover agent to help get it back when he realized the national security implications of the theft. Fortunately, Holden was smart enough to keep his mouth shut when they got to those parts of the story that were creative, though she’d seen his mouth twitch a few times.
“This is a complete joke,” Isaac continued. “Agent Patton allowed a suspect in federal custody to escape, then conducted an unauthorized mission with uncleared military service personnel that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen U.S. citizens. She and Lockwood should be in prison right now.”
Danner ignored Isaac, his blue gaze trained on Kendall. “Tell me more about this unauthorized mission and this surveillance person you had on your team. The one who acquired hours and hours of video footage from McKinney’s residence.”
He was talking about Kyla. The FBI knew there had been other SEALs involved besides Holden, but they weren’t interested in them. When Kendall told Danner she not only had the Key but also surveillance feeds on every foreign intelligence agent who’d bid in the auction as well as all their overseas bank account information, too, he’d practically started drooling. He was even more impressed when the FBI’s IT people said McKinney’s security system should have been too encrypted to ever hack into.
Kendall didn’t intend to give away Kyla’s identity, of course, no matter how badly the FBI wanted it. The girl had risked too much already. There was no way Kendall wanted her on the FBI radar.
“That particular person was an outside source I found on my own,” she said. “Their assistance was contingent on them maintaining that anonymity. I’d prefer to maintain my confidential relationship with this person in the event that I have need of them again.”
Isaac muttered something under his breath. “Without a legal chain of custody, anything that person obtained is worthless in a court of law.”
Beside Kendall, Holden looked like he wanted to punch Isaac. She didn’t blame him. Isaac was pissed because she’d gone over his head and called Danner to negotiate for Holden’s freedom. He was even more furious that he wasn’t getting credit for recovering the Key.
Danner scowled at Isaac. “There are plenty of situations where admissibility in court isn’t an issue. Right now, I’m more interested in hearing how long Agent Patton has been developing contacts this capable.”
Isaac looked like he was about to give birth to a cow, maybe even a bull with horns. But he was smart enough to stay quiet when he realized Danner and the other agents were more interested in this kind of stuff than with the original theft and recent recovery of the Key.
The meeting continued for another twenty minutes. Danner shot her and Holden questions from every direction, asking about everything from why Kimber and Sam had gone to Mexico, to where Holden and the other SEALs had gotten their weapons. She was impressed at how well Holden handled the questions Danner tossed his way. Even the one he told about being forced to kill McKinney and how it hadn’t bothered him at all, rolled off his tongue smoothly and without a flicker of emotion, even though she knew that wasn’t true.
Danner dismissed Isaac and the other agents a little while after that. The moment the door closed behind them, Danner gave her and Holden an appraising look. It made Kendall wonder how much of their story he’d actually bought.
“I won’t pretend to know the entire story between the two of you, but at the end of the day, I don’t really care,” Danner said. “The FBI has entire field offices full of agents who know how to follow the rules and do things by the book. You ignored the rules and rewrote the book, Agent Patton. I have a lot of agents with more experience who couldn’t have done what you did. You got the Key back without letting it be compromised and have mountains of data on foreign intel operatives we can exploit for years. Bottom line, consider me impressed. I’m only sorry to lose you as an asset.”
Kendall had been sure that all of this was going to work out okay, until Danner said that. Holden looked as confused as she was.
“Sir?” she said. “Am I being fired?”
Danner shook his head with a laugh. “Hell, no. You’re being promoted.”
She blinked. “Promoted?”
He nodded. “I naturally assumed you’d want to transfer down to the San Diego field office so you and Holden don’t have to do the long-distance thing.”
Kendall didn’t say anything. She and Holden had spent a lot of time kissing and murmuring words of affection last night, but in the confusion of bright lights and endless questions this morning, things had gotten fuzzy. She had no idea what came next for them.
Danner pushed back his chair and got to his feet. “Petty Officer Lockwood, I’ll be calling your commander within the hour to let him know how much I appreciate the Navy officially helping out the FBI in this matter. I’m sure you’ll end up with some kind of commendation out of it, even if it will be too classified for anyone to ever see.”
Holden nodded, and Kendall could see he was relieved. So was she. They’d both made a lot of assumptions that everything was going to be okay and he’d be released, but this was the first time anyone had said anything official.
Giving them a nod, Danner left the conference room, closing the door behind him.
The silence stretched out after Danner left as Kendall tried to figure out what to say. She hoped Holden would say something, but he didn’t. So much had happened between them in such a short time, it was difficult to know what was truth and what was merely something she wished was the truth. It was hard even knowing where to start. But she needed to say something because she really wanted this. Whatever it was.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said, figuring it never hurt to start with an apology. “For not telling you earlier that I was a Fed undercover with you to find the Key.”
Holden looked at her. “Is that what you were trying to tell me the other morning before Isaac showed up at my front door with his SWAT buddies?”
She nodded, offering him a small smile. “Yeah. I’d wanted to tell you the moment you got back from that mission, but I couldn’t. Not when it was obvious you needed me so much. I convinced myself it would be okay to wait until we woke up, but of course, I was wrong.”
He shrugged. “Truthfully, I’m not sure things would have gone differently if you’d told me the truth that morning. I still would have felt betrayed, still gotten arrested, and still ended up in that FBI interrogation room.”
She frowned. “So, what? You’re saying telling you the truth wouldn’t have mattered? That nothing I could have said would have helped?”
Holden gazed at her so long she thought her heart might stop beating from how much it ached. When he finally nodded, she was convinced it actually did stop beating then. It was over. After everything she’d done to try and rescue their relationship, it was over.
Blinking back tears, Kendall started to get to her feet, but he caught her arm. She refused to look at him, not wanting him to see the tears running down her cheeks.
“Nothing you said then would have changed things because too many things had already been said by that point,” he said softly. “Things that were true and things that were lies…on both our parts. When you came down into the vaults below McKinney’s garage, you said everything I needed to hear without ever saying a word. You risked your career and your life for me. You’ll never need to say anything more than that to prove you love me. I love you, too, even if I didn’t get to prove it the same way.”
She looked at him, shocked to see tears in his eyes, too. Her heart began thumping so hard it felt like it was going to explode.
“You don’t have to prove you love me,” she whispered. “Just saying the words is all I’ll ever need.”
Holden was on his feet before Kendall realized he’d moved, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. “I love you, Kendall Patton. For as long as you’ll let me.”
More tears spilled onto her cheeks, happy ones this time. She’d been so damn sure she’d lost this. Holden held her the whole time, rubbing small circles on her back and making the most ridiculous calming noises.
“So, should I formally put in that request for transfer to San Diego?” she asked softly.
Holden tipped her head back with a gentle finger under her chin. “I’d like that.”
Then he kissed her, long and hard, until she was ready to find out if the door of the conference room had a lock on it.
“Come on. Let’s go to my apartment,” she said, kissing him again. “You can tell me how much you love me, then help me figure out how all my stuff is going to fit in your place.”
* * * * *
I hope you enjoyed Holden and Kendall’s story!
Wes Marshall is the next SEAL to fall in love when he and Kyla finally get out of their own way and admit they have feelings for each other.
Look for their book soon!
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Want more hunky Navy SEALs?
Check out the other books in the SEALs of Coronado Series!
SEAL for Her Protection
Strong Silent SEAL
Texas SEAL
Undercover SEAL
SEAL with a Past
SEAL to the Rescue
For more Military Heroes check out my X-OPS and SWAT Series!
X-OPS
Her Perfect Mate
Her Lone Wolf
Her Wild Hero
Her Fierce Warrior
Her Rogue Alpha
Her True Match
Her Dark Half
Exposed
SWAT (Special Wolf Alpha Team)
Hungry Like the Wolf
Wolf Trouble
In the Company of Wolves
To Love a Wolf
Wolf Unleashed
Wolf Hunt
Wolf Hunger
Wolf Rising
ABOUT PAIGE
Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines who fall in love with them.
She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan.
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