Morning dew blanketed the concrete with moisture, further impeding my investigation into the death of United States Naval Officer, Paul Thompson.

I’d spent a few hours in the BUD/S compound, scouring every inch of the crime scene. But it was clean, too clean. Paul had been found clutching his pistol, a straight bullet right through his head. The perfect suicide.

Or was it?

I stared down at Paul’s body, again. Desperate to find a final clue. Something that would break this case wide open.

Grant Carrion, one of the most honorable SEALs I had ever met, had spent the better part of the morning assisting me. He had answered all my questions, given me access to Paul’s locker, even rounded up some fellow SEALs so I could ask them some questions.

But unfortunately, I still had no leads.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. Paul hadn’t complained about anything recently at work. He’d showed up today on time and had displayed no obvious signs of distress. He’d taken his weapon out of the armory, walked out to the grinder where the newest BUD/S class had been scheduled to begin training in less than fifteen minutes, and then, by all accounts, shot himself in the head. Mitch had been the one to discover him. Within minutes, there were hundreds of SEALs on the grinder, no doubt destroying evidence, before someone had finally called NCIS.

And the Naval Special Warfare Base was set on the most beautiful beach in the world. Coronado. This scandal would rip through the small island, leaving vicious gossip in its wake. I was only steps away from the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado, where Marilyn Monroe had filmed Some Like It Hot, and where L. Frank Baum had found the inspiration to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There was no room for murder, suicide, and scandal in The Crown City.

Grant stood in front of me, and I focused my gaze on his wedding ring. “Is there anything else you need from me, Ashley?”

Though I was painfully aware that he was strictly off-limits, I couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful man with sun-kissed blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, and an incredible body. I quickly reminded myself that even though he had been single when we had hooked up once while I was deeply undercover, Grant was now a married man. His wife was Mia Cruz, a woman who I couldn’t stand. A woman who I was still convinced had something to hide. A woman who I hoped to never see again.

“Actually, I had one more question. About Mitch.”

Grant laughed. “Mitch? Yeah, he still wants you. He seems like a jerk, but he’s a solid man. He could surprise you.”

I felt my cheeks warm. “Oh no, I didn’t mean that at all. I’m not interested in him. I want to know if you have noticed anything off about Mitch recently.”

Grant gave me a reluctant smile. “Nope, I’ve got nothing. He’s the same cocky asshole he’s always been. But don’t take my word for it. Go talk to him.”

Ugh. I knew I needed to interrogate Mitch. But after our initial morning interview, Mitch had been called to a work emergency. Was that a coincidence or not? I vowed to speak with him before I left today.

“I’ll do that, Grant. Thanks for trying to help. I’ll call you if I have any more questions.”

“Okay. See you later.”

Grant walked toward his office, and I sighed. Grant had proven that he would do anything for the woman he loved. I wondered what it would be like to have a man love me the way Grant loved Mia. A man who only had eyes for me.

My partner, Craig, walked over to me after he finished talking to some other SEALs. Craig took a final glance at Paul as the coroner zipped the corpse up in the body bag.

Craig showed me the last picture Paul had uploaded to his Instagram—a gorgeous family photo complete with a dog and a beach background. “Guy killed himself. But why? I don’t get it. A decorated war hero, good-looking, gorgeous wife. Hell, even his dog is an agility champion.”

I rolled my eyes at him. Craig was new to the SEAL beat. Still innocent and blind to these men’s faults. He probably still believed that they were all heroes.

And they were.

On the battlefield.

But I’d been around these parts before. I grew up on a base surrounded by SEALs. I was no longer fooled by their gleaming medals, airtight alibis, and empty promises. But I didn’t blame Craig—I’d once had stars in my eyes when it came to these men.

Until the Joaquín Cruz case.

I’d spent the last year of my life knee-deep in the secret world of SEALs. Behind their heroic rescues, behind the valor, behind the boastful autobiographies, there was an entire world of deception that I just could not crack.

But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t die trying.

“Yeah? Don’t be so sure. These men are like sharks. I think he was murdered.”

And like a true predator, Mitch Martinez circled around me before standing in my personal space. The sunlight accentuated his rock-hard body, the ocean breeze blowing through his dark, thick, wavy hair. “Murdered? You’re hilarious, Autumn. Where’d did you learn your investigative skills? Same place you learned how to lapdance?”

Craig’s eyes widened as he checked out my body, no doubt imagining me dressed in nothing but pasties and a thong. “Autumn? Lapdance?”

“Yeah, you missed it. I was undercover. Autumn was my stripper name.” I turned my attention toward Mitch and prayed that my traitorous pussy would not get wet.

Complete failure.

One look and heat rose in my body. Why was he so fucking hot?

What was wrong with me? I despised Mitch. He was a smug, cocky, arrogant, son of a bitch.

Did I mention sexy?

So fucking sexy. I hated to admit it, but I could devour Mitch. Grant was a handsome man, looked like a Hollywood movie star, but he was a good guy. Mitch, on the other hand, was the ultimate bad boy. The type of man who could get you to drop your panties with a mere wink from his soulful, yet pained, brown eyes. The type of man you hated yourself for loving but couldn’t resist. The type of man you would risk your career for a one-night stand.

In other words, my type.

Which meant I had to resist him at all costs.

“Actually, Petty Officer Martinez, I went to Harvard. Majored in history with a concentration in government.” I studied his reaction and appreciated the shocked expression that graced his rugged face. “As for the lap dancing, I perfected those moves in my free time.”

His lips turned into a grin, and I fought myself from melting. “Harvard, huh? Okay, smarty pants, I’ll give you a tip. Paul was a hypocrite. Despite being an officer, he had no leadership skills and no integrity.”

Yes! This was what I needed. What I craved. Some inkling of who Paul, the man, was. “Would you care to elaborate?”

Mitch took a step toward me, and I inhaled his intoxicating masculine scent. He smelled like a mix of sea salt and winter spice. I wanted to lick him from his chest down to his happy trail and then suck on him like a lollipop. “Sure. I’ll pick you up tonight at eight.”

Oh, hell no. “Eight? This is an investigation, not a date.”

He shook his head. “It’s a date, babe. You want information about Paul, and I want you. Where do you live?”

Craig laughed. Oh my God, no. I could not be alone with Mitch. There was no way I’d be able to control myself. I’d been married to my work for as long as I could remember. I couldn’t even recall the last time I had gotten laid. I’d spent my entire life devoted to seeking the truth behind the Teams, hoping someday, somehow, I would find the answer to the one question that had driven my entire life.

Who had kidnapped my sister?

But I had no leads. None. And I knew from experience that it was impossible to break the bonds of these men. I needed an in like Mia had found when she’d gone undercover as Ksenya the stripper.

I needed Mitch.

“I’ll meet you downtown. Name the place.”

“Nope, Harvard. That’s not how this works. Maybe you’ve never been on a real date, so I’ll explain it to you. I’m a man. I asked you out, and you accepted. I’m picking you up at your place, and I’m paying for dinner.” Then he pulled me into him and whispered into my ear. “I love your filthy mouth. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I last saw you when we saved Julián.”

I resisted the urge to slap him, but he would’ve probably liked that. He was such a chauvinist pig and was the last man I wanted to go on a date with though he would be my first choice to fuck. I would never entertain starting any type of serious relationship with this man.

But truth be told, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him either since we’d spent the night together in Marin after we found Julián. Nothing had happened—I’d made sure of that. But I had realized that night that there was more to Mitch than just a dirty talking, drop-dead gorgeous, badass SEAL.

“Fine. I live in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.” I briefly considered giving him a fake address and begging one of my coworkers to let me pretend her place was mine, but I quickly abandoned that plan when I remembered that Mitch was actually quite intelligent. He’d probably run a background report on me. Instead, I scribbled down my address and phone number on my notepad and handed it to Mitch.

His mouth widened into a delicious smile, and he licked his lips. “See you then, Autumn.”

He walked away, and I couldn’t help but stare at his incredible ass in those cammies. His thighs were massive, and I fantasized about seeing Mitch’s fantastic body on top of mine, pumping deep inside of me until I came all over his cock.

Craig interrupted my daydream. “Date? What are you doing, Pierce?”

I detected a hint of jealousy in Craig’s tone. Why couldn’t I be attracted to Craig? NCIS partners were allowed to date. He was a great man and not bad-looking. An honorable agent, hardworking, loyal and kind.

“It’s not a date. It’s work. I’m telling you, Craig. Paul was murdered. I just know it. You don’t know these SEALs. They are always hiding something.”

Craig rolled his eyes. The SEALs would eat him for lunch. “Whatever you say. I say the guy killed himself. I’ll head back to the office and do some digging into his financials. Have fun on your date.”

I smirked. Fun? I didn’t know the meaning of the word fun. All I knew was tonight, I would use Mitch to find the first clue in this case.

And maybe, one day, all my hard work would lead me to discover what had happened to my sister.