Jax: A Navy SEAL Romantic Suspense (8 page)

Chapter 11

Kate dropped the kids off at school, which gave me time to think.  Last night our conversation had really connected us.  I felt it.  She felt it.  The reality was this morning I was still searching for the truth.  How much does Kate know?  What does Kate know?  I just needed to hear from Laura and a lot of things would make sense.

I exercised all morning to keep my mind off of the news I was going to receive.  If the call went South then I’d have to come up with a way to distance myself from Kate immediately.  I couldn’t put myself and my daughter in any kind of potentially dangerous situation, especially not in our own home.  If the call went well I might still have lingering issues about Kate.  Is she holding something back?  Is there more to her than I know?  Is there more to her that she doesn’t want me to know?  The answer would come in the middle of my afternoon coffee.

“Laura.  I’m dying here.  What did you find out?”

“Well, there’s more to this girl than we knew.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“It might not be so bad though.”

“I’m due for a pleasant surprise.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, yet, but hopefully I can give you something positive to start with.”

“Hit me.”

“Kate Koval.  That’s her real name.”

“We’re off to a better start than last time.”

Laura laughed.  “True.  Anyways, June 10
th
of 2010 the CIA released over 900 pages of documents in regards to the Korean War.  Not a big deal considering they release declassified docs way after the fact all the time.  What was a bigger deal was that some additional docs were released on the Wikileaks type sites.”

“Wikileaks again?”

“Stay with me.  During your SEAL training did you study how the SEALs, or should I say a specific SEAL, was used in Wonsan Harbor during the Korean Conflict?”

“That’s pretty vague, but I’m guessing you’re referring to Dick Lyon.”

“Exactly.  Wonsan Harbor had been heavily mined before the U.S. and U.N. Navies forced a blockade.  The North Koreans tried to keep adding mines, but UDTs were staying on top of it.  The UDTs discovered the North Koreans were using a new shallow water mine inside the harbor.  Dick Lyon, with only a pair of 24” bolt cutters and a ka-bar dove down, by himself, under the mines and cut the mooring cables.”

“Good old Dick Lyon.  Does having 24” bolt cutters and a ka-bar consist of being heavily armed?”

We both laughed.  “And don’t forget, this is before any scuba gear was issued.”

“And no American had confronted this kind of mine before.”

“Exactly.  Well, do you remember what they found inside one of the mines that Dick Lyon recovered?”

“Kim Jong-il?”

“Very funny.  He was a already a kid by then so maybe he had something to do with it.  He might just be that evil.  But, seriously, do you remember?”

“One second.”  I tried to think back to all the SEAL history we had read during training.  This was one of the ones that really stuck with me because it was a transformation for the SEALs.  Korea was the first time we moved inland.  Sure we were mostly still nautical, but now the UDTs were also on land.  I couldn’t remember.  “You got me.”

“A packing slip…in Russian.”

“OK.  So the Soviets were supplying weapons to the North Koreans and the Cold War was in full swing.  So?”

“So?  I’ll tell you so.  So, we had a Russian come to our side asking for asylum if he defected and worked as a double.  Said it was his handwriting on that slip.”

“OK.”

“And guess who that was?”

“No idea.”

“Well neither do we, technically.  But based on the information we have, the database says there’s a ninety-nine percent chance it the grandfather of…”

“You’re joking me!”

“Nope.  The names match, the DOBs match, it all makes sense.  When he was given citizenship he was laying low in something similar to what the witness protection program looks like today.  Kate’s mother grew up in that house and Kate visited it numerous times.  Whether she knew it as just grandpa and grandma’s house or for what it really was is what we don’t know.”

“So she might have some ties to Russia?”

“Or Ukraine.  The Koval surname is Ukrainian.  Her grandfather was Ukrainian.  Ukraine is an interesting place because half of them seem to identify with Russia, while the other half don’t just not identify with Russia, they actually hate Russia and everything about it.”

“I remember guys telling stories of going on ops in Ukraine.  They’d go to cities in the west like Lviv and try and speak Russian and they’d practically get spit on.  Then they’d go to places in the east like Kharkov and the girls would love it.”

“My point exactly.”

“So Kate’s grandpa is a Ukrainian who was with the Russians in the Korean War until he defected to the American side.  And Kate’s ex-husband is also a Ukrainian who was with the Russians until they invaded Ukraine at which point he defected to the American side.”

“Bingo.”

“And we don’t know how much Kate knows about either of these backstories.”

“Bingo again.”

“So this girl has had either the strangest set of reoccurring coincidences, for which she has no knowledge, or she’s up to something.

“Triple bingo.”

“She should either buy a lottery ticket or she’s a super spy of some sort.”

“That’s exactly how I see it.”

“So how do we know if we can trust her?”

“We don’t.  That’s where you come in.”

“Did I just unknowingly and unwittingly sign myself up for an op?”

Laura laughed.  “You most certainly did.”

“But I’m no longer active duty.”

“There are no former SEALs, Jax.  Time to put your boots on.”

“I can’t wait to dive into this.  Believe me.  I can’t wait to feel alive again.  Except…”

“Except now you have feelings for her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Come on.  You think I can’t sense it in your voice?  A women’s intuition is never wrong.”

“Fair enough.  I’m not even going to pretend like I don’t.  I do.”

“Well you can, but in the meantime we have to figure out if we have some sort
Homeland
meets
The Americans
type situation, but in real life.”

“And I’m the man to find out.”

“Yes, you are…yes, you are.”

Chapter 12

I had my popcorn and had just sat down in my seat directly in the center of the theater.  I was ready for Mission Impossible 5 to begin.   It had been nearly four years since Mission Impossible 4 and I was excited to see what Ethan Hunt and the IMF were going to get into this time.  As crazy as it sounds these types of movies gave me ideas and got me fired up.  I was still thinking about what Laura had told me, and was hoping this movie could get my mental wheels spinning in a way that can solve complicated real life puzzles.  These types of movies always did that for me.  It seems like I’m sitting down on the job, but it’s anything but.  I was ready to see how this movie was going to play out and see if I could take anything from it for my own case.

My phone vibrated.

three echo sierra charlie

I sat the popcorn on the seat next to me and looked at the message again.  Someone had just used my operative name and I wasn’t happy about it.  Only a few people in the entire world know my former unit’s designation, and I’m one hundred percent sure none of them would text me like this.

Sierra Charlie are the NATO phonetic alphabet code words for situation critical.  Someone was in a life or death situation.

Based on everything that had happened recently it could be real or it could be a trap.  I had enemies all over the world and one of them could be baiting me.  That didn’t make sense though.  All our missions had ended swiftly and surely.  If I had any enemies they’d be locked up or dead, and no way they’d know my operative name.

One thing was for sure though.  Whoever had my mobile number and my operative name knew who they were contacting and wanted to get my attention…and they had.  Maybe I could work this in my favor.  Turn it around and gather some intel on the sender.

Who are you?

I’m not a guy who scares easy and I’m definitely not paranoid, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to watch this movie now.  I stood up and walked outside the theater.

“Sir, no readmission once you leave.”

“I’m not coming back.”

“But sir, the movie hasn’t even started yet.”

“Tom Cruise is going to pretend to save the world by himself today.  I’m about to do the real thing.”

A line that sounds corny in hindsight especially if it isn’t delivered with the appropriate corresponding body language, but I wasn’t thinking about looking back.  I knew something was about to happen and the only way was forward.  And that’s why it wasn’t a line.  I meant it one hundred percent.

Sure enough.  I was right.

Kong

It couldn’t be Kong.  I landed three rounds square in his chest at Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff.  Watched him fall backwards more than 40 meters into the East China Sea.  There was no escaping death.

Even though it couldn’t be Kong, it must be someone aware of the situation.  The list of people who were still upright with knowledge of that night was awfully short.  It’s not Kong, but it’s someone who knows the situation and knows my operative name.  I need to figure this out.  I’ll play along.

What do you want?

Watch your luck run out.

How’s that?

Try and save Jerry and Kate.
 
Interested?
 
Don’t worry.
 
Uncle Kwang-jo taking good care of them.
 
Pacific Palisades.
 
Thursday they ship out to start their new careers.

I hit one on my speed dial.  Kate’s number went unanswered.  I hit two.

“Thought you were at the movies?”

“Cole, did Jerry send you any text messages today after school?”

“No, strange too.  I promised yesterday to show him a new move.  Usually he gets excited and asks me about it all day beforehand.  He seemed really fired up.  Everything OK?”

“Gotta run.  Going to Jersey.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll call you if it escalates.  Please take care of Jasmine.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, brother.”

I hung up.  I knew I didn’t need to get in a long conversation with Cole.  He gets it.  He’s also Jasmine’s godfather, and although I would never take advantage of that, I knew Cole was always looking out for her, not matter if I asked him to or not.  That’s what SEALs do.

This sounded like a trap, but someone had way too much information about that night in South Korea and I was in way too deep.

On the way.
 
Don’t touch them.

Would never damage the merchandise.
 
First time is biggest money.

I could feel vomit enter my mouth.  I can’t remember the last time I had a mission that felt so personal.  I wasn’t even active duty anymore, but this was going to be my biggest mission ever.  I jumped in the Jeep and headed straight to the airport.  Unexpected trip to Jersey.