Page 45 of Keeping Laryn
“Glad you’re all right. It sucked on my end when you went blank. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I’d like to be able to thank Laryn one day.”
“I’d like that too. Stay safe, bro.”
“You too. Later.”
“Later.”
Casper hung up and took a deep breath. Nate’s needling to try to make sure Laryn had his best intentions at heart wasannoying, but he understood where his brother was coming from. That he was simply trying to protect his twin.
He thought back to that moment in the mountains between Iran and Iraq, when Nate had looked him in the eye and claimed that Josie was his, even though he’d just met her. If he recalled correctly, Josie wasn’t even speaking at the time because of the trauma she’d been through, and yet his brother still knew without any doubt that she was the woman for him.
Casper wasn’t there yet with Laryn, but he could admit that he’d never felt about another woman the way he did about her. He’d never felt as if he could completely let down his guard with anyone else he’d dated. She had his back, one hundred percent, she’d proven it time and time again on the job.
Others might argue that any good mechanic would do the same thing…make sure that nothing was wrong with the choppers they maintained. But Casper had experience that said differently. Laryn was also the first person to greet him when he got back from a mission, wanting to know if anything felt off about the chopper, how she performed, if there was anything he thought needed to be tweaked. But it felt personal…as if she cared more about checking onhimthan her precious helicopters.
And thinking back over the years, at the ribbing and teasing they always engaged in, he realized what his brother said was right on the mark. He always fell back on their tried-and-true way of communicating because it was easy and familiar. And because he wasn’t sure how to let Laryn know how much he appreciated what her concern meant to him.
He was like a third-grader pulling the hair of the girl he liked. Or chasing her around the schoolyard. Or putting a frog in her lunch box. And that shit was going to stop. Now. Today. He’d taken the first step by asking her out, but there would be no more needling her from his end. She was a professional, a damn good mechanic, and she didn’t need him interfering with her job.
Thinking about Laryn and how she did everything in herpower to keep him safe when he flew, had him wanting to return the favor. He wasn’t sure if Altan Osman was really a threat, but his gut was screaming at him that something was wrong there. He also hated that Laryn had been so discontent, she’d contemplated finding another job.
It was time to call Tex.
John Keegan, known as Tex to just about everyone, was a former SEAL who’d lost part of his leg and been medically retired. Since then, he’d spent his time working for the government and independently, assisting in locating those who were kidnapped, taken captive, or who’d simply disappeared. He had a soft spot in his heart for special forces members and their families, and word was that he’d helped to find dozens of people, bringing them back home safe and sound.
But he did more than find lost people…he was a computer genius, which was how he was able to track down the missing in the first place. Casper heard he had a room in his basement filled with computer screens that blinked with trackers Tex had given some of his closest friends and their families, just to keep an eye on them. He was able to hack into traffic cameras, phone records, social media accounts, emails, government computers, and otherwise get into the most protected and closed-off records to obtain any kind of information necessary.
And Casper needed his expertise. He needed under-the-radar intel that he suspected only Tex could get. He’d never spoken to the man, but his contact info had been passed around the special forces community. He’d gotten his phone number from a Delta Force operative he’d once transported on a mission, who was now living out in Texas with his wife and kids. Oz had nothing but praise for Tex, and he’d reassured Casper that if he was ever in a position to need the man, not to hesitate to reach out.
Casper wasn’t sure if he actually needed Tex’s special skills or not. He had nothing but his gut to go on, telling him that AltanOsman’s threats were to be taken seriously. He needed facts. And apparently, Tex could get them.
He dialed the number he’d long since memorized, hoping against hope Tex hadn’t retired…or changed his number.
It rang three times before a man with a slight southern twang answered who could be no one other than the infamous Tex. “Who is this?”
Casper wasn’t offended by the brusque greeting. He was actually impressed he’d answered the phone in the first place.Hesure didn’t answer if he didn’t know who was calling these days.
“Name’s Tate Davis. Go by Casper. I’m an officer in the US Army. Night Stalker. I need intel on a possible threat to the woman I’m dating.”
“I’ll call you back.”
The phone went dead in his ear.
Casper was a little taken aback, but he didn’t hold the man’s actions against him. Everyone said he was the best, and if now wasn’t the best time to talk, he’d wait.
It wasn’t a long wait. Twenty minutes later, Casper’s cell rang just as he was about to leave his apartment. It was from an unknown number, but he had a feeling he knew who was on the other end of the line.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Casper. Tex here. Sorry about that earlier. I don’t really take cold calls from anyone until I check them out.”
“And I checked out?” he asked, wondering how much this guy could’ve found out about him in twenty minutes.
“Yup. Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, and ten Air Medals—four with Valor Device. Thousands of daylight flight time hours and almost as many nighttime flying hours. You embody the ‘Night Stalkers Don’t Quit’ motto. Thank you for all you do, have done, and will do for my Navy SEAL brethren and all special forces. Now, what can I help you with?”
Casper wasn’t surprised very often, but he had to admit, Tex had taken him off guard. If he knew about the awards he’d been given by the military, he probably knew about each and every mission that hadearnedhim the accolades—which was impressive, because they were all top secret. And the man had learned about them in minutes. Everything said about Tex was obviously true. He felt better about calling him for intel, even if it turned out to be nothing.
He gave him a rundown of Laryn’s situation and explained how Altan Osman worked for the Turkish government and had threatened her over the phone. “I need to know if he’s an actual threat, or just frustrated because he thought he had a shot at getting one of the best MH-60 mechanics in the world to work on their newly acquired choppers. We’re headed out to the Middle East next week, which I think is the first time I’m actually relieved to be going to that part of the world…gets Laryn away from home and anyone Osman might send to try to convince her to change her mind about working for him.”
