Page 37 of Finding Carly
Jag paused. This was why he loved being a SEAL. Loved being a part of this team. He looked over at Slate. “I think we’re good. No one’s getting into the apartment complex without being on camera. And at the moment, Carly’s not too keen on driving anywhere herself. She still doesn’t feel all that safe outside.”
“But she’s okay working, right?” Pid asked.
“She is,” Jag said. “Today’s only her second shift, but so far, I think she’s doing well, all things considered. The first day back she had a mini panic attack, but Kenna was with her and talked her down. Then she thought she saw Luke and panicked again. One of the bartenders ran down to the beach when he found out what was happening, toward the guy Carly was looking at, but it turned out to be some random dude, not Shawn’s son. But she didn’t dwell on it after work. I’m still hoping today goes a little smoother.”
His teammates all nodded.
“I’ll keep you in the loop as to what I find out,” Baker said. “I’m not gonna let up on this until we have some answers.”
“Thanks,” Jag said.
“And I’ll talk to the commander,” Mustang said. “I know we can’t exactly schedule our missions around our personal lives, but I’ll make sure he understands how serious the situation is and, if at all possible, give us some breathing room.”
Jag’s chest immediately tightened. “I can’t leave her alone,” he told his team leader. He felt bad enough that Carly had been on her own for a week and a half when they’d last been deployed. But now that they were together…it didn’t sit well with him to leave her when they didn’t know which of Shawn’s friends might be holding a grudge.
“If you get deployed, she can come up to the North Shore and stay with me,” Baker said.
Jag looked at him in surprise. “But…and don’t take this the wrong way…but will that send the wrong message to Jody?”
“What do you know about Jodelle?” Baker sat straighter and glared at Jag.
He held up his hands in capitulation. “Nothing really. Just that you seem very protective of her, and the last thing I’d want is her getting the wrong idea about you and Carly.”
Baker took a deep breath, and Jag could see him trying to get control of himself before responding. “Jodelle won’t get the wrong idea,” he finally said simply.
Jag wanted to ask more questions about the mysterious woman Baker seemed extremely protective of, but he was itching to get to Carly. He was picking her up from work, even though Aleck said he was more than happy to give her a ride when he went to get Kenna. Jag was anxious to see her for himself. To make sure she was all right. To hear how her day went. It seemed as if from the second he left her each morning, all he thought about was Carly, and looked forward to being with her again.
He’d never felt that way about anyone. And he had his reasons. But everything about Carly appealed to him. Drew him in. She was nothing like—
No. He wasn’t even going tothinkthat bitch’s name.
She was in his past, and that was where Jag was determined to keep her.
He nodded at Baker. “Thanks.”
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” Mustang said. “If necessary, I’ll tell the commander that you need to be taken off the deployment list.”
Jag shook his head. “No. I don’t want that.”
“Neither do I,” Mustang argued. “You think I want to go on a mission without you? Fuck no. But most of us have learned that shit can go sideways in a blink. And our women come first…well, as much as they can when we’re employed by the Navy. But let’s not borrow trouble. Knock on wood, shit’s been fairly quiet recently. We’ll take things one day at a time.”
Baker nodded at them all and stood. “I need to get going. Redmon’s shift ends soon and I want to be sure to catch him before he heads home. Later.”
Jag gave the other man a chin lift and the others stood up to head out as well. Slate caught him before he left.
“I was serious,” Slate said. “You need me to play bodyguard, I’m more than happy to.”
“I appreciate it,” Jag told his friend.
“You’ll let us know when you’ve set up the sessions with Senior Chief Petty Officer Albertson?”
“Yes. I’m hoping to get that started soon.”
“Good. Thanks.”
“Things okay with you and Ashlyn?” Jag ventured. He wasn’t one to pry into anyone’s relationship, but his friend had seemed a bit stressed recently, and he was worried about him.
“As good as theycanbe. I think she hates me most days, and she’s stubborn as hell. And won’t listen to me when I tell her that it’s not safe to be driving all over the island, including to some of the worst neighborhoods, to deliver food.”
