But Savino must believe there was a chance that Lansky was right, or Diego wouldn’t be here.
And Savino was never wrong.
So Diego’s reluctance to believe they’d been fucked over by one of their own didn’t matter. He had his assignment. He might not be wearing his dog tags, but he was on duty. It didn’t matter if he was stationed in the baking heat of Afghanistan, diving to the icy depths of the Pacific or watching a sexy blonde from the window of a piece of prime US real estate. And like any other assignment, he wouldn’t walk away until his mission was complete.
He pushed himself to his feet. He skirted around the fancy furniture that had come with the sublet. He would be fine with a sleeping bag and a crate to sit on, but if he had to do recon sitting on a cushy chair, hey, he was a SEAL. Trained to handle any conditions.
Any conditions and any situation. The SEALs were trained to kick ass, to do the impossible and to cover one another’s butts, no matter what.
No matter what...
Fury, tangled and confused, pounded through his head. He’d spent his entire adult life in the service. He’d gotten off the streets and joined the Navy at eighteen with one goal. To survive. It’d been twelve years since boot camp, and he’d learned that there was more to life than just survival. Oh, survival was still tops on the list. Doing the impossible against all odds would be straight-up stupid otherwise. But he’d learned to excel. He’d grown out of his in-your-face, badass attitude and learned to take—and value—orders. And he’d embraced the concept of brotherhood. Of trusting in others, and knowing without a doubt that his team had his back.
He’d trusted that.
He’d believed in it.
He’d put his life on the line for it, without a moment’s hesitation.
And now he was supposed to believe that trust was for naught? That a SEAL would betray his own team?
Diego growled, his chest as tight as his fists. He wanted to beat something, smash it, pummel it to dust. Screw the security deposit. He grabbed the bedside lamp, his fingers gripping the thick metal base. Before he could swing, he heard a buzz. The red haze blurring his vision dimmed, and he heard it again. It took another second before he realized it was his cell phone.
A deep breath, then two, cleared the haze.
“Yeah,” he answered, still clutching the lamp.
“Miss me, Kitty Cat?”
Like a smack upside the head, the words knocked Diego right out of his crappy mood. Laughter trumped anger every time. Even if the laughter was coated in bitterness.
“That’s El Gato to you, MacGyver,” he shot back. “What’s your status?”
Let it be an opening. Anything that’d get him the hell out of suburbia and away from the temptation of the blonde.
“Still digging in the dark,” Lansky said, his tone a verbal shrug. “Make my job easier. Tell me you saw Ramsey. Tell me you’ve got something we can take to the NI team.”
“First off, you don’t know that Ramsey is alive. All of the intel points to him being ash. Second, don’t assume that he’s the traitor. Assumptions are half-assed work, unworthy of a SEAL.”
Diego let the silence roll over him. He didn’t need words to hear Lansky’s fury, his pain and frustration. Hell, all he had to do was check himself, since he was sporting all those feelings and more. But sloppy intel wasn’t going to get them off the hook with the Naval Criminal Investigation team.
“Have you got anything at all?” Lansky finally asked, his words tight. Diego heard the clink of glass against glass and grimaced. The guy wasn’t going to have a liver left if they didn’t get this put to bed soon.
“I’ve had eyes on Ramsey’s ex. So far, nothing suspicious.” A whole lot of interesting, sure. But nothing that played into their situation.
He remembered the kid’s offhand comment about the two guys who’d lived there. Andy and Matt? But since neither had been Ramsey, it didn’t play into the situation. But it did feed a few of Diego’s fantasies.
“Ramsey showing his face is a long shot. But Savino’s sure if he taps anyone, it’ll be her or his parents. Did you see my report about Ramsey’s old man being in prison? Just shows you what a liar the guy was, saying his family was rich and powerful.”
That report had been a kick in the face. Everything Ramsey had said about his fancy family had been true enough, but a lie.
Diego frowned.
“The guy is doing time for running a Ponzi scheme. Doesn’t negate that the family is rich and powerful. Especially since the feds tagged less than a tenth of what they thought he’d scammed.”
“Maybe.” Lansky hesitated. “Speaking of lies, fact or fiction? Is she as hot as Ramsey always said?”
“Ramsey’s mother?”
“His ex, dude. Was he lying about that, too? She’s a dog, right?”
“Truth be told, she’s even hotter than he said.”
Diego stepped over to the window, his brows rising when he saw Blondie through the window of what he’d determined was her bedroom. The light pooled around her for a moment before she pulled the curtains shut. But he could still see her shadow against the white fabric.
She made one hell of a silhouette thanks to a body that was freaking amazing. The kind of body that would take a man a week to show his appreciation for, then inspire him to start all over again.
He puffed out a breath. She was hot.
“And? Observation and opinion only. Is she dirty or not?”
Now that was a question worth exploring, and one that would likely keep him awake well into the night. But given that Lansky wasn’t scoping out the hot blonde, Diego knew the guy’s question referred to their mission and not her kink preferences.
“It’s hard to tell at this point,” Diego sidestepped. “She’s been in residence the entire time, with company and a kid for most of it.”
“So, what? You’re saying you’ve got nothing?”
Yes, dammit. His career, his team, his fucking brotherhood was in the crosshairs and he didn’t have a thing. And how was he supposed to find anything sitting here in suburban hell watching a hot blonde and her fancy house? He wasn’t built to wait, to watch. He wasn’t made for inaction. He clenched his fist. But orders were orders.
“I’m saying that I’m still doing recon, the target hasn’t been sighted and that I’ll notify you as soon as anything changes.” He didn’t add that his orders had been specific. He wasn’t there to haul the woman off and interrogate her.
The phone did nothing to disguise the sound of Lansky grinding his teeth.
“I’ll figure this out, man,” Diego said in the same tone he’d used when he’d promised Lansky that he wouldn’t leave him wounded behind enemy lines. Quiet assurance.
“I’ll keep working on the electronics,” Lansky said after a couple of seconds. His tone was much less assured, but Diego knew he’d come through. He had to.
Because, yeah...
Their careers were on the line.
Diego hit the off button and tossed his phone onto the bed, watching it sink in the mattress before turning his gaze back to the window.
The moonless sky was a pitch-black backdrop to the lighted window. The curtains hid her features, but couldn’t disguise the shape of the woman undressing in her bedroom. Diego could see the curve of her breasts as she stretched her arms over her head, the slenderness