gonna wind this guy up. If you leave before he’s caught…well, let’s just say it’s hard for you to concentrate when you’re halfway around the world.”
Josh had considered the same thing. “I can’t wait to catch Dixie’s stalker until after I return.”
Ghost shook his head. “Nope, but if you start this game now, you can’t drop the anchor and hope the ship won’t run aground. When I was in your position, the only reason I deployed with my men was because I thought I had nothing else.”
Josh understood the direction of this convo. “Until you recognized Kayla was your something.”
Ghost’s blue gaze zeroed in on him. “Exactly. Even when I knew without a doubt she was the woman who would change my life, I resisted. I almost lost her a few times. And that thought alone takes my fucking breath away like no mission ever did. You told Manchester that Dixie’s an old friend, but you’re full of shit. As Frogs, we don’t get many chances at normal. At some point, you’re gonna realize one woman is the counter-balance to the dark parts of our profession.”
He nodded. “In other words, you have no regrets.”
Ghost laughed. “Oh, I’ve got regrets. Plenty. But none of them have to do with my wife and the two amazing children she blessed me with.” The first notes of Oh Canada came from the admiral’s phone and he swiped his finger across the face then chuckled. “Well, looks like I’m needed at the realtor’s office.”
“Buying the house across from Marg Cobbs?”
He shrugged. “Was there any doubt?” He tapped a response on the phone, then shoved it back into his work dress pocket. “Kayla and I are here for ten days. If you need my help, don’t hesitate, Commander. I would have never caught the Shark on my own. I had Alpha Squad backing me. Mace, Tinman, and Fox will be at the housewarming party, along with the rest of Alpha Squad, and probably some other SEALs as well. We’ll talk then.”
Josh reached his hand out the window and the admiral shook it. “Thanks, Admiral. I appreciate your help, but right now it’s just about the notes. It’s not like he’s the Shark.”
“You’re sure about that?” the admiral asked, his brow creased.
That came out of left field. “Yes. I mean, that’s what Dixie told me.”
The admiral nodded but the crease of concern remained.
“Sir, if you’ve got something to say, then I’m listening.”
“Twelve years is a long time to stalk someone, Commander. From those notes I saw, they’re all sexual or express an intimacy. I don’t want to put a wedge between you and Miss Hammond, but she’s not telling you everything. Something is keeping this guy connected to her. You need to find out what that is.”
Ghost uttered the same concerns Josh already had. “I’ll keep that in mind, Admiral. See you at the party.”
Chapter Seven
Josh parked his truck on the street less than half a block from the Erotic Bean. The warm Thursday afternoon had brought tourists and locals to the popular area of Orange Avenue. He kept his eye on anyone holding a position, looking for the guy they’d seen on the video.
He waited at the door, propping it open for a couple in their sixties exiting Dixie’s shop with cardboard cups. The Erotic Bean had plenty of customers. Some hung out at the coffeehouse and others took their java to go. Josh inhaled the rich aroma as he stepped inside, a sure sign he wasn’t deployed, because the tasteless crap in MREs couldn’t compete.
With a visual sweep, he confirmed none of the customers matched the build of the dirtbag on the video.
“Hi, Commander,” Sabrina greeted when he approached the order counter.
“Hey, Sabrina. Where’s your boss?”
“In the back office.”
“See anyone unusual today?”
She laughed. “Plenty. We serve the public. I kept my eye on the book aisles after he left the note this morning.”
“Were you the one who found the note?”
She nodded. “Yup.”
“What did it say?” He surmised Dixie hesitated telling him because it would rouse his temper.
Sabrina swept a silky strand of red hair from her brow. With whiskey-colored eyes, she was a nice looking woman in her forties with a friendly smile.
“Explicit. Like the one he left yesterday.”
Had to be bad if Sabrina was hedging too. “And it said?”
She gnawed on her thumbnail for a second and her cheeks reddened. Sabrina leaned closer and whispered, “Um, it said, ‘I’m going to pinch your tits while I come in your hot pussy.’”
His pulse quickened and