Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion #2) - Natasza Waters Page 0,79
Seeing her ample breasts cupped in the black lace bra and her naked curves, his pulse fired on all cylinders. Was it an invitation? Or a diversion?
“I recognize that steamy look in your eyes, CDR Hunter.”
He swallowed thickly. “Were you expecting a different response?”
“I expect ten hours of undisturbed sleep. Maybe more.”
Perching his hands on his hips, he exhaled slowly. Dix looked exhausted. The bags under her eyes grew darker each day. She wasn’t sleeping enough. “I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Find your friend, Josh. She’s the priority.”
Thirty minutes later, Josh walked into Marg Cobbs’ kitchen. The team guys, Admiral Austen and Kayla waited. He glanced toward the backyard, the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the pool. The kids splashed and yelled, having a good time while Nina and Lumin kept an eye on them.
Ditz handed him a scrap of paper. “That’s the number for the Duty Officer at Little Creek, but I made contact to save you some time, Commander. Told him we have an active mission. You should hear from a guy named Berrywhite. He’s the civilian in charge of Gesem’s department.”
“Thanks.” Fingering the scrap, he said, “Thanks to all of you. Means a lot.”
A whisper of a grin slid over the admiral’s mouth before he downed a long swallow from the beer in his hand. Marg’s gaze swept behind Josh, probably looking for Dixie. When he didn’t comment, she refilled a glass pitcher with lemonade and headed out to the patio.
If Kallis had taken Gesem hostage, they’d be rounding a corner and Josh wouldn’t allow the men’s involvement any longer. “Ditz, locate Gesem’s phone again. See if it’s still active.”
Ditz placed his attention on his laptop. “Yes, sir.”
Gesem was the type of woman who thrived on routine. “She likes staying at Violet’s Hotel chain. Det. Dean can investigate if she booked a room here in San Diego.”
“Mace,” Lt. Bach called out.
“Yes, sir.”
“Still have Dean on the line?”
Mace nodded.
“Good. Ask him if he can confirm whether Captain Reynolds booked a room at Violet’s, downtown.”
Mace gave him the thumbs-up and walked a few paces toward Marg’s living room.
The rest of the team followed and found plenty of seating on her comfortable, upscale furnishings. Framed photos of Patrick Cobbs and his family lined the fireplace mantle. Obviously devoted to the memory of her husband, Marg hadn’t hooked up with another man. Her home far outweighed a SEAL’s pay grade, which meant the fancy digs had to come from her side of the family.
Josh placed his cell on the armrest of the couch. Seconds later it rang.
“Hello, I’m looking for CDR Josh Hunter.”
Josh switched the call to speaker. With the identity of Dixie’s stalker known, he had to tread carefully from here on in. “This is CDR Hunter.”
“Good evening, this is Arnold Berrywhite. I was contacted by the Duty Officer at Little Creek. They said it was urgent that I call you.”
“Yes. I’m the commander of the West Coast SEAL teams in Coronado. A woman by the name of Captain Gethsemane Reynolds works for you.”
“She does,” Berrywhite confirmed, his tone professional.
“Was she at work on Friday?”
As the pause stretched out, Josh gnawed on his lip. Shit.
“No, Commander. She asked for a few days off and left on Wednesday. Said she needed to visit a friend in San Diego.”
Josh withheld a groan. The gaping hole of unknowns widened. He’d hoped the rental car was a ruse by Kallis. Since that appeared to not be the case, Josh could bring in Lt. Manchester and NCIS.
He pointed at Ditz. “Can you confirm Gesem’s number hasn’t changed? She has a Navy-issued cell.” Ditz pulled up the trace he’d done on her phone. “The number is 304-555-0101.”
“May I ask what this is about?”
“Unfortunately not. Is the number current?”
Mr. Berrywhite cleared his throat. “Yes, that’s her number.”
“If you hear from Gesem, I need to speak with her.”
“I understand Special Forces deal with covert operations. If there is an issue of concern, I may be able to help.”
Josh hadn’t spoken with Gesem since moving to San Diego. Once he knew she wasn’t interested in coming with him, their relationship had ended. Gesem had been torn but opted for her new position with the Office of Naval Intelligence. If she had come to San Diego to see him, had she changed her mind as Chandler suggested? If she had come to see someone else, then maybe Kallis was sending them on a wild goose chase. He could have stolen her vehicle and her phone.