SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,9
hair and blue eyes. The two women looked like total opposites, but they’d hit it off immediately when they’d first met. They’d bonded over work and dating nightmares and had readily kept in touch during Hailey’s year here.
“Yeah, he is. He was trying to talk me into having dinner with him before all hell broke loose.”
“And?” Kim asked.
Hailey rolled her eyes. “And then there was a huge explosion at the front gate. Plus, he’s here for a few days or something then flying back to the States.”
“Well, you’re almost done,” Kim prodded. “You’ve got what—a month left?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Oh come on, I can tell you like him.”
“Like him? I mean, I don’t even know him. Sure, he’s attractive and he didn’t think twice about protecting me when we heard the explosion, but we only talked for a couple of minutes. He ran off with his friends to help at the gate.”
“This is crazy!” another woman said, interrupting their conversation. “They should have better safety protocols in place to prevent things like this from happening. It was a suicide bomber!”
“It’s disturbing,” Hailey agreed. “They check identification multiple times before allowing entry onto base if you’re not in a military vehicle.”
“Well how’d they get in then?”
The women all looked at one another, none of them liking the possibilities. Was it someone who’d been cleared to enter base? An Afghani who worked here? A U.S. traitor? It’s not like it would be easy to simply walk in to Bagram and blow yourself up.
“I’m supposed to be in briefings all tomorrow morning,” Kim said. “I wonder if the schedule will change after this.”
“Probably,” Hailey said with a frown. “I might need to go back in tonight. Someone else will prepare the incident report, but I’ll have to make sure it’s disseminated to the proper channels.”
“Damn. That sucks.”
“All of it sucks. And I never even got to eat dinner. I think I’ll head back to my room and see what I can scrounge up. I’m sure I’ll be called in sooner rather than later.”
Kim nodded. “I need to check in, too, and see what’s on tap for tomorrow. Let me know if you hear anything else about what happened.”
The women said their goodbyes, and Hailey took the stairs up to her room on the second floor. She was feeling more and more rattled about what happened now that she’d had time to process everything.
What if she’d been walking near the gates when the explosion had happened?
What if someone had entered base during the chaos and come near here?
None of it should have ever happened, and she was concerned about what it might mean for security. She was already nervous walking around alone sometimes given the very male-dominated environment. Usually she went most places around base with a friend just to be safe.
And how crazy was that?
Everyone here was serving their country. She was separated from the soldiers and sailors in general because she was a civilian, but she knew the female soldiers in particular were concerned about their safety being around so many men.
That was the least of her concerns though. The military men she worked with kept things professional, and working in the general’s office afforded her some protection.
She didn’t have to deal with the types of things the female servicemembers did.
Walking all the way to the end of the hall, she unlocked the flimsy lock to her room and went inside. She was fortunate to have it to herself, but again, she wasn’t an enlisted soldier. Being a civilian on base certainly had some advantages.
Sighing, she sank down onto her bed. Grayson walking her to her building should not be still sending goosebumps coursing over her skin. If he was indeed a SEAL or a Delta, like she thought, he was probably used to women crawling all over him. It’s not like something could happen here, in the middle of a warzone, but she didn’t need to be just another woman in a long string of them.
Maybe she’d see him tomorrow. Maybe not. But life would move on either way. She’d finish her month here, move clear across the country, and start her new job out in California.
If she ran into the muscular guy with hazel eyes who made her feel safe?
Well, then so be it. She was too old to believe in fairy tales though.
Chapter 3
Grayson jogged toward the front gate, muttering under his breath. What the hell had gotten into him? He’d stood there in the dark staring down at Hailey like