The SEAL's Surprise Son (The Admiral's Seals, #1) - Leslie North Page 0,21

is Carolyn holding up after the robbery? Is her store open again?”

“Soon, but there’s a problem I might need your help to deal with.” He explained Carolyn’s suspicions to his brothers. Different perspectives might give him some guidance, since he wasn’t sure what lead to follow next after the dead end at the rival jeweler’s.

“Could be nothing,” Alex said when Zach had rundown the incidents.

“Is that what you’d say if it was your girlfriend at risk?” Zach countered. It felt off to him, and he’d learned to trust his gut.

“What’s the IT company say?” Colin prompted.

“Still waiting to hear back on that one.” Information from the tech people might give them a direction.

“Guess you’re stuck waiting then,” Alex concluded.

“Not happy about that, since it puts me in the position of being reactive and not proactive.” Sometimes their missions in special forces were cleanups from someone else’s mess. Those were the nasty ones. Anticipating a problem and eliminating it in advance was much more effective. “I want to keep Carolyn and Austin safe.”

“Still spending your nights over there?” Colin asked.

“Outside in my car,” he confirmed.

“Can’t get an invite in?” Alex goaded him again. His younger brother could be a smart-ass, but there was no one he trusted more than these two guys.

“Haven’t tried.” After tonight’s kiss, he didn’t think it would be long before she let him back into her house as more than a presence in Austin’s life.

“You want one of us to take a night?” Colin offered. “You could do with some real sleep.”

“No, they’re mine to keep safe.”

Identical stubborn looks appeared on his brothers’ faces. None of them had to say it. They’d survived their childhood because of the tight bond between them. Zach and Colin had protected Alex at first. By the time Alex was eight, he was as tough as his brothers and never let them forget it. They’d needed each other to survive their dad’s abuse. Even after the Admiral took them in and life was so much better, they continued to stick together.

“Not how it works,” Colin said.

“I’m okay for now.” And Zach was. He could operate on very little sleep, and his day job wasn’t nearly as demanding as being a SEAL had been.

“The Admiral would have been one hell of a grandpa,” Alex commented suddenly, showing a streak of sentimentality.

“He was a hell of a father,” Colin agreed.

When Admiral Peter Anderson took them in, he had no experience as a father. What he had was years of Navy life. He instilled discipline in the brothers, brought order to their chaotic existence, and taught them that they were worth something. It hadn’t been easy. By the time they were placed with him through a program for at-risk teens, they’d committed misdemeanors, skipped school, and honed their skills at writing off anyone who told them what to do. Through a combination of tough love and a rigid schedule, the Admiral had gotten them back on track. They owed him their lives, and they all knew it.

“Still miss the old cuss,” Alex admitted.

The Admiral had passed away four years earlier.

“We all do,” Colin declared, “but he’d be proud of us.”

“I stopped down at the center,” Zach said, not having to clarify what he meant. The organization that had saved them still existed. They all donated money to it in the hopes that other kids would find someone like the Admiral.

“Yeah?” Alex asked.

“I plan to volunteer my time if I can, maybe mentor some kids. You guys want to join me?”

He got nods from each as headlights cut across them. More of their buddies had arrived for the game, and they went inside Nick’s house. His wife greeted them and pointed toward the basement stairs.

“Good to see you.” Nick came up to them and shook hands. “Food over there. Drinks in the cooler. Let’s play.”

A couple hours later, Zach was the first to toss his cards down. He’d broken even on the night, and that was always a good time to quit. Besides, he needed to get back to Carolyn’s. He’d had one beer early in the night before switching to soda, so he’d be alert enough to keep his watch.

“It’s early,” Nick complained. “Not even midnight.”

“He’s got places to be,” Alex said.

“Something to do with your son?” Nick eyed him.

“In a way,” Zach answered. “I’ll see you guys next week.”

Zach returned to Carolyn’s street, taking up his usual position. He’d only been there a few minutes when her front porch light flicked on and the