Final Strike Read online

  The SEALs root could be traced back to World War II, it wasn’t until Vietnam they were named. They were the elite of the military, and any and all who joined were put on pedestals because of the grueling training. When the call went out to join, both of the lieutenants signed up.

  Although both men were in training, only one of them would be the leader. LT Norman Greese was the obvious choice, since he excelled in every situation and test they gave him. LT Skolfield was a hot head, and although he did well on the testing, when it came to situations, he acted a bit too rash for the higher ups. People were watching and they couldn’t take the chance.

  Julio had been pissed and his wife had listened patiently, knowing her husband’s time would come. He had been assigned to Norman’s team, and soon it became apparent that Julio wasn’t happy taking the second seat.

  While on a mission, he had met a group of men that he thought he could get information out of. It had gone so wrong, and in the end, it was Julio who gave the information, and he gave it freely so they wouldn’t kill him. From then on, Julio knew he had sold his soul to the devil, no matter how hard he tried to run from it.

  Eventually both men were assigned to the SEAL base, and LT Greese remained the head of the team they were assigned. The team quickly became known as the best, their missions were always clean and well planned.

  As they evolved so did the teams, and their responsibility. On the final mission LT Commander Greese and LT Skolfield went on together, something went terribly wrong. Although, LT Greese blamed Javor Dragomir for the death of his teammate, he had only been half correct. LT Skolfield was a loose end that needed tying up.

  Over the years the information Skolfield had given Javor had been useful and led to him evading capture on more than one occasion, certain investigators were getting too close. New avenues were developed and others closed, it was the way Javor had remained in power for so long, killing men when they outlived their usefulness.

  Using his wife had been a stroke of genius. Javor was pissed when Commander Greese decided that capturing Javor was a personal mission. If only the man had known what he was trying to avenge. Once again, he had been forced into hiding, and a new plan formed. The crazy thing about plans like this, they take on a life of their own when someone had tunnel vision.

  Chapter Two

  Melanie knew she loved them both, how could she not. Thane was strong and commanding, and from the first time she had seen him, she felt there was something between them. Dario was her sexy dream man; someone she would never have guessed would look twice at her, but did. Together they held her heart in their hands, and both of them knew it.

  She had seen what a menage relationship was like and had secretly craved it, since the first time she met Dallas, Noah, and Bailey. They were happy and strong, there was nothing that could come between them. Since then, she read books, and all of them were like a picture of what she wanted but could never have.

  Melanie dreamed of the day when both Thane and Dario would come to her, take her in their arms and surround her with love. She could almost feel their lips on hers as they finally admitted what they all craved, they wanted her, they wanted a life with her.

  Thane would be the head of the family and the one who took charge in the bedroom. With one look, she could feel everything he wanted to do, and she was more than willing to give it to them. Give herself to them, she wanted them to take her together, claim her as their own.

  Thane smiled down at her, and no words would need to be spoken, they would feel her love and acceptance from her touch. She reached up, wrapped her arms around Thane’s neck, and pulled him down to her. Their lips touched so softly at first that Melanie would be impatient and lean closer to make sure he got the message. He did, and so did Dario who was behind her.

  She could feel his hands moving her hair, and his lips touching her neck first and then move and explore the crevice between her shoulder and cheek, until she squirmed between them. The feel of both of their mouths would drive her crazy.

  Thane and Dario would undress her silently, touching her everywhere. She could almost feel their hands on her body. It felt good, and no matter what other people said, Melanie knew that both of these men were meant for her.

  Thane took her mouth in a commanding kiss that told her finally they were going to take her together and make her theirs. She opened her mouth and let him taste her, explore what was his. Dario would wrap his arms around her, smoothing his hand between them, and touching her like he owned her as well, and he did.

  Impatient to feel their skin against hers, Mel would tug and pull at Thane’s clothes until he got the hint. With reluctance, she let Thane go, and allowed Dario to turn her into his arms and claim her mouth. She could hear the rustle of clothing as Thane undressed, and felt her pussy weep with anticipation. She had waited for that moment.

  Dario’s lips were softer but no less demanding, he would overwhelm her with desire and explore her mouth until she was breathless and compliant to anything they wanted to do. Once again, they spun her, this time into Thane’s naked body, Mel shivered at the feel of skin against skin, it felt so amazing to not have anything separating them.

  They would move toward the large bed that held enough room for whatever they wanted to do, and when Mel was laying back against the soft pillows she could stare at her men, both naked, both hard, and both hers. Mel licked her lips and moaned when they crawled toward her, both sleek and smooth, they reminded her of lions because of their powerful builds.

  Thane would lay on his back and pull her over him, she would grin and settle her thighs on either side of his hips, loving the feeling of being between them. Thane would pull her down for a kiss to remind her that he was in charge. Their tongues would tangle and Dario would move behind her, touching her back gently, tracing a finger down her spine to the top of her ass.

  Mel shivered again in anticipation, knowing what was coming and was ready for it. The coolness of the lube Dario had already on his fingers made her jump but it soon warmed when he traced his finger around her back entrance.

  Thane reached a hand between them and slid a finger through her folds while Dario pushed gently into her. Both of them sliding a finger into separate places, making her crave to have both of their cocks replacing their fingers. She wanted it, and was ready.

  Thane continued plundering her mouth, while he slid his masterful fingers in and out of her, running them up her slit and brushing her clit, before plunging back into her sheath again. It felt amazing and wonderful, Melanie’s hips moved in time with them, fucking herself with their hands.

  She felt Dario add another finger into her backside, stretching and moving while she gasped for air. Thanes other hand took a firm hold on her breast and she pulled back so she could suck in more air. It was too much…

  Damn it, Mel looked around the room, she had been daydreaming again. They didn’t even have a fucking television to cover her heavy breathing. She was so going to hell, daydreaming about sex when she should have been focused on making sure no one snuck up on them. Dario had placed her in front of a window that looked over the parking lot while he took the back.

  They needed to know what was going on, right now, but they were dead in the water. The new computer they had was awesome if they had Wi-Fi available. They still had so many thumb drives to get through though; it would take weeks if not months to get them done the way they were working. Dario’s mother had her hand in a lot of suspect activity.

  Major Dario Moghodan, retired NATO solider, stood at the window and turned to look at her when she made a noise of disgust. He sighed and said, “It has been twenty-four hours. Let’s text them again.”

  Melanie looked up and nodded. “Where are we going to meet this time? You know we are running out of places to go. Diego and his henchmen seem to know where we are going before we get there.”

  “Not this time,” Dario said grimly. “This time, we go now. Send the text,” he said.

  Melanie nodded and pu
lled the burner phone they had purchased last night after the clusterfuck at the previous hotel. How they had found them neither of them knew but they did, and Dario handled it.

  When this whole thing started less than a year ago, Melanie never thought she would be on the run with Dario. He was the son of a damn diplomat, and she had taken the job only to find out more information about what happened to her cousin, Sam.

  After her cousin was killed, Melanie had wanted the truth, and information seemed to be classified, but she had gotten a hold of a report that showed Dario had been on the team for the extraction. He had been on the team of NATO soldiers who went in and extricated Team TEN when they were struck down by a suicide bomber. She had wanted some questions answered, and instead found herself in the middle of a fucking mess. Melanie Shook was a wanted woman with a huge target on her back just because she wanted the truth about her cousin.

  Then she found out Diego, Dario’s half-brother had been the one to order the assault. But the whole thing went back to Amani Faisal; she had her hand in everything that had gone on. Nothing made sense yet though, they needed time to figure it out.

  Everything Dario had stood for would be called into question as soon as people found out his mother and brother were corrupt. Of course, they weren’t sure how far the corruption went, but they were both involved, which would taint Dario’s reputation. Not that they cared, that much was evident when Dario heard his mother talk about his brother killing him, like she was talking about taking out the trash.

  Everything had come crashing down on the guy, and Melanie had been there to help to pick up the pieces. Together they worked to right a wrong perpetrated by Dario’s family. They had some evidence but there was more in the files they stole. It was a matter of finding them. So far, they had been running for their lives and had not had a chance to look at the keychain full of drives they found.

  Sam wants ice cream for a snack. Going to the beach, she texted and waited.

  It was an intricate game of words. Thane would know where to meet her; it was the one place her cousin had gone when he was homesick. The good thing was it was on Coronado Beach, which had a restricted section where the SEAL training was. There was a beach tower where several guards stood post. Civilians were not allowed to pass. On the other side was a public beach where hotels and apartments lined the beach. Sam always loved that stretch of beach between the public and private. There was a small ice cream stand hidden between two buildings. Three steps from the guard tower, they would at least be safe.

  Get one with twist for me, Thane replied.

  Melanie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “We are good to go,” Melanie said and Dario turned around, walked over to her, and took her in his arms. She felt safe there, and although she had feelings for Thane, she had them for Dario as well. It was confusing, for so long she had waited for Thane to notice her, then to feel something for Dario when all she could think of was seeing Thane again. Melanie was fucked up and she knew it.

  “I promise this is almost over. I just need to speak to Thane and the Commander, explain what I know and then finish this. But once we are safe, you will be hidden,” Dario said. “I can’t worry about you and take care of my brother.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Melanie argued. And she could, Sam had made sure of that. She knew what she was getting into when she started this; it was bound to be dangerous. The people who killed half of Team TEN were dangerous, but so was she. Dario had no clue of her abilities yet.

  Dario pulled back and looked down at her. She knew he wanted her, he had said as much several times. But she had resisted, not feeling like the time was right to start something she wasn’t sure she could finish. What if she had been wrong and Dario was involved? Of course it was something she didn’t want to think, but his mother was a psychopath, who played her part well for years. She could only hope Dario was not playing her right now.

  “I don’t want you to have to,” Dario said and slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. She felt the tingle, the attraction between them. It was something that she was going to have to figure out later, for now, she allowed herself to just feel.

  His kiss was soft and sweet but when she opened her lips, Dario took advantage and devoured her. It was as if the passion they had both been feeling opened a floodgate that had held their attraction in. Melanie wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as they kissed. She knew it would be like this, she had felt the sparks when they brushed against each other.

  When Dario pulled back and looked down at her, she saw the desire in his eyes. “Oh, baby, my timing sucks,” he muttered against her lips and kissed her gently before completely pulling back. “But if you give me a rain check, I promise it will be worth it.”

  Mel nodded slowly, licked her lips, and then grinned when she heard Dario groan at the movement. They gathered their things quickly and Dario put a hand on her back as they left the small rundown room they had stayed in last night. Hopefully, by the end of the day, they would be somewhere they could actually sleep.

  Thane turned and looked at his men. And they were his men. Alex, Mason, Jessie, Drake, Gage, they were his brothers. Everything they had worked for since the bombing was at stake here, if they didn’t finish this now, they would always be looking over their shoulder and wondering who was going to come after them next in the name of revenge.

  When this whole thing started, none of them thought something from their past could rise up and take on such a life of its own. They were right back where they had started, but in order to have the new life they all wanted, it was imperative they finished this—for their friends and their families.

  He saw Sam who was leaning against the back wall, and the others appeared as well. It was his turn to face his mistake. Each one had already done what he had dreaded doing since Alex first uttered the words that he could see Wolfman. Thane had not wanted to believe it, but as time went on, and Sam had not appeared, he knew he would be last. The letter Sam gave him that fated day was burning a hole in his pocket. It had been there, waiting for Melanie. Thane just had not had the guts to give it to her.

  When he thought he could just give it to her and skip the whole seeing dead people thing, the fates had shown him it was not in the cards. Mel had disappeared and he had been unable to trace her. Now, finding out this whole time she had been working for the people who were trying to kill them, it all fit together.

  Sam nodded to him and stepped forward. “Hey, boss.” Sam smiled and looked around the room. “You ready?”

  Thane bent his head to his chest and then took a deep breath before looking up. Everyone in the room was looking at him, he knew he had to say something now. They would all know that he could see Sam. The day he dreaded was there.

  “No, they can’t see me yet.” Sam laughed. “I figure we need a few to talk. Just think and I will hear you.”

  Thane nodded slightly and said aloud. “Take ten, and we will make a plan.”

  All of the men agreed. They were reloading their weapons and ammo anyway. Thane walked over and picked up his things and thought, ‘What do we need to talk about?’

  “LC, you know, you are good at avoiding shit, always have been. I need you to let the fucking guilt trip go, man. It is driving all of us nuts.” Sam laughed.

  Thane turned and looked at all the men they lost. All of them were there, including sweet Marie, the innocent who had gotten caught in the crossfire. It was so unfair the way things happened, and it was all his fault. He was their leader, he was supposed to protect them, he was supposed to know when things got fucked up, and he had failed. It had fallen on his shoulders when the incident review board had looked at the mission where his team had died. He gave the final call, he missed the bomber, no one else is to blame.

  “Dude, enough with the whole blame game needs to be over, we have more important things to worry about. Like Mel, she needs you, man, and you have to bring her in,” Sam said.
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  “LC,” Mark said and stepped forward. “All of us knew when we joined the SEALs what could happen. It was our choice to make, one we made with pride and honor. One man does not shoulder the blame for our deaths. Hell, blame fucking society for the need for SEALs in the first place, not yourself. We know, I know, you would never have knowingly sent us into a situation where we were going to die. But, man, that is what we did every day; we went into situations with the knowledge that it could be our last. That was our decision to make, one we all made, not you. Let it go.”

  The others nodded, John, Frank, Ted, Sam, and Mark. All of them were his brothers too. Thane couldn’t let that go yet, not until this was done, and he said that to them in his mind and pleaded with the look in his eyes for them to understand. He could not just let their deaths go yet.

  Marie, Ted’s wife, smiled and walked to him. “I get it, but my death is not your fault. It was no one’s. I have had time to think here. It was just my time, and even though it was unfair and it sucked, it is okay.” Thane closed his eyes and felt the faint brush of a kiss on his cheek and wanted to cry. Why were they doing this now?

  Sam stepped forward again. “We have to. Listen there are things that you know and things that don’t make sense yet. Mel has been doing her own thing for a while now. She has the information you need. Just get her to safety, they are looking for her and Dario and they are close. You have to be ready.”

  “Ready for what?” Thane said out loud with a clipped tone. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

  “What is coming?” Sam said and stepped back. The others sucked in their breaths. They all could see their fallen comrades now.

  “What is up, LC?” Gage said as Thane turned.

  “It is almost over,” Frank said softly. “We can’t help you anymore. Once you find Mel and get her to safety, we can only wait and see.”