It was just before 0800 when the call came in. Rand had actually gotten a full night’s sleep after missing an entire night and was raring to go when his commander told him to return to base for another briefing.

He quickly dressed in his officer’s Navy Working Uniform Type III, but didn’t bother shaving. As a special operator, he was granted leeway on grooming and was short on time to make the meeting.

Thirty minutes after receiving the call, he was back in a seat that should be molded to his ass by now. This time, the video feed had Morgan, Freya, and their spouses. Only Morgan showed signs of sleepiness, but she’d given birth to her second child just a few months ago. He suspected she and Pax had barely slept at all, and it had nothing to do with the shooting on base.

Captain Huang launched right in. “Dr. Adler, we find it curious that you denied Friday Morning Valkyries has anything to do with Dr. Hanson’s trip.”

Morgan bristled, looking more alert. “And I find it curious that you would phrase that question accusingly when I spoke the truth.”

Rand smiled. Oh, to not be part of the military hierarchy and get to speak your mind.

“We’ve learned Dr. Hanson is searching for artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II.”

“So?”

“This isn’t work for FMV?”

“No. We occasionally consult with the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, and we work with the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab in Virginia, but we don’t do our own research tracking down lost art. We’re in the business of stopping artifact traffickers and shutting down supply lines. The stolen items we track were looted from the Baghdad Museum at the start of the second Iraq war, or stolen from other countries during and after the Arab Spring, not by Nazis during World War II.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “How do you know what Kira’s looking for in Malta? She didn’t share any details with us. Are you digging into the shooter’s life or Kira’s? She’s a victim here. You don’t have the right to spy on her.”

“We aren’t. We found the information about her search for stolen art in Malta on Ben Kinder’s laptop.”

Chapter Nine

“If the shooter has a connection to Kira’s contact in Malta—” Rand was on his feet as he said the words. He didn’t even remember standing; it had just happened upon hearing the words.

“Sit down, Lieutenant Commander.” Huang’s voice was firm. “We don’t know what the connection is. All we know is the shooter received copies of her credentials and inquiries on his computer. It’s possible he hacked Dr. Hanson.”

“If he wasn’t some psycho stalker, then she’s still in danger. Is there any evidence he was stalking her?” Rand asked the captain after he resumed his seat.

“All we have are the preliminary findings. Investigators have had the computer for less than sixteen hours.”

“Send me to Malta.” He tempered his tone. Not pleading. Commanding.

“NSWC cannot send an operator to Malta—” This came from Commander Gleeson, Rand’s commanding officer.

“He attacked our base. On US soil.”

“And he’s now dead. There is no rationale for military action.”

“Grant me leave, then. Sign off on a foreign trip.” Rand faced Captain Huang with this plea. As an operator with Top Secret clearance, Rand couldn’t even take a weekend jaunt to Canada without a commander signing off on foreign travel. His every move had to be authorized. Right now, it appeared Huang was a better bet than Gleeson.

The captain turned to the screen and addressed Freya and Morgan. “Do you have anyone on your payroll who could provide bodyguard services to Dr. Hanson in Malta?”

Rand stared at the camera, hoping the women would help him out here.

“One moment,” Morgan said.

They turned off their cameras and muted their microphones. Several long minutes ticked by before they returned. It was Freya who spoke. “We checked our roster, and the soonest we can get an operative in place would be five days, possibly longer. I also checked with our associates at Raptor, and they’re assisting in a conflict in Eastern Europe and have no operatives to spare.”

Rand wondered if Raptor was really doing covert work for Ukraine. Whatever they did would be sanctioned, but buried so deep, it would take NSWC days to untangle truth from lies.

Thank you, Freya.

Rand leaned forward, meeting Captain Huang’s gaze. “Last December, I accompanied Kira into an auction house acting as an art buyer. My role in the later takedown of Makram Rafiq was never revealed to protect Lieutenant Flyte and me from being identified as Navy SEALs. My cover as an art buyer is intact. I even bought art from the auction house later to ensure Gillibrand didn’t learn Dr. Hanson had been working for FMV.” That had been Freya’s idea, and Rand had been happy to do it.

“What I’m saying is, my cover is solid. Give me two weeks’ leave and approve travel to Malta, and I’ll catch a flight tonight. I’ll present myself as Kira’s client. I can be her bodyguard and, at the same time, find out if there’s a connection between Malta and the attack on Little Creek. All on my own time and dime.”

The captain studied him. “What is your relationship to Dr. Hanson?”

This had been asked and answered already, but he understood why the question would be repeated. “No relationship.”

“You aren’t sleeping with her?” He held Rand’s gaze. “The truth, Lieutenant Commander.”

“I had no communication with Dr. Hanson between her rescue in December and seeing her on base on Tuesday.”

It was the absolute truth. Thank you, Kira’s dad.

“And prior to her rescue, did you know her?”

“The first time I met her was about twelve hours before her abduction. We met in the Friday Morning Valkyries office, as Adler and Lange can confirm. They introduced us.”

Huang nodded and paused for a long moment. “We take threats to our military and bases very seriously, and our investigation into the shooter and his motives is paramount. If it wasn’t clear that the shooter had targeted Dr. Hanson specifically, we would be focusing our investigation elsewhere, but we cannot close that avenue of investigation any more than we can assume it was a one-off lone gunman. He might have been following orders from someone. That someone could be connected to Makram Rafiq. The FBI is being briefed on the situation, but they won’t pull one of their agents in the area to provide assistance to Dr. Hanson without a clear connection to Rafiq’s organization being behind the attack on the base. Even then it’s doubtful given that she’s traveling on personal business. For this reason, I will make a recommendation to Commander Gleeson and your captain to grant your request for a Maltese vacation.”

Rand slowly let out the breath he’d been holding as the captain laid out his reasoning. He glanced at his watch. It was still early, but it would take several hours to get the paperwork signed. How soon could he get a flight?

“Should your request be granted,” the captain continued, “remember you will be on vacation. Furthermore, as usual, you are not to identify yourself as a Navy SEAL. You are not traveling on orders. You will not have backup from your SEAL team or anyone in the US military. If your team is called up on an op, your leave may be revoked.”

Rand nodded and stood. “Yes, sir. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go home and pack.”

“Keep in touch and enjoy your vacation, Lieutenant Commander Fallon.”

Rand pulled out his cell phone the moment he was in the corridor. Freya answered immediately. “Has Kira’s flight landed yet?”

“No. Her initial departure was delayed. She missed her connection out of Heathrow. According to the flight tracker, she’s in the air now and won’t be landing at Malta International until nine p.m. local time—three p.m. here.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“No. She’s had her phone off since I dropped her at Dulles yesterday. I’ve been following her progress via the airline updates.”

Rand wanted to curse at that. “Is she being deliberately foolish?”

“Cut her some slack, Rand. She has had a rough night after a rough six months. This trip was supposed to be a treat to herself. She talked about it a little on the ride to the airport. She’s as secure as she can be, now that she has passed through security.”

“But she doesn’t know the gunman knew about her trip. She could be in danger again the moment she passes through security on the other side.”