Tempting Target: Heart of a SEAL Read online

  Emmy could only look in the direction where she’d last seen Matt walk off and answer in the most honest way she knew how. “I wish.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Matt knew that he didn’t have much time. They’d told the civilians that there was a possibility that they may be hit by the storm, but like usual with the government and its people, they tell them only the need-to-know information. Did they need to know that the storm was practically a guarantee and the magnitude may just wipe away the whole island? No. What would that do besides cause chaos? Nothing.

  It was important for him to find medication for Emmy because the chance of her meeting her luggage within a week, if the storm did what they thought it would, was slim—and closer to none.

  The medical personnel was out, as was his commanding officer. What was done in situations like this? Probably nothing, as it was a task that they wouldn’t usually do, but this was something unusual. Calling the lead in charge seemed to be the only thing that he could do at this time.

  “Hello?” The captain seemed quite put out at the call, and he knew what the man was dealing with, trying to get all the people on the island to safety.

  “Hello, Captain. This is Lieutenant Commander Matt Perrier.”

  “Lieutenant, as you know this is a serious time crunch situation we are in and I don’t have a lot of time. Please be brief.”

  “We have a civilian whose luggage is in route to her next destination, and I’ve become aware that she doesn’t have a medication that could possibly be detrimental to her health. Even as far as life or death, sir.” Matt tried to put it in a way that the man would know that this is something serious and not to be played with.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. The medical unit has been closed down, and there is a possibility that we can get the medication this person needs after the storm.”

  “That’s the best we can do, sir?” Matt knew he was pushing the envelope at this stage of the game, but this was Emmy they were talking about.

  “Is this person meaningful to you, Lieutenant? Because that’s the only reason I can think of that you’d be trying this hard for one person when we have over a thousand people in that one facility.” The man sounded like he was getting ticked off, and in the scheme of things, he could see how this would seem very trivial.

  “Yes, sir, this person is meaningful to me.” It was the truth, and he knew that he’d rather get his ass handed to him on a platter than to not have a medication that could cause some complication for Emmy.

  The older man grunted into the phone, but there were no more words.

  “Thank you, sir, for your time. I’ll figure something out.” Matt didn’t want to take up any more of this man’s time, as he could make his life more of a living hell than it already was.

  “You work on it from your side, and I’ll see what I can do from here. What is the medication called?”

  Matt was grateful that the powerful man was going to at least try to find out what was going on with the medication, but if he was going to work on his side, he’d better get started. After letting his boss know about the name and milligram dosage of the medication, he got off the phone and hoped that he didn’t mess the gentleman up too much with his plans for the safety of the other civilians on the island.

  “Perrier?” His superior called out to him before ending the call.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Do your best by this woman. If she’s making you feel like turning over stones and upsetting apple carts in her honor, think about what she means to you. I’ve got to go. Be safe, son,” the man said before he disconnected the call.

  Matt made his way back to the place where Emmy was and started asking each passenger and person in the facility if they used the type of medication Emmy was on. He was halfway through the place when the person he was asking the questions for showed up.

  “What are you doing?” She came up on his left side when he was talking to someone on his right. He finished up what he was saying to the man who had a medication that was close—but with no medical personnel available, he couldn’t chance it.

  He turned to her and checked her over to see if she looked like she was any worse for the wear.

  “Can I talk to you privately for a minute?” She looked like she was pissed off and ready to give him a piece of her mind.

  “Is there any reason that you can’t say what you want to say to me in front of all these people?” He threw her words back at her just because he could, but he knew that they were in a race against the clock, and he wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t survive the typhoon only to be killed because she didn’t have the correct medication in her system. “I’m sorry. Now is not the time for pettiness. Let’s find a place where you can tell me what’s on your mind.”

  There were a few rooms where they could have gone, but this one was the one he was given to hunker down when the storm hit. He welcomed her in and watched her sit down on a simple chair in the middle of the floor.

  “I have heard that you’re asking everyone if they are on Coumadin, and if they can let me have a few tablets.” She waited like she wanted to hear the words coming out of his mouth. He wasn’t ashamed about what he was doing. As a matter of fact, when they were done with this conversation, he was going right back out there to find out who had the medication she needed.

  “Yes. What about it?” He answered her in a tone that brooked no arguments about this. If she didn’t want him to do it, he would accept that, but it wouldn’t stop him from finding the mediation she needed. Her health was too great of an issue for her to find some imaginary insult in that.

  “I don’t want you to have to do that. It really won’t be all that long of a period that I’ve gone without.” Her eyes beseeched him like he should understand what she was talking about.

  “I’m not really interested in your medical nonchalance, Emmy. I know you’ve not had that medication for at least two days. That medication isn’t one that you can just start and stop. It’s bad enough that we don’t have the systems up to test your blood to see if you’re at therapeutic levels, but just knowing that you have the amount of medication daily that your doctor wanted you to have would be encouraging, and I am going to find someone with it so you can have it in your system.”

  “You are acting worse than my family.” She sounded sad, but he couldn’t care about that.

  “I’m sorry that you feel that way, but I want you to make it home in one piece. Your family cares about you. That’s why they act the way they do…not out of some misguided thoughts you have in your head.”

  She looked like he’d betrayed her, and if this was what her family had to deal with, he could see their frustration.

  “You’re doing all this for some woman for whom you couldn’t even bother getting her phone number? It makes no sense how involved you are with this. Getting all the people here involved in your quest and moving mountains trying to get medical facilities opened,” Emmy said, like she knew that as a fact.

  “How did you know that?” he asked, as he moved closer to where she sat. If the civilians could get that kind of information that quickly, it made him wonder if there was a breach in security.

  She looked at him quizzically and had just a bit of a smile on her face. “I know you, Matt Perrier. That was probably one of the first things you did. You are nothing if you’re not resourceful, and you wouldn’t have wanted to waste time. You probably went to the top of the food chain here. Surprising him with the request for one person when they are dealing with the problems of many.”

  He shouldn’t have been surprised by how well she knew him. Between sex and talking, the percentage of each that had been done was a tie. Matt felt like he knew her, too, and he liked what he knew. Too much. Apparently, it was clear to everyone how he’d felt about her, if he took into consideration the sappy look on people’s faces when they found out what he was talking to everyone about.

  Emmy looked tired, and he didn’t know if that was because of
the missing medication, or if she was just tired of his shit. He’d put her through a lot, but it was for her own good.

  That answer, even in his own mind, stopped him in his tracks. I really am thinking for her. How would I feel if someone did that for me? I would not be happy. That is a fact.

  He walked over to Emmy and pulled her up from the chair and into a hug. It wasn’t supposed to be sexual, just a hug because he didn’t know how he’d feel if something happened to her on his watch.

  “I can’t do this with you, Matt.” She pulled out of his arms and walked near the door. It was almost like she was afraid of him.

  “I know that you haven’t liked my treatment of you since we left Hawaii, but I hope you’re not afraid of me.”

  She didn’t give him much encouragement when she hugged herself and looked so lost he wanted to kick his own ass for bringing this kind of pain to her door.

  “It’s not that I’m afraid of you, Matt, because I think you’ll physically hurt me or force me to do something I don’t want to do. It’s that being around you makes me happy, and I want to do all kinds of dirty, naughty things with you, but at the end of that, I’ll be ready to see what else we can make with such a great connection, and you’ll be riding off with another woman.”

  Matt couldn’t believe what she was saying…well, some of it was true, but there were other parts that needed some clarification. “I literally drove off with Carolyn yesterday, but she said she needed a ride to the base and I gave her one. She was supposed to call the person she was there to see at the front gate. When you say ‘ride off’—it makes me think you had some idea that I rode off with her to fill in for you.”

  “Whether it was her or someone else, I didn’t get the opportunity to say what I wanted in this whole thing. I think that is some of my frustration. I came on this trip to find myself, and the first thing that needs to change is me being a doormat. Everyone just walks over me, telling me what I need to do and what I should do…what’s good for me and what isn’t. I’m sick of it.”

  He walked over to the door just so he could be near her. “You are absolutely right about everyone doing what they think is best for you, but it’s not because people don’t care or think you’re a doormat. It’s because we care about you, and we don’t understand why you don’t care more. I agree that you shouldn’t have to worry about everyone telling you what you should do, but if it’s about your health, then you should understand that people want you around more than you want to be around.”

  She didn’t look like she wanted a hug, so he just stood there for a few minutes.

  “I’d like to ask your permission to find the medication for you. The truth is the storm is coming and I don’t know how much damage there is going to be, or how long you’ll be stuck here. It is not my wish to force you into anything. You are an adult, and if you want to stop me from working on your behalf to find something I think you need, let me know. I’ll accommodate your wishes.” That was all he could give her, and as much as it hurt him to do it, he would. The inner turmoil was strong, as she thought everyone was treating her without really talking to her. He’d done the same thing although he didn’t think it was like that as he did it.

  She looked up at him, and it seemed like it was the first time she’d done it with clear eyes in a while. Her eyes weren’t clouded with lust, confusion, or anger. All he saw was understanding. When she lifted her arms to pull him in for a hug, he almost lifted her off the floor. It had been a long night without her. It was like she’d been embedded into him, and knowing he wasn’t going to see her again was like a physical pain. This morning when he was supposed to get his marching orders, he’d found out that the island was about to be hit by a natural disaster. He was ordered to stay there to see what would be needed, since he was already there. There was a list of people who were still on the island and were being moved. His heart lifted and dropped when he’d seen that Emmy was still here. Was it a sign? He wasn’t sure, but that was what he was going to take it for.

  “You have my permission to find medication for me. Thank you for asking.” She gave him a quick peck on the mouth but then moved away from him. He understood. He’d been worse than a bipolar roller coaster, giving with one hand and taking with the other.

  His phone rang so he stepped up to answer it. The private phone was a secured line and only rang with official military business.

  “Lieutenant Commander Perrier,” Matt answered in a voice so sharp it would be able to cut something.

  “At ease, Perrier. Come to the mess hall by the north tower; I need to talk to you. I’ll be waiting so don’t dawdle.” The captain didn’t mince words, so he must have a mission or task he wanted him to complete.

  “Yes, sir.” Matt hung up the phone and tried not to be discouraged about having to stop looking for medications for Emmy, especially since he’d just gotten her permission, but the military called and he was there to answer.

  “I’ve got to go, but I’ll continue my search when I get back.” He moved toward the door and watched her wrap her arms around herself. She was really something special. Leaning down slowly, he went in for a kiss, but he wanted to make sure she was on board. They’d already had the talk about people just taking from her. When she raised her head, he went in without concern, but he knew the soft peck they were giving each other could get out of hand like a California brush fire. “Stay safe.”

  “You too.” She was looking like a lost puppy, and with the way things were going, he didn’t want that to be the last thing she thought or said to him.

  “I’ll be back,” he promised, hoping that it was true.

  “You’d better be,” she answered back.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Emmy didn’t know what to think about the sudden events of her life. The crew that was keeping them informed was telling them one thing, that everything was going to be fine and they’d be out of there soon, but Matt had eluded more than once that this storm was more serious than they were all being told. It made sense. If all these people thought there was a problem and their lives were in danger, there would be chaos and terror—two things that didn’t work well together if they were going to do things in a calm and orderly fashion.

  She made her way back to her cot and was not surprised that everyone was staring at her. There wasn’t much news going in or out of this area and people were relatively bored. Her story was the most interesting thing going.

  “So?” Carolyn was the only one to actually put voice to the questions, but that was probably because the woman thought they had some kind of bond between them.

  “Matt has been trying to find some medication for me since I have a heart condition that requires that I take an anticoagulant. Before you ask, it’s a medication that keeps my blood flowing through my veins. Without it, I may develop some clots that could ruin my life. Seriously and permanently.” Emmy wanted to let the people know what was going on because after talking to Matt she could kind of understand her family a bit more than she normally did. She’d always get defensive when someone wanted to do something for her—not taking it as what it was…a sign that the person loved her and wanted to help her do what was right…whether she wanted the same thing or not.

  “Where is he?” the woman on the cot behind her called out.

  “He got an urgent call and had to go somewhere on the base.”

  “They said the storm is coming up quickly, and they are going to batten down whatever hatches they have. I hope your man friend doesn’t get caught out there and whipped around in the storm.”

  Although she was sure that last comment was said in good spirits and with the best of intentions, the thought that Matt could get hurt in the storm twisted something in her gut. The rains that pelted the building were fierce, and Emmy sat by the door, hoping that the person she was looking for would come through it at any time, but it didn’t happen. The storm blew harder and harder on the cinder block building, but it didn’t seem like anyone was worried about Matt.<
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  The blonde, that seemed to be the spokesperson for the airline and this disaster, stood by the door as well.

  “There isn’t any way to check on someone who’s out in this storm, is there?” Emmy tried to get information from the frazzled-looking woman using her sweetest voice. It sometimes opened up doors that her more confident demeanor couldn’t.

  The woman ran around to her group of papers that had everyone’s name on them. “Who was it? I thought we had everyone accounted for.”

  “Oh no… I’m sorry. I was talking about the man who was helping me find medication. He’s a Navy SEAL named Matt Perrier.”

  The woman stopped shuffling through her papers and looked at her. “We don’t have any control or authority over any of the military personnel. If he was helping you, he is probably still around.”

  “He got a call and had to go outside to meet someone.” Emmy was thankful that the woman was trying to be helpful, but she could tell that the lady didn’t think she’d be able to help her.