Hot SEALs: Reclaiming the SEAL (Kindle Worlds) (Lost and Found Series Book 11) by J.M. Madden Page B
Authors: J.M. Madden
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steadily enough that you needed an umbrella, which he didn’t have. He was in his service dress uniform and now it was beyond sodden.
Julie shifted her umbrella, debating whether or not to go over to him. But it was not a true debate; she knew she would. She just had to prepare herself.
Lacey reached out and squeezed her on the arm. “Gabe will be fine. You know he will. He’s too strong not to survive this.”
Her eyes filled with tears because she knew he was strong, stronger than any other man she knew, in body and mind. And in heart. “I know, but I worry. He’s had other traumas and he gets more reclusive every time.”
His dad had died a few years ago from a heart attack, then a cousin in a car crash. His mother was alive but they weren’t close. Gabe’s family, which he had considered Butter to be, was dwindling.
Her friend of many years smiled at her, so sadly. “They do that. You just have to be there when they try to come back.”
Julie sighed. Yes, she could see that. Even after being apart for so long Lacey was dropping her pearls of wisdom.
Jon Rudnick from DEVGRU, the Naval Special Warfare Developmental Group, otherwise known as SEAL Team 6, stepped up to Max and shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you in person. Just sorry we had to do it this way. This is Ali, my girlfriend.”
The curvy brunette stood beside him, her hazel eyes warm with understanding as she shook his hand as well.
Max nodded. “Pleasure to meet you, Ali. This is my fiancée Lacey. And this is Julie Ritter. She’s the one that narrowed down that it was Butter’s number.”
Julie shook Jon’s hand, then Ali’s. Julie had seen his face before but never been introduced. “Pleasure to meet you both.”
Ali seemed to sense that Julie needed it and reached out to give her a hug. Julie was a little surprised, but appreciative. She didn’t know if she wanted to be known as the one that had figured out where the missing SEAL was. And technically, Gabe had actually been the one to do that.
“There have been too many of these happening,” Max murmured.
It was an incontrovertible fact. More active duty servicemen were dying every year from suicide than attacks overseas.
The dark haired man nodded. “I know. Too many deployments and not enough downtime is really hurting us all.”
His arm curled tighter around Ali and she looked up at him compassionately as she leaned closer to him in support.
“There were a lot of guys here I didn’t know,” Jon told him, trying to change the subject.
Max nodded again. “Yeah. I recognized Cramden and Potts from Coronado, but didn’t know any of the others. Bunch of young bloods.”
Jon smiled with him in agreement.
There were two men standing at the back of the crowd, both in uniform, although one held the leash of a service dog. They seemed to be waiting for Max and Lacey. Max followed the direction of their gazes. “Those are two of my buddies that I work with now at Lost and Found in Denver. The big guy is Harper Preston and the leaner guy is Joe Flynn, both former SEALs.”
“Did they know Butter, too?”
Max shook his head. “Nah. They’re just here for support.”
Julie was always amazed at the solidarity and support in the teams. Butter probably didn’t know any more than a hundred other SEALs, but men had come from all over the country to pay their respects. There were only about twenty-four hundred active duty SEALs so she was impressed with the turnout.
Butter would have been amazed at all of the heavy hitters that had shown up. He’d have wanted to throw together a party.
Julie wanted to walk over and check on Gabe. Lacey caught her looking and gave her an understanding nudge. “Go talk to him. We need to go anyway. Our flight back to Colorado leaves at seven in the morning. By the time we say goodbye to a few more people it’ll be time for us to go back to the hotel for the night.”
“We need to go as well,” Jon told them. “I’m sorry we had to
Julie shifted her umbrella, debating whether or not to go over to him. But it was not a true debate; she knew she would. She just had to prepare herself.
Lacey reached out and squeezed her on the arm. “Gabe will be fine. You know he will. He’s too strong not to survive this.”
Her eyes filled with tears because she knew he was strong, stronger than any other man she knew, in body and mind. And in heart. “I know, but I worry. He’s had other traumas and he gets more reclusive every time.”
His dad had died a few years ago from a heart attack, then a cousin in a car crash. His mother was alive but they weren’t close. Gabe’s family, which he had considered Butter to be, was dwindling.
Her friend of many years smiled at her, so sadly. “They do that. You just have to be there when they try to come back.”
Julie sighed. Yes, she could see that. Even after being apart for so long Lacey was dropping her pearls of wisdom.
Jon Rudnick from DEVGRU, the Naval Special Warfare Developmental Group, otherwise known as SEAL Team 6, stepped up to Max and shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you in person. Just sorry we had to do it this way. This is Ali, my girlfriend.”
The curvy brunette stood beside him, her hazel eyes warm with understanding as she shook his hand as well.
Max nodded. “Pleasure to meet you, Ali. This is my fiancée Lacey. And this is Julie Ritter. She’s the one that narrowed down that it was Butter’s number.”
Julie shook Jon’s hand, then Ali’s. Julie had seen his face before but never been introduced. “Pleasure to meet you both.”
Ali seemed to sense that Julie needed it and reached out to give her a hug. Julie was a little surprised, but appreciative. She didn’t know if she wanted to be known as the one that had figured out where the missing SEAL was. And technically, Gabe had actually been the one to do that.
“There have been too many of these happening,” Max murmured.
It was an incontrovertible fact. More active duty servicemen were dying every year from suicide than attacks overseas.
The dark haired man nodded. “I know. Too many deployments and not enough downtime is really hurting us all.”
His arm curled tighter around Ali and she looked up at him compassionately as she leaned closer to him in support.
“There were a lot of guys here I didn’t know,” Jon told him, trying to change the subject.
Max nodded again. “Yeah. I recognized Cramden and Potts from Coronado, but didn’t know any of the others. Bunch of young bloods.”
Jon smiled with him in agreement.
There were two men standing at the back of the crowd, both in uniform, although one held the leash of a service dog. They seemed to be waiting for Max and Lacey. Max followed the direction of their gazes. “Those are two of my buddies that I work with now at Lost and Found in Denver. The big guy is Harper Preston and the leaner guy is Joe Flynn, both former SEALs.”
“Did they know Butter, too?”
Max shook his head. “Nah. They’re just here for support.”
Julie was always amazed at the solidarity and support in the teams. Butter probably didn’t know any more than a hundred other SEALs, but men had come from all over the country to pay their respects. There were only about twenty-four hundred active duty SEALs so she was impressed with the turnout.
Butter would have been amazed at all of the heavy hitters that had shown up. He’d have wanted to throw together a party.
Julie wanted to walk over and check on Gabe. Lacey caught her looking and gave her an understanding nudge. “Go talk to him. We need to go anyway. Our flight back to Colorado leaves at seven in the morning. By the time we say goodbye to a few more people it’ll be time for us to go back to the hotel for the night.”
“We need to go as well,” Jon told them. “I’m sorry we had to
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