Elle James - Navy Seal Survival

And that was it. Natalia walked away, leaving Duff standing in the middle of the dance floor.

She returned to the group of young women and took up a position on the periphery, her gaze scanning the room again and again.

Duff frowned. What was she looking for?

A hand containing a chilled bottle touched his arm. “You look like you could use this.”

Sawyer handed him the cold beer and took a drink of his. “So, what’s the story?”

“What story?” Duff tipped his bottle and drank a long swig of the cool liquid.

“You came, you danced and she walked away. Now she’s dancing with another guy.” Sawyer jerked his head toward Natalia, who was walking toward the dance floor with a different man.

Duff’s jaw tightened. So it wasn’t her new friends she wanted to hang out with. Natalia wanted to dance with another man.

“Did you say something to make her mad?” Sawyer persisted.

“I don’t think so.”

His friend shook his head. “This is a first. I haven’t known a single female to turn down the Duff’s incredible charm.”

“Shut up, Sawyer.”

Sawyer gave him an innocent grin. “Just saying.”

So, Natalia wasn’t interested. He should move on and find another willing female to spend time with. Unfortunately none of them appealed to him like Natalia.

She danced with a couple of different guys before Duff had had enough. He pushed away from the bar and announced to his friends, “I’m hitting the rack.”

“Me, too.” Montana stood, stretched and draped an arm over Duff’s shoulders. “We’re on for scuba at zero-eight-hundred.”

“Should be fun,” Quentin added.

“What’s fun about scuba without blowing something up?” Sawyer asked.

Duff shook his head. “See you guys in the morning.”

Sawyer leaned toward Quentin and Montana and said loud enough for Duff to hear, “He’s just sore about being shot down by the pretty blonde.”

Montana laughed. “Is that it? Duff’s giving up?”

Quentin shook his head. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Duff left the cabana without waiting for his friends. As he entered the hotel, he glanced back at Natalia, dancing with yet another man.

He shrugged and turned away.

Who needed a female complication, anyway?

* * *

FOCUS ON MELODY.

Natalie smiled and laughed at each of her dance partners’ jokes and acted as if she cared. If someone was after young blonde women, she needed to be seen and considered. Dancing with several men put her out in the middle of view as a single white female. She had to take advantage of it, even though she’d rather be dancing with Duff. For some reason the tough-looking man with a smattering of tattoos across his shoulders and back made her feel more feminine than any other man she’d ever been around.

When she’d been with the SOS, she’d felt as if she’d had to prove herself equal if not better than her male counterparts. Most of the men and the women who worked for Royce Fontaine were prior military, secret service or FBI. Natalie had been working as a boring desk jockey with a natural ability to shoot straight and true every time.

Her love of shooting had come about when she’d moved to Washington, DC, and realized just how dangerous the city could be for a single woman.

She’d gone to the range to learn how to fire the .40-caliber pistol she’d purchased to protect herself. After firing a few times she discovered she was good and had tried other weapons the range had in stock. Soon she was an expert shot with every weapon the range had to offer, and salesmen were asking her to test and demonstrate their new releases. When she wasn’t working, she was at the range.

Natalie had landed the SOS job when she’d run into Fontaine at the range. He’d been there at the request of the salesman. Royce had watched her fire several of the new weapons the salesman had brought along that day. When she’d finished firing, she’d given her feedback and turned to find the SOS boss staring at her with a smile.

That had been the beginning of the job she’d grown to love, utilizing her skill with guns and her love of adventure. She’d become a Stealth Operations Specialist, one of the only agents who’d never served in combat or law enforcement.

Royce had set her up to go through a special three-month training program similar to infantry basic training only with mercenary soldiers. They’d cut her no slack and expected her to play rough, despite being a female. She’d come through, scoring the highest on weapons qualification, even on the live-fire courses and urban terrain exercises. She had a sixth sense for when to shoot and when not to shoot.

She’d been an operative for two full years before her parents were killed in an automobile crash, right before her younger sister’s high school graduation.

Natalie’d had no other choice. Family came first, and you didn’t give up on them.

As she danced she watched the bar. Several men stood out to her. Of course Duff and his friends, who’d arrived the same day as she, because of their obvious physical fitness and laid-back charm. Natalie sensed no threat from them. The bartender was a compact man with dark hair and darker eyes. He served drinks quickly, without talking, and the wait staff seemed a little intimidated by him.

Then there were the two Hispanic men who’d sat at a table in the corner, drinking Coronas and watching Melody’s friends and her as she danced with a sandy-blond-haired playboy from New Jersey.

To Natalie every man in the place was under suspicion until she proved his innocence. And all bore watching.

When Duff and his friends left, Natalie felt her energy leave with them. Melody’s friends didn’t have the heart to stay and party when two of them would leave the next day and Melody remained missing.

“We’re calling it a night,” Lisa said. “I hope you have a better vacation here than we did.” She hugged Natalie. “Please be careful.”

“Thank you.” Natalie hugged the other woman, as if by so doing, she was a little closer to her sister.

They rode up the elevator together and parted ways in the hallway of their floor.

A soon as Natalie entered her room, she tapped her earbud. “Anything?” she asked Lance.

“Got into the security videos. I’ve spent the past three hours going through all the footage.”

“And?”

“I ruled out the hallway. The lobby had several characters I found lurking in the outdoor cabana. Could you slip away for a few minutes to check out the faces, or do you want me to try to send snapshots to your cell phone?”

“I don’t want any hackers to intercept the messages. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Wear the earbud in case you run into any trouble on the grounds.”

“Will do.” She slipped out of the blue dress and stilettoes and into a long casual dress and flat sandals. If someone asked her where she was going, her answer would be for a walk on the beach. She took the stairs down to ground level and walked out the back door of the hotel. The pool was lit and glowed a soft ocean-blue, the water rippled by the salty breeze.

Natalie schooled her pace to take it slow, like a person on vacation enjoying the night air, not like a woman on a mission to save her sister. When the path curved toward the bungalows, she veered in the opposite direction and took a more direct route to the beach. If someone followed her, she didn’t want him or her to discover her repeated visits to the bungalow where Lance worked.

By the time she reached the bungalow ten minutes had passed and the wind had picked up, whipping her long hair around her shoulders and across her eyes.

Lance opened the door as soon as Natalie knocked.

She slipped inside and crossed to the computer screen. The video had been paused on two dark-haired men sitting in the corner of the cabana. “I saw these two tonight. Same table, same corner of the cabana.”