Free SEAL of Approval by Jack Silkstone Page A

Chief.
    “Mike, you didn’t answer the question. You serious about this girl, or what?”
    Mike didn’t respond.
    “Silence is damning, isn’t it TJ?” Rick said.
    “You wouldn’t know, Rick. You can’t keep your pie hole shut. Now, what’s the deal with this girl?”
    Mike drew on his right toggle, banking to follow the Chief. “Yeah, I like her. She’s done wonders for Axe. She’s also nothing like any other woman I’ve met.” Their drop zone on the beach was rapidly approaching.
    “Good for you. Keep us posted on how it’s progressing.”
    Mike flared as the sand rose toward him, and touched down gently a dozen feet from TJ. He pivoted and watched Rick and Ernie make their landings.
    “Good work guys,” TJ bellowed. “Now let’s dump these chutes and hit the range.”
     

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    Ramirez was sitting with his family at the dinner table when his phone rang. He pulled the device from his pocket and inspected it.
    “You know the rules. No business at dinner,” his wife said.
    “This is important.”
    She frowned, but dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
    “Thank you, darling.” Leaving the dining area, he answered the call as he entered the living room. “Speak!”
    “Boss, it’s me, Eduardo.”
    “What have you got?”
    “I’ve been following this guy for a week now. Every day he goes to a veterinary clinic in Iron Canyon.”
    “Why?”
    “I think he’s seeing the woman who works there. They’ve been spending a lot of time together with a dog.”
    Ramirez grabbed a packet of cigarettes from the coffee table. “So, our target has a woman. That’s good.”
    “It would be easy to grab her.”
    He tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear, and tapped a cigarette into his palm. “Not yet. Keep watching. I need to get our people in place.”
    “You got it, boss.”
    Terminating the call, he scooped a lighter off the table and strode outside to smoke. Lighting up, he gazed out over the wide expanse of desert dusted with saltbush and cacti. Sunset bathed the harsh landscape in a soft orange hue that masked its true nature. He exhaled. It was a lot like the happy family life he maintained with his wife.
    As he smoked the howl of a coyote filled the air. Within a matter of moments another joined the first animal’s call. He smiled as he listened to their chorus.
    Once he finished the cigarette, he flicked it off the porch into the sand and punched a number into his phone. “Pedro, we’re going to need two vehicles, eight men and clean passports with US visas.”
    “What’s the mission?”
    “We’re going to take care of a problem for our good friend.”
    “So, it will pay well.”
    “Of course. I want the best we have.”
    “When do you need them ready?”
    He stroked his mustache as he considered the question. “Twenty-four hours.”
    “Done.”
    Terminating the call, he considered another cigarette when a voice startled him.
    “Are you going to finish dinner with your family?”
    His wife’s tone implied it was not a question. “Yes, my dear.”
    “What was the call about?” she asked as she led him back into the house.
    “Business, darling. I may have to leave, later in the week.”
    “How long? Remember, your son’s football final is this weekend.”
    Ramirez took his seat at the head of the table. “A few days at most. It’s a simple in and out job.”
     
    ***
     
    Wearing a one-piece swimsuit, Ali stood in the portable rehabilitation spa set up in the yard. She watched as Mike led Axe, in a bright yellow vest that resembled a lifejacket, toward the spa.
    “ Ali, I’m not sure this is going to work.”
    “Why?”
    “He hates water.”
    She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “That information would have been useful yesterday.”
    Mike smiled but his eyes never left her curvaceous frame. The plain, one-piece suit did little to hide her curves.
    “Hey sailor, how about we focus on rehab and not the merchandise.”
    As he lifted