Targeted: Newlywed Navy Seals Risk It All! (Truth and Lies Series Book 1) Read online

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  The Oath

  Action-Packed Military Romance

  Truth and Lies Series

  Pinki Parks

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  One More Thing…

  BONUS STORY 1

  BONUS STORY 2

  SNEAK PREVIEW

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  Chapter 1

  Bentley

  “I was skeptical, but he proved me wrong. My little girl deserves nothing but the best. He’s a little rigid for my taste, but I can see the love he has for you in his eyes. I swear that he’s a ticking time bomb ready to go off at the slightest provocation.” Pops was dressed to impress and I didn’t expect anything less for my wedding day.

  “Now that’s not fair and you know it, Pops. You don’t know what he has to deal with on his missions. He’s a good man and I love him. God knows I’m not an easy woman to love. I have my own mind and I don’t give in easily when it comes to my personal opinions.” The woman looking back at me in the mirror was the dainty version of the military born and bred soldier. He had the vision of a church wedding, but I wanted something more storybook on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

  “I flew from Florida to walk you down the aisle. Guam is a beautiful island. You’re fortunate enough to be stationed here in your intelligence. To be honest, I had no idea they intelligence down here. I always knew about the army base. I know it’s classified. Your soon to be husband has no problem reminding me of that every time I ask him about his job.” My father was a retired mechanic still tinkering with cars in his twilight years for those neighbors that didn’t want to pay exorbitant prices at a garage.

  “Military life isn’t for everybody, Pops. We both have our roles to play. I have secrets that I have to keep otherwise people would die. He does special ops missions. Each of us does our part to keep the proud tradition of the military alive.” I was happy my wedding day had finally come. We had been engaged for over a year. With our jobs being so demanding, it was hard to find the right time for the both of us. A casual wedding on the beach felt right and although I am happy in my work clothes every day – I hardly had the occasion for skirts or dresses at work, a part of me was excited about wearing a beautiful white gown.

  I went on to a career in the military after college. Pops wanted me to be a lawyer but I had other plans to serve my country with distinction. My loyalty to my brothers and sisters made them my surrogate family. It took discipline and hard work to exemplify military standards. I was thrown into the deep end during basic training. I excelled because I didn’t know what the word quit meant. My work ethic came from watching my father work his hands to the bone to keep a roof over our head.

  “I’m proud of all of your accomplishments. I wish that she could be here to see you today.” I could see the faraway look in his eyes and knew that he was reliving those milestones in his life.

  The tent shook with a gust of wind. It brought a tear to my eye to think that it was my mother giving me her blessing. She was always looking out for me. It didn’t change when she found peace after suffering from Alzheimer’s. I still felt her touch every time I closed my eyes with her reassuring hand on my shoulder to let me know that I was doing the right thing.

  “You don’t honestly believe that she would miss this day for anything in the world. I can feel her in the wind.” I smiled to think she was standing by my side. I missed her.

  “Unlike my Pops, Pride has never been one to show his emotions. He comes from a family of five brothers, all in the military in one form or another. They followed their father’s legacy posthumously after he was declared missing in action when they were very little.” Pride very rarely showed his human side, but I was able to see his compassion.

  “I know they all grew up hardened by life. Their duty was clear from the moment they were out of school. Taking on the role of father and mother couldn’t have been easy. Their mother’s strength of character should be admired. Three of his brothers and his mother are here.” My father had gotten to know my extended family and I was happy to see that both families were getting along.

  Pride had a competitive spirit brought about by his sibling rivalry with his brothers. Jones and Austen were older and led by example for the others. They carried the burden of growing up early never getting the chance to enjoy their childhood. They were thrown into the role of being a father figure to the other three. Pride and his twin brother were a handful getting into trouble with the local authorities.

  Justice and Victor made them the three musketeers growing up with barely two years separating them at birth. It didn’t surprise me that they would make the effort to be here for the big day. I pitied them for not being able to show the love they obviously had for one another.

  The wedding gown was form fitting bust with a silk and lace bell-shaped skirt. I could see my matron of honor standing by the flap in the tent. Paige was my best friend and confidant. She knew more about me than anybody including the military. There was still this distance between us over the secrets I kept that were classified. It was something we were working on. I look back at the mirror to see Pops’ reflection.

  “I almost forgot the reason why I came in here. I wanted you to have this as your something old and blue. There’s no monetary value, but it’s priceless in my eyes. Your mother carried this with her everywhere she went.” He presented a lace baby blue handkerchief.

  It touched me deeply to have something of hers in my possession walking down the aisle.

  I had my mother’s Russian traits with the same platinum blond hair and piercing green eyes. At 5’9 and 135 pounds of solid muscle, I could take on a man twice my size, although most of my days are spent behind a computer. I worked out the rest of the time, to keep up with Pride. He’s a machine. We would go on an intense 5k runs together every morning. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  “Believe me, he knows where I stand, but I respect him. He is strong and confident which means you are inevitably going to butt heads during your marriage. I feel this warmth in my heart that comes from seeing you happy.” Pops looked so proud. Over the years, he had made his fair share of mistakes.

  Cheating on my mother wasn’t one of his proudest moments.
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  Pride found me crying into a glass of scotch after my mother died. His rock-hard body was hard to resist. That first night we stayed up talking until the bar closed at 2:00 AM. He didn’t try to put the moves on me. I liked that about him.

  The man was a woman’s dream come true. 6’2” with an imposing 200 pounds underneath his belt made him a cut above the rest. Pride had these blue green eyes that could see right to the heart of the matter. He was never one to try to fix my problems. He was a breath of fresh air compared to those that came before him.

  “Excuse me. I need to talk to Bentley in private.” My commanding officer looked uneasy. Cleanly shaven with his uniform pressed to perfection was how I had always remembered him. Today was a little different. His uniform was rumpled and his hair was in disarray with some stubble. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  My father and matron of honor gave us the room.

  Commander Jonathan Riker had his hands behind his back. I wanted to say something about this intrusion on my private day but I waited until he came to the point about why he had to talk to me.

  “Bentley, I know they put you in a terrible position. You shouldn’t have to worry about this on your honeymoon. I can give you a way out and nobody has to know. I will take the burden for the both of us.” He was referring to the private meeting we both had with the secretary of defense two days ago.

  “This is a fine time for you to spring this on me. I’m about to get married and go on my honeymoon to Barbados. We both know why they chose two people to hold this secret.” Why would he ask me for my half of the code? He didn’t look amused at my tone.

  “They split the codes in half to keep our enemies from extracting the information from one person. Your honeymoon and my trip to Washington will keep these codes separated by thousands of miles. I hope you have committed them to memory. I’m worried there’s a fox in the henhouse. I don’t know who I can trust, but I know that you are above reproach. I won’t be sticking around for the nuptials. I commend you on your duty. I had to try to give you some peace of mind. There’s no telling what someone will do to get these codes. You will be on your honeymoon with your guards down.” It was a big responsibility and one that I wasn’t going to take lightly.

  “You’re being paranoid. Nothing is going to happen. Besides, they would need your half of the code too. As long as you trust yourself with this mission, to keep the code out of enemy’s hands, they you will have done your job.” I looked into his eye “they will have to kill me before they get the code out of me” to reassured him. He gave me a fatherly hug.

  Chapter 2

  Pride

  “There’s no reason to be nervous not that anybody would recognize it.” Justice was my brother and we had this rare bond of being fraternal twins.

  “I never thought I would be taking the plunge. Bentley is sometimes too stubborn for her own good. We’ve had some fights, but it’s always fun to make up. I don’t think that I have to paint you a picture. She has this passion that rivals any of the women I’ve been with in the past. She is always surprising me.” The wind was blowing and I could hear the ocean slapping against the rocks 100 feet below.

  “You have met your match with that one. I feel honored that you chose me to be your best man. I wouldn’t have expected anything less considering we shared the same womb for nine months.” We lived in the same bedroom until we were in our teens. I remembered having our own secret language driving our older brothers crazy.

  Victor was a year older than the both of us, but we gravitated toward him following him around like lap dogs. He was annoyed, but he secretly enjoyed the adoration of his siblings. We were all stationed in different corners of the globe but came together during the holidays whenever it was permitted.

  I could smell the salt air, but the setting was not my idea. It was beautiful and the work that went into it was an extraordinary effort.

  The broken petals of the orchids littered the sand in a path to where I was standing waiting for my bride to be. I had seen her father and matron of honor come out of the tent, but she did not join them. My stomach twisted in knots thinking that she had come down with a case of cold feet.

  “Justice, it doesn’t matter where we are or what we are doing. Blood will always be thicker than water. I’ve seen some amazing things in my career. Some are good and some are really fucking bad. I don’t consider myself a hero. I’m a patriot and I wear that distinction as a badge of honor. I have the battle scars to prove my dedication and loyalty to the flag.” I was a little closer to the front lines unbeknownst to my beloved.

  My missions were classified with the scope of my rifle dealing a death blow to terrorists everywhere. At times, I got close enough to see the whites of their eyes before pulling the trigger. Every situation was different in how I supported my country. I was most comfortable during hand to hand combat.

  “I know you can’t say anything about what you do. I will always be there when you need me the most. I have the ring and the written vows that you have painstakingly made. I know it’s not easy for you to express yourself, but these words won’t leave a dry eye in the house.” They weren’t from the heart. I had used lyrics from old songs to patch together something memorable.

  “We couldn’t have asked for a better day for a wedding. The sky is blue and it’s a balmy 25°. We are surrounded by our family and friends. I can’t foresee any hitches. We cleared our schedules for the next couple of weeks.” There was always the possibility of an emergency, but that was a bridge I was going to have to cross.

  My white suit was immaculate and I wasn’t wearing a tie. It was casual and everybody came in beach attire as requested. The only one breaking from the mold was Bentley. She had insisted on wearing her mother’s wedding dress.

  I saw a brief glimpse of Commander Riker leaving the tent. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. He wouldn’t have shown up unless it was of urgent. He tried to avoid being spotted, but I was trained to pick out even the slightest abnormality. This man was known for his experience in the field. The secrets in intelligence were widely accepted.

  “Pride, I don’t like the look in your eyes. Is there something I should know about?” Justice was asking the very same question beating like a drum in my temples.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” The music began to play and the cutest little flower girl came walking down the aisle to start the proceedings.

  My heart was pounding harder with the possibility that she wasn’t going to join me at the altar. This was a year in the making. Bentley depended on her matron of honor to be responsible for the wedding décor. Paige had a private catering and wedding planning business just getting off the ground. This was good practice. She had performed admirably under the stress.

  The priest had his customary bible in hand and his glasses on the bridge of his nose. His mane of gray hair was flying wildly in the breeze. He kept combing it back with his hands to no avail.

  I could smell something in the air tickling my nose. It was the sense of this foreboding prediction hanging over my head.

  “Should it be taking this long for her to come down the aisle?” I followed Justice’s gaze getting increasingly worried things were going to get unraveled in front of my eyes.

  The nervous energy made people begin to question. They continued looking back over their shoulder trying to do it in a subtle way not to upset me. I was getting increasingly annoyed, but I kept my feet planted firmly in the sand. There was no way that I was going to make a scene during my wedding day.

  “Let’s not worry until there’s something to worry about. She’s probably putting on the finishing touches. You know how some women like to make a grand entrance. Bentley likes to build the suspense.” I was making excuses, but deep down I was concerned that her meeting with the commander had changed her mind.

  She emerged like an angel from heaven with his unseen halo around her head. Her platinum blond hai
r stayed in place with whatever hairspray she had used for the occasion. Her veil covered her perfect face. Bentley could have made a career in modelling but she had more brains and guts than most women I knew.

  I was elated by her presence and felt relieved and excited that she would be my wife. Her father was standing by her side with their arms entwined going down the aisle with this slow and agonizing pace.

  I wanted to speed up their approach, but it was a pleasure to watch her make her way down the aisle. The feeling in the pit of my stomach was growing with each step she was taking. She smiled, but I could see through the façade. The commander had said or done something to affect her. I wanted to throttle him with my bare hands.

  The song came to an end and she turned to face me with the bodice of her wedding gown barely able to contain her endowment. I smiled thinking about a nude wedding. It was a fleeting thought during the planning stages. It was what I was thinking when she mentioned she wanted to do this on the beach.

  “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony…” The words were lost on me and the angel of mercy who had saved me from myself was making me feel like the luckiest man in the world.

  “I believe the bride and groom have written their own vows.” I took out the piece of paper, but I couldn’t bring myself to say something that wasn’t from the heart.

  “I won’t need this to express myself. I hope I don’t stumble over the words without this cheat sheet.” I tossed it over my shoulder and watched it drift on the winds of change in the air before disappearing over the cliff.

  “Are you sure you wanted to do that?” She seemed a little put off by my impromptu gesture of romance.

  I could only hope the words would come to me by looking at the vision glowing in the sun. I was momentarily stunned into silence making things a little awkward.