Hot SEAL, Undercover Groom (SEALs in Paradise) Read online

  “You did not just compare my job with snooping!” He stared at her with wide-eyed irritation, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Throwing her hands up in front of her in a placating gesture, she said, “Don’t get your boxers in a twist. I wasn’t trying to be insulting. I just mean that you’re used to planning and then executing missions, and this would be no different. Only instead of running around with weapons and heavy equipment needing a lot of physical brawn and stamina, this would be more gathering intelligence for me to be able to use in my case.”

  “Hate to throw water on your burning idea, but even if I was interested, I have no idea how to do what you need.”

  “I think you’re disregarding it too hastily,” their mother said. “I think you could use the mental stimulation.”

  “Mental stimulation?” He swung his incredulous gaze to her.

  Rita pursed her lips in the same way that Nancy had. “Well, channel surfing between game shows and do-it-yourself home fix-it shows are hardly mentally challenging. You’ve been complaining that you wanted to move around more and helping your sister seems as though it could be a good thing.”

  Shaking his head, he looked toward his dad for support. Usually the voice of reason, he was not surprised when his dad said, “I don’t think Nolan can consider anything unless he knows what you’re talking about. Do you actually have a plan, Nancy?”

  “I don’t have the whole thing worked out because I wasn’t sure that I could find someone to assist. But I need to be able to figure out how money from the wedding chapel is getting laundered through the casino. My accountant friend is the one who would need to follow the trail of money. I was trying to figure out how I could get her closer on the inside.”

  Shaking his head, Nolan said, “I’m not sure an accountant is going to be able to help.”

  “She works in fraud. She’s a Certified Fraud Examiner and Forensic Accountant. I’ve used her on several other cases to help me sniff out where people are hiding money.”

  “Your business is doing well enough that you can keep a CFE on retainer?” Nolan’s brows raised in surprise.

  “I don’t keep her on retainer, but believe me, our clients who think their soon-to-be-ex-spouses are hiding money are more than willing to pay for her services as well as mine.”

  Nick spoke up again. “I’m still not quite sure I understand what it is you’re asking Nolan to help with.”

  He could tell Nancy’s frustration was rising when she huffed. “I don’t know. I keep trying to figure out how to get somebody on the inside of Cupid's. Maybe you could pretend to be a potential groom and go visit to check them out.”

  Blinking at the word ‘groom,’ Nolan sat up straighter, wincing slightly as he blurted, “Huh?”

  “I need my friend to be able to get into the office in the chapel. My client says that her husband’s business records are all in the office at the wedding chapel. If I can get my friend in there, it wouldn’t take long for her to be able to make a quick copy of what’s on his computer.”

  “Whoa, whoa.” Nolan looked at his dad’s dubious expression, his mom’s excited one, and his sister’s hopeful gaze. “Even if you get your hands on the records, all of that’s illegal and wouldn’t be admissible in court.”

  “Nolan, my client isn’t interested in having her husband arrested. She just wants to have evidence that he has money hidden away. Money that, unless she can prove he has, she can’t get her share of in a divorce. If she has evidence that she can show him, then he’ll be much more likely to settle amicably.”

  “So, she just wants to shake her husband down so that she can get her half?” Jesus, no wonder I never wanted to get married! It’s all about who gets what!

  “I don’t see why Nolan couldn’t do that.”

  Blinking in surprise for the second time, he shot his gaze over to his mom. “Do what exactly, Mom?”

  “Get inside Cupid's and do something very… SEALish. You know, create a diversion or something to get their attention so that the accountant could check out the computer system.”

  “SEALish? Mom, I don’t even know what the hell that means. And a diversion? You expect me to set off an explosion or something?” He looked toward his dad who was shifting in his seat as though the cushion suddenly had pins sticking out of it. “Dad, help me out here.”

  “Well, Son, I think they just mean that you have the skills to be able to go into a situation and assess it quickly. See if there was a way to gain entrance or, as your mother says, create a diversion so that everyone’s attention is going in one direction so that Nancy’s friend has the opportunity to see what’s going on.”

  Glancing at the glasses on the table, he picked up his and wiggled it back and forth. “Mom, what did you serve in these today?”

  “You know we had iced tea, dear.”

  “I don’t know anything. Right now, I think you gave us either straight vodka or something that’s made everybody lose their minds. What y’all are suggesting makes no sense. First of all, it’s illegal—”

  “Technically, it’s not,” Nancy jumped in. “My client has co-ownership papers along with her husband. She’s not involved in the business, and up to now has just accepted whatever tax forms he has her sign each year. But she has a perfect legal right to know what’s in the records and if she gives permission for me to look into it, then I can do so.”

  Shaking his head slowly, he tried to remember the last time he took a pain pill. It’s been a couple of weeks, but I could swear the fogginess I feel right now could have only come from one of those fuckin’ pills. Sighing, he counted to ten slowly and began again. “Okay, so, your client has a right to get information about the business. Why can’t she just send you straight into the office or send in the accountant?”

  “Because if her husband won’t show her everything, he’s not about to show me anything. We need to get our hands on his actual financial statements. And if we can tie him into money that he’s laundering through the casino, all the better. That’s information we can turn over to the authorities and they can deal with the casino.”

  Rita reached over and patted his hand. “Sweetheart, I know you’ve been going stir crazy here at home. You can enjoy a couple of nights at a nice hotel in Gatlinburg. The mountains are lovely this time of year, and it would give you a chance to do something to help your sister.”

  Thinking they had all lost their minds, he focused his attention back to Nancy. “So, you just want me to pretend to be a groom-to-be and go into the wedding chapel to get the lay of the land?”

  “Well, now that I think about it, it would make more sense if you went in with my friend. The two of you could pretend to be a couple that’s looking to get married and you’re checking out wedding chapels. That would look more realistic because I don’t know that many grooms go in by themselves. So really, Nolan, all you have to do is just make one or two visits to the venue and see if there’s a way that you can get my friend into the owner’s office when he’s not there so she can get her hands on the computer files.”

  Shaking his head, he tried to think of a good reason why he couldn’t participate in the madcap scheme, but all he came up with were reasons for helping. It’s not like I’m doing anything else. Dad’s right about me having the skills to instantly assess the situation. If Nancy’s friend is an accountant, that means she has no undercover or covert experience, so she could definitely use someone like me at her side. I’d love to get out of the house and get up into the mountains for a few days. I might even be able to do a little bit of easy hiking.

  Throwing out a rueful chuckle, he grinned as he lifted his glass in a mock toast. “I’m probably going to seriously regret this, but okay, Nancy, you’ve got my help.”

  She sighed in relief and their father chuckled along with Nolan. Rita clapped with glee and turned toward Nancy. “This is wonderful! Tell him who your accountant friend is!”

  Nancy hesitated and dropped her gaze to the table as she fiddle
d with her fork, her voice taking on a strangled quality. “You might remember her from high school, although she was in my class, so she was two years behind you. She was also my best friend back then. Lynn. Lynn Cox.”

  Nolan jerked his gaze back toward Nancy, his mouth opening and closing several times, but no words came forth. Finally snapping his mouth shut, he blinked heavily for the third time. Lynn Cox? The pretty, quiet friend that always followed me around? The one who threw herself at me the night before I left for boot camp and kissed me? Hell, she came at me like she was the first kid out at recess and I was the monkey bars. As the memory assaulted him, he winced. And then I set her back on her feet and told her ‘No way, no how’! Not because I wasn’t interested… He winced again. Damn, at that age she was jailbait.

  He sighed heavily. Lynn Cox? Oh, fuckin’ hell… what have I just agreed to?

  Not realizing he spoke the last question aloud, his dad chuckled again and his mom piped up. “Why, Nolan, you’ve just agreed to be an undercover groom.”

  3

  Lynn Cox sat in her friend’s office, waiting for her to come in. She was not surprised she was waiting considering she’d known Nancy Bell since elementary school—and Nancy was notoriously late. But, since Nancy’s mother was the part-time secretary, she had someone to talk to.

  “I was trying to remember how long you and Nancy have been friends,” Rita said, her smile bouncing between the computer screen and Lynn’s face.

  Returning her smile, she replied, “Nancy and I have been friends since we sat next to each other in second grade. I was terrified to meet new people, and Nancy jumped in, immediately declaring that I was her best friend.”

  “Oh, that’s right! I just remember all the years of sleepovers where you two stayed up late, whispering long into the night.”

  Rita was right, and Lynn was glad Nancy’s mom had no idea what they talked about. Their whispered late-night conversations started with boy bands they loved and moved to boys they loved. And, of course, for Lynn, that had always been centered around one boy—Nancy’s brother, Nolan.

  Even though years had passed, she wished she could forget the embarrassment of longing for a man who never knew she existed.

  “How are your parents? I feel like I haven’t seen them in forever,” Rita said, interrupting Lynn’s musings.

  “They’re good. Still traveling as much as they can. They just got back from a trip to California because my dad wanted to take pictures of the redwood forests. Mom wanted to spend some time on the beach, getting inspiration for her next novel. Plus, they got to see my brother. When they get back, they’ll only be home for a couple of weeks before they head to Italy.”

  “How exciting! Your parents always were so adventurous.”

  Lynn smiled and tucked her long, dark hair behind her ear. “Yes, they love what they do.” She was used to people being impressed by her parents. Her father was an internationally acclaimed nature photographer and her mother was a best-selling romance novelist. Her brother started out as a model when he was in high school and now starred in a television series. And me? I stare at numbers all day long.

  As soon as people found out what her family did, they immediately assumed that her life was just as exciting and creative… until they discover I’m an accountant. Yep, I totally missed out on the creative gene.

  “Well, you never know when adventure will come your way.”

  Uncertain what Rita meant by her comment, Lynn offered a noncommittal nod. “Um… how’s Nolan?” Knowing he was home recuperating, she tried to keep her voice steady as she asked about him.

  “Oh, much better! In fact, he’s up and about, itching to find things to do. It’s so nice of you to be concerned about him.”

  “I… well, I just… um… you know, wanted to ask.” The way Rita was smiling at her, she felt sure that her teenage infatuation with Nolan was no secret. I just hope she doesn’t know I tried to throw myself—most unsuccessfully—at him when I was sixteen. What was I thinking? Oh yeah… that I needed to proclaim my love for him before he left for the Navy. Of course, Nancy knew about the unfortunate incident since she was the one who convinced me it was a good idea. The heat of blush hit her face just as the front door opened, and Nancy came rushing in, her hair flying out behind her.

  “Oh, my God! I’m so sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get my hair to do what I wanted, and my milk had a sour smell so I didn’t want to put it on the cereal. That meant I had to nuke some oatmeal, which I know is healthy but isn’t what I wanted. Then I hit every light on my way here.” Nancy was pulling off her coat while talking, bent to kiss her mother, then beamed her smile toward Lynn.

  Laughing, she was glad for the diversion from thinking of Nolan. She stood and embraced Nancy, assuring her that she’d had a lovely chat with her mom.

  Nancy bustled her into her small but neat office. Framed photographs adorned the walls and credenza. Pictures of her family, especially those of Nolan in uniform, were lovingly displayed. Whenever she was in Nancy’s apartment or workspace, she was always face-to-face with the reminder of her unrequited love.

  Before she had time to travel further down that unpleasant emotional road, Nancy plopped into a chair behind her desk, opened a file, and waved Lynn into the chair opposite her. Rita walked in with a small tray containing two cups of coffee.

  “Here you go, dears,” Rita said, placing the tray on the edge of Nancy’s desk before handing one to Lynn. “Cream and sugar just the way you like.”

  Thanking Rita, she took an appreciative sip of the warm, sweet, milky caffeine fix. Rita hovered, and she observed Nancy shake her head slightly toward her mom. Rita slipped out of the room but left the door open. Turning back to Nancy, she waited to see why her friend asked her to come in.

  Tapping the file in front of her, Nancy jumped in with her explanation. “I’m looking at Mrs. Hightower’s information.”

  Her brow crinkled as she remembered the name from a few weeks ago and tilted her head slightly to the side. “Hightower? Oh, yes, that’s the one whose husband owns the wedding chapel in Gatlinburg? Or rather they both do? The one where I looked at her initial finances and she claims he has hidden assets?”

  “That’s right,” Nancy nodded. “She and her husband own Cupid of The Mountains Wedding Chapel.”

  In the middle of a sip, she snorted, then began to cough as her coffee went down the wrong way. Finally gaining control of herself, she shook her head. “Oh, my God, couldn’t they come up with a better name? Cupid of The Mountains? It’s hard to believe that it’s one of the most lucrative wedding businesses around!”

  Grinning her response, Nancy agreed. “Yep. According to Sally Hightower, their business does very well. And when you looked at her initial financial records, you agreed that his expenditures don’t match their income. She claims that he has hidden assets and is using the business money for other activities.”

  “Do you have some new information?”

  Nancy leaned forward and crossed her arms on the desk. “Okay, it took me several meetings with Sally to figure out how everything worked for them, but this is what I’ve got. She’s a partner in her husband’s business, but she’s not involved in the day-to-day running. She’s a schoolteacher. They were both older when they got married, and she claims it was her husband’s insistence that she be listed as a co-owner of his business. She has no interest in the running of the wedding chapel but confesses that they’ve enjoyed a nice standard of living with the money that comes in. According to her, they’re not rolling in riches, but it’s certainly better than just her teacher’s salary.”

  Lynn’s specialty was not tax accounting, and while it might have been more lucrative to work for a large accounting firm, she ran her own business. Her specialty was forensic accounting and she was also certified as a fraud examiner. She was often called in when businesses were concerned that an employee might be stealing from them or on divorce cases where one partner was concerned that the other partner was hiding
assets. When Nancy first asked her to take a look at Sally’s finances, the situation had snagged her interest. A lucrative wedding chapel in the Gatlinburg area could be bringing in a lot of money. But, without all the information, she couldn’t give any definitive information.

  “Sally says that she usually just signs the tax forms each year that Errol gets from their accountant. They live in a gated community, but it’s not overly exclusive. She says Errol belongs to a country club so that he can play golf but swears that they don’t live excessively.”

  “And the divorce? Call it morbid curiosity, but what happened with the lovebirds?”

  “Ah, the tale as old as time.”

  “So, while he keeps his wife in a few jewels tucked away in a gated community, his dick’s gone wandering.”

  Snorting, Nancy nodded. “She found receipts for jewelry that he had not given her. So, she got pissed and started doing some more digging. She admits that she left all the finances to him, trusting him completely. It seems that he got used to that and was not overly cautious in hiding his other activities. So, it didn’t take her too long to find that he was using the business credit card for hotel stays, expensive dinners, and even a Wedding Chapel Owners conference that he went to in Vegas a few months ago. He took a companion after telling her that it would be boring and there would be no need for her to take time off from her job.”

  “Do you have more records than what I looked at a few weeks ago? I could take a look at any new records and see if I can discern if money was spent on the business account for these personal items. Things that the wife essentially paid for since she’s co-owner of the business but she didn’t get the benefit of.”

  Nancy’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “Honestly? It’s what she thinks he’s doing with more of the business money than just spending it on his other women. She thinks he’s laundering some of it so that he doesn’t have to report it on his taxes, and therefore she never knows about it.”