Page 7 of Carnal

4

Grant

We spent all night fucking, each time more intense than the last. I’d never been so gratified in my life, and I didn’t have a clue how I would break my addiction to her. I woke before dawn and rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb Mia. I watched her sleep for a few minutes and attempted to push the bittersweet emotions out of my head. I felt vindicated. I had been right—Ksenya was Mia, but my heart was full of sadness. This entire situation was so incredibly fucked up. Joaquín was still in jail, Mia had fucked up her looks and her life, and Julián had no parents.

Though, I hoped he was my son.

I hurriedly dressed and scribbled Mia a note, letting her know I was going to work and that she was not to leave. The notes I used to leave her were always much nicer, but I wasn’t that guy anymore, and she wasn’t that girl. I didn’t want to be nice and sweet. I wanted her to stay the fuck in this house until I got back.

I climbed into my truck and headed into Coronado, taking a moment to appreciate duality of the place. Coronado was beautiful on the surface but hid a dark side: murders, excessive wealth, and drugs.

Drugs.

There had to be a connection. I tried to remember the details of every Team party where my brothers had been high. Never me, though. I’d gone through too much to become a SEAL, I wasn’t going to throw away my hard work and sacrifices for a fleeting high. Plus, we were drug tested randomly. That would be like playing Russian roulette, and I had known more than one guy who had received a dishonorable discharge for popping positive.

Many of my Team brothers loved to live on the edge.

We all had our vices, but mine was lust not drugs.

Sex was the ultimate high for me, especially sex with Mia.

I rolled up on base and flashed my ID to the guard, who waved me through.

I had to find Mitch.

I parked and headed into our compound. The morning was eerily quiet, which wasn’t unusual since half the place was deployed, but there were a handful of guys in the common area.

I was about to shoot a text to Mitch when the devil himself walked through the door, wearing a cocky smirk and dark sunglasses to shield his eyes.

“Hey. What’s up?”

I looked around the room at the few guys who were lingering around and tilted my chin to the door.

“Let’s go PT.”

He nodded, probably sensing that I wanted to talk to him alone. I wasn’t as close to Mitch as I was to Joaquín, but even so, Mitch was my brother. We’d been to war together, and I trusted him with my life.

Just not with my woman.

We changed into our PT shorts and ran along the beach. It wasn’t until we were out of sight of the buildings that I slowed my pace a bit and let him catch up.

“I know you know about Mia.”

He didn’t reply at first. Instead, he just gave me a side-glance and we ran in silence for a bit before he answered “Yeah, I assumed you’d already figured it out. She’s fucking crazy.”

“Batshit.” I was certifiable too because I was helping her and jealous of the fact that Mitch had spent time with her. I had no intention of staying with her once this was over, but that didn’t mean I wanted Mitch anywhere near her. “Did you fuck her?”

“Nah, man. But that bitch drugged me and put a gun to my head.”

“What the fuck?” I stopped running, and the sand from Mitch’s shoes flew into my face. She told me that she had drugged him, but she held him up at gunpoint? She had really gone mad.

Mitch finally stopped, turned, and jogged back to where I was standing. “Look, she’s lost it, but she loves Joaquín. She’d do anything for him, clearly. They have no family but each other. Not many women are that loyal to anyone. You have to admire that.”

“She’s only loyal to Joaquín, not me. Why the fuck did she drug you? Did she think you had something to do with Tiffany’s murder?” I lifted up my sunglasses and stared right at him. “Did you?”

Mitch laughed at me. “No, not at all. You got it all wrong. I don’t think she suspected me in that, but maybe she did. I don’t know.” He paused, his eyes scanning my face.

“Spill it, Mitch.”