Watery Grave (SEAL Brotherhood: Legacy Book 1) Read online

  Watery Grave

  SEAL Brotherhood: Legacy Series

  Book 1

  Sharon Hamilton

  Sharon Hamilton’s Book List

  SEAL BROTHERHOOD BOOKS

  SEAL BROTHERHOOD SERIES

  Accidental SEAL Book 1

  Fallen SEAL Legacy Book 2

  SEAL Under Covers Book 3

  SEAL The Deal Book 4

  Cruisin’ For A SEAL Book 5

  SEAL My Destiny Book 6

  SEAL of My Heart Book 7

  Fredo’s Dream Book 8

  SEAL My Love Book 9

  SEAL Encounter Prequel to Book 1

  SEAL Endeavor Prequel to Book 2

  Ultimate SEAL Collection Vol. 1 Books 1-4 /2 Prequels

  Ultimate SEAL Collection Vol. 2 Books 5-7

  SEAL BROTHERHOOD LEGACY SERIES

  Watery Grave Book 1

  BAD BOYS OF SEAL TEAM 3 SERIES

  SEAL’s Promise Book 1

  SEAL My Home Book 2

  SEAL’s Code Book 3

  Big Bad Boys Bundle Books 1-3

  BAND OF BACHELORS SERIES

  Lucas Book 1

  Alex Book 2

  Jake Book 3

  Jake 2 Book 4

  Big Band of Bachelors Bundle

  BONE FROG BROTHERHOOD SERIES

  New Year’s SEAL Dream Book 1

  SEALed At The Altar Book 2

  SEALed Forever Book 3

  SEAL’s Rescue Book 4

  SEALed Protection Book 5

  SUNSET SEALS SERIES

  SEALed at Sunset

  Second Chance SEAL

  Treasure Island SEAL

  Escape to Sunset

  The House at Sunset Beach

  SILVER SEALS SERIES

  SEAL Love’s Legacy

  SLEEPER SEALS SERIES

  Bachelor SEAL

  BONE FROG BACHELOR SERIES

  Bone Frog Bachelor

  Unleashed

  STAND ALONE BOOKS & SERIES

  SEAL’s Goal: The Beautiful Game

  Nashville SEAL: Jameson

  True Blue SEALS Zak

  Paradise: In Search of Love

  Love Me Tender, Love You Hard

  NOVELLAS

  SEAL You In My Dreams Magnolias and Moonshine

  PARANORMALS

  GOLDEN VAMPIRES OF TUSCANY SERIES

  Honeymoon Bite Book 1

  Mortal Bite Book 2

  Christmas Bite Book 3

  Midnight Bite Book 4

  THE GUARDIANS

  Heavenly Lover Book 1

  Underworld Lover Book 2

  Underworld Queen Book 3

  Redemption Book 4

  FALL FROM GRACE SERIES

  Gideon: Heavenly Fall

  NOVELLAS

  SEAL Of Time Trident Legacy

  All of Sharon’s books are available on Audible, narrated by the talented J.D. Hart.

  About the Book

  Christy and Kyle Lansdowne receive a long-lost piece of luggage returned from a cruise vacation from Hell several years prior. Inside, lies the remains of SEAL Team 3 friend and former gym owner, Joseph “Gunny” Hoskins. Their mission was to release his ashes upon the deep blue sea, but their cruise was interrupted by a terrorist takeover of the ship, thwarted by the SEALs on board.

  But when the ocean returns him to San Diego in Christy’s cosmetic bag, a new adventure is hatched to give Gunny eternal rest.

  Kyle, Christy and their three children embark on another memorial cruise mission, along with several other SEAL families. In paying tribute to the life of a fellow brother-in-arms, they usher in the dawn of a bright new future for them all. As the past is finally buried amid the dangers of the present, the ocean’s giant wheel—the Circle of Life—lives on.

  In honoring the irreverent life of one, the bond and commitment of the brothers who remain is strengthened to do battle.

  SEAL Brotherhood: Legacy Series is about the original couples in Sharon’s popular SEAL Brotherhood Series. It furthers the stories of these couples ten years later, after marriages, children and separations. These are stand alone books, but readers who are unfamiliar with the series would enjoy reading the background stories first.

  Begin Reading

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Table of Contents

  Copyright © 2021 by Sharon Hamilton

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. In many cases, liberties and intentional inaccuracies have been taken with rank, description of duties, locations and aspects of the SEAL community.

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Author’s Note

  I always dedicate my SEAL Brotherhood books to the brave men and women who defend our shores and keep us safe. Without their sacrifice, and that of their families—because a warrior’s fight always includes his or her family—I wouldn’t have the freedom and opportunity to make a living writing these stories. They sometimes pay the ultimate price so we can debate, argue, go have coffee with friends, raise our children and see them have children of their own.

  One of my favorite tributes to warriors resides on many memorials, including one I saw honoring the fallen of WWII on an island in the Pacific:

  “When you go home

  Tell them of us, and say

  For your tomorrow,

  We gave our today.”

  These are my stories created out of my own imagination. Anything that is inaccurately portrayed is either my mistake, or done intentionally to disguise something I might have overheard over a beer or in the corner of one of the hangouts along the Coronado Strand.

  I support two main charities. Navy SEAL/UDT Museum operates in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Please learn about this wonderful museum, all run by active and former SEALs and their friends and families, and who rely on public support, not that of the U.S. Government.

  www.navysealmuseum.org

  I also support Wounded Warriors, who tirelessly bring together the warrior as well as the family members who are just learning to deal with their soldier’s condition and have nowhere to turn. It is a long path to becoming well, but I’ve seen first-hand what this organization does for its warriors and the families who love them. Please give what your heart tells you is right. If you cannot give, volunteer at one of the many service centers all over the United States. Get involved. Do something meaningful for someone who gave so much of themselves, to families who have paid the price for your freedom. You’ll find a family there unlike any other on the planet.

  www.woundedwarriorproject.org

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Sharon Hamilton’s Book List

  About the Book

  Copyright Page

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapt
er 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  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 21

  About the Author

  Reviews

  SEAL Prayer

  Chapter 1

  It was a beautiful Spring day in Coronado when Davey Jones barfed up one of his special ones. Kyle had just put the two boys in a corner for their second time out of the day. Luke, the youngest of their three, had managed to develop quite an undercut. He’d split and fattened his older brother’s upper lip, which protruded forward like a bad Botox treatment. Brandon was deadly with the cusswords he’d learned before Kyle and Christy became aware of it and started paying attention to their home language.

  But Luke was the silent type and nearly fearless—a biproduct of being the youngest. Unlike his older siblings, his first word was, “mine.”

  Kyle was secretly proud of both of them but had to hide it in front of Christy and the boys.

  Christy was at work, driving around a newbie SEAL and his girlfriend, checking out houses they wouldn’t be able to afford unless someone came from big bucks, which happened never.

  When Kyle opened the front door, a cloud of moisture from his lawn sprinklers gently bathed his face. He came face to face with a twenty-something goth kid with a wooden ear plug the size of a quarter wearing eye makeup, clutching a faded tote bag with flower and heart stickers all over it.

  California has really gone to the dogs.

  He almost slammed the door in the kid’s face but saddled his patience and eked out a smile.

  “Is there a Christy Lansdowne who lives here?” he asked.

  “That would be my wife,” Kyle said, his eyes squinting, ready to clock the kid on his doorstep.

  “I’m from the Crown & Star Cruise Lines, and we’re returning her lost luggage.”

  Kyle hesitated before he took hold of the hot pink handle. He recognized Christy’s cosmetic bag, the one they’d taken with them on the cruise some ten years ago when they’d thwarted a terrorist attack aboard ship. Another bag had been returned almost a year ago now. But this one was special. It contained the ashes of one Joseph Hoskins, better known to Team 3 as “Gunny”—their former Marine brother in arms and owner of Gunny’s Gym, where they worked out. Their mission had been to return Gunny to the sea.

  When the bags were lost, the Team figured the terrorists took care of that detail for them. They’d held their service anyhow, without the spreading of the ashes, which had been lost in the mayhem that ensued.

  The case was still heavy. Kyle rattled it a bit to see if it was still filled with water. He just heard dry contents jostling around.

  “We make sure they don’t leak when we bring them back. It’s been sitting at our warehouse in Florida for at least a year, so I’d tell your missus not to use any of the makeup.”

  The kid must not have known about the contents.

  “There’s a dead man inside,” Kyle said, his voice in an ominous, raspy whisper, imitating a pirate.

  The messenger jumped back about three inches. “Geez. I didn’t know that. I didn’t need to know that.” With his hands shaking, he produced a wilted consent form and a ballpoint pen, asking for a signature, indicating where.

  Kyle ripped it out of his hands, set down the case unceremoniously, and scribbled a signature no one would be able to read, shoving it back into the kid’s chest. “You have yourself a good day, son.” He winked and then slammed the door.

  The boys had heard too much of the conversation, especially the part about the dead guy inside, and came running over, surrounding Kyle, jumping up and down, peppering him with questions. Maggie tried to grab the case.

  Kyle ran through the living room, the case high above his head, with his three children jumping up to try to grab it from his fingers. He was laughing so hard, he almost lost his focus when Maggie almost snatched it.

  “Wait a minute, guys!” he yelled, setting the case down on the kitchen countertop. He knew Christy would be horrified to see it there, but he had no choice. Finally, to get the kids from leaping over the top of the counter, he had to raise his voice another few decibels.

  “Cut it out. Stop! This is enough!”

  They knew he was at the end of his rope.

  “I’m going to open it, slowly. But I’m not sure it’s healthy for you to be close, so back off! And I mean it, dammit!”

  Behind him, he heard Christy’s voice. “So why is that thing even in my kitchen, Kyle.”

  He whirled around to find the disapproving face of his beloved, her face wrinkled in a scowl, her right shoulder slightly lower than the left, pulled down by the weight of a computer strap and case hanging below.

  It was one of those cat and canary moments. He’d been caught, almost anticipated he’d been caught.

  “This just arrived!” He pointed to the dirty case fouling her kitchen.

  “I should hope so, I mean, wouldn’t want that hanging around all day. Whatever possessed you to tell the kids you were going to open it? Here?”

  He really didn’t have an answer for that one. Ask him anything about freefalling from thirteen thousand feet or firepower from different caliber ammo, and he’d have answers at the ready. But this, well, he’d never trained for this.

  “So, you’d prefer I take this to the backyard?” He reached for the bag, but Christy slapped his hand away.

  “I’d prefer that you blew it up.”

  “Cool!” Brandon said quickly, and then realized his mistake. One glare from Christy, and the boys were exceedingly quiet. But Maggie took on the challenge.

  “Can I light it up?” she asked, a devilish grin crossing her face.

  Kyle shook his head. What had he taught his little brood?

  “Nope. We’re going to take a look at this in private and you kids aren’t going to be anywhere near it.” She dropped her computer bag, grabbed a tea towel, used it to pick up the handle and, holding it out away from her body like a poop-soaked dirty diaper, headed for the back door. Before she stepped over the threshold, she abruptly turned, all three children piling up on one another as they stopped. “No one comes outside. And everyone washes their hands and face.”

  No one moved. Even Kyle wasn’t sure what to do.

  “I said now, troops! You march yourselves into the bathroom and wash those hands and faces before I stick you all in the tub together!”

  This of course was always threatened, especially the part about the boys having to stand or sit naked in the tub/shower with their sister, and never really happened, but it worked every time. The boys were going through a “girls have cooties” phase that Kyle knew would last a few years before morphing into something more dangerous.

  The three of them disappeared down the hallway. Kyle heard water splashing and the beginnings of an argument while he followed Christy outside.

  “Honestly, Kyle. I thought you had better sense about hazmat things,” Christy was barking as he followed her. “You have no idea if this could be dangerous.”

  “Honey, they wouldn’t deliver it if it was. I’m thinking—”

  “No, Kyle, you weren’t thinking, because if you were, you’d have stayed outside with this little IED and not brought it into our house and expose the kids. If it was a package in a plain brown paper wrapping, you wouldn’t touch it, right?”

  She did have a point there.

  “But—”

  “I know, I know. It has flowers and heart stickers all over it, and you recognized it as being mine. But would you take a look at this piece of shit?” She held the case up until satisfied Kyle got the full import of her wrath. br />
  “You’re right, Christy. Of course, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”

  Satisfied, she set the bag on the glass-top table on their patio under the opened red umbrella. Stepping back one pace, she examined it.

  “I already shook it,” Kyle added, trying to be helpful.

  “Of course you did. And you’re still here. So I’m guessing it’s just what we thought, but I still don’t know what to do about opening it.”

  “Let me call Fredo. He’ll know about explosives and—”

  “And I want another opinion too.”

  “Well, I think Coop should be available, we could use a medic. Maybe Lucas or Jake. Tucker might know a thing or two about it. T.J.?”

  “Sure. You call some boys over here. I’m going to call the funeral parlor where he was fried.”

  Kyle winced at Christy’s words. It was hardly fitting for the honor and respect he held for the man, if their hunch was correct, might still be residing inside this pink case. Christy was serious, dropping the tea towel on the table, slapping her hands together as if getting rid of Gunny’s dust and ashes. It was slightly irreverent, Kyle thought.

  “How was your day, sweetie?” he asked.

  “Don’t ask. A disaster. I’m referring them out. Next time I’m not taking any more of you guys until you are good and married. I think he just wanted to impress her about living here in sunny San Diego so he could get a good lay tonight. Honestly, these newbies are not like the original.”

  She was frowning, shaking her pretty blonde hair from side to side. Her slim body poured into the white linen suit, the skirt just a little tight over her beautiful, perfect ass. In high heels and bone-colored stockings, she always took his breath away, especially when she was irritated. He loved the flushed, warm feeling she exhibited when he smiled at her and without words, told her he was damned happy she was his wife of eleven years.

  She approached, eyes downcast, allowing his attraction to grow. She stopped as her thighs scraped against his, her arms up over his shoulders, leaning forward until her tits pressed against his chest. “I can’t leave you alone for one afternoon without some big adventure befalling us?”