The Navy SEAL’s Holiday Fling: Ballybeg Bad Boys, Book 3 Read Free Page B

terrorist who goes by the moniker of The Ghost. I encountered him during my time as a SEAL. I believe I’m the only person who’s ever seen his face. When my boss called me and ordered me to drive to Blush Shoppe, I got stuck in traffic along the quays. I witnessed a man who looked like The Ghost entering the Sheldon Hotel. I followed him, saw a sign advertising the Blush Shoppe launch party in a second-floor conference room, and put two and two together.”
    “Your quick thinking saved lives,” Inspector Tobin said, running a hand over his balding scalp.
    “I’m glad to have been of service, but I’m worried about what The Ghost might be planning next.”
    “You have no idea where he went after he entered the hotel?”
    Liam shook his head. “By the time I reached the lobby, he’d disappeared. My guess is he planted the bomb and got the hell out.”
    “You searched for him?”
    “My primary concern at that moment was evacuating the hotel.”
    The policeman scratched his beard. “Will your boss be arranging a permit for you to work with us?”
    “He’s already put the steps in motion.”
    “I can give you emergency clearance in the meantime.”
    Liam raised an eyebrow. “So quickly?”
    Inspector Tobin’s expression turned grim. “Your boss told you about the bomb threats to five shops in five different cities?”
    “Yeah.”
    “The bombs were placed in buildings connected to Blush Shoppe, but not the retailers themselves. The Ghost’s bomb warning was a lie. He never meant to warn anyone. His goal was to kill innocent people, and he succeeded.”
    Liam’s limbs turned to ice. “The other bombs detonated?”
    The man nodded. “Blush Shoppe warehouses in Paris and Berlin exploded, as well as a delivery truck in Chicago, and a cargo plane carrying Blush Shoppe wares at Manchester Airport. The death toll worldwide is expected to exceed two hundred and fifty.”
    Liam swore in English and in French.
    “But thanks to you,” Inspector Tobin continued, “Cork’s casualties will be kept to a minimum.” The older man nodded to the hotel. “I’m waiting for confirmation from my team, but it looks like the hotel was fully evacuated before the blast.”
    “I hope to God that’s true,” Liam said with feeling.
    “We’re calling a meeting in an hour back at HQ. I’d like you to be there.”
    “I’d be honored.”
    The policeman slapped Liam on the back. “We’re grateful for your help. Sergeant Lally will drive you there in his car.”
    Lally, a squat muscular man in his mid-thirties, inclined his short neck in acquiescence. “Want to head now?”
    “Can you give me a sec? I’d like to say goodbye to someone.”
    Lally nodded. “Sure. I’ll wait for you by the post box.”
    “Thanks, pal.”
    Liam maneuvered his way through the throng to where Jill stood with her friend, Olivia. Both women were shivering and wore blankets around their bare shoulders.
    “Who knew I’d ever be grateful to a nun?” Olivia said through chattering teeth when he approached. “The nuns who run the homeless shelter on the quays provided blankets for those of us without coats, and hot drinks for everyone.”
    Jill regarded him with an expression of pure granite. “You’re being hailed as a hero, Mr. Ryan.”
    He ignored this and focused on her chocolate brown eyes. “I need to liaise with the Emergency Response Unit. We should be done in a few hours. Can I come by your house later? I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”
    Jill jutted her jaw. “What do we have to talk about?”
    “As you said earlier, I owe you an explanation. Let me give you one before you throw me out on my ass.”
    Olivia quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, let him come over, Jill. I’m dying to know why a US Navy SEAL has been running around Ireland incognito.”
    “I’m a former Navy SEAL,” Liam corrected. “My actions aren’t affiliated with the US military in any way.” Not officially affiliated with the US military, at any rate.
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