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reptiles. Or big cats. There are two great sanctuaries in Virginia who specialize in those. I don’t do snakes at all.” She shuddered. “Mostly I’m the facilitator. I get a call or Facebook e-mail about an animal in danger. I investigate and figure out the best course of action. Usually I try to coordinate with a sanctuary or, in the case of domestic animals, find them a home. Sometimes I end up rehabilitating them first.”
    She pulled out a photo-collage poster of tiger cubs in small cages with concrete floors, empty bowls of water, and food dishes covered with flies. “I also educate the public. People think it’s cool to get their picture taken with cubs. They have no idea what kind of life they have, and how terrible being handled is for them. I’ve taken these photos at Carrigan’s zoo over the past year.”
    “Your father told me you stole a horse when you were twelve.”
    “It broke my heart seeing that horse, all skin and bones. Animal control went out to investigate, but they said the horse wasn’t in bad enough shape to confiscate. So I removed him myself. I’ve found that the owner doesn’t usually report that an emaciated animal is missing. Why are you looking at me like that? And just how are you looking at me?” She saw a mixture of incredulity, perhaps a smidge of admiration.
    He took her in as though drinking every angle and curve of her face. “You aren’t like anyone I’ve ever known.” His gaze settled on her mouth, and he rubbed his own in response.
    This time the action clicked in her mind, thankfully taking her out of the moment, where she’d been about to lean forward and kiss him again. “I know who you are.”
    “Uh, yeah, we were introduced.”
    “I mean, you’re one of the SEAL team who went rogue and killed the leader of El Martillo, that Mexican organization that’s trying to abolish drug cartel violence. I remember the news footage where you were all being ushered into some government building. You rubbed your mouth that same way, and I thought you looked like that actor in
Magic Mike
.”
    “What’s
Magic Mike
?”
    She laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s not a movie that would be shown in the barracks. It’s about a male stripper with a good heart.”
    He smirked. “I suppose you watched it for the story line.”
    “I did. Well, mostly. But that’s not the point! Your team killed innocent people. Does my father know about this?”
    “Yes, and we didn’t go rogue. I can’t divulge the details, but I don’t want you thinking I’m some bloodthirsty soldier, so I’ll give you the gist. I’ll keep your secret from your father if you keep mine.”
    “Deal.”
    “We were following orders. Only they weren’t official orders. We were told that El Martillo was only pretending to be a private organization out to shut down drug cartels, when in fact they’re a cartel, too. Our mission was supposed to look like a cartel hit, but the OIC—officer in charge—got killed and ID’d. So it was either the U.S. be implicated in what looked like an unjustified assassination or blame it on a group of guys following their rogue OIC—a guy who couldn’t defend himself.”
    “Women and children were killed.”
    “Someone shot the leader and his wife before we got there. It was a setup. He ambushed us, which is how the OIC was shot. Our intel assured us that there were no women or children living at the main compound. That intel lied. But we didn’t shoot those people they showed in the pictures. The girl was alive when we left.” His face tightened. “We think El Martillo faked some of the death pictures to generate sympathy—and outrage.”
    She knew there were cover-ups and covert missions and scapegoats in the military and government. That was why Chase Justiss had changed his name and now took justice into his own hands. “People were angry that you didn’t get court-martialed and jail time.”
    “It was a mock hearing. We were fired to appease both the public