Hot SEALs: Reclaiming the SEAL (Kindle Worlds) (Lost and Found Series Book 11) by J.M. Madden Read Free Book Online

that he needed to be at the base quickly, he’d stayed at Gabe’s place. As they drove south along the coastal highway Gabe could understand the appeal. Something about Virginia Beach felt different from Little Creek, maybe it seemed more laid back to him.
    Gwen had sent him a text message saying that the truck she’d rented to for the things they were going to keep was due to arrive at eleven. That gave them two hours to pack up anything they needed to.
    Gabe had hired a crime scene cleaning company out of Norfolk to come in after the body had been removed. Actually, when he’d mumbled something to the coroner about cleaning up the place before Butter’s genteel southern mother got there, the man had fished a business card from his wallet. “Call this guy. They do impeccable work.”
    As he walked into the apartment he took a short breath, afraid of what he might smell. But nothing assaulted his nose and he dared to walk in. Butter’s apartment looked the same as it always did—cluttered and in need of a good cleaning. Heart thudding with dread, he walked across the room and peered into the bathroom. Nothing. For a moment it didn’t jive with what he remembered and he blinked, trying to realign his reality. A soft hand rested on his back and he jumped, but it was just Julie. “Are you okay, honey?”
    Gabe nodded, his heart warming a little at the endearment, his gaze drifting back to the tile in the bathroom. Lord knows he’d seen blood before, but never like what he’d seen that night. The cleanup crew had done an amazing job and earned every bit of their expensive fee.
    “I’ll get the stuff in here if you want to work in his bedroom,” she offered.
    Gabe knew she was doing it to help with his sanity but he didn’t like taking the easy way out. “No, I’ll get it.”
    She pulled a cardboard box from the hallway and gave it to him with a smile. “If you want me to take over, just let me know.”
    Gabe looked down at the box in his hand and was a little disoriented. It seemed very strange going through his buddy’s things like this. He opened the medicine cabinet and stilled, his eyes ranging over the rows of prescription pill bottles. There had to be twenty or twenty-five different bottles. What the hell…
    Reaching out he drew one from the shelf. The name of the drug was one he recognized but he wasn’t sure what it was used for.
    “Hey, Julie, can you come here a minute?”
    She was there within seconds, whistling softly at what he had discovered. “Oh, dear,” she sighed, taking the bottle from his hand. Then she reached for a couple of others, sometimes holding the transparent bottle to the light to judge the amount of pills inside.
    “What are these?”
    She gave him a long, considering look. “They are antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The prescription is fairly recent but it’s curious because there are hardly any used out of the bottle. That was why I was looking. These are only thirty day prescriptions.”
    She continued to look through the bottles, arranging them in a couple of different groups.
    “Antipsychotics, mood elevators, mood suppressors. There’s a whole range in here. Did you know he was having issues?”
    Gabe felt like he’d been slammed in the face by a two-by-four. “No, not at all.”
    Julie seemed to accept that with a nod. “If a person has had mental health issues long-term, they become adept at hiding it from other people.”
    She looked at the counter cluttered with pill bottles. “This seems pretty severe to have hidden, though.” She picked a bottle to look at more closely, then pointed to the label with a finger. “These are recent but look at the bottle. That’s not Butter’s name.”
    No, it wasn’t. Obviously he’d set himself up an alias to use for treatment. Gabe didn’t want to think about the time and care it took to set up a false identity. Although, if anybody could do it, it would be a SEAL.
    “I’m