Fire & Ice (Taming Team TEN Book Four)

by Jana Leigh

  “Brin Plater?” Mason said aloud.

  “Emo’s oldest sister?” Thane asked and grabbed the paper.

  Jessie ‘Iceman’ James stepped up frowning. “Oldest sister, what are you talking about, his younger sister is still in high school her name is Cynthia.”

  Ice jumped when he heard his friend’s Mark’s voice, “Really, dumbass, the oldest of my two sisters, Brin, the one who went to Med School, remember her?”

  Ice closed his eyes, he dreaded this day. “How could I remember her, I remember a younger girl who followed you around all the time? I can’t even remember meeting her in the last year.” His teammates looked at him with dawning recognition. They knew who he was talking to.

  “You fucker, you did see her within the last year. The party we went to before the last mission? The one where you got so drunk? It was Brin’s graduation party, asshole. I didn’t know you had sex with my sister that night you ass!” Emo yelled.

  “Wait I remember a hottie, that was your sister? Man, I didn’t know,” Ice argued. “It doesn’t count.” The guys waited, trying to piece together what was going on.

  Drake laughed and held out the paper to Ice, “I would guess it counts now. She was driving through the town trying to find Tulu. She went into labor on the side of the road and someone from town picked her up. She explained to them who she needed to call. They put two and two together but didn’t know how to get a hold of us. Thank goodness we tagged the 911 calls.”

  “Well that sucks. Where is the father?” Ice asked and looked at the guys who were laughing at him. They apparently got the joke but Jessie didn’t. “Hey, is that my final thing for you? Do you need me to find the father and beat the shit out of him and make him pay child support?”

  “The father is right in front of me, asshole. Count back you dipshit. Now, do you want to beat the shit out of yourself?!” Emo yelled.

  Ice focused and then began to cuss. “I need some fucking keys.”

  The SEAL ran off with Emo trailing him yelling in his ear.

  Thane rolled his eyes and said, “I will take him.”

  There had been a bit of an argument over who was actually going. Drake finally won the argument saying Thane was needed at the ranch. Everyone understood why Thane wanted to go, he was their team leader, he took responsibility for all of them even though now they were out. The team agreed that Thane was going to have the biggest problem letting go of the guilt, if he ever could.

  With a roar of dust, Drake peeled out of the driveway with his loaded truck and took off down the road with Jessie in the passenger seat glaring at his driving skills. When they were still in the service, Drake was not allowed to drive—AT ALL. To say he sucked would be like saying the sky was blue. Patiently obvious, and yet still a surprise to the people who seemed to be oblivious. Like Drake.

  Ice clutched his already unsteady stomach and closed his eyes. The only thing he needed to focus on was what the hell he was going to do about this mess. How he was going to protect his child. With everything going on, it would put a target on both of their backs if anyone found out. The thought caused a shiver to run through him, what if he was too late? Mark was his partner, his best friend, the one who helped him do his job to the fullest.

  Ice and Emo were called into the Commander's office right when they walked into the hanger one morning. Both men knew what was going to happen. They had done this before. The mission had nothing to do with the Team, and everything to do with the fact they were the best sniper team in the SEALs. Both men grabbed their deployment bag they kept packed for such missions. They had one for the team deployments and one for the separate ones because when they were sent out as a duo, no one knew where they would be going.

  “Sir,” Ice said and saluted their commanding officer, LC. “We are on.”

  LC looked up at him and nodded. “I know.”

  Ice shrugged and waited with Emo who was standing at attention as well. Both of them could be relaxed when talking to LC except when they had a mission, then it was all business.

  “This is your mission,” LC said brusquely and then handed them a file.

  They were supposed to find and capture one man, one of the leaders of a well-known terrorist group. The man had been illusive, and Ice looked up at his commanding officer and said, “Do we know where he is going to be?”

  “It’s in there. Chatter places him in a small town for the next week; there are meetings with some other faction. We are still working on identifying the players, so far they seem to be an old cell taken over by someone. They are not your worry, this man is. We need him taken out of play because they are planning an attack. We need to be ahead of them. He is the key to stopping the latest terrorist plot. If we get him, we can worry about the others later, it will disrupt the cell,” LC said and both men nodded.

  “We are gone,” Emo said and led the way out of the office.

  Nineteen hours later, they were lying on a hillside, covered with their camo nets and brush, not moving a muscle as Emo used his spotter’s device to keep his eye on the target, and Ice checked his sites on his scope. The compound down below was isolated, when they had moved into place it had been on their stomachs as not to attract attention, the location was such, the men from the compound could see if there was movement. It had been painstakingly slow getting to their current position.

  When they spoke, it was in a low whisper, both knew it could be hours before they were able to move again. Their extraction team would not come until called, although they were only fifteen clicks from where they were.

  “What I wouldn’t give for an ice cold beer right about now,” Ice muttered softly.

  “Yeah, and a large supreme pizza with extra cheese from D’jor’s on base.” Emo sighed.

  “When we get back, we need to have a guys' poker night,” Ice said and then moved his scope slightly to narrow the margin for mistakes. “Wind?”

  “SW coming at 3,” Emo said. “Hell ya, LC owes me fifty from the last one.”

  “Locked on,” Ice said. “Maybe Marie will make us that salsa again. Damn that was some good shit.”

  “I have to visit my sis right when we get home. She is starting her final rotation and it will be the last time before graduation she will have a break,” Emo muttered.

  “Cool, a little East Coast vacay. Do I get to tag along?” Ice commented.

  “You can, then my sis will be sure to actually make time for me,” Emo chuckled. “You know she still has a crush on you?”

  Ice snorted softly. “Right, she has more brains than that. Besides, last time I saw her she was too busy with what’s his name to notice.”

  “Yeah…well, what’s his name is history, and she has had a makeover,” Emo said slowly. “In her letter she said it was time to grow up. Apparently the idiot told her that wearing sweats all the time was not cool.”

  “She was in college,” Ice argued.

  “He told her she was a slob,” Emo laughed. “I was thinking we could kick some major ass.”

  “No prob,” Ice laughed.

  “Target moving N-NE, getting in black SUV on the right, his LT on the left,” Emo said.

  “Shit, he was not supposed to leave yet,” Ice muttered and moved the scope a little. “Got him.”

  “Hold,” Emo said and then watched. “Another SUV coming through gates, vehicle matches same as Target's.”

  The two men watched as the man they were sent to kill remained in the back of one SUV, not moving, while the other SUV came to a halt next to the first one. It didn’t make sense what they were doing. There was no movement in or out of the vehicles though they sat side by side.

  “What the fuck are they doing?” Ice asked.

  “Not sure,” Emo replied and they continued to watch.

  The minutes rolled by, and both men were still. The compound, which had been a flurry of activity a few minutes ago, was currently at a standstill. The men who had been in the courtyard of the small compound were notably absent.

/>   “Status?” They heard in their ears.

  Emo reported as Ice remained silent watching the target intently, something was going on, and they weren't in a good position to see exactly what it was. From their viewpoint, no one had left either car, and they were just sitting there. Slowly, Ice shifted a little to see if he could get a better view. He saw the slight jerk of the SUV they were targeting as its engine started.

  “Movement,” Ice said.

  Emo paused as he watched the SUV begin to move forward. He reported to the JOC, and then waited for their orders. The target was not supposed to be leaving yet, but if he did and didn’t come back, they would have missed their opportunity.

  “Chatter indicates they are moving the target, if you have a shot, take him out,” LC ordered.

  Ice blew out a breath, the SUV would circle the compound coming toward them, and then turning so Ice could get a clean shot. “Call for extraction. One shot and we are out,” Ice said.

  They waited as the car pulled right where they wanted it. Emo whispered the information Ice needed to make the shot from this far, without blinking Ice pressed his finger against the trigger, and felt the recoil of his rifle as he took the shot.

  The window to the back right exploded and Ice could see the man in the back look of disbelief as the target slumped against the front seat dead. Emo grabbed the traces of equipment as Ice continued to fire, picking off more than one man who had opened fire on them after shooting the target.

  “Move!” Emo yelled as Ice slid back and pulled up, still firing at the men in the compound.

  The two moved to where they were supposed to meet their ride and waited. In and out, that was their job.

  “So your sister has a crush on me?” Ice laughed.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Emo said and slapped his friend on the back of the head.

  He wouldn't let Emo down because of one night of carelessness and he sure wasn't going let Brin and his down. His eyes popped open and he glared at his friend.

  “Drive faster!” he ground out. It was like giving candy to a baby, and releasing the Kraken all in one. Neither were the smartest things in the entire world. However, both were a force to be reckoned with, kinda like him when one of his own was in harm's way.

  “Aooooooo,” Drake howled and thumped his hand on the steering wheel. “We are gone…”

  “Shit,” Ice muttered. He had a good sense of humor like anyone else. Hell with the name Jessie James, he had to or he would have been eaten alive when he was younger. Ice liked to tell all the jokes before someone could beat him to it. For some reason it made him feel better. Some people considered him a smart ass, while others laughed about his sense of humor. Ice had both. However, his sense of humor was controlled just like the rest of him. He was a sniper, a good one. Mark had been not only the Intel guy but also his spotter. When you had a relationship with someone like that, it was hard to explain to most people. The guys on the team used to say they shared the same brain, possible now that he thought about it. They worked simultaneously when they were paired together for special missions. It was literally Emo and him on their own.

  Mark "Emo" Plater had been his best friend and partner on the SEAL team. How the fuck had he screwed up so bad? Brin was his sister? Ice was sure he would have noticed if he had made that big of a mistake. It blew his mind that he could have slept with his best friend's sister, not have known it and gotten her pregnant. Jessie had always used protection, but apparently it didn’t work, which pissed him off. Not that he had a child, pissed that he wasn't there for everything a couple would share in pregnancy.

  He had watched Marie as she grew with his friend’s child. Jessie had been envious at the time, wondering what it would feel like knowing you created a life. He had missed all that, and Brin had been alone. There was no way her parents were helpful. The only thing they cared about was appearances. Jessie wouldn't let them hurt her or their child with their poison.

  He vaguely remembered his best friend's sisters. Granted one was younger and had been in middle school when Jessie first met her. She had been the 'unexpected' baby for Mark's parents. Cynthia was probably in college by now. However, Brin, the other sister, had been quiet and studious, the only thing Jessie could remember for sure was that she wore glasses and had brown hair, not that Jessie hadn’t found her a little attractive, it was just his best friend's sister, making her off limits so he never paid close attention them. Jessie remembered Mark being so proud of Brin when she received a scholarship to med school. It was all he talked about for weeks when she started. His sister was only two years younger than Mark. They were close.

  Jessie "Ice" James was always careful, his mother lectured him so many times about ‘wearing a raincoat’ it had practically become his mantra when he went out at night. He repeated it time and time again in his head so he wouldn’t get in this situation. He remembered the hot girl, she had been the life of the party. He remembered staring at her, watching every move she made.

  She had been like a magnet and he was drawn to her. As she walked around the room Jessie had stalked her, watching to see how she dealt with people. He had been waiting to see if he even stood a chance with her, if she were alone. When he finally approached her, she had been alone. One of his greatest regrets was never actually getting her number or her name. Now he knew why, she had been his best friend's sister. She had to have known who he was.

  Jessie felt the anger rise in him. Had she played him? Like maybe she was pissed at Emo and decided to get back at him by sleeping with his best friend? His mind wandered to the possibilities until he felt someone slap him on the back of his head.

  He opened his eyes and Drake was driving, listening to the radio quietly. When he looked out the front window he wanted to laugh, Drake was so going to get a ticket if they were this far already. The Colorado border was only thirty miles away.

  “Hey, asshole.” He heard Emo say in his ear and jumped. Drake looked at him sideways and frowned. Shaking his head, he turned around. Drake looked in the review mirror, and then raised an eyebrow.

  “Emo,” was all he had to say and Drake laughed.

  “Hey, I have every right to haunt your ass, MY SISTER!” Emo roared.

  Jessie shook his head and replied, “For once and for all, I didn’t know, she never told me her name.”

  “Just sad, dude,” Drake shook his head and laughed. “I mean, not only did you get wasted and have sex with some random chick, but Emo’s sister. Man, that's like a huge no-no. Even I know that shit.”

  “What about Alex, Sable was Wolfman’s sister,” Jessie argued.

  “Please, they met after,” Emo said rolling his eyes. “What the hell are my parents going to say, you know how they are? She was probably running from them in the first place. Mom and Dad probably made her feel like shit, and told her she'd ruined her life, blah, blah, blah.”

  Jessie groaned, he knew that part was true. When Jessie met them for the first time, all he could think about was how white and sharp her father's shirt was. It looked like it had just come out of the package. In fact, Jessie had thought so until the next day when the man was wearing a blue one just as starched. Men in the military know their starch too. Jessie would take his uniforms in every other week, hand them to the older woman who ran the place he went to and said ‘Extra Starch’.

  Their uniforms were crisp and cleaned every time he needed them. They had an image to project, pride in the military. The men showed it by making sure they looked and showed their love for their Branch of Service.

  Mark and his father had actually argued that weekend over his choice of careers. His father didn’t like Mark being in the service when he had so much more to offer the world. Jessie had frowned and when his friend exploded, Jessie carried him out of the house and down the driveway, all the while his friend was seething and yelling at his father. It was one of the last times they had spoken. Their relationship became very strained. Mark wouldn't have gone home the last time, but for h
is sisters. He knew there were times he snuck back into town and saw them without contacting his parents.

  When he was killed, Jessie called once from the hospital. Mark's father had hung up on him but not before he told him the family blamed him and the Team for Mark's death.

  “I will fix it,” Jessie said with determination.

  “You better. Drake has the letter in case your plan goes south!” Emo muttered and then faded away.

  Jessie frowned and looked at Drake, “You have Emo’s letter?”

  “Huh, no way. I would not do that, man,” Drake argued.

  “Emo just said that you did,” Jessie growled.

  Drake shrugged, “There is the bag.”

  Jessie pulled up the duffel and opened it, sure enough on the top of the clothes lay a tattered letter. He pulled it out, closed his eyes, and groaned, “Why me?”

  Chapter One

  Grant Prime looked around his office and groaned, so much to do. When he arrived in the small town in Louisiana, he hadn’t know what to expect. Grant graduated from Veterinary school six years ago, and went to work in Dallas, Texas. The city was too big, having grown up in Texas, but in a smaller town, he thought he could deal with all the hustle and bustle of city life. He couldn't have been more wrong.

  Pampered pets, pampered owners, and more importantly, pampered single women who thought because he was a veterinarian he was rich had put a damper on the entire experience. So Grant sought for a small town that would welcome him with open arms. What he got was a quirkily little town he had grown accustom to. Melancholy Township, Louisiana, was the perfect town if you were up on all of your gator reading. Not that the town was still called Melancholy, the townspeople didn’t think the name suited their community, so the Mayor along with several of the more prominent business owners went to a company and asked if they could use their name, since everyone in town loved their products. The company had been thrilled, and allowed them to name the town Smith and Wesson Township, Louisiana. He still shook his head when he actually said the words aloud, or he had to mail something. Grant wished he could count the number of times he received funny mail after he sent something, people wanting t-shirts etc., just to prove the town really existed. That was the biggest business they had, sending out stuff to prospective tourists. Of course, Grant figured it was the perfect place to start a clinic, he had been right. Now, his office had three vets and clinicians, everything was going pretty good.