Code Name: Ghost

by Natasza Waters

  “Kayla, you’re not walking to the bus stop by yourself, are you?”

  “There’s plenty of street lights. It’s just a ten minute walk. See ya.”

  Stars filled the California heavens as she walked at a good clip toward the entrance of the base. The sound of several boots in unison scuffing the pavement caught her attention, a troop of BUD/S recruits on a midnight run passed her. Their CPO started a running cadence just as they came abeam of her.

  “Hoo-yah, hoo-yah, feeling good, how about you, fired up, motivated, dedicated, graduate, hoo-yah,” the voices of the men echoing his words. The CPO led his recruits in a large arcing circle around her, then tipped his hat to her, before carrying on down the road.

  There might not be any life like it, but sitting in her new comfy, but quaint condo overlooking the beach was a better life. She still thanked God for the men who dedicated their lives to an important cause with so many unacknowledged successes.

  She approached the large parking lot for day workers, mostly vacant now, a single light post illuminating the far end. A couple of cars remained, one at the opposite end, the other to her far right. It would only take a minute or two to cross and then she’d be at the entrance. Keeping herself alert, she forged on.

  Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the thud of a heel not far behind her. “Oh, shit,” she hissed. Don’t be stupid, but her pulse started racing. The heels came toward her fast and she jerked around.

  “Hey there.” A guy in jogging pants and T-shirt clinging to his well-toned torso stopped a few feet away from her.

  She breathed out, and swallowed to dislodge her heart from her throat. “Evening.” Across the pocket of his shirt, the words “Navy SEALs” stitched with dark blue thread revealed his profession, but not his intent.

  “You know, you shouldn’t be walking alone. You’ve seen the posters, haven’t you?” he asked, standing a good eight feet from her as if not wanting to scare her, but he wasn’t going away either.

  “Out for some exercise?”

  “Yeah,” he said, giving her a friendly smile. “Gotta keep in shape, part of the job.”

  “What job is that?”

  “SEAL Team Three, demolitions specialist.”

  “Uh, I see. You stay fit to blow things up.” She watched him carefully as he took a few steps, but didn’t come any closer.

  He pinched his lips together with a grin. “I do a little more than that. Anyway, are you heading off base?” he asked.

  “To the bus stop,” she said warily, keeping an eye on him, but taking a few small steps as if she needed to go.

  He surveyed the landscape. “If you don’t mind, I would feel better if I joined you to the entrance.”

  Her heart skipped another beat. Was he looking to see if anyone else was around? “I’m fine, really.”

  “I’m sure you are,” he replied. “But humor me anyway.”

  He didn’t seem very scary, more noble and courteous, but then again Ted Bundy had a good cover, too. “I suppose.” As she began walking toward the exit, he kept her stride, but didn’t get within eight feet of her.

  “I think I’ve seen you before in the galley. Do you work with Captain Redding in the Base Command center?”

  “Yes,” she said, darting a quick glance at his swarthy complexion, dark eyes and incredibly toned upper torso. She wondered if being a body builder was part of the SOQ of being a SEAL.

  They passed in front of a parked car at the end of the lot. The engine roared to life and the lights blinded her. The distance between the SEAL and her vanished in a millisecond as he hurled her behind him.

  “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare the shit outta ya,” a voice called from the car. The SEAL veered around the vehicle, towing her along with him.

  “Oh, hey, Captain, working late on the old girl again?” the SEAL said, his arm relaxing around her shoulder.

  Her heart thundered in her chest as she peered in the car. “Hi, Captain,” she said, giving him a nod.

  “You need a ride home, Ms. Banks?” he asked.

  “No, thank you, sir.” She stepped away from the SEAL, her legs wobbling from the adrenaline coursing through her.

  From the sheath of darkness inside the car, the Captain waved and then drove off. The audible breath Kayla released to settle her nerves drew the SEAL’s attention.

  “You okay?”

  Placing a hand over her heart didn’t help, but for sure she knew she had one. “Yeah,” she said, continuing to walk toward the gate, although her legs still shook. They neared the entrance. “Thanks for the escort. What’s your name, by the way?”

  “Kevin, ma’am. Nice to meet you, Snow White.” He offered a smile, but kept a respectable distance between them.

  How the hell did he know who she was? “Thanks again, Kevin.” She was feeling a little stupid for not seeing that he was a decent guy earlier, but just about every woman on the base was on edge because of the Blood Shark. Giving Kevin a wave, she walked toward the bus stop where a few other people waited. Finding a seat on the bus and panning the darkness, she saw Kevin wait until the doors closed and the bus pulled away before he jogged into the night.

  * * * *

  She wasn’t Einstein, but when a different guy jogged up to her for five nights straight, reaching her at exactly the same spot, and escorted her to the gate, all of them from SEAL Team Three, she knew something was up.

  On the sixth night when she heard the pad of feet behind her she stopped, dropped her pack on the ground and turned with her hands on her hips. “All right,” she said sternly. The guy, in his early twenties with mounding shoulder muscles, a chest like Smokey the Bear and dark hazel eyes halted in front of her. She stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Kayla. Yes, I’m walking to the gate by myself. Yes, I work for Captain Redding, and yes, I’m taking the bus, but I think you know that already, don’t you?”

  He stepped back a pace. “Ma’am?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “He told you to do this, didn’t he?”

  “He, ma’am?”

  “Don’t you ma’am me, SEAL, Commander Austen. He set this up, didn’t he?”

  The SEAL looked at the ground, scratching his ear. “Well, kinda, yes.”

  She shook her head. “That guy just doesn’t trust me, does he?”

  “He was right, wasn’t he, ma’am?” He gave her a serious if not reprimanding look. “He said you’d be stubborn and refuse an escort, but we had orders ma’am, and the option of failure wasn’t very appetizing.”

  “Did he threaten you?” she asked, gaping at him.

  “I wouldn’t call it a threat,” he said, and then stretched his arm out to prompt her to start walking.

  “Okay, so I’ve met Kevin, Dale, Robert, Frank, and Gabe, so who are you?”

  He grinned. “Ross.”

  “Hi, Ross,” she said dryly, and gave him her hand for a shake. “Good thing I don’t work more than six evening shifts in a row. You guys must be getting tired of babysitting.”

  “Um, it’s coming on day shifts, too,” He paused, “And your night shifts.”

  “Say what?” she spouted.

  “Yes, Ma’am, until the Commander returns.”

  “If I told you all to stand down, would you?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said as they reached the other side of the parking lot near the fenced perimeter of the base. He tilted his head at her. “He kind of outranks you.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” She stopped and stretched out her hand. “Thanks again, Ross. I guess you’re going to stand here until I get on that bus, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You people have got to stop calling me ma’am. I feel old enough as it is.” She waved at the security officer and got a quick wave back. Then a thought fired on all cylinders in her brain. “There isn’t someone on the other end of this bus, is there?”

  Ross crossed his arms over his chest, causing the muscles to bulge from the cuffs of his T-shirt,
and he scuffed the ground with a toe, somewhat resembling a kid caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

  “You’re shittin’ me! A two-man patrol?”

  He shrugged at her with a good-natured grin.

  “What makes me so special?”

  He deliberated for a moment then said, “We’re wondering the same thing. We thought maybe you were a relative or something, but now we know you’re not.” Ross tossed his head. “Your bus is coming, Snow White, you better go.”

  That’s great, she’d been interrogated at the same time! She lifted her hands in the air. “I don’t have an answer for you, SEAL, but I’m sure as hell going to find out when he gets his Commander-like ass back here.”

  Ross chuckled. “Bye, Kayla.”

  “See ya around, Ross.”

  Well—if the Commander was going to protect her, she was going to share the wealth. She called a few departments, and asked if there were any women working shifts like her. When her dayshift started, she grinned seeing how many gals stood hovering around the gate. They were grateful, and she made a few friends. The SEALs didn’t mind either, especially the single ones. In fact, it wasn’t only one SEAL, a few more joined the escort. When the women broke away for their offices, one SEAL always remained with her to the front step of the Command center.

  Strolling down the hall, she shot a look into Captain Redding’s office as she did every day. On the thirteenth day, the Commander’s desk was occupied. She didn’t knock, but instead marched in and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. He didn’t look up at her. “Nice to see you returned with your head attached, sir,” she drawled, and darted a quick look at Redding, whose brows rose with humor.

  “Hello, Ms. Banks, how are you?” the Commander asked, concentrating on a document lying on his desk.

  “Still alive, thanks to you, but before I figured it out, I had the shit scared out of me at least three nights in a row.”

  A crooked grin crossed his lips, but he kept his head bowed. When she remained silent, he finally raised his eyes to hers. “I hear you have company now.”

  A full-on horserace began in her chest with all the hooves pounding through her heart. Warm, crystalline blue eyes searched hers. He was glad to see her. The thought made her heart teeter. To hell with the man, she was not going to wither under his stare just because he was extraordinarily—over-the-top, without a doubt—oh shit he was handsome. She was so relieved to see he was home and unharmed. Flinging herself across his desk and hugging him would be totally irrational behavior. “Yes, so I think you can probably let your men get to bed a little earlier and rise a little later.”

  “SEALs don’t need sleep.”

  “Hoo-rah,” and she turned on her heels. “Thank you,” she blurted before she rounded the corner leaving the room.

  His deep rumble chased her down the hallway. “It’s Hoo-yah, and you’re welcome.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kayla heard the distinctive sound of rolling casters before someone gently bumped up against the back of her chair. “Hey Mace, how ya doin’?” she said, not having to look up. He always wore an enticing aftershave, no doubt expensive and proven to drive the ladies wild—young ladies.

  “So, are ya coming to watch us this weekend?” he asked, turning her chair to face him.

  “Watch you do what?” she asked, thumbing through a file of afternoon military activity reports she had to send to the Coast Guard base in Long Beach.

  “Jumpin’.”

  Tony and Nathan gathered around. “Hi ya, Snow White,” Tony said, offering up his signature grin.

  “Hi, guys.” Turning her attention back on Mace she asked, “Jumping?”

  “Yeah, the big air show in Arizona this weekend. The SEALs participate every year, doing exercises and wowin’ the crowd. All the teams take turns being Leap Frogs and…” Mace’s head jerked back. “Kayla, do you wanna jump?” he asked, surprise widening his grin.

  “What? Nuuuu.” She toed the floor rolling backwards, but he grabbed the arms of her chair to stop her, pulling her back and pressing his knees against hers.

  “You do. I saw that glint in your eyes.”

  “No glint, seriously.” Fox and Caleb wandered up and she gave them a nod.

  Mace grabbed her hand. “Yes you do, I can see it,” he said, not giving in.

  “I might have considered it when I was younger.” She raised a brow. “Much younger.”

  “Kayla, it’s never too late. You can grab a ride with us. We’re leaving tonight. You’ll be back by Sunday night. I’ll go over the—”

  She held her hand up, and he stopped gibbering. “Mace, I’ve learned through bitter experience, I never do anything right the first time. If I jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft, I’d pull both cords and nothing would happen.”

  Tony knelt down on one knee in front of her. “You wouldn’t be jumping by yourself, Kayla. You could go tandem with one of us.”

  “Not one of us, Tinman—me,” Mace corrected. “Come on, Kayla, you’d love it.”

  Craziness! But, she’d always wondered what it would be like to skydive. Many times she’d come close, but the stars just never aligned.

  Mace jumped up and grabbed her hands. “You’re doin’ it. Decision is made.”

  “I don’t know Mace—I think I’m too old for that.”

  The other guys didn’t like her answer and started taunting her.

  “What’s going on?” A growl came from behind them and they all turned to see the Commander scanning them with a stony look.

  “Snow White’s coming with us this weekend. We could use her in the demo for the tandem. She’s never jumped before,” Mace piped up.

  “And she’s not jumping now,” the Commander said sternly.

  Mace placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed her gently. “Not by herself, Commander, with me. I’ll take her.”

  The Commander shook his head, the look in his eyes adamant.

  Disappointment closed its cold fingers around her heart. “Thanks for the offer, Mace.” She swung around and answered a call from a base vessel departing the dock for a border patrol. The next thing she knew she was being drowned out by the team all squawking behind her.

  “Why not, Commander? This is volunteer, good will stuff. Why can’t she come?” Tony asked.

  “I don’t have a problem with it,” Fox said. “She’d love it. What do you think, Lieutenant?”

  Lieutenant Cobbs’ gravelly voice started to reason aloud, like he often did. “We usually do a tandem jump anyways. She’s light. We’ve probably got more equipment on when we jump than she weighs. I don’t see why not, but it’s the Commander’s call.”

  She nudged the chair up to her console with her back to them, she couldn’t help it, and crossed her fingers.

  Silence echoed in the room. “Decision is final. I’m sorry, Kayla,” the Commander said after a few seconds.

  She nodded her acknowledgment without looking at him, instead staring up at the electronic board crosschecking the locations of all the vessels belonging to the base, shaking off her disappointment. One more near miss at feeling the wind beneath her wings, guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

  * * * *

  Mace closed the door behind him, but didn’t step far from it. The Commander ignored him, taking a seat at his desk.

  In danger of sounding like a whining kid, he said, “Why?”

  “Mace—” The Commander turned a biting gaze on him. “She’s not going. If she wants to fly to Arizona to watch on her time, that’s fine, but she’s not jumping with you.”

  “Sir, I don’t care if you make me clean the entire flotilla, but I’m going to say this.”

  The Commander leaned back, his jaw tightening.

  “She works her ass off here.” He took a couple steps closer, but didn’t venture all the way to his desk. “She makes life bearable, just by doing little things, and now we have a chance to return her kindness in a small way.”

  “Sh
e’s a grown woman, Mace. If she wants to jump, she could get lessons and do it on her own time.”

  Fisting his hand in frustration, it came down hard against the wall. “Jesus Christ, Commander, I don’t get it. Why do you hate her so much? You’re always glaring at her like you want to rip her to pieces. I’m amazed she hasn’t buckled yet. What the hell has she done that’s pissed you off, sir?” The Commander had put his attention on the far wall as he spouted off. No doubt the storm front was about to move in, and discipline was sure to follow.

  The Commander’s hand clenched, but not as hard as his expression. “I don’t hate her, Mace. I helped the woman find a place to live. I’ve accepted her for the long haul. Hell, I offered her our help to move, which she refused.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  That stopped the Commander cold. “What?”

  “We moved her.” He shrugged, but did one hell of an inner jig. He’d finally one-upped the Commander. Somebody mark this goddamn day on the calendar.

  “When?”

  The inner jig came to a halt with one foot high in the air. The Commander looked so off balance, it blew his happy dance to hell. Nothing flustered the man, but he almost looked hurt. “Last weekend. I brought the guys over and we moved her in.”

  The Commander shifted in his seat. “Good,” the word barely made it out of his mouth. He leaned back, twisting a pen through his fingers. “You do realize she’s older than you, Mace?”

  What the hell? Now he was speechless. Especially with the fierceness that dropped into the Commander’s eyes like a flare on its downward arc. He’d seen it many times before, but it sure as hell wasn’t aimed at one of them. A Tango had a no RSVP required reservation to meet the grim reaper with that look. He swallowed thickly. Time for a diversion. A fast one.