Code Name: Ghost

by Natasza Waters

  “Commander?” He heard Cobbs call from the other side of the door.

  “Come.”

  Cobbs pushed the door open, and leaned in. “It’s five o’clock, Commander. Everyone’s up. Debrief in thirty minutes?”

  “Yeah.”

  Cobbs stared at him as if expecting him to say more.

  “What?” he said, still waking up, the dream still shimmering in his mind.

  “You’re sure you’re going to let her do this?”

  “What?” His head shot up.

  “Kayla, we have to take her tonight so she can set up the recon and map out the grid overlay in the caverns. After you stormed off this morning we didn’t know what you planned to do.”

  It wasn’t a dream? Somehow he’d put her coming and his desires together. She was here. At least part of it was a dream, seeing he’d fallen asleep with his pants on.

  “The team hasn’t said anything,” Cobbs paused. “About—well you know. But they have concerns, for you and for her, and I share them, Thane. If you’re going to be distracted, she needs to be replaced.” He closed the door and took a few steps closer. “I sure as hell wouldn’t want the woman I love to be here, let alone taking her into the caves tonight. There’s going to be resistance. Do you want that?”

  “I’m not in love with her,” he argued, staring down at the metal floor.

  “Thane,” he snapped sharply. “You better stop lying to yourself or you’re going to get us killed. Kayla is a smart woman, but she’s not a soldier.”

  He raised his eyes to Cobbs. “I don’t want her here, but it’s too late.” He pushed himself to his feet while Cobbs glared at him. “She’s my responsibility. I’ll take care of her, we’ll get the job done.”

  Cobbs’ hand shot out and gripped his shoulder. “How long have we known each other?”

  He tilted his head then looked away. “Too long, obviously.”

  “That’s right. So you can lie to yourself and to everyone else, but you won’t for very long if something happens to her tonight. You’ll fall to fucking pieces if she’s lying dead in your arms. Could you stand to see her body bleed out and life slip from her eyes. Do you want to be standing over her coffin when you tell her what you really feel for the first time? One bullet can tear through her, and she’ll be gone.”

  He ripped Cobbs hand from him. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “It sure as hell could. We’re as close as brothers, and it’s time you got a reality check.”

  “I don’t need one. I made my choice a long time ago.”

  “Fuck your choice. You made that decision long before she came, but she’s here now.”

  “What the fuck do you want me to say?”

  “I want you to think about yourself instead of war for one goddamn minute. Think about her and what you could have together. You’ve never let yourself get close to anyone, and you’ve been missing the best part of life there is.”

  “Think about her.” Coughing out a half-hearted laugh, he jerked his head. “She’s on my mind every second of the day. I don’t have to try to think about her, Pat. I’m at war all the time to get her out of my head. But I also know Kayla, and she won’t back down.” He turned toward the heads, then stopped. “There was nothing to miss in my life until she walked into it.” He curled a look over his shoulder at his friend. “But it doesn’t change anything, Pat, not what I am or what she is, and she’s just like me.”

  * * * *

  After showering, he met up with the men. “Where is she?” he growled scanning the camp. His team all looked over his shoulder. Squatting on top of a knoll, looking out over the sands, she sat in the falling light. “Who’s that?” he asked squinting.

  Sanders from Dev Group said, “It’s Commander Segal. He’s giving her ‘the talk’.”

  The loose ground gave way under his boots as he climbed the hill. Rocks rolling toward him made him look up to see Joe coming down. “She’s one tough little lady,” he remarked.

  “She doesn’t understand.”

  “I don’t think you do, Thane. She understands perfectly. She’s calm, she’s ready, she knows what she has to do, and what might happen tonight. I think you should give her more credit than you are.”

  Credit, shit. If Joe knew the truth, he’d be hauling her onto a plane himself. This wasn’t Kayla’s fault. It was his.

  Reaching the top, he wandered to stand behind her. She knew he was there, but she didn’t move. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because it’s my job.”

  “Your job is back at the base, not in this shithole of a country. Every corner, ever crack hides someone who wants to kill us.” Hunching down in front of her the sharp rocks dug into his knee. “I want you to go home.” His voice wavered with unexpected emotion. “So I have someone to come home to.”

  “You have an entire naval base that wants you to come home, Commander. I’m just one person working there, nothing more.”

  “That’s not true, and you know it.”

  She finally turned her eyes to his. “Make it the truth. There are plenty of women who serve. I know what I’m doing regardless of the fact I haven’t been in the middle of a war zone. I can’t promise I’m not going to die, no one can promise you that. Just treat me like the others. I’ll do my best to keep out of your way and get the job done, that I can promise.”

  “I will step in front of you to save your life.”

  “Would you do that for your men?”

  “You know the answer to that.”

  “Then what’s the difference?”

  He knew what the difference was. Hard and true, it bored a path deep into his heart. “None, I suppose.” Standing up, he brought her with him, his hands resting on the sway of her hips, beating back the urge to pull her closer. Hell, he’d drag her into his soul if it meant keeping her safe. “Except for the fact that you’re the most beautiful warrior I’ve ever known, and you don’t belong here.”

  She swallowed deeply, but said nothing.

  “Just one distraction at the wrong time will kill a man. When a SEAL deploys he has to leave his heart behind him, accepting he might never see the people he cares about again.” He quieted, realizing his heart was becoming overly verbose.

  Pushing his hands away from her, she said, “Everyone except you, you mean. You made a decision, remember? I don’t need to hear a load of crap about love and family, and leaving people behind. My premature departure from this planet affects no one. So save it, Commander.”

  “I could never accept your death, that’s what I’m trying to say.” Her lips gaped open, and he wanted to cover them with his own. Anyone looking up the hillside would be an idiot to think he was simply giving a liaison a pep talk. “I would never be the same man again if someone put these in my hand,” passing his fingers across the tags resting on her chest. “I care about you. That, Ms. Banks, is the difference.”

  “I’ll try not to die. I’d hate to drag you through hell with me, Commander. It’s not a nice place to be.”

  She slid down the hillside, keeping her balance and running the last ten yards to the ground. Lifting his gaze to the empty desert, a quiet fear crept through him, the kind that settles deep. It wasn’t from their mission tonight, but her words and the look in her eyes, as if she truly knew what hell was.

  They ate dinner with quiet conversation, steering away from their mission and focusing on home and other things. Kayla sat beside Mace and kept her attention on everyone but him.

  “So they call you Snow White, huh?” Mctavish from Dev Group said, passing her a cup and filling it with water.

  “Yes, thank you,” she said, taking the cup from him.

  “Ever fired a weapon before?” he asked, glancing around the table with a cocky grin.

  “Yes.”

  His expression morphed with surprise. “Okay, well, Commander Segal says I’m giving you a quick lesson on handguns and some practice before we leave, so finish up.”

  “What?” Mace d
arted a look between him and Mctavish who was the sniper for Dev Group. He was good, but not as good as Mace. “You’re not arming her,” Mace stated.

  “We are that. You expect her to go in there and not be able to protect herself? What if she gets separated from us? She doesn’t stand a chance anyway out there tonight. You might as well put a bullet between her eyes now,” Mctavish said, giving Mace a brutal stare.

  He was about to open his mouth when Mace silenced the entire table. “Mctavish, if you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll put one between your eyes. Let’s go, Kayla.”

  She dropped her sandwich on the plate and still chewing, stood up, but she bent over and whispered in Mctavish’s ear before leaving.

  His eyes popped open as she drew back. “Bitch,” he ground out.

  Without turning, she gave him the middle finger and kept walking.

  “But she does have a nice ass,” he said, his brows rising and added a grin.

  Commander Segal burst out laughing. “What did she say?”

  Even with worry hanging in his heart, the Commander chuckled and twisted to look at Joe when Mctavish didn’t want to fess up. “She said, ‘It was pompous Americans like you that got us into this shit. Now it’s up to Canadian women to get us out.’”

  “Not far from the truth,” Joe said, reaching for the pitcher of water, still chuckling.

  A strong voice shouted out from behind them. “Angel Face? Holy shit! Get your sweet ass over here.”

  Kayla’s head snapped up and her expression warped from annoyed to a smile so bright it would take two suns to match. “Bigfoot?” she yelled back.

  He swiveled sharply to see who could possibly elicit that much joy from her with that kind of greeting and a name like Bigfoot. Kayla didn’t go around the tables. With a surprising spring, she broached the bench seat, scrambled across the tabletop and flung herself into the air.

  One big bastard of a soldier caught her in mid-flight, her legs wrapping around his hips as he hugged her to his massive chest, whirling her around. Eight more men converged on them, all giving her high fives.

  “What the hell?” Mace mouthed.

  Commander Segal grinned. “It’s a homecoming, I guess. Looks like they’re happy to see her, not like some people around here,” he said, giving Thane a scowl.

  The soldiers blocked her from his view, all of them talking at the same time, a mix of English and French. The big bastard still hadn’t let her go. Bigfoot? Who the fuck was he?

  He turned to Cobbs. Cobbs shook his head, then stiffened, reading his expression. A Canadian flag sewn on the upper arm badge of the men’s fatigues gave the first clue.

  “That’s JTF2,” Segal said.

  The Joint Task Force from Canada was an elite group of soldiers. Canada’s fighting best against counterterrorism. Like SEALs, they were specialists in air, land and sea. Little-known, but as effective as SEALs they were highly trained, and left a deadly footprint wherever they went.

  Right now, he didn’t give a fuck if the son of a bitch was the man on the moon. Bigfoot gently put Kayla on her feet then leaned down to kiss her, a kiss that comes from a man who knows a woman, who’s tasted her before, and wants more.

  Drawing back with a simmering look in his eyes, Bigfoot said, “Where the hell have you been?”

  “You were out of country. No way to say goodbye.” Kayla shrugged then placed her palm on his cheek, and they stayed that way looking at each other for far too long.

  “I’d rather say hello.” The guys green eyes surveyed every inch of her.

  If he was a betting man, he’d say the bastard was looking at Kayla with a memory of her without clothes. The thought of another man touching her tipped Thane over the edge of sanity, just like that.

  “It’s so good to see all of you,” she said happily, and draped an arm around the waist of the soldier beside her.

  The soldiers had her in a broad-shouldered protective circle. “What are they doing here?” Thane asked, keeping his emotions in check—barely. Without waiting for an answer, he approached them. The Canadians all looked up and their smiles waned.

  Kayla turned in the bastard’s arms. He could let go of her any time, but now would be a good time.

  “Commander, this is Greg “Bigfoot” Lapierre, and his team.” Kayla quickly introduced them, “Spearhead, Rock, Kane, Dog, LV, Tasker, and Spirit.”

  But he wasn’t interested in any of them, and kept his eyes on Lapierre, who did the same to him.

  He stretched out a hand. “Bonjour, Commander Austen. Lieutenant Commander Lapierre,” he said, giving him a strong grip, then disengaged to cast his arm around Kayla again.

  What the fuck? No, more like shit. This was him! It had to be. The Lieutenant Commander Tony said Gord had asked Kayla about when he was over for dinner.

  “Angel Face, what are you doing here?” Lapierre turned her gently so she’d look at him.

  “Mission.”

  His brow furrowed, and then he laughed thinking she was kidding him. “Yeah, right?”

  “C’est vrai, premier temps,” she said, nodding.

  His expression darkened. “Non, vous ne pouvez pas.”

  Bigfoot didn’t like the answer, and Thane didn’t need to know French to read his expression.

  Kayla nodded. “Tactical recon, I work in Coronado with the SEALs now.”

  “Angel,” He paused and darted a look at the team as if for support. “You can’t go out there.” Lapierre’s arm slid around her, pulling her closer. “Are you outta your mind?”

  Mace had drawn up to his side and nodded at the men, who nodded back. “Mace Callahan,” he said, and a couple of the men shook his hand. “Passing through?”

  Lapierre surveyed both him and Mace. “Yeah, two-night stopover, then down the road to the White Mountains to follow up on you, if it’s your team going into the caves.” He dropped his attention to Kayla. “You are not going into those caves. This is first infusion, there’s going to be heavy resistance. What are you doing exactly?”

  “Mapping out the grid of the caves, and taking the team in and out. I dug something up, and—”

  “Don’t you always, Angel.”

  “C'est mon travail et je le fais,” she said, attempting to take a step backwards.

  Lapierre stopped her with a sweep of his large hand, threading his fingers through her hair. “Angel, you’ve been through enough, you don’t belong here.” Lapierre’s glare shot to him, but he also gripped Kayla even closer to his chest as if protecting her from him. “You had to bring her here? The U.S. special warfare ops didn’t have a single person who could do what she can. C'est des conneries,” Lapierre growled, turning up the deadly glare for his benefit.

  What the hell was he going to say? And why the hell didn’t Lapierre stop touching her like he had a right to hold her? The man’s razor-sharp features and overt masculine presence radiated courage, strength and assuredness. She looked far too comfortable and safe in his arms. Two slashes of dark brows intensified the green eyes that filled with heat when he looked at her. He hated the guy right down to his muscled protective stance.

  “Bigfoot, it’s not bullshit, and I’m going. Now come and meet the team,” she said, pulling on his arm. The other guys followed her, but he and Lapierre didn’t move.

  “If you’re her Commander you can stop this.”

  “She’s going to be replaced, but tonight she goes. I’ll be right beside her.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “She never stops doing this. She’ll run right up death’s ass if you let her. If you knew her you wouldn’t sacrifice her for the information you need.”

  Thane knew he’d be giving a tell with his next words, but this guy, whoever the fuck he was, needed a squaring off. “Your concern seems more than professional,” he said, clenching his molars together. “Obviously, you like her, but so do we. She’ll be safe with me.”

  Lapierre’s gaze strayed to where Kayla stood at the table introducing the two units. “I don’t like her,
Commander, I love her, but she won’t love any man after what happened to her.”

  His SEAL sense ignited. “What?”

  Lapierre stepped up to him, his expression darkening into a mask of unfriendly. “She only tells the people closest to her. People she trusts. I guess that’s not you.”

  Being at a disadvantage was not something he liked—ever. “She trusts you, I suppose,” he uttered, burying a look in Lapierre most men would back away from.

  “She’s our girl, always will be.” A knowing grin twisted his lips. “I’ve known her for twenty years. How long have you known her, five minutes? Your interest strays past professional, too, Commander. I can see it.”

  “She’s my responsibility.”

  Lapierre’s voice lowered to a dangerous pitch. “Don’t try to bullshit me, SEAL. Do you know how many men have looked at her the way you do?” Lapierre stepped back, surveying him, his stubbled jaw squaring off. “Having that woman in your arms is something a man never forgets, nothing comes close after that. Believe me, I know. I was going to give up this life for her, but she wouldn’t let me.” Pinning him with a look he couldn’t misunderstand, he said, “She won’t let you, either.”

  Dangling from the end of his temper, he said, “Make yourself at home, Lieutenant Commander.” Talking with this guy would only make him lose control, and with nothing to fight back with, he knew he had the disadvantage.

  As he stepped away, Lapierre said, “If she dies tonight, I’ll be looking for you.”

  Maintaining the last grasp of control he had, he growled, “Then you can find me lying dead with her in my arms.” He braced, waiting for Lapierre to take a swing at him. That’s all he wanted him to do so he could tear this guy to fucking pieces for no other reason than Lapierre had a memory of making love to Kayla. He was sure of it. A memory he didn’t have.

  The tight expression on Lapierre’s expression shifted and he nodded. “Don’t let her die, Commander, because that’s what she wants.” Lapierre’s forehead rippled as he brushed past him.