by Cat Johnson
Since Hawk had always been a straight shooter, as well as straight, he decided to come right out with it. “Listen, you’re free to live your life however you want, but please tell me you’re not hitting on me, Dalton. Because I gotta tell you, you couldn’t be barking up a more wrong tree if you tried.”
After a second of surprised silence, Dalton broke out laughing so hard he had to sober himself up before he could respond.
“No, Hawk. You’re a real buff guy and all, but I’m as straight as you are and I’ve got a preg...uh...pretty girlfriend back home in the States to prove it. So no, we’re not betting for a date with you.” Dalton paused to chuckle one more time over that then continued. “But I did just think of a really good wager.”
If they weren’t betting for Hawk’s masculine virtue, then what? “What you got in mind, Dalton? Out with it.”
“There’s this, um, special assignment that needs filling. It requires just the right man. Let’s say that if your side loses, you have to take it, no questions asked.” Dalton appeared rather pleased with himself.
Hawk frowned. “If this assignment is so special, why haven’t you already filled it? Why doesn’t anyone else want it?”
“I didn’t say no one wanted it, just that it’s special and needs the absolute perfect soldier to fill it. Believe it or not, Hawkins, that may be you.”
“Well, I’m glad we both agree that I’m perfect, but I’m also on my way to Afghanistan for a year,” Hawk reminded him. Probably more like eighteen months the way things had been going lately. “Tell me this. If we lose, which isn’t likely, how could I possibly fulfill this assignment while deployed?”
“Easy. No problem at all. You can complete it before you go. Hell, you could probably even do it in Afghanistan if necessary. It’s a quick one. A day. Two at most.”
“You’ll have to give me a little more information than that. I’d have to clear this with higher up first.” What the fuck could this be about?
“Nope. No more info until the exercise is over and all the details for the assignment are ironed out. Besides, it will be so much more fun for both of us if it’s a surprise.” Dalton tilted a head toward the bank of laptops. “I’m sure Matt can get it cleared with your superiors by the time we get off that mountain, if you’re game that is.”
Coleman could get it approved with Hawk’s commanding officers? How the fuck was that possible? Maybe it wasn’t. This could all be more bullshit, in which case Hawk could agree to just about anything now and his superiors could shoot it down later, getting Hawk off the hook should he lose.
Even so, Hawk still had a nagging feeling he might have gone insane when he decided to agree to the gamble for this unknown assignment. “Oh, I’m game, Dalton. Not that we’re going to lose, but I’ll accept your little wager. One question remains however. What do I get if, no, when we win?”
“I’m sure your winning won’t be an issue.” Dalton smiled. “But just to be fair, what would you like?”
That stopped Hawk dead in his pride-filled shoes. “What do you mean, what would I like?”
“Exactly that. No games, Hawkins. If the universe shifts, hell freezes over, pigs fly and your group wins, what do you want?”
Cocky bastard. He’d show him. But still, Hawk couldn’t come up with a thing. “I don’t know,” he admitted after an embarrassingly long moment spent in indecision.
Shit, why couldn’t he think of anything really good? A keg of beer crossed his mind, but didn’t seem like enough compared to the mystery assignment he’d have to take in exchange. A Humvee perhaps? Dalton had said anything, but what the hell would he do with it while he was deployed. Not to mention that when he finally got back Stateside, Hawk had a feeling if he never stepped foot inside one of those vehicles again it would be too soon.
“Want a suggestion?” Dalton asked after watching Hawk struggle.
“Sure.” What the hell. Might as well see what Pretty Boy had to say.
“If Zeta loses, I’ll get you a tryout for the teams.”
Hawk didn’t miss the smirk on Dalton’s face as he emphasized the word if.
He raised a brow and then purposely played dumb. “What teams?”
“You know what teams.” The words smart ass were unspoken but unmistakably present in Dalton’s response.
Hawk had to smile. He was enjoying sparring with Pretty Boy.
“So, do we have a deal?” Dalton asked, one pretty brow raised.
David Hawkins in the SpecOps? Never. Not gonna happen, but it might be fun to see what the tryout was like. It would sure make a hell of a story if he made it and then turned them down.
After a breath, Hawk nodded and shook Dalton’s extended hand. “Deal.”
Dalton turned to leave when Hawk stopped him. “Hey, Dalton. Tell me one thing.”
Pretty Boy paused. “Yeah?”
“This assignment. Is it something you’d be willing to do yourself?”
“You worried, Hawkins?” Dalton laughed.
“Not worried, Dalton. Just curious.”
“Mmm hmm. Sure. But yeah, I’ve already done it. Believe me, I’ve already done it.” Dalton turned to head for his task force commander, but not before looking back. “Oh, and Hawkins, besides the comm units, we’ve all got GPS implants too. So Matt can keep us informed of our positions during our real-world missions. I probably shouldn’t have told you that either, but I figure your boys can use all the help you can get. See you up on the mountain.”
Implanted tracking devices too? Well, fuck.
With that less-than-heartening farewell, the entire Task Force Zeta team disappeared as quickly as they’d arrived. He presumed they’d get into place on the mountain and await the arrival of Hawk’s squad, who’d be walking into a pre-planned, computer-coordinated ambush like lambs to a slaughter.
Special assignment, here I come. Double fuck.
“Pettit! Report!” Pinned down by Zeta’s gunfire for the past hour, Hawk had never felt so disconnected from his men nor as helpless as he did right then. Dalton’s team seemed to be everywhere, and always one step ahead of Hawk and his men.
“Four of our men are down, Sergeant.” Pettit’s voice finally filtered through Hawk’s earpiece. Hawk barely heard his Alpha-team leader over the noise, but what he’d heard wasn’t good.
“Wally, what’s Bravo team’s status?” Hawk needed some good news at this point but there was no answer. “Wally. Dammit. Answer me!”
“I’m not allowed to talk if I’m dead, Hawk.” Barely audible, Wally’s voice came across the airwaves.
Shit.
More frustrated than before, Hawk shouted into his radio, “Bravo team. Someone who isn’t dead, give me a damn report.”
Radio silence gave him his answer. As far as this exercise was concerned, the entire Bravo team was deceased. That left himself and Pettit as sole survivors of his eleven-man squad. “Pettit?”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“What’s your location?”
“I’m behind the rocks just to the east of you.”
“What do you say if we’re going to go out, we go out with a bang?”
“Are you talking about the Butch and Sundance offensive defense?” Pettit always was right on the money.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the squad’s favorite movie. Sure, Butch and Sundance die, but they do it with style. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking, Pettit.”
“Roger that, Hawk. I’m ready.”
He could hear the smile in Pettit’s response. Doing something, even running toward your pretend death in a training exercise, was preferable to doing nothing at all.
“On my count of three then. One.” Hawk checked his ammo before continuing. “Two. Three!”
Hawk flung himself out from behind the rocks, dove and rolled behind the closest cover. When the shots came at him again, he was in better position to see exactly where they came from and how best to get there.
Aware of Pettit falling almost immediately t
o enemy fire to his left, Hawk lobbed a grenade in the direction of the incoming volley that had taken his team leader out. While that explosion kept the shooter down, Hawk ran full out, head on toward the shooter, jumped on top of the rocks hiding his opponent and showered the man hidden there with a hail of gunfire before feeling the hit in his own back.
Even with the knowledge that he was, for the purposes of this exercise, dead and a loser, Hawk felt satisfied. If nothing else at least he’d taken one of them out with him. When he looked closer and saw it was Pretty Boy, he felt even better.
“Game over.” Hawk smiled at the surprised and paint-splattered Dalton.
Barely a beat passed before Dalton nodded. “Yes, it is, Hawkins. Matt, make sure Hawkins has those orders for his special assignment waiting for him when he gets back to the garrison.”
Pretty Boy flashed his pearly whites at him.
Hawk had temporarily forgotten about that damn special assignment. He stifled a groan.
Shit.
Chapter Four
Emily walked into the office and found Katie cradling the receiver and practically cooing into the phone. There was no doubt in her mind who was on the other end of that call. People in love could be so annoying. Cute, but annoying.
As she sat at her desk and proceeded to boot up her laptop, Emily noticed that even though Katie continued her conversation with BB, at least her boss had the decency to quit the lovey-dovey stuff in deference to the lack of privacy.
“I told Em about the baby. Mmm, you’re right. It probably is smartest to start transferring a few things sooner rather than later. I will, I swear.”
Unashamedly, Emily listened to the half of the conversation she could hear. After all, her name had been mentioned. That made it okay. Right?
The printer across her and Katie’s shared office began to buzz and spew out a few pages. The part of Emily’s brain that wasn’t eavesdropping found that odd. Katie’s computer wasn’t even turned on and Emily had yet to open any files, let alone print them. But she was too intrigued by what Katie and BB would be transferring sooner rather than later to worry much about the printer.
Were BB and Katie moving so they could be together full time? And if so, where? More importantly, what did that mean for Emily and her job here in New York?
“It’s here. Tell him I got it.” The phone conversation continued. “Have fun going out tonight and safe flight home, baby, in case I don’t get to talk to you before you leave. I love you too. Bye.”
Emily noticed the tears in Katie’s eyes as she hung up the phone. “You okay?”
Katie glanced up. “I’m fine. It’s just the hormones. I can’t even say goodbye without crying over it. Someone should really warn women that being pregnant also makes you insane.”
Emily laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then she couldn’t wait any longer to ask the question uppermost in her mind. “What are you going to do? I mean, where will you live once the baby is born and you get married? Down south near the base for his job, or here in New York so you can keep working? Or are you going to keep up the long-distance thing?”
Katie shook her head. “With the baby, a long-distance relationship would be ridiculous. But I can’t expect him to give up his career for me.”
“And he would never ask you to give up your career for him,” Emily added.
“Exactly.” Katie nodded.
Knowing her boss the workaholic would probably shrivel up and die if she wasn’t able to work anymore, Emily could appreciate Katie’s difficult decision. Of course, motherhood could change things.
“So what then?” Emily asked.
“Well, I kind of have a plan for that. It seems like we’ve picked up a lot of business in the south, especially with the latest military-recruitment ad campaigns. I’m thinking about suggesting opening a southeast branch. I could still fly to New York whenever necessary, but home base would be down south.”
Emily hesitated before nodding. “Okay. I can do the south. My hair will frizz, but otherwise I won’t miss the New York cold winters, or the outrageously expensive rent and super-sized cockroaches.”
Katie smiled. “Thanks, Emily, but don’t start packing yet. If I’m able to go full term with the baby, if the bosses agree to this and if I move—so many ifs—but if this all ends up happening, you don’t have to follow me, you know. You can stay here in New York and continue to work.”
“You don’t want me to come with you?” Surprise and hurt colored Emily’s voice.
“Of course I want you with me. I’d be lost without you. But you’re getting too experienced for the job of my assistant. You need to start taking on clients of your own. The day will come when you will be able to totally replace me, I’m sure.”
Emily had been solely responsible for organizing absolutely every minute of Katie’s daily life and holding down the fort at the office while she was away on her many business trips or visiting BB. Katie was so focused on work she would probably forget to eat if BB or Emily didn’t remind her. That concern kept Emily pretty busy.
In addition, Emily was sometimes responsible for handling the talent—fetching non-fat lattes or bottled sparkling imported water for the models they dealt with for their marketing firm. But that was about it.
Thinking about all the clients, bosses, divas, bitches, queens and crap that Katie dealt with daily, Emily cringed at the thought of taking it all on herself. “I’m not sure I’m qualified to totally replace you quite yet.”
“Oh, you’re qualified. You better be, because I’m about to give you your very first big solo assignment.”
Big solo assignment?
Emily peered at Katie to confirm she’d heard correctly. “You’re giving me a solo assignment?”
Katie grinned and nodded. “Mmm, hmm. It was initially BB’s idea actually. He’s worried about my working too hard when I travel. But I’m in total agreement with his suggestion on this one.”
Travel? Yay!
Fears of divas and queens forgotten, Emily sat up a little straighter now. “For real? You’d trust me all alone with a client?”
Katie shook her head. “Why in the world are you so surprised?”
Emily opened her eyes wide. “Uh, because you’re a control freak, for one thing.”
Katie’s mouth screwed up at the truth of that statement. “Maybe I was a little bit before.”
“You think?” Emily couldn’t help the sarcasm.
“Hey. Do you want this assignment or not?” She raised one perfectly shaped auburn brow in warning.
“Yes. And I’m sorry. You are the perfect boss, control issues and all.” Emily pasted on an overly sweet smile.
“Well, I am also a pregnant control freak and I’m thinking a trip to Germany, if not Afghanistan, isn’t the best idea right now.”
“Germany or Afghanistan?” Emily had to wonder what this assignment was.
Katie nodded in response.
Emily let out a breath. “All right. That’s okay. I like travel. I’m ready for anything, Katie.” Maybe not quite ready for Afghanistan, but she’d worry about that later.
Katie laughed while shuffling through a pile of papers and file folders on her desk. “I certainly hope you are ready, because I’m afraid it might not be easy.”
God, Emily hoped she wouldn’t be stuck working with some German-speaking model on this assignment. She could get by with a few words of French, even Italian, but German?
“Ah ha.” Katie must have found whatever she had been looking for. “Here you go.”
Emily’s eyes opened wide as her boss thrust a file into her hands.
“US Army Marketing Campaign.” Emily read the label aloud. An uncontrollable smile spread across her face as visions of soldiers danced in her head.
“Yes, but I’m not exactly sure you should be so happy about it.” There was concern in Katie’s tone.
“Why not? You met and fell in love with BB during the Special Ops Recruitment Ad Campaign.”
Katie nodded. “Yes. That I did.”
“And we’ll be using an actual Army guy for the shoots, just like we used BB because he was a real Special Operative for the last one?”
“Yes.”
The joy nearly bubbled out of Emily. She tried but didn’t quite control the squeal of happiness that escaped her lips. No diva, queen models of either sex for her first real assignment. Nope. She was getting to work with a real man. One of Uncle Sam’s finest of her very own. Emily was more than ready for that.
Maybe she would get to pick the guy. Emily imagined a long line of uniform-bedecked soldiers, dog tags jingling as they all waited to meet her approval. Having to meet dozens, maybe hundreds of men had to put the odds in her favor.
The thought of stumbling upon fairytale love, the kind Katie and BB had found, had her smiling even broader...until Katie’s insistent head-shaking ruined her good thoughts.
“What?” Emily sounded whiny, but she hated having her fantasy ruined, especially by a woman who already had her own hero cast.
“I just don’t think you should be daydreaming about this particular soldier.”
This particular soldier? Disappointment warred with anticipation within her. “You’ve already picked him?”
“Not me personally, but yes, he’s been chosen.”
Was that a smirk on Katie’s face?
“Who chose him?” And he had better be right, not only for the ad campaign but also for her. And single. God, she hoped he wasn’t married.
“BB picked him for us.”
Emily considered Katie’s answer a moment.
Former underwear model turned Special Operative turned military-recruiting poster boy, BB Dalton was so good looking he bordered on beautiful. He must know some handsome guys in the military, right? Did really hot guys hang out together in packs the way gorgeous female models did?
In any case, being a former model himself, BB would know the importance of having the right look for the ad campaign. The model had to be attractive.