Rescuing Kassie
Delta Force Heroes, Book 5
Susan Stoker
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Also by Susan Stoker
About the Author
Graham “Hollywood” Caverly feels the chemistry with Kassie Anderson in the emails they’ve been exchanging through a dating site. When they finally meet in person, and that online chemistry proves to have real-life sizzle, he knows she’s the one. He couldn’t be happier when their first date, at an annual Army Ball, goes better than he could have imagined. Until Kassie drops a bomb.
Kassie doesn’t want to approach Hollywood on the dating site, but threats to her family leave her no other choice. She definitely doesn’t want to fall for the man. But fall she does. Hard. After she admits the ruse—and after some understandable anger on both their parts—Kassie wonders if, in Hollywood’s arms, a happy future is within her grasp.
But her past always finds her, and in Kassie’s case, that’s a dangerous proposition—because she’s connected to an old enemy of Hollywood’s Delta Force team. Very intimately connected… And it will take Hollywood, his Delta brothers, and even some outside help to do what should have been done the first time—eliminate the threat once and for all.
** Rescuing Kassie is the 5th book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Susan Stoker
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Design by Chris Mackey, AURA Design Group
Cover Photographer: Darren Birks
Edited by Kelli Collins & Missy Borucki
Manufactured in the United States
Chapter 1
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: Hi
Hi Graham. My name is Kassie. I saw your profile on the Matches-R-Us website and thought you looked interesting. I’d love to talk.
~Kassie
* * *
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: It’s me again
Hi Graham. It’s me, Kassie (again). I messaged you last week, but never heard back. I thought I’d try again in case my message got lost in the midst of the hundreds of other messages you get on a weekly basis. *grin*
How about if I tell you a little about me? Maybe if you know me better you might consider writing back. I’ve lived in Austin my entire life. I have a sister who is a senior in high school. She and my parents live in the Barton Creek area, which is just west of Austin (in case you didn’t know). I’m thirty and am the manager at the retail clothing store, JCPenney. I’m not tall or short. Just in between at 5’6”.
Darn. I tried to think of something more interesting about me…but couldn’t.
Anyway, it looks like you were fishing in your profile picture. I’ve been fishing, but didn’t catch a darn thing. But I liked the boat ride. :)
Anyway, that’s me. I hope to hear from you.
~Kassie
* * *
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: I’m a shapeshifting werewolf…
…who is about to go into my mating lust…
*grin*
Okay, that’s a lie (duh), but you probably have lots and lots of emails with boring subjects like “hi” and “you’re cute.”
I figure since you haven’t answered my other two you aren’t interested, but I thought I’d try one more time in case you had a psycho ex hacking into your profile and deleting all your messages.
Anyway, I have nothing else to convince you to give me a chance.
I’m nobody special. I’m not rich. I’m not beautiful. I’m not super smart and I don’t have an exciting job. I just thought that you looked like the kind of man who was like me. Boring and normal.
Shit, I didn’t mean boring like boring, but…I’ll just shut up now before I dig myself in deeper. lol
Now that I’ve probably insulted you and you’re rolling your eyes wondering why in the heck I messaged you, and why you’re even still reading this, I’ll leave you alone.
I hope you find what you’re looking for from this website. Good luck.
~Kassie
* * *
To: Kassie
From: Graham
Subject: Re: I’m a shapeshifting werewolf…
Now you have my attention. *grin*
The reason I haven’t messaged you back is because I don’t check this profile very often. To be honest, I only signed up for Matches-R-Us because my buddies kinda egged me into it. I usually don’t even reply to any messages I get. I should delete my profile, but for some reason, I haven’t.
So why am I writing you back? Because you made me laugh. Out loud. One of the things I appreciate most in a woman is a sense of humor.
As you know, my name is Graham. I like to fish. I’m about six feet tall and I’m thirty-two. I’m in the Army and live near Fort Hood.
I can’t say that anyone has called me boring before…but I like that description. :) I’m just a man doing his duty for his country who likes to hang out with his friends and have an occasional beer.
So why are you looking for a guy on a dating website? From what I can see from your profile picture, you’re pretty and don’t look like a big hairy shapeshifting werewolf. lol
I look forward to chatting with you more.
~Graham
* * *
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: Looks can be deceiving
I don’t look like a big hairy werewolf in my profile picture because I’m in my human form…silly. *grin*
But seriously, to be honest, the picture is about four years old, although I pretty much look the same as I did back then. Plain brown hair, hazel eyes, not fat, but not skinny either. I hate to work out, and I’m assuming since you’re in the Army, you don’t. I’ve just never seen the point, since I hate it. I do try to be healthy though…you know…park in the spaces at the back of the lot, take the stairs when I can, things like that. But the gym? No.
What do you do for the Army? What’s your MOS? (Aren’t you impressed that I know that acronym? Don’t be too impressed though…I Googled “Army acronyms” and that one came up. Ha!) I once dated a guy who was in the Army, and if I’m being honest, he was too gung-ho for me. I hope you’re not one of those
men who says “hooah” all the time. My ex used to grunt it when he…well, you know. *gag*
You should know, I’m much more entertaining online than I am in person. I’m an introvert for the most part…and yes, I know it’s weird that I’m a manager but I don’t like being around people. I can be, but if I had a choice, I’d stay home. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t get used to me being funny. I clam up around people I don’t know and I’m the kind of person who figures out the perfect comeback about two hours too late. (Did you see that Seinfeld episode? OMG, hilarious when George Costanza did that… “The jerk store called and they’re running out of you!” HAHAHAHAHAHA)
Okay, it wasn’t that funny, but that’s totally me. And my sense of humor is decidedly warped. If we ever met in person, I’d probably offend you and three out of four people we were standing around.
I’d love to hear more about you. Parents? Siblings? When you sit around and drink beer with your friends do you drink a couple, or an entire twelve-pack? I’m interested in whatever you want to tell me!
I gotta go, the moon is full and I’m feeling the need to shift. *grin*
~Kassie
* * *
To: Kassie
From: Graham
Subject: It’s not safe…
It’s not safe to park in the back of a lot. I think it’s great that you want to get a few extra steps in, but you shouldn’t put yourself at risk to get them. Especially if you’re working retail. I assume you sometimes work when it’s dark? Do me a favor, and get your extra steps some other way. :)
As far as what I do, I can’t say a lot about my job…you know, OPSEC and all… (Since you Googled acronyms, you should know what that means. :)) But I can tell you that I’m a 21B.
And believe me, the last thing I’d ever say if I was with a woman would be hooah…if you know what I mean. :)
There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert. And I’m not just saying that. I’m well past the days where I want to hang out in a bar or club. Sitting at home and enjoying a good dinner, conversation, and maybe a movie or television show sounds like a perfect way to spend a night. But no worries, I can hold my own in public situations, so you can just hang back and observe.
And I bet you’re hilarious in person…you just don’t think you are. Anyone who can quote George Costanza is seriously cool in my eyes. And now I don’t have to worry about offending you with my sarcastic streak. So yay!
Like you, I have a little sister. Her name is Jade. She’s only two years younger than me. She currently lives in Chapel Hill, and teaches at the University of North Carolina. She got all the brains in the family. *grin*
And no worries, Kass, I like a good brew every now and then, but I am in no way close to being an alcoholic. I take too much pride in being in shape to do that to myself. The soldiers I work with rely on me to be able to have their six just as I do them. But good for you for asking.
So, do you have to wait for the moon to be full to shift, or can you do it at will?
Later, Graham
* * *
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: Are you one of those guys…
…who buys his woman a gun and makes her take self-defense lessons to make sure she’s “safe?” Don’t you know that we’re much more likely to be in a car accident than held up at gunpoint or assaulted? But…I get your point. When I have to close the store, I always park under a light and have security escort me to my car. And, before you tell me that I can’t trust the security guards because they’re usually underpaid and could actually assault me, I already know that. I always call one of my friends before we leave and she stays on the line until I get into my car and the doors are locked.
Actually, talking with you is probably the most “unsafe” thing I’ve done in a long time. You could be a sixty-three-year-old serial killer who has trolled the Internet for pictures of good looking men to use on your profile to lure women into his clutches. And yes, I know the reverse could also be true…but lucky for you, it’s not. I really am Kassie Anderson. Thirty years old. And I live in the Austin area. Although I’ve thought about moving. Sometimes you just need to get away from your past…you know? Know anyone who has an apartment for rent up your way? Just kidding…sorta.
But thanks for being worried about my safety.
So, you’re a combat engineer huh? (You have to be impressed at my Googling skills now! *grin*) Mines, bridges, and stuff. Sounds…boring. lol (Sorry, that was mean.) Seriously, you must be pretty smart then. Probably too smart for me. (And I don’t believe your sister got all the brains in the family, so whatever.)
You’re a guy…can you clear something up for me? Why in the world do men feel it necessary to send pictures of their dicks to women online? I don’t get it. Do they think I’m going to open up their messages and be like “OMG, what a huge dick! I must message him back now and demand to meet in a back alley so I can get up close and personal with it.” I mean seriously, if I’m being honest, penises are just weird looking as it is. Hanging down, flapping around, why in the world would a guy think it’s okay (or sexy, or cool) to send a picture of his dick to a woman he’s never met or talked to?
Now, I get the reverse is probably not gross to guys. If all of a sudden women started sending pictures of their boobs to random men, I’m pretty sure they’d be all for it. Like, “Oh yeah, I got three more tit pictures today! Hooah.” (See what I did there? *giggle*)
Anyway, maybe you can explain it to me, because I just don’t get it. (And that is along the same lines of a guy whistling at a woman on the street. Does he think the woman is going to be all flattered and walk up and ask him out? It just doesn’t make sense to me.)
And on that note, I’ve probably overstepped whatever boundaries we’re supposed to have on here. There’s probably a Matches-R-Us employee monitoring our messages and I’ll log in tomorrow and find out that I’ve been kicked off the site for bringing up the “dick pic” issue. :)
I hope you had a good day today. Mine was fine. Dealt with assholes all day who blamed me for their credit cards being declined, and insisted that the clothes they wanted to buy were actually on the fifty-percent-off rack and not the ten-percent one…when it was obvious they just peeled the sticker off a shirt and stuck it on the one they wanted to buy. (Told you my life was boring.)
I don’t think I’ve said it yet, but thank you for your service to our country. I know sometimes people don’t like to hear that, but wanted to say it anyway. Thank you.
~Kassie
* * *
To: Kassie
From: Graham
Subject: No. Just no.
I have no idea why men would think sending pictures of their junk is cool. Or sexy. Or that a woman they didn’t know would want to even see that shit. With that said…I don’t think I’d want to see pictures of random boobs, but feel free to send yours…
KIDDING! :) I’m not a perv. I admit that I’ve scrolled through Tumblr a few times and seen my share of nakedness, but in today’s digital world, everything can be monitored. Texts, emails, phone calls, and yes, even our messages here on Matches-R-Us. There is no such thing as a hack-proof system. Remember that, Kassie. No matter what you say, or to who, it can always come back to either bite you in the ass or help you.
I’m sorry you have to deal with assholes. I have to as well, but not in the same way as you…at least I can shoot them. *grin* Kidding. (Sort of.)
And good job on Googling my MOS. :) Just think, twenty years ago that kind of information at your fingertips was impossible. It certainly makes a criminal or terrorist’s job easier sometimes. Speaking of which, if you don’t hear from me for periods of time, don’t panic. It’s just work. Sometimes I can’t log in if I’m busy on the job.
With that being said, I like you, Kassie Anderson (and if your name was any more unique, I would scold you for giving me your full name, age, and where you live…but since there are over a hundred and fifty women with the name
Kassie Anderson in a hundred-mile radius around Austin, I won’t give you too much crap—and yes, I looked you up!). We’ve been messaging back and forth for a while now and I can say with one hundred percent certainty that I’d like to get to know you better. Would you ever consider meeting in person? We can do it however you like. I can drive down there, it’s only about an hour or so, or you can come up here. We’ll keep it to a public place so you’ll feel safe.
And so you know, I’ve never done this before. Never wanted to meet anyone I’ve talked to online. And I’m not blowing smoke up your ass. Think about it.
~Graham
* * *
To: Graham
From: Kassie
Subject: I’m sorry
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. I admit, your last message freaked me out. I mean, it shouldn’t have, because I like you too, but I got to thinking about how stupid it was to talk with a man I don’t really know online. Then how much stupider I’d be to meet you in person.
But the fact of the matter is that I want to. I never thought I’d ever be interested in someone else in the Army after my experience with my ex. Austin isn’t really a straight-laced military town, if you know what I mean. But after thinking about it, I decided I don’t really have a choice. I’m really drawn to you and would like to give it a shot.
But Graham, please know, when I first messaged you, I didn’t think you’d write me back. I thought it was a lark. That I’d shoot you a note or two, and you’d ignore me, and that would be that. But then you did reply. I got swept up in how nice you were, and forgot that real life romances don’t typically work out for me. There’s a reason I’m an introvert.
So whatever happens, it’s not you, it’s totally me. Okay?
~Kassie
Rescuing Kassie: Delta Force Heroes, Book 5 Page 1