“You have failed to achieve the times necessary on the hikes. We will be sending you back to your units with letters of praise. You are fine soldiers, but regrettably, you aren’t what The Unit is looking for. Thank you all. Pack your gear. Transport arrives in fifteen minutes. Dismissed.” The Sergeant Major snapped a salute that was returned sloppily by the shell-shocked soldiers left standing in the dirt.
“Shit!” Kyle knew a half dozen of these guys. Three were Green Berets from his own battalion, though none of his own company were here. They were damn fine soldiers.
The trucks dropped into low gear and moved off as the shock continued to ripple through those left behind. Several dropped to sit in the dirt. Others stood and wept openly. Most simply watched the trucks drive away with a look of desperate longing on their face.
“Harsh,” Carla observed.
Kyle looked at her. No sign of pity in her face. No sign of fear that it might just as easily have been her left standing in the dirt. A number of the guys on the truck looked aghast at their narrow escape from such a brutal cut, a full third of their forces gone in a single moment.
Sergeant Carla Anderson wasn’t worrying about being cut. She was facing what was right in front of her. Like a good soldier, she focused on what came next.
He was starting to learn that whatever it was, she’d hit it full force and be damned good at it. Few soldiers and, up till now, no women, ever truly impressed him.
Kyle gave her a grin across the jouncing bed of the truck as it slammed into the now-familiar potholes along the road outside Delta’s front gate.
“On the bright side, at least they’ll be spared an opportunity for you to send more of them swimming in a latrine.”
She smiled back. It was a good smile, the first one he’d seen cross her face. It was easy and lit her eyes as well. “At least I didn’t break any bones. I guess I was being a little mellow. I was in a good mood that day.”
He cringed in pretend fear. “Ooo, so scared.”
“How little you know.”
That was the most words he’d heard her say since her arrival, the guys seated to either side watching her in surprise.
Himself, he was under the sway of that hypnotic voice and wouldn’t mind hearing a lot more of it. But it took a more than a pretty face and a bit of training to make Delta. So, show her that there was a deep end of the swimming hole.
“Will we be seeing you at the end…girlie?”
Her returned smile was wicked; wicked enough that he wondered if there might be a latrine swim in his own immediate future. If so, he wasn’t going in alone.
“You’ll be seeing me only if you’re still here, tough guy.”
Kyle laughed back. It was a good moment.
And Sergeant Carla Anderson, both the soldier and the woman, impressed the hell out of him.
About the Author
M. L. Buchman has over forty novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the Year” and twice Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” placing two titles on their “Top 101 Romances of the Last 10 Years” list. He has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews and for the prestigious RITA Award for Romantic Suspense. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.
In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.
He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in geophysics. You may keep up with his writing by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.
Devil and the Deep
The Deep Six
by Julie Ann Walker
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
A flaming desire with earth-shattering repercussions…
Maddy Powers’s life revolves around fund-raisers and charity events—but she can’t forget the daring former SEAL and the scorching kiss they shared before he disappeared into the deep blue sea.
Bran Pallidino carries a dark secret behind his lady-killer eyes—one that keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship with Maddy. But when she’s taken hostage, he enlists the men of Deep Six Salvage to embark on a dangerous mission to save Maddy.
As they fight her merciless kidnappers, they discover this isn’t a simple hostage situation, but something far more sinister. Passion boils between Bran and Maddy, but what good is putting their hearts on the line if they don’t survive the dawn?
Praise for Hell or High Water:
“Readers will be panting for the next in the series.” —Publishers Weekly
“Hot men, hot action, and hot temperatures make for one hot romance!” —BookPage
For more Julie Ann Walker, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Hold Your Breath
Search & Rescue Book 1
by Katie Ruggle
In the remote wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, rescue groups—law enforcement, rescue divers, firefighters—are often the only hope for the lost, the sick, and the injured. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can lead to murder.
That’s why Callum, the surly and haunted leader of the close-knit Search and Rescue brotherhood, finds it so hard to let newcomer Louise “Lou” Sparks into his life. But when these rescue divers go face-to-face with a killer, Callum may find that more than his heart is on the line…
Look for the rest of the Search & Rescue series:
On His Watch (available only in ebook)
Fan the Flames
Gone Too Deep
In Safe Hands
For more Katie Ruggle, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
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