by KaLyn Cooper
“I’d planned to sleep in my room upstairs.” Daniel made the last-minute decision. As drunk as everyone had been when he’d left, they’d all be sleeping in well past noon. Besides, when he told them the good news, they wouldn’t give a shit where he’d been. He’d be a fucking hero.
As he trudged up his side of the double grand staircase, the fact that the last time he’d been there, Nita had been plastered to his side, hit him. They had talked almost all night before deciding they needed to get at least a power nap before she flew out in the morning. As he walked down the long hallway, he passed the room she had claimed as her own when joining the Ladies of Black Swan. He wondered if it still smelled like her? Had she been there recently? He resisted the urge to open the door to see if any remnant of her lingered.
Forcing himself to step beyond her door, and the next two along the hall, he finally reached his suite at the very end. Opening the double doors, he stepped into masculine luxury. The sensation of being home washed through him, chasing away the darkness from living in the shadow world. This was real. Life back in the guerrilla camp was who and what he pretended to be in order to get the job done. Here was the real Daniel Callahan’s life.
His suite stretched the entire length of the house, more than twice the size of the others that lined the hallway. It was basically two rooms divided by a huge master bathroom that boasted a Jacuzzi tub big enough for company as well as a glassed-in shower with eight separate heads. The Jack and Jill style offered a second sink and toilet to be closed off from the bathing portion yet open to the living room side.
Daniel walked into the bedroom side and onto the large balcony. The quarter moon in a cloudless night made the curve of beach sparkle like amethyst crystals. He inhaled the clean ocean air and relaxed. Watching the sunrise over the Caribbean Sea from his bed was one of his favorite things. He promised himself he’d sit out there staring at the turquoise water while sipping his morning coffee. He truly missed this life.
Wanting just a little more scotch before he crawled into bed, he went to the other half of the suite that faced the jungle. It also had a balcony that Daniel found he rarely used. Living day to day in the dense, humid vegetation took away the beauty of the wildlife and the uniqueness of a Central American jungle. After splashing two fingers of scotch into a glass, he stretched out in the comfortable seating area with his feet kicked up on the coffee table. Picking up the remote, he flipped through a hundred channels before settling in to watch an American football game on the man-sized flat screen TV.
Half an hour later, he turned off the game and headed straight for a hot shower.
Naked, he slid between the soft sheets and settled into the comfortable bed. It was lavish compared to the tent he lived in at the camp. Not for the first time, Daniel wondered what the hell he was doing with his life. He and the man at the other end of the hall owned the successful resort five hundred yards down the beach. He could live in the penthouse; sleep in comfort every night; have gourmet meals catered to his room; and his choice of clean, beautiful women that rotated with the tourist buses every week.
Yet, he would get up tomorrow morning, have breakfast with his uncle, confirm his new orders, and hike back the five miles to where he’d left the dirt bike. He’d straddle the ancient machine that shook his balls numb and take the well-worn path back to the hidden Nicaraguan camp where showering was an extravagance few ever decided to partake in, and food was often scarce. His army cot and sleeping bag were so far removed from the thousand-count sheets he slept on in Costa Rica there was absolutely no comparison.
At thirty-eight years old, Daniel was getting too old for this shit.
If Cris participated in the coup, Daniel might finally be able to leave Nicaragua…for good.
He would never take another deep undercover assignment again.
He couldn’t.
Chapter 3
“Good morning, ladies,” General Lyon, the director of USSOCOM greeted the Ladies of Black Swan via video conference call. “The timetable for the Nicaraguan coup has been moved up. Before it begins, I have a mission for you.”
In Lady Harrier mode, Nita glanced around the makeshift conference table at her teammates, then up at the large screen. She and her team, all active duty military from different services, ultimately reported to the Army general in charge of US Special Operations Command, even though they had been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security, Section 7 upon graduating from the Joint All-Female Special Operations School. It was nice not being under the thumb of Jack Ashworth for this mission. The DHS director of operations had an unhealthy fascination with their team leader which could be construed as sexual harassment. Nita was just glad to be under a military command once again.
Nita had enjoyed the past month, living on a remote military base in Honduras training both men and women, all Nicaraguan rebels. She was the backup physician for the clinic, but much preferred the hands-on action of teaching hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and field first-aid.
That time had ended, apparently.
“Lady Harrier, are you familiar with level eight clean room procedures?” The general’s question threw her for a moment.
“Yes, sir.” Nita wondered where their assignment was sending them. All of her teammates looked at her with questions in their eyes.
“Excellent.” The general leaned forward, and his desk chair squealed. “I don’t need to tell any of you this information is top-secret. Four months ago, Ebola hit a small village in northeastern Nicaragua hard and fast. It nearly wiped out the entire population in days. Lady Harrier, are you familiar with the Reston strain of Ebola?”
“Yes, sir.” She cocked her head. “But that’s the only one of the five known Ebola viruses that doesn’t spread to humans.”
“Not anymore,” he announced.
“Oh, fuck.” The quiet words slipped out of Nita’s mouth before she could rein them in.
“Educate us,” the general ordered. “All I was told by the Centers for Disease Control was that if these live viruses get into the wrong hands they can wipe out an entire country in weeks, and there isn’t fuck we can do about it. It’s biological warfare at its finest, or worst, depending on your point of view.”
Nita took a deep breath and gathered everything she remembered. “While I was in med school rotations, I was working in the lab when the monkeys in a Reston, Virginia lab started dying. We did some of the research ourselves at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Dietrich in Maryland. It was concluded that the monkeys had both this unusual Ebola virus and hemorrhagic fever at the same time.”
She shifted in the uncomfortable folding chair. “When other species of monkeys started to die—ones that were kept completely separate and had no direct contact with the infected monkeys—we figured out it was an airborne virus. But it didn’t spread to humans.”
General Lyon picked up his cup of coffee and sipped. “According to the CDC, humans can now be infected by the Reston Ebola virus. In conjunction with the World Health Organization, they have set up a lab inside the presidential residence in Nicaragua.” He chuckled. “The president is so paranoid, he has his own hospital room and laboratory in the basement of his palatial estate. Everyone agreed it would be the most secure location in all of Nicaragua. They’re about to be wrong.”
The high, shrill squeal started as soon as General Lyon leaned back. Even Nita couldn’t withhold the wince. “Ladies, I’m sending you in because several of the viral specialists are women. I think the five of you are the best choice to extract them to safety.” He looked over his shoulder as though he was listening to someone out of range of the microphone.
Thirty seconds later, his attention returned to the screen. “We have a new development. Patching in CIA Deputy Director Thomas Gilpatrick.”
Nita and her friends exchanged a glance. Katlin Callahan, their team leader, shrugged. Obviously, she didn’t know what was going on even though Tom was her uncle.
“Splitting screen now, connecting in D.D. Gilpatrick.” Lei Lu, the team’s computer guru, clicked away on her keyboard.
“Ladies, nice to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances.” In private, all the women on the team called him Uncle Tom. They had been to his house for cookouts and seven course meals during their down time. He was like a favorite uncle to them all.
“Tom, what do you have for us?” The general’s demand was cordial.
“A place to take the scientists.” He grinned. “And a brand-new level ten clean room. I’ve also secured a transport mechanism that will assure no leakage.”
“Thank Christ.” General Lyon let out a long breath. “Now please tell me it’s not going to be sent to the United States.”
Tom’s grin grew. “I think Costa Rica is far enough away, don’t you?”
“Unc—” Katlin caught herself before she finished the word. “Deputy Director, sir, are we to take them to the Calla—”
“No, Lady Hawk. A modular clean room is under construction as we speak on the resort property down the beach from the site you’re referring to.” Tom spoke in code.
All the Ladies of Black Swan knew Tom along with Katlin’s brother, Daniel, owned the resort. But no one knew how good General Lyon’s intel was or whether he was aware of any of those connections.
“Sounds like a plan.” The general signaled and someone handed him a piece of paper. As he signed it, he informed everyone on the call, “Ladies, I want you in there tomorrow night. Take the scientists to the resort in Barra del Colorado. I’m sure they’ll be able to find rooms at the resort, don’t you agree, Tom?”
Well, that confirmed General Lyons intelligence arm was superior to that at Section 7. Jack Ashworth hadn’t known about the property Katlin and her family owned in Costa Rica.
The man with stars on his collar handed the sheet back to someone then leaned his forearms on the desk. “I’m dedicating a helicopter and crew to assist you in evacuating the scientists.”
“Thank you, sir,” Katlin quickly added. “It’ll make our job a lot easier.”
The corner of the general’s mouth twitched. “Play nice, ladies. SOCOM, out.”
Before anyone had time to question the general’s last comment, Tom filled the screen. “In about six hours, I want you all to go to the clinic in your camp. Nita, there is a special package for you in the restocking delivery that should arrive shortly. During the original Reston outbreak, there were four workers who survived. The CDC has created what they hope will be a protective vaccine for this new strain of Ebola. I want you to inoculate each member of your team.” One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Take the rest with you. I think you going to need it.”
“Will do, Uncle Tom.” Nita nodded. She’d read his hidden message. “Does that mean they might need a booster shot once exposed?”
“It means you need to take the rest of it with you.” Tom’s answer was a non-answer.
“Will we see you in Costa Rica?” Katlin asked.
“Most likely.” Tom nodded. “I’m just really hoping this coup isn’t the cluster fuck I’m afraid it’s going to be. We need to get all American assets out of that country before the shit hits the fan.”
“What about Daniel?” Nita and Katlin asked at the same time.
Katlin gave her the briefest glance before returning her gaze to the screen.
“Daniel has a job to do, and he’ll do it.” Tom had morphed into one of the most powerful men in the CIA, leaving the jovial proxy uncle behind. He forced a smile. “Just as I know you’ll do yours. D.D. CIA out.” The transmission ended.
“Play nice?” Nita raised one eyebrow as she looked at the perplexed faces of the other members of her team.
“Please, don’t tell me they sent in Jonathan’s team.” Katlin referred to one of the all-male teams in Section 7 that despised the Ladies of Black Swan. She stood and stretched. “If it is, we’ll deal.”
Katlin’s satellite phone rang. She took it out of her cargo pocket and checked the caller ID. “I think we should all hear this.” She handed the phone to Lei Lu who connected it to her computer.
“This is Lady Hawk. Line is secure,” Katlin announced when given the signal.
“Lady Hawk, this is operations. Meet the helicopter at 0230. Your team only. I repeat, your team only. Chopper is to be immediately hidden next to Black Swan jet.”
“Operations, confirming. My entire team is required to be there?” Lady Hawk looked each woman in the eye before moving on to the next.
“Yes, ma’am. Those are your orders.”
“Understood.” She then added, “Who is my contact?”
There was a long pause while the only thing that could be heard was the clicking of keys. “Ma’am, I don’t seem to have that information. Wait one.” He returned to the line almost immediately. “I have no further information I can give you. Operations out.”
“Well, that was abrupt,” Tori noted and came to her feet.
“I call bullshit.” Nita stood. “They just don’t want us to know which assholes they sent us.”
Lei Lu started gathering her computer equipment and handed Katlin back her sat phone. “I suggest we all go take a nap, because I’m quite sure we’re going to be up most of the night.”
“Good idea,” Katlin agreed. “I need to tell air traffic control what’s happening and make sure they clear the runway of all personnel after 0130.”
“I think I’ll take a few minutes of downtime and text Griffin.” Grace had that goofy grin on her face, again.
Nita didn’t understand how her friend could have committed herself to one man, and only one man. They weren’t engaged or anything other than committed to a monogamous relationship.
Katlin, on the other hand, was engaged, so Nita understood monogamy in her case. She just hoped Alex Wolf understood what that meant. If he hurt her friend, Nita would have to permanently disable the man.
Nita glanced at her team leader’s bare left hand. The very pretty diamond ring Alex had given her most likely was on the titanium necklace around Katlin’s neck. They made an awesome couple. It was as though they had been together for years and years. They understood each other with a glance. They transformed each other from the hardass commanding officers into the most unique partnership Nita had ever seen. The give-and-take they demonstrated was intriguing. It was as though they enjoyed filling the other’s needs. Strange. Nita had never seen a relationship like theirs up close and personal before. All she’d ever known was the give, give, give of her mother to her absent father.
But if Alex broke Katlin’s heart, Nita wouldn’t hesitate to cut off his balls.
Until then, they made a cute couple.
Nita preferred to play the field. She enjoyed men. Lots of them. Sometimes, two at a time. She grinned. Double the pleasure, double the fun.
As she walked back to her tent, she wondered why then had she turned down the two SEAL lieutenants at the cantina last weekend? They’d been fun. They all had the night off, the open-air bar was delightful, full-power alcohol rather than the watered down shit they served on the temporary base camp, had made for a perfect pickup place. Automatically, the officers congregated separately. During a uproarious game of Trivial Pursuit, she and her newfound frog friends had decimated the competition. But when they offered to continue their fun and games down by the ocean, images of Daniel stopped her from taking them up on their offer. She couldn’t move past the way he’d leaned into her, capturing her mouth with his. Memories of the way the kiss started oh so gentle before they both lost control had kept her from a sexually gratifying night with two SEALs.
She hadn’t wanted to be with any other man, even for the release and sexual gratification, since the night she and Daniel had done nothing more than talk. Well, there was that kiss.
Katlin’s words tore her away from her sweet memories. “Nita, why don’t you check and see what time the special shipment is to arrive at the clinic.”
&nbs
p; “I’m on it.” Nita headed for the clinic.
All five Ladies of Black Swan stood on the tarmac at the hastily built airfield about a mile from the Honduran base camp. They were the only people around. Katlin had even sent away the guards who protected the team’s sleek black jet hidden inside a new hangar a hundred feet away.
“According to the tracking code the ops center gave us, they’re getting close and coming in fast.” Too fast for a helicopter. Nita looked up at her team leader. “I distinctly remember you asking for a chopper. Is there any chance they’re sending us an Osprey?” She handed Katlin the tablet.
“That has to be a fixed wing. It’s traveling too fast to be a helicopter,” Tori noted from Katlin’s other side.
“Tracking codes confirmed.” Lei Lu turned her computer around so the others could see.
Katlin shrugged. “I’m sure they’re sending us what they think we need.”
“We should be hearing it by now.” Nita wasn’t telling the others anything they didn’t already know.
“I’m surprised we haven’t heard—” Before Grace could finish her sentence, all five com units crackled.
“Black Swan team one, this is Black Swan team two on approach.” The feminine voice wasn’t what caused the shock on her teammates’ faces.
What the fuck?
Katlin, now in Lady Hawk persona, was the first to reply, “Black Swan team two, this is Black Swan team one. How far out are you? Over.”
All five women looked from the tablet into the starry night sky. They saw nothing. They heard nothing but the normal jungle sounds of the night.
“Black Swan team one, light up the LZ. We’re coming in hot and dark.” Lack of running lights was probably the reason they hadn’t seen the plane.
