Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge)

by Natasza Waters

  “Take me with you,” he said, dropping his weapon to the ground. A body slammed into Mace’s back, and he knew it was Ghost. His weapon fired with precision, taking out the shooters as they came down the center aisle.

  “Fuck you. You even your debt with Pedro.”

  Wade swung first, and Mace blocked.

  “Go,” Ghost hollered at the squad who stood in the cover of the hallway.

  “Mace,” Gabbs screamed and her little arm shot out toward him.

  Wade used the distraction, and his fist cracked against Mace’s jaw. “Then you’re as dead as I am,” Wade growled.

  Mace rolled and jumped to his feet. “You lost everything, Cayson. I’m rescinding your rights as a father.” The gates came down and Mace felt nothing but raw fury grasp the hand of years of training. He power fisted with an uppercut to Wade’s chin, sending him sprawling backward over a crate.

  “I’m running low,” Ghost yelled.

  Mace glanced at the door. Pedro appeared with a raised weapon. “Doorway,” he shouted, Ghost spun and emptied his weapon. Pedro took cover. Mace launched himself at Cayson, nailing him in the chest with his elbow. The other arm came down across his throat. “I’ll let you live, but you will never show your face again. No second chances.” Sweat dripped from his forehead, and a droplet landed on Cayson’s cheek.

  A hand gripped Mace’s collar and pulled him to his feet. “Time to go,” Ghost ordered.

  Three men approached, their weapons drawn. He and Ghost ran for the hallway, and lunged when the men fired on them. Mace took five steps, and realized Ghost wasn’t behind him. He swiveled. Cayson was standing, his arm outstretched with a weapon in his hand. A shot rang out, and Mace watched in slow motion as the casing ejected, hit the cement floor and bounced. The slide didn’t snap back into place. Ghost had saved one round.

  His gaze rose to see Cayson fall to the ground. Ghost turned, the lines and scars of a hard and worn warrior etched on his face.

  “It’s over, let’s move,” Ghost said, avoiding his eyes.

  Had Ghost taken the shot that killed Cayson or had one of Pedro’s men done it? He wasn’t sure. There were certain things a man couldn’t live with, and he knew he couldn’t live with the thought of killing Gabbs’ father, but God had put other men on the planet, those who did the hardest things. Men like Ghost, who lived with the guilt in order to bring balance back into the world.

  The back door yawned open. They were almost clear.

  Pedro’s voice blasted through the speakers. “I might have lost the girl, but the mother will bring even more money. She’s as good as gone, SEAL.” He hesitated and Ghost pushed him the last few steps. What the hell was he talking about? Nina! Pedro knew where Nina was.

  As they neared the aircraft Gabbs tried to launch herself out the open door. Tinman held her back with one arm. Ghost opened the navigator door and stepped in. Mace hopped into the cramped seating area and Gabbs clambered on his lap.

  “Mr. Porter, we have to get to your casino, now,” Ghost said.

  As Steven Porter lifted them into the air, adjusting for the extra weight, he asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Gabriella’s mother is in danger. Pedro is going after her.”

  Mace dug furiously for his phone. Nina answered on the first ring. “Mace?”

  “We’ve got her, Nina. You have to get out of there.”

  “Why?”

  Mr. Porter shouted over his shoulder. “Tell her to head for the roof of the casino. What room is she in?”

  “Twenty-five ten,” Mace yelled over the noise of the helicopter.

  “Tell her to go to the Grand Tower. Take the elevator to the fifty-eighth floor. There’s a set of stairs to access the roof in the east corridor. We’ll pick her up there. I’ll call my security team to escort her.”

  “I heard that,” Nina said. “Why do I have to meet you there?”

  “Babe, Pedro’s men are coming for you. Get out of there.”

  “ETA?” Mace yelled at Mr. Porter.

  “Three minutes,” he called back over the helo’s noise.

  “Run, Nina.”

  * * * *

  Nina stuck her head out the door and looked both ways. Grand Tower? Where the fuck was the Grand Tower? An old couple toddled down the hallway and she caught up to them before they reached the elevator. She knew she was in the Palm Tower. A ride down to the suite lobby and she’d find the Grand Tower elevators. The old couple gave her a friendly smile and she nodded at them.

  Nina heard a door bang open and she turned to look. Two men exited the staircase and were running toward them. Oh shit! The elevator door opened. “Time to go, folks.”

  “Those men are running for the elevator dear, we should wait,” the old girl said.

  “No, we shouldn’t.” She practically shoved the couple in and hammered the lobby button.

  The old guy put an arm around his wife and gave Nina a wary look. She deliberated on getting off on another floor, but then she’d only have the stairs as an option. By the time the elevator reached the lobby, it was full. The doors retracted and she spotted a guy with shades leaning against a wall. She tucked in behind a tall, handsome dude and stayed in the mash of exiting passengers.

  Was he with Mr. Porter’s staff or Pedro’s? She couldn’t take the risk. Porter’s security team wore dark pinstriped suits. This guy wasn’t. Nonchalantly, he turned his head and spotted her. He pushed away from the wall and she bolted through the crowd. Should she find one of Porter’s men? She didn’t have time. She skidded around the corner and looked up at the casino sign without slowing down. The Grand Tower was to her left. The casino was jammed with people, it being a Friday night, the weekend guests bustled shoulder to shoulder in the popular hotel.

  She turned to look behind her and slammed into someone. Hands gripped her and she jerked back. “Nina Samson?” the guy asked. Now this was one of Mr. Porter’s men.

  “Yes,”

  “Come this way?”

  “Go faster,” she whispered. She darted a look to her right. The guy with the shades wasn’t more than eight feet away. “That man with the shades, I don’t think he’s a friendly.”

  The security guard spoke into a comm set that draped from his ear and coiled down his neck. She searched the faces in the crowd, looking for Pedro’s men. The security officer grasped her arm and guided her into the elevator. He selected the fifty-eighth floor. Nina rested her head against the wall with relief. Close.

  As the elevator rose, guests departed. A middle-aged man with a somber look remained with them. She glanced at him and then once again. He was staring at her. She followed him as he reached inside his blazer. With a sweep of his hand, the guy pulled his gun and fired into the security officer’s stomach. Whether from fear or reflex, she kicked. The gun slammed into the wall as the doors slid open, and she bolted.

  Someone grabbed her around the throat as she exited. Another man appeared in front of her. Good leverage. She scissor-kicked and knocked the other guy onto his ass. With a shift of her hips, she tripped the guy holding her, but he hung on and they both went down. With elbows pointed she used it to crack his nose, and lunged to her feet. She ran into the corridor. Which way was east? She whirled around to see the one guy rolling to his feet with a groan. Left or right? Left or right? There was no way to keep your bearings in these big hotels. “Eeny meeny miney mo,” she said and altered to starboard, running as fast she could.

  “Stop.”

  She glanced behind her to see another of Pedro’s men catching up. Where the hell did they get this guy, the Olympics? She saw a door, and prayed it was the one she needed. She hit it running, and the body slam hurt like hell. Locked?

  The guy drew his weapon. “Don’t be stupid.” He slowed and took the last few feet walking.

  More men entered the other end of the hallway. One or two she could handle, more than that and she was finished.

  “Turn around,” he ordered.

  She spread her feet a
little further apart. “Screw you. Pedro wants me alive.”

  The guy stopped and sized her up. “You’re as big as a twig, bitch. You really think you can do any damage?” He laughed and put the weapon into his blazer.

  Nina saw the other guys getting closer. “We’ll find out.” She hammered her leg up and her foot caught him under his chin. He staggered back a step, but regained his center of balance.

  “He won’t mind if you’re bruised,” he said, rubbing the impact point.

  He threw himself at her, and she nailed him between the legs, and then came down on his neck with the edge of her hand. The bad boy dropped to his knees and fell over clutching his nuts. She whirled around, and pushed down on the handle, it gave way, and the door clanged against the wall. A short flight of steps led to another door. She took them two at a time and wrenched the other door open to the roof. A blast of cold wind hit her. She heard the chopper and turned in a circle. Where was it?

  The other men weren’t far behind, and exited onto the roof with their guns drawn. Her hair lashed into her face and her shirt started to ripple across her body. She turned as the chopper rose from below and edged over the roof.

  Someone fired a gun, and she dropped to her knees to make herself a smaller target. With a hand, she swept her hair away to see Mace running toward her with a weapon. He fired back and yelled at her, but the sound of his voice was swept away by the chopper. She launched herself toward him. Mace pulled her behind him and they ran to the chopper. Hands reached for hers and hauled her inside. The door slid shut and the chopper rose into the night.

  “Mommy,” Gabbs yelled, and her little girl slammed against her. Breathing heavy, she blew out her breath then pulled Gabbs away. After giving her a once-over, she held her baby to her chest.

  “Where to, folks?” Steven Porter said, cranking his head and surprising her. She smiled through her tears and nodded at him.

  “Got enough fuel to get us back to San Diego?” a voice said, and she turned to see Ghost sitting up front.

  “Admiral?”

  He reached back with his big paw and gripped her shoulder with a warm squeeze.

  “Think I can manage that. Gotta call the wife, though. She’s gonna rip me a new one if I don’t,” Steven Porter said.

  After a few minutes of getting her breath back and calming her daughter, she reached her hand out. Mace kissed it. She leaned forward, and his warm lips reassured her.

  “Petty Officer Callahan,” Ghost thundered above the noise.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Have you got any idea what would have happened to you if I’d shown up with a fucking bullet in my ass at my own wedding?”

  “Uncle Thane,” Gabbs spoke up before he could answer.

  Ghost turned his attention to her. “What, Little Red?”

  “You shouldn’t swear so much.”

  Mace stuck his tongue in his cheek and his brows rose. The guys chuckled, and Nina gave Ghost a mother’s disapproving glare.

  Ghost’s expression melted and he looked more than sheepish. “You’re right, Gabbs. I shouldn’t.” He cleared his throat. “Ya wanna ride up front with Uncle Thane?”

  “Yeah!” she shrilled.

  Gabbs was passed from war-torn hands to war-torn hands until Ghost heaved her onto his lap and cuddled her in his arms.

  Nina twisted in what little room there was between the men and crawled onto Mace’s lap. The guys all grinned and looked away. Her lips brushed Mace’s ear, and his arms circled her waist. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” she said next to his ear.

  Mace’s brilliant eyes stared into hers. “Probably not near as much as I love you. Forever, baby. You, Gabbs and me. Forever.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. Mace kissed her tears away, and his wet lips pressed against hers. Forever.

  Epilogue

  With eleven men on a hotel suite balcony, there wasn’t much room to spare. Every chirpin’ gecko made Mace’s head want to split open, and he’d had a day to recuperate from the stag. The SEALs thought they knew how to party, but his Mexican relatives had them drooling like babies within an hour.

  He straightened his tie in the mirror and walked out onto the balcony to join the men who made a difference in his life. Admiral Austen, Captain Redding, Commander Cobbs, Stitch, Ditz, Tadpole, Fox, and their newest addition, Cracker. Nina’s and his father sat amongst them, and of course his best man, Tony Bale. Admiral Austen and Commander Cobbs were his groomsmen. Nina had chosen Kayla as her Maid of Honor. Her sister Dawn and Marg would be her bridesmaids. Gabbs and Kelsey were flower girls, and Mace had seen them with their hair all done up with little white flowers when the guys had rallied for lunch.

  “You look a little scared there, son,” Captain Redding said, sitting back in his chair with a shot of tequila.

  “Here.” Tony shoved a shot into his hand and they all raised their glasses. “To my swim buddy, best friend and the best god damn sniper in the country. Today is officially your last day as a bachelor, and I don’t imagine you’ll want to be one again after you see Nina walking up the aisle. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness. A looong lifetime. Hooyah!”

  “Hooyah!” echoed the men.

  The tequila fired down Mace’s throat and hit his stomach like an IED detonating. “Thanks, T-man. It means everything to me that you all came.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we should do this.”

  The guys clapped their hands and everyone on the team leaped over the edge of the balcony, leaving Nina’s father and his father with arched brows. “SEALs, they always take the shortcut.” He shrugged good-naturedly and followed. Nina’s dad and his father weren’t gonna use a door and brought up the rear.

  The wind had thankfully died down to a brisk breeze. Nina and her girls had made sure everything was in place, including a raked beach, white silk dripping from the dark timbers of the gazebo where they would be married. Each chair had been wrapped in white and tied with navy blue bows. A boardwalk took the place of an aisle, and he mounted the stairs to the gazebo and nodded at the Justice of the Peace. Tony, Ghost, with Adam in his arms, and Cobbs stood with him for a few minutes.

  Cobbs leaned over to grab Adam’s finger. “Do you ever put that kid down, Ghost?” he teased.

  Ghost cocked his head and a lopsided grin crossed his jaw. “Not unless I have to.”

  Tinman tucked in his shirt and straightened his tie. “I can’t wait to see her,” he said quietly beside him.

  “She’s marrying me, not you, asshole.”

  “I know that, but a guy can dream.” Tony cranked his head and got a questioning look from Ghost and Cobbs.

  Mace and Tony said at the same time, “Never mind.”

  Cobbs and Ghost jerked their heads and sported a smile. War wasn’t the only thing that repeated itself.

  “Let’s go get Mace’s bride, shall we?” Ghost suggested, and the guys followed. He stopped and handed Adam to his grandmother, who cradled him with a big smile.

  Ten minutes passed as all the guests took their seats. Mace tilted his head to peer into the blue heavens. The sound of the ocean only feet behind them lent a hand to the music as it began to play, announcing the girls’ arrival.

  Kelsey and Gabbs were adorable with little tangerine dresses and white flowers in their hair. A basket hung on both their arms and they had fun throwing the petals into the wind. When Gabbs reached him, Mace bent down and picked her up into his arms. He had a weakness all right. He had two. A mother and daughter with fiery red curls, brilliant green eyes, and smiles that would always draw him home, no matter where in the world his profession took him.

  “Mommy’s really, really pretty,” Gabbs whispered in his ear.

  “So are you, Little Red.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his. “Love you, Daddy.”

  The lump in his throat grew and so did his heart. Gabbs had never called him that before. He told her she could, but never pushed her. Cayson�
�s death and what he had done had left her confused at first, but she’d resolved it in her young mind and moved on. Calling him Dad was the best present he could receive today. “I love you too, baby girl.” He kissed her soft curls.

  Tony met Kayla at the bottom of the stairs and wrapped her arm around his. Ghost literally gaped at his wife, and Mace had to admit that there was still a small part of his heart that would always belong to Kayla. He loved her like a sister, and because of her, Nina had followed to San Diego and into his life. Kayla kissed both him and Gabbs and took her place.

  Dawn flushed when she saw Ghost, but she’d been doing that for the last three days. Ghost said something to her, and her flush deepened even more when he guided her up the stairs. Cobbs met Marg, and for a moment they stopped to gaze at one another. Mace couldn’t help but smile when he saw Cobbs mouth, “Forever and ever” and Marg replied, “Amen.” They’d been saying that to one another ever since he’d known them. He didn’t know why, but he knew it meant something very important to them.

  Nina had chosen to play a traditional Mexican song to pay tribute to that part of his family when she was escorted up the aisle by both her parents. Everyone stood. Nothing on earth or heaven could have prepared him as he watched the woman he would get to spend the rest of his life with approach him. She wasn’t beautiful, she was breathtaking, but it was an oxymoron because he couldn’t breathe. Nina smiled and glanced at their guests, then set her gaze on him. It never wavered and neither did his.

  He half-expected a remark from Tony, but he was dumbstruck. Nina’s dress was made of fine satin that fit her as if it had been sewn to every amazing curve of her body. Her curls were piled on the top of her head and rained down her back. He shook his head in disbelief, and being Nina, she simply winked at him. This beautiful creature full of fire and sweetness was his forever.

  * * * *

  Gabbs crawled onto Mace’s lap. “Can I have a shoulder ride, Dad?”

  He gave her a gentle head butt and she gave him one back. “Sure, but let me finish putting this on Mom,” he said.