Unconventional Beginnings

by KaLyn Cooper

  Ty’s family, whom had made the trip from Miami, had already been seated in the front row on the left.

  Finally, Katlin, right hand securely affixed to the inside curve of her father’s left arm, emerged from a side room. As she passed her uncle, Monsignor Gillpatrick bent and lightly kissed her cheek then whispered something only they would ever know.

  Katlin’s godfather, her uncle Thomas Gillpatrick, took her left hand and tucked it into his right then told her she was doing great. The two men escorted the new widow to the front row and carefully placed her in the seat.

  The priest began the processional to the front of the chapel. When they had situated the casket in front of the altar, Alex quietly ordered the pallbearers to take their seats in the front row. The service followed a shortened high mass of the Catholic church, which exceeded the normal twenty minutes allowed by the chapel, but no one dared complain.

  Finally, the good Father walked to the center aisle and stepped to the rear of the casket. That was Alex’s cue to command, “Stand.” The pallbearers then came forward as the Navy piper began to play.

  During the ceremony, Alex had tried to get a glimpse of Katlin’s expressive eyes now that her sunglasses had been tucked away. As he passed her, she didn’t look at him, but he could see that her beautiful blue eyes were not reddened or swollen from crying. They looked regretful and distant, as though deep in thought.

  Soon, he’d pull her aside from the other mourners and hold her. He’d stroke her back while she cried in his arms, just as she had done so many times when they were teenagers. Once again, Ty was to blame for her tears.

  As Katlin, Uncle Tom, and her father stepped through the double doors right behind the casket, Uncle Francis, in complete priest mode, turned to the rear of the elegant chapel. He led the processional outside into the bright sunshine where he stood beside the horse-drawn caisson. He placed his right hand over his heart until the casket was secured. He waited, head bowed as if in prayer, beside the Great Iron Gate to Arlington National Cemetery while the procession assembled. When he lifted his head and caught her father’s gaze, he walked past Alex and the SEALs to Katlin.

  “It’s almost over, my dear. You are holding it together very well.” It was meant as reassurance, but little did her uncle know that she was not about to cry. At that moment, she felt nothing for the man who had been her husband for the past five years.

  She felt terrible for her friend Alex, who had just lost his best friend. That’s why she couldn’t even look at him. If she had even a fleeting glimpse into his brown eyes flecked with gold, the tears for his loss would overcome her. She’d cry until she was dry. She wanted his strong arms around her, just holding her, as they shared strength to overcome the loss of a man they both had loved.

  In public, she had to be the sturdy young widow of the brave Navy lieutenant who had died serving his country. In private, she would hate him for his infidelities, his lies, his inability to love her the way she’d loved him. And she had loved him, deeply, once. Time after time, since they were teenagers, he had broken her heart. Just before he’d left for Afghanistan, she had decided to never pick up those sharp shards of her heart again. He wasn’t worth it.

  With her father on her right, they immediately followed the flag-draped casket-laden caisson pulled by stately white horses. Ty’s family was next, then a sea of Navy and Marine blues as the black robes of her uncle guided everyone through Arlington National Cemetery.

  She walked chin up and faced forward, tearless under her large sunglasses. She breathed evenly as the street rose to the next level of the famous graveyard. She often ran the obstacle courses scattered around MCB Quantico and trained daily in the gym, so her heart rate barely increased with the hills.

  She knew her duty that day as the bereaved wife, she was expected to be strong. In truth, she was too numb to feel anything. She blamed herself for Ty’s death. She worried that she was also to blame for deaths of his whole team. All those young men, dead, like the body before her. There was not enough time left in her life to say all the penance if her greatest fear was true. She was afraid to tell anyone what she had done. It might be the reason they were all dead.

  Finally, Uncle Francis stopped. Alex and the SEALs moved forward, removed the casket from the caisson and marched in step, slowly, to the open hole a few yards down the manicured green grass. The procession gathered around closely to hear the final words.

  At the conclusion of the service and before benediction, a twenty-one-gun salute was issued by seven riflemen in three volleys of fire. Very few could have noticed as she flinched, biting down on clenched teeth with every volley, she dug her nails into her father’s palm.

  The most mournful bugler ever heard played “Taps.” Katlin stood motionless and stared at the lines of white headstones that blurred as they converged in the distance.

  She was always aware of the gazes on her. Sniffling and quiet weeping surrounded her. For an instant, she wondered how many of the women crying for Tyler had he slept with? Had it been a one-nighter? Or had they been involved in a long-term affair?

  Air quickly left her lungs. Didn’t matter anymore.

  Alex’s command brought her back to the ceremony. The SEALs folded the red, white, and blue flag that had draped Ty’s casket since it arrived in Quantico. Her husband’s friend, Lieutenant Carson, passed the tight triangle to Alex, point first. As tradition, Alex turned the flag, point forward. He stood perfectly still till the SEALs marched away.

  Alex stepped in front of Katlin as she removed her hand from her father’s arm. He began the ritual verse, “On behalf of the President of the United States, a grateful nation, and a proud Navy, this flag is presented as a token of our appreciation for the honorable and faithful service rendered by your loved one to his country and Navy.” His voiced had only once waivered slightly.

  His face was toward her, but he hadn’t looked at her. She couldn’t see his eyes, those cocoa-brown irises flecked with gold, the eyes of her best friend.

  When he wouldn’t even look at her, she admitted to herself…he knew the truth. Ty had obviously talked to him before he left for Afghanistan.

  Alex must hate her. Her stomach flipped and her lungs drew tight at the realization. Suddenly, she felt very alone. She’d lost not only her husband, but the only man she’d truly ever depended on other than her father.

  Her eyes burned as they finally filled with tears.

  “Katlin.” Her father’s whisper brought their attention back to the man extending the folded flag to her. Alex.

  She took a deep breath, surprised at the sniffle.

  With steady hands, she slid her right hand under the flag, touching, not quite a caress, Alex’s hidden hand enclosed in his white gloves. She placed her left hand on top, beside his, not touching him. Once she securely had the triangular flag, she gently pulled it away from her best friend. She looked up as she attempted one more time to see his eyes, but Alex stepped back, saluted, made a sharp right turn, and stepped off to join the SEALs.

  Thump.

  Katlin jerked when the SEAL lieutenant pounded his Trident into the casket. One by one, each pallbearer repeated the silent farewell. Alex approached last, removing the gold Marine Special Operations Officer pin Ty had affixed to his uniform years ago. She heard Alex’s slow exhale before he fisted his hand and with one hard strike, hammered the spread eagle wrapped around a spear into the wood.

  Without looking back at her, he followed the SEALs to the waiting limousine.

  8

  Ava slid into the booth across from Tom at their favorite restaurant in Crystal City.

  “Thanks for meeting me here, sweetheart.” Tom slid a glass of Pinot Noir across the table to her. “I’m sorry, but I have to go back to the office after we eat supper. Things are getting ugly in Nicaragua.”

  “Isn’t that where Daniel is?” Ava unfolded the cloth napkin and spread it over her white uniform skirt. “It’s too bad he couldn’t make it back for the funeral t
wo days ago.”

  Tom chuckled. “Not really. Daniel despised Ty. He knew what a sleaze ball the man was and never understood what Katlin saw in him.”

  Ava had wondered, more than once, whether Katlin knew what kind of man she’d married. “Speaking of Katlin, guess who showed up at work today as though nothing had changed?”

  Tom stopped with his beer halfway to his mouth. “When did the psychiatrist release her for full duty?”

  “Well, see, that’s the kicker. She never went to see the project shrink.” Ava took a reinforcing sip of her wine. “She claims she went and saw her own psychiatrist, Doctor Eloise Bowden.”

  Tom set the beer on the table. “Doctor Bowden works for the CIA. I have to send my operatives to her on a regular basis.” His gaze scanned the busy restaurant before returning to her with concern in his eyes. His voice turned soft as he confessed, “I didn’t know Katlin was still seeing her.”

  “Still?” Ava’s eyes went wide with shock. “What do you mean, still? I never saw anything in Katlin’s records pertaining to regular psychiatric visits. It would have disqualified her from the program immediately.” How could she have missed such a large red flag?

  Tom reached across the table and put his warm hand over hers. “Katlin is perfectly sane. You have nothing to worry about. My sister got concerned after she and Katlin had to fight off banditos during the Panamanian coup.”

  “I read about that in her file.” Ava searched her memory for more details. “Katlin actually killed several of the bad guys that day. She and her mother were babysitting the ambassador’s children, right?”

  Tom nodded. “Yeah, they had gathered the little ones from all the nearby embassies and taken them to their house. Somehow the rebels got the idea that kidnapping all those kids would end the coup sooner.”

  Ava smiled. “I guess they’d never met a family like the Callahans. They’re protective bunch, not to mention lethal, even at a young age. She was about twelve, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes. Afterward, her mother decided Katlin needed to see a psychiatrist.” Tom grinned. “I really think it was my sister who needed to see a professional. The whole ordeal really shook her up. Katlin, on the other hand, said she was completely justified in killing those men.” He looked her in the eye when he told her, “I think that’s what’s made her into the woman warrior she is today. As long as she believes it’s a justified kill, she won’t hesitate to take out a target.”

  Ava agreed. “I’m just worried about the day when Katlin is asked to do something that goes against her high moral values.”

  Tom’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t want to be the man who asked that of her. He might be the one at the other end of her gun barrel.”

  “In that case, we can only hope it’s Jack Ashford.” Internally, Ava liked the idea of someone putting that pompous ass in his place.

  “He doesn’t get control of Katlin’s team until after they’ve finished several courses with us.” Tom took a long pull on the beer. “I’ve arranged for some intensive training for them with the best agents we have. When they leave the CIA, Jack Ashford won’t know what hit him.”

  “Let’s drink to the future of our young ladies.” Ava raised her glass of wine and clinked it against Tom’s beer.

  Tom downed the rest and set the empty glass on the table.

  “It’s going to be one hell of a ride.”

  The End

  Unrelenting Love - Sneak Peek

  Book 1 Black Swan Series

  **First Three Chapters**

  KaLyn Cooper

  Dear Reader,

  I’ve attached the first three chapters of Unrelenting Love. I hope you enjoy the adventures of Katlin and Alex is much as I enjoy writing these characters. Look for them to appear in almost all Black Swan novels as their relationship continues to develop while the other Ladies of Black Swan find true love.

  All the novels and novellas in the Black Swan series are meant for mature audiences. They all contain adult language, explicit sex, and graphic violence.

  Always,

  KaLyn Cooper

  Unrelenting Love - Chapter 1

  “Operations Control.” The man’s voice was expectant, ready to handle anything she threw at him.

  “Lady Hawk confirming extraction site,” Katlin Callahan spoke quietly into the tiny headset attached to the encrypted satellite phone clipped on her duty belt. She glanced up and down the nearly empty city street, alert to the armed men she and her team passed who might be listening. She was going to get pissed if Homeland Security had changed their exit plans…again.

  The Iraqi afternoon heat baked her body under the mandatory abaya that covered her, shoulders to toes, in black cotton, but it also conveniently hid her weapons and survival gear. The niqab covered her long blonde hair, and its thick veil screened her alabaster face and blue eyes. It was a great disguise since it allowed her team of five American women to move freely within the warring country—as freely as a group of women could move in any Muslim-controlled region.

  “I have you at one click out, moving west toward the Marine encampment.” The man’s voice in her ear bud brought her back to the current situation. “No change in plans at this time. Base commander has been informed and is expecting you. Proceed as ordered.”

  Thank God for small favors. She was about to close the conversation when he continued. “Hold for Director of Ops.”

  What the fuck does he want?

  Dread piled onto her tired body as the tech had threw more on her insurmountable load. She released a long sigh. She could handle her boss.

  Katlin glanced at the other four women on her team who literally surrounded her. She smiled. As always, they had her back. They waited on a street corner while a caravan of allied troops in Hummers passed then scurried across the rutted Fallujah street. She glanced down the row of sun-bleached shops that struggled daily to provide goods and services to people tired of decades of war.

  As her team strode past a recently bombed building, she watched a pre-teen boy scavenge for blocks that remained somewhat rectangle. He’d take them to his parents’ home to replace ones falling apart from too many bullet holes, or if he was homeless like thousands of other children, he’d sell the formed concrete to someone for scraps of food. At least he’d eat today.

  The physical and emotional devastation tore at her soul. She was glad her own country had never known the perils of war. She was in the Middle East to be sure no one would bring this unrest to the United States, as their target had threatened.

  “Report,” Jack Ashworth’s baritone voice commanded. Katlin could picture him sitting straight-backed behind his immaculately clean, hand-carved mahogany desk at Section 7 in D.C.—in cool air conditioning—as he controlled agents all over the world.

  She looked down at her dusty military boots and the bottom eighteen inches of her robe, which was covered in the gray powder that permeated every surface in that part of the world. She yearned for a long hot shower, followed by hours of sleep that wasn’t interrupted by gunfire or bombs. Soon, she promised herself.

  “Mission accomplished. Target eliminated. You already have the video feed. I’ll upload the after action report on the way home.” She didn’t try to hide the pride in her gravelly voice.

  “Great work, Lady Hawk. Get some well-deserved rest then get Black Swan in the sky tonight,” he ordered, referring to their sleek black Gulfstream 550 jet.

  “Yes, sir.” Her team chatted in Arabic to cover her conversation with headquarters as the five women rounded the next corner.

  “I’ll see you in the morning.” Jack’s voice held a hint of excitement.

  Damn it.

  “No, sir.” Her boss was the last person she wanted to see after this mission, or ever. “We’re not headed to D.C. We’re slated for five days off, and I have plans in Miami. The whole team has decided to stay there for a few days.” She knew that would piss him off, but tough. He was the main reason she avoided her office. The fact that Washi
ngton, D.C. was filled with too many personal ghosts was another.

  “Fine.” The word was gruff, almost childish in its indignant tone. She heard a few clicks over the secured line and wondered if they had company on this call or if Jack was up to something.

  “Private conversation, please, Kat.”

  Christ no. Not here. Not now.

  Then she realized what he’d called her. Katlin never permitted anyone to call her by a pet name, least of all Jack ass. There were only two men she had ever allowed to shorten her name, her father and her best friend since high school. Her father had passed away three years ago, and she hadn’t spoken to Alejandro Lobo since he’d handed her the flag that had draped her husband’s casket.

  No. Don’t go there. She had to shove all thoughts of Alejandro and the cheating bastard she’d married, Tyler Malone, into a box and never open it again. Okay, that was impossible, but she could at least seal it up for now.

  “Katlin…you still there?” Jack asked impatiently.

  Damn it, yes. Of course she was still there. Section 7 had all the best and newest toys available to international operatives like her. Dropped calls never happened to them because they had priority use of satellites.

  She squinted and clenched her jaw, fearing their next conversation would not only be private, but personal. There were dozens of things to do before she could get her team out of Iraq. She didn’t have time for this conversation.

  But he was her boss. At least for another two years, she was committed to serving the United States government as a Navy officer. She had to go where they sent her and do whatever they asked of her. She would do her duty and not complain. Katlin Callahan was no quitter. That was evidenced by her success as the top graduate of the secret special operations training she and her team had endured. As for Jack, she could handle him.

  “Yes, sir, private.” The rest of her team couldn’t hear him through her ear bud, and it didn’t matter. She shared everything with the four women who had become the sisters she’d never had…almost everything. Some secrets could never be told.