by KaLyn Cooper
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Twisted Page Inc.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Brotherhood Protectors remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Twisted Page Inc., or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Snow SEAL
a Guardian Elite crossover novella
with Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World
KaLyn Cooper
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Elle James for inviting me to write in her Kindle World. I’ve been a fan of her books for years. As always, I couldn’t publish a book without the wonderful editing of Marci Clark and awesome cover by Valerie Tibbs. A special thanks to my lunch bunch, authors Trista Ann Michaels, Rachel Rivers, Kimberly Grace, and Vikki Vaught who doubles as my critique partner. These women drag me from my writing cave and provide much-needed socialization, as well as plot twists. Thank you to my wonderful readers Judy Slater, Kevin Luke, Julie Kahler, Mary Brannian, Sara Conger, Diana Tidlund and Rhonda Gothier for helping me name Isaac Snow.
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the women warriors of the YPJ, part of the Syrian Army’s People’s Protection Unit. Keep up the good work!
Dear Readers,
Snow SEAL is a crossover novella between my Guardian Elite series and Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors. Although every book is a standalone, you may wish to read other books in the Black Swan seriesto get to know Alex Wolf and Katlin Callahan. You may also enjoy the other novellas inthe Guardian Elite series.
Please note that Snow SEAL is meant for mature audiences as it contains explicit sex, graphic violence, and adult language.
Thank you for reading my books. If you have enjoyed Snow SEAL, please consider telling others with a review. You may also want to read my other books. You will find a complete list and links available at the end of this book.
Always,
KaLyn
KaLyn Cooper Books by Series
Black Swan Series
Unconventional Beginnings: The Prequel
Unrelenting Love: Lady Hawk (Katlin) & Alex (Black Swan Book #1)
Uncaged Love: Harper & Rafe (Black Swan Book #2)
Noel’s Puppy Power: Tanner & Bailey (A Sweet Christmas Novella #0.5)
Unexpected Love: Lady Eagle (Grace) & Griffin (Black Swan Book #3) (Coming Fall 2017)
Guardian Elite Series
Smoke and Mirrors (Novella #1 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire and Rescue Kindle World)
Double Jeopardy (Novella #2 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Hildie McQueen’s Indulgences series)
Rescuing Melina (Novella #3 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World)
Snow SEAL (Novella #4 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World)
Cancun Series
Christmas in Cancun (Book #1)
Conquered in Cancun (Novella #1.5)
Captivated in Cancun (Book #2)
Claimed by a SEAL (Cancun Crossover Novella #2.5 with Cat Johnson’s Hot SEALs Kindle World)
Crisis in Cancun (Book #3) (coming 2017)
Chapter 1
Isaac Snow shifted his weight so the tails of his skis were perpendicular to Lone Mountain. Digging the inside edges into the groomed snow, he expertly glided to a stop. Slowly, he inhaled the freezing air, reducing his heart rate as he’d been taught as a SEAL.
He smiled.
Once again, he had mastered the mountain. He gazed at the peak and traced the path he’d skied from 11,166 feet down to 7,400 feet at the Madison Base area. Dropping into Stillwater Bowl through the longest of the double black diamond entries, he’d dodged trees through Sundance Hollow before shooting across the intermediate slopes to finish on Pine Marten. It had been an invigorating ride. He preferred the less crowded side of Big Sky Resort.
Isaac burrowed through several layers of clothing and gloves to check the large face of his military watch. He had just enough time to peel off his ski gear and drive to the locals’ bar on the outskirts of the high-priced resort town. He couldn’t wait to see Hank “Montana” Patterson again.
Although they had attended rival high schools, and never knew each other growing up because of their age difference, their home state connection had held tight as they crossed paths many times while stationed in Virginia Beach. The SEAL community was quite small and closed to outsiders, even after they left the Navy.
Fifteen minutes later, Isaac hit the lock button on the key fob to the brand-new Land Rover provided to him for this assignment. He scanned the parking lot filled with well-worn four-wheel-drive vehicles a decade old and grimaced. Guardian Security was a first-class company all the way, and he loved working for them, but the vehicle screamed, Rob me. I’m a tourist. Thankfully, the heavily tinted windows hid all the new gear he’d purchased the day before for this assignment. He groaned when he thought about shopping tomorrow to outfit a pampered princess with the equipment she’d need for Plan B.
But first, a beer and some good food with friends.
Isaac loved Buck’s Place. He and his buddies had been regulars his junior and senior years of high school, stopping in after a long, cold day of running ski lifts for minimum wage at the popular winter destination.
Employees weren’t allowed to mingle with resort guests, not that they ever wanted to spend time with the rich and famous or their over-indulged children. The dingy bar had been one of the few places they could get a hot meal without accusing glances.
Crossing the parking lot, Isaac automatically scanned for threats then chastised himself. He was no longer in the desert, and that was snow, not sand. Isaac held the door wide allowing the bright sunshine to illuminate the small enclosed porch. His gaze immediately swept the area for threats before he stepped inside. Given his new job, perhaps some cautious habits should be kept.
Scuffing the soles of his boots on the thick wiry mat to remove any remnant of snow embedded in the deep tread gave his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the faint light before he closed them. The bar would be darker yet.
Entering a dimly lit room could temporarily blind a man…and get him killed. Some lessons were learned the hard way.
Isaac shoved the memories of house-to-house searches in war-torn countries aside. This was Buck’s Place. He was safe and back in Montana.
His first thought as he stepped through the door was that not much had changed in the eight years he’d been gone. The menagerie of elk, sheep, and deer trophies that filled every square foot of wall space to the fourteen-foot open beam ceiling had expanded. All had been locally shot, most by regular patrons. Interspersed, were prize-worthy fish expertly restored by a local taxidermist.
In the middle of the afternoon, there weren’t many people in the bar. Hank and Axel were easy to spot at a table in the back, close to an emergency exit, where they could see everything and everyone. It was where Isaac would have chosen to sit had he arrived first.
Both men rose to give him a smack on the back and a bro hug.
“So damned good to see you.” Hank retook his seat.
The waitress showed up, and Isaac eyed the beers sitting in front of his friends. He wasn’t going to be on duty for several hours so
he ordered his favorite local brew and a small pizza. When she was gone, they all sat back in the sturdy wooden chairs.
“Looks like you two are settling into civilian life.” Isaac’s gaze bounced between his two old friends.
When Axel’s eyes met Hank’s, they both grinned as though they knew a secret.
“A good job and a hot woman in a soft bed to come home to every night, what’s not to like?” Axel picked up his bottle beer and took a sip.
“Hey, asshole, that’s my sister you’re talking about.” Hank glared at the slightly larger man.
Axel smiled as he set his bottle back on the table. “Did I forget to mention the great guy I work for? Just another perk of living here.”
Hank focused intense brown eyes on Isaac. “That reminds me, I was serious when I offered you a job.” He held up one hand. “Before you get started, I know and understand why you wouldn’t want to live here. But now that you’re back, you might change your mind. Offer is always open.”
There was no fucking way Isaac would ever choose to live in Montana again. He couldn’t get away from this place fast enough at eighteen. He was back now out of necessity.
“Thanks, Hank, but I’m only here for a few days.” At least Isaac hoped that was the truth. Since he didn’t have enough details about his next assignment yet, he wasn’t sure how long he’d have to remain in the area. He didn’t like being this close to his father’s home and the past he thought he’d left far behind.
Refusing to go down that path, Isaac needed to smooth out any tensions between Brotherhood Protectors and Guardian Security. “I wanted you to know that I’m not here stepping on your toes. My client’s parents have used Guardian Security services for years. Seems their little princess has pissed off someone, and they want her protected for a while.” He shrugged. “That’s all I know right now. I’m supposed to get more details later tonight from someone higher up the food chain.”
Hank cocked one eyebrow. “So her folks sent her to Big Sky, Montana?”
“I guess they own a place here and thought it was far enough away from Atlanta that she’d be safe.” Isaac smiled. “I could handle an assignment skiing my ass off for a couple days on somebody else’s dime.”
Although working for Guardian Security paid extremely well, lift tickets at the exclusive resort were pricey. Thanks to a few old high school friends he’d run into last night at this very bar, he was able to sneak onto the chairlift before the slopes actually opened. First tracks on fresh powder was one of the few good memories Isaac had growing up. He’d spent his morning acclimating to the high altitude by getting in as many runs as possible.
“You’d better hope she knows how to ski better than the movie star wannabe I had last month over at Red Lodge Mountain.” Hank scowled. “I didn’t know anybody could be so damned uncoordinated. I picked up her bony ass off the snow so many times I lost count. She was in my arms more than Sadie that week.” Hollywood superstar Sadie McLean was Hank’s wife.
Axel burst into a laugh. “I wish I could’ve been there to see her face when Sadie showed up to give her a ski lesson.”
Hank sneered. “The little wench’s whole demeanor changed. I was no longer her big bad savior, I suddenly became her steppingstone to stardom. She wouldn’t shut up about Sadie’s movies, asking me personal questions about her, and of course, she went on and on about all the men Sadie had supposedly dated.”
“You shouldn’t let that shit bug you,” Axel chastised. “You are the one she married. You are the only one she will ever be with again.”
After a moment, Hank’s whole face transformed. “Yeah. She’s mine. Forever.” Then, as though he’d never been distracted, he returned to the previous conversation. “Thank God the cops caught the supposed stalker two days later. Turned out he was a freelance reporter for one of the rags and just wanted to interview her face-to-face.”
“I hope I’m that lucky,” Isaac admitted. “I’d like a short assignment. A few days. Maybe a week.”
“Then back to Atlanta?” Axel asked.
The men remained silent as the waitress slid their pizzas in front of them and asked if they wanted another beer. They all rejected the offer in favor of the full water glasses on the table.
“I may take a day or two and drop in on my uncle Samuel.” Isaac hadn’t seen his mother’s brother in almost year, since they had finished the inside of the cabin on the backside of Lone Mountain. He missed the grouchy old man who had given him the few good memories he had of his childhood after his mother had died of ovarian cancer when he was eight.
“Uncle Bullshit?” Hank said with a smile.
“Samuel Bull Tail,” Isaac corrected, although he often wondered if half the stories he’d heard over the years were real. He’d seen the Ranger patch on Uncle Samuel’s U.S. Army uniform and had once donned the green beret and marched around the small home he preferred to the large, two-story ranch house he’d grown up in.
“I’ve heard that name a lot,” Axel noted. “Are you Crow Indian?”
“According to Uncle Samuel, yes.” Isaac bit into what had to be some of the best pizza in the world.
“We had quite a few Crow and Northern Cheyenne in my school, but I grew up closer to the reservations,” Hank said before winding a long string of cheese around the tip of his slice. “You kinda look like them.”
“Yeah, I take after my mom.” And thank God for that. He was happy to look into the mirror every day and see his mother’s high cheekbones and square jaw. Facing a reminder of his father carved into his own face day after day would be more than Isaac could bear. Not having to shave off beard stubble each morning was another sign of his true ancestry. A heritage his father vehemently denied.
“Do you have other family in the area?” Axel’s question was innocent given that Isaac rarely spoke of his father.
Hank knew the story, or at least part of it.
A few years older, and a lot more experienced under the weight of a Trident, Hank had seemed to know what Isaac needed after his first mission to the sandbox. They had hit every bar in Virginia Beach and fucked several base bunnies before needing to sober up to resume training Monday morning. Isaac would be forever thankful for the way Hank had taken him under his wing and showed him the ropes of SEAL life. He was like the older brother Isaac never had.
Axel looked at him expectantly, but it was Hank’s gaze that bored deep.
Isaac couldn’t lie under the older man’s scrutiny. “Yes, but I won’t be going there.” He hoped they both understood the double meaning of his words. He had no intention of returning to the hell he’d lived in before escaping into the Navy, nor would he be discussing his father, stepmother, and half siblings with the two of them.
Just before his tenth birthday, his father had shown up on their large Montana ranch with a young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed bitch who treated Isaac like a house servant. She’d popped out three little girls before finally giving his father a second son during Isaac’s senior year in high school.
He was embarrassed at the seventeen-year difference. No teenage boy wanted to think of his parents still having sex while he was discovering the ecstasy of orgasms with girls. Some had accused Isaac of knocking up a girl he dated his entire junior year—whose family had moved away over the summer—claiming his father and step-mother were raising the baby as their own.
Just another reason to leave small town life.
Isaac couldn’t wait to graduate and get the hell out of the Crazy Mountains of Montana.
But now he was back, temporarily, and working because he had a unique knowledge of the area.
Deep in his pocket, Isaac’s phone vibrated. Voice mail or email, either way he knew it was from his office. Digging out his phone, he glanced at the email showing it had an attachment.
Holding up his phone, Isaac declared, “Sorry, guys, duty calls.”
All three men stood.
“We need to get back across the mountains,” Hank announced. “Take care of yours
elf. I understand we’re about to get dumped on.”
“Yeah, they’re calling for another three feet starting tomorrow afternoon.” Axel grabbed the jacket from the back of his chair and stuffed his arms down the sleeves.
“It’s been a while since you’ve lived in high country.” Hank slipped on his parka. “I know you went to cold weather training up in Alaska, like we all did, but you’ve been away from life in the snow for several years.”
Before he would allow the lecture he knew was coming, Isaac said, “I haven’t forgotten anything I learned growing up here.”
Hank nodded. “Stay safe.”
It had taken a few minutes for the three of them to pay their bills and say their final farewells. Isaac had just turned the key in the ignition when his phone rang. All the caller ID showed was Guardian Security.
“Isaac Snow,” he announced to the caller.
“Good afternoon, Isaac. This is Alex Wolf.”
Isaac sat up straighter in his seat. Although he’d met the owner and managing partner of Guardian Security once before, he was the last man Isaac expected on the other end of the line.
“Sir, what can I do for you?” Isaac couldn’t imagine what the man at the top of the multimillion-dollar company wanted.
“Have you had an opportunity to look at the files on Hannah Kader?”
Well, hell. He’d only receive them about five minutes ago. “No, sir. I was not alone when I received the email, but I intend to study them once I am back in my hotel room.” And what a room it was. Guardian Security had arranged for a suite for him to stay in while at Big Sky. He’d never been in such an fancy hotel room in his life. The large living room had a wet bar tucked into one corner with crystal high ball and wine glasses. It was separated from the bedroom by double doors. There was a full kitchen, not that Isaac was expected to cook because room service was available 24/7. The flat screen TV was about the same size as his at home, huge by most standards, but he didn’t have a gas fireplace that turned on with a remote, or a jetted tub next to a shower big enough for three. To top it off, he could ski from the patio onto the slopes. He was living the luxurious life he’d only seen from a distance as a Montana rancher’s kid.
