by KaLyn Cooper
Oh, fuck. Would she take bait? Aziz would use her as a pawn in his game for power and domination while beating her bright spirit into submission.
But Isaac was not going to let her go without a fight. Very slowly, he moved his hand toward the small of his back where he had tucked a .45 caliber pistol.
“Snowman, how many tangos?” Isaac was glad Atlanta Center was on board. He released three short bursts.
“And what’s my other choice?” Hannah’s voice was surprisingly steady. At least she hadn’t jumped on his first suggestion.
Aziz shrugged. “I kill you now.”
Bam.
“Not if I kill you first.” Hannah had shot Aziz in the thigh, very close to his manhood.
Isaac whipped out his gun and shot at the other two men. One bullet bounced off the man’s helmet, and he caught the second man in the shoulder.
“Go,” Isaac screamed to Hannah.
“I hear gunshots,” Karl announced in his ear. “What’s going on?”
“Too busy to talk,” Isaac replied.
Hannah used her pole to knock Aziz’s gun out of his hand then dug both poles into the snow and shoved off down the mountain, zigzagging through trees.
Isaac shot both men in the heart. They were down and not going to move ever again.
Running he grabbed his skis and threw them on the ground, stepping into the bindings as he slid on his backpack.
He took one look at Aziz, his blood was staining the pristine snow a deep red. His gun was ten feet away. Isaac considered for a moment leaving him so he could bleed out slowly. He would remain conscious for several minutes knowing he was going to die. The final torture seemed appropriate for everything he knew about the man.
Instead, Isaac put a bullet to his heart.
Isaac didn’t bother checking for a pulse. He had to get to Hannah. She could ski like the wind. They had to cross an open snowfield where they would both be vulnerable, and he wanted to be there to protect her in case there were other tangos nearby.
“Three dead at the cabin including al-Habib,” Isaac reported to Atlanta Center. “I’m trying to catch up to Hannah now. We’re back on Plan A.”
“Roger that,” Karl acknowledged.
Bending his knees and tucking in, Isaac chose the straightest path possible through the dense forest. Keeping her ski trail in sight, Isaac emerged from the woods and immediately stopped and scanned for the double line in the snow.
She had vanished as though into thin air.
“Isaac.” Hannah’s voice was filled with relief as she stepped out of the shadows and skied toward him. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. She didn’t stop until she ran into his body, her skis sliding perfectly between his.
She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Thank God. I was so worried. I heard several more shots.”
“They’re all dead,” he reassured her. “Now let’s get the hell off this mountain and back to Atlanta.” He kissed her hard one more time. The words I love you were right there on his tongue. They just wouldn’t come out. “I know that wasn’t easy to shoot Aziz.”
She smiled back at him. “Yes, it was. But I guess I’m better at long-distance shots than I am up close. I wanted to shoot his dick off.” She walked her skis backwards then turned her tips down the wide-open slope.
Isaac could do nothing but follow her in wonderment. He already knew he was in love with her, but he had just fallen a little deeper.
They were more than halfway down the half-mile wide swath of deep snow when the crack of a rifle shot broke through their peaceful trek. Isaac looked over his shoulder to see Aziz 300 feet down the slope from the tree line, a sniper rifle at his shoulder. He had something tied around his upper thigh.
Isaac cursed himself for not checking for a pulse. In retrospect, of course the man was probably wearing body armor. The direct shot to his chest no doubt broke a few ribs, but obviously hadn’t killed him.
Hannah had already folded her body into a tuck and pointed her skis straight downhill.
The sound of a second shot bounced off the trees.
The earth beneath Isaac shook.
Avalanche.
Isaac immediately looked for Hannah. She had already kicked off her skis and her vest was inflating. He looked up the mountain to see the crack a hundred feet above Aziz.
Good. He had caused this avalanche and hopefully it would kill him.
Isaac reached to pull the cord for his own airbag when he was hit by a wall of snow. Training took over, and he slammed his hand to activate his location transponder.
Cold. That was the first thing Isaac realized as he came to. He thought he heard his name but it was so faint. He pushed his hands up toward his face to dig out space to breathe as he’d been taught in avalanche school. He had no idea which way was up or down. He wondered, obviously too late, if activating his airbag would give him more space.
“Isaac. Can you hear me?”
This time he was sure he’d heard Hannah’s voice.
Creating an air pocket in front of his face, he called out, “Hannah, I’m here.”
Snow moved around him. When he tried to kick to give more room for his legs, pain shot all the way through his body. He wiggled his toes. Thank God they worked. When he tried to move his ankles, the pain was so great he almost passed out.
Weight lifted above his belly as light filtered through. He was obviously lying on his back. He punched through the snow and waved his hands.
“Oh, thank God!” Hannah was digging with her hands and removed the snow in front of his face. “Are you all right?”
“I am now.” He shifted and cried out in pain. “My leg.”
It took fifteen minutes for Hannah to remove enough snow to pull him out. Every time he shifted, he fought back the blackness that threatened to close down his mind.
“Take my wrists,” she ordered.
Bracing himself against the pain he knew would come, she managed to drag him to the surface.
While digging him out, she had been talking with Karl at the Atlanta Operations Center through the communication unit in her ear. A local search and rescue team had already been dispatched and was on their way to evacuate him.
Another team, this one from Homeland Security, stealthily headed toward the cabin. Only a few people would ever know of the carnage that had happened there.
Thankful to see the sun again, Isaac dragged in a deep breath. When he lifted his head to look at his leg, he almost passed out. He recognized he had a concussion.
Hannah’s face filled his view when he opened his eyes. “I was so worried I wouldn’t get you in time.” Surrounded by snow and unconscious, the body could freeze within twenty minutes. Simply breathing was another way to die in an avalanche—from carbon dioxide poisoning.
She then bent and touched his cold lips with hers. His whole body warmed from his heart outward. She was his, and he wanted to make sure she knew it but he was fast falling off the adrenaline high. Darkness was encroaching the edges of his mind. He had to say the words, now.
“I love you.” The last thing he saw before he passed out was her beautiful smile.
“I love you, too.” Hannah’s words carried him into blissful darkness.
Epilogue
“Well, you’re looking better today,” Hank said as he stepped into Isaac’s hospital room, Axel right behind him. They set a white paper bag and foam cups on the tray. “You couldn’t leave Montana without having a buffalo burger.”
Hannah smiled and chided, “You had better have brought one of those for me, too.” She released Isaac’s hand and dug into the bag.
Hank slung an arm around her shoulders. “I would never forget you.” He looked at Isaac. “You have yourself one special little lady here.”
“That I do,” he admitted. Except for during surgery, she had never left his side. She’d been there through the helicopter ride to the hospital and every minute since he left the recovery room.
She laid out their meal and dug in.
“So, you ever going to tell us why there are at least half a dozen big black SUVs running around the area?” Hank asked for what had to be the fifth time. “You can’t turn around in Big Sky without bumping into feds in suits and sunglasses.”
Isaac shrugged. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
“So, how exactly are you going to get home?” Hank asked, changing the subject. “I hope they will at least put you in first class so you can stretch out that leg. You are damn lucky the bullet only went through muscle.”
Isaac chuckled. “Tell me that when I start rehab next week.”
He couldn’t see who walked through the door, but instantly knew who it was when Alex spoke, “You ready to get out of here?”
Isaac felt the need to sit up straighter in his boss’s presence. “Yes, sir.”
Alex slapped him on the shoulder then leaned in to sniff the burgers. “You think we can get some of those to go? They don’t look like any hospital food I’ve ever seen.”
“They’re buffalo burgers,” Hannah explained and held out her hand. “Hannah Kader. Nice to meet you.” She set the burger down then threw her arms around Alex. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you guys did for me.”
Awkwardly, Alex patted her on the back. “That’s what we do.” When he turned, Isaac noticed the gorgeous blonde. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Katlin Callahan.”
With confidence, the woman strode to Hannah and shook her hand. “We need to talk, but unfortunately, I’m the one flying the plane back to Atlanta, so it’ll have to wait until I get the two of you home safe.”
“Isaac, I promised I’d introduce you to Guardian Security’s other partner. Meet Katlin Callahan.” When her stunning blue-on-blue eyes met his, he understood what Alex had said days ago about never underestimating a woman.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
She returned his firm shake. “I wanted to personally thank you both for disposing of one of the world’s greatest threats. Al-Habib was more dangerous than his brother.” Katlin spoke as though she had personal knowledge of the facts. For some reason, Isaac didn’t doubt it.
Alex clapped his hands together. “Okay, let’s see what we can do about getting you released.” He then turned around and faced Hank and Axel. “I want to thank the two of you for being willing to back up my man. Had I known the way things were going to go down, I would’ve pulled you in from the beginning. Next time.” He shook hands with both men then disappeared through the door.
Hank stepped up beside the bed. “Well, it looks like we may get to work together sometime in the future. I hope, though, we’ll get to see you before then.”
Isaac took Hannah’s hand. “We’ll see you at the wedding this summer. Hannah and I have decided to get married here in Big Sky.”
Axel burst out laughing. “Usually people honeymoon here, not get married.”
“Oh, we’re going to do both,” Hannah informed the room. She squeezed Isaac’s hand. “There’s this wonderful little cabin that already holds some very special memories.”
Hank slapped Axel on the shoulder. “We need to hit the road and get back to our wives. Be sure to send us invitations.”
“Of course.” Hannah and Isaac had spoken at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled. They were already one soul.
The End
If you’ve enjoyed Snow SEAL, please tell others by leaving a review on your retailer’s site or Goodreads.
Other books by KaLyn Cooper:
Black Swan Series
Military active duty women secretly trained in Special Operations
assigned to governmental agencies and
the men who dare to capture the heart of a Woman Warrior.
Unrelenting Love: Lady Hawk & Alex (Black Swan Book 1)
Women in Special Operations? Never…Until he sleeps with the most lethal woman in the world.
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Unrelenting-Love-Lady-Hawk-Black-ebook/dp/B01HHCZWJ2
Uncaged Love: Harper & Rafe (Black Swan Book 2)
The jungle isn’t the only thing that’s hot while escaping a Colombian cartel.
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W562MP1
Noel’s Puppy Power A Sweet Christmas Novella
He’s better at communicating with animals than women, but as an amputee she knows firsthand, it’s the internal scars that can be the most difficult to heal.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XJM7DVF/
Guardian Elite Series
Former special operators,
these men work for Guardian Security (from the Black Swan Series)
protecting families in their homes and executives on the road,
but they can’t always protect their hearts.
Smoke and Mirrors (Novella #1 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire and Rescue Kindle World)
She’s not what she seems. Neither is he. But the terrorist threat is real. So is the desire that smolders between them.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Dallas-Fire-Rescue-Mirrors-Guardian-ebook/dp/B01M63FVMN/
Double Jeopardy (Novella #2 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Hildie McQueen’s Indulgences series) Guarding a billionaire and his wife isn’t easy when you can’t keep your eyes off your bikini wearing, gun carrying partner who is lethal in stilettos.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT6S37N
Rescuing Melina (Novella #3 Guardian Elite series Crossover with Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World)
When Jacin awoke stateside, he remembered nothing about his escape from the Colombian cartel or his torture. He was sure of only one thing, his love of Melina, his handler. When she disappears, neither bruises nor the CIA will keep him from rescuing her.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS1S1NN
Cancun Series
Follow the Girard family
—along with their friends, former SEALs and active duty female Navy pilots—
as they hunt Mayan antiquities, terrorists and Mexican cartels in what most would call paradise.
Tropical nights aren’t the only thing HOT in Cancun.
Christmas in Cancun (Book #1)
Can the former SEAL keep his libido in check and his family safe when the quest for ancient Mayan idols turns murderous?
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYU5N73/
Conquered in Cancun (Novella #1.5)
A helicopter pilot’s second chance at love walks into a Cancun nightclub, but she’s a jet fighter pilot with reinforced walls around her heart.
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Conquered-Cancun-Novella-1-5-ebook/dp/B00WQDUK2M
Captivated in Cancun (Book #2)
His job is tracking down terrorists so he’s not interested in a family. She wants him short-term then needs him when their worlds collide.
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-Cancun-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01B11BAZ0
Claimed by a SEAL (Cancun Crossover Novella #2.5 with Cat Johnson’s Hot SEALs Kindle Worlds)
How far will the Homeland Security agent go to assure mission success when forced undercover for a second time with an irresistible SEAL?
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hot-SEALs-Claimed-Crossover-Novella-ebook/dp/B01B27X4CK
Crisis in Cancun (Book #3) (coming 2017)
For the latest on works in progress and future releases, check out KaLyn Cooper’s website
www.KaLynCooper.com
http://www.kalyncooper.com/
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