by KaLyn Cooper
“My mama taught me better than that.” He glanced into the hold. “Is there some special way you stack them in there?”
“Nope.” She gave him a genuine smile as he placed his bag on top of others. “Thank you. We’ll talk inside, later.”
He trotted up the stairs and stepped into luxury. Captain’s chairs that looked nicer than the new recliner in his living room sat facing various directions. There were two distinct seating areas of four chairs separated by a table. A long couch sat across from two single chairs. In the back was a large galley with crystal wine glasses hanging upside down above an apartment-sized refrigerator. A microwave hung above the sink. There was even a dishwasher mixed in with multiple cabinets. At the far end, the door stood open to a deluxe bathroom that contained a full-sized shower. Marcus had never seen anything like it before in his life.
He smelled her before he saw her. “We need you to take a seat. We’re going to be moving out of the hangar in under a minute. Fasten your seatbelt. We don’t mess around getting the hell out of here.”
Smiling ear to ear, he turned to see the most beautiful woman in the world. He fought to keep a professional demeanor. Given all the alphabet agencies involved in this operation, no telling who was watching their every move. “Is there any place you’d like me to sit?”
She held his gaze for a long moment before answering, “Next to me.”
Chapter 11
A loud woof was Tori’s only warning before one hundred pounds of mutt slammed huge paws into her lap. “Dammit, yes I love you too.” She scratched behind the ears of the rescued dog.
Marcus reached over and petted the Rottweiler Mastiff mix. “Dammit, I wish I’d known you were going on this trip with us. I would’ve saved you a bone.”
At the magic word, the dog owned by everyone on the Black Swan team laid a big lick on Marcus’s face. It was just like Marcus to be so thoughtful as to even think about their dog.
“Dammit, here.” Katlin snapped her fingers and pointed to the floor in front of her. Tori would swear she heard the dog sigh before he dashed off down the aisle. “Cage.” Tori laughed when the big animal dropped his head and dragged his feet into the large cage.
“Does he ride the whole trip back there?” Marcus was turned, leaning into the aisle looking at the disgruntled overgrown puppy.
“It’s safer for him to be in the cage on takeoff and landing. This is a pretty long flight. I’m sure somebody will let him out so he can run around.” Tori loved that damn dog. Everyone on her team did.
Katlin had rescued him as a puppy in Miami. The five women couldn’t agree on a name, even after two weeks. When Tanner Hill showed to get him for boarding and training, he pointed out that the puppy thought its name was Dammit and deemed it so. All the women thought it was hysterically funny because for the previous two weeks each had repeatedly said such things like “Damn it, don’t chew on that.” “Damn it, come here.” “Oh, damn it, you peed on the floor again.”
Katlin took the seat across the table from them. The pressure changed in the cabin and Tori instantly knew the door had been closed and locked.
When Nita reached her seat beside Katlin, she declared, “Fasten your seatbelts tight, Lei Lu has the stick.”
“That woman certainly does like her power.” Katlin tightened her strap. “Sometimes I wonder if we should have harnesses put in back here.”
Tori and Nita glanced at their friend and chuckled.
As soon as they were pulled outside the hangar, the twin Rolls-Royce engines screamed to life. The taxi to the end of the runway was short, so they were in the air in less than a minute.
Tori glanced at Marcus to make sure he was okay with their nearly vertical takeoff. They reached flying altitude in under five minutes. When the plane leveled off, Nita unclipped her seatbelt and pulled out a handheld device.
“Wha—” was all she would allow Marcus to get out before she pressed her index finger to his lips and shook her head. She flattened her left hand and crawled her fingertips over it to indicate bugs. Her team had learned several months ago that Jack Ashworth, their boss at Homeland Security, had placed surveillance in the hangar. They were always concerned about him doing the same on the plane.
“Clear.” Nita put the device back in storage.
“Well, Marcus. It looks like you’re on this mission with us, so you get the full briefing.” Katlin pressed a button and a flat screen appeared at the end of the table.
“Am I supposed to meet the special operations team when we land in Honduras?” Marcus obviously had not been informed about the Ladies of Black Swan.
Tori glanced to Katlin who hesitated only a second. “We are your special operations team. As a matter of fact, we are better-trained than most special operators. We not only went through SEAL training, but the military didn’t think that was enough, so we also went through Army Special Forces school. We also spent six weeks training with the CIA.”
“We are one of the government’s best kept secrets,” Tori added. “Most bad guys look at us as nothing more than arm candy.”
“We love it when they underestimate us.” Nita’s grin was feral. “For some stupid reason, most men don’t believe women can kill as easily as a man.”
“Our team has one of the highest numbers of certified kills.” Tori was proud that she could claim twenty-six of those herself, and some of the longest shots on record as a sniper. She was damn good at her job.
Marcus looked shell-shocked. “No. The military doesn’t allow women in special operations. I know the press made a big deal out of that woman making it through Ranger school—that’s a far cry from the Army’s green berets.”
Katlin gave him a smug smile. “Do you believe the military tests everything for years, assuring success, long before they ever allow the press to snap pictures?”
“Well, yes. But…” Marcus gestured toward the three of them.
“But what?” Nita pressed. “Everyone thinks of us as the party girls? We look like the girl next door? Our cover is the best ever.”
Katlin leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. “There are very few men in this world who know who we are, and I feel I need to reiterate that your knowledge of our team can get you killed…and us. Several very evil men have put bounties on our heads, but that doesn’t stop us from doing what only we can accomplish. Our team has a one hundred percent mission success rate.”
“From this point forward, while on this mission, the women you know in D.C. no longer exist. You must call us by our handles. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m Lady Harrier.” Nita spoke with such authority even Tori wanted to say yes ma’am.
Marcus nodded. Looking at Katlin he said, “Lady Hawk.” When his hazel eyes met hers, she could tell he fought a smile. “Lady Falcon.” His eyebrows pinched together. “Sorry, I’ve forgotten. What are Lei Lu’s and Grace’s handles?”
“Lady Kite and Lady Eagle respectively.” Katlin smiled, obviously pleased that he understood.
“Okay, then, Lady Hawk, is there a secret base where we’re landing in Honduras?” He looked around the inside of the plane. “Given the security I had to jump through at Quantico, I take it this plane doesn’t land at just any municipal airport.”
All three women laughed.
“Not hardly,” Nita confirmed.
Katlin turned on the flat screen with the remote and pulled up their flight. A line was drawn from Washington D.C. to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. “We are still waiting for confirmation, but the latest intel as of three hours ago had the ship docking in Honduras in fifty-two hours. We’re going to the Callahan compound here. We have it set up as our personal Central American base.” She pointed to the green spot.
“Besides, the beds are so much more comfortable than sleeping on a fucking Army cot in a stinky tent.” Nita scrunched her nose.
“You’ll like the compound.” Tori smiled. “We take conference calls on the beach while catching rays.”
A blissful sm
ile covered Katlin’s face. “And we get to eat Rosita’s great cooking.”
Tori’s mouth watered at the thought of the delicious Caribbean dishes their cook created. She was suddenly hungry. “Beer? Wine? I’m going to grab some cheese, fruit, and crackers.”
“Perfect idea.” Nita jumped up. “I’ll help you.”
“Riesling, please.” Katlin said as she logged into the team’s secure account. “I’m checking for new intelligence.”
Tori stood and looked at Marcus. “We are not active tonight, so can I get you a beer? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink wine.”
“Beer would be great.” Marcus pulled out his own computer and gave her that beautiful one-sided grin of his. “I’d appreciate that.” He glanced at Katlin. “I’ll check DOE and ATF but I’m not going to hold my breath. Homeland is much better-connected.”
An hour and a half later, plates cleared and the dishwasher running, they had all moved on to bottled water. All four were staring at a map of Central America on the flat screen. The Callahan compound, located near Barra Del Colorado close to the Nicaraguan border, was designated with a green dot. Puerto Cortes had a red dot. Almost in the middle of Honduras, in the mountains, was a yellow dot, indicating the secret military base used most recently in training Nicaraguans for the military coup a few months ago.
“The real question is, do we want to fly Black Swan over to the hidden base and then drive to Puerto Cortes?” Nita sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What we really need is a helicopter that can take us straight there.” Tori looked at Katlin. “Is there a Navy fleet close enough for us to borrow a chopper?”
“The air support might come in handy, too.” Nita added.
Katlin pulled up another map showing the location of every U.S. ship. None were close enough. She tilted her head and smiled. It was as though Tori and Nita read her mind at the same time.
“Team Two,” All three women said in unison.
“Who, or what, is Team Two?” Marcus asked.
“We could use the extra backup in case it all goes to hell.” Nita smiled ear to ear. “I’d like to see Kira and the girls again.”
“I’ve talked to Kayla a few times. They’re still in training but maybe I can talk General Lyon into freeing them up for a couple weeks.” Katlin’s fingers flew across the keyboard. She suddenly stopped. “Fuck. I need to clear this through Jack ass.”
Tori knew her friend hated to deal directly with their boss. The man was seeing a psychiatrist about his unhealthy obsession for Katlin, but no one knew if it was helping. The creep practically panted every time he got within twenty feet of their team leader.
“Do you really think he’d deny you anything?” Nita raised an eyebrow.
“Depends on how pissed he is with Special Operations Command these days.” Katlin sat back in her chair and rocked. “He really wants control of Team Two. When we were assigned to Homeland Security it was as though he was snubbing his nose at the CIA, and my Uncle Tom.”
“No way in hell will General Lyon agree to that.” Tori shook her head. “He’s still pissed that we’re temporarily assigned to Homeland.”
Nita leaned in. “I heard your Uncle Tom was trying to get us attached to the CIA.”
Katlin’s gaze flashed to her. “Sounds like I need to have a talk with my uncle, and my brother. Besides, the CIA has its own Special Operations Group. They cherry pick from all the services for the best opera—”
She slapped her hands over her mouth. “Are you telling me they want us to join SOG?” These were the most lethal men in the world, spooky to even a spook. They were known for relentlessly hunting down their target, creative torture, and persistence.
Nita’s only reply was a smug glance away.
Yes, the Ladies of Black Swan were the female equivalent, but Tori had never thought of herself that way. Super spooks with feminine power.
“Yahoo!” Katlin punched her fists into the air twenty minutes later. “Team Two will be joining us as soon as they can get their specialized helicopter onto a transport plane.” Her smile broadened. “They are going to try an in-flight dump.”
At Marcus’s confused expression, Tori explained, “Think of a huge C5 airplane that opens that humongous tailgate, then they push the helicopter out of it. As it’s falling to the earth, the chopper pilot starts the helicopter and they fly away.”
His mouth dropped open. “Can they really do that?”
The three women laughed.
“If it works, we’ll have company for supper.” Katlin pulled out her phone and punched in numbers. “Kayla, have you heard…” Her voice faded as she walked to the rear of the plane and took a seat for their private conversation.
Tori was looking forward to working with the Black Swan Team Two. When they had worked together on the Nicaraguan mission, she hadn’t had much time to meet the other women. Kira, a nurse, had taken care of Nita and Daniel’s sick baby girl, but Tori had only seen her in passing and to exchange pleasantries. Hopefully this time they would get to know each other better.
As Nita shut down the computer, she glanced across the table. “We still have another two hours before we touch down. Why don’t you two try to get some shut eye in the back.” She yawned and stretched. “This may make me the worst mom in the world, but I’m glad we got called out on this mission. Isabella is teething, and no one got any sleep in our house last night. I for one, am going to take advantage of the sleep chair.” She wandered down the aisle.
Tori fought a yawn. “I could use a few hours of sleep myself.” She reached under the chair into a hidden pocket and pulled out a blanket and pillow.
“I think I will too. Do all the chairs recline?” Marcus found his pillow and blanket. He grinned and petted the thick plaid blanket. “It’s so soft and warm.” He picked it up off his lap and opened it up.
Tori showed him how to place the chair into bed mode. “The ones in the back actually turn into hospital beds if necessary. We can convert the last four seats into a completely equipped operating room.”
“Have you ever had to do that?” Marcus rolled on his side so he faced Tori.
“A few times, unfortunately,” she admitted. Pressing a button she dimmed the lights in their section of the cabin. Separated by two feet of space, she stared at Marcus’s face. His scar was buried in the pillow. Intense hazel eyes stared back at her.
The corner of his lips curled upward. “This is not at all what I had in mind for the first time we slept together,” he said in a very low tone so only she could hear.
She smiled. “We’re not sleeping together. We’re taking a nap side-by-side. We’re not even sharing a blanket. Now behave. Good night, Marcus.”
“Sweet dreams, Tori.” His words were just above a whisper.
With his voice in her head, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and let the air out slowly. She was asleep almost immediately. Tori would always wonder if it were a daydream, a wish, or a dream created in her sleep, but she dreamt of being held all night in Marcus’s arms. Content. Safe. New emotions for her.
Chapter 12
Marcus wasn’t sure what to expect at the Callahan Compound, but he found the sprawling ten-bedroom, twelve-bath house, that looked more like a miniature hotel than a beach home, was absolutely perfect. He now completely understood why Harper and Rafe were excited to honeymoon there.
The two-story concrete structure in typical soft Caribbean pastels sat in the middle of a private beach that curved so the large resort a quarter of a mile away could not be seen through the dense jungle vegetation. He could hear the water lapping against the nearly white sand beach and looked forward to enjoying the turquoise blue water that stretched as far as the eye could see. Sunrise would be breathtaking.
And to think that this was where his friends came to decompress. He wished their International ATF team had been offered this facility after their mission in Columbia two years ago. Maybe then he would not have been kidnap
ped and beaten nearly to death. Marcus had a pang of concern knowing he was close to South America. Logically, he knew the Narváez cartel had been destroyed, but some other dreg of the earth had risen to take the capo’s place. The easy money found in the many illegal activities of the cartels, whether it be drugs, human trafficking, or gun running, was too sweet of a lure.
Fortunately, though, no one in Columbia had the technology to create the most lethal nonnuclear bomb on the planet anymore. Rafe and Harper had seen to the destruction of the equipment and the methodology. While escaping the cartel, they had found each other and fallen in love.
As Marcus walked into the large foyer, Rafe and Harper walked hand-in-hand down one of the curving staircases from the second story.
“I thought you guys were moving over into the honeymoon suite at the resort,” Katlin said with surprise in her voice, but she dropped her bags and threw open her arms to hug the newlyweds. The rest of the women sprinted to Harper and Rafe.
“I’m here because I think you may need me. I am an explosives expert, you know, and nuclear bombs are explosives.” Harper looked at them as though they were idiots.
Rafe glared at his new wife. “There’s no way in hell that you’re going to put our baby in danger.”
Harper put her balled fists on her hips. “I would never do anything to endanger her.”
“Or him,” Rafe interjected.
“Or him.” Her shoulders dropped on a sigh. She wove her arms around Rafe’s neck. “I’m sorry. For a few minutes there I was in complete work mode and forgot about our precious baby.” She leaned in and kissed her husband.
Stepping back she announced, “Okay, now there are two things I don’t like about being pregnant; morning sickness and I can’t do my damn job.” She then looked directly at Marcus and Tori. “But I can walk somebody through how to disarm a nuclear weapon. We’ll set up some practice scenarios in the morning.” She leaned into Rafe. “Can we now go back to bed?”
