Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (20 page)

Confused, wrapped tightly in his strength,
she gazed up at him. Never in her life had she wanted a man so
much, but she wasn’t going to stick her neck or her heart out so he
could detonate an explosion and blow it to bits. “What if I say
you’re buying all my drinks tonight,” she quipped.

His hand caressed the hollow of her back,
and he lifted his sculpted jaw. “You’re letting me off too easy,
Kayla.”

Stepping back, his hand slid down her arm,
causing goose bumps to rise across her skin.

“Commander?” the voice of his secretary
interrupted them, but he didn’t move away from her, he simply
turned and drew her to his side.

Karen’s pretty expression twisted from
surprise to poorly disguised malice. “Commander Austen, there’s a
phone call for you from Captain Starks,” she said, standing in the
doorway with her bright red, ultra miniskirt and long, shapely legs
ending in someone-pay-attention-to-me red shoes.

“Tell him I’ll call him tomorrow. I have an
important appointment.” He slid his fingers between hers. “Ms.
Banks—”

“Way to go,” she hissed at the Commander as
he led her around Karen, whose eyes were sparking angry.

“What?” he said, wrinkling his brow as they
passed through the Command center.

“Hey, Barry.” Barry waved then dropped his
attention back to a file folder sitting in his lap, probably with a
crossword puzzle inside. “You just pissed off the woman managing
the paperwork for my work visa, Commander. You know how long it’s
going to be before I get approved now? She’s already lost it
once.”

“How did I do that? And why the hell didn’t
you tell me it hadn’t been processed yet?”

She walked through as the Commander held the
door open to the anteroom. “Haven’t you noticed how she raises her
tail in front of you?”

“What?” He laughed. “Kayla, she’s all of
twenty-three, if that.” He tapped on Red’s door. “Red, Kayla’s
taking the day off tomorrow.”

Captain Redding looked up and stuck his
tongue in his cheek. He leaned back in his chair, and folded his
hands on this stomach. “Kayla, you have four weeks of leave and you
haven’t taken a day yet, maybe you should take a couple.”

“I—”

“Done,” the Commander answered for her.
“Besides, she’s gonna need it after the team’s finished with
her.”

Red sat up straight. “Oh, no, you’re not
taking her…”

“Yup.” The Commander grinned.

“Ghost.” Capt. Redding jabbed a finger at
him. “You better damn well not let anything happen to her, you
understand me?”

She was starting to get nervous with the
half-finished sentences. “Where are they taking me?” she asked.

Red burned a severe look at Thane, then
swung his eyes to her. “Keep your wits about you Kayla, even if
these idiots lose theirs.” He heaved himself from his chair,
looking like an old man, and she smiled sadly. His arthritis was
giving him trouble again.

“Give me your phone.”

“Ah…okay.” She dug it out of her purse and
handed it to him.

“There.” He handed it back to her.

“What…?”

“I put my home number in there, Kayla. If
something happens, I’ll come get you.” He gave her shoulder a quick
squeeze and the Commander a stern look. “She’s your responsibility,
Ghost. I’ll hang your ass out to dry, you understand?”

The Commander pulled her from the door
chuckling. “See ya, Red.”

“Should I be worried? I think I should be
worried.” Her steps slowed.

He motioned with his arm for her to enter
the elevator. “Probably, but I won’t let anything happen to you.
Red’s just having a little fun. Although, he did have to bail us
out of jail the last time, but I’m sure that won’t happen
again.”

“Jail?” The word rolled off her tongue with
a multitude of questions behind it, and she eyed him, trying to
figure out if he was trying to make one of her legs longer than the
other.
Uh-oh.

Stepping out into the sunshine—just like the
Commander had said—the guys waited, leaning against three cars
parked out front.

Nathan raised a small portable to his mouth.
“Got the HVT,” and chucked the radio behind him into the front seat
of a red Mazda.

HVT stood for high value target. Just like
the Canadian forces, the U.S. Navy had a zillion acronyms. Luckily
for her, many were the same. “What?” she drawled, tilting her head
at them.

“Mexico,” Mace said, reaching out for her
hand and yanked her behind him. She grabbed the Commander’s hand at
the last second, and pulled him along behind her.

“What’s in Mexico?” she asked, digging her
heels in a tiny bit.

“Tequila,” they all shouted.

* * * *

“This is going to suck as usual,” Mace said,
looking in the rearview mirror at her squished between Cobbs and
the Commander.

“You’re not kidding,” Tony said as they
drove up to the border patrol booth.

They’d crawled for half an hour in the line.
Finally, it was their turn. She half hoped they’d be pulled inside
so she could relieve her sore behind from sitting on the hump.

“What is your purpose for coming to Mexico?”
The guard stared at each of them with trained, distrustful
eyes.

Mace slung his arm over the steering wheel.
“A congratulations dinner. We work at the base in Coronado.”

The guard eyed them all. “What are you
bringing into the country?”

“Just us,” Mace replied, his passport
dangling in his fingers.

The guard looked like he was definitely
going to send them in for further questioning. “Citizenship?”

“American,” Mace said, echoed by all the
guys.

She stretched her passport out to him. “I’m
Canadian.”

The guard grunted and gave her an extra long
look retrieving it from her fingers, flipping through it, then
giving it back. “Go ahead.”

Cobbs and Thane leaned around her, brows
wrinkled with humor. “Everyone trusts Canadians. Americans,” she
paused, “not so much.” She nestled back with a cocky grin.

Tony craned his head around. “We should
bring you all the time, then we can bypass the cavity search.”

“Whoa, TMI, Tony,” she crowed as Thane and
Cobbs let out a hearty laugh.

Mace drove through Tijuana at a slow crawl
for her benefit, since she’d never visited before. The streets were
crowded with tourists. Stores filled with colorful blankets and
trinkets caught her eye. She’d definitely have to come back here
and visit.

“Do you come here a lot?” she asked as Cobbs
offered a hand to help her out of the backseat. Mace had found a
spot along a paved, but not well looked-after street, in a small
town twenty minutes past Tijuana. The Commander climbed out behind
her, closed the door, then curled his arm around her. It surprised
her, especially when he didn’t let go.

Tony and Cobbs led the way. Mace stayed by
their side. “It’s not a bad place. Sun hasn’t gone down yet,
though,” Mace said with a grin.

The village was quaint, rustic, and very
picturesque sitting next to a marina with plenty of little shops
nestled close by. Mexican residents strolled along the streets,
mingling with tourists. A group of small boys saw them and came
running. They started asking for money even before they reached
them.

“Hey, guys.” They all looked to be around
seven, and each of them stared up at her with the most beautiful
big brown eyes. Their worn clothes and ragged sandals reminded her
that living was a lot harder for children in this country, and
right away she knew she was at their mercy.

“
Señora bonita, puede usted
ayudarnos?
” one little boy, a little plumper than the others
asked, shoving his palm out.

She knelt down and dug in her purse. She
didn’t know Spanish, but the meaning was clear. “Do you guys live
around here?”

They nodded, giving her big smiles.

“What about school?”

“Some days,” the littlest one said, coming
closer and draping his arm on her shoulder.

She looked at his drawn face. He didn’t look
as healthy as the others did, and it bothered her deeply. “You have
to go to school, then you can become whatever you want when you
grow up.”

He shook his head slowly. “Nah, I’ll work in
the factory, like my papa.”

“You don’t have to if you learn to read and
write,” she said, giving him a squeeze. She pulled out five
twenties and gave each of them one.

Their eyes popped out of their heads.
“
Gracias, señora
,” And they scattered like mice.

“Kayla, you just made friends for life,” the
Commander said, giving her a wink.

Cobbs had reached the stairs going into a
bar that looked like a hut from Gilligan’s Island. A large thatched
roof and hand-carved poles bolstered the front balcony. A few women
who looked like, well—like prostitutes, sat on rocking chairs on
either side of the entryway. Glancing around, she eyed the small
stores sitting on the waterfront.

“Oh, no ya don’t,” Mace said, snapping a
look at the Commander.

“Forget it,” Thane said tersely. “You’re not
taking off on your own.”

“But there could be some real treasures down
there,” she said, peering over at the uneven wooden walkway lining
the small shops. Two hands gripped her and she felt herself being
tugged. “Guys, come on.”

“Nope,” the Commander said grinning at her.
“If you want to come back here to snoop around, I’ll bring you back
next weekend, but tonight you’re not running solo.”

“Party pooper,” she said, giving him a
scowl.

Mace cocked his head at her. “Look who’s
talkin’.”

When Fox and the rest of the men arrived,
they came in loudly. Fox, in fluent Spanish, yelled something at
the waitress and she gave him a nod.

“How was the cavity search?” Tony
laughed.

This time she hauled off and cuffed him.

“Not bad,” Clay shrugged. “But I told him
not to wiggle his finger so much.”

“Oh-oooh.” She held up her hand, but the
rest of the guys laughed their heads off. She guessed this is how
the entire night was going to go.

The waitress arrived with a wet tray of
shooters, lemons, and four salt shakers. The woman’s thick black
hair and enormous brown eyes could make any man swoon. She set the
glasses on the table, offering the team a nice view of her
voluptuous breasts rising from her colorful, tight-fitting
shirt.

Taking a step back, she eyed them. “The
SEALs return. Is anyone interested in company this evening?” she
asked, giving them a demure look.

The entire table turned their gaze on
Mace.

“I don’t know why they’re gawking at me,
Kayla, I uh….Get a grip,” he said, leaning back in the chair
crossing his arms, but looking guilty as hell.

“Guess it’s a ‘no’ for now.” Fox grinned up
at her, then picked up a glass and held it in the air. “Kayla,
you’re our secret weapon. Thanks for making us look good
today.”

“Hoo-yah,” they all whooped.

“You rock, Kayla,” Mace added, bringing his
glass up to hers.

“Any time.” She winked at them. “To my
heroes.”

* * * *

Evening shade fell slowly over the bar, and
she watched the sun burn itself out in the sea. The chairs around
them filled up as soon as the hint of night approached, and the
loud music cranked a few decibels higher. They flung back shots
like water. She wasn’t feeling any pain, but she remembered what
Captain Redding said, and kept herself on this side of sober.

The inviting nightspot lured young guys and
gals wanting to party hard, mostly
turistas
. Scantily clad
waitresses with tequila bottles strapped to their slender hips and
a hose attached, roamed the tables filling people’s throats. Locals
used it as a watering hole as well.

She didn’t have to worry with her escorts.
No matter how drunk they got, they could probably knock off the
entire village, given enough time and ammunition. It was easy to
forget who these men were and what they did. Being with them,
knowing them, she often forgot they were highly skilled, highly
trained assassins for the protection of Uncle Sam and his
people.

The team swung from jokes, to work, to
nonsense and back again. Everyone was at ease, and Commander Austen
looked the most relaxed of them all. His arm rarely ventured from
the back of her chair. A comfortable white cotton shirt covered his
broad shoulders and chest, and a pair of jeans gripped his muscled
legs. Golden tanned skin made him look like a typical California
hottie. She wondered what it would feel like to have all that
strength twined around her. Just once.

An overwhelming urge to loosen all the
buttons on his shirt flitted into her head, and her thighs quaked
with the thought. The Commander belonged in a sexy bed sheet
commercial, not putting his life in danger every time he left the
base for ‘a meeting.’ His laugh was deep and comforting, and when
he smiled, her heart dipped a little each time. He wasn’t the
Commander anymore, he was just one of the guys. Only a true
leader—a man who knew his strength—could release it without fear of
losing it.

Although she was looking at him, she focused
on her daydreams. Blinking her thoughts away, she blushed. The
Commander’s cheeks hollowed and a flicker of heat passed through
his eyes as if he’d known what she was thinking.

He shifted his hand to her shoulder and
leaned into her ear. “You’re not letting go, sweetheart. Red scared
ya, didn’t he? Or is it me?”

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind
her.

She swung around to see one helluva
good-looking man. He stood over six feet, blue eyes, brown hair,
toned, tanned—jock, she thought to herself, but definitely her age.
“Yes?”

“I, uh—” His brows quirked together as the
rest of the men at her table fell silent and turned a glare on him
as if he had no business talking to her without their permission.
When they wanted to, they could look damn intimidating. The guy
pointed beside them. “I’m sitting over there and I’m just guessing,
but are you Canadian?”