Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (30 page)

“I’m fine, sir,” she said. “Put your
concentration on the bad guys. I’ll get the information and send it
to you right away.”

“Kayla, there’s no rush.” He paused, and a
nervous laugh escaped him. “I just wanted to make sure you’re all
right,” he admitted. “That’s all.”

A small flare lit in her heart. “I’m fine,
Commander.” She sensed he just needed a second to touch home
base.

“Sweetheart, I have to go,” his voice
softened. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”

“Bring everyone home, okay? And that
includes you.”

“I will.” She heard the wind, the
high-pitched sounds of fighter jets and alarms going off in the
background. It reminded her of the sounds from an aircraft
carrier.

“Kayla—”

“Still here.”

Breathing out a gust of air he said, “I’m
proud of you, sweetheart. You did an amazing job, but I couldn’t do
mine if you were here.”

“I understand.” She heard the door to the
anteroom click open. “Hello?” No one answered back. “Can I help
you?”

“Kayla, who’s there?”

“I don’t know,” she said getting up. The
silhouette of a man stood within the darkness. “Paul is that you?”
The figure remained still. “Um, you’re not supposed to be in
here.”

“What the hell is going on? Who is that? No
one has any business in there at two-thirty in the morning.”

“Just a second, Commander.” She put the
phone down, and took a couple steps toward the door. “Can I help
you with something?”

The figure loomed in the shadow. A few steps
closer and she could see he was holding something in his hand. It
was too late for a courier and security usually escorted them. “I
have to call security if you don’t leave. This area is highly
classified.” The shadow swayed, hesitated and then turned abruptly
and left. Odd. “Hello?” she said into the phone.

“Who was that?” he said sharply.

“I don’t know. He left.”

“He?”

“I couldn’t make him out, but he’s
gone.”

“Deactivate the door, right now,” he
ordered.

“Commander, it’s nothing to worry about.
Whoever it was is gone.”

“I don’t give a shit. Access is denied
accept for a few people. No one should have a card that you don’t
know. Deactivate the door.”

“Okay I will. How’s Fielding? We heard about
what happened. It’s just awful,” she said changing the subject, but
keeping an eye on the anteroom. Veering her eyes to the window of
the Commander’s office, the room sat in darkness, and the hair on
the back of her neck prickled.

“He’s going to survive, but the leg was
badly damaged. They had to take it. Now deactivate the damn
door.”

“Commander, everything’s fine.”

“Kayla, if you don’t turn around and
deactivate that fucking door I’m getting on a plane, and when I get
home—God help you.”

“Okay, okay, don’t burst an artery, sir.”
She swiveled her chair and opened up the program on the computer.
The little door on the screen flashed with an ugly green border and
the words “Security Access Activated” appeared underneath. She
clicked the command change button and deactivated the door. A large
warning popped up. “Door will be deactivated, all cards must be
reset. Do you want to do this?” She clicked Yes and received the
confirmation. Now she was the only person who had control of the
door. It couldn’t be accessed from the outside. Picking up the
phone, she said, “Are ya satisfied?”

“Yes,” he grumbled. “Why the hell do you
always fight me?”

“Because I’m better at that than saying
thank you.” She cleared her throat because a lump had formed in
it.

“I don’t need a thank you. I just want you
to be there when I come home.”

“You and the team have helped and protected
me since I came here. I—I’m not really used to that.” God, she was
bad at this.

“When I get home we have things to discuss,
Kayla, but I have to go now.” Another jet taking off drowned him
out. “It’s good to hear your voice—” He paused, “I mis…” He cleared
his throat. “Take care of the place, all right?”

“You know I will.”

They hung up and she walked to his office,
her heart beating with heavy thumps. Opening the door cautiously
she listened, and allowed her eyes to accustom to the darkness
before stepping into the Commander’s office. She turned on the
small desk light and gathered the information from his safe. Before
leaving, she stopped beside his coat rack. Ah, this was so stupid
she thought to herself, looking at a jacket he’d left there. A
small swell of warmth filled her. He always took it with him, but
he’d left it behind this time. On purpose? She buried her face in
the rough fabric and took a deep breath. She backed away and ran
her hand along the material. “Be safe, Commander.”

“Kayla Banks?”

She jumped, grabbing the coat stand. “Oh,
Lord!” A base security officer stood in the doorway staring at her.
Heavy footsteps running down the hallway came toward them.
“Yes?”

“Ma’am, we were notified by Commander Austen
there was an intruder.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know who it
was. He just came into the anteroom and left when I asked him to
identify himself.”

“Ma’am, please return to the center. We’re
searching the building now and pulling the camera’s digital
recording. I’ll notify Commander Austen when we’ve viewed
them.”

“Notify me instead. The Commander is on
deployment, don’t bother him.” She strode past the officer and
stopped in the doorway. “Agreed?”

He dwelled on it. “Yes, ma’am, but if
Commander Austen calls I’ll have to tell him what we found.”

Just before closing the access door, a
second officer appeared. “All’s clear. There’s no one else in the
building.”

Two hours later, the phone rang, and she
half-hoped it was the Commander. “Ms. Banks, this is Officer
Clarence. We’ve reviewed the tapes, and I’ve notified Captain
Redding of the incident.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Ma’am, the individual who accessed the ops
center earlier couldn’t be identified, but he was armed with a
knife.”

* * * *

Cobbs reached up to turn the vented air off
above his seat. “We should be landing in twenty minutes,” he said,
glancing at his watch.

Thane nodded and swiveled his head to look
out the small window. The clouds below them hid their position, but
he could feel the jet beginning to descend. Conversations in the
rest of the plane became louder with the men’s excitement. It was
always that way after deploying for a few months. They were coming
home, and there was no better feeling in the world. For the first
time in twenty years, he joined their anxiousness.

The small terminal would be filled with
wives and kids, milling—waiting impatiently. He could always tell a
new wife from a seasoned one. The new one looked tense and excited,
and they usually cried when they saw their husbands or boyfriends
walk through the doors. The seasoned ones were like warriors
themselves. They raised the children, ran the home and dealt with
the issues of family on their own. It made them tougher,
calmer—independent.

Not having anyone didn’t bother him, except
for this particular time.

“Marg’s waiting for us,” Cobbs said,
grinning at him.

Margret Foster, now Margret Cobbs, was one
hell of a gorgeous woman. She’d been a model in her younger years,
and she was still beautiful, maybe even more so. The woman had
grace and dignity, and he’d seen her first all those years ago. Pat
never let him forget it, either, since they’d spent a single hot
night together.

Back then, they were invincible, proud, and
about as horny and busy in bed as two good looking guys could be.
Marg knew he wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted to settle down, and
it was love at first sight between Pat and her. Her family had
hated the idea their daughter, with a brilliant future, wasn’t
going to marry into another influential family. They didn’t cut Pat
a break until the media started to build up the Navy SEALs and
their elite place in the forces. Suddenly they were proud to talk
about their son-in-law.

They had three kids now, the oldest two had
already graduated from high school, and Kelsey—who had been a bit
of a surprise five years ago, kept them on their toes. Over the
years, they’d made it work. He wondered how, but the excitement
biting at his heart when he thought about seeing Kayla again,
finally held the answer.

“Please fasten your seatbelts,” the voice on
the intercom carried through the plane. “We’ll be landing in
fifteen minutes.”

The familiar “Hoo-yah” sounded off, but it
didn’t come from his lips.

“Did you at least call her?” Cobbs asked,
snapping the buckle at his hips.

He nodded, watching the heavens as they
descended through the thin ceiling of clouds. Knowing his friend,
he wasn’t going to leave it alone.

“How long ago?” he asked.

He reached for the seatbelt, and glanced at
Pat. “I needed the dead recall list.”

Cobbs chuckled. “You mean you made up an
excuse to hear her voice. How long ago?”

“Two months.”

“And then you left her hanging for two
months? What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” He shook his head in
disgust. “You’ve been playing hard-ass for all these years. I know
you’re in love with her. Why can’t you admit it?” he said quietly,
folding the magazine and shoving it in the seat pocket.

He jerked his head but remained silent.

Cobbs let go of a loud sigh. “You know she’d
be in that terminal if she knew you were coming.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” he mumbled, his heart
tightening, wishing she would be. He knew Kayla, and he knew she
wouldn’t want to look like she was caving in to him.

The night after putting her on the plane in
Kandahar, he’d resisted calling her at least a dozen times. Once
they got back, he’d have to request a new phone, his was in pieces
after it smashed against the wall. When he’d finally caved, and
called her from the carrier, he knew he couldn’t do it again.

In many ways, she was like him, too brave,
too stubborn, and because of it, they were in danger of spending
their lives alone. He knew why he’d chosen his road, but he had
only one clue as to why she had chosen hers. Lapierre’s words sat
like hardening cement for the last three months in his thoughts.
You’re safer in the States.
Kayla was like a broken puzzle
sitting on a coffee table. He saw pieces but not a whole picture.
Three days ago, in the middle of the jungle, he made his decision.
It was the right thing to do, the only thing to do for the good of
both of them. He had to send her away, but before he did, he would
put the puzzle together and see the whole woman who would always
haunt his dreams.

* * * *

“Come here, you handsome SEALs,” Marg yelled
at them, waving and pushing her way through the other wives as they
walked into the terminal.

“Fuck, she’s gorgeous,” he said, raising a
brow at Pat. He didn’t mind ruffling his feathers from time to
time.

“You’d know,” he said, giving him a halfway
dirty look. “You had her before I did.”

Marg threw her arms around both of them. She
gave him a big kiss on the lips and then turned her beautiful blues
on Pat. “Hi, gorgeous,” she grinned, her gaze already telling him
what she wanted.

“Darlin’, you are a sight for tired eyes.”
Like he’d never had her before, their bodies melded together for
one long, passionate kiss.

“Daddy!” Kelsey wrapped her little arms
around her father’s knees, and he reached down and picked her
up.

“Hey, beautiful, I missed you.” Pat planted
a big wet one on his daughter. “Where’s Cindy and Rayanne? Too busy
to see their dad come home?” pretending not to see them standing
behind Marg.

“Daaad,” Rayanne crowed, throwing her hands
on her hips and giving him a silly grin. She flew into his arms
with Cindy close behind.

“Hiya, Uncle Thane,” Cindy said, giving him
a kiss.

Marg plopped Kelsey in his arms and she
giggled and grabbed his cheeks. “Hey, girls.”

“Unca Thane!” Kelsey puckered her lips at
him. He cuddled her tightly and gave her a big smacking kiss.

Goddamn, they were all beautiful. Marg
slipped her arm around his shoulder. She could do it being just
under six feet herself. “When am I going to stop doing some other
woman’s job?” she teased.

He raised a brow, giving her a wicked look.
“Maybe if you kept me as happy as you keep Pat I wouldn’t have to
worry about it,” he replied. He jerked back, but she managed to
cuff him anyway.

“I have a big dinner planned for all of us,
and then you’re leaving early,” she said, giving her husband a
heated look that left nothing to the imagination.

“Now you’re just making me jealous.” He
carried Kelsey while she played with his ear trying to tickle him.
The sun beamed down between the cumulus clouds moving quickly to
the north. The California wind carried the familiar scent of home.
There was only one thing missing, and he felt it so sharply.

“If he’d quit being so fuckin’ stubborn,
she’d be here right now,” Cobbs stated.

Marg stopped in her tracks and they both
turned. “Who’s
she
—pray tell?”

Cobbs tilted his head and gave him a
‘well-what-of-it’ look. Marg swung her gaze back and forth between
them. “Spill,” she ordered like a drill sergeant.

“Unca Thane, why is that lady staring at
you?” Kelsey asked.

He whipped around, his heart pounding in his
chest. “Where, Kelsey?” His eyes rushed past every face. Faces he
knew, ones he didn’t, but not the one he wanted to see. There were
so many people in the way. “Point, Kelsey. Where?”

“She was over there,” Kelsey pointed back
toward the doors of the terminal. “She’s gone,” Kelsey said,
shrugging and wrapping her arms around his neck laying her head on
his shoulder.