Code Name: Kayla's Fire (41 page)

Themes expression became dark, and he sucked on his bottom lip.
“They’re usually pretty smart, Captain, smarter than most.”

He burned a look into Themes. The son of a bitch only had a handful of
breaths left. “Yup,” he reached behind his back as if simply stuffing his hand
in his back pocket. “But they always make a mistake, Themes. No one is a
perfect killing machine, except perhaps for my men.”

Themes dropped his gaze. A twitch of his lip told Thane he was
becoming anxious. His fingers palmed the small box that had absolutely no use any
more.

Thane’s grip tightened around the sig in the back of his pants.

A small, dangerous smile began to curve Theme’s lips. “Some make
mistakes, but at least they’re doing a service to everyone before they’re
brought down.”

“A service?” His hands clenched the grip of the handgun.

“Yeah, those fucking sluts usually deserve it. Women—they smile at
you, beguile a man, use ’em, take everything from them. They’re poison.”

“Sounds like you’re talking from experience,” he said, watching Themes
unravel.

Themes right hand jumped to his jaw, stroking it. “I am.”

“I thought you were married?” he said, shifting his weight to the
left, Themes evaluating his movement. He knew. Now came the last steps to a
final dance.

“Was, but she left me,” he growled. “For somebody else. She didn’t
understand. When I disciplined her it was to help her, not ta—”

“Discipline, huh?” His eyes shot down to Themes’ hand gripping the
remote. Ross dove off the bow of the vessel, but no sound came from the water. If
life was an hourglass, the last grains of sand in Themes’ drizzled away.

“Women, especially the older ones, have to be taught to respect a man,
especially ones like Kayla.”

Time was up. He cleared his mind, chasing all options. “I didn’t have
to teach Kayla a thing—
she
taught me,
and you’re a dead man, Themes.”

At the same time he pulled his weapon, so did Themes, they fired and
rolled at the same time. Themes dove out the hatchway.

Mace backed up, shielding Kayla on the bow. They were going to jump.
“Get her out of here Mace.” The sound of a bullet leaving a barrel echoed
through the air. Mace’s body jerked and he toppled backwards. Kayla screamed.
Themes tackled her like a quarterback, and followed Mace into the inky
blackness of the bay with her in his arms.

He launched himself through the hatchway. Ross had Mace around the
chest, and swam hard toward the Mark Five. Another splash drew his attention.
Themes had Kayla, but they weren’t alone in the water. The predators had sensed
activity. A fin cut across the surface, headed for all of them. Ross was in the
Mark Five, and yarding Mace over the side. Mace grabbed his leg, and hollered
when Ross slipped him over the edge.

A rubber boat drifted fifty feet away. Themes was trying to control
Kayla. She fought and thrashed against him. “Get to the boat, Kayla.” She was a
lousy swimmer, and didn’t make much headway. He dove. With powerful strokes and
one pull, he was in the rubber boat, but so was the Shark, and he had Kayla by
the throat with one hand, a knife in the other. Kayla gripped his wrist, the
handcuffs dangling from her right arm, her hair plastered to her cheeks.

“Themes, you need help. It’s over, man.” The boat dipped in the trough
of the waves, but all of them had seafaring legs, and rode the yaw of the
craft. Only the wind spoke. The other boats stood at least a hundred feet off.

Themes’ eyes were like vacant holes. “She’s my prize. The worst one of
them all. She needs my help. You don’t understand what I’m doing for all of us.
She needs to be taught….”

Thane thrust his hand through his wet hair. This guy was fucking lost,
and he had control of Kayla. “Is that what you’ve been doing? Purifying women?”

“They’re my wives.”

“Kayla is not your wife. She’s mine,” he yelled. He finally let his
gaze rest on her. She blinked slowly, and gave him a sweet, sad smile. The
slightest shake of her head made him tense. What was she doing? With a sinking
heart, he realized she had thought out the moves already in her mind. The
tactical analyst saw only one way out.
No
.

“Trust me,” she mouthed.

He lunged to stop her. She took the Shark by surprise, instead of
pushing away, she yanked his hand hard, and shoved the knife into her. Her
knees buckled, and he vaulted at Themes, taking them both over the side. A
sharp pain radiated up his body as Themes got one good jab with the knife.
Locking his legs around Themes, he pulled them both under. Themes fought hard
to free himself, but he would drown both of them before he would ever let go.

He yanked the KA-Bar from his belt, and rammed it to the hilt in
Themes’ chest. The blade, scored with a fallen SEAL’s name, had one purpose, to
end the Shark’s life, and give Kayla and his back.

The water churned around them. They had company, outboards, and then
shots fired into the water near them. What the fuck were they doing? Themes’
movements slowed, he barely fought as Thane kicked for the surface and air.

“Get out of the fucking water, Ghost,” Cobbs yelled. He let go of
Themes and pushed him away, but he didn’t get far when Themes was yanked down.
Gripping the edge of the rubber boat, he pulled himself inside, rolling onto
the deck. He swiped the salt water out of his eyes. Cobbs knelt behind Kayla
with his arms around her, rocking back and forth.

“Kayla.” He crawled to her, clutching his side. Something bumped the
boat, and they all looked over to see Themes in the shark’s mouth, in a frenzy
to eat its prey. Kayla turned away, and gasped, holding her side. He pulled her
into his arms while Cobbs started the outboard, and set a course for the docks.

“We’re going to need an ambulance waiting. Three casualties. ETA five
minutes,” Cobbs reported.

Kayla turned her eyes up to him. “Does it hurt bad, sweetheart?”

She shook her head. “Had worse,” she said.

“The baby?”

Her eyes widened, and a shallow smile spread on her lips. “I wouldn’t
let anything happen to our son.”

He hung on hard, but just holding her wasn’t enough, it never was. “You’re
going over my knee when we’re both healed up.”

“Can’t wait,” she said, and closed her eyes.

He shook his head, and turned to look at Cobbs, who wore a rare smile
on his face. “Mission accomplished, Frog,” he said.

There weren’t just a few people waiting on the dock, there were a
hundred, and they all started to shout, but he didn’t really notice, because
the woman he loved more than life itself needed his attention, and he gladly
got lost in her kiss.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Kayla sat their plates down on the table, her attention pulled toward
the walkway and the mighty Pacific. She breathed calmly, tossing fat, lazy
waves onto the shore. The California morning didn’t disappoint, the sun beamed from
a perfect blue sky. Every day felt like a new page in a book. Thane had to go
into the office early, but he said he would be back for breakfast. Breakfast
was on the table, so where was he? Looking both ways from her balcony, she
watched as joggers and elderly couples she started to recognize as neighbors passed
by.

“Ms. Banks,” Thane called.

He stood below her balcony in his full white dress uniform—a daunting
figure as always— gazing up at her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have
imagined a man like him looking into her eyes with as much love as he did.

“Captain Austen, the world can do without your protection for five
minutes, breakfast is ready,” she called down with a playful bite in her tone.
“It’s getting cold.”

People slowed their step, and eyes turned their way.

“Ms. Banks,” he stood up a little straighter, if that were possible,
and said, “A SEAL is a SEAL for life. With honor, with valor, without
recognition we strive to keep the United States safe from those that threaten
her future. We rescue those who need our help. We’ll give our lives, if
necessary,” He paused. “It wasn’t until recently that I realized to love
someone is the same.”

Kayla cleared her throat and glanced nervously at the boardwalk. Moms
with baby buggies, people on their way to the ferry landing, clutching
cardboard cups in their hands, had all stopped to watch.

“Ms. Kayla Banks, you’re damn lucky I didn’t die waiting for your
sweet maple leaf ass to get to the United States so I could lay my eyes on you,
but now that you’re here and I have, there’s no option.” He reached up and
removed his hat, tucking it smartly under his arm. “You’re going to surrender, my
sweet mermaid, I hope, and marry me.”

The crowd on the sidewalk erupted, calling out to them and clapping.
Out of nowhere, eight men filtered between the bystanders, all dressed to the
nines in their uniforms. They took up a position behind him in a semi circle,
their feet in a ‘stand easy’ position, their hands clasped behind them.

“Snow White,” he called. “There’s eight, correction, nine dwarves who
want to hear your answer.”

She clapped her hands over her mouth. Thane must have lost his mind,
but there was no way in hell she was going to give him a chance to find it
again. “Captain,” she called out loudly, “this is Snow White, over.”

He shook his head, and one brow rose. “Go ahead, Snow White.”

“Base Command advises they concur with your assessment, you’re cleared
to proceed, Captain. Hoorah!” she sang out, knowing full well it drove him nuts
when she said it wrong.

He rolled his eyes. “She’s never gonna get that right,” he drawled.

“Oh, she’s got it right,” Cobbs said, grinning behind him. “Go get
her, Captain.”

A sharp, very loud “Hooyah,” rose from the entire squad, and it merged
with the well wishes from the people on the street.

“Breakfast, men?” she called down.

“Breakfast, did she say breakfast?” Mace chorused, his eyes popping
with hunger. “I’m starving.”

In a nanosecond, the men climbed to the balcony, and launched
themselves over the rail. The Captain already had her in his arms and was
kissing her, when she heard pots and pans being yanked from her cupboards.

Thane smiled down at her. “Don’t worry sweetheart, they’ll clean up
after themselves.”

“They’d better,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“You’re going to make one hell of a good Admiral’s wife,” he said,
taking his hat and placing it on her head.

“Admiral?” she exclaimed, taking a step back in surprise.

“That’s right. This afternoon I’m handing over my command.”

“Thane, no, you can’t,” she said. They’d talked about this at least a
dozen times. She didn’t want him to change his position because of her. At
least that’s what she told him, but any woman who loves a SEAL dreams of
something entirely different. She glanced into the kitchen where the guys were
making a racket, doing their best to ignore them.

“Done deal.” He turned her chin to gaze into her eyes. “They’ll be
fine on their own,” he said. “So—”

“
Bonjour
, Canada,” a woman’s
voice said from below them.

Two beautiful young women looked up at them, both somewhere in their
late twenties, standing in ultra short-shorts, their long, shapely legs plugged
into a pair of rollerblades each. One was a blonde and the other a dark
brunette.

“
Bonjour, comment vas-tu,
Mademoiselles
?” she called down.

“Where are you from?” the blonde asked with a heavy Quebecois accent.

“The West Coast, are you from Canada too?”

“
Mais, oui
, I’m Rene, and
I’m from Quebec City, and Kelsey is from Winnipeg. We just moved here. We live
a block that way,” she said, placing her hand on her hip.

“I’m Kayla, and this is my,” She paused looking up at him, and he gave
her a grin, patiently waiting for her to finish. “My fiancée, Admiral Austen.”

“It’s not every day you see a bunch of gorgeous men climbing a
building,” the brunette said laughing.

“Who’s that?” Tony piped up, hearing the brunette’s voice.

“Most of them are married, but I have two left that are bachelors.” The
newest member of the squad, a tall, lean machine from Detroit, named Ed Saxton,
had joined the squad only three weeks ago, about the same time Mace passed his
PTs and received the thumbs-up to return to Alpha squad and combat duty. Within
one breath both Ed and Tony busted between her and Thane.

“For the love of God,” Thane moaned. “Tinman do you mind? I’m trying
to ask this woman if she’ll marry me.”

“You already did that, Captain. She said yes.” His head swung around.
“The brunette, O Canada,” he drawled. “Where’s she from?”

“Winnipeg,” she said, grinning at the hopeful and lusty look in his
eyes.

 
“I love French food,” Ed
muttered.

A laugh burst from her lips as she gave Thane a shrug.

“Do you know if they’ve had breakfast yet?” Kelsey asked grinning,
seeing the guys beside her.

Both men practically launched themselves over her railing, climbed a
short distance, and then dropped from eight feet to the ground. Straightening
their uniforms, they strode toward the women. Tony had found himself a new
wingman, now that Mace had pulled himself from the availability sheet.

Thane laughed and shook his head, pulling her into his arms. “I am
positive it was Canadian women who fought the War of 1812,” he growled
good-naturedly. “Anyway, as I was trying to say…” His palm brushed her stomach
gently, and cupped her hands within his. “This afternoon I want my soon-to-be
wife by my side for the change of command.” From his pocket he pulled the ring
he’d bought for her in the tiny jewelry store they’d visited.

“Where?”

“I went back to the store before I left town that day.”

“You’ve had it all this time?”

He nodded, and his eyes squinted seeing her shock. “It was yours from
the moment you put it on, sweetheart.”

“Pretty sure of yourself there, SEAL.”

He grinned.

“Admiral….” she purred. “What’s that look about?”

“Just imagining what you’d look like in that hat and those navy blue
boots of yours,” He paused. “…and nothing else.”

“Something resembling big bird, without the feathers,” she laughed,
looking down at her stomach. “I can’t wait to see my feet again.” Smelling the
bacon already sizzling in the pans she glanced at his men. “Tell them to get
the lead out,” she ordered in the dulcet tones she knew he loved. The Admiral
folded her in his arms for a passionate kiss. One she was sure would never end.

* * *
*

The first thing Kayla understood standing among a sea of white
uniforms, and almost every single person from Coronado and their families, was
that her husband-to-be was extremely popular and so was the Change of Command
ceremony. The mid-September sun was warm on their shoulders, and the sea breeze
brought a welcome breath of coolness.

A couple weeks after Thane and the team pulled her from the chain
locker, she still refused to see a shrink. One evening they sat enjoying the
ebbing light on his patio after work when the team quietly filtered in. It had
been like an intervention. Each one of them, starting with Caleb, told her what
it had been like to watch her go through her episodes. She’d finally cracked
when it was Mace’s turn, Nina sitting close by his side. She knew Thane was
behind it, but it also told her how much they all cared.

It was in that moment, she realized she had a family. This brotherhood
of brave, fierce men had accepted her in spite of all her broken parts. The
Captain even started training in how to become a specialist in dealing with the
disorder.

Glancing around, she saw every high-ranking officer from the base
attended. She stood beside Lieutenant Cobbs, and behind Thane on a large
platform erected for the event. She flinched. The false contractions were
annoying, not to mention god-awful painful, but she hid them the best she
could. Hopefully, this wasn’t going to take a long time. “Are we waiting for
someone?” she asked Lieutenant Cobbs quietly.

His lips tightened and he nodded. “Actually, yes.”

“Who?” Appearing overhead, cutting the air with its large blades, a
VH-3D SeaKing helicopter hovered, and began its descent onto a cleared area
close to the park. Kayla spotted the insignia on the back, but didn’t recognize
it.

“That’s the current Admiral of the West Coast chain.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why’s he here?” Thane gave a quick look over his
shoulder, but there was something very disturbing about his expression. It
looked—apologetic.

“Well, he’s coming to witness Thane turning over his position to
Captain Harrington.”

She screwed her brow together. “I thought this was about Thane
assuming command of his new position.”
Holy
heck
, she tilted forward with a long sharp pain.

“Kayla, are you all right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off, but clutched the bottom of her
stomach, stroking it.

He eyed her, saying, “Not exactly. That’s going to take place
somewhere else.”

Her eyes widened. “Somewhere…else?” she said slowly. “Like
where—somewhere?” She knew Thane was listening, she could tell by the way his
shoulders tightened. He didn’t say anything about leaving California. “It
better not be Alaska, because you’re on your own, mister,” she warned, just
loud enough for him to hear, then let out a long deep breath with another spasm,
almost doubling her over.

Cobbs tilted his head at her. “Kayla, it’s a little warmer than that.
Are you sure you’re all right?” The helicopter landed its runners on the
ground, and several officers moved toward it to greet the ranking dignitaries.
“Thane has accepted command of the West Coast Chain. That means you’ll be
moving to Hawaii.”

Her eyes popped open. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No ma’am.”

Two marines in dress uniform pushed a set of stairs against the
helicopter, and the door swung open. A man in full dress uniform exited the
craft, and helped a woman who she presumed to be his wife, out the door.

“Yeah, it’s, ah—something like this Kayla…”

She swiveled full on to look at Cobbs. “What?” she said, her voice
dropping dangerously low.

“Ah…” Cobbs put his hand to his collar and straightened it. “Well, do
you like politics?” he asked, pursing his lips together.

“I hate politics,” she ground out, and snapped her head around. If
Thane’s stance wasn’t taut with unease, she’d call herself a pygmy and move to
the jungle.

“The President has wanted Thane to move forward for a while now.”

“What president?”

Cobbs stuck his tongue in his cheek. “Of the United States.”

Her cheeks went slack. “You’re kidding. He really knows him? Move
forward where?” The Admiral and the dignitaries approached the dais.

“Kind of like,” He paused. “Well, a leadership role, actually.”

“Say what?” she said far too loudly. Her mind was on double-time and
so was the next contraction. This time she looked longingly for somewhere to
sit because her legs wanted to give out on her. “For...?”

Cobbs dipped his head. “The White House.” He gave her a quick nervous
smile. “Kayla, do you want to sit down?”

Just the thought of trying to pretend she was some kind of lady, and
pasting a fake smile on her face at haughty dinners, and who knew what else was
involved in rubbing shoulders, made her groan. “I hate politics.” A second
groan escaped from the wave of knee-trembling pain.