Raising a Cowgirl Read online

  The bunker was huge, helicopters, Hummers, weapons, and more were scattered across their Team Headquarters. In the corner was where they met to get briefings and more. Today, they were going to be given an assignment to find and capture, by any means necessary, a terrorist. Raider was the Com’s Specialist/Intel Officer. His job was Logistics of missions. Today he was responsible for the briefing since he found the terrorist in Istanbul, Turkey, late last night by tracking a cellular phone he tapped into.

  As he walked to the corner, he was thinking and didn’t notice what was taped all over the board he was going to be using. When he approached Ted’s eyes narrowed, Fuckin' A, taped over the dry erase board was about a hundred open condoms hanging across the board.

  “I thought you were old enough to know what happens when the sperm and egg do the nasty,” “Master Chief” Gage Loman said as he and the others stepped in the briefing area grinning. Gage was the team manwhore. Last week they had to rescue him from the backyard of a rather irate barfly, who assumed, Master Chief, was going to profess his undying affection for her, and when he didn’t—she used a box cutter on his clothes, then proceeded to chase the naked leader around the backyard with a cattle prod. No one knew where the hell he found these women.

  “Shit, who did she call?” Ted groaned. Marie had not told anyone until she told him so this morning she had called a girlfriend since he was the only married member of the team.

  Jessie “Ice” James, the other COM specialist laughed, “Blake.”

  Jessie’s mother loved old movies and named him after the legend Jessie James, but he earned his nickname, Ice, for being cool under pressure. They all thought he looked like the famous cowboy, he had the rounder face, and brown hair that he slicked back, his dark brown eyes were compared to chocolate by women, and he was soft spoken, and more often than not, a chick magnet like Master Chief. Blake was his sister, and Marie’s closest friend.

  “Hens on the line,” Lobo called out with his hands cupped around his mouth, he was the comedian of the group. He earned his nickname by howling after every mission. Lobo sported almost white hair and gray eyes and looked a little like the dude from the show on cable about sexy hot vampires. He was reed thin, and hid his muscles well. “The phone lines will be on fire for the rest of the day. Hell, we should call the Commander and let him know the cell towers will be overloaded.”

  Raider rolled his eyes and waved to the board. “Who is cleaning up this shit, I have to get the briefing started, assholes. Pull them down.”

  “Oh hell no, man. I don’t touch limp plastic like that, it could be cursed, and my dick is sensitive.” Mason “Voodoo” Patrick was from Louisiana, and carried a small voodoo doll in his waistband. No one messed with his superstition. His mother gave him the doll before he came into the military, telling him she placed a spell of protection on it. The damn thing went everywhere with him, and no one said a word—the man was huge. His long jet-black hair and blue eyes added to his mystery. More than one woman had been drawn to the mysterious look he had going on. Men though, seemed to give him a wide berth when they were in public because of his size.

  “Man, you heard him, they could be cursed.” John “Dagwood” Marse opened the refrigerator and pulled out a huge sub sandwich, they always had one on hand for him, and he didn't share—it was the only thing he ate. Dagwood was so thin and wiry though, no one would guess he ate the huge sandwiches every day. His dark brown hair and pale blue eyes reminded them all of the cartoon, he just refused to wear the same high-water pants, though much to their chagrin.

  “Really, you bastards put them up there,” Raider grumbled and pulled a long metal pointer out and begun brushing the condoms off on the floor. “There had better not be any used ones on here, or I am gonna kick someone’s ass.”

  “Congratulations, Raider,” the team leader Lt Thane “LC” Crete said as he walked into the room with his normal pad of paper and pen in his hand. He was the serious type. His brown hair matched the goatee he sported along with what most would call silver-gray eyes, which seemed to pierce through you when he stared. He was intense. LC didn’t have much of a sense of humor, when the guys played jokes like this; someone usually was threatened bodily harm for not being serious.

  “I am not sure, LC, if it is a boy we can recruit him, but a girl—not something I would wish on any of us. Man, the guys who come knocking on the door would meet twelve badass SEALs cleaning their weapons.” Brian “Frogman” Lipit was called Frogman because the man could swim like a fucking fish and he could jump out of the water and land on his feet, ready for action. He was the QRF, his mind worked a little differently than most, when they were doing Recon, he could tell you who and what was needed to take the target out with one look. They would plan their strategy around it. He was the stand out in the group with his copper hair and green eyes, which worked if they were in Ireland, but here he stood out like a sore thumb, his hair was bleach blonde and cut short, he also sported some glasses. Giving him the effect of looking intelligent.

  “Fuck you, Frog,” Raider muttered and swept the last of the prophylactics on the ground and kicked them to the side.

  “Hell no, don’t say that, it’s Frog’s fertile time. We could have female hormones flying all around.” Mark “Emo” Plater the other Intel officer laughed. He got his name Emo, because one night when they were drinking, the man started crying in his beer about a chick. After that, they teased him about being all touchy-feely. The guy was like a big ass teddy bear, but deadly at the same time. His brown hair hung around his ears and was curly, the hazel eyes made him almost forgettable, he blended in well anywhere they went.

  Sam “Clipper” Roge groaned, “TMI, man, there is way too much information shared at these meetings.” His call sign came from their first day of training. Clipper walked into the barbershop with long hair, and came out bald—holding his golden locks. The men laughed and told him to suck it up, and gave him the call sign Clipper. His bright green eyes were warm and inviting and attracted the younger crowd.

  “Deal with it, we are all on the same cycle now, I should be getting mine soon. I feel the cramps coming.” Frank “Wolfman” Smithe laughed. Frank was called Wolfman because he had the most hellaciously hairy back. His non-regulation longer dark hair and green eyes was a serious draw to most women. Some would call him ruggedly handsome, but his teammates called him obnoxious.

  “Enough, we need the briefing,” LC said and sat down. The others moaned and groaned but began to take their seats.

  Raider finished and pulled out a marker and said, “Javor Dragomir is a known arms dealer who we've been chasing for a long time. His is currently providing weapons to a certain Middle Eastern country that we would prefer not have them.”

  LC nodded and piped up, “He is elusive and smart. I have sat in on three briefings in the last few years, each time they had credible chatter about his whereabouts. None of them panned out. Until now, we have never even heard the man speak.”

  “I was monitoring sites and heard this,” Raider said and pushed his computer buttons, playing a recording. The voice that came over the speakers was deep and raspy, a Middle Eastern Dialect, and he was arranging a drop-off destination for his current shipment.

  “He is holed up in a villa in Istanbul. We leave in thirty. We need to be in country ASAP before he jets. We will continue the briefing in transport,” Raider said as he threw the marker and grabbed his computer and bag and walked toward the hanger door. Outside was their transport, a C130. He texted Marie a smiley face, then boarded the plane. He needed to be prepared for the major briefing.

  “I love it when we are going in BLIND,” Master Chief laughed from his spot where he was watching the villa their target was supposed to be at currently.

  Since they arrived it had been waiting and watching. The villa showed little movement, but there was some. Clipper had spotted their target yesterday in a window, which confirmed they had the right place. The only picture they had of the man had been
altered so they could see what he would look like if he had gained or lost weight, changed hair color, facial hair, and much more. The picture of the man as blonde haired with bulky mass was what ID him.

  Now they were waiting for the drop-off, which was set to go down tonight. They hoped to grab the man, and the shipment all in one. So far, they had not found the shipment or where it was stored.

  “Shit, BUZZER!” Raider said quietly over the link. Their COM links were placed in their ear, and they only had to whisper to notify members of their intentions.

  Buzzer meant that Raider was jamming any electronic communications. They had called for a Blackout this morning, hoping to force the man to have to leave and make contact with his people before the drop. Their mics were picking up the cussing in the home, as the pissed off terrorist paced back and forth in the living area. At least their plan was working, it sounded like the man was going to leave soon.

  They sat silently waiting as they listened to the target make plans to leave and go to his storage. “Cleared Hot,” LC said in their ear softly which meant they were given the okay to complete the mission. There was not a name for this mission, since it was covert. However, during the long hours of waiting, they called it ‘Pencildick’, since they were convinced the man had a tiny package since his sexual escapades lasted about fifteen minutes, give or take a few pumps and grunts.

  “Wolf, Boyscout, shadow target,” LC said.

  “Roger that,” Wolfman answered.

  “The rest, keep a visual and follow,” LC ordered and the men began to move to follow through with the orders that were given.

  Raider and Master Chief met at the base of the trail they used to survey the target. Together they moved to the SUV that was awaiting them. They were divided into groups of two like always and the teams of two had each scoped out and planned their escape if needed. Master Chief drove as Raider pulled up his GPS tracking on his wristband unit. Silently they followed as the target moved out, and the other team members did the same thing they were, tracking and strategically positioning themselves to move in on the target at a moments notice.

  When they arrived at a large warehouse facility, Master Chief and Raider held back and waited. Until they received the orders, they were to wait.

  “Is Marie excited?” Master Chief asked quietly, sweeping his eyes around the buildings looking for soft points as well as escape routes.

  “Why would you even ask that?” Raider snorted. “She is already baby shopping online. I figure the ole credit card is burning up the online stores even as we speak.”

  “That’s awesome, man. I hear that sex with a pregnant chick is out of this world.” Master Chief laughed.

  “Dude, don’t think of my wife naked. Besides, Marie wants me to ask you to be the godfather,” Raider stated and then turned to look at his best friend. “Seriously, I was going to ask anyway. I need to know someone is looking out for her if something happens.”

  Master Chief frowned and then looked at Raider. “Marie? Hell no, I couldn’t tap that.”

  “Dumbass, the baby, I think it’s a girl.” Raider grinned. “I think a boy would be too much to handle for Marie.”

  “A girl will give her someone to bond with, shop with, to have tea parties with.” Master Chief laughed as he pictured his best friend’s wife doing exactly that with a boy or a girl.

  “I know right, that’s why it has to be a girl. I will come home to my boy being poofified. That would be tragic.” Raider grasped his chest and laughed when Master Chief solemnly nodded.

  “Round them up,” LC said in their ears and Raider and Master Chief stiffened and nodded to the voice, even though he couldn’t see him. Everyone thought LC had some kind of mojo going on since he knew everything.

  Chapter One

  Shit, if that is the worst of the dreams he was having about his best friend, he counted himself lucky. Since the bombing, things had been stressful for each of the surviving members of the Team. Things were back on track a little at least. Boyscout and Slone found a woman called Sable, who was a firecracker and the sister of one of their fallen members. Granted, they were all seeing and hearing fucking weird ass shit, but still; all in all, things were better.

  He didn’t doubt that his friend saw Wolfman a couple of months ago in his dreams. They all had, but Alex's dreams were much freakier. He could see and speak to their friends. They needed them to complete something for them, whatever the fuck that had meant. For Sable, it was protecting her from a stalking bastard who almost killed her and her new friend, Destiny.

  Gage buttoned up his new uniform; it had only taken a few weeks before he completed the deputy’s exam. Hell, the shooting test was simple. David had helped him study for the written so he could pass.

  Over the last few weeks, he discovered David and he had a lot in common, more than the average Joe in common; it was a pleasant surprise, especially when Alex had his meltdown. David understood, and even made sure Gage was okay after seeing it. They all had PTSD from the bomb, and watching half of their team wiped out in the blink of an eye. They were all still trying to figure out their triggers. Things that would take them back to the bad place they had been.

  David talked for hours with him, and Gage felt like he found a new person for his circle of friends. Today was his first shift. David was going to be his mentor, and so for the entire day he was shadowing the Sheriff, the other deputies were nice, but he didn’t feel the connection as he did with David, it was as if they had known each other their entire lives.

  “Looking good,” Sable said. She was like his sister now, checking on all of them and making sure they were okay. It was a little funny when she had gone to a therapist by herself to get an idea of how to handle them. None of the guys had wanted to go.

  “I got all these fun little toys now,” Gage said and held up his walkie-talkie. Then showed her his badge for the millionth time since he had received it. It was a new chapter in his life, and he couldn’t wait. He loved ranching, but being a police officer was a little like being back in the military, it filled a void.

  Trusting another person with your life, as he was with David being his partner for the next few weeks, was something he had not done with anyone but the men on his team. No one had risen to the level that Gage would feel comfortable with: man or woman. Not as though he would ever let a woman have that much control over him.

  He didn’t think he would ever let a woman that close, they were too much responsibility. He knew his friends understood, even though they liked to call him a manwhore. It was just too much to think about, he admired Slone and Alex for finding Sable and putting themselves out there, he just didn’t think he would ever be able to do something like that.

  “What time will you be home? Do you have your cell, in case? Whose number did you put down in case of emergency?” Sable rattled off her questions with her hands on her full hips so he could see the little, tiny baby bump she was sporting. A baby, Gage shuttered, way too much for him.

  “Mom,” Gage whined. “Fine, I will be home after five, I have my cell right here, and the ranch number is the phone listed. David is training me, and Lou packed my lunch already. I promise not to talk or take candy from strangers.”

  Sable rolled her eyes at his smartass comment, although what he didn’t say was how much he appreciated the fact that she cared enough to ask. It had been a long time since someone cared that much besides his teammates. It made him feel good, he thought and kissed Sable on the cheek and then said, “I will be fine.”

  “I know, I am just checking, but call me if you need me, I am speed dial one,” Sable said.

  “Dude, you stole my phone?” Gage said and pulled it out.

  “Well, I figured it was safe to put myself in, instead of the 1-900 number you had in there. I think you need a woman.”

  “Um, no, and thanks.” Gage laughed.

  “Off you go.” Sable rolled her eyes, Gage left the ranch with a bounce in his step, yep, and a new path.

&nb
sp; “See, wasn’t so boring.” David laughed as they filed their end of the night reports for the next shift.

  “Yeah, a whopping speeding ticket, and the jaywalker made it so worth my time today,” Gage drawled.

  “Better than having to whack off in the men’s room for some excitement. We still have to start looking into the drugs that have made themselves into the county. The I—25 corridor is straight up from Mexico. They are using that to get to I-70, and then it is a straight shot across country. Somewhere around here they have a storage facility,” David stated.

  Gage nodded and looked out the window absently.

  The team moved here a few months ago, when Alex’s parents bought him a ranch to start over. Their careers had been toast after the bombing. Too much damage had been done to each of them, psychological and physical. Honorable Disability Discharge is what they called it. Cutting your dick off is what it felt like.

  Master Chief had been in the military since he was eighteen. A career military officer had been his goal, and he achieved it. The loss of his friends was not something he found acceptable. No matter how many times he heard people tell him there were casualties in war. He didn’t fuckin' care, it was his soldiers who he had lost.

  He thought of the last time he had seen his friends.

  “Status?” Master Chief said quietly and focused on the building they had watched for the last week. Their target was in there, they knew it, and he came like clockwork.

  Raider waited and listened as some of the guys began to speak quietly, letting them know where everyone was.