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

Sensual Romance

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 ©

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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Sensual Romance

Code Name: Ghost

Copyright © 2013 Natasza Waters

E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-792-7

First E-book Publication: July 2013

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Tamara Hoffa

Proofread by Laurie White

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by
Secret Cravings Publishing

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www.secretcravingspublishing.com

All stations…

It is my honor to write about the brave
souls in the United States and Canadian forces. They protect our
countries, and nations that cannot protect themselves. There have
been many changes over the years, whether it was technology that
silenced the Morse key or terrorism, which opened the world’s eyes
on 9/11. I am certain one thing will always remain the same—there
will never be a withering in the hearts of the men and women who
keep us safe from dark things.

Love, Hope and Faith

This is Natasza…out.

Saying thank you seems mundane for the
gratitude I have for several people. My husband stands at the front
of the queue for putting up with take out and dust bunnies. My dad,
who taught me more things than I have pages to write them down. My
mom, who watches me from somewhere up above. I still try to be as
patient and committed to a task as she was. I owe many thanks to my
beta readers, Amanda, Vicki and Naomi, who read the dirty versions
and kept me buoyed. Finally, to Tamara Hoffa, whose magical
editorial wand and support means a chance at success.

Have you heard about the newest idea in
ebooks, the ebook club? Secret Cravings Publishing has started two
ebook clubs and we invite you to become a member of either The
Cravings e-book Club or the Cravings Paranormal e-book Club. Join
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As a member, you will
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Trouble With a Cowboy*
by Sandy Sullivan and
Forget Me Not**
by Jaden Sinclair
FREE, just for joining!

You’ll also receive
4 BRAND-NEW EBOOKS
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*
Trouble With a Cowboy
, a western,
erotic romance:

Can some slashed tires and
an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun
in the sun and a little more?

**
Forget Me Not
, paranormal erotic
romance:

A war is brewing, a war that could destroy
an entire vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has
been requested to participate in it.  He stops his search for
a long time friend to go home and discovers there is more at stake
than just his wants.

As a member of the Cravings Club, you’ll
receive 4 books in a variety of genres every month. We will try to
match your books to your preferences, however, if you’re a major
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Everything is the same, 4 books every month for $9.99 except that 3
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To join and tell us your
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We hope our Secret Cravings books will
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Best wishes,

Beth Walker

Kayla’s fingernails hooked into the tight
weave of the Berber carpet, anchoring her to the precious moments
she had left. Warm blood pooled in the hollow of her back and
streamed down her sides, drenching the floor. The blade remained
embedded deep in her flesh, driven to its hilt. Even with a shallow
breath, her broken ribs ground together angrily.

Someone was shouting in the room. Someone
else was weeping. She could do neither. Both became white noise,
drowning in the
whoosh
of the furnace kicking in and sirens
in the distance. More voices erupted from the doorway, strong,
stern voices—men of valor.

They were too late.

If she could have opened her swollen eyes,
pummeled shut by fists of rage and despair, she would surely see
the reaper kneeling in front of her, waiting patiently for her last
breath. Two thoughts floated with certainty in her mind as she gave
way to the darkness.

Love, can be as deadly as combat. Hope…can
end your life.

A heavy duffel bag hitting the deck snapped
his attention to the SEAL who entered the office. “Ghost, good to
see you made it back with your head,” Captain Redding said.

Commander Thane Austen,
Ghost
, swung
his fatigue jacket onto the coat stand beside his desk. With a
quick hand, he steadied it before it toppled. “Yup, the Serpientes
are less one drug lord. They won’t be helping Al-Qaeda with arms
and funds for a while, Red. Unfortunately, we missed Faron. He
slipped down some rat hole before we even hit the beach, but his
brother had a moving burial at sea.” He turned to survey the Base
Command’s Operation Center through the one-way glass.

Satellite links brought sensitive data
streaming in from around the globe and the mass of radio equipment
squawked twenty-four seven in the dimly lit room. No windows
adorned the walls for security reasons, literally hundreds of
lights and switches covered the operation consoles.

“Pretty rough one, by the looks of you,”
Captain Redding remarked. Standing at a daunting six-foot-three,
and built into every muscle God bestowed on him, Commander Austen
belayed his thirty-seven years, keeping himself as strong as a
twenty-five-year-old, but he could tell this mission had taken its
toll.

“Who’s that?” he asked, jerking his head
toward the occupants behind the glass, picking out the strangers
quickly.

Red joined Ghost at the window. “Those are
my new-old recruits, and yours, of course.”

Ghost’s brow rose, reading between the
lines. “New-old, huh?”

“They’re all highly trained, especially her.
Their captain was none too happy when I called to ask for their
yearly evaluations.”

“You’re hiring people without me on the
board again.”

“You’re always looking for perfect.”

“Perfect is what I need if they’re taking
care of my men and coordinating base operations,” Ghost replied,
staring in the direction of only one of his recruits—Kayla.

“Her name is Kayla Banks, and she has nearly
twenty years experience. Her captain said she’s the best tactical
specialist he ever had. She can extrapolate options that others
don’t see, and as for rooting out sources, she’s untouchable. She
convinced the other two to come with her. The shorter one that
looks like a jock is Barry and the tall gangly one is Gord. They’re
pretty tight, those three, but probably because they’re
expats.”

“What is it with you and foreign hires?
There’s a truckload of paperwork involved.” Ghost crossed his arms
over his sizeable chest. "What's the matter with our homegrown
boys?"

“Nothing, but budgets are tightening and
that includes the training budget. Besides, Canadians aren’t
foreigners. I recruited them from the Department of National
Defense. They just have to learn the base operations, some American
red tape, and they’re good to go. Working a command center is
second nature to them.”

The quick jerk of Ghost’s head said he
wasn’t convinced. “I’m not sending a woman into an FOB,
Forward
Operations Base
even as a liaison.”

He wasn’t going to argue Ghost’s stubborn
stance on women and combat.

Kayla, Barry and Gord huddled around the
monitors bringing in real-time downloads from geostationary
satellites locked in rotation at thirty-five thousand kilometers
above their tiny blue planet. Constant surveillance and special op
reports from the teams filtered in. Coronado Base Command
processed, actioned and stored them. “Her hometown boys dote on
her, but you can see they respect each other a lot. I assigned John
to Kayla. He says she’s catching on quick.” He chuckled, which drew
Ghost’s attention. “In fact, he said she’s taught him a couple
things.”

The Commander swung his attention from the
window and rolled out his chair, filling it with his mass. His body
language told him Ghost wasn’t going to argue, but he wasn’t
happy.

Kayla was the only female working as a
tactical specialist in Base Command, and they needed her. Based on
expertise, the brass wanted equality in all departments. A woman
couldn’t be a United States Navy SEAL, but she could support the
teams in many ways. Ghost viewed the role of a woman differently.
“I had lunch with Admiral Timmons yesterday. He said intelligence
has found a network of caves in the White Mountains. If it’s what
they surmise, it could break Al-Qaeda’s back. They’ll be looking
for your team to roll in first, Ghost.”