1. Kate

Chapter 1

Kate

T he ceaseless tapping of Lieutenant Kate Cross's fingers on the pristine wood desk betrayed her otherwise calm, collected, and unaffected demeanor. A shrill ringing cut in, and Kate whipped out her phone to hush the obnoxious ringtone.

The Barbie Girl theme song played loudly, and Kate answered with annoyance, "I'm changing your ringtone and, I'm never leaving you alone with my phone again, Izzy."

Lucious, rich laughter filled Kate's ears as Izzy ignored her ire.

"Don't lie to me. You love me and you're never changing that ringtone. Even if you do, I'll just change it back. You sound pissy today. What's going on?"

Kate glanced around the nurses' station, grateful she was alone. Usually the medical ward was flooded with patients, officers, distinguished visitors, and foreign allies. On this occasion, they'd just transferred out the only patient the night before, and a medical transport flight with new patients wouldn't be arriving until the next day. Normally, Kate wouldn't talk on her personal phone at her station, but the floor was silent, and no one was around. She spoke quietly, in calm, measured tones.

"I don't want to talk about it. How's Korea? Are you enjoying Kunsan?"

Kate could practically hear Izzy's eyes roll at the deflection.

"It's wonderful. I love it. Great. Now that we've covered that, tell me what's bothering you."

A groan accompanied Kate's scowl. It was difficult hiding things from your best friend, especially if they were as emotionally intelligent as Izzy was. Kate gave in, knowing Izzy wouldn't let it go.

"I was assigned a new partner."

The silence was palpable. Izzy knew Kate didn't talk about her last partner.

A dull rumbling began and Kate sighed. "Hold that thought."

Palstein Air Base in Germany was known to many of the world's military members as a hub for overseas missions. The base was constantly bustling with activity—training missions, C-130's coming in every couple of hours to take the next round of willing boots headed to the sandbox for deployment, F-18's running exercises, practice bombing runs, and so much more. There was never a dull moment, and one always had to be prepared to lose the ability to hear and speak for a few minutes at the drop of a dime.

As the aircraft drew closer, Kate resisted the urge to jam her fingers into her ears. Soft rumbles turned into the loud roaring of the turboprop engines announcing the safe return of another platoon from deployment. As much as Kate hated that the medical ward was next to the flight line, hearing each aircraft land safely and bring more soldiers home always made her feel grateful.

It was only too easy to lose soldiers, friends, partners out there- as Kate knew only too well, so each one safely home was a relief to her.

The thrum of the engines finally died out, and Izzy's laughter came through the speaker of Kate's phone once again.

"Ah, gotta love base life. So. Tell me who this new partner is. Have you met them yet?"

Kate's unease lingered, but she answered anyway. "No. I haven't met her yet. The brief they sent just gave me her name and record. Give me a sec."

Kate tucked the phone into her shoulder with her chin and began thumbing through the folders on her desk. Finding the right one, she flipped to the first page.

"Lieutenant Alexis Cole. Combat rescue officer with a distinguished record. No known reprimands on file and has several commendations and exemplary physical test scores."

Izzy let out a sharp whistle. "Oh, Kate. I'm so deeply jealous of you."

Kate coughed a gruff laugh. "What the hell are you talking about? Do you know her?"

Izzy gasped. " Alexis Cole, are you kidding? You've never heard of her? Lieutenant love ‘em and leave ‘em. This is wonderful. I'm not ruining this for you. I'll let you go into this blind, but I will tell you I've met her, and I've heard of her long and skilled reputation."

Kate frowned. Concern filled her gut like lead. "You have to give me more than that."

"I know a girl with whom she went on a few dates. Apparently, this woman is so talented with her tongue and fingers that--"

"Hey! That's not what I meant," Kate barked, interrupting. Her voice echoed through the empty hall, bouncing off the tiles.

"I don't need to know that. She's my partner for work ," Kate emphasized, her voice breaking at the last moment.

Izzy tried to speak again, but Kate continued. "We just got a mission assignment, and we'll be deploying any day. I have literally zero intention of becoming involved with anyone, least of all, some rescue officer who enjoys fucking half the platoon. She can be a lesbian Casanova on someone else's time. We'll have to focus, and distractions can get people killed."

"I know. I know. She is dreamy though, I must warn you," Izzy sighed and groaned. "Anyway, you're no fun, but you are the best damn combat certified nurse I know, so I guess I'll have to give you a pass."

Relaxing back into her seat, Kate laughed softly. "Thank you. I'll take the compliment. What's your deal, anyway? Have you not gotten laid yet over there? You've been there for how many weeks now?"

A frustrated groan morphed into a shout. "No! I've been here five weeks." Izzy's distress was apparent, and Kate rolled her eyes.

"You'll be fine."

"I know," Izzy said, then paused. "You will be, too. It may take some time, but I think you should consider getting back out there, too. It's been a really long time for you Kate. What happened was just beyond heartbreaking. You deserve to be happy, and who knows. Maybe going a round or two with Lieutenant love ‘em and leave ‘em might just be exactly what you need."

Crisp, sterile air filled Kate's lungs, and she lowered her forehead to the desk and clenched her eyes shut. She pushed away the painful thoughts and memories of her last partner. Acid filled her mouth, and the rush of feelings choked her.

"Let's not do this right now, Izz. Please."

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about?"

"Talk to me about Kunsan. You like it?"

Given the chance to wax poetic about how much she'd been enjoying Korea, Izzy filled the previously uncomfortable silence with her vivacious hunger for life. Kate listened attentively, grateful for the change of subject. She hated talking about her late partner, even with her best friend or in therapy, and only spoke about her when she was forced to.

Their conversation was cut short by an email announcing Kate had a mission brief to get to. Izzy secured a promise that Kate would call again before deploying out for the upcoming mission and hung up after shouting, "Good luck."

Clear hallways greeted the patter of her footsteps. The entire building was empty. Kate's mind skipped a beat before she remembered. It was a holiday weekend. Most people were off base or already enjoying their time off even though it was technically Friday. She grunted softly in realization, nervously flicked a stray golden strand of her hair out of her eyes and smoothed it back into place. The linoleum reflected fluorescent lights, casting shadows on rows of photographs that lined sterile white walls. She took the stairs, heading for the mission briefing room in the basement. Nerves bubbled up in Kate's stomach as she neared the room.

As the door swung into view at the bottom of the stairwell, Kate steeled her spine, paused, and took several deep breaths. Rolling her shoulders, she cracked her knuckles and reached for the handle, ready to do battle.

The second before the handle was in reach, the door swung open, and Kate was greeted by a tall, muscular woman with dark chestnut hair and piercing blue eyes. Her sleeves were rolled up haphazardly, revealing rich, olive forearms covered in inky black tattoos. The name printed on her left breast read COLE in big, dark letters.

Kate understood at once why Izzy hadn't wanted to spoil it for her. Everything about Lieutenant Alexis Cole broadcasted sexy, irreverent charm, and Kate sucked in a breath, stunned at Alexis's unique masculine beauty.

Electricity crackled down the back of Kate's neck and she clenched her jaw. Her eyes didn't know where to start, so she flitted her gaze to the back of the room, where a familiar face jumped out at her. Relief spread through her limbs, and she sidestepped Lieutenant Cole. Colonel Williams, a tall, lean, striking black woman, stood amongst the controlled chaos of the mission briefing room. Maps, plans, diagrams, and files littered the entire space, covering the massive wooden conference table and walls, which surrounded the fierce woman like a cocoon.

Kate approached, grateful to escape the heat at her back that announced Lieutenant Cole had not left but rather had turned around and loomed behind her.

"Colonel Williams. It's good to see you, ma'am. Have we been assigned a mission?"

The colonel didn't respond verbally or acknowledge her with a glance, just waved Kate over with a slice of her tiny hand. She then motioned to her ear where an earbud rested. Kate's eyebrows shot up. The colonel was on the phone, and clearly, Lieutenant Cole had intended to leave to give her privacy but had abandoned the notion when Kate had arrived.

Crisp, commanding, and as clear as day, Colonel Williams spoke. "And I'm telling you, Commander, I don't give a good goddamn who you have to wake up. I want you to get my people the supplies I need before they're ready to leave, or I swear I will make things difficult for you in the future."

Silence descended, and a shiver rolled down Kate's spine just as goosebumps broke out on her forearms. Colonel Williams was the nicest woman Kate knew, but she could be terrifying when she wanted to be.

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat and assumed the position of parade rest, tucking her hands behind her back and standing with her feet shoulder-width apart. Whatever they'd been assigned for was happening soon, and it had the colonel's hackles up. It took a lot to agitate the woman, and Kate's curiosity burned away at her resolve. She inched closer, hoping to overhear what the recipient of the ass chewing was promising to fulfill.

The heat at her back moved with her, and Kate froze, trying to ignore the warmth that spread through her limbs. Air whispered on the nape of her neck, and she swallowed down a gasp as Lieutenant Cole whispered next to her right ear, "God she's awesome. Is she always like this?"

The lieutenant's warm breath tickled the soft, fine hairs on Kate's neck, and she bit down hard on her lip and fought the urge to groan. Cole's voice was rich and melodic, a pure alto that dripped like honey over chocolate. Kate took a small step forward and nodded with a jerk of her chin. Lieutenant Cole followed, stepping closer, her piercing blue eyes locked on Colonel Williams.

"When she needs to be," Kate forced out between stubbornly clenched teeth.

A deep groan paired with a grunt had Kate practically breaking her neck to turn around and see Lt. Cole biting her lip, her eyes closed, her hands clutched over her chest, and her knees bent, giving the illusion she was being knocked over.

"What a woman. I want to be her when I grow up."

The temperature rose a few degrees, and Kate forcibly tore her gaze from where Lt. Cole was biting her lip. The inane thought intruded that she wished her own lip was pinned between Lieutenant Cole's teeth.

Even though it seemed dramatic, Kate had to agree with Lt. Cole. Colonel Williams was amazing, and she couldn't blame Cole for having stars in her eyes.

Colonel Williams' voice silenced Kate's thoughts. "Good. See to it that the medical supplies are on the tarmac and ready to be loaded by 0400 tomorrow. My team will be on site and ready to take off at 0600."

The threat went unsaid, but everyone in the room heard it. Don't be late. Colonel Williams snapped the phone shut and directed Lt. Cross and Lt. Cole toward the conference table with a stab of her fingers.

"Sit. We don't have a lot of time to go over this as quickly and efficiently as possible. You've got gear to collect, your kit to pack, and very little time to prepare for what is basically a shitshow."

They sat, and Kate put an extra chair between her and Lieutenant Cole for safe measure.

"I understand you two haven't been introduced and that sending you on a mission of this importance without field testing you as partners isn't ideal. However, I have no choice. Lieutenant Cross, you're my best nurse, and you're combat trained and ready. Your new partner happens to have a long and distinguished record of successful retrievals."

Digesting that information, Kate nodded and recalled that Lt. Cole's file had been impressive and extensive. She'd successfully completed several missions on record, and Kate assumed there were even more impressive feats in her off-the-record file. There had been a two year stint she'd spent with special forces assigned to Afghanistan. Kate had looked for more specifics within the file but none had been forthcoming. That was an answer in and of itself, and Kate hadn't bothered looking any further into it.

Continuing in her usual no-nonsense fashion, Colonel Williams pinned them in place with a fierce gaze. "You two are my best, and we have a serious situation to remedy."

She grabbed a remote off the table from atop some maps and clicked a button that brought a projector screen down from the ceiling.

The screen came to life, and they stared at a map of the border between Syria and Iraq.

"Thirty six hours ago, one of our supply convoys began its regular route. It was ambushed near this area." Colonel Williams tapped an area on the map with a perfectly manicured and closely-cut nail before Lieutenant Cole's voice chimed in, making Kate jump at her proximity. Lt. Cole must have moved closer to inspect the map that sat in front of Kate and was hovering over her shoulder.

"Is this a desert valley surrounded on all sides by rocky outcroppings and cliffs?" Lt. Cole's voice expressed some of the concern Kate felt at the prospect of having to go through a valley literally surrounded on all sides by enemies.

The colonel shook her head. "Not exactly. Check out these photos and the topographical maps."

Kate and Lt. Cole leaned forward to see what they'd be dealing with. Photos covered the screen depicting a dry, barren desert with rolling hills and sharp perilous cliffs that were likely impassable. Any attempt at climbing would likely result in serious injury.

"Those rocky outcroppings are really non-traversable vertical cliffs with the occasional cave. Intelligence says there may be multiple caves and tunnels in the area, but they aren't tracking anything large enough to be of suspicion."

Williams clicked through a few more slides, confirming that the ambush happened toward the northern side of the valley. They studied the photos and maps, trying to connect the dots on where the survivors were most likely holed up.

"Once in the valley, it's a wide open space of over a hundred acres. There's very little cover, and it's all desert. As you know, there are only two ways out of the valley—the north and south exits. If you take the northern exit, you'll be forced to hike around to a safe extraction point. This area has been buzzing with activity. We have Syrian rebels, Syrian military, Iraqi rebels, civilians, and our own boots mixed in. We've got several reports of injuries ranging from minor to severe, but no word on any casualties. Six of our own went into the ambush, but there are still a few of our soldiers unaccounted for."

The reality of what they were facing sank in, and Kate let her eyes fall on Lt. Alexis Cole. No matter how the woman made her feel, she'd have to put it aside. Kate wouldn't allow her partner to distract her on such a critical mission. She'd have to find a way to put her trust in Lt. Cole despite her reputation and casually flirtatious nature. As long as Cole didn't expect to get anything out of Kate , they'd work together just fine.

"You'll need to plan your entry and exit and follow my template for drop and pick up zones as close as you can. I've marked off all the best places we know of to get in and out undetected. Once on the ground, you two and your team are basically on your own. You'll have to get in, find our boys, patch them up, get them out, and don't die in the process. We leave tomorrow at 0600. Any questions for me, or are you ready to stick your heads together and make this happen?"

Lt. Cole stood, her face grim. "Ma'am, can I get our supply inventory, records of all available personnel for the team from which to choose, copies of these maps, and the file on our troops who are trapped?"

Williams turned on her heel and gathered two large folders. She held one out to Lt. Cole and one out to Kate. "These are the copies of everything you should need."

Kate didn't ask how Colonel Williams had accurately guessed which documents they would prefer, but one look at her own folder proved nothing important had been left out. The woman had an odd knack for knowing things.

Lt. Cole excused herself and stalked off to complete the monumental task set before her. Kate didn't envy her.

"Lt. Cross, let me know if you need anything that isn't on the list. Pack light. There's a good chance you'll be walking most of the way, and you'll need to be able to carry most of your medical supplies on your own. Lt. Cole can provide you with a medic and possibly spare one of the rescue ops soldiers to be a pack mule for you. In your dossier there's a list of all known injuries. I've had the supply guys gather everything I could think you'd need for those specific injuries."

Flipping open the file again, Kate found a section with cauterization tools, and she glanced at Colonel Williams in awe.

"How did you get your hands on this? These aren't even available commercially until next year." Kate breathed out in excitement and shock.

A triumphant smirk painted Colonel Williams' face, transforming the severe facade into a beautiful, sharp profile worthy of canvas.

"That's the phone call you walked in on. The portable cauterization tool is ungodly expensive, but I have a friend in R&D who managed to ship me two for the price of one. One has been used before, so use that one to practice with tomorrow on the flight. Then prep the new one for use in the field. I'll leave you to get everything together."

Kate's head swam as she checked the reported injury list. There were several minor injuries that would be easy to address and some more severe reports that concerned her. Patient mobility would be difficult to coordinate in such a hostile environment.

"I'm heading back to my computer. Call me at my desk if you need me, Colonel."

The only response was a dismissive wave off, and Kate hurried back up the stairs to her office, taking the steps two at a time. The dossier clutched in her left hand felt radioactive. She was itching to get moving and save who she could. Adrenaline surged through her as she mentally cataloged the procedures she'd need to complete in a deployed setting. An ongoing checklist of all the equipment she needed to gather got longer and, determined to finish preparing and get a minimum of six hours sleep before departure, Kate pushed herself to walk faster as the medical ward's door came into her line of sight.