The Navy's Ghost (Bad Boys of Beta Squad)

THE NAVY’S GHOST

A SEAL
is strongest with her Team…

Ensign Christiana "Ghost" Brickman is the only female SEAL to survive BUD/S training, a real Navy Jane. But when an ambush ends her career as an active SEAL, she’s free to pursue other interests. Like her two best friends Lt. Jim "Retro" Waters and Chief Warrant Officer Todd "Magic" Hunter. She's wanted them for over a year, but never dared to approach them while in the squad.

Retro has fought his dark desires since high school, certain the need to share a woman unnatural. Magic had never considered sharing before Ghost mentions it, but it solves his dilemma of choosing between his best friend and his woman.
But
Retro balks at Ghost’s offer to share and retreats from both when she marries Magic.

Everyone feels Retro’s loss, but he ignores the ache of their broken connection in favor of living ‘normal.’ When Ghost and the other wives of Beta Squad are kidnapped, Retro must reevaluate how much both Ghost and Magic mean to him. And he must decide how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves, before she becomes the Navy's ghost.

THE NAVY’S GHOST

Bad Boys of Beta Squad, Book 1

Copyright
© 2013
Siobhan Muir

ISBN 978-1-31102419-0

Published by
Three Lakes Books
at Smashwords

Cover Photo:
Bezergheanu Mircea
 
| 
Depositphotos.com
Jeff Thrower
 | 
Shutterstock.com

Cover Design: H.L. Carmichael

eBooks are
not
transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except for brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

First Electronic Print, December 2013

DEDICATION

Dedicated to all the men and woman who serve in our Armed Forces, whether Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. Thank you for your service. And to Silver James, a woman who has been on the front lines, seen some of the worst this world can offer, and still has a smile and is willing to help when called upon. You’re the best, m’dear.

Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Kathleen King Grieve for making sure I had things right medically. Any mistakes made are my own. Silver James caught my military ranking and my uniform mistakes, and helped me rearrange Bravo (Beta) Squad. I think she just wants one or two of those guys herself. Thanks to George Varhalmi for checking the “manliness” of phrases used and thoughts thought. Natascha Jaffa caught the typos and repeated words, reminding me to be creative in my word choices. And as always, thanks to Lanya Ross for catching my logic gaps and peer reviewing my story.

Author’s Note:

Dear Readers,

This book, while about the US m
ilitary and particularly the Navy, is ultimately a romantic fiction. Currently in our world the US Navy has no female operators serving in the Special Operations units like the SEALs. The world is changing and there may come a time when women are included in the squads, but currently it’s not the case. Because this is a fantasy story and it’s set in my world of paranormal romance where dragons and werewolves and vampires exist, I get to make the rules. I’ve included a female operator on my SEAL squad and she is the first to gain the right to be there. I’ve tried to make the story as realistic as I can given those parameters, but in the end, this is still romantic fiction.

In addition, to honor and protect those SEALs currently serving, I’ve chosen a fictitious Team based in Coronado and operating in Central America (at least in this story). I hope you enjoy my ménage a’SEALs story, a hot and sexy fiction
based on
our current military reality.

Siobhan

PART 1
: The Beginning of the End

Chapter One

Her silent footsteps passed by dark walls as shadows flickered. The contact beckoned her squad into a larger side room, waving frantically.

Warning twitches came too late. Muzzle flashes cascaded from all corners like fireworks, and pain seared her left thigh.

Shouts, shots, and pounding feet filled the broken silence. Her view shifted as she fell, agony stripping away coherent thought. A face appeared, features blurred by dark paint.
Magic?

His lips moved but no sound hit her ringing ears.
Stay with me, Ghost.

Flashes of
gunfire illuminated the intense expression he wore when something went wrong, but he only had eyes for whatever he worked on and something behind her. Someone grasped her under the arms and dragged her out of the melee.

Ensign
?

She
stared up into more worried eyes.
Retro?

Stay with me, Ghost.
She read his request from his lips.

Can you hear me,
Ensign?

She shook her head and tried to flash a thumbs-up.

“Ensign, can you hear me?”

****

Chief Warrant Officer Todd “Magic” Hunter swallowed against the panic slamming against the walls of the box he’d confined it to in his mind. He secured Ensign Brickman to the deck of the helo and gave Lieutenant Jim “Retro” Waters a thumbs-up before tightening down the bandages around Chris’s thigh.
Holy fuck, I carved her up like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Guilt and anger rolled in his gut.
I had to. She’d have bled out if I didn’t get that artery clamped.
He’d butchered her and blood had been everywhere, but he’d somehow found the artery and staunched the flow before it took her soul with it.

Dear God, of
all of us, why her?

It didn’t matter. She’d survived. End of story. Magic made sure the morphine dulled some
of her pain as they medevac’d her ass home and periodically checked the bandages around her thigh.
She’s fine. Stop fussing.
But he couldn’t help the checking or the worry.

As she lay dying on the grimy floor of the Nicaraguan warehouse, his feelings for Ensign Christiana Brickman had crystallized into blinding clarity.
I love her.
He’d ignored the thought in favor of saving her life, but now, with the squad around him and the action settled, it came roaring back into his mind, clear as day. Jubilation mixed with terror settled into his gut.
No fraternization within the ranks.
Too bad his heart couldn’t remember the rules.

“How’s she doing, Magic?” Retro
shouted through the mic to Magic over the rotors.

“Stable for now. High as a kite, but stable.”

“Good to hear. Pilot says back on base in fifty mikes.”

“Roger that.”

“Why do they always use boys’ names for everything?”

Retro and Magic turned to the woman lying between them and met the clouded hazel gaze beneath the lowered brows. “Say again, Brickman?”

“Boys’ names. Why do they always use them for everything?”

“What are you talking about?” Retro raised an eyebrow.

“You know, Mike for minute, Roger for understood.” Brickman rolled her head to pin Retro with her focus. “Jimmy for futzing with locks. Hey, your name is Jim.” She licked her lips and swallowed. “I like your name, Jim Retro. And I like you, too. You’re handsome.”

“Yep. Definitely high as a kite.” Retro snorte
d and shot a smile at Magic. Todd tried to smile back, but his gut sank. What if she preferred Jim over him?
Get your head back in the game. She’s never shown interest in any of us.

“
Yeah, but I’m pretty sure she’s not in pain. With the dosage I gave her, she should be floatin’ on cloud nine by now.”

“You’re my cloud nine, Magic.” The hazel gaze hit him and he tried not to fall into it or the words she murmured. “So sexy and smart and nice. All the Navy bunnies just love you.” Her lips tightened in irritation. “Sluts.”

Magic raised his eyebrows.
Don’t listen to her, she’s out of her mind.
Except morphine often acted like a weak truth serum, stripping away inhibitions to expose real sentiments underneath. Chris turned her head away to mumble something under her breath as a mild frown creased her forehead.

“Not good enough for you.”

“Say again, Ensign?” Retro leaned closer to her.

“They only want dick, you know.” Her gaze slid slowly back to Jim’s face. “You deserve better, Retro.
Mo’betta. ’Cause Bravo Squad does everything mo’betta. They should call it Betta Squad.” She trailed off in a dreamy, sing-songy voice.

“At least she’s got that right.” Retro shook his head, a half smile quirking his mouth.

“Bravo Squad definitely does it mo’betta.” Ghost fixed him with a hard stare. “Just like you, Retro. And you need someone who knows you. You, and Magic, too. Perfect, sexy, tall, and hard. Like bananas.”

“What?”
Magic traded looks with Retro.

“Oh, shit. You better knock her out before she says something really crazy.”

“Bananas. You know…” Chris raised one hand, curling her fingers into a C-shape before swaying it back and forth as if stroking something. “Long, hard, smooth, and warm.” She grimaced. “Bananas. So much better than cucumbers. Mo’betta in Betta Squad.”

“Knock her out, Magic.” Retro growled as the other squad members
snickered in the background.

Magic curbed his own grin as he shoved another syringe of morphine into her IV. He could understand Retro’s concern, but the thought of Chris stroking his cock made said anatomy salute the idea from his fatigues. Chris yawned and mumbled something more about the virtues of bananas over cucumbers before her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

“Bravo Squad does it mo’betta!” Petty Officer Killian grinned. “Why? ’Cause we’re the betta squad.”

“Not betta squad, Beta Squad. Second to none.” Seaman Rubenovich laughed.

“Aw, fuck, she’s never gonna live that one down with the squad.” Retro shook his head as he tucked the woolen blanket up to her chin.

“Yeah, but at least she’s gonna live.” Todd surveyed the woman before him and prayed for all he was worth she’d make it out okay. “Okay” meant she’d get to keep her leg, because he
had the sneaking suspicion she’d be on the bench for a long time recovering.

“You’re sure of that?” Some of Jim’s concern leaked into his eyes though he kept his face stoic.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I got that artery clamped shut and she’s a fighter. She’ll make it out okay.” Todd didn’t know where the certainty came from, but he held onto it with both hands and his teeth. “We’ll update the docs when we get in.”

Jim grunted and nodded as they settled in to finish the flight. Todd tried not to stew on Chris’s words, but each compliment made his balls tighten and delirious excitement to run around his gut.
Get a grip, man. She’s completely high on morphine and terribly injured. It’s sick to think about anything like that.
Except he’d been having unauthorized thoughts of seeing Christiana Brickman naked and riding his cock for about a year now, and her slurred words only encouraged them.

They landed at the base and the squad erupted in a flurry of motion to help get
Chris transported into the infirmary. They’d work on her leg and get her Stateside while the squad finished the mission. And by God, they’d take out the motherfuckers who led the squad into a trap, especially the “contact”.
You’re gonna pay and it ain’t gonna be pretty.

In a rare moment of quiet, Magic closed his eyes and inhaled the warm Nicaraguan air, trying to focus on something better than Chris losing her leg.
Like Chris sitting beside me in nothing but a tank top and bikini bottoms holding an icy long neck.
Yeah, that did nothing to relax him, but it certainly made him smile.

“What’s the grin for, Magic?” Retro’s hand on his shoulder broke the fantasy.
Good thing, too.

“Ice cold beer and a swimming pool. Nothin’ better.” Except maybe Chris Brickman laughing and smiling at him.

“She’s gonna make it, man. Don’t sweat it.”

Magic shook his head. “I butchered her leg, Jim.”

“Yeah, and she’ll still be tougher than the rest of our sorry crew. She’ll pull through.”

Magic scanned Retro’s face. His voice sounded certain, but his eyes said something else. “I love her, man.”

“I know. She’s your swim buddy. We all love her.”

“No, not like that
.” Magic’s shoulders slumped and he exhaled everything. “I mean like one-and-only, want-as-my-life-partner, can’t-live-without-you kind of love.”

The great stone face Retro always wore when faced with
something difficult slid over his features and his eyes flattened, but Todd ignored it. They were best buddies and honesty counted more than comfort. Things could still go wrong with Chris. The only easy day was yesterday.

“You know there’s no fraternization within the ranks, Magic.” Retro’s voice held no inflection.

“That’s within the squad, Retro, not the Navy.”

“She
is
in the squad. She’s an active SEAL.”

Magic shook his head and swallowed against the
suspicious lump in his throat. “Not anymore, she’s not.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jim rounded on Todd, his eyes burning with anger.

“You didn’t see her leg, Retro. You didn’t see what I had to do to get that artery closed. She’ll be lucky to walk again much less have the physical abilities to keep up with us now.” Todd kicked a loose stone on the tarmac. “I did that to her.”

“And saved her life.”

“I might have ruined her life!” Grief and anger exploded and he crossed his arms to keep from throwing a punch at anything. “Chances are better than great she won’t come back to the squad from that injury. Hell, we don’t even know if the fuckin’ docs in the base can repair what’s left of her leg, let alone the artery.” He picked up the stone and hurled it out into the night. “The SEALs were all she ever wanted.”

“And she’s not done yet, so don’t you give the fuck up on her, Magic.” Retro grabbed his shoulder and wrenched him around until they stood nose to nose. “
If you love her like you say you do, don’t give up on her. She’s a SEAL, dammit, and SEALs don’t give up on anything. Pull yourself together and get your ass in the shower. We got a briefing at oh-four-hundred in thirty-five mikes and I expect you to be at the top of your game. Are we clear, Chief?”

Magic swallowed hard and nodded, stuffing the grief down into a
seething ball in his gut. He’d use the energy to take out the terrorist cell brewing biological weapons in this hot little hellhole.

“Clear, LT.”

“Good. See you in thirty.” Retro stalked away with fast, angry strides and Magic watched him go, wondering what had set him off.
He’s probably just worried about Ghost
. While the explanation seemed plausible, something told Magic he may have miscalculated something about Retro. Shaking his head, Todd retreated to the showers.

****

“You can’t just wake her up and demand answers, Lieutenant Commander. It doesn’t work that way.”

“She needs to be debriefed, Doctor.”

“Not right now, she doesn’t. You can wait a few more hours.”

Chris
opened her eyes to take in her surroundings.
Why is everything white?
The last thing she remembered was Chief Warrant Officer Todd “Magic” Hunter’s blackened face looming over her, wearing the tight expression he always got when he worked on someone wounded.
Wounded?
Memory clarified slowly and she recalled the firefight in the ratty warehouse and their contact luring her into a blind spot. She’d saved the rest of SEAL Team 9, Bravo Squad a world of hurt.

The same couldn’t be said
for herself.

S
oft beeps and chirps of medical equipment filled the tense silence of the sterile room.
Was someone arguing?
An IV full of clear liquid snaked from her arm to the rack beside the hospital bed and the scent of disinfectant infused her nostrils. The scent always meant sickness or death to her. It signified something bad and surrounded Chris like an enemy, waiting to subdue her.

Of course, the screaming pain her in left leg
did a damn fine job all by itself.

Her fear ramped up, increasing the soft beeping sound until it beat out a rapid tattoo.
Some sort of monitor read her reactions. She closed her eyes and told herself to calm down, regulating her breathing as she’d been trained.
It’s no more difficult than launching a rubber IBS raft in rough seas.

“
Ensign Brickman?”