SEAL Forever (3 page)

She gave him a quick hug and ran down the beach.

Time was ticking. He had to get to the base. Turning around, he headed toward home. Whatever was in store for him with this woman, he'd have to put it out of his mind for now. Work beckoned.

The desert air was dry. They'd fast-roped into the training area two hours before and hiked to the mountain range. Their goal was to reach and eliminate the targets before the opposing group could stop them. Going up the difficult terrain was going to cinch the Op. The other group wouldn't expect a vertical ascent and assault.

The SEALs worked their way up a sheer cliff that even experts might consider highly challenging, and it was mostly fun. Declan preferred to push himself when he could, and the rest of his Team had the same mind-set. This climb met that criterion.

At the mountain plateau, they broke into three groups of two men each. Time was not in their favor if they wanted to get the drop on the other group, so they ran like their pants were on fire to get down to their lookout spots.

They'd rotated them from the last training scenario, and no one would suspect this tactic.

Leaper was making more faces than a clown. He wasn't a woodsman. Declan wasn't necessarily one either, not that he would ever consider complaining. He could easily admit that he had always felt he was more a creature of the water than of the land, but it was all part of SEAL Team: sea, air, and land. Right now, he was carrying a sniper rifle, ammo, and pack and wearing his ghillie. He'd pulled on the overall onesie and built it on the fly as they came down the mountain.

Now was not the time to point out to Leaper that he'd just tucked poison oak under his chin. The damage was done, and his swim buddy was going to be bathing in pink stuff to ease the itch tonight.

Finally, they reached their goal. Getting down on his belly, Declan crawled forward, grateful that there were no leaves to rustle and give away his position. He got as close as he dared. His vantage point showed the opposing group clearly. They were roughhousing and taking their time setting up the targets.

Damn, those guys are way behind. They probably think we're still going around the mountains. But why the hell would anyone go around when they could go over?

He signaled Leaper, who passed back the info. Hand signals were ideal, given the way sound could carry in this area, and the enemy had the same equipment, so if they were scanning channels, using the radios could get Declan's Team blown.

As silently as possible, Declan took a few sips of water and waited for the signal to shoot. The trajectory was perfect. The windage, elevation, and air pressure had been taken into account. He'd adjusted his scope, gotten the appropriate numbers set, and his mind went over the math and angles one more time to double-check himself.

His ghillie suit, basically a camo suit layered with foliage to hide him in the terrain, currently included two large brown tarantulas. His eyes had caught the movement and he gave them a second's notice as they crawled up his arm and perched on his head. Declan didn't mind. He liked spiders.

Leaper, who was his spotter, signaled him.

The rest of his team had swept the area and confirmed the Intel. They held their positions, and there was even a backup sniper to their left in case Declan's shots were blocked. Nothing was left to chance.

Leaper gave the “go” signal.

Declan returned the signal. He kept his eyes on target as he looked through the scope. He had the first kill in sight.

Taking in a half breath, he held it and pulled the trigger. He'd learned the technique years ago from a frogman who could shoot a wart off of a tadpole. One of the best parts of the Teams was sharing knowledge. The info they passed on to each other was not only useful, but fucking lifesaving.

They got the first target even before the other Team prepped. Those guys were going to get nailed for having their pants down.

The mic gave three clicks. Anyone listening would think it was static. For him, it meant
Go!
The next target waited.

Repeating his technique, he took out the target and scanned for more. Three shots later, he'd eliminated every threat before the other Team could take out their targets or retaliate.

A series of clicks over the mic was their wrap sound:
All clear!

Yep! Our Team won this training game. Hooyah!

Backing slowly out of his hiding place, Declan was pleased. This meant they were wheels-up earlier than intended. The tarantulas fell from his head and scrambled away.

As the sun blazed down on him and sweat drenched his back and legs, he knew that he'd performed well. They'd done this exercise three dozen times, and they'd probably do it another three dozen until everything was reflex and every angle and contingency was explored.

He made his way back. Then he secured the sniper rifle and prepared to rope down the mountain. Leaper was itching like a madman, and Declan couldn't stop chuckling every time he looked at the guy. He felt for his frog-brother. He'd been in that position before.

The air was clean and clear, and Declan breathed deeply. Pretty special up here. His guys could have hitched a ride out with the losing Team, but that wasn't the exit strategy. For the most part, unless it was necessary to deviate, they'd stick to their plan.

A congratulatory thump on the back from Leaper made Declan smile. Tromping Team ONE always gave him a lift.

Elation slid through him. SEALs loved this job. Wherever it took them, whatever he was doing, Declan knew this was exactly where he was meant to be. As a sniper, gathering Intel or pulling the trigger, fast-roping, swimming, diving, being launched out a torpedo tube…it didn't matter. As long as he could keep being a SEAL and engaging every part of his being the best way he knew how, he'd be at peace.

At the top of the peak, he took off the suit, stripped it of foliage, and redistributed the branches quickly so there was no evidence of him there—the tarantulas had long since departed—and placed the suit in his pack. He strapped his gear back in place, made sure his rock-climbing harness was secure, hooked onto the line, and lowered himself over the side.

Pushing off the wall with his feet, he made it down in record time.

Above him, freaking Leaper did a swan dive, heading down face-first. The man had a death wish at times that made Declan's gut clench. But there was no denying Leaper's skills as he zipped to a stop beside him.

“Idiot!” Declan mumbled.

“Oh, must you call me those love names when all of our Teammates are around?” Leaper made smooching sounds with his lips.

Declan shook his head. “C'mon. I'm buying when we get back. Cold ones. At least until I have to get ready for my date.”

“Oh, a date! Can I come?” Leaper lunged for him, obviously intending some kind of bear hug or embrace.

Declan stepped aside and watched Leaper hit the ground. Leaning over his friend, he asked, “How's the air down there?”

Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Leaper said, “Yummy! So very delicious!”

Declan grabbed the back of Leaper's harness and hauled him to his feet. “Maybe we'll make a new beer flavor for you. Essence of Dirt.”

Leaper pointed to the place where the terrain changed back into sand and batted his eyes. “Can we make it sand, please?”

“Mercy.” Declan laughed as he and the rest of the Team double-timed it back to the extraction point. After their success, they were all eager to get back home early and receive their bravo zulu for a job well done.

* * *

Teaching gymnastics was not Maura's original dream, but it was close. Her favorite part of the whole world had been competing as an individual gymnast. When that ended for her, she'd found showing others how to reach their potential touched on some true happiness, and for now that had to be enough.

Super!
read the sign on top of the building. The gym was tucked into the back of a row of restaurants. A parking lot was in front of it, and to the sides were slabs of dirt filled with litter and crushed cans. The outside was painted bright orange, and the sign on the door simply stated Froggy Squats.

Maura hummed to herself. She'd been kissed last night, and by none other than Declan. Life was getting interesting. She'd discarded that last bit of shyness as she lay in the tub naked. She felt renewed, as if she could be the bold, modern woman she'd always wished to be. It was hard to fathom how amazing it had been. That man knew how to lock lips. Yet he'd seemed to…what? Want to talk? Want more?

The kiss was the culmination of everything she'd personally ever wanted to say to him—all put into one physical action, and he had done it. Reached down and kissed her. And she had been naked. The desire had been evident in his eyes, and yet he'd been a gentleman. Maybe…he really wanted the girl next door.

How awesome was it that he had been running this morning? Fate was definitely flowing in her favor.

A voice broke into Maura's reflections.

“Morning,” said Sue Kolls as she walked past Maura toward the gym door. “Just so you know, I confiscated two DSes. They're on your desk.”

Froggy Squats was an electronics-free zone, no phones or video games on the floor. Personally, Maura loved online gaming and had a list of favorites. But being at the gym made her want to get something out of the place that she couldn't get at home, so she'd readily supported the membership rules. Using electronics for music was okay, but the members—mostly parents—wanted their kids to unplug and exercise. Oftentimes it was the only physical challenge they received during the day. So her job was to think up ways to engage the kids and adults. Thus far the programs had been working well.

“Thanks. And good morning to you too,” Maura replied with a chipper tone and an upbeat smile, even though she was still not ready to jump into the chaotic place. The gym was packed with early birds in mid-workout mania.

She flicked off a stray hair from her shirt and bounced toward the door. It was time to work.

Bosco Russo, a regular who looked as if he'd just stepped off the set of
The Sopranos
, walked out the door and nearly ran into her. “Hello, Maura.”

“Hey.” She smiled tentatively, then slipped past him and through the door he was holding open.
Right. Concentrate on the present. There's a lot going on. You're about to walk into your future.
There were more important things on the docket, like the gym…and the fact that she was officially about to take over.
Me! The owner of a giant place like this. Go figure!

She resisted the urge to sigh over the list of worries and concerns that might have held her back. She seriously did not want to mess up this opportunity.

“Bob? Where are you?” Maura walked along the edges of the mats. Her eyes scanned the expanse, searching for the current owner. She was actually doing it. She was taking the plunge and buying the gym. She just had to make it through the next six months.

The idea to purchase the place had come from her brother Michael. The owner, Bob Lepke, was Mike's college roommate, and he wanted to move to the East Coast. Seemed like a good idea when she packed up her whole life and headed out this way. As a child, teenage, and college gymnast, she'd spent most of her life in and around gyms. She knew she could handle it.

“Hey, Maxwell, the keys are in the office. Good luck!” Bob didn't even give her a chance to object. He was leaving the gym in her hands for six months, half of a year, while he and his wife drove to Florida to visit her grandparents. Some kind of family reunion, though why they would be gone so long was beyond her understanding. This was her test run, and if she could handle it, the place was hers at the current asking price. She just wanted to be sure before she took the plunge.

“You've got my cell.” With a final wave, Bob Lepke went out the door.

“Wait!” She coughed out the word, choking on her own indecision. She didn't know whether to be excited or scared. Her dad preached the concept that courage requires a leap of faith. Could she be brave for five minutes, long enough to watch Bob leave?

The gym had been up for sale for a year and a half, and Bob had inherited it from his uncle, who had been killed in a surfing accident in Mexico. Did that mean this place had good karma or bad? Did it matter? Not really.

If she was being honest with herself, she really liked this place. Endlessly easygoing and laid-back, people here smiled a lot. Also, its California Art Deco decor, spare and sparse with a multitude of heavy mats, and a black-and-white color scheme with bursts of color here and there pleased her aesthetically. Yes, her solace was here on the West Coast.

Besides, she'd found community here. The members liked her programs, and most of the single gym rats had brought in more friends, which had meant more business and more classes for all the instructors. Plus, she could play retro music softly in the background, indulging her love of '80s music.

The gym's perpetually upbeat attitude jibed with hers too. It felt good to hang with people of a similar ilk. Maura was looking forward to chatting with a few of the kids before their next class. As she drew closer to the group, one of the kids separated and ran toward her.

“Miss Max'ell, Miss Max'ell, I have a new trick,” said Tats, a small charmer who'd recently lost his two front teeth. “Want to see? It's really super.”

“Yes! Please, show me, Tats,” she replied, following him into the center of the gym, where the heavy-duty, triple-lined mats were stacked.

Tats did a backflip. This trick had eluded him for weeks.

She was proud of him. “That's amazing! How did you learn it?”

“I practiced with the harness, and yesterday Joe helped me work it out. I know just the right amount to torque and tuck.” He beamed with pride.

She hugged him. “Do you think we should add it to your superhero chart?”

“Yes!” he said.

They walked over to a wall where there were pictures of kids, teens, and adults—all shapes and sizes—and each person was dressed in a superhero costume. There were names such as Super-Genius, Heroically Happy, and other unique heroes created by individuals. Underneath every picture was a list of their superpowers and another list of their super accomplishments, everything from walking ten steps to ten miles, skipping rope, walking the balance beam, and so on. The superhero concept had been her brainchild, and over the past four months, it had transformed the gym into a superhero league and quadrupled their memberships for families.