Minimum force, maximum result. The Unit’s way.
She eased off on his finger and old Ralph dropped to the dirt like a sack of potatoes. He didn’t move much.
“Oops.” She turned to face the crowd that had gathered.
She didn’t even have to say, “Anyone else?” Her look said plenty.
Kyle began to applaud. He wasn’t the only one, but he was in the minority. Most of the guys were doing a wait and see.
A couple looked pissed.
Everyone knew that the Marines’ combat training had graduated a few women, but that was just jarheads on the ground.
This was Delta. The Unit was Tier One. A Special Mission Unit. They were supposed to be the one true bastion of male dominance. No one had warned them that a woman was coming in.
Just one woman, Kyle thought. The first one. How exceptional did that make her? Pretty damn was his guess. Even if she didn’t last the first day, still pretty damn. And damn pretty. He’d bet on dark eyes behind her wraparound shades. She didn’t take them off, so it was a bet he’d have to settle later on.
A couple corpsmen came over and carted Ralph Something away even though he was already sitting up—just dazed with a bloody cut on his forehead.
The Deltas who’d come out to watch the show from a few buildings down didn’t say a word before going back to whatever they’d been doing.
Kyle made a bet with himself that Ralph Something wouldn’t be showing up at sundown’s first roll call. They’d just lost the first one of the class and the selection process hadn’t even begun. Or maybe it just had.
“Where’s check-in?” Her voice really was as lush as her hair, and it took Kyle a moment to focus on the actual words.
He pointed at the next building over and received a nod of thanks.
That made watching her walk away in those tight leathers strictly a bonus.
About the Author
M. L. Buchman has over 50 novels and 40 short stories in print. There times his military romantic suspense titles (Night Stalker, Firehawks, and Delta Force series) have been named Booklist “Top 10 of the Year.” His Delta Force series opener, Target Engaged, was a 2016 RWA RITA finalist. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.
In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.
He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive a free Starter Library by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.
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Also by M. L. Buchman
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Copyright 2017 Matthew Lieber Buchman
Published by Buchman Bookworks, Inc.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author.
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Cover images:
Proud soldier standing © eskymaks
Storm Above The Town © Husakj | Dreamstime.com
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