SEALs Honor by Elle James Read Free Book Online

responded
first.
    "Jones,
ready," Specialist Jones echoed.
    Delaney
fired up the rotors, and soon they were on their way to their first coordinate,
a tiny patch of earth on the desert landscape in the southern province of
Kandahar where she'd pick up six men and take them to the second coordinate.
Enemy fire was possible at the first coordinate, and expected at the second.
    Saving
her adrenaline rush for the second leg of the journey, Delaney focused on the
rendezvous with the team she'd transport.
    The
landing went without a hitch. The team, which appeared to be Navy SEALs, many
of them bearded with scraggly hair, hopped aboard, wasting no time on the
ground. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch, her thoughts, for a brief moment,
bouncing back to Little Creek and Tuck. She wished he was there. After only a
week, she missed him so much she physically hurt. Once the team was aboard, she
took off, pulling her thoughts back in line with the mission at hand. She
didn't have time to reminisce and couldn't afford to lose focus.
    Dusk
claimed the sun as it dipped behind the mountain range to the west. Darkness
would settle over the desert before they arrived at the second coordinate. As
they took off, the team lead stepped up behind her with a topographical map of
the area. He'd switched his helmet for a headset and stuck out his hand. "Lt.
Reed Tucker, US Navy SEAL."

Chapter Two
    Delaney's
heart skipped several beats, and she schooled her face before turning to the
man outfitted for battle. "I believe we've met."
    "O'Connell?"
Tuck's grin lit up his face. "What are you doing here?"
    "I
suppose the team that trains together plays together." She wanted to say a
whole lot more, but refrained. "Who've you got with you?"
    "Reaper,
Big Bird, Fish, Dustman, and Gator." He shook his head. "I didn't
know you'd be here, much less taking us out on this mission."
    She
stiffened. "Does it make a difference?"
    His
smile disappeared. "Not to me."
    Delaney
nodded. Some men had dumbass superstitions about females being part of a
mission. They believed having a woman along would jinx them, spelling out
trouble from the get-go.
    As
the only female pilot allowed on a trial basis into the 160th with the specific
purpose of flying combat missions, Delaney wanted to be treated like any other
male pilot. She was as good, if not better and she had to prove it, over and
over, while proving she wasn't bad luck to a mission.
    Tuck
gave Delaney a brief rundown of her role in what was about to go down.
    The
team was infiltrating a small village reported to be harboring Amir Khan
Muttaqi, one of the Taliban leaders the U.S. had been after since the war in
Afghanistan had begun. They were to infiltrate, capture him, and get out before
the Taliban knew what hit them. Small footprint, minimal casualties.
    Delaney
was to set them down on the other side of a hill from the village under cover
of darkness. The men would move in, find and secure the target, then she'd fly
in to retrieve them.
    That
would be the sticky part. Helicopters weren't known for their stealth abilities,
and the distinctive sound of rotor blades beating the air alerted people on the
ground before the helicopter came within firing range. Delaney understood the
danger.
    Tuck
laid a hand on her shoulder. "You got this?"
    Delaney
knew he didn't doubt her ability to understand and perform the mission. His
unspoken question was, could she handle it?
    A
flash of anger fueled her response. "Got it."
    Tuck
returned to his seat in the back.
    "Let's
do this." Delaney checked her controls, fuel levels, and took off, swinging
north toward the small village located in the hills. As darkness cloaked the
desert, she switched to NVGs, flying at an altitude high enough not to be seen
from the ground below, and out of range of Taliban-controlled rocket-propelled
grenades or RPGs.
    The
mission proceeded like clockwork. Delaney hovered on the opposite side of the
hill where the village was located. The men fast-roped to