Mace Callahan has Hollywood good looks, but his ability as one of the best Special Forces snipers has earned him a reputation—a deadly one. He’s been a SEAL for ten years. Commander Austen is his senior officer. Tony (Tinman) Bale, the team’s heavy weapons tech and Kayla are his best friends.
Although he’s a warrior for Uncle Sam, Mace resonates with“boy next door” sweetness. Friendly, flirty and open, let’s meet Mace. 
Welcome Petty Officer Callahan and thanks for spending a little time with my readers.
“Good Morning Ms. Waters, and Mace is good enough.”
We met Commander Austen and Kayla already…
(Mace’s lips purse together with a wicked grin) “Sorry to hear about that.”
(You just have to smile when this sweet guy turns on a tease.) Why do you say that?
“They’re both stubborn as hell. They deserve each other.”
How long have you known the Commander?
“Since the day I joined up. I always wanted to be a SEAL. My uncle was one, and I thought he was super human when I was a kid. Once the Navy pinned the trident on me, I wanted to join Alpha Squad. I’d heard only the best worked with the Commander.”
What do you think now?
“Think the rumors are true. He expects a hundred and ten percent on deployment, and we give it to him because he gives two hundred. The man’s a legend in the SEAL community and he’s earned it.”
You respect him a lot.
(Nods) Doesn’t stop me from giving him a bad time though. (He laughs) I’ve got the fastest record for swimming Glorietta Bay and cleaning the zodiacs thanks to pissing him off.
So tell us about yourself. Why haven’t you found an “All American” sweetheart to fall in love with?
(He grins good-naturedly) “I am in love, but she isn’t American and she doesn’t look at me like she does the Commander.”
You’re talking about Kayla.
“We call her “Snow White.”
How’d she get that name?
“I gave it to her the first time I saw her. The name stuck. Snow White is such a sweetheart at least when the Commander isn’t around.”
What happens when he is?
“She gets all bristly. Every time the Commander opens his mouth it sounds like he’s insulting her. I don’t think he means to do it. At first I thought he was trying to run her out of Base Command like he’d done to five other women.”
How did he do that?
He’s a hardliner. He expects everyone to pull their weight, and he doesn’t believe a woman can think like a SEAL. Kayla kicked him in the kneecaps figuratively speaking, when she showed him up on a routine exercise. She evaded all of us. I still don’t know how she did it. Anyways, the Commander doesn’t just look tough as nails, he is, but women melt at his feet with his hard-ass personality. I think they get off on it, but Kayla isn’t impressed. She stands up to him and gives it to him with both barrels. It’s pretty funny to watch, actually. She was some pissed off with him in Mexico.”
We heard you guys went there, and you all ended up face to face with some cartel seeking revenge.
Yeah, that wasn’t cool, but before that some Canadian tourist started putting the moves on Snow White in the bar. The Commander got all possessive. I’m not sure what was actually said, but when the Commander decided he’d had enough watching this jackass with his hands all over Kayla, he dragged Kayla away from him. Man was she pissed at the Commander. They ended up in a corner. First the Commander was giving her shit, then he was kissing her, and then she was giving him shit and stalked away.”
She probably doesn’t want to be on his wall of conquests.
When Snow White first showed up he kept glaring at her like he hated her, but it wasn’t hate it was restraint. I thought something was going to happen between them in Arizona when we took her with us for the Leap Frog demonstration.
What’s that?
The Leap Frogs are a parachute team, mostly demonstrations and good will stuff. I wanted Kayla to come and the Commander nixed it. You gotta understand when the Commander makes a decision it sticks, he never changes his mind, but he did this time. She was supposed to jump with me, but at the last second the Commander took her. Then she nearly broke her leg on the landing.
Kayla’s had a lot of excitement hanging around you guys.
“Yeah, she has, but it’s dangerous, especially when the “Blood Shark” chased her. Man I was scared. It was way too close. Afterwards, Kayla’s bleedin’ all over the place and the Commander starts yelling at her. I couldn’t believe it, but then I looked in his eyes. I’d never seen the man scared before, he’s a rock, but he was shaken up bad.”
So you’re in Mexico for a relaxing dinner to celebrate and it all went wrong.
Faron is the head of the Serpiente family and we neutralized his brother on our last mission, but missed him. We’re kickin’ back and the next thing ya know we’re trying to get out of their without a few extra holes in us. (He laughs)
What?
“Kayla saved our ass that night too. That woman has balls let me tell ya. I think Tinman shit his pants, and I had to check mine, but we made it out alive obviously.
Kayla said the Commander was shot.
“Just a scratch to him. After that night I stayed with Kayla because she was housebound until her injuries healed. The Commander didn’t visit her once. We all took turns taking care of her, but he didn’t show. I think he was trying to distance himself from her.”
Did it work?
“Don’t think so. We were heading out on a mission, and the Commander kept stalling for some reason. Kayla showed up at the last minute, and the Commander took one look at her and he caved like a house of cards.”
What do you mean?
“He was telling her to take care of things around Base Command, and then he just got this stupid look in his eyes. We’re standing there but neither of them see us, and the next thing you know she’s in his arms and he’s kissing her like she’s the love of his life. Pissed me off because he promised me he wasn’t going to break her heart.”
Do you think that’s what he’s going to do? She’s just another woman to be enjoyed and then tossed.
“Over the years the Commander has laid a lot of flags in widows’ hands. He’s had to look them in the eyes so many times, and I think the real reason he hasn’t allowed a woman into his life is because he thinks one day he’ll be in a coffin.”
Sounds to me like he’s sacrificing the best part of life so he won’t cause anyone any pain?
“Team guys have a reputation, but the Commander’s is well known. Too many women wanted him for what he is, not who he is. He used all of them and set them adrift. He doesn’t do relationships.”
I got a different read on him.
“Probably, I think his willpower snapped when Kayla was sent to our FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Afghanistan.
She didn’t tell me that.
“I thought I was dreaming. We’d been doing recon every night with the DEVGRU, getting closer to our target in the White Mountains. That lump of rock held some information we needed and at the same time we hoped it would break Al-Qaeda’s back. Going in there blind was dangerous to our health. Kayla’s a master at finding resources and strategizing. The Commander of DEVGRU brought her out as a liaison because she’d uncovered data that would give us a better chance of getting in and out alive.”
And since the Commander doesn’t think women should be part of warfare he took exception.
“Yuh.” (A heavy, baritone laugh escapes Mace.) “You could say that. He blasted off like a rocket at Commander Saunders.”
Mad or scared do ya think?
“Probably both, but more scared. Mad came later that evening when Lt. Commander Greg Lapierre showed up with his JTF2 team.”
Now he’s an interesting character. What’s the story with him and Kayla?
“Kayla knows him from Canada, and I gotta say the reception when they saw each other even made me pause. I’ve never seen her look so…safe is the only word I can use to describe it. Him on the other hand, there was no guess work involved. He loves her.”
So do you think they were lovers?
“Kayla doesn’t talk about her life in Canada. Nothing. It’s as if she wants to completely forget it. I don’t know what they are, but the Commander saw the same thing I did in Lapierre’s eyes. When Kayla was in Lapierre’s arms, that’s when he snapped.”
In his arms?
“They were just saying hello, but Lapierre wouldn’t let her go. He had her tucked tight to his chest and when the Commander and I approached, Lapierre got even more protective. The Commander was vibrating he was so angry. I was worried he was going to kill the guy. Kayla introduced the JTF team to ours, but the Commander and Lapierre had words. Seeing them face to face had me concerned.”
How so?
“I’m not into guys, but I guess a woman would see Lapierre as one hot item. He’s as big as the Commander and he’s got this wild dark look to him, swarthy skin, a jaw that could cut into rock, but his eyes are this weird piercing green. Kayla and he often speak in French so I’m assuming he’s French Canadian. I have no doubt the guy is dangerous and trained as well as we are. He’s an alpha warrior for sure.”
What do you think was said between them?
“Not sure, but the Commander looked shell shocked for a few seconds once they’d finished their conversation. I guarantee ya that’s not easy to do.”
Well you all made it back from Afghanistan so I assume the mission went well?
(Mace nods, but the smile disappears) Yeah, but something changed after that with both the Commander and Kayla. We ran into heavy resistance on that mission. Kayla took it in the teeth again. We all thought she’d been killed. The Commander sent her home the next day. The team only came back a couple weeks ago after being gone for four months.”
(Mace’s attention turns inward and the teasing smile in his eyes is gone.) What’s wrong Mace?
“I don’t know. Kayla’s not the same person.”
The Commander said that as well. What do you think it is? She mentioned Christmas is hard for her.
“Did she say why?”
(I shake my head.)
“He really lost it with her yesterday. We have a get together for families at the base. Someone dresses up as Santa and the wives bring the kids. One of the guys from another team showed up at our table and asked why we weren’t at “Breakers” that’s a bar we like to haunt.”
And?
“He tells us Snow White’s been singing there every night for a week. It caught us all off guard.”
Why is that?
“Kayla’s got an amazing voice and an amazing body. When she sings she’s free and radiates this wild sensuality. The Commander’s temper exploded like an I.E.D. realizing she was probably singing in front of a hundred lustful guys. And then Mason, our Master Chief did something uncharacteristic. He went toe to toe with the Commander and told him to lay off and leave Snow White alone. He said she had a past, an ugly one and the Commander should just let her alone.”
Did he?
“No, it was friggin’ awful. We followed him to Breakers and tried to hold him back but he was out of his mind angry. Kayla didn’t fight back. You wouldn’t have believed her eyes. I’ve never seen her like that. It was as if she wanted him to hurt her.”
That doesn’t sound good at all.
“Lieutenant Cobbs is the Commander’s best friend. They were swim buddies, and besides Capt. Redding, the only other guy who isn’t really afraid of the Commander. The lieutenant laid into him and it took the wind out of his sails, but we could all see he wasn’t going to let this go.”
What’s he going to do?
“Not sure, but the Commander never gives in until he gets what he wants. I’m not sure what to do. On our way over here, Tinman and I heard Kayla shouting at someone. We found her in the alley; she must have just left Base Command. It’s cold outside and it’s raining like hell, and she’s standing there looking like a drowned rat, angry and half crazy. When we approached the alley she tried to stop us.”
Was there someone with her?
“Not by the time we reached her, but we found cut marks in a metal container nearby. Something extraordinarily sharp did that. I think the Shark was there.”
What was she yelling?
(Mace’s expression folded with concern.) She was taunting him. Shouting “What are you waiting for.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“No ma’am.”
What do you think is making Kayla act like this?
“When we were in the Middle East, Mason, our Master Chief said something. One of the DEVGRU guys was asking why a woman like her would accept a dangerous mission. He doubted her combat abilities, and rightly so. He asked what would happen if she was taken prisoner?”
What did Mason say?
(Mace’s jaw tightens with unease.) “That she could withstand torture, she’d had lots of practice.”
(We’re both very quiet for a minute) She’s your friend, Mace. If she’s not telling you something it’s because she wants to protect you. When I asked her why she wouldn’t share her past with the Commander, she told me it belonged in the past. Obviously she thinks you’ll all see her in a different light if you know.
