Elite Dragoons 1: New Recruits (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Fourteen hours later Janie gave birth to identical twins. A girl they named Melody Martha Garman, who weighed in at five pounds, two ounces, and a boy they named Michael Mitchell Garman, who weighed in at six pounds even. Both mother and babies were doing fine. The fathers were ecstatic, but they looked like they had been through the wringer by the time they settled down for some much-needed rest in the infirmary.

  The rest of the team had spent the night pacing the living room in the main house waiting on news from Janie, the babies, and her husbands. Now everyone looked really happy, but tired, since none of them had gotten any sleep except for the kids. The sun was just coming up and Coulter knew that the new dawn was indicative of more happy times to come.

  The Elite Dragons’ lives were forever changing, and all of it was good. One of the best days of Coulter’s life had been the day he had rescued his wife. He took Kayla from Brooke and breathed in her clean baby scent and smiled as she snuggled up against his chest. His comrades had children of their own or babies on the way. Life couldn’t get much better as far as he was concerned.

  Chapter One

  “Stop looking back and use your fucking senses. Move, move move,” Trace Thornell yelled.

  Whitmoor Cartwright turned back to the front after he’d looked over his shoulder to make sure his brothers Hayward and Dalton and the rest of the team were with him every step of the way.

  He, his brothers, and the other new recruits had been going over the obstacle training course for what seemed like hours—and actually had been—and since their strength and stamina were much better than the average human male, he was still full of energy.

  His muscles were pumped and adrenaline was running through his system. It had been over six months since he and his comrades had volunteered for the military experimental program. He eyed the twelve-foot wall in front of him, gave a burst of speed and then leapt. Excitement lent him wings and he felt almost euphoric as he easily cleared the obstacle and landed on the other side without so much as a stumble. He should have been used to his enhanced abilities by now, but every time he used his body he felt wonder. But Whit was still in awe of the way he and the rest of their team could read other people’s emotions.

  They were also empathetic, and even though they had all learned how to block out others’ emotions by building walls as a shield, they had a little more training left to do.

  He loved living on a ranch again, too, and although it was in nowhere, North Dakota, between the towns of Langdon and Belcourt, near the Canadian border, and a cover so that their Elite operatives team would blend in to civilian life, it was a godsend as far as he was concerned.

  Whit drew to a halt as he crossed the finish line to the training course. Still amazed that he wasn’t gasping for breath after completing the route.

  “Okay, you guys have done an exceptional job so far. I wouldn’t hesitate to call on any of you if the situation arose, but I’ve noticed quite a few of you aren’t using all of your senses. You’re looking back over your shoulders to see where your teammates are instead of lowering your shields. Start trusting your fucking instincts, guys.” Trace snapped. “Hopefully by this afternoon you’ll be able to lower your shields completely and filter out what you don’t need and connect with your team members more, but for now it’s time to take a break. After lunch you can concentrate on honing those empathetic abilities.”

  Coulter stepped forward. “You have worked hard over the last six months and are nearly ready to go out into the field. Trace is right about the empathy. You need to be proficient so you can rely on each other if the situation warrants it. Learn to fucking trust yourselves as well as each other.”

  Corbin clapped Coulter on the back and smiled at everyone. “Tomorrow will be spent with Stedman, Ward, and Bronsin Tiltman learning the ins and outs on how to set up alerts using computer software and other gadgets. And last but not least you’ll be spending the afternoon with Codi, Linton, and Bryden Healy fine-tuning your empathetic skills and learning about all the new devices that Tony sent a couple of days ago.”

  Coulter drew their attention when he began to speak again. “I’ll be calling Tony tonight and letting him know you’re more than ready for the field. I know you have all been into combat before but with your newfound skills you are definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

  The three Thornell brothers stepped forward and shook each of their hands. When he got to Whitmoor he released his hand and then slapped him on the back. “You and your brothers have shown that you have the skills to organize as well as natural leadership tendencies. My brothers and I, as well as the rest of my team and Tony Sullivan, feel that you, Hayward, and Dalton should be the team leaders to your group. We’ve already discussed it with your other team members and they agree. So congratulations, team leader Whitmoor, it’s time you chose a name for your team.”

  Whit had never been as humbled yet as proud as he was right now. He shook Coulter’s hand and then his brothers’. “Thank you, sirs. We’ll do our best to prove you all right.”

  “I know you will, Whit. Go and clean up and get some lunch. I’m sure you’re all hungry after such a vigorous morning. I’m going to spend the rest of the day with my wife and daughter. Just remember if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Whit saluted Coulter, Trace, and Corbin, as did the rest of his team, and then they watched as the three brothers headed back to their horse stud.

  “Can you believe that?” Hay asked and then turned to face the rest of their team.

  Whit turned to face the nine other men he considered friends with his brother Dalton on one side and Hayward on the other. “Thank you all for the recommendation put in to have us made as your team leaders. We really appreciate your faith in us and we hope we don’t let you down.”

  “Nah, you’re too much of an arrogant ass to let us down, Whit,” Calbert Garton called out.

  Cal’s brother Fletcher moved to stand next to him. “Can we go and eat now? I’m starving and we all know how much of a great cook May is. I can’t believe she was good enough to volunteer to cook for us when she could have stayed over at the stud farm with all the others.”

  “You’re always hungry, Fletch.” Cal chuckled.

  “Hey, we burn a lot of calories training every day. We wouldn’t be able to do that without fueling up.”

  Their other brother Lawford chuckled and slapped Fletch on the back. “Yeah, we are very lucky to have her. I think she likes taking care of us all, and with so many women over at the stud I think she wanted to feel more needed. I heard her and Martha talking about it one day. The other women are always pitching in and helping out and she said she was beginning to feel like a third wheel.”

  “Well, I am damn glad she decided to move over here.” Thorpe Lathan chuckled. “That lady is one fine cook, and she seems to like taking care of us. Plus she can go visit the others any time she likes.”

  Whit and his team walked into the house and went to clean up. By the time he entered the dining room the food was already being laid out on the tables. He snagged May around the waist as she was bringing the last platter over and took it from her hands and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re a marvel, May. You take such good care of us. From now on we will take it in turns to clean up.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Whit. I like to feel needed.” May patted his cheek.

  “We definitely need you, May. I’m not sure about the others but my cooking isn’t something I want to eat let alone present to anyone else. Please let us show our appreciation by taking over the cleanup while we’re here. We know that eventually we’ll be called up for duty so take the bit of rest while you can.”

  “All right.” May stepped away from Whit. “I would like to go and see all the babies. I haven’t seen them since yesterday.”

  “Good.” Whit carried the platter to the massive dining room and placed it in the center of the large wooden dining table. It was
big enough to seat at least thirty people, but they were only using one half of it at the moment, trying to make things a little easier on May. Once he was seated and everyone began eating, he looked at all his men and he made sure to include May in the conversation. “Okay, we need to think up a name for our team. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

  “I think we should keep the word Elite in our team moniker in respect for our trainers and the retired Elite Dragons Team,” Huntley Lathan suggested.

  “Good idea,” Hay acknowledged.

  “Any other suggestions?” Dalton asked.

  When none were forthcoming, Whit said, “Okay, let’s think about it and if anyone can come up with a good name then let us know. We won’t make the final decision. I want everyone to be unanimous on the name.”

  They finished up lunch, and then everyone pitched in to clean up. By the time they were finished it was almost time to meet with Seton, Wolf, and Lander.

  “What about the Elite Dragoons?” Ty Bayhard suggested.

  Whit looked over at Ty and then to his brothers, Rand and Bromley. They were watching him without any expression on their faces but he could tell they were holding their breath. Brom pitched his voice so that all the team members could hear him.

  “Ty, Rand, and I were discussing it as we cleaned the dining room. I think the name is appropriate as it is close to our trainers’ team name. Dragoons were also lightly armed European military units used for reconnaissance and communications in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Dragoon also means to boss around, browbeat, intimidate, dominate, and any other word you want to think up with the same connotation. We will be doing all those things while we are working, chasing after assholes who deserve to be incarcerated.”

  “It fits,” Thorpe said, and his brothers nodded their agreement.

  “We like it.” Cal nodded toward his brothers.

  Whit glanced at Hay and Dalt and they gave him a slight nod. “Okay then, guys, it’s unanimous. We are now officially known as the Elite Dragoons.”

  Cheers erupted, and the men slapped Ty and his brothers on the back in appreciation for giving their team a name they could be proud of. Whit couldn’t wait to have his brothers by his side as they led the Elite Dragoons out on missions. They only had one and a half days of training left and then they could pack away the obstacle course and their lives as ranch owners would begin. It was still a little disconcerting not being on a military base and having no one to really answer to but themselves and their CO Tony Sullivan. Not that he was complaining. Whit and the rest of the team loved that they didn’t have to be so regimented as when they were on the base. Everything was more relaxed, and even their trainers were more polite than anyone else in charge they had encountered in the military. Having families seemed to have mellowed the Elite Dragons. He wondered if his hard-ass attitude would change if he ever met a woman he could love.

  Most of the men in his team had grown up on ranches so working with cattle and horses was nothing new to them. He couldn’t wait to get back into the grit of hard ranch work. There were a thousand head of cattle already on their land with a few cowboys working with the animals. The ranch hands had been thoroughly screened by his team and then by Coulter and his brothers as well as their CO Tony. Their hands were being paid well to do their jobs and keep their mouths shut, but Whit was going to keep a close eye on those four ranch hands.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust their CO or the Elite Dragons, but Coulter had told him how his foreman had been bought off by thugs before the Elite Dragons had retired, and how the asshole had hurt the Thornell brothers’ wife, Brooke. As far as he was concerned no one was going to infiltrate his land and put any of them in danger.

  If a man was desperate enough for money he could be bought off. He didn’t think he and his team would have any problems with the men they had hired, but it was always best to be vigilant, and until he got to know the hands better, he would stay observant.

  That afternoon was spent honing their empathy skills. By the time they were done every one of his team felt like they had better control over that ability. After dinner Nyssa, Codi, Linton, and Bryden Healy visited, and Whit watched how the three men loved and doted over their wife. He’d never even thought of sharing a woman before, but after meeting the Elite Dragons Team and their wives and seeing how much they all loved each other and how well a ménage seemed to work, he began to think that kind of relationship could work for them, too. After the Healys left he decided to talk to his brothers and, if they were interested, his teammates, too.

  May began to bring in coffee and Dalton and Hayward jumped up to help her. The older woman was about to go back to the kitchen when Whit decided to pick her brain. “May, why don’t you bring your drink into the living room and sit down? I would like to ask you a few questions, if that’s all right?”

  May got her drink from the kitchen then sat down and looked toward him while she sipped her tea.

  “How did the Elite Dragons get involved in ménages?”

  May sat up straight in her chair. “Why do you want to know?”

  Whit hid his smile. He could understand the other woman’s reticence in answering such personal questions, but if he and his brothers decided they wanted a ménage relationship he wanted to be fully informed before even entering into something like that.

  “I’ve seen how much they all love each other and how their women practically glow under the care and devotion of their men. I was thinking that maybe if my brothers agreed we could have a ménage relationship, too.”

  May relaxed again and took another sip of her drink. “Well, I think because all the brothers are close and can feel each other’s emotions that they decided to share one woman between them. They each have similar tastes in women and instead of competing and fighting over one woman they decided they would share.”

  “Do they get jealous of each other?” Adam Lathan asked.

  “No. Not that I’m aware of. I’ve often heard those men arguing about their wives but never in front of her. Sometimes they don’t agree on things, which isn’t unusual, but they hash out their differences away from their women. They always stand united in front of their wives.”

  “Makes sense,” Law said.

  “What happens when their wife spends more alone time with one husband and not the others?” Hunt asked.

  “Well, each of their husbands is different, and I think, sometimes their wives may need one man more than the others. I’m not saying that happens all the time. Each of her husbands has different qualities that their woman will need, but there can never be any jealousy between the brothers. From what I gather, the men want to make sure their wife is happy and loved. If she is happy then the men are, too.

  “The woman makes sure she has alone time with each of her men and she makes sure she has time with them all together. It seems to work out for all of them. I have never seen such happy women and children before. The men help out with the babies as well as with the chores. They take turns doing things so none of them are ever too exhausted to spend some quality time with their wives.” May chuckled. “Of course that doesn’t count when the baby is new, everyone is tired until a routine is developed.”

  “Thanks for talking with us, May. I appreciate it.” Whit began to gather empty coffee mugs.

  “Well, boys, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you all in the morning. Good night.” May rose to her feet and then left the room.

  Whit washed up the mugs and then went back into the living room. “So, what do you think, team? Can you imagine sharing a woman with your brothers?”

  Ty leaned forward in his chair. “Rand, Bromley, and I have always been attracted to the same women, even before we signed up for the government experiments. We always tried to outdo each other to get the woman. But now that May has explained a little about the Elite Dragons’ marriages I think I would like that, too.”

  “So would I,” Brom said.

  “Me, too,” Rand stated.

>   “Yeah, we’ve always had the same problem where women are concerned.” Hunt indicated his brothers Thorpe and Adam. “Not that we’ve had much time to pursue a relationship, but I’m getting sick and tired of being around guys all the time.”

  “I hear you,” Cal said. “Fletch, Law, and I have ended up punching each other over a woman.”

  “I think we are in the same boat as our stud farm comrades,” Hay began. “And I wouldn’t be averse to sharing a woman.”

  “Count me in,” Dalt said, “but remember you are all going to have to be naked in the same room as your brothers.”

  “Hey, Dalt, we do that already,” Fletch said. “You know as well as we do that we have no privacy in the military.”

  “You’re right,” Whit replied, “but this is different. You’re all going to be naked loving a woman at the same time.”

  “That won’t matter,” Brom spoke up, “as long as everyone keeps their bits to themselves I don’t see a problem loving one woman.”

  “Then it looks like we have another unanimous decision,” Whit stated. “Just remember when all is said and done your woman comes first.”

  The next day the men spent practicing their empathy skills, learning how to shield better from each other, but they also learned how to “knock” on each other’s mental walls and how to throw images and feelings to the appropriate team member. By the time they called it a day the Elite Dragoons team members were more proficient with the empathetic abilities than their retired comrades.

  Now they were ready and eager to get out into the field to help protect the innocents of the world.

  Chapter Two

  Whitmoor pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the display. Of course the number wasn’t displayed and his heart rate picked up. This was it. He just knew it.

  “Yeah.”

  “There has been a report of two women missing in Chadron, Nebraska. Each woman was taken within a week of the other. I want you and your men to go there and check it out. I want alerts set up so that if any more women are reported missing you will be one of the first to know.”