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Kane slapped his stallion’s rump and watched him canter across the green grass. The three horses ran together, manes flying as they circled the fence, and then all rolled one after the other, legs flailing in the air. He loved to see them like this, out in the open, running and frolicking. Having them and Duke had created a part of life he hadn’t enjoyed before. He’d cared for horses and dogs during his lifetime but never owned them. He’d ridden horses si
nce he was old enough to sit on one and it had been an advantage many a time. Heck, he could even ride a camel. He heard footsteps on the gravel and turned as Carter emerged from the barn. He’d been surprised to see him show at five to help with the chores. Carter was a cowboy born and bred, which made having him around very useful, and Jo could cook, which meant, when they stayed over, Carter helped with the chores and Jo cooked breakfast. He checked the gate and then turned to greet him. “Thanks for the help.”
“I’d like to own a horse but being away for days on end makes life difficult.” Carter patted Zorro’s head. “I’m content with Zorro, and if the need arises, I can always hire a horse from the local stables.” He smiled. “I’m nice and warmed up and looking forward to that heavy workout you promised me. How did you feel after the dunking I gave you?”
Kane grinned at him. “Fine. I enjoyed it… well apart from the freezing water.” He headed toward the house. “Jenna is a good workout partner but a couple of times a week I go down to Rowley’s dojo for a tough workout.”
“I know what you mean.” Carter walked beside him stride for stride. “I’ve encouraged Jo to work out daily now. She learns really fast but I’m worried about hurting her. Not that she’s fragile but you understand. One misplaced hit and people die.”
Nodding, Kane followed him inside the house and, leaving the dogs outside to run, they moved silently down the hallway. They took the door to what was once the cellar but now held an extensive gym, with a separate room containing a hot tub. Working with Jenna’s extension plans, they’d used the space below the footprint of the house to their advantage. Inside the gym, Kane stripped off his boots, sweatpants and sweater. He wore his workout gear underneath and so did Carter. He moved onto the mat. “Ready?”
Kane stood relaxed, hands at his sides watching Carter. In a fight he never struck the first blow unless he was in a combat situation. This wasn’t the first time he’d worked out with Carter but before it was just the usual bag work and weights. This time it was different. Was Carter like him or was he a brawler? One thing was for darn sure, there were no rules and, as Carter had asked for no mercy, he wouldn’t offer him any. He took in the man before him. Carter stood over six feet with a muscular build. He was also his junior by about five years. As a Seal, he’d be well trained in unarmed combat, and it had been some years since Kane had encountered a man of his ability in a fight. He’d figured Carter wanted to let off some steam after being holed up in Snakeskin Gully over winter. They stood staring at each other motionless, both waiting for the other to make a move. Kane grinned. “Well, this is fun. You planning on just staring at me all morning?”
Moving like lightning Carter tried to sweep Kane’s legs away but he jumped just before the kick to the side of his knee landed, and twirled to land a solid kick to Carter’s back. The hit would normally flatten a man, but Carter rolled across the mat and sprung to his feet with ease. Then he danced around like an annoying mosquito, ducking and weaving with short jabs. Kane lifted his head just in time to avoid a headbutt. He didn’t plan on hurting Carter, but his friend wasn’t holding back. After a jab to his ribs, Kane used one arm to lift Carter and toss him across the room.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Carter rolled and grinned at him and then stretched out one cupped hand and wiggled his fingers. “Come on, old man, turn on the machine that Jenna is always crowing about—or is that talk to scare the townsfolk?”
Shaking his head but grinning back, Kane shrugged. “You’ll be sorry. First blood and we stop. Agreed?”
“Deal.” Carter moved to the right and started to circle Kane slowly. “But it will be yours. I don’t bleed so easy and you have to catch me first.”
Kane stood his ground waiting for Carter to attack. It was easy enough to bat away his punches, but a few that landed stung a bit. Carter was tough and he gave him a taste of his strength with a short fast jab to the shoulder. He smiled as the pain registered on Carter’s face. He pulled back. It was just a workout, not a fight, although he could see the change in his opponent’s eyes. Carter sure wasn’t playing around now and tried a few times, with some impressive kicks, to knock him off his feet. It was never going to happen.
“Okay.” Carter danced away shaking his head. “I’ve only met one other as good as you and he died when H Team went on a mission.” He eyed Kane speculatively. “You know the drill and he never said a word to me about his team. None of us did about where or what we were doing, but I’d heard a whisper that not one of them returned. Legend says they made black ops look like kindergarten. When I left it was like, ‘Mention the team and you die.’ Those guys were taken away and conditioned. They returned like robots. I knew two who were selected. Well, I assume they were because they vanished from our team in the night. I saw one of them during a furlough between tours and he, like I said, was a robot.” He moved around Kane with an inquisitive smile. “Just like you.”
The detective in Carter was working overtime and Kane had to trust his integrity as a Seal would be good enough to stop this dangerous talk. Moving around to keep him in sight, he gave a shake of his head. “We’ve both been in the service and some things we don’t discuss. People’s lives may depend on it. So if I did know what the hell you were talking about, I wouldn’t be able to say anything—would I?”
“Maybe not but I sure miss my team. They were like my brothers.” Carter aimed a punch and missed. “I feel the same when I’m working here. The team Jenna has collected is professional… well apart from Poppy Anderson.” He grinned.
Kane took a solid kick to the thigh and shook his head. “She’s already gone. Packed up and hightailed it to Colorado.” He sighed. “Now are we gonna talk all day or get down to business. It’s like fighting a pesky fly.”
“Really? Says the guy standing like a statue.” Carter grinned. “Hit me, I won’t break.”
Kane shrugged. “You might.”
Behind him, Kane could hear the door open and the smell of honeysuckle. Jenna had walked into the room. He didn’t turn to look at her but kept his attention fixed on Carter. He had to admit Carter was fast and was coming in hot. Ducking and weaving to avoid the blows, Kane gave him a taste of the machine. One blow to the gut and a palm to the nose had Carter on the mat, dripping blood.
“What are you doing, Dave?” Jenna flew across the mat with a towel and handed it to Carter. “Are you okay, Ty?” She gave Kane a glare. “What is going on here?”
“It’s my fault.” Carter gave her a bloody smile. “I told him to turn on the machine. Holy cow, I figured you were exaggerating.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Jenna stared down at Carter, her face incredulous. “I told you yesterday that Dave was a weapon. I wasn’t making it up. I’ve seen him take down a group of guys and none of them got up again.”
“Don’t blame Dave. It’s my stupid fault. I asked him for no mercy.” Carter moved and let out a low moan. “I think my ribs are broken.”
“How could you?” Jenna’s eyes flashed with dismay. “Ty’s your friend. It’s all well and good to train, but fighting? Are you crazy?”
“It’s something I’ve done in training many times.” Carter smiled at her. “It shows we can fight anyone, friend or foe.”
“That’s great and if you get hurt, I’m another man down on the team.” Jenna shook her head. “I guess I’d better call the paramedics.”
Kane rolled his eyes. “His ribs aren’t broken. If I’d hit him hard, I’d have broken his spine.” He held out his hand and pulled Carter to his feet. “You’ll be fine. I wasn’t trying to hurt you, just keeping out of the way. You fight well. We’ll have to train together tomorrow if you’re up to it. I’d like you to show me some of your moves and I’ll do the same. I don’t figure brawling for first blood is a good idea. When I fight, I tend to hurt people.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Are you sure there isn’t metal under your skin?” Carter pinched his nose. “Or I must be getting soft.” He winked at Kane. “It’s just as well we’re on the same team.”
Kane snorted and slapped him on the back. “No metal. It seems I was born this way. That and training hard daily to keep my muscle strength is all I need—well, apart from food. I eat a ton of food a day.” He turned to the punching bag and landed a few hard hits, sending the bag swinging. “I’ll keep going. I need an hour a day minimum and if we’re planning on getting into the office on time, I’ll need to cut it short.”
