When a CIA operative is captured nobody is sent to save him.  Vince Hennessee knew the risks but the only way he could move on with his life with Sarah was to put down Nikolai Federov once and for When a CIA operative is captured nobody is sent to save him.  Seasoned paramilitary operative Vince Hennessee knew the risks but the only way he could move on with the life he had planned with Sarah Stevens was to put down Nikolai Federov once and for all.  What he didn’t expect was that Nikolai’s guys would find him first.  Now it is up to Sarah and the rest of the American Swift team from Task Force 125 to find Nikolai and put together an armed strike force that can take out the Russian and rescue Vince before it is too late.

When I started reading romances, the heroines were always feisty but never really strong enough to get themselves out of the Black Moment.  That was when the hero would ride in on whatever he rode and save the frail, feisty, virgin.

There was just something about that scene I couldn’t swallow. Why couldn’t chicks be strong too?

Then I joined the Air Force, became a Security Specialist, and knew that special love a woman feels for an automatic, belt-fed weapon.  Hell yeah, chicks can be strong.

Don’t believe me?

Say hello to my little friend.

Sarah Stevens used to be the frail thing that would have been a heroine in a 1970s romance.  She couldn’t do anything right.  Then she hit rock bottom and took the Red Pill.  When she came out of the rabbit hole, she was a whole different animal.

She’s bad ass and knows it but she can still rock the little black dress and 4 inch heels.

Times have changed.  We’ve changed.  Our heroines have changed.

Check out Sarah Stevens.  She’s my heroine.

What do you think?  Can women be both tough and feminine?

One commenter will receive a free copy of one of my books so feel free to tell me how your really feel.

Sarah Stevens examined the toe of her black, leather Prada slingback and gasped.  A huge scuff glared at her.  She sighed with relief as she wiped the spot with a tissue and restored the shoe to its original glory.  The overstuffed back seat of the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph limousine embraced her as she leaned back and glanced out the window.

“Not a bad way to get from point A to point B, huh?”

She turned to smile at Will Adams.  With their team leader, her boyfriend, Vince Hennessee missing in action, Will was in charge now.

Will dressed and carried himself like a man who had the world at his fingertips, because he did.  Will had once been a medic in the Navy but Sarah suspected there was much more to that story.  Though he began his career as a Corpsman, Sarah suspected he did a bit more than first aid to make the rank of Master Chief before he left the service for a position on Task Force 125.  He was the team’s second in command, capable of finding any supplies they needed on a moment’s notice.  With Vince missing, the entire team fell in line behind him without question.  He’d also worked undercover with Vince for years as an arms dealer.

Sarah took comfort in Will’s leadership and grasped the glimmer of hope she saw in his baby blue eyes.  They would find Vince and recover him before any harm came to him.

Will nodded slightly toward the front of the limousine.  “There it is, the Burj al Arab, Dubai’s crown jewel.”

Sarah’s jaw dropped.  She gawked at the glorious structure rising majestically over the water ahead of them as they drove along the causeway.

She remembered just over a year ago when she was an overweight Air Force cop with no future.  She gave thanks that her commander realized her potential and referred her to what she thought was a fat camp.  That weight loss program turned out to be one of the C.I.A.’s training farms for paramilitary operatives.  Little did she know at the time that losing her police job, her cheating boyfriend, and seventy-five pounds would make it possible for her to ride in Rolls Royce limos wearing Prada and Versace, not to mention the pearls around her neck that cost more than her car.  She fingered them lovingly and recalled with a smile the day Vince gave her the necklace.

As though he’d read her mind, Will smiled his winning smile.  “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

They pulled up at the curb in front of the seven star hotel and Sarah sighed.  “Yes, I have.”

Jason hopped out of the front passenger seat and opened Sarah’s door for her.  “Welcome to Oz.”  He beamed with his trademark Cheshire cat grin.  Anyone  who saw Jason would think he was happy to be staying at the glorious Burj al Arab but Sarah knew better.

Jason Williams, the former Green Beret and the team’s weapons specialist, was always spoiling for a fight and he knew he was going to have a big one when they took Vince back.  Since she’d joined the team, Sarah and Jason had become great friends.  He was a mixed martial arts master and damn impressive in a fight.  For months now, he’d been teaching Sarah how to fight and win in just about any situation.  He’d also been kind enough to squire her around Las Vegas to all his favorite watering holes.  It didn’t hurt that Sarah was so attractive he could get into any club in the city with her on his arm.

A tall handsome Arab man dressed in a silk Armani suit greeted Sarah, Jason and Will at the curb as they stepped out of the Rolls Royce.  They were all dressed to the nines, Armani being the suit of the day for Jason and Will too.  The greeter smiled slightly.  “Mr. Adamson, welcome to the Burj al Arab.  Your suite is ready.  If you will follow me.”  He turned and escorted them into the lobby.

Adamson was one of Will’s aliases.  What they were doing here was not sanctioned by the C.I.A. and, if they were lucky, the Agency would never find out about their plan to recapture their kidnapped leader who was being held somewhere in the Middle East.  They were all using aliases on this trip.  Sarah’s was Elisabetta Scuro, an Italian alias in honor of the recently deceased Angelo Scuro who not only died on their last mission but left Sarah his vast estate in Italy.

The hotel’s service was immediate and excellent but Sarah couldn’t help being annoyed at the time that was passing, precious seconds that meant the difference between life and death for Vince.  The flight to Dubai provided her with far too much time to think about what his captors might be doing to him.  She pushed the dark thoughts of Vince being tortured and beaten from her mind and tried to stay focused on the task at hand.

They were here to meet with Mark Davidson, an agent none of them had met, who had information on where Vince was being held.  Davidson’s contacts had found out about Vince’s kidnapping and he knew to contact Will at Sarah’s estate in Italy.  Sarah ran through the list of things they’d need to do before they could even begin planning an attack to get Vince back.  After they checked in to their suite at the hotel they’d make contact with Davidson, who was working under an official cover in U.S. State Department in Saudi Arabia, and then wait for their other teammates, Brian Allen and Chris Wilson to arrive in Dubai.  All of this meant more passing time.

Worries vanished from Sarah’s mind as she gasped at the overwhelming opulence of the Burj al Arab.  Massive golden columns encircled the lobby and reached toward the sweeping arches above.  The mesmerizing mosaic on the floor in deep blue, red and gold nearly stopped her in her tracks.  Sarah looked at Jason wide eyed.

Jason grinned and paused with Sarah while Will continued toward the elevator with their host.  “Shock and awe, eh, sweetcheeks?  This place makes Vegas look like a two bit whore.”

She grinned at Jason.  “Speaking of whores, did I tell you how fine you look in that suit?”

He smoothed the front of his jacket with his right hand and extended his left arm for her.  “I guess you won’t mind being seen with me then?”

“Not at all, handsome.”  She looped her right arm through his and they picked up their pace to meet Will and their host at the elevator.  Her Prada shoes tapped along the ornate marble floor as she took in the rich colors and happy international chatter coming from vacationers and businesspeople. 

Their host escorted them into a private elevator and they rode to the twenty-fifth floor of the all suite hotel.  Sarah held the rail tightly as they whisked fifty floors skyward.

Sarah tried to remain calm as she wondered about where Vince might be and took a long, deep breath as their host opened the door to their two-story suite.  On the other side of the glistening marble entryway was a marble and gold staircase covered with leopard print carpeting.  Being instantly enveloped in luxury while her mind swam in thoughts of the horrible things that could be happening to Vince overwhelmed her.  Sarah gripped Jason’s arm tightly to keep the only grip on reality she had.

He leaned close and smiled as he whispered to her.  “Any other time I’d love your manicured nails digging into my skin but the blood you draw today will ruin my Armani.”

Jason’s teasing was all Sarah needed to shock her back to reality.  This over-the-top extravagance was her life now.  Angelo had left her an enormous estate in Italy and more money than she’d ever dreamed of having.  Once Vince was free they’d leave the Agency and start enjoying it together.

Better start getting used to it now.

She retracted her claws and gave him an apologetic pout as she mouthed the words “I’m sorry”.

Freedom’s Promise, book #3 in the Task Force 125 series, is coming to Sapphire Blue Publishing, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other ebook sellers in June 2010.  Read about the Task Force 125 series by Lisa Pietsch at www.LisaPietsch.com.

The Path to Freedom, Book #1 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

Let’s face it – the military life is romantic.

We travel to exotic places that other people only dream about.  We meet people from all walks of life who are driven, capable, confident, fit and well-groomed.  It doesn’t get much sexier than that.  We live fast and work hard.  We savor every moment because we know, it could be our last.  We love, sometimes for the moment and sometimes forever but always passionately.

A Taste of Liberty, Book #2 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

We suffer.  We endure.  We ache and we grieve.  The joys are balanced with the pains of living but I don’t know one person who has served who would give up any of their pains if it meant giving up their joys as well.

We eat a bigger slice of life than all the people back home put together.

Is it any wonder they’re just chomping at the bit to read about it all?

I am a veteran and a military wife.  I write romance because I live a romantic life.  If you want to know what has been so romantic about it, pick up The Path to Freedom and start reading.  Sometimes, the only way to get people to believe it is to dress it up as fiction.

In my debut novel, The Path to Freedom, and the stories that follow in the Task Force 125 series, my heroes are all men and women who served.  Sure, anybody can be a hero, but in my eight years in the U.S.A.F. Security Forces I’ve seen qualities that only those who have served share.

Sense of Duty

There is a shared sense of duty which makes failure unacceptable.  It is a binding quality that joins people of every race, sex and nationality.  It is the common language of military personnel the world over.

Teamwork

Military heroes have faults.  Sometimes they swear, drink or smoke too much.  Sometimes their relationships take a back seat to the mission.  Whatever their faults, they are only human.  What makes them extraordinary is the fact that they face fear and press on anyway because their brothers and sisters in arms depend on them.

Though the heroes in my books work for the CIA, the British Secret Service and private military companies, they all share a common past – their military service.

That’s the beauty of writing military heroes – we all share a common past that allows us to all be just a little heroic.

Jay Stanstead was a career man in the British Special Air Service (SAS). He spent twenty years jumping out of planes, cut more throats than he cared to count and drank more pints than he could remember. He’d invested his money well and had a comfortable retirement courtesy of the crown but his life was missing something he couldn’t live without – action.

On the suggestion of a mate, he met with an American named Brock Benjamin who ran a private military company that specialized in providing freelance work for guys with a certain type of military experience. Jay’s type of military experience.

Jay enjoyed the freelance work and made a good reputation for himself.

One day, Brock called him and two other men in for a look at a special job. Brock showed them a photo of a woman and explained that she was an international businesswoman who needed a personal security specialist, a bodyguard.

No woman, real or photographed, had ever made Jay’s heart stop until that day.

Jay wanted this client. He had to have this client.

The pay was excellent and the conditions guaranteed were first class.

All three men expressed an interest in the job.

Brock stood, smiled and announced he expected to see one man in his office in ten minutes after they’d worked it out amongst themselves who would take the job.

Jay broke the bones of good men that day to be a bodyguard, to be Sarah Stevens’ bodyguard.

Excerpt from The Lonely Road, Task Force 125 book #4, by Lisa Pietsch

Lisa Pietsch is an author, mother, military wife, RomVet and USAF veteran.  You can find her online at www.LisaPietsch.com and the first story in the Task Force 125 series, The Path to Freedom, at Sapphire Blue Publishing.