“No woman has made it through pre-pre-BUD/S at the Naval Surface Warfare School so far, and that’s nowhere close to the actual BUD/S course in difficulty.”

Sherri’s eyes narrowed. The way she heard it, several women had met the fitness standards of the pre-BUDS program, but they’d been drummed out for other totally BS reasons.

Kettering shrugged. “We’re going to train this bunch until they can hack BUD/S.”

Griffin snorted. “How long are you planning to keep us out here? Forever?”

Kettering’s voice was implacable. “As long as it takes.”

Griffin shook his head in disgust as Lily and Anna came outside. “You’ve had some crazy ideas in your day, boss, but this one takes the cake.”

She barely caught Kettering’s muttered retort. “Who said this was my idea?”

Griffin flung her a derisive look as he headed for her side. He’d grasped Kettering’s meaning instantly and wasn’t about to take her seriously.

She sighed. It would have been hard enough in the best of circumstances to get these men to accept her and the other women as fellow operators. But it would be darned near impossible without Kettering’s unqualified support.

The other men strolled out of their building, wearing black T-shirts bearing an image of the Grim Reaper carrying a giant scythe on the front. Right. Team Reaper. She’d heard of them. She’d given a few press briefings about their exploits tracking down and capturing high-profile terrorists.

Everyone fell into formation, women in the front row, men slouching in the rear…and making no secret of ogling the ladies’ rears.

Sherri ignored Caldwell’s stare burning a hole in her running shorts. She hoped he enjoyed the view. It was as close as he’d ever come to getting inside her britches. Anna made a point of grinning over her shoulder at the guys, while Lily looked mortified.

Kettering spoke to the group. “Welcome to Operation Valkyrie. As I’ve already told Grif, I brought you men here to train the first female SEALs. We won’t be running this like the formal BUD/S course in California. But we will simulate BUD/S conditions and training requirements.”

“Hooyah,” one of the men muttered from behind her.

Kettering continued grimly. “One more thing. Only one of these women will go to the BUD/S facility in Coronado. She will be the public face of women in the SEALs. The other two candidates will stay here and complete their spec ops training away from the prying eyes of the press. Assuming they can survive the course.”

Sherri’s stomach dropped to her feet. The last thing she wanted was to be thrown into competition against her fellow trainees.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Anna blurted out. “Are you saying that one of us will be a sacrificial lamb, thrown into the spotlight and not a real operator, while the others get to be actual operational SEALs?”