In Harm's Way Read Online Free Page A

Springs. I trained with the Unit a number of years ago near Lake George. We brushed up on rappelling and mountaineering at the Gunderson’s horse ranch. Real nice folks... John and Lucy are their names. Go there and I’ll find you.”
    Brook collapsed atop her husband and clutched him in a viselike embrace, afraid to let go. She allowed herself a few precious moments of peace and just lay there, holding him. Finally she sighed and sat up, brushing her hair back from her face. Cade squeezed her hand gently and locked eyes with the love of his life.
    “Mom... where are you going?” Raven’s sleepy disembodied voice asked from the dark side of the bunk.
    “I’m going to check on your uncle. Go back to sleep. You and Dad can go to the mess hall in a couple of hours.”
    “I can’t go back to sleep... they’ll be waiting for me.”
    “Tell me about your nightmare sweetie,” Cade urged. He knew full well that confronting her subconscious fears and putting them into words would take the power out of them.
    “I keep having the same one. I’m at the dark store... peeing in the parking lot...” Raven’s face tightened and her brow furrowed as she looked at her mom. “Those things pouring from the store... .” Her lower lip quivered.
    Cade noticed a silent message pass between his wife and daughter.
    “That was my fault Bird...” Brook said. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “We should have never stopped there.” Brook shuddered, thinking how close they had come to being eaten.
    “The monsters get us. We die every time... horribly . I’m not staying in bed. I’m going with you Mom,” Raven said forcefully.
    “You’re safe now honey. Mom and I will protect you,” said Cade.
    Raven crawled off the bunk and grabbed her jeans. Pausing with one leg in and one out, she peered at her dad, trying to decide if she should keep playing dumb. “Dad?”
    “Yes honey?”
    “I wasn’t sleeping. I was listening to you guys... If you need to go and help the President... don’t worry, while you’re gone nothing will befall Mom when I am on the job.”
    “I’ve heard that somewhere before. Correct me if I am wrong, but so far you’re batting a thousand,” Cade said, giving his daughter a little wink.
    He lay in bed propped up on one elbow while Brook and Raven got ready to leave. He took note of how Brook carried herself, the way she grabbed her rifle, holding it naturally, like it was a part of her. Reassured, he watched his family leave and then rolled over, looking forward to an encore to his best sleep in days.
    ***
    Brook decided to change her morning routine around a bit and let Carl get some extra rest. She was more than happy to put off her least favorite part of being a nurse until later.
    Raven followed on her mom’s heels trying her best to keep pace. After a series of twists and turns moving along the internal corridors dissecting Schriever AFB,  Brook stopped in front of a door marked “Authorized Personnel Only” and rapped sharply on the metal door.
    “What are we doing here Mom?”
    “Practice patience, sweetie. You’ll see when we get there.”
    The door cracked open a sliver. “Give me a minute,” a baritone male voice said before shutting the door.
    Precisely forty-three seconds elapsed before the fully dressed and squared away Colonel Cornelius Shrill reopened the door. “Top of the morning ma’am,” he nodded his bald head in Brook’s direction and then bent down to Raven’s level, “and a good morning to you young lady.”
    “Hi.” Raven offered a hesitant little wave to the imposing figure.
    “Good to see you again and it comes rather unexpected at that,” Shrill said as he arched one eyebrow and shot Brook a quizzical look. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
    “Colonel, I’m sorry we’re here so early but sleep seems to be rather elusive these days. I was hoping you could do me a favor. I wouldn’t normally be this forward... but considering the times what I need from you