Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance Read Online Free Page A

cocksure grin of his.
    “Hey, Tyler. What’s up.”
    “The CO wants to see you.”
    “Me?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Do you know why?”
    He glanced to the left then right then said, “Do you have a sat-phone with you?”
    “No. It’s against the rules.”
    “We intercepted the signal going out. You’re dealing with the U.S. Army, not a bunch of idiots.”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I insisted.
    “Can I give you a tip?”
    “Sure.”
    “Tell the truth, okay? If you do, he won’t restrict you in your quarters.”
    “He can’t do that to me,” I said. “I’m a private U.S. citizen.”
    “Look, Mercy. I’m just trying to help you out. He has a lot of power out here.”
    “Yeah? What kind of power? Anything going on I should know about? Like those samples?”
    His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but I saw the surprise on his face.
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Let’s go.”
    “Yeah, just like I have no idea what you’re talking about with the sat-phone you said you saw me using. Right?”
    “Come on,” he said, turning. “I have to bring you to him.”
    I took a deep breath then walked outside into the cool evening air. With dinner in an hour, he wouldn’t yell at me long. And making the Captain Jeffries upset might work to my advantage if he got sloppy and made a mistake.
    As I followed Tyler across the central plaza in middle of the base, I planned out answers to the questions he would ask me. No matter the situation, I liked to be prepared. It’s what had gotten me through college and made it possible for me to find freelance assignments around the world.
    Tyler slowed down as we approached the Captain Jeffries’ office.
    “Just be honest, okay? It’s for the best.”
    “Like you being honest with me about the samples, huh?”
    He frowned.
    “Like I said…”
    “Forget it,” I interrupted. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself.”
    We stopped and turned to face each other. I stared into his blue eyes, betting many women had fallen prey to them over the years.
    “Suit yourself,” he said as he pointed to the door. “I’m off to enjoy my downtime.”
    “Good for you,” I said, tired of the back and forth with him.
    I walked up to the door and opened it without knocking. Tony looked up from his desk with a look of terror on his face. He was a man easy to manipulate.
    “The CO wanted to see me?” I asked.
    “Yes,” he said. “Hold on.”
    “I’ll go back.”
    He looked at me like a frightened mouse as I walked past his desk and went into Captain Jeffries’ office. By the time he stood to stop me, I’d closed the door of the CO’s office.
    “Sit down,” the grizzled commander practically growled.
    “Is this about my phone call?” I asked as I walked over. “I know it’s against the rules, but I had to call my father. He’s dying.”
    Captain Jeffries leveled his icy stare at me.
    “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s liars.”
    “I’m telling you the truth.”
    “You didn’t call your father.” He glanced down at a paper on his desk. “You called someone named Jennifer Johnson. Who is she? Your contact? Were you speaking in code?”
    I crossed my arms over my chest as I stood in front of his desk.
    “You were listening to my call?”
    “I said sit down.”
    With a sigh like a miffed teenager, I sat down and crossed one leg over the other.
    “You’re in a warzone, Ms. Jones. I know modern journalist blogger types like you don’t respect the unspoken agreements between the media and the military, but you’re not going to endanger the lives of me and my men while you’re here. Do you understand me?”
    “Yes,” I mumbled.
    “I can’t hear you, Ms. Jones.”
    I repeated the word louder.
    “That’s better. If I could get you the hell out of here tonight, I would do it, but it’s not possible. The Taliban are making a move because of the firefight you caused yesterday.”
    “That I caused?”
    “Shut-up and