Texas Stand-Off: The Omega Team Novella (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free

Should he wake her or leave his unwanted house guest where she was until morning? He hesitated, thinking, his inborn sense of decency getting the best of him. “Damn.” Going over to the door, he banged on it.
    Bam! Bam!
    The harsh sound woke Taz instantly. She levitated from her bunk, bumping her head on the railing, instinctively going for the gun she kept under her pillow. For a flash, she didn’t know where she was or what was happening. But only for a second… 
    “Levin! Get out here!” her host bellowed. Knowing the work of the group she was auditioning for, Taz assumed something was wrong. In a rush, Taz rose from her cubby hole, ripping the top sheet from the narrow mattress. This was a second hand RV and she used the bigger bedroom for storage. Everything she had in the world was contained in this rattletrap. Holding the cotton material in front of her, she dashed to the front.
    “Levin!”
    Throwing the door open, she asked. “Yes? What’s wrong? How can I help?”
    Deacon promptly forgot what he was going to say. When she’d arrived her hair had been pulled back in a tight ponytail. Now it hung in bouncy waves past her shoulders. The stark, albeit snug jeans and plain shirt were gone and a lot of touchable creamy skin was showing–shoulders, arms, the top swell of her breasts, the side of her hip. She held up a sheet, but it covered only the very bare necessities. Before he got a really good look or lost what was left of his mind, he lowered the light, leaving only her silhouette visible. Deacon had a great imagination. He had no trouble filling in the blanks and wishing he could check his answers. “It’s almost freezing! Where in hell are your pajamas?”
    “I don’t wear pajamas,” she answered simply. “I prefer to sleep in the nude. I’m naturally hot.”
    Deacon almost choked. Truer words had never been spoken. The woman was a knock-out. “Put on some clothes and get outta here.” He turned and began to walk back the way he’d come.
    This woke Taz up the rest of the way. “Are we going on a mission?” Then, the obvious struck her like a brick. “You’re making me leave? Now?”
    Deacon huffed out a resigned breath and called over his shoulder. “No, to both questions. I’m merely moving you up to the house. You can sleep in the second bedroom. I don’t call it a guest room because I don’t like guests. While you’re here, you can use it.”
    Taz smiled. Now, this was headway. “Okay. Just a moment, please.”
    “Well, hurry up. I don’t have all night.”
    She could hear more grumbling outside. He was truly the grouchiest man she’d ever met. For a moment Taz wondered why. She’d had sorrows in losing her mother and father, suffered at the hands of a man intent only on hurting her, bore more fear than a small child should ever have to do. And yet, she’d managed to keep a positive outlook on life for the most part.
    When she’d filled a small knapsack with everything she thought she’d need for the next day, Taz joined him at the door dressed only in a thigh length T-shirt, her temporary concession to nightwear. “I’m ready. Thank you.”
    He didn’t speak, just grunted, leading the way. When they were upstairs, he pointed down the hall to the left. “First door on your right. Bathroom is across the hall. Don’t make a lot of noise. Breakfast is at six-thirty. Don’t be late.”
    “Thank you. Goodnight, Mr. Jones.”
    “Nothing good about it, Levin.”
     
    *  *  *
    Morning came early. Taz was excited. She beat Deacon downstairs and had breakfast waiting for him. When he joined her, he didn’t smile, just cut his eyes from her to the stove to the table.
    “This is pretty presumptuous.”
    Taz felt her heart sink. She’d wanted to gain a bit of ground with him. “I’m sorry. Try it, please. I promise it’s good.”
    Again, her accent slipped. He grimaced. How could Holden trust her? Their unit had been betrayed by one of their own. The grenade that stole