Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Maddie (Kindle Worlds Novella) (An Omega Team Crossover Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

grabbed her cell from the table. “He’ll fix us right up.”
    “Gretch, it’s ten o’clock at night,” Maddie protested. “You can’t call anyone now. Which cousin are you calling? And why would he even want to be involved with this?”
    “It’s my Delta Force cousin,” she said. “I think you met him once or twice.”
    “He’ll never remember me. And why would he want to help me, anyway?” The knots in her stomach drew tighter. “I’m not his problem.”
    “I told you, he’s Delta,” she repeated. “They have a rigid code of honor. Let me handle this. Here. I’ll even put it on speaker phone so you can hear everything.”
    She sat beside Maddie, punched in numbers, and held the phone in the palm of her hand so they could both hear.
    “Hey, Gretchie.” The male voice was deep and relaxed, even this late at night. “What’s up?”
    She chuckled. “I told you if you called me that again, I’d tell all the guys on your team what I called you .”
    “Okay, okay.” The laugh rumbled across the connection. “So, what’s up?”
    “First, let me introduce you. Ghost, this is my friend Maddie Winslow. Maddie, meet my cousin, Keane “Ghost” Bryson. The star of Delta Force.”
    “Better not let my commanding officer hear that,” Ghost told her. “He thinks he’s the star. How are your folks?”
    “Doing good. Real good. In fact, I think my mom and yours are taking a weekend shopping trip to New York.”
    “Watch out, Big Apple,” Ghost joked. “So, what can I do for you? Isn’t it a little late for you to be making phone calls?”
    “Maybe. Maybe not. But this is in the nature of an emergency.”
    “Okay.” Ghost’s voice was serious, all signs of humor gone. “I take it this has something to do with your friend.”
    “It does.” As briefly as she could, she explained the situation. “The cops are no help. I’m not sure they even believe something’s going on. But, Ghost? She needs protection and she needs someone to look into this. You said I could call you any time I had a problem….”
    “Yes, I did. Right now, though, I can’t leave Fort Hood. We’re in the planning stages of a mission.”
    “Oh.” Her voice dropped.
    “Gretchen,” Maddie whispered, “it’s okay. You didn’t need to bother him.”
    But Gretchen made a shooing motion with her hand. “Well, I thought I’d give it a shot—”
    “Hold on,” he interrupted. “I said I couldn’t do this, but I’ve got someone who I think fits the bill.”
    “Really?” A smile lit up her face. “Who would that be?”
    “Levi St. John. Hawkeye. It so happens he lives in Tampa and he’s home now on medical leave, going nuts.”
    “Ohmigod, Ghost. Do you think he’d do it?” Then her voice dropped. “Oh, wait. Medical leave?”
    “Just a torn muscle in his shoulder. And, according to him, it’s practically good as new. It won’t be a problem at all. Let me give him a call.”
    “This minute?” Gretchen raised her eyebrows. “At this time of night?”
    “This is the time you called me,” he reminded her. “Must be important, right?”
    “Yes.” She blew out a breath. “Yes, yes, yes.”
    “Okay, then. Keep the doors locked. Don’t open them for anyone or anything. I’ll get back to you.”
    “Gretchen,” Maddie protested when the call ended, “this is too much of an imposition. I can’t let you or him or whoever do this.”
    “You heard Ghost. His friend Hawkeye is doing nothing more than hanging around going nuts.” She sat next to Maddie and took her hands in her own. “Look. These guys don’t do downtime well. They’re trained for action, and when they don’t have any, they go nuts.”
    “Gretch, I’m sure the last thing he wants is to babysit me. And exactly what does that mean, anyway?”
    Her friend grinned. “I guess we’ll find out. Meanwhile, how about some more tea?”
    Maddie blew out a breath. “Can we finish the ice cream instead?”
    *****
    Under other circumstances