The Omega Team: Precious Cargo (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free Page A

detail. Anyone, even a pro-Russian separatist, had to be better and more trustworthy. Once he was let go, she would personally tear the lying bastard apart. Piece by muscular piece.
    Until then, she would continue breathing in through her nose, waiting a count of two, and exhaling out her mouth. It was only a matter of hours before he would be out of her life and her memories for good.
    Her hand tightened into a fist.
    Patience.
    Patience.
    Unfortunately, the downside to this plan happened to be the most important part of it—the deep breathing. For every breath she took, his smell, the scent of soap and his personal musk, wafted up her nostrils and teased her senses, bringing back memories of lying naked beside him, her face nuzzled against his neck. If she tried, she could almost feel the warmth of his skin on her lips and the slope of his chest beneath her fingertips. How she had melted each time he held her in his arms.
    “Mila?”
    Her father waved a silver flip phone before her.
    She quickly glanced at the men sitting around the table. All eyes were on her. Expectant. Waiting.
    Mila plucked the phone from Yure’s grasp, while forcing what she hoped passed as a look of interest.
    “These are pre-programmed with each of our numbers,” Major Mazure said. He passed out the remaining phones. “All members of the security detail will be issued a phone like this. These are key to our communication plan. Under no circumstance will this phone leave your body.” He looked up from under his bushy eyebrows. “I assume everyone here knows how to work a cell phone.”
    Silence.
    “Good,” he continued. “We move out tomorrow morning at zero six-hundred hours. The drive is long, so sleep well this evening. Are there any questions?”
    No one said a word.
    Major Mazure gathered his papers, pushed back his chair and stood. “Until tomorrow.” After a brisk nod to Yure, he left the room.
    Her father removed his glasses and rubbed the reddened skin on the sides of his nose. When he looked up, Mila saw her father with an unexpected clarity that both shook and saddened her. Had his hair always been so gray? His skin so pale and thin? When had his shoulders become less sturdy, less broad? He no longer appeared invincible and filled with endless energy. Instead, he looked old and exhausted. No doubt the long meeting and the unfathomable weight of his responsibilities were taking their toll.
    She placed her fingers over her mouth, reminding herself to not speak these thoughts or anything else that might dismay her father. As much as she wanted to plead with Yure to have Duke removed from his post, she simply couldn’t set another burden on his shoulders. She was supposed to be there to help and support him, not add unnecessary trouble. Hadn’t she done enough of that already?
    Duke was her problem. She would deal with him.
    You took great efforts to make certain I know how to take care of myself, and I can.
    “Major Mazure is right. Tomorrow will be a long day.” Mila patted her father’s hand. “Let’s retire to our rooms and rest.”
    Yure replaced his glasses and nodded. “Ten hours in a car is, indeed, a long ride. I’m sorry I’m reluctant to fly.”
    He stood, followed immediately by Burton Laramie, who walked to the door and held it open.
    Attentive and intelligent, Laramie had made an outstanding impression during his brief time there. Goodness knew the man was not hard to look at. Of the two hired guns, why oh why hadn’t he been assigned to her, instead of Duke? What had she done to make fate behave so cruelly?
    Gesturing to Duke and then back to her, Yure added, “I assume you two have some catching up to do this evening. Just be mindful of the Major’s suggestion.”
    “No worries, sir. We’ll get things squared away in no time.”
    Duke’s voice sounded from behind, along with the scrape of his chair. Though some of his word choices were thoroughly American, his Ukrainian accent bordered on excellent.