Wolf Six's Salvation: A Shifter Love Story Read Online Free Page B

ears as the base commander stormed into the tiny space. Jackson barely managed to keep the snarl from his face. He had disliked Colonel Bronn from the moment they had met. Wolfe rose to standing as the man barreled into his office. Part of him wanted to growl at the breach of his territory, but the colonel outranked him and had every right to barge into the office as if it were his own.
    Colonel Conrad Bronn was an intimidating man. Despite the fact that Jackson was a good three inches taller, the Colonel still seemed to look down at him. Everything about the Colonel was hard and demanding. His mouth was a thin line framed by a strong nose and heavy brow with a frown that never budged. His hair was cropped so close to the skin it was impossible to tell what color it might have been; even his camouflage uniform was perfectly pressed and straight.
    "What can I do for you, sir?" Captain Wolfe asked calmly, placing his fingertips on the desk in front of him. Jackson wasn't used to being interrupted during his work and he was doing his best to stay calm. There would be nothing gained by being angry and possibly releasing the wolf inside of him.
    "I was told you were here when the break-in occurred?" the Colonel asked, striding to the front of Jackson's desk and placing his big hands on the shiny surface. The veins on Bronn's neck bulged and pulsated out of his uniform.
    "I was. I'm afraid I didn't see anything." Jackson sat down, making sure that the chair didn't buckle underneath him. He wasn't going to be baited into anger by this man.
    "Bullshit. The guards said they found you by the door." Bronn's pale blue eyes flashed with hostility.
    "When the alarm went off, I went to investigate. My office is just down the hall from the Records Room," Jackson replied smoothly, stacking several papers on his desk into a neat pile. "So of course the guards found me by the room, sir."
    The Colonel growled with frustration. "And you didn't see anything?"
    "No, sir."
    The Colonel removed his hands from Jackson's desk, leaving dirty fingerprints on the once clean surface, and carefully folded them behind his back. "I want to know how someone got on my base and stole from me."
    "As far as I know, sir, the perpetrator slid through a hole in the fence. That the guards even noticed that someone had walked through the airfield and left footprints that didn't belong speaks volumes to their training," Jackson replied. "In addition, nothing in the Records Room is classified information. Most of the files are medical records that need to be put into the system."
    Colonel Bronn's eyes narrowed to blue icy shards. "I'm sure the soldier or soldiers whose information was stolen wouldn't be pleased to hear your lack of concern."
    Jackson's jaw hardened. There was something about this man that he didn't like. Perhaps it was the perfect uniform, the strict observance of protocol even when unnecessary, or the lack of compassion in those cold eyes. It could have even been the man's history of violence and the savage tactics he used in the Middle East that had almost cost the Colonel his rank. Whatever it was, something about the man set Jackson's teeth on edge. It took restraint not to get up and pace the room growling.
    "I'm sorry, sir, but I am busy. Base security is not my forte, but I would be happy to assist your men however I can." Jackson smiled in what he hoped was a helpful, friendly smile and not a wolfish grin.
    "No, you're right. It appears as though you don't know anything." The Colonel shrugged and turned to step out of the office. Jackson bristled with the implied insult, but he let it slide. Talking back to a superior officer was a good way to just get in trouble. "If you think of anything you might have seen from last night, please let base security know. Oh, and shave by the next time I see you. Just because you just got here doesn't mean you get a free pass. You're supposed to be an example to the other men."
    With that, the Colonel walked out