Read Black Smoke for Free Online Page A

times. He has nothing but respect for you. I’d be honored to work with you.”
    Sam knew the job he was talking about. It had gone wrong from the very beginning, yet they had all pulled together and successfully completed the mission. She had great respect for those four men she’d worked with. A smile formed behind her mask at the memory and at Boomer’s words.
    Out in the woods he had looked like a big man. Now that she was up close he was bigger than she thought. He was about six foot five and his shoulders were massive. He wore his hair in the traditional military buzz cut, but she could tell it was a dark blonde. His eyes looked gentle, too gentle for a man of such size.
    “Damn,” Ricochet said looking the black cloaked figure up and down. “You’re just a small thing. But hell, if that’s what lets you move so fast that’s okay with me. I’m in.”
    Sam nodded at his response. This man wasn’t as large as the one called Boomer. He was shorter but muscular. The chocolate-colored skin on top of his head glistened with sweat and his speech told her he was definitely city raised.
    Then she turned toward the third man. The one they called Kong, the one whose eyes had mesmerized her. He wasn’t being so easily won over. She could see it in those eyes. He had doubts and they would probably get worse once she removed her mask. Her eyes scanned up and down his body. He was an in-between version of the two other men, her head coming to his shoulders. And nice shoulders they were too, solid and strong. Shoulders that would cradle a woman’s head nicely. His chest was hard and muscular, causing images to float into her head of what he’d look like without his military-issue shirt. Sam suddenly drew her eyes back to his face, realizing she was gawking.
    “What about you?” Walt asked Kong. “Yes or no?”
    Kong absently reached for his throat and rubbed it. This guy was small but fast. He’d heard the stories everyone else had heard and often wondered what it would be like to work with the legend. He was sure nothing would be able to stop the two of them. But right now, at this moment, he wasn’t sure. Something was still off.
    Sam watched him argue with himself in his mind. She knew how hard it was for some of the soldiers to put their lives in the hands of someone they knew nothing about. She understood that, respected it.
    Will he trust me? She asked silently in her head.
    Not at first. It will take time.
    Will he work with me? She asked.
    A soft musical laugh echoed through her head. It was the first time Sam had ever heard her whisper laugh. Better than you have worked with anyone.
    Sam cocked her head to the side. A touch of fear slid through her body. Why she couldn’t say, but it was there. She looked past Kong to her uncle. His brow was furrowed with concern, his eyes were crinkled at the corners. It was obvious he wasn’t sure about this situation yet either.
    “Okay, I’m in,” Kong finally said.
    Sam snapped her eyes back to Kong’s face. He may have agreed but there was still indecision in his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that a woman could get lost in forever. Sam found herself wondering what they would look like in the heat of passion. A soft musical laugh fluttered through her head again, shaking her from her fantasy. Giving herself a mental slap, she brought her thoughts back to the situation at hand.
    “All right,” Walt said moving to Sam’s side. He looked down at her and she nodded. “I’d like to introduce you to Black Smoke. Also known as Sam.”
    Sam pulled her hooded mask from her head. She almost laughed out loud at the looks on their faces. God, she wished she had a camera right now.
    “Whoa,” Boomer said in his deep slow voice.
    “Damn!” Ricochet screeched.
    Kong dropped his paintball gun, along with his jaw. Sam could only imagine what was going through his mind. He’d been beaten in hand-to-hand by a woman and now he was expected to let her watch his back in battle.