Close Quarters

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Book: Read Close Quarters for Free Online
Authors: Lucy Monroe
ordered the assassination of an innocent woman to cover their own mistakes?”
    â€œDon’t you?”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter.”
    â€œLike hell. We don’t kill innocents.”
    â€œThat we know of.”
    â€œSo, we better make damn sure before you kill your sister-in-law.”
    â€œShe’s not. Technically.”
    â€œWhat-the hell-ever.”
    â€œOur orders are to neutralize the threat,” Neil asserted.
    Roman frowned at his subordinate. “I know what our orders are.”
    Unaffected by Roman’s ire, Spazz continued. “They’re not to kill the woman per se.”
    â€œNo.” Kadin crossed his arms and glared. “According to what you told us, that’s what the Army brass wants.”
    Shit, he did not need this. “We’re under orders from our government.”
    â€œExactly,” Neil said.
    Kadin nodded firmly. “Not the Army.”
    The tension in Roman ratcheted several notches higher. “You let your personal feelings get in the way of doing your duty and good men die.”
    â€œIf we don’t, a good woman is going to,” Kadin growled, clearly unimpressed with Roman’s logic.
    Roman knew what his gut was telling him, but he didn’t know if the message was coming from his libido or his instincts as a soldier. He’d wanted Tanya Ruston the first time he saw her and that desire had not gone away. Spending time with her touring the compound had only made it worse.
    He liked her. Damn it. Wanting her was bad enough. How many layers of complications did he need on this assignment?
    â€œSo, what are we going to do, chief?” Trigger demanded. “We going to serve our country or some idiot Army officer who should never have okayed a copy of the JCAT coming to Africa in the first place?”
    â€œWe’re going to find the threat and neutralize it.”
    â€œWell, that’s a relief,” Face said from the open doorway to their room. “I thought for a minute I was going to have to go on the run with the babe.”
    Roman’s head snapped up with a sharp jerk. “Hands off, Drew.”
    â€œOooh, he means business, he used your real name,” Neil said before jumping out of reach of Roman’s smack to the back of his head.
    â€œYou think our Geronimo is actually human?” Kadin demanded, his voice laced with mocking amazement.
    â€œWhatever the hell I am, I know how to handle insubordination. You want to keep pushing it?”
    The former MARSOC sergeant just laughed and shook his head. Definitely too much like Roman. “So, what’s the plan?”
    â€œFirst, we figure out if she has a copy of the program,” Roman said. “Hiding it is going to be a lot harder here than someplace where technology already has a foothold. The closest Internet access is Harare and as impressive as their cell phone network is for an African nation, they don’t have ready access to mobile browsing either.”
    â€œSo, it has to be on a storage device of some kind.”
    â€œExactly and since these buildings have simplified construction, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
    â€œI’ll start with a search on her laptop,” Neil said.
    Roman nodded once. “But you’re going to need to search all the computers in the compound. Security is too loose; she could have it stored somewhere else for safekeeping until she can transport it.”
    â€œFinding it won’t mean she’s the leak,” Kadin pointed out.
    â€œIt could be someone else in the compound,” Neil agreed.
    â€œOr no one here at all,” Drew said. “Just because her movements coincide with the transfer of information, doesn’t mean she’s not being set up.”
    â€œThat’s for damn sure,” Kadin grumbled.
    Â 
    Goddard Project Agent Bennet Vincent drank a cup of surprisingly good coffee as he sat at a table in the dining hall and

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