Read Welcome to the Dream (A Celeste Cross Book, #1) for Free Online Page B

Cindy didn't slump for a second, always
keeping her posture straight and tight. ‘Taylor and Rodriguez are
heading to the crypt tonight, and Ami has made contact with the
archaeological team to find out what they know.’
    It sounded like everything
was sorted. But Jack wasn't about to rest until he was sure
everybody had done their job and any threat had been
mitigated.
    ‘ So you can go ahead and make
your meeting tonight.’ A very small smile tweaked at Cindy's
lips.
    He knew his entire team
thought he was overworked. From Gustaf telling him he should take a
holiday, to Cindy inviting him out for a drink every chance she
could get – it wasn't a secret they all thought he should get away
for a bit.
    Yet every single time Jack
thought of taking a rest, a certain woman in a red dress popped
into his head. He'd seen a counsellor about it a couple of times,
but it hadn't seemed to help. He couldn't shake free of the guilt
he felt over her death. Her name had been Annabel Farmer. She'd
been young, intelligent, incredibly talented, and she'd had a
fantastic future mapped out for her. But on that night three years
ago, because he hadn't been quick enough, that had all ended
abruptly.
    He'd lost other people over
the years. He'd been too slow, he'd made mistakes, and people had
died. It didn't feel the same as it did with Annabel
though.
    Jack drummed his fingers on the
desk. ‘I guess you're right,’ he conceded.
    Cindy's smile tugged at her lips
until it revealed a slice of her white, even teeth. ‘Then you'll
have to join us at the bar afterwards. No doubt we'll be
celebrating.’
    She always had a certain
twinkle in her eye when she talked about taking him out for a
drink. And no, he wasn't an idiot – he knew exactly what it meant.
Jack wasn't going to let anything mix with his work
though.
    ‘ Right then, I guess I'd better
go and get ready for this teleconference.’ He pushed up from his
chair, tugging down on his shirt, dust falling off his sleeves and
drifting onto the floor.
    Cindy's eyes darted over him.
‘Just what exactly have you been up to?’
    Jack flattened a hand over his
chest as he tried to brush away more grit. ‘Turning a hot water
cylinder on.’
    ‘ You mean at your dad's place? I
thought Susie was gone for 6 months.’
    ‘ She's got a house-sitter in.’
Jack found another patch of mud on the belt of his pants, but gave
up on trying to rub it off.
    ‘ Who is he?’
    ‘ She's the daughter of one of
Susie's friends. She is a programmer or something, I think.’ Jack
looked up.
    Cindy got a sharp look in
her eyes for, but it disappeared the instant Jack mentioned the
word programmer.
    Was Cindy
jealous?
    She gave a snort. ‘You mean some
greasy chick with unwashed hair and a bad complexion?
Really?’
    Cindy could get quite nasty
when she wanted to, and Jack knew she hadn't even begun. She was
barking up the wrong tree though. Celeste Cross wasn't some dingy,
greasy, long-haired female equivalent of your stereotypical
computer nerd. She had a distractingly curvy body, which he'd
caught just a tantalizing glimpse of when she'd rounded the corner
without a top on. She also had long, clean, and probably quite
touchable hair, and a cute, heart-shaped face. He wasn't about to
describe that to Cindy though.
    ‘ What's a girl like that doing at
your aunt's house? That close to the forest? Isn't she going to get
frightened by every bump in the night?’ Cindy arched an
eyebrow.
    ‘ I'm sure she'll be fine.’ Jack
walked around the side of his desk and gave her a short, sharp nod,
and he hoped she got the point. Conversation over. ‘I want a
constant update on your mission tonight. Everything. If anything
goes wrong—’
    ‘ Yeah, yeah, I've got it. Burst
in on your incredibly important meeting with the head of NATO and
plant a gun in your hand.’ Cindy twisted around to look at him as
he passed.
    ‘ That's it.’ Jack walked
off.

Chapter 5
    Celeste Cross
    She'd unpacked everything,
and now it