Read Online Cold Lonely Courage (Madeleine toche Series Book 2) by Soren Petrek - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Soren Petrek
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officer stormed into the room.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, man? You almost killed her!” Captain Jack Teach yelled, moving quickly over to the board. His body was sleekly muscled from endless physical training and the harsh conditions of field operations. His blue eyes burned with anger, accusatory and enraged. He reached down to the slant board, slicing the straps that held Madeleine down with a knife that materialized in his hand.
“Following orders mate,” a beefy, dark-haired man said. “Keep them in until they break or pass out. SOE training, isn’t it? She’s a woman. There’s your problem,” Lieutenant Brian Fish answered in a swaggering, insolent tone, forgetting that the man he addressed outranked him.
“Get back, you bastard!” Teach screamed. Fish scoffed and moved a few paces back from the end of the tank. Madeleine stood slowly, bending as she retched water, holding onto the side of the tank to steady herself. As her coughing lessened, she turned her head slightly and peeked through the mass of wet hair covering her face. She saw a commando knife strapped to Fish’s side. Without hesitating she grabbed the knife and plunged it towards his eye. At the last moment, Teach grabbed her hand. Fish stood transfixed, his body rigid with panic. Teach slowly eased Madeleine’s hand down, removing the knife.
Teach looked at Fish in disgust. “Next time, I’m going to let it happen, you ghastly sadist. How about I strap you to that board and let her have a go at you?”
Madeleine raised her shirt to inspect the spot where she’d been hit. Teach glanced at what she was doing and saw the welt.
“I’ll have you, you bastard,” he roared and landed a giant right cross to Fish’s jaw. Fish rag-dolled to the ground and Teach followed him down with the knife, clearly not through.
“Stop!” Madeleine yelled. “This pig’s not worth it.”
Teach pulled himself off the man, backing away slowly. Madeleine watched as his eyes cleared and the violence left them. That was close, Madeleine thought. That man should be dead. Without taking his eyes off of Fish, Teach said, “You’re right, Toche. But I’m going to recommend him for duty in North Africa. I believe he’s an infantry man.”
Unable to speak, Fish pulled himself up, moaning and wincing.
“I bet you weren’t bloody moaning when you punched her, you coward. It’s combat for you. And by the way, when the 75mm shells come raining down on your position, you think about her. I bet she’ll be waiting if you get back. Your chances are shit. Now piss off. I hear one word about any of this and I’ll cut you up into little pieces. My father runs the docks. You’ll never meet a harder man. He’ll know what to do with you.”
A flash of terror passed over Fish’s face as he left.
Closing the door behind Fish, Teach turned towards Madeleine. “Toche, you can’t kill instructors,” he said, brushing the hair back from her face. His touch was firm and purposeful. Madeleine reached up to push his hand away, confused by Teach’s sudden compassion. There was no tenderness and mollycoddling in Special Operations Executive training, just countless hours learning to kill in every manner known to man.
After a fleeting moment Teach abruptly pulled his hand away. He stepped back, keeping his eyes on her. Madeleine looked down at her clothes, clinging to her as they dripped onto the floor. Placing her hands on her hips, she starred back, feeling a dangerous passion spark between them. She’d never seen Teach so much as glance at one of the other female recruits.
“I thought I was dead, Captain. It can’t be good to kill prospective field agents. Nobody will volunteer if they think they’re going to die before they get a chance to kill Germans,” Madeleine said.
Madeleine reached up to squeeze the water from her hair. Why is he looking at me like that, she thought, as Teach leaned back against the slant board.
“Well, right
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, man? You almost killed her!” Captain Jack Teach yelled, moving quickly over to the board. His body was sleekly muscled from endless physical training and the harsh conditions of field operations. His blue eyes burned with anger, accusatory and enraged. He reached down to the slant board, slicing the straps that held Madeleine down with a knife that materialized in his hand.
“Following orders mate,” a beefy, dark-haired man said. “Keep them in until they break or pass out. SOE training, isn’t it? She’s a woman. There’s your problem,” Lieutenant Brian Fish answered in a swaggering, insolent tone, forgetting that the man he addressed outranked him.
“Get back, you bastard!” Teach screamed. Fish scoffed and moved a few paces back from the end of the tank. Madeleine stood slowly, bending as she retched water, holding onto the side of the tank to steady herself. As her coughing lessened, she turned her head slightly and peeked through the mass of wet hair covering her face. She saw a commando knife strapped to Fish’s side. Without hesitating she grabbed the knife and plunged it towards his eye. At the last moment, Teach grabbed her hand. Fish stood transfixed, his body rigid with panic. Teach slowly eased Madeleine’s hand down, removing the knife.
Teach looked at Fish in disgust. “Next time, I’m going to let it happen, you ghastly sadist. How about I strap you to that board and let her have a go at you?”
Madeleine raised her shirt to inspect the spot where she’d been hit. Teach glanced at what she was doing and saw the welt.
“I’ll have you, you bastard,” he roared and landed a giant right cross to Fish’s jaw. Fish rag-dolled to the ground and Teach followed him down with the knife, clearly not through.
“Stop!” Madeleine yelled. “This pig’s not worth it.”
Teach pulled himself off the man, backing away slowly. Madeleine watched as his eyes cleared and the violence left them. That was close, Madeleine thought. That man should be dead. Without taking his eyes off of Fish, Teach said, “You’re right, Toche. But I’m going to recommend him for duty in North Africa. I believe he’s an infantry man.”
Unable to speak, Fish pulled himself up, moaning and wincing.
“I bet you weren’t bloody moaning when you punched her, you coward. It’s combat for you. And by the way, when the 75mm shells come raining down on your position, you think about her. I bet she’ll be waiting if you get back. Your chances are shit. Now piss off. I hear one word about any of this and I’ll cut you up into little pieces. My father runs the docks. You’ll never meet a harder man. He’ll know what to do with you.”
A flash of terror passed over Fish’s face as he left.
Closing the door behind Fish, Teach turned towards Madeleine. “Toche, you can’t kill instructors,” he said, brushing the hair back from her face. His touch was firm and purposeful. Madeleine reached up to push his hand away, confused by Teach’s sudden compassion. There was no tenderness and mollycoddling in Special Operations Executive training, just countless hours learning to kill in every manner known to man.
After a fleeting moment Teach abruptly pulled his hand away. He stepped back, keeping his eyes on her. Madeleine looked down at her clothes, clinging to her as they dripped onto the floor. Placing her hands on her hips, she starred back, feeling a dangerous passion spark between them. She’d never seen Teach so much as glance at one of the other female recruits.
“I thought I was dead, Captain. It can’t be good to kill prospective field agents. Nobody will volunteer if they think they’re going to die before they get a chance to kill Germans,” Madeleine said.
Madeleine reached up to squeeze the water from her hair. Why is he looking at me like that, she thought, as Teach leaned back against the slant board.
“Well, right
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