Read Online Colorado Connection (Colorado Heart Book 6) by Sara York - Free Book Online Page A

through the rest of his meal and went to the room where they would receive instructions for the day. Everyone else was still enjoying another cup of coffee when he left the mess.
    “We’ve changed our tactics and wanted you to know. For now, you’ll be on the streets with the rest of the guys.”
    He shook his head, narrowing his gaze at the officers. “No, that’s not right. We need coverage from above.”
    He was dismissed with a wave as the other guys filed in. “Sorry, but you’ll just have to deal with helping them from street level. We’re not going up today.”
    Matthew didn’t agree with the decision and wasn’t going to give up easily. “Sir, we need to—”
    “Stand down. These are orders. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. Today, you’re on the ground, protecting your men from the street.”
    Anger flashed through him, reminding him why sometimes he hated the military. Orders sucked, and he fucking hated these officers at the moment. There was no way he could protect his guys from the ground and it made no sense what they were asking. Maybe there wasn’t a building they felt safe having him in, but having no eyes in the sky would be stupid.
    After a very short meeting, they headed outside and loaded into the transport heading towards the city. He wanted to tell his guys to turn back around. Everything was wrong. His gaze connected with Jazz’s and peace filled him. With Jazz around, life was better. At least, he was glad he'd had a chance to meet Jazz. If he wouldn’t have joined up, he never would have met this amazing man. He and Jazz were taking steps in the right direction. Maybe they wouldn’t last after they'd finished their tour of duty, but he hoped they would.
    When the vehicle stopped, they unloaded, setting up at the corner of a building before heading down a street which ran from north to south. Bounder stayed beside him, his rifle at the ready. Jimmy, Slider, and Jazz moved up the street to his right, followed closely by three other guys from their unit.
    Matthew’s head buzzed, and his heart thundered. How had they gotten into this spot? The neighborhood felt off. Deep shadows were cast on the streets, and the sky turned dark as clouds rolled in. There weren’t any birds singing, no kids walking around, and he hadn’t seen a single woman heading out for food. They should pull back.
    “I don’t like this,” Matthew said.
    Bounder nodded and paused for a moment. “It feels weird.”
    “Yeah, very. We should be up top,” Matthew grumbled.
    “I’m going to go say something to Slider. Maybe he’ll pull us back,” Bounder said.
    His unease grew as Bounder moved quickly to Slider’s side, leaning in to talk to him. Seconds ticked by slowly, and he held his breath as he watched Jazz and Jimmy approach a new building. They moved to the door, Jazz stepping to the far side of the opening.
    Matthew’s heart stalled in his chest when Jazz lifted his arm to knock. In that second, that one moment, Matthew knew something was very wrong. Maybe it was the wind that had picked up, scattering dust, or the sound of footsteps running away that hit his ears a second too late, or maybe it was just the ghost of men gunned down in the past. Whatever it was, Matthew knew he needed to get his men out of there.
    He opened his mouth to speak and tell the guys he thought they should pull back when he was knocked on his ass, the air forced out of his lungs. The area was set ablaze and smoke filled the street. Matthew grabbed for his gasmask, strapping it in place before he rolled to his knees and hopped up, glad to find his legs still worked. When he tried to take a step he almost threw up. His head started spinning and he had to force himself to stay upright. Moving with purpose, he ran to the spot where Bounder and Slider had been standing.
    His stomach turned as he spied Slider first then Bounder. He stumbled a step then stopped walking. Before, when it had just been him trying to get his bearings,