Read Online Distinguished Service & Every Move You Make (Uniformly Hot!) by Tori Carrington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tori Carrington
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crowd. Of course, if someone looked close enough, his reflective sunglasses and earpiece could give him away.
He listened as final pre-event checks were made on those premises deemed the most vulnerable and okays issued, even as he noted additional weaknesses in the route and considered options to protect them.
He was seriously considering rerouting the rally drive, even though Norman himself had made it very clear this was the one he wanted to take, since there were at least two “support” gatherings along the way scheduled to watch his car go by. While Mace had never overseen nor participated in a similar occasion, he’d educated himself over the past two days enough to where he felt semi-comfortable.
And he didn’t care for the changing variables.
In addition to the support gatherings, he was assured there would also be anti-Norman assemblies, as well.
Midmorning pedestrians walked the streets alongside him, commuters drove on the streets, bike riders zoomed by and delivery trucks came and went. Nothing looked out of the ordinary and he had every reason to expect everything to go smoothly.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling he was missing something.
He acknowledged the sensation could stem from caution honed over his years in the service, time he’d spent stationed where anyone and everyone was a possible suspect, including women and children, in innocuous locations that appeared peaceful but could turn into hell within a blink.
Combine all that with natural instincts that had rarely steered him wrong and he wouldn’t be comfortable until this assignment was over.
He reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He didn’t realize what he was looking for until he didn’t see it: namely, any calls or texts from Geneva.
Merely thinking her name made him hot for her all over again.
He slid the cell back into his pocket and ordered himself to get back on point.
The memory of her mouth, her soft cries, were enough to keep him up longer than he’d have liked.
If only Reece had texted him a little later, he would have taken her back to her bedroom and found out just how far her responsiveness went.
“Sir, check complete.” Jonathon Reece’s voice came through his earpiece.
He moved to press the button to allow him to respond when a man wearing a gray hoodie walked from one of those courtyards that caused such concern and cut in front of him, catching his shoulder.
Mace stopped, watching as the man unapologetically continued walking across the street with barely a look at traffic.
Awareness ran through Mace as he tried to match the man to any of the nine guys they’d identified as threats and came away with a negative.
Which meant little. Yet it could mean everything.
“Sir?” Jon’s voice sounded again.
Mace pressed the button that was part of the earpiece. “Very good, Reece. Have everyone walk it again, this time from the opposite direction.”
Silence. Then, “Roger that.”
He released the button. He knew Reece disagreed with his orders. But he would do as requested, no questions asked.
The hooded man disappeared from view into another courtyard across the way.
Mace remained watching after him, then crossed the street to follow…
* * *
“S O …”
Geneva wiped down the counter after the lunch crowd had mostly dissipated and the instant she reached the end where Trudy was taking her usual, post rush coffee, her friend and employer decided some conversation was in order.
“So, what?” she asked.
Trudy stared at her over her reading glasses where she read the daily paper, words unneeded.
The diner had mostly emptied out aside from a couple of lingering regulars and the help, including her and Trudy, the day cook and a part-time busboy who even now cleared the last of the tables and was preparing to mop before the dinner shift took over.
“Sit,” Trudy ordered more than requested.
“I just wanted to finish—”
“Now.”
Geneva poured herself a cup of decaf and sat.
In
He listened as final pre-event checks were made on those premises deemed the most vulnerable and okays issued, even as he noted additional weaknesses in the route and considered options to protect them.
He was seriously considering rerouting the rally drive, even though Norman himself had made it very clear this was the one he wanted to take, since there were at least two “support” gatherings along the way scheduled to watch his car go by. While Mace had never overseen nor participated in a similar occasion, he’d educated himself over the past two days enough to where he felt semi-comfortable.
And he didn’t care for the changing variables.
In addition to the support gatherings, he was assured there would also be anti-Norman assemblies, as well.
Midmorning pedestrians walked the streets alongside him, commuters drove on the streets, bike riders zoomed by and delivery trucks came and went. Nothing looked out of the ordinary and he had every reason to expect everything to go smoothly.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling he was missing something.
He acknowledged the sensation could stem from caution honed over his years in the service, time he’d spent stationed where anyone and everyone was a possible suspect, including women and children, in innocuous locations that appeared peaceful but could turn into hell within a blink.
Combine all that with natural instincts that had rarely steered him wrong and he wouldn’t be comfortable until this assignment was over.
He reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He didn’t realize what he was looking for until he didn’t see it: namely, any calls or texts from Geneva.
Merely thinking her name made him hot for her all over again.
He slid the cell back into his pocket and ordered himself to get back on point.
The memory of her mouth, her soft cries, were enough to keep him up longer than he’d have liked.
If only Reece had texted him a little later, he would have taken her back to her bedroom and found out just how far her responsiveness went.
“Sir, check complete.” Jonathon Reece’s voice came through his earpiece.
He moved to press the button to allow him to respond when a man wearing a gray hoodie walked from one of those courtyards that caused such concern and cut in front of him, catching his shoulder.
Mace stopped, watching as the man unapologetically continued walking across the street with barely a look at traffic.
Awareness ran through Mace as he tried to match the man to any of the nine guys they’d identified as threats and came away with a negative.
Which meant little. Yet it could mean everything.
“Sir?” Jon’s voice sounded again.
Mace pressed the button that was part of the earpiece. “Very good, Reece. Have everyone walk it again, this time from the opposite direction.”
Silence. Then, “Roger that.”
He released the button. He knew Reece disagreed with his orders. But he would do as requested, no questions asked.
The hooded man disappeared from view into another courtyard across the way.
Mace remained watching after him, then crossed the street to follow…
* * *
“S O …”
Geneva wiped down the counter after the lunch crowd had mostly dissipated and the instant she reached the end where Trudy was taking her usual, post rush coffee, her friend and employer decided some conversation was in order.
“So, what?” she asked.
Trudy stared at her over her reading glasses where she read the daily paper, words unneeded.
The diner had mostly emptied out aside from a couple of lingering regulars and the help, including her and Trudy, the day cook and a part-time busboy who even now cleared the last of the tables and was preparing to mop before the dinner shift took over.
“Sit,” Trudy ordered more than requested.
“I just wanted to finish—”
“Now.”
Geneva poured herself a cup of decaf and sat.
In
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