Read Online Eternal Nights by Patti O'Shea - Free Book Online

tighter ship than your AWOL captain.”
    “With all due respect, Colonel, our captain is not AWOL,” the chief said.
    Alex ignored that. “Oh eight hundred tomorrow. Right here. And every single man better be spit shined.” He continued down the line, eyeing each of them coldly, before returning to Cantore. “I came up through Spec Ops. I’m willing to allow some slack in discipline, but this team has abused the privilege.”
    He waited. No one said yes, sir, but no one was stupid enough to argue with him either. Alex was satisfied with that. “Chief, in my office. The rest of you find the barber. Now.”
    The five men looked to Cantore and Alex shot them a glare that should have singed their eyebrows. Before he became really pissed off, the chief nodded, silently telling his men to comply. Alex didn’t comment about the byplay, but tomorrow he would put Montgomery’s men through more than a simple inspection.
    After the team filed out, Alex looked at Cantore and pointed to his office. The chief, at least, did as he was told. “Sergeant Foster, find out where the hell that personnel file is. I’ve been waiting for four hours and this delay is unacceptable.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    With a nod, Alex went into his office, closing the door quietly behind him. Montgomery’s XO stiffened at the soft snick and Alex left him at attention even after he was seated behind his desk. “Chief Cantore, I should be able to rely on you to keep control of the team even if your captain can’t or won’t. This breach goes beyond long hair and sloppy uniforms. I gave an order and your men hesitated. That’s intolerable.”
    “Yes, sir,” the chief said, “but—”
    “No buts. I’m giving one warning and this is it. If anything like today happens again, I’ll start disciplinary action. Am I clear?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    For a long moment, Alex stared hard at Cantore. Satisfied that his point had been made, he settled back in his chair. Hoping to catch the man off guard, he asked quickly, “Why don’t you think Montgomery is AWOL?”
    The chief didn’t blink at the rapid change in topic. “Word is out about Captain Hunter’s murder, Colonel.”
    Of course it was. This was huge news and would have raged through the post like wildfire. “Why don’t you think he’s AWOL?” Alex repeated. He wanted more of an answer than he’d received.
    “Marsh—Captain Montgomery is too responsible, sir, and he knew the briefing this morning concerned which teams were being sent back to Earth. He’d never deliberately miss it.”
    Alex was unhappy about the leak, but he didn’t pursue it. Instead he weighed Cantore’s assessment of his captain. He tended to agree that the kid was responsible, but even the best of them could think below the belt. “What if I told you that Captain Thomas is AWOL as well? Would your opinion change?”
    Now Cantore reacted. “Kendall is missing too?” The chief returned to attention and added, “Sir.”
    “Puts a different spin on the situation, doesn’t it?”
    “No, sir.”
    With a frown, Alex stared at the man, but he didn’t flinch or waver. “I want reasons, Chief Cantore. Tell me why I shouldn’t believe those two are off somewhere having sex, completely oblivious to the repercussions of their actions.”
    Cantore nodded, relaxed a little bit, before straightening again. “At ease,” Alex told him.
    “I have a few reasons, Colonel,” the man said as soon as he’d switched stances. “First, Captain Thomas is compulsively responsible. Even if Marsh—uh, Captain Montgomery, was able to forget his duty, she wouldn’t.”
    “And what makes you so sure?” Alex asked.
    “From what I’ve heard, Kend—Captain Thomas had to take care of her family’s obligations and finances even as a child. Responsibility is ingrained in her.”
    Alex nodded. That was something he wouldn’t have gleaned from any personnel file, but it was an interesting piece of information. “So we have two usually