Read Online Girl Rides the Wind by Jacques Antoine - Free Book Online Page A

penetration against the lighter body-armor.”
    “Maybe so, but it’s just too fussy for me. Plus, if I’m gonna use a gun at all, I want to end the fight, not just piss someone off.”
    Huart snorted at that remark and began to call her military experience into question — “And just how many firefights have you been in, ma’am?” — but paused when he noticed Emily’s sidearm, hefted it in one hand, and smirked at her. “You’ve got good taste, Lieutenant, but this is outside the regs.”
    “What’s the problem?” CJ asked.
    “Marine regulation sidearm is a Beretta M9, ma’am. We’re gonna have to write her up for this one. Who’s your commanding officer?”
    “She’s DRP, Staff Sergeant,” a deeper voice said from the passageway. “SOCOM made it official: they carry 1911s.” Emily and CJ turned to see who it was, and saluted when they recognized him. Kiku and Sgt Huart saluted, too.
    “Deep-Recon, sir?” Huart seemed to want to object that helo-pilots aren’t really considered part of a DRP, but a glance at the gold ‘budweiser’ decorating Cmdr Leone’s chest silenced him.
    After an uncomfortable moment, Emily asked, “Are we checking steel, too?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Huart replied, but when she extracted her wakizashi from the duffle he glanced again at Cmdr Leone, who returned a brief shake of the head, as if to say, “Just log it in. This too shall pass.”
    But Kiku couldn’t let it pass, and picked it up, cheeks suddenly flushed, examining the sharp edge and the saya , caressing a wavy pattern that ribboned along the side of the blade. Then her fingertips touched a chrysanthemum design etched into the base. “This is not regulation issue, is it Tenno-san?” she said, in Japanese. “This must come from the Imperial Household.”
    Emily nodded and slipped the blade back into the saya . “It’s a reminder of a service done and a debt to be repaid.” Then turning to Huart, she spoke in English, “Take good care of it, Staff Sergeant. It means a lot to me.”
    “If you don’t mind my asking, ma’am, how would you even carry this in action?” he asked.
    “Strapped to my back.”
    “A Ka-bar isn’t good enough for you?”
    “Never cared for ’em, Sarge,” she said, rubbing her jaw. “In this sort of thing, I’ve found that size really matters.”
----
    K iku and CJ lost sight of Emily and Cmdr Leone when Kiku showed an interest in a large candy display in the ship’s store across from Wardroom Two. “It really is a city,” she gushed. “Just as Talib-san said.”
    “I doubt Zaki has ever been called that before,” CJ said.
    Kiku looked up at her and tried to fathom her meaning. Had she said the wrong thing? She’d met many gaijin before, and once she got used to how tall the Americans tended to be, they were easy to manage. But sharing close quarters across a language barrier was likely to prove a challenge. Her knowledge of English was passable—she knew how to speak it better than she could understand what was said to her—all of which made her regret losing sight of Tenno-san.
    When they finally caught up with her on the normally crowded Vulture’s Row, looking out over the flight deck, the scene was oddly quiet, perhaps because of a pause between flight exercises. When CJ stopped at one end, Kiku peered around her and saw Tenno-san staring down Cmdr Leone. She sensed CJ’s discomfort at stumbling into what looked like a private scene, and wondered if they shouldn’t withdraw.
    “I don’t need babysitting,” Tenno-san said, and pushed him away. Kiku’s feet seemed to be glued to the deck, and the approach of a line of Harriers meant it would soon be difficult to hear again. Still, body language spoke volumes, and these two would be hard to recognize as commander and subordinate.
    After the last jet roared off the deck, she heard Cmdr Leone say, “What you didn’t need is another article fifteen write-up.”
    “I could have handled him without your