Read Online Topping the Alpha: Trident Security Series by Samantha A. Cole - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Samantha A. Cole
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discoveries. And what was it about Nick that made him want to spill his guts and bare his soul all of a sudden? He’d tried to bury his emotions and just state the facts about his background, but it was fucking hard to do. It’d been a long time since he’d talked about his past to anyone, and no one, not even his team or his brother and mother, knew the entire story. Splashing cool water on his face, he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and forced the ghosts of his past back into the far reaches of his mind…where they belonged.
Chapter 8
A little after eleven a.m. on the outskirts of Pueblo, Colorado, Slim Daniels reached for another Budweiser from the cooler and handed it to his best friend, Wally Dunn, before taking one for himself. That was the great thing about fishing, it was never too early for a beer. The current of the Arkansas River was a little calmer today than it had been a few days ago when they had taken Dunn’s little boat out, so maybe today they would catch a few—not that it mattered. As the saying goes—a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.
The fourteen-foot boat bobbed up and down in a soothing rhythm as Slim cast his line toward a deeper part of the river, where the two of them had successful catches before. They’d tied their towline to one of the pylons holding up the small bridge above them. In addition to being a man-made anchor, the overpass gave them shade from the sun. Slim’s face was leathery enough from years of working outdoors in his landscaping business.
“Norma’s been pissing me off lately,” Dunn grumbled. “I just finished renovating the damn bathroom and now she wants the fucking kitchen redone.”
Slim snorted, but didn’t answer. Dunn’s wife had been pissing him off since the day they met over thirty years ago. Today was nothing new.
Overhead, the occasional car passed by, but the bridge was two stories high, and after a while, Slim was able to tune them out. It had been a good ten minutes since he’d noticed the last one and another vehicle was just now making its way across the river. But instead of passing over them and continuing on, this vehicle stopped. Stupid idiot, Slim thought to himself. The bridge wasn’t that long, so the driver could’ve made it to the other side easily if he needed to pull over. A tug on his fishing line grabbed his attention and he forgot all about whatever was happening above him. Reeling the line in a bit, he felt the weight of the fish as it fought the hook in its mouth. It didn’t feel like a keeper, so it would probably get thrown back after he got it aboard the boat.
Beside him, the other man casted upriver a bit. The quiet surrounding them was broken by a loud splash followed by Dunn cursing. “What the fuck?”
Slim looked over his shoulder to where his buddy was staring at something bobbing and floating toward them in the water. “Did some fucking jackass just toss his garbage off the bridge?”
“Close, looks like a rolled up carpet.”
As the large mass got caught up in the current, the speed with which it approached them increased. Dunn used his fishing rod to hook onto the rug, dragging it closer to the boat. It wasn’t until it thudded against the hull that they saw long black hair sticking out of one end. Both men stared at it, then glanced at each other in horror. It was obvious today was one of those times that a day of fishing wasn’t going to be better than any day at work.
* * *
The moment Jake walked into Pete Archer’s two-bedroom condo in Colorado Springs, Alyssa threw herself into his arms and began sobbing hysterically. It was obvious her tears were a continuation of her earlier crying on the phone. Her eyes were red and puffy, and snot was dripping from her nose. Despite her current appearance, she was pretty, in a girl-next-door kind of way.
They were in the foyer and blocking the front door, so he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the living
Chapter 8
A little after eleven a.m. on the outskirts of Pueblo, Colorado, Slim Daniels reached for another Budweiser from the cooler and handed it to his best friend, Wally Dunn, before taking one for himself. That was the great thing about fishing, it was never too early for a beer. The current of the Arkansas River was a little calmer today than it had been a few days ago when they had taken Dunn’s little boat out, so maybe today they would catch a few—not that it mattered. As the saying goes—a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.
The fourteen-foot boat bobbed up and down in a soothing rhythm as Slim cast his line toward a deeper part of the river, where the two of them had successful catches before. They’d tied their towline to one of the pylons holding up the small bridge above them. In addition to being a man-made anchor, the overpass gave them shade from the sun. Slim’s face was leathery enough from years of working outdoors in his landscaping business.
“Norma’s been pissing me off lately,” Dunn grumbled. “I just finished renovating the damn bathroom and now she wants the fucking kitchen redone.”
Slim snorted, but didn’t answer. Dunn’s wife had been pissing him off since the day they met over thirty years ago. Today was nothing new.
Overhead, the occasional car passed by, but the bridge was two stories high, and after a while, Slim was able to tune them out. It had been a good ten minutes since he’d noticed the last one and another vehicle was just now making its way across the river. But instead of passing over them and continuing on, this vehicle stopped. Stupid idiot, Slim thought to himself. The bridge wasn’t that long, so the driver could’ve made it to the other side easily if he needed to pull over. A tug on his fishing line grabbed his attention and he forgot all about whatever was happening above him. Reeling the line in a bit, he felt the weight of the fish as it fought the hook in its mouth. It didn’t feel like a keeper, so it would probably get thrown back after he got it aboard the boat.
Beside him, the other man casted upriver a bit. The quiet surrounding them was broken by a loud splash followed by Dunn cursing. “What the fuck?”
Slim looked over his shoulder to where his buddy was staring at something bobbing and floating toward them in the water. “Did some fucking jackass just toss his garbage off the bridge?”
“Close, looks like a rolled up carpet.”
As the large mass got caught up in the current, the speed with which it approached them increased. Dunn used his fishing rod to hook onto the rug, dragging it closer to the boat. It wasn’t until it thudded against the hull that they saw long black hair sticking out of one end. Both men stared at it, then glanced at each other in horror. It was obvious today was one of those times that a day of fishing wasn’t going to be better than any day at work.
* * *
The moment Jake walked into Pete Archer’s two-bedroom condo in Colorado Springs, Alyssa threw herself into his arms and began sobbing hysterically. It was obvious her tears were a continuation of her earlier crying on the phone. Her eyes were red and puffy, and snot was dripping from her nose. Despite her current appearance, she was pretty, in a girl-next-door kind of way.
They were in the foyer and blocking the front door, so he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the living
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