Read Online Ultimate Surrender by Lydia Rowan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lydia Rowan
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summoned us, fearless leader?” Adam, who sat at the conference room table with his legs thrown over it, his posture deceptively casual, asked.
“Yeah, I have more intel on the next thing,” Lucian responded.
“South Asia is heating up?” Seth said.
Unlike Adam, he sat up straight, feet firmly planted, trying to do his best to stay cool, though Lucian could still see the excitement that he tried to hide. For a moment, Lucian wondered if he had ever been so young, and so eager, and doubted that he had. Still, Seth’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Lucian appreciated the reminder of what it was like to still be excited about the prospect of doing their work, and doing good.
He knew Silver Industries and the former soldiers it employed were valuable and provided an excellent service. Having Seth around was a great reminder of that fact.
“This might involve Tremaine,” Lucian said.
The mention of the former admiral’s name made Adam sit up straight. “What’s that asshole up to?”
“Nothing good. I’ll bet on that,” Seth supplied.
“We aren’t entirely sure yet, but there’s something brewing. Both of you should be ready to take a vacation,” Lucian said.
“He would choose some tropical ‘paradise.’ I fucking hate the beach,” Adam said.
“Wouldn’t be Tremaine if he wasn’t fucking it up for everybody,” Seth said.
“You know the guy?” Adam asked, looking over at Seth.
Seth nodded, none of his usual friendliness apparent. “He was my CO for three very miserable years,” he said.
Even Adam, who took a little bit more pleasure than all the others in needling Seth, nodded sympathetically. Lucian had never met Tremaine, nor had Adam or any of the others save Seth and Saint, but his reputation preceded him. It was an open secret in the tight-knit community that Tremaine was not to be trusted, something Damien’s experience slammed home. The only question was whether the former admiral’s activities went beyond immoral and into illegal.
Lucian had no definitive proof, but Tremaine and people like him gave all mercenaries a black eye, and Lucian made it his personal mission to put guys like him out of business whenever he could. One look at Seth and Adam, and he knew they felt the same.
“Pack your Speedo, kid,” Adam said, snickering at Seth.
“At least I can still get into one, old man,” Seth shot back.
Adam looked momentarily wounded, but couldn’t keep up the facade and began to laugh.
“I’ll let both of you know what comes of it.”
Adam and Seth nodded and then stood, walking out of the conference room trading barbs.
Lucian gave himself a moment to laugh but then began to look over the file. This would have been a great case to consult with Damien on, and exactly the kind of thing his brother would have loved. Even though Damien had stepped away from Silver Industries, giving Lucian control of day-to-day operations, he still remained chair of the board of trustees, and they’d always conferred about missions, as much as they could anyway.
But his brother was no longer himself, so that valuable resource was not open to him.
Lucian stood, turning over the Tremaine problem in his head.
That was unfortunate—he still missed his brother’s insight and experience, but he and the team would get the job done no matter what.
A moment later there was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Lucian said.
There was a fifty-fifty chance of who the visitor would be, and Lucian couldn’t decide which would be the better option.
Sloan, who had worked for him for years and was great at her job and wonderful to have around, or Cassandra, who would no doubt have come to harangue him about some subject or another, piss him off, and at the same time, remind him he was alive.
Last week had only added another layer of complication. He’d touched her, had let her touch him, would have fucked her until neither of them could move if he’d been prepared.
He hadn’t been, and
“Yeah, I have more intel on the next thing,” Lucian responded.
“South Asia is heating up?” Seth said.
Unlike Adam, he sat up straight, feet firmly planted, trying to do his best to stay cool, though Lucian could still see the excitement that he tried to hide. For a moment, Lucian wondered if he had ever been so young, and so eager, and doubted that he had. Still, Seth’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Lucian appreciated the reminder of what it was like to still be excited about the prospect of doing their work, and doing good.
He knew Silver Industries and the former soldiers it employed were valuable and provided an excellent service. Having Seth around was a great reminder of that fact.
“This might involve Tremaine,” Lucian said.
The mention of the former admiral’s name made Adam sit up straight. “What’s that asshole up to?”
“Nothing good. I’ll bet on that,” Seth supplied.
“We aren’t entirely sure yet, but there’s something brewing. Both of you should be ready to take a vacation,” Lucian said.
“He would choose some tropical ‘paradise.’ I fucking hate the beach,” Adam said.
“Wouldn’t be Tremaine if he wasn’t fucking it up for everybody,” Seth said.
“You know the guy?” Adam asked, looking over at Seth.
Seth nodded, none of his usual friendliness apparent. “He was my CO for three very miserable years,” he said.
Even Adam, who took a little bit more pleasure than all the others in needling Seth, nodded sympathetically. Lucian had never met Tremaine, nor had Adam or any of the others save Seth and Saint, but his reputation preceded him. It was an open secret in the tight-knit community that Tremaine was not to be trusted, something Damien’s experience slammed home. The only question was whether the former admiral’s activities went beyond immoral and into illegal.
Lucian had no definitive proof, but Tremaine and people like him gave all mercenaries a black eye, and Lucian made it his personal mission to put guys like him out of business whenever he could. One look at Seth and Adam, and he knew they felt the same.
“Pack your Speedo, kid,” Adam said, snickering at Seth.
“At least I can still get into one, old man,” Seth shot back.
Adam looked momentarily wounded, but couldn’t keep up the facade and began to laugh.
“I’ll let both of you know what comes of it.”
Adam and Seth nodded and then stood, walking out of the conference room trading barbs.
Lucian gave himself a moment to laugh but then began to look over the file. This would have been a great case to consult with Damien on, and exactly the kind of thing his brother would have loved. Even though Damien had stepped away from Silver Industries, giving Lucian control of day-to-day operations, he still remained chair of the board of trustees, and they’d always conferred about missions, as much as they could anyway.
But his brother was no longer himself, so that valuable resource was not open to him.
Lucian stood, turning over the Tremaine problem in his head.
That was unfortunate—he still missed his brother’s insight and experience, but he and the team would get the job done no matter what.
A moment later there was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Lucian said.
There was a fifty-fifty chance of who the visitor would be, and Lucian couldn’t decide which would be the better option.
Sloan, who had worked for him for years and was great at her job and wonderful to have around, or Cassandra, who would no doubt have come to harangue him about some subject or another, piss him off, and at the same time, remind him he was alive.
Last week had only added another layer of complication. He’d touched her, had let her touch him, would have fucked her until neither of them could move if he’d been prepared.
He hadn’t been, and
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