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A man appeared from inside the house. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Rapp watched him move across the porch. The man swiveled his head to the left and then right in a casual ma
CHAPTER 2
RAPP looked through the bug-splattered windshield at the ball-buster he’d been warned about. Even from across the yard he could see the displeased look on the guy’s face. He had medium-length brown hair swept to the right and a full Tom Selleck mustache. He was in a pair of faded olive shorts that were a little on the small side and a white V-neck T-shirt. As the car came to a stop Rapp noted the faded black combat boots and white tube socks that were pulled all the way up to his knees. His skin was a leathery, dark brown and all of it, even his cheeks, seemed tightly wound with muscles and tendons. Rapp wondered about the eyes that were conveniently concealed behind a pair of sunglasses. He thought about his plan, and he figured he’d find out soon enough.
“How old is he?” Rapp asked.
“Not sure,” Ke
Ke
Stan Hurley glanced down at Ke
Hurley was well aware that he had almost no control over his temper, so it was his habit to keep things brief when he was upset and talking with someone he liked. He said simply, “Afternoon, Irene.”
Ke
Hurley ignored her question and pointedly asked, “Who’s in the car?”
“New recruit. Thomas told me he filled you in.” Ke
Hurley’s eyes were shielded by the polarized lenses of his aviators. His head slowly swiveled away from the car toward Ke
Ke
“Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“I don’t run a damn Boy Scout camp.”
“Never said you did, Stan,” Ke
“Then why the hell are you wasting my time sending me some titty-boy college puke who doesn’t know the difference between a gun and a rifle?”
The normally stoic Ke
Hurley looked down at her and could see she was unhappy with him. He didn’t like that one bit. It was the same with his own daughters. If one of his boys had so much as looked at him sideways he would have knocked him on his ass, but the girls had the ability to get past all his defenses. Get inside him and create doubt. Still, on this issue, he knew he was right, so he held his ground. “Don’t make this personal, Irene. I’ve been at this a long time, and I know what I’m doing. I don’t need you going over my head and then coming down here and dumpin’ some untested rookie in my lap.”
Ke
Hurley took a drag from his cigarette and said, “I think you should save us all the headache and get back in your car and take him back to wherever you found him.”
Ke
The veteran backed up a bit, obviously uncomfortable with someone whom he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on entering his personal space. “I got a lot of work to take care of this afternoon, Irene, so the sooner you get back in the car, the better off we’ll all be.”
Ke
“That’s not what this is—”
“It’s exactly what it’s about. What have I done to you that has caused you to hold me in such low regard?” She inched closer.
Hurley’s feet began to shuffle. His face twisted into a scowl. “You know I think the world of you.”
“Then why do you treat me as if I’m still a teenager?”
“I don’t think you’re incompetent.”
“You just think I should stick to analysis and leave the recruiting and training to you.”
He cleared his throat and said, “I think that’s a fair statement.”
Ke
The request caught Hurley off guard. “Why?”
“Because I know your Achilles’ heel, and I want to see your womanizing eyes when I tell you what someone should have told you a long time ago.”
Hurley cracked a smile in an attempt to brush her off, but she told him again to take his glasses off. Hurley reluctantly did so.
“I respect you,” Ke
“What’s that?”
“You’re myopic.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I’m not sure you really understand the type of person we’re looking for.”
Hurley scoffed as if the idea was preposterous.
“That’s right, and you’re too stubborn to see it.”
“I suppose you think the Special Operations Group just showed up one day. Who do you think trained all those guys? Who do you think selected them? Who do you think turned them into the efficient, badass killing machines that they are?”