06 Double Danger Read Online Free PDF Page B

given up yet. Sons of bitches tried to destroy it for a reason.”
    The elevator doors slid open, revealing a large reception area, another ploy to fool students who somehow managed to make it this far. Of course, entering here was a sure ticket straight to Avery’s office. Besides serving as A-Tac’s commander, he was also the dean of students, and his reputation as a hard-ass, in both incarnations, was well earned.
    Harrison slapped his palm against the bust of Aaron Thomas, a Revolutionary War hero who served as A-Tac’s unofficial mascot. A spy for the American side,he’d also been a political philosopher of the day and, as such, a teacher. And in that way, his life and times served to mirror the twin objectives of A-Tac.
    A section of the far wall slid open, and the two men walked through the opening into the heart of the beast, so to speak. Harrison grinned. “Hannah always says it reminds her of the bat cave.”
    “Well, you’ve got to admit, we’ve got a lot of the trappings,” she said, appearing at the doorway to the war room. Hannah Marshall was the unit’s intel officer. Her glasses today were a deep magenta, a contrast to the purple streaks in her spiky hair. “We were just wondering if you guys had found something better to do.”
    She linked arms with Harrison, pulling him over to the large table that dominated the center of the room. At the front, Avery stood deep in conversation with Nash, his expression grim. Simon wondered what had the big man so upset. It had to be something pretty damn serious. He’d learned over the past year that nothing much fazed Avery.
    On the right side of the table, Tyler sat next to Drake, the two of them laughing at something, the light glinting off Tyler’s hair. The sight triggered the memory of J.J. standing in scrubs, blue eyes wide as she recognized him. Then, like some kind of montage, his mind moved to another picture, a younger J.J., lips swollen from his kisses, her sweet breath fanning across his face.
    He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he moved to the opposite side of the table, feeling, as usual, like the outsider. It was stupid. He’d been through hell with these people. But in their line of work, friendship came at too big a cost. It was a lesson learned in the heat of battle and not easily forgotten.
    When it came to an operation, he’d give everything he had, but no matter how much he liked the people he worked with, it was safer to keep them at arm’s length. The price for anything more was just too damn high.
    He dropped down into a seat. Hannah and Harrison had moved to the front of the table, both opening laptops. The room had several computer stations around the periphery and a large screen above Avery’s head on the far wall. There were monitors built into the table as well, the room’s equipment state of the art.
    Nash joined Simon on his side of the table, frowning across it at Drake. “I’ve got to say you’re not looking too good.”
    “No shit.” Drake sighed. “Truth is, I haven’t slept in two weeks. Doctor says it’s teething.” Drake and his wife, Madeline, had a six-month-old, Brianna—named in honor of Harrison’s sister. “I love my daughter more than I ever could have imagined, but, I’ll be honest, I think I’d be better off bunking somewhere else for the duration.”
    “Like eighteen years?” Nash smiled with a fatalistic shrug. “Trust me, it’s worth the pain. I’d give anything to have had those early days with Adam.”
    “Yeah, I know. I’m just blowing hot air. Although I have to say I’m not sorry Madeline and Bree are off to California to visit Alexis.” Alexis was Tucker’s wife. The two of them spent most of their time in Redlands although they had a house here at Sunderland too.
    “Yeah, Annie and Adam were stoked about the trip, too,” Nash acknowledged. “Although I think the promise of going to an Angels game played a large part in Adam’s excitement.”
    “Hey, what can I