Alpha One Read Online Free PDF Page B

black dress that skimmed her curves, as she bent and placed a red rose on her father’s closed casket.
    No one had been able to glimpse the body—folks didn’t need to witness the sight left after a gunshot blast to the head.
    His team had been with Juliana for the past four days. They’d stood guard, making sure that she returned to Jackson, Mississippi, without any further incident. Once in town, his team had taken over a group of rooms at a local hotel. He’d insisted that Juliana stay at the hotel, too, so that his team could keep a better eye on her. At first, she’d balked, but he hadn’t backed down. His instincts had been screaming at him, and Logan hadn’t wanted to let Juliana out of his sight.
    He’d expected her to cry at the news of her father’s death. After all that she’d been through, she was entitled to her tears.
    She hadn’t cried once.
    Her back was too straight as she walked away from the casket. Mourners began to file past her. One after the other. All offering their condolences and stopping to give her a hug or a pat on the shoulder.
    Logan watched from his position underneath the sweeping branches of a magnolia tree. The fresh scent of the magnolias was in the air. That scent had reminded him of her. The first time they’d kissed, they’d been under a magnolia tree. It had been raining.
    She’d trembled against him.
    “You know what we have to do,” Gunner said from beside him.
    Logan spared him a glance. Gunner’s gaze was on Juliana, his face tense. Gunner was the quiet type, quiet but deadly. A Spanish father and a Native American mother had given him dark gold skin and the instincts of a hunter. He’d been trained early on a reservation, learned to hunt and stalk prey at his grandfather’s knee. A lethal SOB, Gunner was one of the few people on earth who Logan actually called friend. He was also the best SEAL sniper that Logan had ever met.
    “Knowing it and liking it...” Logan said with a sigh and tried to force his tense body to relax. “Those are two very different things.” But the orders had come down from high above. There wasn’t a choice on this one.
    With the senator out of the picture, Juliana was now their key to cracking Guerrero.
    She’d created the sketches for them. Of Guerrero’s goons and of the man she’d called John. Perfect sketches that had even included slight moles on some of the men. Her artist’s eyes had noted their every feature. Juliana truly was a perfect witness.
    One that Guerrero would never let escape.
    It was the picture of John Gonzales that intrigued Logan and his men the most. An innocent man, or so Juliana claimed. Another hostage who’d been taken and tortured by Guerrero.
    Except John Gonzales wasn’t listed as missing in any database. He wasn’t turning up in any intel from the CIA or the FBI. As far as they were concerned, John Gonzales didn’t exist.
    “You think Guerrero’s gonna make a hit on her?” Gunner asked as his gaze swept the crowd.
    They weren’t there to pay respects to the senator. Neither of them had respected Aaron James worth a damn. They were there for guard duty.
    The mission wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
    “The boss does.” Because Logan wasn’t the man in control at the EOD. But this time, he agreed. Every instinct Logan had screamed that Juliana wasn’t clear, not yet.
    She had to be here today, though. Senator James was being laid to rest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t taking his demons with him.
    The crowd began to clear away. It was a high-profile funeral, with government officials spilling out for their photo ops. Lots of plainclothes security were scattered around, even some folks Logan recognized from the Secret Service.
    In particular, he’d noticed that two men and one woman in black suits stayed close to Juliana. On-loan protection. Those three were so obvious, but maybe that was the point. The Secret Service liked to be in-your-face some days.
    “You really up for what you’ll