Hard Rain Falling (Walking in the Rain Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

return when they are ready to see the four of you.”
    I got the impression the sergeant didn’t like me, but that did not spread to the three young ladies in my company. He gave each one of them a reassuring nod and left. I wondered if he was still holding a grudge from me drawing down on him. Hey, I was just trying to sleep.
    I motioned for Amy to take a seat and the other two girls tittered as I pulled out the chair for her. Despite their laughter, I could tell the Thompson sisters were nervous about the upcoming meeting but Amy seemed unconcerned. She sat and went over a list from her breast pocket while we waited.
    “What’s that?” I asked.
    “Just some tallies from the inventory this morning. We didn’t get finished so I held on to the list until tomorrow. Did you know they still have land mines in storage here?”
    I blanched. Land mines were something I knew nothing about, but everything I’d ever read claimed they were bad news. Little kids were still getting blown up in Afghanistan from land mines left over from the Soviet occupation. Heck, my Dad said they lost a man from his company to one on his last deployment there. At first they thought it was Taliban or AQ, but the small mine field was confirmed to have been in the ground for decades. I said as much to the girls, feeling free to actually share something about my family without worrying about who was listening.
    “Well, these are going to be deployed here, no doubt. The colonel doesn’t have the manpower to guard every inch of the perimeter. Of course, he only has to bury a few and word will get around. He may not have to use them all.” Amy’s voice held a quiet kind of strength as she said the practical words.
    “That is an excellent idea, young lady,” said a voice from the door and I flushed scarlet. So much for my situational awareness. In my defense, Colonel Hotchkins struck me as a being very quiet when the situation required. I knew his background was in armor, but he could have been a scout.
    I jumped to my feet as the colonel pulled the door the rest of the way open to enter. The girls followed suit, more slowly, but I was watching the colonel as he led in a small group of officers and senior enlisted men. I recognized a major from his staff and two men in slightly different looking uniforms that I took to be representing the Oklahoma contingent. One, a tall black man with a closely shaved head, wore the insignia of a captain while the other man, a white guy in his early thirties with a receding hairline and glasses, was a staff sergeant.
    “Gentlemen, here are the young people I was telling you about. This is Luke, Amy, Lori, and Summer. Lori and Summer are the sisters from McAlester I’d mentioned.” The colonel made the introductions without looking at any notes and got all the names right. Of course, I was the only guy and Lori and Summer shared a look that made their relationship easy to figure out. That only left Amy to place.
    We exchanged handshakes with the Oklahoma Guard members and I thought Lori might have teared up a bit. I guessed the idea of finally going home was dawning on her. I could only imagine how terrifying it must have been. Being held against her will, and then sold as a sex slave only to be rescued by more strangers must have set her emotions on a roller coaster. Even the promise of help getting home to the rest of her family must have been fraught with concerns. Now, that reunion might be one step closer. I couldn’t read Summer at all but she clung to Lori’s hand like it was a life preserver.
    “Guys, this is Major George Jensen, my executive officer. These gentlemen are Captain Shane Vanderpool and Sergeant James Halloran. They are both attached to the Oklahoma City command. The captain’s convoy just arrived this evening and we were swapping a few stories. Luke, I was just sharing your story about how you recovered a piece of property rightfully belonging to the Oklahoma National Guard.”
    I colored