Hearths of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

She was happy to see that she had his attention. “You want to cut to the chase?”
    “I like a man who’s direct. As much as I’d like to sum this up within three words and be on my way, it’s not that simple.” Catori nodded toward the building. “Mind if we go inside where the sun won’t bake us both to death?”
    “This?” Trigger said with a laugh, looking up toward the sky. “This ain’t nothin’.”
    That Southern charm and the offhanded comments of his would come in handy, especially if the team were engaged in an intimate conflict. This type of carefree attitude could sometimes defuse a hostile situation. Then again it could also be used in a wrong manner, leading to disarray. It was Catori’s place to make the call if he knew how and when to talk himself out of precarious situations.
    “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not go over my proposition outside in the heat.” Catori studied him and caught the interest he had in her statement. Crest had added a personal note on Trigger’s profile stating that he was a professional at maintaining his cool in hostage situations, having proven himself time and again within a Special Operations Unit within the Marines. He was a thirty-one year old man and his calm demeanor was something she wanted for the team. “I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
    Trigger considered her offer, showing the patience that had been instilled within him from childhood. His background stated that his parents were still married and lived in the same house that they had raised their family in. His father was a manager of the local bank while Trigger’s mother had stayed at home to take care of her children. Dixon’s sister was married with two school-aged children and lived in the same neighborhood where she was raised. It was an all American family that had written to Trigger regularly and had always been there to greet him upon arriving back into the States. When he nodded, she knew that she’d garnered his attention enough to hear the rest of what she had to say.
    Catori warily looked at the dog as she took a step forward, but Diesel seemed unaffected now that Trigger had given him a command. Diesel was Mac’s dog, from what the waitress had said at the diner. He shouldn’t be a problem going forward. She’d seen K-9s do wonderful things out in the field, but there wasn’t a place for him on her team. She would have sworn she heard laughter in the light breeze that suddenly kicked up, causing the dust at her feet to rise as she continued to follow Trigger around the back of the building.
    “Can I offer you something to drink?” Trigger asked, motioning toward an old vending machine that had just as much grime on it as everything else in the garage. She honestly didn’t care about the dirt, having slept some nights in places people wouldn’t walk in during the daytime. If he thought this place would make her uncomfortable, she was looking forward to proving him wrong. Unfortunately there wasn’t any air conditioning, but at least they were out of the sun. “I think the expiration dates are still good on those cans.”
    “No, thank you.” Catori smirked and shook her head, indicating that she was fine for now. They continued to the front where she’d seen the disorganized office, which did strike a nerve. Her work place was clean, efficient, and damn well organized. No wonder this place wasn’t a booming business. It didn’t even look like Mac owned a computer. “May I?”
    Catori gestured toward the only guest chair, with its torn leather and rusted metal back. Trigger swiped a magazine off of the surface and continued around the desk until he took up residence in the larger rolling chair that had definitely seen better days. Once they were seated, he looked pointedly at her. It was clear that he felt he didn’t need to start the conversation.
    “I’ll make this simple. Your skill as a close combat operator is required to round out