Renegade (Ministry of Paranormal Research & Defence) Read Online Free PDF

nowhere and starts flirting with the lot of us. She was fairly stunning, so we didn't mind. Anyway, end of the night, Jack announces he's taking Kim—that was her name, Kim—home because a gentleman always makes sure a lady is safe. To this day I don't know who jumped who, but somebody did. It don't really matter, it was clear she was game for it. Jack told us all about it the next day. Well, what he could remember, that is.”
    Everyone was listening intently. I didn't think much of hearing about my man's former conquests, but I didn't want to spoil it.
    “So, couple of days later we see Kim again. Only now she's dressed far more conservatively and she's walking around the base on the arm of the base Commanding Officer. It was his wife!”
    “ No!” said Joanne, clapping her hands over her mouth.
    I joined in with the laughter. That was so Jack.
    “ Want to go one better?” said Chris. “When we were in Germany he caught the attention of a pretty blonde WRAF corporal and had a one-night stand. He didn't find out 'till months later that the cute little thing in Royal Air Force blue was their daughter.”
    “ The C.O. And his wife? No fucking way!” said Danny. “Shit, Jack never just fucks up, does he?”
    “ Okay, I think I can top that,” said Dave. “What about that time with the Chinook and the tank?”
     
     

    C HAPTER
    6
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Every round of laughter from the group made me cringe. I didn't have to work hard to imagine the kind of things they were telling Marie over there.
    “Don't worry,” said Ben, the barman, and a former Marine. “You only have ten minutes left.”
    “ Whose dumb idea was this?” I groaned, staring into my half-empty cup of coffee.
    “ Some fool who wasn't already married, like me, and who never actually thought he'd get married,” he said, topping up my cup.
    “ Me, in other words.”
    “ Too right. You've got no-one to blame but yourself.”
    “ It's not like I'm even getting married,” I protested.
    “ Well, you did it for Dave and Paul, back when same-sex marriage wasn't legal, so I don't think you could use that as an excuse, pal.”
    “ Fuck. Is Danny telling her about that time in Saudi?”
    “ Given the gestures he's using,” he said, pausing for a round of laughter, “I'd say he's telling them now.”
    He turned to Fiona, his one and only barmaid.
    “You wanna look after our kid here? Make sure he doesn't slit his wrists or anything?”
    “ Where are you going?” I asked suspiciously.
    “ I'm going to tell your lady about that time in High Wycombe with Bronk's lizard.”
    “ Bastard,” I said as he walked away.
    “ You asked for it, Jack,” said Fiona.
    “ I know.”
    “ Look on the bright side,” she said. “She looks like a winner and she hasn't bolted for the door, yet.”
    “ Yet,” I said.
    Fiona busied herself around the bar and I sipped my coffee. They were both right, the pre-nuptial roast had been my idea when Danny had got engaged to Joanne, so I really couldn't complain.
    “What's the story with Bronk's lizard?” asked Fiona.
    I sighed and shook my head.
    “We crashed at a friend's house on our way to points east. I was sleeping in his spare room.”
    I was interrupted by Ben giving a girly scream.
    “And that's the sound I made when I woke up to find this bloody great three-foot long lizard sitting on my bed and just looking at me the way lizards do. Bugger had a stuffed lizard and put it on my pillow for a joke.”
    She laughed and shook her head.
    “You're just lucky you didn't shit yourself.”
    “ It was close,” I admitted. “Not a nice way to wake up.”
    “ Uh oh,” she said. “Looks like someone just asked how many women around the table you've slept with.”
    “ I'm not bothered about that. It's just Marie.”
    “ Really, so why did Zoe put her hand up?”
    I turned to look. Zoe was talking and blushing, Marie was giving me a frosty look. And so was