The Commander Read Online Free PDF Page A

his rough exterior, but after yesterday’s events, he felt more vulnerable than in his entire life.
    He was desperate for help but unsure how to move forward. Anything he did might entail some unforgivable mistake that would doom humanity. The realization made him angry. Not at anyone in particular, but at the situation, and for sure, he was plenty mad at Sam.
    “I would… Sorry, I don’t know your last name.”
    “Daniels.”
    “Miss Daniels. I would say Linda’s decision on how much time she spends at the airport is her business. She understands the circumstances of my limited ability to provide her with income and has always, at least to my knowledge, been quite satisfied.
    “ Regarding my current personnel requirements, it is possible that the right person would put me in a position to do a little more for the town in general and Linda in particular. If you’re not interested, not a problem.”
    The silence between them lasted only seconds before it was broken by the irrepressible Rosanne. “Annabelle Theodora Daniels! Why are you giving Mr. Luke a hard time? He’s offering you a job, girl. Just yesterday you were in here whining about how you hate the thought of going back to that Deutsche Banque outfit. What’s the matter with you?”
    The change in Annie’s demeanor was dramatic. She was no longer a strong woman but a reprimanded adolescent.
    “Sorry, Mr. Blackburn,” she said meekly. “I guess I’m a bit touchy because of Grandma. I would be happy to know more about your position.” She looked over at Rosanne for approval.
    The ice was broken and everyone stopped frowning. Luke paid for both of their breakfasts and asked Annie to accompany him to the airport with a quick stop at the local You-Lock-It storage place on Main Street.
    “She would love to,” Rosanne answered forcefully.
    # # #
    Luke stood in front of unit 23 and checked both ways. With no one in sight he unlocked the clasp and lifted up the door.
    Annie gasped when she saw the stacks of gold bars. She gave Luke a blank stare for several seconds and then turned back to the interior of the garage unit. Luke saw that she was counting the pallets.
    “Jesus H. Christ,” she whispered. “You have this much gold and you’re keeping it in a storage unit? Are you insane?”
    “I keep it locked,” Luke replied weakly.
    “Well thank God for small favors.” She looked at the gleaming metal for a bit longer and then faced Luke. “Listen. Really. Thanks. I just… I’m only thirty-three years old and I don’t want to spend my life in prison. I’m not going to get involved in anything that’s illegal so why don’t you close the door and I’ll go back to Chicago? We’ll pretend this never happened.”
    Luke could see the growing fear in her expression. She was creating all sorts of improbable scenarios about how he had acquired so much gold. And all of her suspicions were off the mark.
    “Hang on,” he urged. “First, I promise you that there’s nothing illegal here that I know of. This came into my possession yesterday. If I prove to you that everything here is kosher, will you at least listen?”
    “I can’t imagine how anyone can legally have two billion dollars of gold in a storage unit.”
    “Five minutes,” Luke insisted. “Just give me five minutes, and if you’re not convinced, then fine; go back to Chicago or wherever you want. I’m as worried about this as you are, but I don’t know what to do.”
    While Annie was thinking about his response, Luke locked up the gold and opened the pickup’s passenger door. “Five minutes,” he said again. “Just a trip out to the airport and I promise you will understand.”
    She got into the pickup but never took her eyes off of him. He could almost see her mind spinning, trying to decide if she should scream or run, or both.
    Luke drove straight to the hangar and escorted her inside. He pulled out the key fob for the little spacecraft and opened the side door. The flashing