Page 26 of Her Selfless Warrior (Omega Sky)
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The call came justas Kostya was pulling up to the Hilton the next morning.
“Kostya, where are you?” Simon Clark said by way of greeting. That was not good.
“Atlantic Avenue,” Kostya said, not wanting to tell him the Hilton. It would bring up too many questions.
“Get to base as fast as you can. You’ve got half your team in that fucking training thing with the Marines, right?”
Kostya drove past the valet and whipped his Bronco back out the driveway to Atlantic Avenue.
“Not half, only six. Gideon’s with me.”
“Thank fuck.” Kostya heard the relief in Simon’s voice. “We’ve got a problem. Get everyone to the ready room, STAT.”
Before he could even say yes, Kostya was met with a dial tone.
He took one more longing look at the Hilton in his rearview mirror and stepped on the gas. He figured nine miles over the speed limit shouldn’t get him pulled over. He depressed the call button on his phone and called out Lark’s name.
“If you’re running late, that’s good. I am too,” Lark said as she answered the phone.
“I wish it were that simple, Honey. I’m not going to be able to visit with you and Carys. As a matter of fact, it’s wheels up for me and the team and I don’t know when I’ll be back in town.”
“That’s an immediate thing, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, I’m not going to ask any questions, even though that goes against the journalist code.” Her laugh was half-hearted.
“I appreciate that.”
“Can I tell you to stay safe?”
“I would appreciate that too.”
“Stay safe, Kostya, I mean it. I’ve decided I want another kiss.”
He stopped at the red light and smiled.
“You do realize I didn’t promise to stop at just a kiss next time.”
He saw the crosswalk light counting down; he needed to text his team.
“I get the feeling you know how to play things by the seat of your pants. We’ll figure it out as we go along.”
“Yeah, I guess we will,” he agreed.
“I mean it, Kostya, you and all of your team—you get back here with every single hair in place, you got it?”
She was a fierce little thing.
“I hear you. I’ve got to go, Honey.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
She hung-up.
He scrolled through his phone and went to the group text for his team and typed in three short words before the light changed.
