Take Over at Midnight (The Night Stalkers) by Buchman M. L

Author:Buchman, M. L. [Buchman, M. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2013-12-02T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

“Okay, y’all. You’re free to go.” Major Henderson kept his wife clutched close by his side.

Lola didn’t need to see anything more to know that Emily Beale had picked a good man. He looked as if he were about to explode with pride and protectiveness and a dozen other conflicting emotions.

Since they’d just broken the news to all of both crews, whether intentionally or not, and they’d all seen the wonder and joy cross his features, it didn’t matter exactly what he showed to them anymore. Not one of them would ever question that he was the most competent commander any of them would ever have, or that he loved his wife with his whole heart.

“Stay in the D.C. area and keep your pagers on.” Henderson was clearly trying to pretend his entire world hadn’t just changed. He wasn’t fooling anyone, except maybe himself.

Lola didn’t try to hide her smile.

“Stone sober. If you drink wine with dinner, it better be a half glass, watered down.” He looked down at his wife. “And you don’t get any at all.”

His voice a caress as gentle as a breeze, a voice Lola had never heard except in the movies. It completely stole her breath away to hear it in real life.

Henderson’s voice shifted back into commander mode as he finally found enough rudder to get control of it. “Be ready to scramble on a couple hours’ notice. We could be on hold a day, we could be a week. We could be shipped back to the front.”

Not much of a bet on that last one, and Lola could see that no one else thought it likely either. Come war or peace, they were wrapped up in this particular mission until it reached the end.

“Couple of vans out front can take us into town once we shed our gear. What’s today’s date?”

“April 1st,” Connie offered in that inflectionless voice of hers.

Henderson nodded once solidly.

“April Fools’ Day,” Lola couldn’t resist pointing out. Tim grinned at her. Clearly about to say it himself. Fellow in crime.

Henderson started to nod again, then twitched. He spun to face his wife as she burst out laughing.

“You wouldn’t—” His tone threatened dire consequences.

“No! No!” She covered her mouth to block her mirth at the random chance of it.

After a few more chuckles at Henderson’s discomfiture, everyone started drifting off to grab their civvie gear. Trading flight suits for street clothes, combat boots for some nice leather with decent heels, sidearms for wallets with cash, and digging out their cell phones. About the only things to survive the transition from soldier to civilian were dog tags and sunglasses.

“We are one damn fine-looking crew,” Crazy Tim remarked as they spilled out of the hangar into the light of the rising dawn.

“Even if you have to be the one to say so.”

Tim nodded at Lola’s riposte. But it was true. The level of fitness made them all fine specimens. And they were a handsome lot. Lola didn’t mind being included in the group for one moment.

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