AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Graham chuckled. “Always were a complainer, Kaholo.”
“Hey now,” he protested in mock offense. “There’s a fine line between whining and constructive feedback.”
“Feedback my hind end.” Graham’s comeback was as swift as it was legendary.
The cabin door creaked open wider and a woman stepped out, arms wrapped around herself against the cold. This was Graham’s daughter?
She was stunning—smooth mocha skin, a cloud of dark curly hair. But she wore sleek workout clothes more about fashion than function, with thin sneakers no good for snow. Not at all what Tai expected.
The woman eyed Tai warily. He nodded in greeting, but her responding smile was fleeting. She turned to her father, tone brittle.
“Where are we going, exactly?”
Graham gestured to the idling helicopter. “Back to the team’s ranch. You’ll be safe there.”
She crossed her arms. “You didn’t think to discuss this plan with me first?”
Tai bristled. She’d called them for help, now she was complaining?
“I made a command decision,” Graham explained. “She’s not used to the chain of command yet.”
The gunny’s response earned him a quick glare from the woman.
Graham met Tai’s gaze and gave a nearly imperceptible shrug. “We best get on the road,” he said and gestured at the pile of luggage just inside the door. Tai hefted the largest suitcases, leaving Graham to shoulder the small go-bag.
“What about tracking Victor?” the woman asked, tone edged with impatience.
“One thing at a time,” Graham explained evenly. “Your safety is priority one. This psycho is priority two.”
She huffed, breath clouding the air. “And I don’t get a say in this plan?”
Graham paused, clearly considering his words. “We’re not in a court of law, love. This creep who’s after you doesn’t play by normal rules.”
The woman shifted from foot to foot, glaring at the helo the whole time. Tai could tell she was trying to contain herself, not that it worked.
“This was not my best idea,” she muttered just loud enough for her father to hear.
With a nearly imperceptible eye roll, Graham motioned his daughter toward the idling helicopter. “Best we get moving before this storm worsens.”
The brittle set of her shoulders as she climbed aboard ratcheted Tai’s annoyance higher. Going to be a long flight.
Bridger gave him a commiserating look as Tai donned his headset. “Trouble?”
“You have no idea.”
“At least she’s pretty to look at,” Bridger murmured.
Tai grimaced. “Keep your eyes on the skies, Romeo.”
Bridger just laughed as they lifted off, headed away from the snowy peaks.
Tai envied his friend’s sense of humor. His seemed to have deserted him.
After ensuring that Graham and his daughter were strapped in, Tai settled back in his seat and tried to shrug off her bad first impression.
From what Graham told them about this Zhezhnov creep, she was lucky to be alive. That was enough to sour anyone’s mood. Besides, he owed Gunny more than he could ever repay. Babysitting the man’s irritating daughter would hardly put a dent in his debt.
8
