Page 37 of Covert Mission
As I sip the water, I angle myself into a spot where I can watch Beast.
He’s standing guard by the front of our tent.
The scowl on his face is enough to scare most people off. The insane amount of muscles probably does the rest.
Or the gun in his waistband.
It’s covered by his shirt, but I know it’s there. The casual observer would never see it.
I don’t think anything could get by the man.
My heart trips up when I think about Beast carrying me.
He’s strong. In a serious way.
Beast says something to Justice. His scowl deepens. The conversation goes on for a bit. It must be about their missing person case.
Unease slithers through me as I walk back toward Belle.
Little towns like Santa Rosa don't look dangerous at first glance. But the country is unstable. I knew before I came. Was I being foolish this morning or just too eager to do my job?
I shiver. It could have been really bad.
They took me off guard. It won’t happen again.
That kind of mistake isn’t like me. I can’t fail. Life doesn’t pay off for slackers. You can never let your foot off the gas.
I give myself a shake and hop off the box.
Belle startles when I approach.
“Spooked?”
“Yeah,” she says with a grimace as she accepts three water bottles. “I guess I am.”
“I’m going to take a few moments to call headquarters about getting some security for us.”
“Besides hot daddy over there…”
I snort. “Daddy?Didn’t know you were into that kind of fetish.”
“For him, I could be into anything.”
I allow myself a quick look at Beast. He’s hot, I’ll give him that. Ruggedly handsome. There’s something about him… I can’t put my finger on it. A danger…
“Earth to Camile.”
I snap back. “I’d never call a man Daddy.”
“You just haven’t met the right one.”
She fans her face with a notebook. After watching him for a beat, she signs. “What’s his name?”
“Oh yeah, get this. Beast is his name.”
“That’s his call sign. Most military men have them.”
I toss a plastic bottle cap at her. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” As I fish around under the table for the stray cap with my foot, I say, “He doesn’t seem to want to share his real name.”