Free Emma: Part Three by Lolita Lopez Page A

didn’t even want to think about how vulnerable she had been when ill.
    She has us now. We’ll take care of her. He started compiling a mental list of all the cold weather gear she would need. He’d be damned if she spent one minute of the coming winter in anything but comfort. They had promised to keep her safe and provide for her, and he was determined to make good on those vows.
    Two steps into his command post, Max halted and scowled when he spotted Rio Gomez Adamson perched on the desk of the logistical specialist who kept his office running smoothly. This little troublemaker had wreaked more havoc than Max had ever imagined possible. Hell, she’d even attempted to take a helicopter for a joyride once!
    His clerk was nowhere to be seen. Undoubtedly, Rio had cooked up some errand for the young man who had probably scampered off like a puppy to complete it for her. Now that she had blossomed into a strikingly beautiful young woman, Rio had single cyborgs panting after her. Only the knowledge that Eve would have their balls in a vise for trying to seduce Rio kept the men at bay. Jace’s claim to her only complicated the matter.
    Max dreaded the day that Rio announced she was ready to find a mate or two. There would be a bloody street brawl for her hand.
    “Off the desk!” Max barked, not at all in the mood for her shenanigans today.
    “Yes, sir!” she offered an emphasized salute as she jumped to her feet and followed him into his office.
    He started to strip his gear and stow it in the locker in the corner of his room. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced back at her and asked, “What do you want, kid?”
    She glared at him for that kid remark. “I went to see your lady this morning.”
    Max groaned inwardly at the thought of Emma becoming friendly with Rio. After meeting Leila Keaton he could spot the similarities between the two young women. Rio had always made it clear that she wanted a sibling, and now she had the perfect big sister within reach. He didn’t even want to think about the kind of trouble Rio might cook up with Emma as her sidekick.
    “You can thank me later for making her breakfast and keeping her company,” Rio continued. “But right now you might want to hustle over to Building Twelve before the SICO squad tears into her—”
    Max stopped yanking on the Velcro attached to his thigh holster and spun around to face Rio. “What?”
    “Some asshole from the SICO team damn near beat down your front door this morning,” she said. “I had to fight him off when he tried to force himself inside your house. Thankfully Gray got there in time, but—”
    “Adam is with her?” Max cut in, his heart in his throat as he imagined Emma with the shadowy men who worked in intelligence.
    “I tried to stay, but General Gage threw me out of the building.”
    Max’s pulse sprinted. His earlier discussion with Jake seemed almost prescient now. “Gage is here ? At Outpost 9?”
    She nodded. “Weird, right? Mom goes out of town for a few days and suddenly SICO shows up? Some coincidence, huh”
    “Hardly,” he muttered. Storming to the door, he paused briefly and looked back at her. She was the biggest pain in the ass he’d ever met—but she had a good heart. “Thank you for visiting Emma this morning.”
    She shrugged. “I need a friend, and I thought she could use one, too.”
    “Yes, I’m sure she could.” He gestured to the door. “Now get the hell out of my office and get back to your duty station.”
    She rolled her eyes and sauntered out of his office. He locked the door to his office, and still wearing his gear, sprinted toward Building Twelve. Part of the jail complex, the building sat away from the others and required four different security checks before entrance could be granted. Fuming at the ridiculous red tape bullshit, Max peeled out of his gear and thrust it at the first guard so he could get through the weapons check. By the fourth guard and locked gate, he was on the verge of