Free Inferno by Adriana Noir

stop contenting ourselves with comfortable and start reaching for the heights we are capable of, gentlemen.”
    Sebastian’s eyes locked with Vince’s across the table. His heartbeat throbbed in his temples and his stomach clenched. It took a vast amount of effort to still the tremble of anxiety racing through him as he listened to Marx’s deep voice drone in his ears.
    “Our field operations and outdoor training will expand. I realize this means more time and energy on your behalves, but the end results will be worth the cost. We have new equipment coming in that will aid in this process and perhaps add some enjoyment and variety to the experience as well.”
    “What do you mean by expansion?” Bradley asked.
    Sebastian studied the man. It wasn’t often his stocky teammate spoke up, and he couldn’t help but wonder about the sudden show of interest. Bradley’s usual M.O. was to lay low and cling to the adage that out of sight meant out of mind. Until now, that course of action had worked fairly well. Unfortunately, all traces of anonymity had just faded. As far as Sebastian was concerned, the man had just painted a glaring bull’s eye on his back. His eyes narrowed.
    “For starters, we will be branching out more within your local communities. There’s been some new rules and regulations passed regarding the Patriot Act, and I see no reason why we can’t lend our local agencies a hand in seeing that these laws are being enforced.”
    The bacon and egg croissant he’d scarfed down for breakfast threatened to reemerge. So did the steady stream of coffee he’d been ingesting all morning. Clenching his jaw, Sebastian fought against the rise of gorge in the base of his throat. Community action was a swift and decisive step in the wrong direction, and he couldn’t help but wonder what that would mean for the unsuspecting civilians around them. It was all happening too fast. The entire situation was spiraling completely out of control.
    His troubled gaze swung to Marx as the director stood. His bulk cast a looming shadow across the table and the bold details of the skull and cross bone insignia burnt into the wood. Sebastian swallowed, not missing the ironic symbolism in the moment.
    “Keep me updated, gentlemen. Enjoy your weekends.”
    The thought almost made him laugh. Rising to his feet took effort. Catching his eyes, Josh offered an amenable shrug.
    “Could have been worse,” he stated.
    “I’m not so sure about that.”
    “Come on, Baas. Expansion. New shit. A stronger community awareness and presence. What’s not to like? Maybe our pay will bump up a few scales as well.”
    He studied his partner for a long moment as the rest of the team filed through the doors. The dread that settled over his chest was almost suffocating. Pushing his chair back in, he searched his partner’s eyes.
    “We make more than enough as it is, Josh,” he stated softly.
    “Yeah. I know that, Baas. I was just trying to look at the bright side of things here.”
    He nodded and trailed a finger over the stitching adorning the back of the leather chair. “Do you really see SKALS branching through the community and doing door to door sweeps as a good thing?” he asked, without lifting his gaze.
    A hesitant pause lingered between them as Josh thought things over. Sighing, he raked a hand through his dark hair and shrugged. “Look. I don’t know what the right answer here is, Baas. What I do know is we’ve been trained to follow orders without raising questions. Going against that now isn’t going to do either one of us any good.”
    “You know what we are, Josh. You know what we do.”
    “Yeah…I get that. But this isn’t about everyone else. It’s about protecting ourselves and our families.” Backing toward the door, Josh cast his arms open. “It seems like a pretty simple choice if you ask me.”
    He stared after his partner for a long moment before lowering his head with a sorrowful shake. Josh was right. It should