Free Net Force by Tom Clancy Page A

it’s a teacher work day. You want to talk to her?”
        Michaels suddenly remembered that Toni was there in the garage. He flicked a glance in her direction, but she had squatted down next to the Prowler and was looking at the front struts. The pants she wore pulled tight across her tight rear end. He looked away. It was not something he should be noticing while talking to his daughter.
        “No, I’ll talk to her later, hon. Give her my love.”
        “I will. When are you coming out to visit, Dadster?”
        “Soon, baby, soon as I can get loose.”
        “Got a crisis, huh?”
        For a moment, he wondered how she knew that. But she didn’t let it lie very long. “That’s what Mom said, you got a crisis, why you couldn’t come to my party. She said you always got a crisis.”
        “That’s the truth, baby. Never a dull moment.”
        “I gotta go. I just heard the microwave go off, so the waffles are done. I love you, Dadster.”
        “I love you, too, Susie. Say hello to your mom for me.”
        “Bye!”
        He hung up. He missed her. Missed Megan, too, even though the divorce had become final more than three years ago. It hadn’t been his idea to split up. Even after the decree, he’d still had hope. Somehow, they’d get together, work things out…
        He turned his attention back to Toni, who had come up from her squat and was now leaning over the engine compartment, looking inside. He moved to stand next to her. “My daughter,” he said.
        “How’d she like the skates?” Toni said.
        He blinked at her as she leaned back from the car and looked at him. “ You sent them?”
        “I-well, yeah. You were up to your eyeballs in things, so-yeah. I hope that wasn’t out of line.”
        He shook his head. “Not at all. You saved my butt. I can’t believe I forgot. Her mother would have never let me live it down. Thank you, Toni.”
        “I’m still your assistant,” she said. “My job is to make you look good.”
        Well. He had hired her because of her credentials, and she’d been very good at her job. But she was proving to be a lot more than that.
        He became aware they were standing only half a meter apart. She was an attractive woman, she smelled clean and fresh and he wanted to hug her. But he was her boss, after all, and he was afraid the hug might be misinterpreted. Especially given that his feeling right at that moment wasn’t exactly platonic.
         Oh ? his little inner voice said. Maybe you’re really afraid a hug won’t be misinterpreted at all, hey ? What if she likes it ?
        He suddenly felt the need to wipe his hands again. He turned, took a couple of steps and grabbed a fresh shop rag. “So, what’s up?”
        
        Toni felt a stab of disappointment. She had felt the heat in him, thought for just a moment he might reach out to her, literally, and her breath had caught in anticipation. Yes. Yes, do it!
        But-no. Instead, Alex turned away from her and began wiping his already clean hands on a cloth. Became all business again.
        Damn. She had a sudden flash of fantasy-lying with him right here, making passionate love in this wild purple car of his.
        Wishful thinking, Toni.
        Still, it had definitely been a good thing to have sent that birthday present to his daughter. His gratitude had been real enough. She felt that, too.
        “You want the bad news? Or the worse news?”
        “God.”
        
         Thursday, September 16th, 7:50 a.m. Quantico
        “Colonel? I think maybe you ought to saddle up,” Michaels said.
        “Sir?” John Howard sat forward in his office chair, his back suddenly straight and tense.
        “According to a coded message intercepted by CIA listening post at the U.S. embassy in the Ukraine, a physical attack is planned on the station there, likely in the next few days. We’d like two things. One, you take a platoon or so of your