Free WAR: Disruption by Vanessa Kier

just keeping the well-manicured lawns so green would cost more than most locals made in a year.
    Following Kris’s instructions, he turned down a back lane until he reached the rear entrance to the safe house. Max punched in the security code and a moment later, the gates swung open on well-oiled hinges. Sensors turned on the outside lights as he parked in the attached garage to the two-story, hacienda style house.
    Max climbed out of the truck. Emily opened her door and started to stand, then sank back onto her seat with a low curse.
    “Em? What’s wrong?”
    “My feet hurt. Just…give me a second.”
    “Do you require assistance, my friend?” a voice called from the back door.
    “Rene.” Max whipped his head around in surprise. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    “Always a pleasure to meet you again, mon ami .” Dr. Rene LaSalle’s accent, a mix of Cameroonian and Parisian French, smoothed the bite in his comment as he walked down the stairs from the back door.
    “Sorry. That came out wrong. Good to see you, man. I thought you were working in The Democratic Republic of the Ivory Coast.” With his tight, short cornrows and his light brown skin, Rene could have passed for a reggae star. In reality, he was a traveling doctor who moved from conflict to conflict. Sort of like Doctors Without Borders, only Rene worked independently. He’d saved Max’s life a couple of times.
    “I was,” Rene said. “However, I just attended a conference here in New Accra that was an excellent opportunity to increase my knowledge of infectious diseases while also gathering information.”
    Right. As Max’s foggy brain finally remembered, in addition to offering medical treatment to its operatives, Rene often assisted WAR by providing intelligence.
    “So. Kristoff tells me you need a safe place to stay.” Rene moved in to embrace Max in greeting, but Max instinctively stepped back to protect his ribs. His friend gave him a knowing look, then glanced into the truck.
    “Who is this?”
    “Ah, Emily Iwasaki, meet Dr. Rene La Salle. He’s a friend.”
    Rene’s eyes narrowed as he noticed Emily raise her hand to cover her scars, but otherwise he showed no reaction as he took her free hand and placed a kiss on the back, European style. “My pleasure, Mademoiselle.”
    “Hello.” Emily grimaced. “I apologize for not standing to greet you, but my feet are a bit…sore.”
    “Allow me to assist you, then.” Rene reached inside and slipped his arms underneath Emily. Ignoring her cry of protest, he lifted her out of the truck with ease. “Hush, Mademoiselle. Your friend Max would do this himself, but I fear he is too injured, yes?” He glanced over Emily’s head to meet Max’s eyes. “What is it? Ribs?”
    “Goddamn Kris and his big mouth.”
    Rene’s answering smile was only slightly mocking. “I am a skilled doctor, my friend. I recognize the signs without any prompting from Kristoff.”
    Emily snorted in amusement and Max narrowed his eyes at her.
    “This way, please,” Rene said.
    Max scowled at Rene’s back as he followed his friend up the stairs. The spurt of anger he’d felt when Rene touched Emily surprised him. He barely knew the woman. Why should he care if Rene was the one to carry her? It wasn’t as if she were in any danger of being dropped. Rene might look like an average businessman in his kente cloth tunic and western trousers, but as a traveling doctor who worked in some of the most remote, most dangerous locations in the region, he often had to carry patients out of threatening situations before treating them. Hell, he’d even carried Max to safety once while dodging trigger-happy rebel patrols.
    Rene moved easily through the house until he reached one of the upstairs guest rooms. “Here you go, Mademoiselle.” He set her on top of the covers. “Now, shall we see what is causing you such pain?”
    Emily’s eyes widened in panic. “Um…no need. I can… I’ll…”
    Max could have