Free The Dying of the Light (Book 3): Beginning by Jason Kristopher Page B

where she had to report to his CO. Eden didn’t look forward to the rumors that would be going around about this little visit.
    The most annoying part of it was that she was good at her job—damn good. If she hadn’t been forced to be “David Blake’s daughter,” she’d be the Badass in Residence by now. At the same time, she loved her dad and wasn’t ashamed to be his daughter. But it made everything so much harder, especially since no one thought of it as being rough on her at all.
    Everyone would want to know what the whiny little princess had complained about to her boss’s boss.
    “Evening, Corporal Blake,” the one to the left said. His partner said nothing and kept his eyes forward. “The old man’s expecting you.” He turned, opened the door for her, and stepped out of the way.
    The room was busy. Uniformed soldiers and civilian personnel milled about, talking and going over maps of what looked like old Tacoma and southern Seattle. She glanced over her shoulder as the marine closed the door, and then she turned back around as she caught some of the chatter.
    “. . . almost ready now that the team is back. We’ll send in a cleanup crew…”
    “. . . Eatonville? That was a nice place, as I recall. There was this little store…”
    “Finished lollygaggin’, Corporal?” Lieutenant Colonel Dalton Gaines asked in his slow Georgian drawl.
    She snapped her head around and stood to attention. “Yes, sir! Corporal Blake reporting as ordered, sir.”
    Gaines was far enough over six feet that she had to look up at him, albeit only a little. Advancing age hadn’t softened him at all. If anything, he was harder, fitter, and was just a touch greyer in the last few years. He still made her think of a walking refrigerator, all barrel chest and giant muscles. She hadn’t had much direct contact with him since he’d moved out of the bunker to run ExForce, but he’d come over many times when she was growing up, a good friend of her parents. She’d learned not to underestimate him, as many did with his disarming “good ol’ boy” demeanor and accent.
    Underneath that amenable exterior was one of the toughest men she’d ever met, not to mention the strongest.
    Gaines snorted. “At ease, Corporal, and step into my office.” He maneuvered through the mess of the command center with a grace and economy of movement that she hoped she could develop herself one day. He opened a door to one side of the main room and entered a modest office complete with a desk, some chairs, a bookcase, and a filing cabinet. There was just enough space left over on the other side of the room for a small table with some water and… Could that be coffee that she smelled? Her mouth watered as she entered the room.
    “Close the door and have a seat,” he said as he opened a file on his desk and took the chair behind it.
    She did as instructed, shifting in her seat until she found a position that felt a little less like a hot poker was stabbing her side.
    “Ribs still hurting ya?” Gaines asked.
    “Only a little, sir,” she said, taking a deep breath against the pain and trying to appear strong.
    Gaines snorted again. “Yeah, right. Well, the doc says you’re on restricted duty for at least a month, more if they don’t heal up right.”
    “A month? Sir, I…”
    “Save it,” he said, holding up a hand. “Even if I were inclined to disregard the doc’s orders—and I ain’t—your parents have made it clear what will happen to me should I not follow his instructions.” He chuckled at her grimace and continued. “Oh, it’s nothin’ like that. You’re not getting any special favors. I’d do the same for any of my people. I’ve had cracked ribs, and they’re no joke.” He put a hand on his side for a moment in tune with some memory that flashed across his face. He smiled at her as he continued, a genuine smile that showed the concern he had for someone he’d watched grow up. “So take it easy, okay? I don’t want