Free Kill List (Special Ops #8) by Capri Montgomery Page B

from Amber and from his mother, but he hadn’t been able to hide them from his father.
    “How did you know? When did you know?” He had to know the answers.
    “Well, I’ll be honest that it wasn’t how you looked at her right off. I noticed things, but with that hard and distant look on your face like you’re on some covert mission twenty-four hours a day no matter where you are I couldn’t tell. But the last time you were here and we were driving up toward the boarder for a couple nights away from the city you did something I hadn’t ever heard you do before.”
    “What’s that?”
    “You called her Liv. Oh I know you didn’t notice and you switched back to calling her Olivia by the next sentence, but that one part, when we were talking about Amber’s closeness to the woman, you called her Liv. You also spoke of her with sympathy for the pain she felt without her family. I knew, but I didn’t say anything. I waited. Like a wolf I stalked my prey,” he laughed. “I can’t believe I got away with it when it comes to you. But when we got back, before you left, you let your eyes drink her in like a man who was trying to firmly ingrain every inch of her in his mind.”
    He chuckled softly. He had been trying to do just that. He was heading back out for what he knew was going to be another hard mission, going in hot and hoping to come out alive. He didn’t know how long the mission would take. It wasn’t as if they got a call one day and finished the job in eight hours. He knew he could be out for a long time, and he also knew that if they only had a week of down time that he might not make it back to the States before the next mission called them to duty.
    Chogan took the duffle out to the taxi that was waiting for him. He waved to both of his parents before getting in and asking the man to take him to one of the rental car places that Autumn had arranged a vehicle for him at. No tracking devices included,” she had said. He would still check to be sure before he got too far on the road.
    “You’re heading out?” The cabbie looked up in the rearview mirror. Chogan didn’t trust people in general, but his radar was top notch and this man had the hairs on the back of his neck on edge.
    “Yeah, I can’t stay here. I have to get away,” he said. “For a little while anyway. I hear Maine is good this time of year. And until I can go back on active duty getting out of this God forsaken city seems fine by me.”
    “Ah, yes,” the blue eyed blond haired young man nodded. “I read about your sister in the paper. I’m sorry.”
    “Me too,” he said as he looked out the window and hoped the man would shut up soon.
    “The cops find the other girl yet?”
    “No,” he heard the harshness in his tone and welcomed it. This man would think he was angry because the cops hadn’t found her. He wasn’t exactly silently trying to think of a way to shut the man up. He could think of several ways to shut him up. Cutting out his tongue seemed like an option. But no, he couldn’t do that—yet.
    When he got to the rental place he gave his name and an older man came out, talked friendly as he led him to the car and then talked seriously once they were out of earshot of other employees.
    “It’s exactly what you need, Marine. I’ve added a few things while I was at it.” He popped the trunk and showed him what appeared to be an extra spare tire. The man laughed, probably knowing what he was thinking. “That’s the only spare. It’s on top because your weapons are on the bottom. Godspeed,” he handed him the keys.
    “Thank you,” Chogan nodded and shut the trunk before going around and checking out the car. He saw the man smile and nod his approval of the fact that Chogan hadn’t taken him at face value. Once Chogan was satisfied the car was in proper order without any possible threats to him and his mission, he got behind the wheel, started the sleek engine of the Chrysler Hybrid and took off. The car ran