Being Emerald Read Free

would be his last. He was going to walk away. He couldn’t wait.
     
     

Chapter 2
     
    Laila Lewis stood in the hallway, just outside the door of the conference room. This initial briefing marked the beginning of the final two months of training and preparation before the mission. The Fine Arts and Artifacts Recovery Program was her baby. The trip to DC was the culmination of thousands of hours of specialized education, apprenticeships and the ultimate goal of her life’s work.
    For years, the anticipation had been practically overwhelming. But today, facing the sea of Black Guard uniforms, her excitement was muted by fear. She had no interest in engaging in polite conversation with any of the people here. Rock was the exception. No uniform, but still in black. He was a goliath, standing head and shoulders above the rest. Two hundred pounds of badass, standing there with bulging arms crossed over his chest. Armed men in camouflage stood at attention against the white walls, no expression, no movement, like pieces of furniture. Nobody sat at the massive conference table yet.
    A high-level crowd attended, and her heartbeat jumped when she spotted General Morgan. His scar bit into his upper lip, making him appear as if he sneered whenever he spoke. “Fucking hell,” she said under her breath. She had a difficult time staying in the same room with the man for too long. His evil overwhelmed her.
    Laila took a deep breath and locked her defenses into place. She strode into the room and sat in one of the rolling, black leather chairs surrounding the dark-wood conference table.
    Someone called for everyone to take their seats.
    She was not the only woman present. Sydney Parr, an Amazon—tall, leggy and muscular—would be riding in the other truck with Garret during the mission. She was a legend in her own right because of her rank and reputation in one of the Onyx Zone Recovery Teams. Recently, she’d received the distinction of being the first woman accepted into Morgan’s National Guard.
    She sat across the table from Laila, next to Rock. She was close to him. Laila scrutinized them, the distance between them, the general air of formality. They didn’t seem to have any kind of relationship. She was relieved. The first time she’d met Sydney, the woman had spared her a disinterested glance before returning to converse with someone else. She seemed like a bitch, and Laila had steered clear of her since.
    General Conrad Morgan rounded the table and sat on Laila’s right.
    She tensed, and her anxiety spiked.
    He nodded. “Miss Lewis.”
    She returned his nod with a well-practiced smile. “General.”
    They focused on Garret, National Guardsman, mission head, and navigator in charge of getting the four of them to Washington DC. He was tall, like Rock, but his coloring was Sapphire all the way, with sandy hair and green eyes. He had a clean-cut boy-next-door kind of look. He appeared to be the polar opposite of tall, dark and hostile directly across from her.
    While Garret ran down the list of significant dangers they would face during the trip, General Morgan slid his finger over Laila’s thigh. Her stomach twisted. She steeled her expression, hiding the cringe she so much wanted to be there, and shored up her barriers.
    Morgan’s energy, slimy and demented, slithered like a snake over her skin.
    Adrenaline raced through her veins. She moved only her eyes and looked at his profile. His good side. During meetings, he’d always seated her to his left so his disfigurement was hidden.
    Morgan glanced across the table.
    Rock’s singular gaze zeroed in on the spot Morgan touched her.
    Putting on a show, the general made sure Rock saw what seemed like casual affection.
    Rock scowled fiercely at General Morgan. Her new bodyguard took his life into his hands with open hostility pointed at the general. Rock’s gaze rested on her face before leisurely sliding down her body.
    When he turned his attention back to Garret’s