Loco Read Free Page A

'didn't make it' meant a funeral and being buried six feet under. Not that dying frightened him. He no longer feared death since that harrowing day when he watched buddies and teammates fall before an onslaught of bullets and explosive power. Tanner lived on borrowed time and one day, just like his fallen comrades, he would meet a violent end in the line of duty. Maybe then he could find peace.
    Forcing aside those somber thoughts, he quickly checked through his email and financial accounts, catching up and checking to make sure everything looked legitimate, free of hacking and fraud. He snorted while deleting the typical male enhancement spam. Not like he needed help in that department.
    One email he immediately opened and typed a quick reply. His mother. He smiled at the thought of her struggling with new technology, learning computers just so she could communicate more often with him, her only son. She even took a class to help her understand the workings of software programs. That was years ago, when he'd first joined the Marines right out of high school. Now, she worked on computers daily, a requirement for any accountant. Each chance she got, she would send him a note, reminding him of her love and how much she missed him. He yearned for those emails. They helped him through the roughest times when he couldn't be home to personally soak up her attention.
    Everything else looked up to speed, so he powered down the computer, softly closing the lid. No hot date. No pressing job to drag him away. No food in the house. Tension filled his body despite the lack of sleep. The outlet drew precedence over food. That meant a sexy young woman naked in bed. He knew just the place. Township Bar. Checking his wallet, he grabbed the car keys and headed out the front door to the waiting solid black SUV.

    * * * *

    Midmorning the next day, he jumped out of the car, grabbed up both sacks of groceries and headed toward the front door. After a long night with a beautiful young woman wrapped all around him in all sorts of flexible positions, he finally felt sated. He smiled slyly at the memory. Perhaps he would look her up again… or not. Spending too much time with one girl only encouraged her to become clingy and possessive. Attachments weren't for him. A roll in the hay and a kiss goodbye in the morning more closely described his style.
    He yawned. With his needs fulfilled, tiredness came to the fore. His Marine training allowed him to function well on just a couple hours sleep per night, but between the job he just finished and a long night of sex, his energy reserves hit empty. Maybe now he could fall into bed exhausted and sleep without horrid dreams interrupting. He hoped so.
    Tanner no more than got his door unlocked before Oakley stuck her head out, looking him over with a practiced eye.
    "There you are. Your friend stopped by about an hour ago. Wanted you to call."
    Suspicion and immediate concern stiffened his back, his mind kicking back into action. "Which one?" There shouldn't be any tails from their last mission. Every one of those vipers had been disposed of. For the life of him, he couldn't recall anyone else that might be gunning for him. However, someone could have managed to slip through the cracks, despite the precautions he took, the chance still existed.
    "You would ask me that." She dashed inside for a second while he headed toward his kitchen, placing the grocery bags on the countertop.
    She followed a moment later, carrying a piece of paper. Her sable ponytail swished behind her with each step, luring his attention to her nicely-shaped rear.
    He stared down at her and the crumpled reminder. "Poor memory?"
    She snorted. "More like too many blundering names for a single person. Here we go. Justin Adam Christian Kendall Aaron Sterling Smith."
    Quickly deciphering the basic common code, Tanner relaxed. J-A-C-K-A-S-S. His lips twitched. "Spoon."
    "Thank goodness."
    One of his eyebrows shot up at her odd response.