Jack County Demons by AK Waters, Vincent Hobbes Read Free Book Online Page A

asn't sure if this was his perception or not, but the place seemed somewhat crowded. The song finally wound down. Juana did a final toss of her hair, and then bowed to applause. She liked the attention, LT could tell. Then, she stepped down from the rise, collecting dozens of bills that had been tossed on stage. She glanced at the previous dancer, who stood nearby, glaring her way. She was jealous of course. Juana had a way with the crowd, and this pissed the other woman off. Juana stepped down, eyeing the woman and giggling, then made her way into a back room to redress before she went back behind the bar.
    "Like what you saw?" Juana asked. She had reappeared, filling a few drinks before nearing LT.
    She brought him another beer, placing it in front of him.
    "I did. And I didn't order this one, either." He reached into his poc ket, but she held an open hand out.
    "On me," she said.
    "Trying to get me drunk?" he asked, flirting.
    "I don't need to get you drunk. I can tell you want me."
    "You can ?"
    "Unless you're a faggot. You aren't, are you?"
    LT laughed aloud. "Nope."
    "Good. Cause I tried that once."
    "A fag?"
    "Ya. Tried converting him. Didn't work. Guess the bastard wante d the cock more than my cootchie."
    "There are some mysteries in life I'll never understand," LT replied.
    "You ain't married, are ya?" she asked.
    "Actually, I am."
    "You ain't wearing no ring."
    "I forgot it at home."
    "Ah, I see. Lots of men forget their rings when they come in here," she said.
    "It's not like that," LT said. He nearly began to explain, then stop ped himself. He could tell the woman didn't care.
     
    
     
    The Control Room was far away, in an undisclosed location, three stories underground. The main room was massive, hosting a dozen personal and various control stations with computers. Lights blinked and phones rang. On the walls were huge monitors. The main wall hosted the biggest, a large screen divided into three parts. Currently, only one section was lit up, an overview map of the area the team was presently located.
    A large metal door was at the opposite end. Outside it were tw o guards. Both were armed, and both assured nobody entered the room without the proper identification.
    Other rooms and hallways surrounded the Control Room. Various offic es, a break room with vending machines, even a small kitchen. The Control Center was capable of hosting sixty people for up to thirty days without resupply, and was unknown to even those with the highest clearance.
    "Jesus!" the man said, shaking his head in disbelief. Commander J acobs stood a third of the way back in the Control Room. He loomed over his desk; phone in hand as he looked up to the giant screen on the wall before him. Jacobs was your prototypical military officer. He was in his late forties, handsome yet rugged, and took his job seriously. So seriously, in fact, that he'd been divorced three times because of it. Work was his life goal, and this assignment had all but taken every ounce of his energy and time from him. He was an intelligent man, yet creative, and needed to be in this line of work. He dealt with some of the strangest missions conceivable.
    Right now, shaking his head, Commander Jacobs stood in disbelief. Finally , after a few brief and not so friendly words, he slammed the phone down, continuing to look at the screen. Then, he turned slightly, saying, "Lopez, get us closer to the house."
    Twenty feet away, Agent Lopez sat at her desk. She was twenty-s ix and far too beautiful to be working at a place like this. Her beauty, however, was outshined by her wit, her imagination, and her intelligence. Her dark hair was pulled back. She brushed away a strand that had fallen across her face, and then briefly looked over to the Commander. She didn't say it though she wanted to; she thought he was being too demanding, but then again, he always was.
    "I am right overhead," she said into her headset. Lopez sat at a worksta tion that looked much like the inside of