Moral Imperative by C. G. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page B

wasn’t out to be the next Wonder Woman.
    They finished the first dozen wings and ordered another.
    “What have you been up to?” Diane asked, taking a sip of his beer like they’d been together for ages. For some reason her familiarity made him smile.
    “Oh, you know, work, work and more work.”
    “Anything you can tell me about?”
    Cal shrugged. “It’s pretty boring. Mostly going over reports and writing new ones. You’re probably having more fun than I am.”
    By the look in her eyes, he could tell she knew he was stretching the truth. She didn’t look pissed. He was glad. His work was one of the reasons he hadn’t looked for a relationship after Jess died. There were too many questions, too many things he couldn’t talk about. How do you tell your wife or girlfriend that you just killed a murderer who was about to annihilate millions? Sounds great in a novel, but it didn’t work in the real world. Normal people, let alone significant others, couldn’t understand.
    Luckily, she changed the subject and they enjoyed the rest of their meal without the pressure of trying to impress each other.
    What the hell am I getting myself into?
     
    +++
     
    Cal walked Diane back to her apartment and said goodnight. They kissed briefly. She’d asked him to stay, but he told her he still had work to do. Diane didn’t pout. Another thing Cal liked about her. She took him in stride, not trying to sway him.
    But she had done it without trying. He could feel it, the irresistible tug pulling him toward her. It was effortless, even though he wanted to resist. There were so many reasons he should break it off before it got too far, but he couldn’t. He’d even prepared a farewell speech, practicing as he’d walked to the restaurant earlier.
    That had all changed as soon as she’d strolled in. For a man who could charge into the maw of the enemy without flinching, the fact that he couldn’t say no to this woman was, well, confusing. He wasn’t going to ask Diane to marry him, but at least he felt like he’d finally found someone away from work he could connect with. Cal hadn’t had a friend outside of the Marine Corps or his current station, other than Jessica, since college. That was a long time ago.
    It was hard to relate to people in the real world after you’d gone through the things Cal and his men had endured. Tragedy and triumph. Death and glory.
    How do you tell your neighbor what you do? Yeah, man. Last week I flew to D.C., met with the president, flew to New York and killed a billionaire . Yeah, right.
    As Cal made his way toward Rugby Road, his thoughts shifted back to earlier in the day. The rest of the training went well. While Owen Fox and his snipers were very good, it was still Daniel who won the day. The Marine sniper had so impressed the others that Fox offered to buy Daniel dinner, wanting to know all his secrets.
    The Bulgarians were still keeping to themselves. Valko just didn’t seem to care about being part of the team. He’d rebuffed Cal and the others at every turn. Cal was starting to think maybe Valko’s team should pack up and go.
    But that wouldn’t work. Like it or not, the Bulgarians were part of the lineup. Cal just had to figure out a way to get them in line, possibly by force if need be.
    As he turned right onto Rugby Road, he found a familiar figure leaning against a lamp post.
    “I thought I had a tail,” said Cal.
    “Just doing my job,” answered Daniel, falling in step with his friend. “How was dinner?”
    “Do you even need to ask? I’ll bet you know exactly how dinner was, down to what we ate and what beer we ordered.” Cal was amused. Daniel had taken it as his life’s mission to ensure Cal’s safety. Cal could take care of himself, but having his lucky rabbit’s foot nearby never hurt.
    “Don’t worry. I waited outside.”
    Cal shook his head. “How was dinner with the Aussies?”
    “Good.”
    “Did you give them all of your sniper secrets?”
    Daniel