Samurai Code by Don Easton Read Free Book Online Page A

enough. I would expect nothing less.”
    Rose snickered.
    “What’s so amusing?” asked Jack.
    “That is exactly what Isaac said you would say.”
    Ouch! “So, where do I stand with you on all this?”
    Rose smiled and said, “By coincidence , I had said exactly the same thing as you — that I would expect nothing less.”
    “Glad we’re on the same page,” replied Jack.
    Rose didn’t immediately reply, but, after straightening a pile of reports on her desk, she looked at Jack and said, “It is evident to me that the work you do is exceptionally dangerous. Considering what I heard, how is it you’ve never taken stress leave after all you have been through?”
    “As per policy, I meet with the department psychologists,” replied Jack, defensively. “They continue to give me a clean bill of health.”
    “So I’ve been told. You’ve never even been recommended for a brief sabbatical from undercover duties. Very unusual, considering how long you’ve been doing it.”
    Jack shrugged and said, “Apparently they think I’m suited for it.”
    “I know the training and selection criteria for undercover operators is good,” continued Rose. “I volunteered for it myself once, but failed to make the cut. I’ve done some minor stuff. Portraying a girlfriend the odd time, but never any real undercover operations.”
    “The training for UC is pretty good,” said Jack.
    “Still, it’s not that good,” replied Rose. She eyed Jack curiously and said, “Taking that into account, coupled with the continuous lack of any concern by the Force psychologists, I understand your training, or should I say, your self-preservation skills, started as a child.”
    “It was my understanding,” replied Jack irritably, “that my conversations with the psychologists were to be kept strictly confidential.”
    “No, you’re correct. I didn’t talk to them,” said Rose, as she sighed and her eyes softened. “I was simply speculating. As your boss, I am concerned about your emotional health as well as your safety. If you need a break, let me know. It doesn’t have to be official. It will stay between the two of us.”
    “I feel fine, thank you.” Jack then added, “You’re exceptionally intuitive. I’m surprised you didn’t make it as an operator.”
    “I lack the ability for fast imaginative responses in unexpected situations,” replied Rose. “I have a tendency to overanalyze. As far as being intuitive goes, thank you.” She watched Jack carefully and added, “It may help that I have my masters in psychology.”
    She expected to see the usual signs of discomfort that people initially felt when they learned of her psychological training. Fear of being analyzed or having someone guess their deepest secrets. It didn’t appear to faze Jack.
    “Good for you,” he replied. “Explains why you clued in about my self-preservation skills developing as a child. Your terminology was the same as the Force psychologists. It is true. When I was a child, report-card time in our house or anything to do with school for that matter, was a nightmare. As a preschooler, I would watch my father flip through a school textbook and ask my older brother questions. If he didn’t know the answer, my father would backhand him out of his chair, make him set the chair up again, sit in it, and then ask him the same question again. Not exactly the best teaching method. Explains why my brother left home when he was fourteen.”
    “And then it was your turn to sit in the chair?”
    “What I did, from about the time I was ten or eleven, was pretend to be mildly mentally challenged. My father believed it and I avoided the punishment that was handed down to my brother.” Jack sighed and said, “So, I guess you’re right. My self-preservation skills did start as a child. Not just learning to lie, but to watch someone, to know when they are about to strike with little warning, as my father would do. Childhood lessons serve me well in what I do