SEAL Team 13 (SEAL Team 13 series) by Evan Currie Read Free Book Online

Rankin smirked. “Going nuts will do that, though, or so I gather.”
    “Oh, Lord.”
    “Come on, I’ve got an office cleared out for you, and that admiral friend of yours had them assign an entire floor in B Block for you to use.”
    “Well that’ll make things easier, I guess.”
    “Yeah, try explaining some of the shit you’re going to be talking about to the fresh meat going through BUD/S.” Rankin laughed aloud, drawing even more attention as the two made their way across the parking lot and headed for the building complexes.
    A glare from Rankin and a glance at the master-chief-petty-officer insignia on his shoulder was enough to send most of them running in the other direction. The rest, even those who outranked him, suddenly found something of their own affairs to take up their entire attention.
    Rankin led them to the B Block complex, a series of buildings assigned to the SEALs for administrative purposes, and then immediately turned right into a stairwell and headed down.
    “An entire floor, huh?”
    “The subbasement is a floor,” Rankin defended himself with a chuckle. “Or it has a floor anyway. Mostly packed dirt, if I remember correctly.”
    Masters shook his head, chuckling in return.
    In truth it wasn’t that bad. No windows, and a little cool and damp, but Hawk had learned to appreciate having a lot of packed earth in between him and threats. He didn’t like the fact that the only way out seemed to be through stairwells that were easily blocked, but the flip side was that the only way in was through stairwells that were easily blocked.
    “This is your office,” Rankin said, nodding to a room that had been furnished, just as cold and damp as the rest of the place but with nice solid cement walls. “Most of the rest of the space is for briefings, classes—you know the drill.”
    Masters nodded.
    “You need anything else?”
    “No, just get the volunteers down here tomorrow morning, 0900.”
    Rankin snorted. “Getting soft in your old age, civvie?”
    “No, but I won’t be back from my run until 0830, Master Chief,” Hawk responded with a put-on sneer.
    “Right, take the extra shower time. No need to knock the boys out from the smell.”
    “Get out of here, you old wharf rat.”
    Rankin left, laughing, and Hawk circled around his new desk as he thought about what was to come.

    TEXAS ROADHOUSE
    Alexander Norton grinned slightly, a little more of a leer really, as he leaned in and whispered into the ear of the woman sitting next him. Her eyes widened, almost bulging as she snapped back to look at him, her mouth dropping open.
    He just winked, trying to convey a sense of supreme confidence.
    She hesitated for a moment instead of lambasting him verbally or with her purse, and he knew he had an in. He smiled a bit wider and leaned in closer. “Spectacular night, isn’t it?”
    For a moment she seemed torn between hitting him or laughing, but then she decided to split the difference and laughed while slapping his shoulder. He knew then that he’d made the right play, and suppressed the smirk that was threatening to form.
    “You’re horrible,” she told him.
    “No, I’m Alex,” he responded, winking. “And you?”
    “I’m not sure I should be giving you my name.”
    “That’s all right, I only want to borrow it.”
    She laughed again, shaking her head. “I’m Alice.”
    “Lovely to meet you, Alice.” Alex grinned.
    This was the part about driving cross-country that Alexander enjoyed, even though flying was so much more efficient. As a practitioner, he preferred to keep his feet on terra firma. He’d seen too many fancy electrical doodads go nutso over the wrong push of energy at the wrong time.
    He knew a few practitioners who flew all the time, even swore by it. He couldn’t imagine being one of them, though. Playing with the laws of nature the way his kind did…well, it messed with your head sometimes. He liked to give himself as many chances as he could to avoid a