Page 5 of Viral Justice

Chapter Two

Alicia wanted to stranglehim. She settled for yelling. “I wasn’t the target.”

“Our vehicles were full of targets, including you.” He looked at her like he wanted to strip her naked and inspect her for bruises. “We can’t know if the bomber was supposed to eliminate any one person or just as many as possible.”

“Why didn’t you leave when I told you to?”

“Franz was bleeding out.”

“Saving others at the cost of your own safety is stupid.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “That’s my job.”

“Throwing your life away isn’t part of your job.” She poked him in the chest again. “I think you were the target. Everything else was collateral damage.”

“We have no proof of that.”

She gritted her teeth. “I’m sure we’ll find it.”

“Why does that matter?”

The man wasn’t stubborn, he was willfully blind to threats to his safety. “Akbar isn’t just looking for any target. He’s fixed his sights on you.”

Max pressed his lips together. “Don’t get ahead of the facts. We don’t know that he’s behind this.”

“Don’t dismiss me, damn it. I know about the body with the message written to you on it.” A gruesome find, discovered at the scene of a bombing, a massacre of civilians in Afghanistan a week ago. It warned that the wrath of God was coming, and had been addressed to Colonel Maximillian, US Army. That kind of death threat could derail even the most pragmatic man.

His gaze softened and he put a hand on her arm to guide her away from the carnage. “While I appreciate your concern, I won’t avoid doing my duty because it’s dangerous, or because someone attempts to kill me. I’ll be careful and I won’t do anything without making sure I’m performing that task as safely as possible.” He stopped and smiled ruefully at her. “I’m a soldier. Danger comes with the job.”

This from a man with few to no combat skills. “Max,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Planning for an attack only gets you as far as the first contact with the enemy. After that, no plan can keep up with the changing conditions. I’ve seen your shooting scores and I’ve faced you on the mats. You couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag. You’re important.GeneralStone says that you’ve got one of the toughest and most important jobs in the army right now. He can’t afford to lose you.”

He sighed. “Blunt, but true.” He shrugged, but didn’t say anything else for several seconds.

His face was blank as he stared into space, and she could almost hear the cacophony of thoughts racing around in his head. Would he ignore her concerns or take them seriously?

Would he be like too many other officers and shove her expertise and experience aside?

Finally he asked with a short nod, “What do you suggest?”

His question sent a warm wave over her body. She had to focus, making sure her surprise didn't show on her face. “You need more training and a permanent bodyguard.” What he really needed was head-to-toe body armor.

He snorted and stepped away from her. “I don’t have time for more training or a tag-along. I need several clones just to get my current workload done and still sleep once every few days.”

She followed. “I guarantee the person assigned to you would slide into your team without any trouble.”

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