LOGINShare
Chapter Thirteen
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Levi Bakal’s bakery seemed as dull as dishwater. Fair enough, he’d just bought the place, but it was clearly in disrepair and would not be in use in the foreseeable future. It was the first time Abby had seen the actual bakery, and she was shocked at how much Levi needed to do before it was functional. The crumbling wallpaper revealed water damage on the far wall. The place smelled musty and looked filthy. Kitchen equipment in the back would need replacing. What was Levi thinking?
Abby tried to ignore the brawny dolt sticking to her like glue. Oh, she’d prettied up all right. She felt foxy and fine in her fitted plum blazer thrown over a white blouse with black tailored pants. Her stilettos were a little high—but hey, give a girl pretty shoes and she can w
Related chapters
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Fourteen
Abby sat quietly on the drive home, probably mad at him. Hell. He was furious at himself. Max Andersen had lost his shit in the field for the first time in his long career. He glared at Abby’s profile and felt better blaming it all on her; she pushed all his freaking buttons. Never mind pushed, she hammered away like she was banging away at an old typewriter, that was his brain. Yeah, this was so her fault. Next time, Slater could trail alongside her like a freaking lapdog.“Thank you,” Abby said.Max felt flummoxed. “What?”
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Fifteen
Later that afternoon, Max got some shut-eye and had just awoken and was doing push-ups alongside the bed when Donnie poked his head in. “Yo, Batman, as nice as it is to ogle your ripped, bare-naked chest before dinner, I have some news.” Max gave Donnie a rude sign as he bounced up and grabbed a shirt. “A man takes one small nap in twenty-four hours and this is what he gets? What do you have?” “Omar Salib,” Donnie answered with a grin. “What about him?” “He’s landing in Johannesburg early tomorrow morning. He has a connecting flight to Mogadishu later in the afternoon.” “Great. What’s his ETA?” “0600 hours.” “Excellent. Let’s roll out the welcoming mat.” *** This was her cleaning day. Thanks to a combination of anxiety and claustrophobia, Abby took spring cleaning to the next level, deciding to scrub and organize all the kitchen cabinets at eight in the morning. Abby stacked the last of the pans and hefted them
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Sixteen
The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. If they didn’t go to blondie’s birthday barbecue, it might raise suspicions. Lizzy was Abby’s closest friend. Abby would naturally go about her routine, at least until they had a handle on the threat. She was their only link.Eleven in the morning and the sun was already baking hot. Max dressed casually in faded jeans and a white T-shirt. While waiting for Abby to emerge from her bedroom, he ambled down the passage and paused at her studio. The woman was talented. A new canvas featuring a charging African elephant sat on the easel. The rough sketch already captured the movement and power of the giant mammal. Throughout the busy week, Abby had still made time for her art. Sandals clicked as Abby walked towards him.“What do you think?”Abby’s deep blue dress blew his socks off, complementing her warm chocolate hair and tanned skin. She’d paired it with tan sandals and a matchin
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Seventeen
He knew he was losing his shit and he didn’t give a flying fuck. Cool as ice Max was now a raving lunatic. Her reaction wasn’t what he expected; she looked at him as if he was daft before shrugging. “You men are all like amped-up rabbits bouncing all over the place; I can’t talk to you while you’re like this. Where are we going?”Max glared at her as options raced through his head. He trusted his profiling. If he gave Evans the benefit of the doubt, it could get them all killed.&ldqu
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Eighteen
“I left out some details of the physical damage done to me that night and the challenges I’d face.” He’d thought long and hard about that; it was a miracle that she could function at all, yet here she was holding down a job and trying to live a healthy life. Brave. At least that’s what he’d thought until she snuck a phone call on a damn burner… “The clinic in Dubai took evidence photos, did a rape kit, started me on antivirals and gave me the morning-after pill.” Max’s stomach always churned with anger when he saw what men on this earth were capable of. He’d come across many atrocities on women during his SF days. Villages raped and pillaged, women mutilated and left to die. They’d rescued girls along the way, but the dead look in their eyes would haunt Max for the rest of his days. She forged on in a robotic voice. “A security officer stayed by my side the whole time. She held my hand and told me everything would be okay. Her name was Noleen; she was
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Nineteen
The ringtone indicating Mandla Nkosi’s call pushed Max to jump out of the shower and snap up the phone. Mandla wouldn’t call without a damn good reason. “How are you, sir?” “I’m sitting on some interesting news and pondering how this might affect our plans. Where are you?” “Back at our base.” “Do you have eyes on the woman?” Mandla asked, putting Max on edge. It had been two days si
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Twenty One
Max was halfway back to their unit when Abby’s earsplitting scream pierced the air. What. The. Fuck. Buzzing in his head blocked all else as he threw himself at her front gate, ripping out his gun and racing up the porch steps. If Muller had laid a fucking finger on her… The sliding door sat open.“Max! Dial it back! Dial it back, dude! She’s okay.” Slater’s voice in the earpiece cut through the panic.At the last second, Max concealed the weapon, barging into the room. Abby scooted back towards the opposite couch. The look of terror made him want to rip the laughing bastard’s face off. Had Muller touched her?Her eyes were glued to an object on the tiled floor. All Max saw was a napkin. Something large crawled out of it—a half-dead cricket. Abby looked at it like it was Satan. It half limped towards her, and she shrieked in fear. Muller guffawed even louder.Max scooped up the offending insect and
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Twenty
A slight dimple graced her right cheek. Its appearance was a rare occurrence. Max itched to know what would lighten that load. He’d find out, technically gathering more intel—Max couldn’t protect Abby without knowing everything there was to know about her. Nothing personal. Keep telling yourself that, Andersen, just keep repeating that mantra. He allowed Abby to use a burner phone to text Kris. The game ranger was back in town and resting up for the rest of the day, so they agreed to meet up the following afternoon at a coffee shop. Slater could scope out the location beforehand. Handing the phone back, Abby said, “I need to weed the yard. Want to help?” “I don’t know much about plants. I might kill the things by looking at them, but if you trust me with your bug-infested babies, then why not.” Abby snorted. “Bug-infested. What kind of operation do you think I run here?” Her eyes sparkled with humor. “The organic kind. I see
Latest chapter
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Book Two Preview: Stain on the Earth
Make sure to pick up “Stain on the Earth,” the next installment of the Mobile Intelligence Series. Find out what happens in Johnny and Lizzy’s story! Peshawar, Pakistan Lizette Steyn disengaged the slide, pulled up the door handle and swung the aircraft door outward. Frigid air swept in and she barely repressed a shiver. “Freezing fudge buckets,” she muttered before greeting the ground agent at the top of the stairs. The miserable structure that was Bacha Khan International Airport looked archaic—with all the developing nations Lizzy had visited in the past five months—that was saying a lot. Peshawar, the wild west town of Pakistan, felt as cold as a dead man’s nose. “Well isn’t that just grand,” Brianna muttered, stepping out of the wind. “All I bloody packed was a vest and a T-shirt.” Lizzy refrained from rolling her eyes. The other two Cabin Attendants had as much sense as two rolling hamsters. Brianna, a hardy Irish g
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Epilogue
Utah.Four months later.Max pulled into the drive. It was good to be home. He’d sold a generous acreage of his land in Colorado and decided to purchase the luxury log cabin in the mountains near the Snowbasin Ski Resort in Salt Lake City. Utah was a safe place to raise kids where they could comfortably live off the grid. Close enough to the city yet tucked away in their own slice of paradise. Abby loved the snow, trying out snowboarding and then skiing. As spring weather set in, she’d taken Gabriel on a couple of hikes in the Wasatch Mountains. Max couldn’t wait to join in.The recent three-month deployment he’d just flown in from, meant that he’d spent little time with them since settling down to family life. Max thought back on their journey after leaving the clinic in Namibia all those months ago. After arriving in Djibouti, a bunch of suits met them on the tarmac. Max refused to be separated, s
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Forty Three
Johannesburg. Four weeks later. That damn dog wouldn’t be able to fight its way out of a paper packet, never mind protect his Lizzy. Johnny watched her mom’s little rat dog take a shit on the sidewalk, before his blonde beauty bent over with a poop bag to sweep up the steaming parcel. Johnny paused to take in the spectacular view that was Lizzy’s incredible ass. Perky butt cheeks shaped beautifully by faded skinny jeans. Her retro outfit included a Michael Jackson “Thriller” T-shirt, silver sneakers, fire-engine lipstick and a bandana holding back curls. Where was she taking the ankle biter? There were no parks nearby plus she carried a bright red handbag. Not the wisest choice on the streets of Jo’burg, yet she wandered down the street like she was strolling through Central Park. Granted, it was a suburban area, but it wasn’t safe. Lizzy dropped the bag of rat droppings into a neighbor’s garbage can, then wiped her hands with a wet wipe. Her p
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Forty Two
Abby woke to two very different male snores. One loud and raspy and the other sounding like a squeaky puppy. Max lay stretched out on the chair, balancing a snoring Gabe like a football in his lap. The comical pair had her giggling, a sound she promptly regretted as a pain lanced through her chest.Max was by her side in a flash, tucking Gabe under his arm and stroking her hair. “Easy now, baby. Shallow breaths, you’ll be okay.”Abby breathed through the pain before grasping his strong hand in hers. Max laid a sleeping Gabe by her side.
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Forty One
Windhoek, Namibia.By American standards, the German-run health facility was up to code. By African standards it was the Ritz Carlton. The floors were clean, walls freshly painted, it was well stocked and seemed organized. None of that alleviated the tension running through Max. They were still situated in fucking Africa, where he was relying on foreign medical staff he knew jack shit about to perform surgery on Abigail. Two hours had gone by and still no word. The nursing staff were giving Max a wide berth after he’d hounded them for the past hour.
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Forty
The only makeshift weapon in the austere room was a clay bowl situated on the bedside table. Abby lunged for it, as Roman pounced onto the mattress. Grabbing the lip of the bowl, Abby smashed it into the side of his head, causing him to collapse as the ornament exploded.Roman moaned as Abby scrambled off the bed. Due to her injuries, she moved far slower than she’d have liked, as though she were wading through quicksand. She crawled to the door, the swaying room and the hammering music added to the disorientation. She had to get to Gabe.“You fucking bitch.”
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Thirty Nine
The landing was rough. Fourteen miles per hour winds rocked the aircraft. A Cape windstorm descended on the city, and fifty mph gusts were predicted within the hour. Thanks to Mandla’s contacts, they’d secured a private landing strip on a wine farm near Sir Lowry’s Pass—thirteen clicks out. With lights and speed on their side, they were looking at a nine-minute drive. Khalid’s jet had landed at Stellenbosch Airfield twenty-eight minutes before them but had a longer commute of twenty-one kilometers. Praying that Khalid hit traffic, Max’s team raced for Somerset West.Mandla gave Max the stink eye. “N
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Thirty Eight
The helicopter landed just north of Johannesburg at Lanseria Airport. Max leapt onto the runway, followed by Donnie, Slater, and Anton. Go-bags were provided as they raced to a private aircraft, fueled and ready for takeoff. Mandla Nkosi and Johnny greeted Max at the bottom of the stairs. Johnny dude-hugged him before breaking the news. “Khalid hired additional help. We didn’t get there in time. Our drone saw five men entering Noleen’s safe house. They’re holding them hostage until Khalid arrives.”Mandla grabbed Max’s bag. “My six-man team got there as quickly as they could but we were too late.”
Siren in the Wind - book one of the MIT2 series Chapter Thirty Seven
Fifteen minutes after takeoff, Abby had to delay Khalid and his four guerrillas. There were too many of them to take on herself, especially with a limited knowledge of self-defense. If she guessed correctly, the flight was only eighty to a hundred minutes of flying time. You can do this, girl. Take what you know about aircrafts and formulate a plan. A history of extensive flight safety training might just give her an edge. Two of the four guards were buckled in their seats. One man in the lavatory while Roman stood near the cockpit. Khalid tapped away on his laptop, seated towards the front of the aircraft on the plush seats facing the cabin. The cold bastard behaved like an ordinary businessman on a work trip. The guard seated opposite Khalid was buck
