Deceit Among The Pack

By Rebecca Winters

It's been months since Rain had to question everything and everyone she knew when she and her family were put in danger. Now, she's moved on and is about to marry Logan. Yet, even though everything seems to be going right Rain still expects the worse. It didn't take long for things to go wrong. Rain eventually has to figure out how to get over the greatest loss anyone has to endure; the loss of a child. The question is whether or not she'll actually be able to get past the loss. Can one child fill the void that the loss of another child creates? Rain also has to deal with more deceit in her wolf pack, as well as more ghosts from her past and ghosts from other's past as well. Rain and her team have to figure out which ghost is more dangerous and needs to be taken out first. She and her team also have to deal with corrupt officials from every agency coming for them. With enemies new and old, deceit in her pack, family and friends being threatened, dealing with her heritage and all that comes with it, and training the new members of the unit, Rain has to try to navigate around all the moving parts while simultaneously keeping all her loved ones safe before tragedy strikes again. With every success Rain has, failure seems to follow. Will this success lead to the ultimate failure? Can Rain stand by and follow the directions she was given by her grandmother and let loved ones get hurt in order to protect other loved ones, or will she not listen to the advice given to her and try to save the people she loves, ultimately putting family and friends she loves in more danger than if she would have listened and done nothing? Can she stand down and watch as the people she loves get hurt? Could you?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Winters
• Release date: Mar 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311371331

Rebecca Winters

Rebecca Winters lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels because writing is her passion, along with her family and church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website at: www.cleanromances.net.

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DECEIT AMONG THE PACK

By: Rebecca Winters

Copyright © 2015 Rebecca Winters

All Rights Reserved

First Edition

ISBN: 9781311371331 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Publisher: Smashwords, Inc.

About Rebecca Winters

Rebecca is a married mother of four whose husband is active duty. She has always enjoyed writing since she was young and has written since middle school where she won multiple Editor’s Choice Awards for poems written while in school. After being injured in the military and unable to work her husband encouraged her to write some of the stories she had been talking about wanting to tell. When Rebecca finally sat down, she wrote her first book within the first two months. Her husband sat day after day listening to her story, giving her advice, and helping her edit and decide whether she should keep something in her story or take them out. He was also very helpful taking care of the kids allowing Rebecca to have time to write her stories. Rebecca always says she knows she would not have been able to write her first book or her second book, especially while going through school yet she managed to get both finished while attending school online. She also in the process of completing books three and four in the PACK OF LIES series. Rebecca is very blessed to have her husband and kids as well as the rest of her family that is supportive of her writing career.

More Books from Rebecca Winters

Pack Of Lies

Deceit Among The Pack (Coming March 2016)

A Growing Pack (Coming March 2017)

A New Alpha (Coming March 2018)

Connect with Rebecca Winters

www.facebook.com/Rebecca.winters.author

www.twitter.com/Winters7612

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Cover image produced by Eddie Photozine

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Cover model: Danni Romero

To those who mean the most to me, you know who you are, I couldn’t have done this without you. I love you all.

PROLOGUE

It’s been almost four months since my life drastically changed when everything and everyone I knew was questioned. I got dragged back into my military past when previous events came back with a vengeance. One of my best friends died to save me, but only after betraying me and almost getting me and our whole team killed. My children were put in danger and I had to kill their father to save them and myself. I no longer work at Stiltner Software Design; now I work at the Winters Building helping to run it and several other companies owned by the man I’ve been waiting on my entire life. I’m marrying Logan Winters soon; six weeks to be exact. I never thought I’d meet a man like him, and sometimes I still can’t believe I have or that he wants to marry me.

Not to mention the fact that Logan called in a favor and I was tested by my University with a Harvard exam and tested out of everything in my program so I got my degree a week later. Logan knew I didn’t need to keep going to classes when I could spout the information in my sleep, and was getting an A+ in every class since I started going. Actually the level I tested at gave me my PHD in Criminology with the emphasis in Forensic Psychology for the Advanced Development of Homeland Security. Logan also secretly still works for Homeland Security so he was very proud to say he was marrying someone that has a PHD in the same career field and also helps run all of his companies.

Wow. Summing up my life events from the last few months is pretty cut and clear when you look at it. Yet, even though my life seems like it’s on track and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, something keeps catching and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It always does when it’s the most inconvenient.

Even though I still do my job at the Winters Building, I also reenlisted with a few conditions: I only serve one week a month training and picking the new recruits for my elite unit of Military Police, and I’m still in charge of the program doing whatever assignments I get plus profiling whatever cases they need help with. It was an easy compromise. I could hardly say no when the President asked me, since he did help me when I needed it, and he sweetened the deal very nicely by upping my rank with the condition that I also train the Secret Service guarding Him. Apparently, the thought that there are people that serve that are better trained and not on his protection detail scared Him when he remembered how easy it was for me and my team to get to him the first time.

This arrangement works very nicely for us. Technically, in the military you’re never supposed to be an officer unless you have at least an associate’s degree, but since I was chosen to run my elite Military Police Program I was made an Officer after getting the waiver from the ex-President. Little did I know that He was the one that had arranged everything in trying to kill me. This new President is much better. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s scared I’ll kill him or because he respects me and my abilities like he says, but as long as he doesn’t cross me or give me any reason to question him, I like him. When I got out of the Military about five years ago I was a Major, now that I’m back in and labeled as active duty, even though it’s only one week a month, I’m a Brigadier General. Granted it’s only a one star but it’s three ranks higher than I was and I’m the youngest person to ever hold that rank. Plus, our arrangement includes that my five years out are considered as I was still enlisted so I now have ten years in the Army and if I stay in for another ten then I can retire as a four star General with full retirement so it would be as if I served twenty years instead of only fifteen technically. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself.

This is my week on base. My kids aren’t as happy with the fact that I’m gone one week a month and sometimes randomly throughout the month, but they understand the purpose and are pacified with the fact that they have our newly extended family with them all the time. Their bodyguards and mine, our housekeeper, cook, butler, and the new driver live there with them in my home. Logan and his new bodyguard are also there frequently so they get to spend time with everyone which they love. Not to mention the best part: Since I have agreed to reenlist with these exceptions the base for my elite unit training was moved to Fort Benning so I can be closer to home and we get to see Madison, Christiaan and Jojo all the time. The kids are so happy about that last part. They love them so much and the fact that they have all of these people in their lives makes me feel so much better about all of the decisions I’ve made throughout my own.

For a long time I always thought I messed up their lives by messing up mine but I know now that I made the best choices because it’s led me here. Now, they have a big family of people that are willing to do anything, including die for them. Jesse and Rory are growing up with more love in their life from people that truly care than most kids do. Hazel told me a while ago that it was easy to see that I had done, and was doing, more for them than what most parents would do to make sure their children had a good life. At the time I thought she was just trying to make me feel better about myself, but I see now she was right. My life had been a fight from the start but it’s only made me do better for myself and my children so they never had to struggle the way I had to.

Damn, what just happened? That’s what I get for thinking about how happy I am and how great my life is going instead of paying attention to these idiots in front of me. I swear, sometimes grown men are worse to train than children. I sometimes think I would’ve preferred teaching toddlers: Mine were easy enough to teach. These idiots hate having to take orders or being dropped by a woman. Why are some people so chauvinistic? I’ll never understand it. Man, woman; what’s it matter who’s teaching you as long as you learn how to keep your own ass alive? Sometimes, I think the fact that I’m so small and yet so able to take them all out so quickly and easily is something that bothers them more than the fact that it’s a woman teaching them how to be better at their jobs. Maybe if I looked bigger and manlier they wouldn’t be so pissed off I think. The fact that I am considered the most dangerous person in the world is something most men don’t swallow too easily when you look like their baby sister. I’m sure the fact that the second most dangerous person in the world being another dainty woman is even harder for them to accept.

Speaking of Madison, she’s going to be here later to show me the samples of the cake designs so we can pick one for the wedding. I’ve been slacking on that and starting to cut it close. The baker isn’t happy he doesn’t have a cake design yet and only six weeks to complete it in once he gets the order, but he’s a gentle old man and his chiding is more like that of a grandfather. I guess I’d be upset too if I had to make a cake big enough to serve almost five hundred people and don’t know what it’s supposed to look like yet. Other than that Madison has definitely done amazing pretty much planning this wedding herself since I’m not very girlie when it comes to these things and don’t really know much about how these things are supposed to be. She is definitely the best Maid of Honor ever.

I just wish we could’ve cut that guest list more, but between Logan’s family, friends, business connections and associates and my connections, friends, extended family and business associates we were lucky we got that number so low. If we hadn’t done a lot of slimming it down we were looking at almost three thousand guests and there was no way in hell I was walking down the aisle in a poufy dress in front of that many people. I would’ve eloped first, but Logan’s Godmother would’ve dropped dead if that would’ve happened. She never had children so Logan was all she had and she’s definitely a very good woman that deserved to see the closest thing she had to a son get married in a church. When she asked after I suggested eloping I couldn’t refuse. Her big pleading eyes reminded me of Rory’s when she wants something and it broke me.

Okay, back to reality here. How did these morons qualify for the Secret Service when they act like they don’t know their ass from a brick? No wonder we have so many assassinated presidents. I guess his deal was definitely because he was concerned for His safety. Shit, with these idiots in the White House guarding the leader of our Country how in the hell is it possible that America hasn’t been over ran yet? We have to be the luckiest country in the world. Oh well. I’ll train these morons. Well, train them or beat them to death; whichever comes first. I guess that will depend on how quickly they wise up and start listening to me.

Morons! Stop acting like a bunch of idiots and do things the way I told you too. Trust me when I tell you that if you don’t start listening to me I will beat you to death in the process of trying to train you and I will make it look like an accident. Now, start from the beginning.

GREAT SPIRITS HAVE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERED VIOLENT OPPOSITION FROM MEDIOCRE MINDS-ALBERT EINSTEIN

Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words make and stay become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.― Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker

CHAPTER 1

NOW WHAT

4 ½ weeks later.

There comes a point in everyone’s life where they wonder how things could get any better. This was definitely NOT one of those times. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to get through these next few weeks without beating someone senseless. Let’s see I need to make a list of everything I have to do. Damn wedding details. If it’s not one thing it’s another.

Okay, so I have my final fitting at two. I need to drop off the checks to the caterer, baker, photographer and DJ by five. I have to get the bridesmaids gifts before Saturday. I need to get Rory and Jesse’s outfits picked up and ready for next Saturday. Oh yeah, I need to finalize the menu for the rehearsal dinner on Friday. Damn, damn, damn. This wedding stuff is starting to be a pain in the butt. Every little girl dreams of her wedding and all I want is for it to hurry up and be over with. I hope that doesn’t mean something bad that I’m not more excited. HMMM…. Maybe I should talk to Hazel later when were alone and have some time. Yeah right, me, have time; that’s a concept that’s not plausible. I also need to make sure everyone remembers to keep changing up the routes they take everywhere for security purposes.

Okay, what’s next? I need to finish packing and finish getting my pack together for the week. This is my week to be on base training the next wave of Secret Service morons. By the end of the week they’re going to hate me. This is the hardest week of training they’ll ever go through in their life, and the best part is they can’t quit or they lose their job. If they don’t pass they lose their job so they have to shut up and take orders from a woman which seems to be most of the men’s biggest pet peeve. That’s why most of the women here are excelling over the men. Some days I love my job more than other days.

Alright, I got my pack together; I got my purse and my date book. Now, all I have to do is run by the kid’s day camp to say bye to them for the week and then I’m good to go.

As I left and said bye to everyone something seemed off. It was almost like they were waiting for me to leave for some reason. I couldn’t seem to place the funny feeling that I had. Maybe it’s just my nerves. I keep getting these strange feelings now since what went down with Jill and the General. I think I’m just being paranoid.

Oh well, if something goes down then they’ll call me and let me know. I installed lots of panic buttons and cameras all over the house so I can look in on what’s going on at all times. In all fairness I should’ve told everyone about the cameras too instead of just the panic buttons but I wanted to be safe just to make sure I didn’t have another incident like before.

Twenty minutes later I was pulling into the driveway of the Rugrats Summer Camp the kids go to and I spotted them immediately. One of the counselors was off to the side yelling at Andrew and Ben about how they need to back off and let Jesse and Rory have some space. I didn’t like that too well. I marched over there and spun that big asshole around surprising him.

I said, Listen, you behemoth dickhead, they get paid to stay beside my children no matter what they’re doing. If you don’t like that then maybe you need to take it up with me because I can guarantee you one thing, I won’t hesitate to fuck you up and fire you too. Is that clear?

I was fuming at that point which is unlike me, I’m not usually this angry all the time, and it didn’t help things that this bastard looked at me and started laughing as he turned back to Ben and Andrew and said to them, You better get business Barbie before she gets herself hurt by stepping to me like that.

Ben and Andrew looked at him and then to me before taking a couple of steps back and smiling to each other. I smiled at him very calmly while waiting for him to quit laughing. When he finally did, he looked at me with the nastiest look I had ever seen before talking to me.

He said, Look, Bitch, I don’t know who you think you are but if you don’t get the hell out of my face then you’re going to find out what it’s like to piss off a real man. I’m not one of those men that back away just because you’re a woman or you have more money than I do. I will give you a beating just like I would any man that pisses me off. So why don’t you do yourself a favor, and take that fine ass of yours and go back to your little rich boyfriend.

I smiled at him and took a step closer right as Jesse looked at him and said, You shouldn’t have called my mom that bad name. Now she’s gonna smack you in the mouth so you know not to say that to girls anymore.

The entire time he was saying it he had a smile on his face. It makes me proud to know my son would never say something like that to a woman.

Just when I thought this man had pissed me off as bad as he could he turned around and started yelling at Jesse. Listen, you little…

I snapped then. I kicked him in the balls and as he dropped he was about level with me so I head butted him in the nose. He started screaming that I broke his nose and I grabbed him by the chin.

I said to him, You listen you pompous asshole; you think you’re a man just because you hit women. You’re not a man, you’re a pansy ass little boy pretending to be a man. You may be big, but honey, size doesn’t matter. Isn’t that easy enough for you to see? I mean, hell, you’re on your knees in front of me right now. And as far as me taking my ass back to my rich boyfriend, well, I don’t need him, his money, or his connections to be able to take your ass out. I have my own money and connections, not to mention the fact that I’m more than capable of taking care of myself physically. Wouldn’t you agree?

All he did was glare at me. After about five minutes of him staring at me he finally realized that I wasn’t going to back down. He finally shook his head yes so I let him up. He got to a standing position after a few seconds then went back to glaring at me. I heard someone coming up behind me so I turned around just in time to see the camp director rushing towards us with a panicked look on her face.

She looked to me first and said, Ms. Harvey is everything okay here? What happened here? Why is Mr. Phillips bleeding?

My response seemed to baffle her for a second. Well, apparently Skippy here seems to think that Rory and Jesse’s bodyguards should leave them alone and let them do things on their own and when I confronted him about it he told me to ‘take my fine ass back to my rich little boyfriend’. Afterwards he started to call my son something because Jesse told him that he shouldn’t have called me a bitch, so I dropped him.

She just stood there looking at him with her mouth open for what seemed like forever, then she started speaking in such a high pitched voice; I think out of fear. John, what were you thinking? Do you know who she is? Ms. Harvey is the one that owns this camp and signs all of your paychecks. She’s also a General in the Army and the person that runs all of Mr. Winters’ businesses.

The look on his face was priceless. He looked so scared after a couple of minutes that I think something must have registered with him. He looked at me and asked, You’re Rain Harvey, as in the leader of the Military Police force that… He stopped short there looking at everyone else before looking back at me waiting for an answer.

Yes, that’s me. I replied.

His response was a short Fuck me then he took a step back before apologizing repetitively for the next few minutes. I told Mrs. Eldridge that I was going to talk to Mr. Phillips for a few minutes before saying bye to my children. He honestly looked a little scared, and to be honest, I enjoyed that more than I should have.

Mr. Phillips and I walked away and went to the dock before we started talking. I started the conversation. So, tell me Mr. Phillips, what is it you know about the unit of MP’s I run.

He looked almost regretful of saying anything before he replied. Well I know that you guys aren’t just Military Police. I know you do black ops missions around the world. I know you’re in charge of the entire operation and you only recruit the best of the best. You have a higher standard for all of your people and you were almost assassinated a few months ago. Your people dabble in multiple different career fields in the military and I tried getting into the program multiple different times but kept getting rejected. Does that sum it all up?

I looked at him trying to figure out who he knew that was talking about things that they shouldn’t be before answering him. When I did all he could do was flounder around trying to find an answer. You’ve barely started to skim the surface Mr. Phillips. Now, tell me, who in my unit has been talking about things they shouldn’t have.

He stuttered incoherently. Uh…um….well, you see……there was this guy I knew. When I started glaring at him he finally broke. My brother was in your unit. I haven’t heard from him in almost five months. I think he was your number six man. His name was Robert.

Suddenly, I felt the earth shift from beneath me. It was the other shoe I had been waiting on to drop. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Wait a second here. I had to check to make sure that what I was hearing was right.

Hold on here, Mr. Phillips. You’re telling me that Robert was your brother. As in you guys had the same parents? I asked. He looked a little stunned by my confusion but answered quickly.

Yes, Ms. Harvey that is what I’m saying. We had the same father but different mothers. Why do you look like you’ve just been kicked in the stomach? What is it you know that I don’t? He asked starting to look more scared than confused now.

My answer added more confusion to the mix though, making that emotion more dominant than the fear now. Mr. Phillips I need you to tell me everything Robert has ever told you about me, my unit, the people in it or anything else pertaining to anything in his life from the past seven years when he first enlisted.

He answered slowly but the entire time he was looking at me questioningly. Ms. Harvey, I swear the only things he told me was what I knew about what your unit did and that I needed to stop being so guarded with my rules because most women were more dangerous than men. The ones that looked dainty and girlie were the most deadly and that I shouldn’t hesitate to knock one around if I needed to because they would be more than willing to do so to me. He said he was doing a dangerous mission to help out his old high school girlfriend and that he had to do a lot of things that he never wanted to do including beating a woman that he really cared about. He said this woman was going to hurt Jill if he didn’t hurt her first. Now, can you please tell me what’s going on?

I was still standing there looking like I had seen a ghost trying to figure out what I was going to say and how I was going to tell this man that I had killed his brother to save his niece and nephew that he now knows but didn’t know they existed and still doesn’t know they’re related to him. I started to speak when my voice caught because I heard Jesse walking up behind me. I looked down at him wondering what all he had heard when he smiled at me and reached up and grabbed my hand. Ben, Andrew and Rory were coming up behind us slowly also.

Jesse looked up at me and said, I’ll tell him Mommy. Then he looked at Mr. Phillips and said, Mr. Phillips, Robert was our Daddy. He was bad though and he died a few months ago. I’m sorry for your loss, but now you know you have us. We’re family.

Jesse smiled at him his most sincere smile and I looked at my now five year old son and wondered how I got so lucky having such a beautiful intelligent little man. I noticed Mr. Phillips starting to move towards Jesse out of the corner of my eye so I briskly moved between them as Ben did the same.

Mr. Phillips stopped and looked at us quickly before noticing what it was we were thinking. He started apologizing almost immediately before telling us he was just going to hug the kids. I’m sorry I startled you. I wasn’t going to hurt the kids I was just going to hug them. As far as I knew, Robert was the only family I had left and we didn’t really talk a whole lot because he was always gone. We were never very close growing up. He never told me he had kids. Were you two married? Were you still together? How did he die? When did he die?

His questions were coming so quickly I couldn’t answer them all and I wasn’t ready to answer them in front of the children. Not to mention I was already running late for my dress fitting.

I said, Mr. Phillips, obviously there are a lot of things we need to talk about. Unfortunately, I have about a hundred things to do today that I am now running late for so I can’t have this conversation at the moment, and I would prefer not to have it in front of the kids anyway. I work on base all week starting tonight so we can have this conversation next Monday if that’s a good day for you.

He looked almost wounded when I gave him my response. He replied desperately when I started to walk away, Ms. Harvey, please! You can’t imagine what it’s been like for me. He was the only family I had left, as I said; I never knew what was happening. I’m happy to know I have more family now and I’m more sorry than you can possibly imagine about the way things started out with our meeting, but that’s something I can’t take back. Please, don’t make me wait a week to find out what happened to my brother. I’ll go crazy waiting that long. Please. Is there any time sooner we can meet?

I looked at my watch knowing I needed to check out his background before I agreed to anything. So, I compromised. I told him, Give me your phone number. I’ll try to make some time one of these evenings and I’ll give you a call when I get things rearranged.

He quickly wrote down his number on the back of one of my cards I gave him and kept thanking me. He was following me back to my SUV saying he would be waiting for my call and apologizing for what happened earlier. Right before getting into the car I stopped and said bye to the kids. I told them I loved them and as I was hugging Jesse I whispered in his ear not to go around Mr. Phillips without Ben or Andrew until I told him it was ok. He smiled at me knowing what I meant. I swear, that kid was smarter than most adults I knew. I gave Ben and Andrew a look then looked at Mr. Phillips and immediately they knew what I expected from them as well.

I told Mr. Phillips, I know you just found out that Jesse and Rory are your niece and nephew but I would prefer if you not try to be alone with them or talk to them without Ben or Andrew until you and I have our talk. Understood?

He quickly shook his head though he did look like I had just slapped him in the face. He mumbled that he didn’t have a chance of that happening anyway because Ben and Andrew were stuck on them like glue before they knew he was related to them so he can imagine how much tighter that glue would be now that they know he’s their uncle. We all laughed but it gave me a deeper appreciation for the bodyguards.

I left and had to speed through downtown Atlanta, as much as possible, to get to the Bridal Shop without being to ungodly late. When I got there Madison, Berdina and Katie were getting the final touches of their dresses done. Madison instantaneously knew something was wrong when she saw me and came down to talk to me before I got to the others. I told her I would tell her after we left. She nodded knowing it had to be something important. We picked and bought the bridesmaids shoes and mine as well as leaving with our dresses.

My wedding gown was beautiful. I had to hand it to Madison. She was very good at picking something that looked expensive and accentuated me very nicely.

I almost hit the ceiling when we were ringing everything up, however. I insisted on paying for the bridesmaid’s dresses and shoes since they were going to be expensive. We couldn’t exactly go with something cheaper. It was going to be an enormous event with a lot of influential people there and everyone had to be looking their absolute best. Between three bridesmaid’s dresses, my dress, Rory’s flower girl dress and all of our shoes the total was just over nineteen thousand dollars. My dress was the majority of it at almost fifteen thousand.

I looked at Madison and stammered out, My God, Madison. There better be some diamonds on the dress for it to be that much.

She laughed and said I needed to learn to be girlier. It was a name brand dress, that I had especially made to look like Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast with the exception of being white with yellow in it, and wasn’t going to be cheap but since it wasn’t my money that I was using I should just be happy that I have a beautiful gown to pass down to Rory for when she gets married. I had to admit, looking at it like that did make me a little less stressed. Damn, how was I going to tell Logan how much I had spent there? I’ll just blurt it out. Yep. That’s exactly what I’ll do. Not that he’ll care either way honestly.

Once we left, Madison and I said good-bye to Berdina and Katie and we headed out to do the rest of the wedding errands before going to the base for the week while they ran the dresses home and Katie could get dropped off while the guys got picked up so they could head to base themselves. In the car I told Madison about what had happened at the camp and the entire time she sat there looking at me with her mouth opened and pale. Almost a mirror reflection of how I felt on the inside.

She asked, What did you do?

I told her I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to tell him but I knew he deserved to know the truth. If he really was Robert’s brother someone needed to mourn for him other than his children. I explained I wasn’t really sure how I was going to get through everything though when she suggested that she be there when I tell him I was grateful. I was more than lucky to have her there with me. She has always been a good friend to me and I was even more appreciative of that these past few months.

We ended up finishing everything sooner than expected so we headed to base to get things ready for the Secret Service morons that we were going to have to work with again this week. It will be this groups third week with me and they still act like newbies. When we got there the base was quiet. I looked at Madison walking beside me and we both rolled our eyes. We dropped our bags by the doors to the mess hall before going in. As Madison opened the door I yelled out for the idiots to come join us because if they were going to try to snipe us they needed better hiding spots other than the tree, top of the building and behind the bush.

Jojo and Christiaan started laughing hysterically when I finished what I was saying. They were sitting at the table just inside the mess hall doors and heard all sorts of cussing and groaning of the three men as they were coming in. One walked up to me and asked how we knew they were where they were and trying to snipe us.

I looked over at Madison and told her to explain while I got a drink. She laughed and said, "Firstly, you need to control your breathing. Secondly, you have to stop shaking because when you do you shake your surroundings. Thirdly, turn the volume of your ear piece down. We could hear it twenty feet away. Lastly, if you’re going to hide somewhere to try to snipe someone off, you need to slow down, think about what you’re doing, control your breathing, take into account the wind and your surroundings, know your target and just trust yourself. You’re the one taking the shot. You are the one pulling the trigger. If you’re going to take a bullet for someone, or at least make them think you are, then you should be able to take the shot too. When someone’s life is in your hands you don’t have time to hesitate or second guess yourself. You don’t have the option of being scared. If you miss, then you miss, you just reload and try to get in a second shot before they see where