He wanted to kiss her again. Softly, this time. Feel her lips pressing against his. Welcome her tongue into his mouth and carry her to his bed. He never brought women here. This was his private sanctuary. But he wanted to lay her down and smother her with kisses before covering her body with his. Lose himself in her while their eroticism washed away his pain and loneliness. Even if just for a little while.
Then, cradle her in his arms all night long.
They exited the cabin and walked onto the stern. A soft breeze blew past him and he inhaled the crisp night air. She’s right. I can’t do this alone. “I’ll grab us a couple of hotel rooms.” Though, one would work better.
She slipped into her stilettos. He walked her to her car and she pulled him close for a hug. “Thanks for not arguing with me.”
He tightened his hold, closed his eyes, and savored her. She always smelled like summer peaches. He loved peaches. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Good luck at the hearing,” she said. “But you and I don’t believe in luck, do we?”
“No,” he replied. “No, we don’t.”
9
T H E H E A R I NG
W earing a dark pinstripe suit, a crisp white dress shirt, and red power tie, Maverick was ushered into the packed hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building across from the U.S. Capitol. His eight o’clock time slot had been pushed back to half past noon, which meant, he had an additional four hours to stew over this dog and pony show. What a time suck.
As he took his seat at the rectangular table facing the tiered rows of committee seats, cameras clicked like machine guns. While labeled a hearing, this had all the markings of a trial with the accused presumed guilty.
He’d been advised to lawyer up, but Maverick didn’t want someone speaking for him. He refused to be silenced because he’d done nothing wrong. He’d accepted a job the military couldn’t. He’d placed his team in mortal danger. His second-in-command had taken a bullet and he’d almost gotten killed.
Even with all that mayhem, ThunderStrike had gotten the job done. All twelve American hostages had been rescued. The terrorists didn’t bully the United States into submission and they didn’t get the millions they’d demanded, either.
An intern hurried over and poured Maverick a glass of water before adjusting the mic. “You’re live now.” The reverb made several in the crowd wince. The young man slid the stand away. “Sorry. Is there anything I can get you?”
Maverick shot the kid a tempered smile. He’d save his winning grin for after the hearing. “I’m good.”
The senators filed in and seated themselves.
George Internado sat in the center, his pudgy face swollen, his tired eyes glazed over. While the senator had been affable over the past year, he wore no smile today.
Internado struck his gavel. “I call this hearing to order. This Senate Select Committee has been formed to investigate a recent mission undertaken by ThunderStrike, a high-security firm that provides surveillance, protection and rescues, here in the United States and overseas, for both the U.S. government and private corporations. The mission in question, code named ‘The Twelve’, occurred in defiance of government direction and possibly violated international laws.”
As if to punctuate what he’d just said, he paused to sip water from his glass. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hott. We appreciate your speaking with us.”
“Good day, Senators.”
Internado referred to his notes. “Mr. Hott, you’re the CEO of ThunderStrike.”
That isn’t even a damn question. “Affirmative.”
“And you personally led the mission known as ‘The Twelve’.”
“I did.”
“Isn’t it true that you executed this mission contrary to direction given by your government contacts?”
“The mission to which you’re referring is top-secret. I’m not at liberty to discuss details.”
The senator held up what looked like a two hundred-page bound document. “According to this subcommittee report, you were advised to abort the mission because it was believed the terrorists holding the American hostages had learned the date and time of your strike. Instead of standing down, you went rogue, risking the mission and the lives of everyone affiliated with it, including the hostages.”
“I was confident we could complete the assignment successfully.”
“But it wasn’t a complete success, was it? There were serious casualties.”
“The twelve American hostages are now home. No one on my team died. So, in my eyes, the mission was a success, Senator.”