The Recruit: A Jack Noble Short Story (3 page)

“How so?” I said.

He continued without
acknowledging my question. “Probably why Kaszlaski hated you so much. He
certainly wasn’t doing it to make you a better Marine.”

“What’s this got to do
with me then?” Bear asked.

“You just got in the
way,” Keller said. “He must have figured of all the recruits, you were the one
who could beat Jack down. He might have been right. He just didn’t know enough
about Jack.”

Keller winked.

I smiled.

“Got that right,” Bear
said, rubbing his forehead.

A knock at the door
startled jarred three of us. The MP stepped in and placed two cups of coffee on
the desk.

Keller nodded at him and
waited for the door to close. “I’ve got a problem now.” He leaned forward,
placed his elbows on the desk and steepled his hands together. “I’ve got to
figure out how to solve this problem without sending you two to court marshal
and without pissing off my D.I.s. No matter what I say, most of them will
believe Kaszlaski.”

“So you know what
happened tonight?” I said.

“Yeah,” Keller said.
“They attacked Bear. You stepped in to help him. Then the two of you kicked
their asses.”

The room fell silent,
save for the occasional sips of coffee. Keller lit three more cigarettes.
Handed one to each of us and then turned his attention back to the papers on
his desk.

“Does that have anything
to do with us?” I asked.

He nodded, his cigarette
dangling from his mouth. The smoke wrapped around his head on its way to the
ceiling.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don’t want to roll you
guys back. You’re halfway through recruit training,” he paused, his fingers
working against pronounced jaw muscles. “Makes no sense to put you through this
again. You’re ready.”

I leaned forward. “Sir,
are you saying—”

He waved me off. “But I
can’t just graduate you. Not with this group, at least.”

“The papers?” Bear said.

“Yes, the papers. Someone
wants me to loan them a couple of my Marines. Only, they don’t want Marines,
not true Devil Dogs. They want a couple of promising recruits.” He shook his
head. “Apparently they want to take what I’ve begun molding and shape it to
what they want.” He grimaced and looked to the side.

I looked at Bear. His
eyes narrowed as he soaked in Keller’s words.

“Who is it?” I asked.
“Who wants us?”

“Can’t say,” Keller said.

“Why not?” Bear asked.

“I’ve had my eye on you
for this, Jack. Since you arrived.” He looked at Bear. “Turns out I have your
perfect partner now.”

I sat back in my chair
and interlaced my fingers behind my head. Took in a deep breath and exhaled.
“Don’t we have a say in this?”

Keller looked at me.
Cleared his throat as he fidgeted with the papers. “No.”

“Just tell me who it is,”
I said.

“You’ll find out soon
enough.”

“NSA?”

Keller said nothing.

“DEA?”

He chuckled.

“CIA?”

He cleared his throat.
“Lt. Col. Abbot heads up our side of the operation. You are two are leaving at
oh six hundred hours. You’ll be taken to Virginia, where you’ll be briefed by
him and then begin your training.”

“Langley?” I asked.

“I honestly don’t know,
Noble.”

I turned to Bear. “What
you think? Partners?”

“Works for me,” Bear
said.

“We’re good to go,
General.”

Visit
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for purchasing options:

Noble Intentions: Season One (Episodes 1-5)

Noble Intentions: Season Two (Episodes 6-10)

Noble Beginnings: A Jack Noble Novel (Jack Noble #1)

A Deadly Distance (Jack Noble #2)

Noble Intentions: Season Three (Episodes 11-15)

COMINGSOON:

Never Go Home (Jack Noble #3): September, 2013

Noble Intentions: Season Four (Episodes 16-20):
Winter, 2013

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