’ I about faced, wondering what in the hell he was doing. I stood at attention, staring at the mini-blinds on the window. It was still dark outside ...nd no noise came from the open offices beyond his door. The sounds of my breathing matched his, exaggerated to my ears. ‘Left face.’ He stood up. ‘I like to see my soldiers taking pride in their uniforms. Keep it up. Dismissed.’ If I could have kept my military bearing and done so, I would have run like hell. I’d been stared at before, but never. .." she began. I was still standing there, shivering, looking like a corpse someone had pulled from the river and stood up on her front step, all pale, and cold, and soggy. I could feel the heat coming at me from out of her front hallway. It was lovely."Are your parents home?" I asked after a moment's awkward silence.She shook her head, no. A crack of lightning flashed in the gloomy sky above the trees on our block. Thunder rumbled across the sky, warning godless heathens everywhere that the. At that time her pallu would be down & her cleavage used to be visible. Our neighbor Suresh uncle used to talk to her often. One day I saw him coming close to mom, pick up some rice and put it in her blouse. Mom just blushed but she just allowed him to do that. I heard Suresh telling Nalini that she is very beautiful & he would love her to make her his wife. Mom said, yes she would love too but she is already married. Then mom said that anyways they can live like husband & wife, when dad is not. “Still got that fight in you,” the major remarks. Samantha smirks. “With Winter controlling the Russian and Chinese armies, there is simply no way the TDF or Black List can stop them. Simply put, we are the last line of defense against Avyanna.”“So why the hell are we here?” Spencer asks bluntly.“Because you two are already involved,” Graves simply puts.“No,” Samantha quickly counters. “You said because of Roger you got involved.”Graves laughs. “Nothing gets past you. I see why Roger held you.