The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the Janitors Series - Suzan learns lesson and gets unwanted news.

Today’s excerpt is from The Saltwater Connection, Book #6 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Suzan gets a lesson that might save her life, then finds out she has something she doesn’t want.  Enjoy and have a great day.

m.j.

 

“Well, thank you, sir.  I’m Suzan.  Anyhow, I really need to be on that flight.  My TAD in San Diego was up and I was to report back for deployment.  I really, absolutely need to be there.”

Jim smiled.  “Deployment where and with what unit?”

Suzan shook her head.  “Can’t tell you that, sir.”

On a hunch, Jim said in perfect Arabic, “I respect that.  Do you know when you’ll ship out?”

Suzan answered, also in very good Arabic, “Not exactly, sir.”

Then realized she’d been had and grumbled in English.  “That was naughty, sir.”

Jim looked sternly at her.  “And let it be a good lessen to you, Lieutenant.  When someone speaks a foreign tongue to the one you’re known to speak, always stop and think.  If speaking in the different language would give away you or your operation, the pause would seem natural to someone who doesn’t understand what has just been said to them.  If, after the pause, you realize that the opposite party has tried to trick you, simply act like you don’t understand what has been said to you, or reply so in the language you’re known to speak.  It might save your life.”

Suzan swallowed.  “Thank you, sir.”

“I told you ‘Jim’ is fine.  Quit with the ‘sir’ business.  You’re making me feel as old as I am.”

“Thanks, Jim.  And thanks, again, for the lesson.  May I ask another question?”

“Shoot.”

“The guy, who took Sarah Jane and me out to kill, said we were being killed because we were diseased.  Do you know anything about that?”

Jim raised an eyebrow and looked at Billy, who shook his head.  “No, Jim.  But I can go ask the doctor’s aide.  Be right back.”

While Billy was gone, Jim went outside, Suzan tagging along, to see how Holly was coming along with the women.  Holly looked up as he approached.  She smiled warmly.  “We’ve got more volunteers to stay with us than we need.  I’ve nearly had to fight to get six of these gals willing to go with us.”

Jim just nodded and turned away with a smile on his face, not wanting anything to do with “Holly’s” problems.

As he walked away, again with Suzan next to him, she joked, “That was sorta chicken, Major.”

“Yup.  It was.”

About ten minutes later, back in the office, Jim glanced up from his seat at Zawahiri’s desk when Billy came in and looked at Suzan.  He grinned.  “Don’t know how to tell you this, Lieutenant, but you’ve got the clap.  Miss Mosley has hepatitis.”

Suzan glared at Billy.  “The clap?  The clap!  I’ll kill that son-of-a-bitch!  Thanks a heap, Master Sergeant.”

Billy held up his left hand as though to ward off an attack.  “Hey, Suzan, don’t shoot the messenger.  You wanted to know; I found out for you.”

Then he held up his right hand in which he held a syringe.  “If you drop your drawers and bend over Jim’s desk, I’ll get rid of it for you.  Penicillin.  They had a pretty well-supplied sick bay.”

Suzan looked around and saw no one but Billy and Jim in the room, and did as told.  When she bent over the desk, Billy gave her the shot, not too gently, and grinned as Suzan pulled up her panties and pants.  “If you don’t mind me saying so, Lieutenant, you’ve got a nice rear end.”

“I mind, sorta, but thanks for the compliment, and thanks for the shot.”

Jim chuckled.  “Uh, Suzan, just who is it you’re gonna kill?”

“The son-of-a-bitch who gave me this little gift.  He’s the only one I’ve slept with in the last two years.  A fellow Marine.  Captain Charles-soon-to-be-dead-Forquer.”

“He stationed at Pendleton with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, rather than kill him, how about I give your base Commanding General—an old friend, by the way—a call and see that Captain Forquer has a rather unpleasant time of things?”

“You know General Kowalski?”

“Yeah.  Ski and I go way back.  He was a Major, like me, during Desert Storm.  I sorta left the Marines after that little affair and he stayed on to become a fine General.”

 

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