Targeted (Firebrand Book 1) by Sandra Robbins Page B

over the rim of her coffee cup. The thought of going out in public, much less allowing Max to appear onstage in a school musical, frightened her. Although she knew Max would be upset, she had hoped for his safety they could come up with some excuse for him not to participate. “Are you sure?” she asked, hoping Ash would understand the hidden meaning in her question.
    He smiled. “Of course I am. But I do have some friends I’d like to invite along.” He turned back to Max. “Would you mind some of my Firebrand buddies coming with us?”
    Max’s eyes grew wide. “Are you kidding me? They’d really come?”
    Ash laughed. “They’d love to. Especially when I tell them they need to see you now so that when you’re a famous rock star they can say they knew you when.”
    Max was practically jumping up and down in his chair. “I can’t believe it. Isn’t that great, Mom?”
    Lainey’s stomach clenched, and she gave a weak nod. “Yes, it is.”
    Max took a drink of his orange juice and then looked back at Ash. “So, Uncle Ash, why haven’t you ever come home before?”
    Her son’s question shocked Lainey, and she almost choked on the bite of muffin she’d just taken. She grabbed her coffee cup and gulped a mouthful of the hot liquid before she turned to Max. “It’s not our place to question why your uncle has stayed away. We just need to be glad he’s here now.”
    Ash waved his hand in dismissal and shook his head. “No, it’s all right, Lainey.” He took a deep breath and turned his head to stare at Max. “After meeting you, I’m sorry I didn’t come home sooner. I suppose my only excuse is the fact that I never know from one day to the next where I’m going to be. I stay at my cabin in Colorado and wait for Reese to get in touch with me about our next mission.”
    Max’s forehead wrinkled. “Who’s Reese?”
    “Reese Alexander is my good friend and the man who founded Firebrand International. I met him when I was in the army. He and Colt Hanson asked me to join them in forming a new group that would contract our services to the government.”
    Max scooted his plate out of the way and crossed his arms on the table as he leaned forward. “What kind of services?”
    Ash shrugged. “Hostage recovery, fugitives on the run, missions where they need added military help. That sort of thing.”
    “Wow. That’s got to be exciting.”
    Lainey coughed, and Ash glanced over at her. She frowned and gave a slight shake of her head. His eyebrows arched, and he turned his head to look at Max whose mouth gaped open. Ash cleared his throat and gave his head a slight shake. “It may sound like some exciting adventure you’d see in the movies, Max, but it’s not. It can be boring and nerve wracking at the same time when you’re guarding a perimeter or when you’re waiting for the right moment to strike. You may go for days without bathing and live on MREs. And no matter how tired or hungry you get, you have to always be on alert because people’s lives depend on you.”
    “What’re MREs?”
    “Military rations that are designed as survival food.” He grinned and pointed to his empty plate. “They don’t taste anything like your mom’s cooking.”
    Lainey pushed her chair back, rose, and reached for Max’s plate. She forced a smile to her face as she stacked the dish on top of hers. “I think you’ve monopolized your uncle’s time long enough. You’ll get a chance to talk to him a lot more while he’s here. Now if you’re finished eating, I think you should take the opportunity of being home today to work on that science project that’s due next week while I talk to your uncle.”
    Max’s mouth drooped, and his forehead wrinkled in a frown. “Aw, Mom, do I have to?”
    “Yes, you do.”
    Max scooted his chair back from the table and stood. Even before he turned to her she knew what he was about to do, and he didn’t disappoint. His long lashes blinked once, and he stared at her in