Code Name: Camelot (Noah Wolf #1)(54)
Noah cocked his head to one side. “If we’re going to run simulations, I gather we’re going to be using paintballs?” Allison smiled, and he went on. “Then, what about opposition? Do we have people playing the parts?”
“We do, yes. A fair number of our people here do just that, play the parts of the bad guys in simulation scenarios. And I should warn you, some of them are wicked with those paintball guns. Those things may break on impact, but they can still sting, trust me.”
“I’ve run a paintball course, I know. When can we start practicing?”
“Tomorrow morning. You’ll meet your referee at the Alley Town restaurant, and he’ll take you out to show you this setup. He’ll also supply you with your weapons and equipment, including vehicles and electronics. With the exception of the weapons, everything he’ll give you will be just like what you would use out in the field, including computers, phones, all of it. Anything you ask for to use in the mission, he will give you. Those are his standing orders, and he knows it.”
“And just who is this referee? Is it someone we’ve met already?”
Allison smiled, and Noah waited. “You met him your first day,” she said. “His name is Jefferson.”
She went over the mission with them several times, and finally dismissed them just before lunchtime. She had told them that they could have the rest of the day off, so they all headed out to the farm. Neil was all moved into the trailer by then, so for him, it was going home, just as it was for Noah. Sarah and Moose followed along in their own cars.
It was moving into autumn, but the weather was still decent. Noah thought it was time to fire up the grill, again—he hadn’t used it since the night he and Moose had settled their differences—so he went to his refrigerator and got out a package of steaks he had planned on using that weekend. If they were to begin simulations the following day, he wasn’t sure the weekend was going to be free. The steaks were thawed, so he set them to marinate while he got the grill started and warming up.
“What can I do to help?” Sarah asked, and Noah looked up at her.
“I was just going to go for steak and salad. There’s a bag of salad mix ready to go in the refrigerator, if you want to just rip it open and dump it in a bowl. I got several types of salad dressing, you might get those out, too. Just set it on the table in the dining room; we’ll eat inside tonight.”
She gave him a bright smile, and went to get the salad ready. He had the grill ready to sear the steaks quickly, and since all of them preferred their steaks rare, it wasn’t going to take them long to cook.
Neil appeared beside him, and handed him a bottle of beer. “I think you’d better enjoy this tonight,” he said. “I’m not sure you want to be drinking during our simulations.”
Noah thanked him, then shrugged. “From what I see so far, at least part of this mission is going to involve hanging out in a bar. If that’s where I’ve got to meet the target, I’ll have to spend some time there, let myself become a familiar face. We may get to hang out in the land of tequila for a while, and I’m gonna probably be drinking a lot while I’m there.” He looked up at Neil, and winked. “Good thing I can handle my liquor, isn’t it?”
Neil rolled his eyes. “Why is it that almost everything you say puts me in mind of somebody’s famous last words? You know, I signed up for this because I wanted to avoid prison time. That doesn’t mean I wanted to avoid it badly enough to die. Please, please don’t get me killed.”
“What are you worried about?” Moose asked, coming up behind them. “You get to sit back out of sight, playing games on the computer. Noah’s the one who’s gonna be out there taking the risks, and if he has to have a backup, that’ll be on me. Even Sarah won’t be in the line of fire, unless it’s during a really frantic getaway.”
“I don’t want any of you in the line of fire,” Noah said, “not if there’s any way to avoid it. That includes you, Moose. I’ve proven to be pretty good, over the years, at taking care of myself, so hopefully you won’t have to cover my back too often.” He looked at the big man and smiled. “That doesn’t mean I’m not glad you’re available if needed, though.”
Moose smiled back, then suddenly scowled. “Didn’t we tell ya you don’t have to fake the smiles with us?”
The smile vanished from Noah’s face instantly. “Sorry, dude, it’s just old habit. I’ve been pretending to be human so long that I can’t remember to let it go.”
“I think it’s cute,” Sarah said, returning from inside. “Let him smile if he wants to.”
“And this from the girl who, just a week ago, couldn’t stand the thought of being close to a man without emotions,” Neil said. He eyeballed Noah and tried to look innocent. “Oh, I wonder, do you think that has anything to do with the fact that she’s playing ‘ride the cowboy’ in your bedroom most nights lately?”
Noah turned and looked into Neil’s eyes. “Neil, that was uncalled for,” he said, but Sarah interrupted him.
“Oh, forget it, Noah,” she said. “I sleep with you because it’s fun exercise, and it’s not like I have to worry about my reputation. Let the kid make his wisecracks, he’s just jealous.”