Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(31)

As I stepped away, one of the guys called out to me. “Welcome to NORAD, Angel. It’s good to have you here.”

“Thanks. I’ll try not to blow the place up.”

I winked at their stunned faces and left to find Major Wilks. He was right where the girl said he’d be, sitting in his office, hunched over some paperwork at his desk. “Knock, knock,” I said, hovering in the open doorway.

“Good afternoon, Angel.” He started to smile until he looked up and saw me. Blinking several times, he grimaced and said, “How do you feel about uniforms?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. “It’ll be a cold day in hell.”

Major Wilks sighed. “That is…inconvenient.”

I smirked. It was the same thing he’d said to Ryan.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be too opposed to some kind of team uniform, if it weren’t horrible. I understood it was impractical to run around in short skirts all the time—and probably a bit distracting here at a predominantly male military base like this. I was only giving him a hard time to test his boundaries. I wanted to see what his reactions to me would be. It was best for him to learn I could be a pain right from the start.

“So, Major, do you have anything decent to eat around here?”

Major Wilks looked at his watch and stood up. “If we hurry, we can hit the cafeteria before it closes up.”

“Am I that late for breakfast?”

“Lunch,” he said as we exited his office and he shut and locked the door. “It’s almost two o’clock.”

Nice. I knew I’d slept a long time. “Sorry.”

“You needed the rest. You took quite a beating yesterday.”

“Yeah, thanks for the assist, by the way. I’m glad I didn’t have to kill anyone.”

Major Wilks slid me a long, thoughtful glance. “Could you have?”

“To save my own life?” I shrugged. “I didn’t want to, but I was about to. If Tyson hadn’t dropped that guy when he did, I’d have put a lightning bolt in his face. I’m sure I could do it to save someone I cared about, too.” I paused and gave him a hard stare. “But I’m not a killer, and I won’t just go around using my power to hurt people.”

Major Wilks held his hands up in surrender. “Easy, Angel; that’s the answer I was looking for.”

I wasn’t sure he fully understood yet. “My powers are mine, Major. I won’t follow orders where my abilities are concerned. I decide how and when I use them. No one will ever bully me into using them. Ever.”

“I can respect that.”

“Can you?” Major Wilks frowned, but I wouldn’t back down. “There’s a reason you want me so badly. I wouldn’t be valuable to you if you didn’t expect to have my power at your disposal. I’m not na?ve, sir. You want to use me. That’s the whole point. What I’m saying is, I understand your need, and if the cause is right I may be willing to help, but if I ever work with you, it will be with you. Not for you.”

The major was quiet for a moment, either pondering what I’d said or trying to figure out how to argue with me. In the silence, I noticed the sounds of chairs scraping, dishes clanking, and people laughing.

“That’s a na?ve outlook, Angel. Everyone has a boss.”

I shook my head. “It’s not. If I went out and got a job working in a video store or something, I’d have a boss and that would be fine. This is different. If I worked for you, you would ask me to use my powers. You’d put me on missions knowing what I’m capable of and assuming I’d use my powers for your benefit. I won’t do that.”

“But the military runs on a chain of command. We couldn’t function without people overseeing things and taking control. I understand what you’re afraid of, but everyone has to have a boss. You could work for me if you trusted me.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “If I genuinely trusted you. And that’s a very big if. But what about your chain of command? What about your boss? And his boss? I don’t know them. And I definitely don’t trust them. If I joined you, I wouldn’t just be signing on with you. I’d be signing on with the U.S. government. Anyone with more pull than you could step in once they realized I was here. They would all try to use me. It’s human nature. I’m valuable to a lot of people. Not just you. I will not become the government’s tool.”

“I could keep that from happening.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. If your commanding officer said they needed me, you’d have to hand me over. Or if they ordered you to send your team on a mission, you’d have to go no matter what the job was. Your hands would be tied. I couldn’t risk that.”

We rounded a corner into a wide hallway and pushed through a set of double doors. The cafeteria seemed very average, like something you’d see in a hospital. There was a salad bar at one end and a couple long rows of food covered by glass sneeze guards, and a counter to slide a plastic tray down as you selected your meal.

The cafeteria was fairly empty, most people having already finished their lunches. But the latecomers that were there all took notice of my entrance and watched as Major Wilks and I crossed the room. I wondered how many of them realized I could hear what they were whispering about me. Most of the buzz was awe, curiosity, and excitement—nothing bad—but it felt strange to be a celebrity. I didn’t like being watched.