by C. G. Cooper
“Major Stokes will be stopping by every so often to check on our progress and offer additional advice and support,” Decker said. “I know it’s a bit unorthodox, but this man has seen it all. Don’t let his dumb grunt act fool you. His help will be invaluable to us as we move forward.”
“Now we just need to get the Feds on board.” Stokes laughed, and the room joined him.
“Good luck with that,” Abrams called out. “They hate us more than you do.”
“That they do,” Stokes said. “They’ve been working on their program since the late ‘70s. Same sort of deal. If you can get into the mind of a killer, really understand how your enemy works, then you have a better chance of catching him before he hurts anyone else. We’re usually sent in after it’s too late. I want to change that.”
“Might put you out of a job,” Higgins joked.
Stokes laughed again. “Honestly, I don’t think that’d be so bad. Maybe I’ll join up with you. Maybe in a perfect world.”
“In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a need for any of us,” Higgins said.
“You’re exactly right, Mr. Higgins.”
“Doctor,” Higgins corrected automatically. His face flushed.
“Ignore him,” Abrams said, reaching across Spencer to whack Higgins in the stomach. “He thinks just because he has two doctorates that he’s better than us.”
“I do not,” Higgins mumbled. He felt his face grow even hotter.
Stokes held up a hand in surrender. “You earned those degrees, Dr. Higgins. Wear them with pride.”
Higgins shot a look at Abrams while the rest of the room continued to chuckle. Thatcher looked down at his watch. “It seems my time is up here,” he said. “I assume you can find your way back, Major?”
“I’ll try not to steal any secrets on the way out.”
“See that you don’t,” Thatcher said, shaking Stokes’s hand again before exiting the room.
Everyone took their turn introducing themselves to Major Stokes, except Higgins, who hung back to observe how this new player interacted with everyone in the room. Where Higgins lacked interpersonal skills, Stokes excelled in the area. He could joke with Abrams in one breath and rein it in to speak in serious undertones with Spencer in the next. He and Johnson exchanged battle scars, and when it came to York, Stokes found a fellow intellectual to converse with. Higgins detected no condescension or disrespect in his voice even though she was the only woman in the room.
As the personal introductions were finishing up, Stokes broke off from the group and walked over to where Higgins was still seated at the front of the room and sat down next to him.
“More of an observer than a talker, right?”
“You could say that.”
“Should I be worried?”
Higgins smiled. “Not so much.”
“Good.” Stokes stretched and checked out his watch. He slapped his knees and stood up again. “C’mon, Doc. Let me buy you a beer and tell you about the Marine Corps.”
Higgins looked up at Major Calvin Stokes and couldn’t help but feel his life was about to change forever. He stood and held out his hand which Stokes grasped tightly.
“I would like that very much.”
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Also by C. G. Cooper
The Corps Justice Series In Order:
Back To War
Council Of Patriots
Prime Asset
Presidential Shift
National Burden
Lethal Misconduct
Moral Imperative
Disavowed
Chain Of Command
Papal Justice
The Zimmer Doctrine
Sabotage
Liberty Down
Sins Of The Father
A Darker Path
Corps Justice Short Stories:
Chosen
God-Speed
Running
The Daniel Briggs Novels:
Adrift
Fallen
Broken
Tested
The Tom Greer Novels
A Life Worth Taking
The Interrogators
Higgins
The Spy In Residence Novels
What Lies Hidden
The Alex Knight Novels
Breakout
The Stars & Spies Series:
Backdrop
The Patriot Protocol Series:
The Patriot Protocol
The Chronicles of Benjamin Dragon:
Benjamin Dragon – Awakening
Benjamin Dragon – Legacy
Benjamin Dragon - Genesis
About the Author
C. G. Cooper is the USA TODAY and AMAZON BESTSELLING author of the CORPS JUSTICE novels (including spinoffs), The Chronicles of Benjamin Dragon and the Patriot Protocol series.
Cooper grew up in a Navy family and traveled from one Naval base to another as he fed his love of books and a fledgling desire to write.
Upon graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in Foreign Affairs, Cooper was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and went on to serve six years as an infantry officer. C. G. Cooper's final Marine duty station was in Nashville, Tennessee, where he fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle of Music City.
His first published novel, BACK TO WAR, came out of a need to link back to his time in the Marine Corps. That novel, written as a side project, spawned many follow-on novels, several exciting spinoffs, and catapulted Cooper's career.
Cooper lives just south of Nashville with his wife, three children, and their German shorthaired pointer, Liberty, who's become a popular character in the Corps Justice novels.
When he's not writing or hosting his podcast, Books In 30, Cooper spends time with his family, does his best to improve his golf handicap, and loves to shed light on the ongoing fight of everyday heroes.
Cooper loves hearing from readers and responds to every email personally.
To connect with C. G. Cooper visit
www.cg-cooper.com