The Orion Assignment (32 page)

“For past crimes, black dog,” he said, then spit on Morgan and trotted off to join his men. In seconds they had disappeared into the woods.

Claudette was on her knees in an instant, cradling Morgan, trying to sit him up. Her tears flowed freely. Paul drew his pistol, but did not pursue the Arabs. Felicity was thankful for that, and when she found Morgan's eyes she saw he felt the same way. Then she knelt and helped Claudette get Morgan back into the chair.

“Is it over now?” Felicity asked.

“Now, I think it is,” Morgan said. “All over but the healing. Claudette, you got any empty space at your place? I think I need a vacation.”

THE END

Austin S. Camacho is a public affairs specialist for the Department of Defense. America's military people overseas know him because for more than a decade his radio and television news reports were transmitted to them daily on the American Forces Network.

He was born in New York City but grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. He majored in psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Dwindling finances and escalating costs brought his college days to an end after three years. He enlisted in the Army as a weapons repairman but soon moved into a more appropriate field. The Army trained him to be a broadcast journalist. Disc jockey time alternated with news writing, video camera and editing work, public affairs assignments and news anchor duties.

During his years as a soldier, Austin lived in Missouri, California, Maryland, Georgia and Belgium. While enlisted he finished his Bachelor's Degree at night and started his Master's, and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class. In his spare time, he began writing adventure and mystery novels set in some of the exotic places he'd visited.

After leaving the Army he continued to write military news for the Defense Department as a civilian. Today he handles media relations and writes articles for the DoD's Deployment Health Support Directorate. He has settled in northern Virginia with his wife Denise.

Austin is a voracious reader of just about any kind of nonfiction, plus mysteries, adventures and thrillers. When he isn't working or reading, he's writing.

Keep up with all of Austin S. Camacho's latest accomplishments at
www.ascamacho.com

The Payback Assignment

Meet Morgan Stark and Felicity O'Brien
A Mercenary and a Jewel Thief –
Many find them a deadly combination…

Morgan Stark, a black mercenary soldier, is stranded in the Central American nation of Belize after a raid goes wrong.

Felicity O'Brien, an Irish jewel thief, is stranded in the jungle south of Mexico after doing a job for an American client.

When these two meet, they learn they've been double-crossed by the same man: Adrian Seagrave, a ruthless businessman maintaining his respectability by having others do his dirty work.

Morgan and Felicity become friends and partners while following their common enemy's trail. They become even closer when they find they share a peculiar psychic link, allowing them to sense danger approaching themselves, or each other.

But their extrasensory abilities and fighting skills are tested to their limits against Seagrave's soldiers-for-hire and Monk, his giant simian bodyguard. A series of battles from California to New York lead to a final confrontation with Seagrave's army of hired killers in a skyscraper engulfed by flames.