The blond man pulled back the chair and sat down. “You look pretty rough this morning. Bad night?”
Jensen sighed. He just wanted to be left alone with his coffee until he could become human again. He felt like he got maybe two hours of sleep in little spurts over the course of the night. The mattress was uncomfortable, the sheets were itchy, the streetlight was shining into the room, there were weird noises; pretty much every little thing which could irritate him seemed to have picked last night to transpire.
“Didn’t sleep well,” Jensen told him, hoping he’d go away.
“I’m Justin Davis, the Company CO. I presume you’re Jensen?” was the reply.
Inwardly, Jensen kicked himself. What a way to make an impression. He knew the name but didn’t know what the CO looked like. “Sorry about that, sir. Just trying to get some caffeine into my system so I can function again. I think I had trouble adjusting to trying to sleep in a new place last night.”
The other man stood. “I can see that. Tell you what, why don’t you get human again and then come see me in my office?”
Jensen nodded acceptance before he realized he didn’t know where Davis’ office was. “Wait, where’s your office?”
The CO laughed. “You can’t miss it. It’s the room labeled ‘Gift Shop’ downstairs.” He paused. “There’s no rush, why don’t you come down after lunch?”
Jensen considered it for a moment. The offer was tempting, but he didn’t trust it. The man might just be that kind or he could be testing him out. “No need, sir. Let me finish my coffee,” he said looking down at the third cup. “Check that—coffees—and I’ll be down.”
Davis smiled and told him, “Might want to switch to normal coffee first.” He pointed at the coffee pot on the right, which Jensen had poured from. “That one’s unleaded.”
Jensen hung his head. He’d risked first degree burns for decaf? What in the actual fuck was going on? And what kind of monsters actually brewed decaf coffee in the morning? It should be a war crime.
“Appreciate the heads up. I’ll be a couple extra minutes,” Jensen told him.
Davis laughed and walked off. Jensen watched as he moved around the room and made small talk with some of the men and women who were trickling in. Even at this early hour, they either seemed to like him or they faked it pretty well.
He dumped the partially finished cup and the still full one into the sink and filled them both up from the other coffee pot. After giving the decaf pot an angry glare, he sat down again in the same chair and started slurping at the steaming coffee again.
By the time he started on his second cup, his head was beginning to clear. He strongly considered getting some food in his stomach to settle the coffee sloshing around in his belly, but figured he’d waited long enough to go see his new boss. Before leaving the dining room, he refilled both cups again. One he was taking with him, the other he’d leave for Jessica for when she woke up.
Jensen went back down one floor to where he shared a room with Jess. He started walking the wrong way before realizing his room was back the way he’d come on the other side of the stairs. Turning quickly, he went back to his room. He considered trying to open the door without putting either coffee down, but luckily thought better of it.
He set his own cup down on the carpet and quietly pushed the door open. Seeing that Jessica was still asleep, he set the second coffee down on the nightstand and softly walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
With his own coffee in hand, he went off in search of Davis’ office on the first floor. The Gift Shop was pretty hard to miss. Through the glass, he could see the blond man seated at a desk inside. Jensen rapped softly on the open door to announce his presence as he walked through.
Inside, Justin Davis raised his head and smiled welcomingly. “I wasn’t kidding about lunch. You can still try to catch a few more hours.”
Jensen shook his head. “No, sorry about that. Who even brews decaf? I don’t understand it.”
Davis raised his hand. “Guilty. I’m Mormon. Not allowed to have caffeine.”
Jensen winced. “Wow, I’m really on a roll this morning, aren’t I?”
The CO laughed. “Relax, sometimes it can be hard to ‘morning,’ am I right? Why don’t you have a seat?”
Jensen just nodded and sat down across from his new boss.
Davis peered at him with intelligent eyes. “Is it just the room?”
After debating internally for a moment, Jensen told him “I think it’s because I had a couple beers last night. First time in a few years. It may have put me on edge.” He didn’t want to admit to another Mormon-prohibited activity, but he didn’t want to be dishonest either.
The other man nodded. “I can see how that might happen.” He held up his hands. “I’m not against you having caffeine or a couple of beers. Matter of fact, I’m a little bit jealous.”
Jensen took another sip of coffee, “Don’t be jealous of the beer. I’m better off without it.” He held up his cup. “I’m not giving up my caffeine, though.”
Davis raised his eyebrows. “I don’t mean to pry, but did you have a drinking problem?”
For probably the hundredth time that morning, Jensen berated himself. “Nothing like that. Alcohol tends to aggravate the PTSD, so I avoid it. Last night I got together with my friends from back in Georgia and thought it would be safe.” He paused. “And then I don’t know if I even slept last night.”
Davis leaned forward. “Here’s the thing. I’m going to need you at your best. In two days, we’re rolling out to Spartanburg to help the forces there.”
Jensen was instantly awake. “What’s going on in Spartanburg?”
“Nothing, yet,” Davis replied. “And it’s our job to keep it that way. CSS forces rolled into Columbia three days ago and destroyed it. Governor Janet Howe barely managed to escape. We’re going in to help defend Spartanburg and Greeneville.”
“So we’re at war?” Jensen asked?
“Yes. We’re at war.”
Thank you for reading Gathering Storms! If you enjoyed it, stay tuned for the final book in the series, Blood Bath.
TOMORROW'S DAWN SERIES
By Jeff Wohlrab
Slaughter of Innocents
Fractured Paradise
Escape and Evade
Gathering Storms
Blood Bath
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Tomorrow's Dawn (Book 4): Gathering Storms Page 19
