The Shadow of Mudflap (A Foxtrot Team Novel #1) Read Online Free Page A

up almost daily. Everyone was getting tired of it, but especially Mudflap. He’d tried to let her down gently, but that hadn’t made a dent in her obsession with him. He was afraid it was time to take drastic measures.
    As Mudflap crawled out of his vintage Bronco, Stetson pulled up in his truck. Shaking his head as he jumped down from the cab, Stetson gestured over to Misty’s VW. “Man, you’re gonna have to do something about this before this girl goes postal on your ass.”
    Mudflap grimaced at that image. He wouldn’t worry except she had taken to dropping by the house lately, too. He needed Misty to get over this crush and out of his life, before she screwed things up between Shanae and him. Not that there was a Shanae and him yet, but he hoped there would be soon. “Yeah, I know.”
    As they entered the station, Mudflap headed straight to the dayroom, where he knew he’d find Misty. Stetson abandoned him and headed back toward the dorms. “Chicken,” Mudflap hissed as Stetson strolled down the hall.
    Stetson simply gave him a one-fingered salute as he continued on his way.
    Coming to the door, Mudflap took a deep breath before pushing it open. Misty stood in the kitchen area stirring something on top of the stove. While it smelled amazing, the glaring looks he got from the rest of the crew in the room just reinforced the knowledge that he had to get this girl out of here. If he didn’t take care of this soon, they were going to banish him to latrine duty for the rest of the year.
    Completely oblivious to the unhappiness emanating from the room, Misty squealed when he walked in. “Mudflap, you’re finally here. Thank goodness because you were about to ruin breakfast.”
    “It smells great, Misty, but you can’t be here.” He began to gather up the items she’d spread over the counter and shoved them into a sack. She sputtered as he worked quickly. Placing a hand behind her back, he pushed her in the direction of the door and out toward the parking lot.
    Halfway across the sidewalk, she ground to a halt and spun back toward him. “What the hell, Mudflap?”
    “Misty, you’re a sweet girl, but I’m not interested. You need to go find someone your own age to date, before you get me fired.”
    Her eyes filled with tears that just about broke his heart. He hated this. He didn’t want to hurt her. She was so damn young and that showed from the shimmering blue of her overly made-up, tear-filled eyes, all the way to the blue tips she’d added to her hair. He couldn’t help but compare her to Shanae with her natural, fresh-faced good looks. Misty did nothing for him.
    “But I don’t want anyone else. I want you. Eight years isn’t that big of a difference.”
    “I’m sorry, Misty, I’ve met someone else. You need to do the same. You can’t come here anymore. My captain won’t allow it. You’re a sweet girl and you have a lot to offer a guy, but I’m sorry, that guy won’t be me.” He began to nudge her once again toward the parking lot.
    He had her at her car door when she turned suddenly tear-free, calculating eyes back on him. “So just who are you dating?”
    “No, Misty. We aren’t going there. You’re going to go home and forget about me, okay?”
    She pressed her lips together and didn’t comment as she got into her car. After he shut her car door and turned, he could feel her glare boring into his back as he walked up the fire station sidewalk. He had to suppress a shudder. She was hardly over five feet tall and was just a girl with a crush, so why did he feel like he’d suddenly made a powerful enemy? He shook his head to dispel the notion as he re-entered the fire station.
    As he walked by the captain’s door, “Mudflap, get in here,” rang out through the hall. This day just kept getting better. Mudflap closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before stepping through the doorway.
    The captain sat at his desk, shuffling paperwork, but another man leaned against the side wall of