Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

insubordination.
     
    “Why didn‟t you ever go into P Ops, Sam?”
     
    He glanced over at her. “What does that have to do with bubble baths, exactly?”
     
    “I‟m sorry. I didn‟t mean to pry. It‟s just that the Paranormal Ops teams would be thrilled to have somebody of your talents, and I‟d think with your background you‟d prefer their organization and structure over our raggedy group. For that matter, you should take over this training mission, and I‟ll be your go-to guy.”
     
    The sounds of excited voices, unmistakably edged with tension, grew louder as Sam and Grace approached the stairs to the upper deck of the building. All the newbies ended up there, and Grace didn‟t blame them. The view was spectacular.
     
    The fort sat right at the edge of the entrance to the harbor, strategically positioned to protect the oldest continuously occupied city in America. Grace had had time to learn some of the history of the area, and it was fascinating stuff. The abandoned gift shop was lined with dust-covered bookshelves filled with various books about the fort, the city, and the military history of the area. Cendoya, the Spanish governor of Florida, had been in charge of building the fort. He broke ground in late 1672, and with a military engineer named Ignacio Daza and labor in the form of soldiers, Indians, slaves, and skilled craftsmen, the work on the fort began. Poor Governor Cendoya died only a few Atlantis Unmasked - Warriors of Poseidon 04
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    years into the project, though, and the fort wasn‟t finished until 1695.
     
    What Grace found most fascinating about the fort itself was the construction of the walls. The beautiful rock, coquina, was composed of tiny seashells that had literally been turned into concrete by the sea itself, as if Alexios‟s sea god had been playing with building blocks as a child. The Spaniards had ferried the coquina on an elaborate system of boats from nearby Anastasia Island. The enormous task had been complicated by pirate attacks and storms, but they‟d persevered, and the fact that the amazing structure still stood today was a testament to those early builders.
     
    These days, the harbor was often dotted with sailboats as residents and tourists enjoyed the mild winter weather and the glorious Florida sunshine. On the other side of the fort, the historic town was laid out in a wonderful panorama, with so much to see and do that Grace had spent one day from sunrise to sunset simply strolling from one end of the old town to the other, stopping at shops, historic sites, and artisans‟ studios.
     
    Sometimes, in the midst of training, worry, and planning for battle, a girl just wanted to watch a glass blower at work.
     
    “You still there?” Sam asked, making her think that maybe he‟d asked before. She grinned and nodded, coming back from her reverie.
     
    “P Ops wouldn‟t let me take my dog on patrol,” he drawled. “And Quinn tells me you have special talents that make you the right one to be in charge of this ball game.” He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and whistled. “Come on, Blue.”
     
    The wrinkliest dog Grace had ever seen lifted his head from his paws, opened first one eye and then the other, then stood up and stretched in a motion that was about two city blocks away from graceful. Sam had told her Blue was a Georgia bloodhound. “The Atlantis Unmasked - Warriors of Poseidon 04
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    perfect dog for tracking bad guys and sleeping on porches,” he‟d said. “Or tracking bad guys who‟re sleeping on porches. Something like that.”
     
    But he‟d had that unique Sam grin on his face, the one that told her he was pulling her leg so hard she‟d be lucky if it didn‟t come clear off and leave her with only one, like the “one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest” Sam so often claimed to be busier than.
     
    Working with a Georgia man was definitely an education for a Midwestern girl.
     
    She took a deep breath and rubbed her suddenly damp hands on her jeans, and Sam narrowed his eyes.
     
    “No call to be nervous about this bunch, Grace. They‟re all in awe of you.”
     
    “Of me? Why?”
     
    He ignored her question and answered the one she deliberately hadn‟t asked. “He‟s not here yet. Your important trainer fellow.”
     
    The nervous butterflies the size of flamingos swarming around in her stomach dialed it down a notch, and she blew out a breath. “Okay. Good. We can focus on meet and