Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Movement catches my eye and I find Nova at the edge of the beach near the jungle, her hands and ankles cuffed. She’s lying on her side in the sand, stacked crates obscuring the soldiers’ view of her.
I close my eyes, trying to come up with a plan. I have a gun and a knife. Neither of those will help remove her cuffs. With her ankles restrained, she won’t be able to move much.
Think, Briar.
If only I still had the aromium switch. With aromium on, my increased strength might be enough for me to carry Nova.
When I open my eyes, I see that Nova’s not alone. I know that long brown hair with gray streaks. It’s Ellison, kneeling in the sand, her hands wrapped around the handles of a massive bolt cutter.
I exhale softly, relieved. I should have known Ellison wouldn’t stand by while her wife is being held captive.
A crack of thunder sounds, and Ellison uses the cover of the sound to cut through the cuffs on Nova’s ankles, her brow furrowing with the effort.
Nova immediately gets into a crouching position. I can’t hear them, but from their expressions, I think Nova’s telling Ellison to run and Ellison’s refusing.
The rain starts then, skipping the drizzle and going right to a downpour.
“Get ’em on the boat!” a soldier calls.
I stay hidden as soldiers make Chance, Stella, and Adele stand and walk up a ramp to board the boat, guns pointed at them the entire time. A soldier walks toward Nova.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I watch in horror. Nova practically hisses at Ellison, who moves to hide behind the stacked crates. If the soldiers on the boat or the ones on the ramp turn, they’ll see her.
Nova lies down on her side again, putting her ankles together and moving them behind her. It’s not even two seconds later when the soldier rounds the corner and sees her.
“Get me the fuck out of this rain!” she bellows, snarling at him. “I could get hit by lightning!”
He shakes his head and goes back the way he came, calling out to the other soldiers.
“That bitch needs a shower anyway! I’m leaving her here.”
Well played, Nova.
A few of them laugh, all of them rushing to get out of the rain. It’s pouring so heavily it’s hard to see through it.
This is my opening. I crawl from the cover of the jungle onto the sand, moving as fast as I can to get to Nova and Ellison.
I reach them, but Nova immediately grabs me and flips me onto my back, the breath whooshing from my lungs.
“Stop, it’s Briar,” Ellison hisses. She drops to her knees beside me. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I manage, the word lodging in my throat.
“Sorry,” Nova says. “Shit, you were coming to rescue me, weren’t you?”
I’m finally able to suck in a full breath. “How are we going to get to the others on that boat?”
Nova takes my hands and pulls me to my feet. “We’re not. Not yet. We have to get the hell out of here. Now.”
35
“Start slowly. Disguise yourself and get to know the locals. Earn their trust. Get to know them. Not every rumor you hear will be helpful, and not every relationship you build will bear fruit. Humor me and try subtlety. The connections you quietly form will serve you well when the time comes.” - Decoded message from ILF handler Hiro Tanaka to ILF undercover operative Nightingale
Marcus
I can’t punch the control panel on this sub, but holy shit, do I want to.
“Move. Faster.” I grind the words out again. “Get lower!”
The overly polite, mechanical female voice gives me the same answer it did every other time. “Sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Más rápido!” I bark in case it understands Spanish. “There’s less turbulence and resistance down deeper.”
“Sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Go fuck yourself, Gussie,” I mutter, rubbing my forehead.
I’m almost an hour into the trip back to Blue Arrow, and I haven’t gotten the sub higher than forty knots. With its aerodynamic design, this thing must be capable of at least twice that.
It’s brutal being stuck in a confined space, surrounded by darkness, while knowing Briar and the others might be struggling to survive. Or worse.
McClain once told me the volcano on the island has the capability of wiping out every living thing on it. But it could be tens of thousands of years between eruptions, and the volcanologist who was on the island when McClain took the flower samples from it said it would be dormant for a very long time.
Stupid fuck. The shield must have been destroyed. That explains how the Tiders got into camp. What about our supplies? And the well—the only plentiful supply of drinking water.
I dread seeing what’s become of the place that’s become my home, but I also can’t get back there fast enough. Briar can take care of herself, but she’s not selfish. She looks out for her friends and anyone who can’t look out for themselves.