Dragon Rising by Ilsa J Bick

Author:Ilsa J Bick [Bick, Ilsa J]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-10-12T09:26:00+00:00

34

18 September 3136

0400 hours

After Bridgewater finished stitching her up, Dasha hadn’t wanted pain meds. Her thigh was letting her hear about that, throbbing in time to her pulse with a liquid, searing heat. But she and Yamada had to finish this now, because everything had changed.

She said, “If he was going to turn, that would’ve been the time. All he had to do was kill me then take the sacks. But he didn’t.”

Yamada grunted. His eyes were puffy, but lack of sleep had energized him. He paced, jingling loose change. “Yeah, but the Dracs were right on top of you. And that was a nifty little trick, hiding those Gauss rifles on flatbeds. Maybe Shak got a message through to his Drac buddies.”

“Tony, the Dracs aren’t stupid. They had a surveillance copter. Shakir didn’t have a clue what was what and still doesn’t.” She sighed in exhaustion and pain. “Look, we have a bigger problem. I can’t go in like this, not for a couple days. And it’s too late to tell me you told me so. I’m the only one who could verify that what we needed is what we got.”

“And did we get it?” When she nodded, Yamada cupped the back of his neck with one palm and massaged out the kinks. “So we’re committed. You got some vacation time, sick leave you can take?”

“Yeah. Maybe a week. I can do that. But with me out of action . . .”

“Pierpont.”

She nodded. “I won’t be hanging over his shoulder. You’ll have to keep up a presence, or he’s going to relax. Worse, he might tell someone. And . . . we need to bring our people into the loop. With everything that’s happened, we have to. Shakir, too.”

“Yeah, but there’s something about that guy I just don’t like.”

“You’ve never liked him, but if we pull this off, you’ve got him to thank. I’d be dead by now or captured—and either would kill the mission.”

Yamada debated. “Okay, we bring people in but not all the way. No names and sure as hell no details.”

“If you don’t want them to turn us in.” Dasha nodded. “Of course, that goes without saying.”

* * *

Abby finally broke the silence. “You’re sure about this guy?”

Dasha nodded. Her eyes were smudged with fatigue. “If I were as good with computers as this guy is, I’d do it. But I’m not.”

“This guy, this guy,” Bridgewater said, irritated. “Who’s this guy?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

“Why not?”

“For the same reason that he doesn’t need to know about you.”

“But you’re asking us to get involved in this crazy scheme—”

“It’s not crazy,” Dasha said softly. “It’s just dangerous.”

Bridgewater flushed. “Gee. Okay. So, since this might get us all killed, we have a right to know who he is.”

“No, you don’t,” Dasha said. “Whether his name is Smith or Jones or Devlin Stone, it doesn’t matter. I’m not compromising an inside source.”

“You don’t trust us?” Bridgewater asked.

“Trust is irrelevant. If this leaks, then our entire operation grinds to a halt.

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