Hunted by Thomas Parrott

Author:Thomas Parrott [Parrott, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Media Tie-In, Thrillers, Military, Technological
ISBN: 9781839082733
Google: Y9XQEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

August 21

The sun rose over the New Mexico desert. It dyed everything in brilliant shades of pink, red, and yellow. The land here smelled earthy and herbal by turns, with occasional sparks of bright floral nights as flowers bloomed. Brenda sat at the edge of the cell’s small camp and breathed it all in. The journey had not been an easy one so far, but they came now at last to the end. Brenda had been through hundreds of fights in her life. This time, though, she would not go in blazing. Maira deserved better. And if Maira really had gone bad… well… If this was her last sunrise, she wanted to enjoy it.

What was she expecting? She still wasn’t sure. They were within hours of catching up to Maira’s signal, but they had no clearer idea of what drove her on this dangerous journey. Brenda couldn’t stop thinking about the erased ISAC recording. A fumbling attempt to hide Maira’s guilt, or part of a conspiracy to frame her? If Maira didn’t want to be found, why not disable her locator beacon? They had known from the beginning that it was within her capabilities, but she’d never done it.

“Heavy thoughts?” asked Leo.

He came walking up behind her, stepping lightly as always. He had an understated grace that was at odds with his granite face and bulldozer personality. A man like that should have moved like a bull in a china shop, but Leo never had. Each step always seemed carefully considered. He chose them as carefully as his words.

“What are we going to do?” Brenda asked. It came out more forlorn than she had intended.

Leo sank down onto his haunches next to her. He scooped up a handful of desert soil and let it run loose through his fingers. He did not look at her, just watched the grains slip away.

“Whatever we have to do,” he said.

“That’s not an answer,” Brenda said. “Are we really going to shoot Maira?”

He frowned distantly. “I don’t want to.”

A small statement, perhaps, but one freighted with emotion she had seldom heard from him. Leo dusted his hands off and shook his head.

“She helped me find my brother. Chose to spare him when she had every reason not to. Rescued both of us from a fate worse than death.”

He looked at Brenda finally, and there was sorrow in his dark eyes.

“She is family.”

Brenda nodded. There was a lump in her throat. It made it hard to talk. She took a few deep breaths until the feeling eased, scrubbing a hand across her face.

“We can talk her down. We have to. Once she sees it’s us, she’ll come with us,” she said.

“I hope you’re right. If there is a limit to what I can forgive myself for doing, this would be it,” Leo said softly.

The crunch of boots on sand announced the approach of the other two Division agents. They made an odd pair walking up, the tall medic and the tiny sniper. Both were already geared up for this final leg of their journey.

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