Meltdown (The Girl in the Box Book 41) by Robert J. Crane

Author:Robert J. Crane [Crane, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ostiagard Press
Published: 2020-08-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixty-Two

Angel

“How long have you been with the organization?” Hampton asked me as we rattled along in the back of his group's SWAT-style panel van. He was sitting opposite me, and I glanced nervously at the racks of weapons that lined one of the walls. It was an arsenal on wheels, and the kind that typically wasn't allowed in California. Obviously with everything going on, all bets were off and he'd been given special permission. “Because I know it had to be after she left the FBI behind.”

“Yes,” I said, the smell of gun oil causing me to frown slightly. “I joined up right around the time Reed was recruited to come in and take over. Shortly after the, uh...well, the President Harmon thing.”

“So after they reformed once she was on the run.” Hampton nodded. “I was with them for that brief stretch before the law landed on Sienna with all its force.” He smiled. “You know, when Harmon brought it all down around her ears.”

“And you dated?” I asked, kinda already knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” Hampton said, nodding, a pleasant enough look on his more-than-pleasant-enough face. “It was going well, I thought. You know, until everything blew up in her life.” His smile grew forced. “Kind of hard to keep a relationship going when your girlfriend bails town with the law two steps behind her.” He cocked his head at me. “What's your special talent?”

“I make a mean ancho chile pork loin,” I said, knowing full well what he meant but dodging. Reflexively. “Oh, and tacos al pastor.”

His smile got coy. “Were you a chef in your previous life or is that just a side gig?”

“I was a chef, yes,” I said. “Had my own restaurant and everything.”

“It didn't end well?”

“Most restaurants don't,” I said with a shrug. “Luckily I got this job and paid off my debts before things got tight. Of course, now they seem to be revving up again.”

He nodded slowly. “You're noticing the sudden expansion in number of metas again, too, huh?”

“Hard to miss,” I said. “I was there two years ago when we took out the source of all the meta drugs. It was flowing from Revelen.”

He made a face. “Revelen's not the source of much of anything these days.”

“Exactly. So...where are all these new metas coming from?” I asked.

His eyes danced. “You think it's a conspiracy?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Sure is causing a lot of chaos. Which is good for our business.” And I pointed to include him in this. “But not for the people getting irradiated.”

The van bumped into a parking lot of an apartment complex just off Hollywood Boulevard that looked like it had been built in the fifties and hadn't been updated much since. The dark sky rumbled, rain coming down in a steady wash. I must have made a noise when the warm water hit me, because when Hampton got out next to me, he was grinning. “Like stepping into a shower, huh?”

“Reminds me of home,” I said.

“Where's home for you?” Hampton asked, taking the lead.

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