Refuse by Macgregor Joanne

Author:Macgregor, Joanne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2016-07-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Surveillance

A blur of tan fur scurrying out from under the bush sends me leaping backwards. I crash into a pine tree, banging my head painfully against its trunk and bringing down a shower of pine needles.

“It’s only a squirrel,” Evyan snickers, pointing at the long, bushy tail now disappearing up a nearby tree trunk. “You sure scare easy.”

“Squirrels can also be infected, you know. Any mammal can,” I snap, brushing pine needles off my shoulders and rubbing the tender spot on the back of my head. There’ll be a lump there later.

“You okay?” Quinn asks, surprising me.

I nod, which brings down a scatter of needles from the top of my head, and then set off down the path again, cursing the squirrel.

I’m hot and sweaty by the time we reach the top of the small mountain and circle around the back. On this side, the view looks out over a valley in which nestles a vast residential compound surrounded by a take-no-prisoners electric fence. A long, tree-lined drive begins at a set of huge gates, leads past fields and what might once have been horse paddocks, to a large, three-winged lodge. There is a tennis court nearby, plus a large pond, several outbuildings and small cabins, and even what I think might be a small golfing green.

Evyan and Quinn park themselves behind a large, flat-topped boulder and take turns to conduct surveillance of the compound. In spite of my irritation at him, I make a thorough surveillance of Quinn. I’d forgotten how broad his shoulders were and how his thick, dark hair makes a curl at the top of his neck. The fine hairs on his arms are golden in the sun, like a halo against the olive of his skin. My fingers ache to make contact with that skin. It’s so beautiful. Everyone in the world should have skin that color.

I lean back against a rock and wince at a sharp prick in my back — more of the irritating pine needles. While I brush myself down again and comb my fingers through my hair, picking out the sharp green needles lodged in its strands, Quinn and Evyan peer over the top of the boulder to observe the buildings below through a pair of binoculars. They note the times and details of every coming and going in a small notebook — no doubt tonight they will report back to Zonia.

“Who’re we spying on, Pellegrino?” I ask Evyan.

She grinds her teeth but doesn’t respond.

“It must be someone important, by the looks of those security patrols.”

Even with my bare eyes, I think I can make out several guards.

More silence.

“Never mind, I’m sure I’ll find out who it is when they spot us, capture our sorry asses and take us down to meet the owner. I’m surprised they haven’t done so already, actually,” I say.

“What, now you’re going to say there’s something wrong with our position again?” says Evyan with a sneer. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re behind a rock. And we’re under the shelter of this pine, so we’re not visible from above.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.