The Dread Merchant: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (The Posh Prepper Trilogy, Book 2) by Todd Knight

Author:Todd Knight [Knight, Todd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Meadowlake Press
Published: 2024-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

“Oh, man, you shoulda seen it.” Nick laughed as he stuffed clothes into his bag.

Dana leaned against the end of their bed, arms crossed over her PJs, watching him pack.

“Circling the chopper.” Nick pointed to something in the distance. “There—two hidden cars—it’s a trap. Go in hot. Quade dusts ’em. We jump out. Guns everywhere.” He swiveled an imaginary rifle. “Bagman’s sweating. I’m right in his face. Then I turn, dump the tube…” He straightened and squinted like a tough cowboy delivering a one-liner. “Kiss your retirement goodbye.” He clapped. “Boom! Liftoff.” He grinned at Dana with sparkling eyes.

She was unimpressed. Blinking the cold stare of a woman annoyed with her man’s bravado.

“Anyway…” He changed course. “I got you something.” He reached under the bed, pulled out the black briefcase, and placed it on the bottom bunk.

She stepped forward, curious.

“Go ahead. Open it.”

She popped the latches and slowly lifted the top. Nested inside a foam cutout was a jet-black telescope with a stainless steel tripod.

“The Celestar 9000,” Nick said. “Fourteen-inch HD optical tube. Polar axis finderscope. Programmable Equatorial mount. And unlimited storage via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB.”

She gazed down, spellbound. Light gleamed around its flawless curves, sparkled off its shiny knobs.

He watched her with a smile. “This is a twenty-thousand-dollar telescope. The best model on the market.”

“Nick, wow…” She ran a finger over its curves. “I don’t know what to say.”

“We can try it in New Zealand. In the meadow.”

She turned and pulled him in for a long, heartfelt kiss. Lingering in his embrace, she cracked an eyelid and peeked sideways at the telescope.

Nick stepped back with a smirk. “Does that mean you like it?”

She turned and began to wiggle it free from the foam. “I love it.”

He chuckled. “You’ll get a kick outta this. When we picked it up, there was a tracker in the case. So Brian⁠—”

“A tracker?” She looked up.

“Yeah. A GPS device that transmits location.”

Her brow furrowed.

“So Brian took it and…” He started cracking up. “He put it on Caleb’s yacht. In the toilet!” He burst out laughing. “Rich hates Caleb. Thinks he’s a punk with no respect. When he finds out he’s chasing Caleb around the Atlantic, he’s gonna have an aneurysm.” Nick clapped and threw his head back.

Dana tilted her head and squinted. “They were tracking you?”

Nick’s smile faded. “Yeah, but we planted it on the boat. So⁠—”

“I get that.” She waved a hand. “Why were they tracking you?”

“Why?” He looked confused. “I don’t know. Could be anything. These guys are paranoid.”

She crossed her arms, not buying it. “So they set a trap and planted a tracker because they’re paranoid?”

“Well, I mean…” His tone grew frustrated. “I don’t know why. Maybe Rich wanted to take me out so he could tie up loose ends. Or claim he discovered it. Or skip paying charity. Who knows how these guys think.”

“You.” She pointed and stared. “Isn’t that your job?”

“Listen…” He stepped forward and held her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. We saw right through it, and now he’s chasing a toilet.

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