“Yeah, I shoot feet and tire. Good you say tether me. Chopper pull me hard.” He shows me his arm.
“You got burnt. Let me clean and cover it. We’ll get some better salve on it at the Club.”
He nods and waits for me to pull shit from under my seat. The hissing is faint but I see my tire was hit by a sliver of metal. Seth is talking to Ops. I leave it alone figuring he’s dealing. Kristos is with Mase getting his head checked. I get back to Asa. “Pepper, your team okay?”
“Yeah, what can I do? Cline has his Brother and is still covering Pres and Seth.” He needs a job.
“Gauze for Asa and Pres, my little kit isn’t enough.” I have no idea what happened to Pres or if he needs more gauze. I know I do.
I sit on the ground and Asa gets on his knees. “Coat cover higher.” He lifts his sleeve and I see red but unbroken skin.
“Yeah. I’m glad it isn’t the lion’s tail.” I smile at his nod. He’s very proud of his ink.
Seth says loud enough for us all to hear with sirens and bikes closing in. “Nash sent a missile into the chopper. It was headed toward the coast. Same registry as the chopper that went for the island people who went missing.”
There were four men that hid from the Badass dinner cruise ship. Two were held and transported to, or by, Prince Brothers. I was already tipsy by the time the news got to me.
So, thisAlder or any Alpha-Bitthing isn’t done.
Mucimi has me jumping. “Pres’ head was bleeding. I’llget salve on Asa.” I don’t know why I say it out loud. He can read it.
He’s gone that fast. Asa looks at me and giggles sounding adorable. I laugh with him and get his aloe lotioned arm covered. Pepper has good timing; I need another gauze to cover it right.
§*§*§
US - Canadian border
Rescue job
Hud
The trail is easy, run is good, I think, as we make the end of the tree line in twenty-seven minutes. It wasn’t quite five miles. I train for five in thirty-one to match my Ranger time. Muscle memory took some time to match but I did match it and know I can do it faster in the robotic. Slowing down, I think, I stick with the five in thirty-one for Jeff, for Mario, for me and everyone that lost pieces for whatever lie we were told we’re protecting. They got my foot but I didn’t lose more than the skin and bones.
“Hold up, Brother. We need to enter undetected. Night vision for hotspots.”
Havoc puts his board up and a map shows. I don’t ask where he got the map or who is putting comments on the side of it. I look for red indicating hotspots. I guess, in Badass the marks show in yellow, until they’re gone.
“Where…” I read the side; the feed is looped. I don’t ask who is doing it. “Thanks, IT.”
We run, me hunched down and following my K9 partner that’s smarter than me. “Let me check it,” I say when we get tothe first fence. I recheck top and bottom then pull the dirt from around the metal post. It’s not wired. Leaning into it from three feet away, I tell him, “go right over me.”
Havoc has done this before and uses me like a springboard going over the fence and razor wire. I climb and use my foot like Havoc used me. Balancing on the top of the fence, I put my good foot back and bounce hard with the robotic. Flipping over the wire I can’t believe I clear it.
“You could have cut the wire.”
“Who’s talking?” I whisper, landing in a crouch. Havoc is waiting like he doubted I’d make it. I surprised me too so I don’t give him shit.
“Your Ops control, Phoenix Knight. The feed is looped but the satellite is jamming so you need to use night vision for high tech draw.”
“Roger, thanks.”
I follow Havoc to the dam making sure I’m not seen. Jamming means they’re covering computer tracking or sensors, I don’t need a guard on standard rounds seeing me and my dog in our superhero gear. Dropping the duffle by the fence, I take the next twenty yards scanning. Havoc stops and looks back like he’s annoyed with my slow. I’m not on all fours so he can deal with my slow assed hunched down loping. I pull my glasses out and scan along the dam. Nothing shows so I lift a little higher above the long grass and move across the dam slowly. Something stops me. A pin prick of color ten feet away from me. Shaking my head, I take the glasses off and walk back toward the fence. I put the glasses back on and see it. Pulling the glasses off, I don’t see the hotspot, so I put them on and start undressing. I smile like a nut; the nut my Charlie’s Angel always calls me. I need to tell her about putting the glasses on while I undress.
“You have to stay here, Brother. Whatever that is, it’s on the back, you’ll get held by the pressure or pushed right over.”
He chuffs, then sniffs my robotic.
“I’m dropping in the water and need a clean getaway plan. The one thing I know for sure is that’s with the robotic on.”
