AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay.”
Andi took a deep breath. “Someone, probably the Saudis, mobilized a sleeper agent to collude with the defense contractors and take out Hunter Ramson for not stopping MERP. Then the contractors, and perhaps other weapon suppliers, decided that—as long as they had that hacker on board already financed by someone else—they could start a Chinese-American war. It would be very good for business. Both the oil business for the Saudis because it takes a lot of oil to run a war, and for the defense contractor business. It would also help distract from the attack on Ramson. So they could continue to collude even if one could no longer sell weapons to the other.” Andi paused. “You’re not telling me that I’m wrong.”
“I know you asked me to.” Miranda looked for help, but it was only the two of them on a bridge high over a river. “But that’s exactly what Sarah said.”
“Well…shit!”
“You never curse.”
“Sometimes I do. Holly said I used it dead-on.”
“Oh, okay. As long as you’re good at it, that’s fine.”
Andi’s soft laugh seemed to float out over the river and be carried gently toward the sea.
Under cover of where their elbows were touching on the rail, Andi slipped her fingers into Miranda’s.
A long time later, as the setting sun changed the sound of the forest calls and the hornbills had flown away to their nest, Holly and Mike called out over the soft burbling of the river.
“Dinner will be ready soon.”
Still they stood, watching the sky darken until the first stars punched through the light haze.
“It will be good to get home,” Andi whispered and squeezed her fingertips.
Miranda freed her hand to pull out her notebook. She flipped to theConsiderationspage and showed it to Andi.
“Is the island still home when Andi is there?”Andi read aloud, though she seemed to have trouble pronouncing the last few words clearly.
Miranda then struck out the line and wrote a capital Y beside the entry.
When she looked to Andi, there were silent tears sliding down her cheek.
Not wanting to break any national rules, Miranda replaced her notebook and once more crossed her arms on the railing.
As they stared down at the placidly flowing river again, Miranda slipped her hidden fingers into Andi’s and squeezed back.
