in a low, threatening voice. “All I know is that you have Nuclear Nation tattooed all over your fucking forehead. You’ve made it clear from day one that you’re Jackson’s man through and through.
“I thought he and I were going to work together on this. I’ve been more than generous and accommodating with his people. I brought them into the family like they were my own. Then he sends me you to deliver a progress report, and five of my men turn up dead. The base was almost compromised. Three of my enforcers are still missing — the men I sent looking for you .
“What am I supposed to do with that, Parker? Am I supposed to believe you work for me now?” He shakes his head. “It just doesn’t sit well.”
Eli lets out a long sigh and rubs the back of his head. Part of me wonders what the plan is. I’m ready to pull out my gun and start shooting my way out of here, but he doesn’t look as though he’s in a hurry.
“I knew this would come up eventually,” Eli sighs.
I can tell he’s choosing his words carefully because he knows whatever he’s about to say is going to put us at enormous risk.
“I’m not going to deny killing those thugs you sent to question me. I showed up in good faith to tell them what I knew — which, by the way, wasn’t much. Then your men tied me to a chair and started beating the shit out of me to get information that I didn’t have. What the hell was I supposed to do?”
Behind him, Mouse makes an angry noise in his throat and glowers at Eli as though he wants to curb stomp him, but Malcolm throws Mouse a warning glance. Then he shifts his eyes back to Eli, sizing him up as though he’s trying to decide whether to have him shot on sight or mess with him some more.
Then, to my enormous surprise, he nods.
“Thank you for telling me, Parker. It takes a man to admit what you did. I won’t apologize for doing my due diligence, but I can’t say you’re entirely to blame for the unfortunate events that took place at the restaurant.”
Mouse looks as though he’s about to explode with rage. His shoulders are hunched in a fighting stance, and he’s breathing hard through his nose like an agitated bull.
“Are you serious?” he asks Malcolm. “He killed Santiago and the others in cold blood, and you’re just gonna let him get away with it?”
Malcolm snaps his head around and fixes Mouse with a piercing glare. “I will decide on an appropriate punishment later, but right now, we have more pressing matters to deal with.”
Mouse opens his mouth to retort, but Malcolm cuts him off. “This discussion is over.”
Just then, I hear heavy banging from the side door, and Gunner clatters through the beaded curtain to answer. Urgent male voices drift back to us, which seems to capture Malcolm’s attention.
Gunner reappears a moment later, slightly out of breath, with two more men trailing behind him.
“Compound rats about two miles out,” says a dirty-looking man in a yellowish wife beater. “They’re moving fast. Kill or capture?”
“Can you tell who they are?”
“We’ve identified one of them,” grunts the man. “He’s good. The other one is brand new.”
“Shoot them.”
A wave of nausea rolls through me when I realize they’re talking about two Recon operatives — one of whom has to be a cadet.
Everything moves very fast after that. Jay, Mouse, and Tony cross to a cage of rifles in the corner and start grabbing their sniper gear. One of the drifters working at the computers gets up and points to the large map on the wall. He tells them the Recon operatives are approaching from the south side, charting the same path Eli and I took when we got shot at. Jay and Mouse argue briefly about the best place to position themselves, and then they turn to leave.
“You comin’?” Tony calls to Eli.
I’m sure I’m wearing a look of pure terror, because Eli clears his throat uncomfortably and glances down at me. “I don’t think so.”
“I need
“I thought he and I were going to work together on this. I’ve been more than generous and accommodating with his people. I brought them into the family like they were my own. Then he sends me you to deliver a progress report, and five of my men turn up dead. The base was almost compromised. Three of my enforcers are still missing — the men I sent looking for you .
“What am I supposed to do with that, Parker? Am I supposed to believe you work for me now?” He shakes his head. “It just doesn’t sit well.”
Eli lets out a long sigh and rubs the back of his head. Part of me wonders what the plan is. I’m ready to pull out my gun and start shooting my way out of here, but he doesn’t look as though he’s in a hurry.
“I knew this would come up eventually,” Eli sighs.
I can tell he’s choosing his words carefully because he knows whatever he’s about to say is going to put us at enormous risk.
“I’m not going to deny killing those thugs you sent to question me. I showed up in good faith to tell them what I knew — which, by the way, wasn’t much. Then your men tied me to a chair and started beating the shit out of me to get information that I didn’t have. What the hell was I supposed to do?”
Behind him, Mouse makes an angry noise in his throat and glowers at Eli as though he wants to curb stomp him, but Malcolm throws Mouse a warning glance. Then he shifts his eyes back to Eli, sizing him up as though he’s trying to decide whether to have him shot on sight or mess with him some more.
Then, to my enormous surprise, he nods.
“Thank you for telling me, Parker. It takes a man to admit what you did. I won’t apologize for doing my due diligence, but I can’t say you’re entirely to blame for the unfortunate events that took place at the restaurant.”
Mouse looks as though he’s about to explode with rage. His shoulders are hunched in a fighting stance, and he’s breathing hard through his nose like an agitated bull.
“Are you serious?” he asks Malcolm. “He killed Santiago and the others in cold blood, and you’re just gonna let him get away with it?”
Malcolm snaps his head around and fixes Mouse with a piercing glare. “I will decide on an appropriate punishment later, but right now, we have more pressing matters to deal with.”
Mouse opens his mouth to retort, but Malcolm cuts him off. “This discussion is over.”
Just then, I hear heavy banging from the side door, and Gunner clatters through the beaded curtain to answer. Urgent male voices drift back to us, which seems to capture Malcolm’s attention.
Gunner reappears a moment later, slightly out of breath, with two more men trailing behind him.
“Compound rats about two miles out,” says a dirty-looking man in a yellowish wife beater. “They’re moving fast. Kill or capture?”
“Can you tell who they are?”
“We’ve identified one of them,” grunts the man. “He’s good. The other one is brand new.”
“Shoot them.”
A wave of nausea rolls through me when I realize they’re talking about two Recon operatives — one of whom has to be a cadet.
Everything moves very fast after that. Jay, Mouse, and Tony cross to a cage of rifles in the corner and start grabbing their sniper gear. One of the drifters working at the computers gets up and points to the large map on the wall. He tells them the Recon operatives are approaching from the south side, charting the same path Eli and I took when we got shot at. Jay and Mouse argue briefly about the best place to position themselves, and then they turn to leave.
“You comin’?” Tony calls to Eli.
I’m sure I’m wearing a look of pure terror, because Eli clears his throat uncomfortably and glances down at me. “I don’t think so.”
“I need
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