Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
It was Collin running things. It’s always been Collin running things. And, of course, since they grew up together, Amon has been his number one from the start.
Twenty-two guys is a lot, so we’ve been broken up into four teams—Ryan has six men, Nash has six men, and then Collin and Amon are their own team. Which leaves one team without a leader. I am not a leader. I’m lucky I’m even here.
Well, not here specifically because this is my mission, actually. But on the Edge team at all.
Clover really did save me when she came riding in on her big old horse. Collin really was gonna kill me. He wasn’t buying the tattoo thing, which was meant as a pledge of loyalty when each of us guys under him got them done. He has said as much in the weeks since.
“You infiltrated my team,” he said. That was the first day, when I left Clover with Lowyn at her house and Collin took me back to the Edge compound. We have a very long debrief. I told him everything, several times over, and by the end this was what he was stuck on.
I infiltrated his team.
He can’t get over it. He might never get over it.
But it wasn’t me. It really was Charlie. And even though the last time I saw Collin he and Charlie were close, something happened to that relationship because they’re not close now.
If they had been, I’m sure Charlie would’ve denied it and I would not be wearing this uniform.
Even now, Collin still doesn’t trust me. I’m working for Edge because I’m here, for better or for worse, and unless Clover kicks me to the curb, I’m staying.
“I’m gonna give you once change, Riggs,” Collin said. He sneers my name every time. Like he can’t get over that Raleigh thing either. “And if you even think about betraying me or my men, I’ll slip into your bedroom at night and end you and Clover won’t have any say over it.”
He will too.
I believe him.
So. Here I am. A bona fide Edge Security employee. Collin’s gotta do something with me. He can’t just let me live in his childhood home, hang out in Disciple, and make friends with everyone until I become a default member of the community, now can he? I guess he figures keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
When I’m not on a secret mission sweeping Blackberry Hill, I’m Revival tent security, Jim Bob Baptist’s personal bodyguard when he needs to ‘do city work,’ as he puts it, and kennel cleaner when there aren’t enough hours to keep me busy.
It’s gonna take time, I guess. But I’ve got that, so I don’t mind.
This mission here, though, this one’s all me. Because we’ve been doing recon on Blackberry Hill for about three weeks now and we think they bailed out.
Clover and Lowyn drew us a map of the place, including Ike’s house and the secret bunker underneath it, so we’re going in to see what’s up.
It only takes a few careful minutes of sweeping to determine that this little mountain village is indeed empty. Not a single person here. It looks like they left in a hurry and didn’t take much because the closets are all full of clothes, the kids’ backpacks are overflowing with homework, and some of the houses even had breakfast rotting on the kitchen tables and full cups of coffee sitting next to them.
They probably left that same morning Clover escaped.
After the sweep is over, we all meet up in front of Ike’s house. Collin nods to me. “You’re coming with us. Let’s go. Nash, you’re in charge.” Collin’s voice comes off all tinny because we’re wearing full-on state-of-the-art body armor. It’s all black and super-soldier as all fuck.
Amon leads the way, opening Ike’s door and heading in with his rifle at high ready. I follow and Collin comes in behind me.
We go straight to the door that leads down to the bunker. There’s a security pad on it, but the door hasn’t been shut properly, so we don’t need to break in.
“It’s probably been like this since Clover came up,” Amon says.
Collin looks at me and I nod, but neither of us says anything.
“What’s that noise?” Amon asks.
Collin goes to the door, pushes it all the way open with the end of his rifle, and then we all lean in. Because there is definitely a noise coming from down below. Something that sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place.
“You’re up, Riggs.” Collin still sneers my name every time he says it. I told him he could call me Raleigh if it made him feel better, but he found that funny. He nods his head to the door and I let out a breath, which forms a bit of steam on the inside of my visor before the helmet air conditioning can fade it away.