Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
There were no flowers winding their way up the trunk of the afrormosa to the light. No moss or lichen hanging over the branches or crawling up the bark. The tree did have ropes of tough vines hanging in tangled twists or dropping straight down from the branches in the canopy. None were long enough to reach the forest floor.
You okay for me to leave you? They couldn’t linger in the canopy. Their mission required them to act that night. If they waited too long, they would have to abort.
I’m good. Just catching my breath. Whatever you did helped me quite a bit.
Even though they were talking telepathically, Diego knew the others on their team were looped in. He frowned at Mordichai and gave a slight shake of his head, indicating they weren’t discussing anything to do with his healing ability any further.
Abruptly, Diego turned away from his foster brother, and leaving his pack wedged in the crook of the trunk and two branches, he shifted around to the back of the tree, away from the soldiers, and began his descent.
In the surrounding trees, monkeys watched as he silently descended. The steady drone of crickets and cicadas filled the night. Tree frogs called back and forth, and various other species chimed in to make the night a cacophony of jarring noise. Diego kept his energy low so that he didn’t appear to be a predator on the hunt. That would send the animals into a chaotic and noisy frenzy.
As Diego descended into the inky blackness, his night vision adjusted. He could see easily with the sight of the leopard. The hair on his body allowed him to assess exactly where his enemies were. Leopards were stealthy creatures, and the DNA allowed him to move with that same fluidity in silence. He made his way down the trunk of the tree and stood quietly directly behind the two men. He blended into the night so that even if they turned their heads, it would be very difficult for either of the men to spot him.
It wasn’t difficult to pick up what they were saying, both grousing at having to spend the night in the jungle. It wasn’t what they’d signed up for. One did the complaining while the other listened.
“Don’t know why we’re always the ones on roving patrol when the big man shows up, Peyton,” the one with dark hair cut very close to his scalp said.
The other soldier, Peyton, shrugged. “We got the short straw this time, Bertram. He never stays long. Things will go back to normal in a couple of days.”
Bertram scowled as he extended his hands over the small heating device between them. “This entire assignment sucks. I thought we’d end up in the States or Europe. He’s got those women locked up, and they all need servicing.” He smirked. “I’ve been waiting for that assignment. We’re just rotting out here.”
“You get plenty of women. You spend half your time raiding the locals.”
“Not the kind of fun I’m looking for,” Bertram said.
“I put in for both the States and Europe at any of his labs,” Peyton said. “Just like you. I know they give us shit assignments before he determines that we’re going to be loyal to him. That’s what he’s looking for, Bertram. You talk too much. You can’t talk about him or anything going on in the labs.”
“Who the hell do I talk to?”
“Everyone. You complain constantly, and when you complain, you talk about Whitney and the experiments taking place. You talk about handling dead bodies and how they look like mutated insects. You just can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“Who the hell is going to tell anyone else? We’re all in the same boat, and everyone here knows what’s happening in the laboratory.”
“And every single one of the guards here wants the same thing we do. They want a different assignment. They’re going to repeat everything negative they can about you, me and one another. It isn’t like they’re loyal to us. The minute Whitney arrived, you can bet he had a full report on every guard. He probably had it long before he arrived.”
“That sucks.”
Peyton shrugged and moved several feet away, turning his back on his fellow soldier to relieve himself.
Bertram swore under his breath, crouched down and once more held out his hands to the small glowing heater.
Diego didn’t wait. He came up behind Bertram like a ghost, absolutely silent. One hand went around the soldier’s head, palm slamming over his mouth while his blade severed the spinal cord at the back of the neck. He eased the body to the ground and immediately crossed the short distance to the second soldier.
Leopards were efficient predators, making Diego one as well. He’d honed his skills in the Appalachian Mountains and perfected them thousands of times working in the field in various terrains. He had his human brain to plan for any contingency. He was able to keep his energy low rather than projecting the energy of a predator.