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)
Duncan froze when he heard the unnerving snarl. It was impossible for him to tell where the frightening sound was coming from. That meant he couldn’t pinpoint where the cat was. The soldier began to turn in circles, his anxiety climbing.
Pete glanced up, looking toward the forest, but then, seeing nothing, turned his attention back to Terry, although he continued to glance toward the forest every few moments. The fog swirled in the air, growing heavier. Rising higher. Shadowy and murky, the mist diminished the ability to see clearly.
Pete called out, “Watch our backs, Duncan.”
Duncan ignored him, moving even farther from the forest and the ridge, trying to get to the only spot that was relatively clear. The ground was clear, even of rocks, a large oak tree with low-hanging branches providing the only cover. Duncan inspected the tree.
Diego nudged the cat to not only give the soldier a low warning hiss of displeasure but also show himself briefly from a distance, assuring the animal through images that he would be grateful and the cat could go back to its den. The bobcat provided the distraction Diego needed, emerging from the fog, eyes shining evilly, fixed on Duncan as if he were prey.
Duncan whimpered and lifted the rifle to aim toward the bobcat. It had already slunk back into the forest, the fog dropping that shadowy veil. Diego took the opportunity to climb the tree. The moment he was in the branches, he froze, exactly the way the great horned owl did, his body appearing to be part of the tree should Duncan look up again.
Duncan retreated, step-by-step, until his back was against the solid trunk, his wary gaze fixed on the spot where the bobcat had disappeared. So close to him, Diego could see how badly the soldier was shaking. He had been the most aggressive, yet he was the one truly falling apart. He had no business being amped up. Diego couldn’t imagine what his psychiatric evaluation had been like, but those in charge of the laboratory should have known better.
Duncan had easily shot his friend in the head because he didn’t want to be bothered to wait for him to die. He didn’t want to expend any time trying to make him comfortable while he was dying. Duncan’s life was all about Duncan. As a rule, the teams were a brotherhood, but Duncan didn’t fit into that unless he was the leader and he could have all the attention.
Diego watched him for a few moments as Duncan switched his attention back and forth between where the bobcat had disappeared and Pete. Each time he put his attention on Pete, he stroked the trigger of his rifle. Diego would have bet a month’s pay that he was considering shooting Pete and cutting the rope that would allow Terry to make his way back up to the ridge.
Diego inverted, moving like a lethal, hunting leopard down the trunk of the tree in complete silence. He didn’t so much as disturb a leaf. Fear had a smell to it, and Duncan stunk of it. He was continually squirming, twitching, and turning his head from side to side in quick, jerky movements.
Diego found a pattern in the way Duncan’s neck twisted and turned, moved forward and then back. Using the strength of his legs to hold him, he waited for Duncan’s head to come toward him. Striking quickly, he wrapped one arm around Duncan’s neck and placed his other hand on the back of the head, tilting it forward to control him as he applied pressure to the neck. The force was great enough that it instantly cut off the blood supply to the brain. It took nearly ten seconds for Duncan to go limp.
Diego eased him down to the ground and covered his mouth and nose with his hand, cutting off the air supply. Duncan’s body reacted to the lack of blood to the brain and now the lack of air. Diego was relentless, waiting patiently, keeping his body in the shadow of the tree. The fog thickened. Silence reigned. Even after he was certain the life was gone from the soldier, Diego waited a few more moments, checked him and then disappeared into the fog, retreating to the edge of the trees, where he could watch Pete.
Diego had a decision to make. He didn’t kill innocents. Not that he thought Terry was all that innocent. More than likely, he was a man similar to Diego. Still, Terry seemed to have a code. He knew Duncan had planned to kill him. Pete most likely knew it as well. They had plotted to kill Leila. Terry was the only voice of objection. Did Diego kill him simply because he was part of the unit under orders to retrieve Leila? That didn’t sit well with him.