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)
“Damn it, Dev.” Alex got close enough to look for wounds.
The body shuddered again, and the death rattle was loud. Alex jumped back, swearing, turning in a full circle, pointing his weapon at everything.
The wind shifted minutely, sending the branches of the surrounding trees swaying. Leaves and needles fell to the forest floor. Bullfrogs set up a chorus of protests, and lizards skittered in the thick vegetation. Alex yelled and squeezed down on the trigger, a look of terror on his face as he spun around and around, shooting at the leaping shadows.
Bullets hit the tree where Leila remained motionless. He was aiming far too low to hit her, but movement might draw his eye. Several ugly thunks told her Alex had managed to hit the dead body of his friend with his wild shooting. As he fired his weapon, he yelled at the top of his lungs. There was nothing subtle about his fear. If he had gotten any paler, he would have been a ghost.
Leila followed his movements with her eyes only. The tree shivered several times as bullets hit the trunk. From somewhere above her, she heard the call of a hawk. She was certain the sound was real and not Diego, although he was so good at imitating the raptors, she wasn’t sure why she thought he still wasn’t close.
She couldn’t feel his presence. Before she had known of Diego’s existence, back when she was fighting off soldiers with Luther, she’d felt him. She’d known he was there. She hadn’t known who he was, but she had felt him. Felt his energy. Everything in her reached for him. Knew him. The good in him and the darkness.
She had heard him signaling to Luther, using the birds to announce his presence. To let Luther know he was joining the battle. She’d known when he insisted on shooting all three of them with a tracking device. She’d made it clear she knew what he was up to, and she wanted no part of it. She’d also known he was ruthless enough to ignore what she wanted. That should have put her off him, but instead she found herself more intrigued than ever.
Leila didn’t care for men that much. She didn’t respect them. There were a few soldiers she thought were decent men who worked hard, but she stayed away from them, not trusting anyone. She had a built-in radar for the soldiers who were operating on the edge. There was a taint to them, an aura surrounding them that warned her off them. She’d known it when Leon had come to her door with his friends and forced their way in.
Diego was so certain he was dark and twisted. He thought of himself as a monster, but from the moment he’d come into her life, she had known he was different. He was a good man with a strict code of honor. Because she felt people, saw auras and could often see inside a person where no one else could, she knew the heart of him.
Since spending these few days and nights with him, not one thing he’d done or said had changed her opinion of him. He was thoughtful and kind. He listened to her and treated her with respect. He hadn’t once taken advantage when he could have. Even when a part of her wanted him to. He was a gentleman, whether he thought so or not.
The raptor let out two rapid cries, alerting her to the soldiers rushing to the battle. This would be Kyle and Cooper. Deliberately she took a breath and remained very still. If she shot Alex, the two soldiers were experienced enough to follow the trajectory of a bullet. She couldn’t move quickly through the trees as she would normally be able to. Her best bet would be to remain absolutely still and wait for a better opportunity to rid the world of Whitney’s creations.
Where was the third soldier? What kinds of genetics did he have that might enable him to spot her? She had the precise location of Alex, who finally had gone quiet, finger off the trigger, retreating into the trees and brush to hide. The hawk had warned her that two soldiers were coming toward her fast. She had guessed Kyle and Cooper, but it could be Dillan and one of the others. The bottom line was that the third man, whoever he was, was stalking her, and the hawk hadn’t yet spotted him.
A chill slid down her spine. She was far too experienced to move, but now she had a very bad feeling. In the space of a few moments, she had gone from the hunter to the hunted. Strangely, she actually thought about trying to reach out to Diego. That stray thought was nearly as disturbing to her as the fact that there was a wild card somewhere stalking her.