Patriots & Tyrants (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 2) by Brian Cotton Page B

right out and admit it. Are
you really that stupid?”
    The Agent leaned back
in his chair, shook his head, and then rubbed up and down his face with his
hands. He didn’t need the insults that she continued to throw at him. Mary
never wanted to listen, all she wanted to do was throw every single one of
life’s problems on his shoulders then tell him it was all his fault. Not today,
though. He was not going to deal with it today. What she said was right, he
would have to sacrifice (not ignore) time with Davie. But, when he found out…
    “You know, what has
the USR done to correct the problem? Aren’t there still women dying everywhere,
just like Julie?” Sullivan demanded.
    “It’s obviously
something that they’ve never seen before. The resistance, they are cunning,
secretive. Who the hell knows what kind of evil concoctions they can come up
with?” Mary replied.
    “Did I ever tell you
about the resistance guy who broke into my house and tried to kill me?”
    “Yes, you did. You put
your son in danger. Who knows what could have happened?”
    Sullivan ignored the
blame. Instead, as he talked, images from that night filled his mind. “He saw
Davie and, I don’t know, he just froze. Like he had some sort of empathy or
something. He could’ve killed me right in front of Davie, but he didn’t.”
    Sullivan envisioned
the gun being pointed at his head. The intruder had on a mask that covered his
eyes. He wore an American flag patch on his arm. The Agent demanded to know why
they poisoned Julie. Something that the man said, about Sullivan “not knowing
what was really going on”…then, that telecast by the resistance…
    “So, what’s your
point?” Mary demanded, bringing Sullivan back to the present.
    “The point is, in my
line of work, Agents would’ve blown me away without hesitation. Wouldn’t matter
who was with me. If they wanted me dead, they just pull the trigger, then go
home to a warm meal and sleep like babies. With all this talk about how great
the USR is and how evil the resistance is…I don’t know. I always go back to
that moment.”
    Mary’s stare turned
ice cold. “You’re letting that propaganda piece by those filthy people cloud
your thinking.”
    “Am I? Can’t you just
think outside the box for just one minute?”
    “I’m not saying
anymore. The last thing I need is for Agents to pour through this door. Now, if
you are going to continue your hate mongering, you can leave. You’re going to
leave Davie here, anyway. He’s the only Sullivan that’s welcome in my house
right now.”
    Sullivan said nothing
more. He got his things and left Davie behind for another night.

.
10
    Kaspar lay next to
Krys outside of their tent. The squad had stopped for a few hours so they could
try to get some rest before the next mission started. Upon Krys’s suggestion,
demand really, the two brought their sleeping gear to the outside. The black
sky above was cloudless and lay bare the stars. Krys loved to star gaze, so it
was out of the question to sleep inside tonight. There hadn’t been a night sky
this clear in a long while.
    Her head was rested on
Kaspar’s shoulder. He rubbed at her arm and fought back the sleep that attacked
his consciousness. His eyes closed once again, but he forced them back open. In
the process, his body jolted which startled Krys. She looked over at him and
smiled.
    “Never thought I’d be
asking if you were okay.” she said.
    “Just trying not to
fall asleep.” Kaspar replied.
    “Really? Why not?”
    “This moment is just
too perfect to waste.”
    Krys smiled again and
kissed his cheek. “Sorry again for being a bitch today.”
    “You don’t ever have
to apologize to me.”
    “But, I feel like I
do. You were just looking out for me and I snapped at you. We…don’t…”
    Krys started to cough.
She forced her body up into a seated position. Kaspar rose up as well and
rubbed at her back as she continued her violent coughs. He reached over into
one of the