Storm (The Storm Chronicles Book 6) by Skye Knizley Page B

and Weaver was standing nearby with his mouth hanging open. Raven ejected the magazine, ejected the unused cartridge and dropped the Sig on the counter. “Tell King I passed.”
    Weaver closed his mouth, then opened it again. “Just this part. I can’t clear you until you pass the marksmanship po—”
    Raven spun, drew her own sidearm and fired, one handed, emptying all eight rounds in the blink of an eye. Across the range, targets shook and flashed with perfect hits to the chest and head. Raven ejected the magazine, reloaded and turned back to Weaver. “I said, tell King I passed.”
    “How did… I’ve never… I wouldn’t even try—”
    “Good. A man’s got to know his limitations.”
    Raven holstered her weapon and walked away, her hand shaking.
    Outside, she took a deep breath and slid behind the Shelby’s wheel. This time, when the engine rumbled to life, it was almost like coming home.
    She parked behind the FBI office a short time later and passed through the lobby and atrium to the elevator. It opened a moment later onto the rugged face of Blake, the Marine guard.
    “Hey, Agent Storm, how did your visit with Clark go?” he asked.
    “Swell. Open the door, please.”
    “Sure…but Agent King asked that you leave your sidearm with me until you leave.”
    Raven arched an eyebrow. “Is he afraid I’m going to shoot him?”
    Blake shrugged. “Just following orders, ma’am. I can’t let you in with a sidearm.”
    Raven drew her pistol, ejected the magazine and dropped both onto the table. “I’ll be back for that.”
    Blake put them both in a drawer of his desk. “Of course, Agent Storm. I will take good care of them.”
    He buzzed her through the door and she moved through the desks to King’s office. He was standing in the doorway next to an athletic blonde Raven recognized as probationary agent Bobbi Kinnamon. She was wearing the standard FBI skirt-set and it didn’t suit her. She looked uncomfortable.
    “Hi Ray,” Bobbi said.
    “Hey Bobbi. King, what happened?”
    Abraham King turned from his computer. “I don’t know. I lost contact with the team on their way to the engine room. How is your connection with Aspen?”
    “Dead. Like you, if anything has happened to her. Get me on that ship!”
    King shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, Raven. I am scheduling an air-strike as we speak.”
    “The hell you are!” Raven roared. “You put my fiancé on that boat, you are not just abandoning her!”
    “There is more than one life at stake, Ravenel. Whatever is on that ship has killed almost a thousand people. It cannot be allowed to make it to New York.”
    “How long?”
    “Twenty-six hours at current speed,” King replied.
    Raven nodded. “Fine. Get the Airforce to drop me on the ship. If I don’t succeed, you can blow us both to hell.”
    “Agent Storm, I have already lost ten good people—”
    Raven tossed her badge on his desk. “You don’t know Aspen and her team are gone. You lost contact. I know she is out there and I am going to bring her home, or die trying. My Sig is in my desk.”
    She turned and found the door blocked by Bobbi.
    “I can’t let you go, Raven. Not like this,” Bobbi said.
    “Bobbi, if you don’t move, I will move you,” Raven said.
    “Let her go, Agent Kinnamon. Agent Storm, you are on your own, I cannot expend anymore assets on this. The best I can give you is sixteen hours until I report you officially missing and that ship a hostile target. Tomorrow at dawn, F-18’s will burn it to ashes.”
    Raven looked back at him. “It’s enough. If I haven’t found her by then, she’s dead anyway.”
    Bobbi stepped aside, but caught Raven’s arm on the way by. “Want me to go with you?”
    Raven shook her head. “No. If we don’t make it back, King is going to need someone who isn’t an asshole on his team.”
    Bobbi smiled. “I’ll take that as a complement. Good luck, Ray.”
    Raven nodded and Bobbi let go.
    “One more thing, Storm,” King