getting the hell out of here, so you can mail us the check. You understand, of course, what will happen if you don’t, right?”
“Yes, yes, I get it. Geez. I meant what about me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. You’ve gotten yourself tangled up with some serious men. From what Jennifer said, Chris is more than likely dead. On the other hand, the guys from Blackhorse Tactical are definitely alive, and probably pissed. You’re a witness to what happened out in the desert. If I were you, I’d think long and hard about a vacation at least two states away. Maybe a permanent vacation.”
His face drained of color. He said, “I can’t do that. I can’t just up and leave. I have a job. I have family. . . .”
“Should’ve thought about that before you started taking money for a fraud.”
Jennifer said, “Pike. We can’t just leave him here. They were going to kill the both of us today before you showed up. You heard what happened at the river. They slaughtered those guys, and I’m sure they buried the bodies out in the desert. He’d last ten minutes in this town.”
“And how is that my problem? We came out here to conduct an archaeological survey based on his lies. Might I remind you that it was
you
who said I was creating conspiracies? That it was all about the dig? Well, that’s done. He’s made his own bed, and now he’ll lie in it.”
Sweetwater said, “I’ll pay you. I’ll pay whatever you want.”
I clenched my fist, willing it not to fly into his face. I said, “I’m not a fucking gun for hire, asshole.”
Jennifer said, “No, you’re not. But you occasionally do the right thing. Just because it’s right. Like you did in Guatemala.”
I exhaled, exasperated. I said, “Who shot first at the river?”
“What? Why does that matter?”
“Are you sure the Blackhorse guys pulled the trigger? I mean, they came out raising badges, like they were just trying to get everyone disarmed. Who fired the initial rounds?”
“I . . . I don’t know. It could have been either side. It might have been Chris.”
“Maybe that whole thing in the desert was nothing but self-defense. Yeah, they were faking the federal agent thing, but that was just to get their missing top-secret wreckage back. Maybe they were
forced
to kill everyone.”
She said, “Pike, they were going to murder us. I’m sure of it. I could see it by how the security force acted. They took orders from the one with the badge—the one you beat up—but they were afraid to look us in the eye. Afraid to engage us in conversation. Because we were dead already.”
“Jennifer, that’s just your gut feeling in the fear of the moment. You can’t prove that.”
“If all they wanted was the wreckage back, then why did they chase us down with a helicopter? They already had the lost piece.”
I had no answer to that. She said, “Because they didn’t want any witnesses, that’s why. There’s enough money involved here that Aegis is willing to murder to protect it. They’re covering up something, and it’ll probably end up getting a soldier killed some day. Is that what you want? Some contractor to make a fortune selling faulty equipment, getting rich off the blood of your brethren?”
That is dirty pool
. I raised my voice, “What do you want me to do? What the hell is the right thing here? You want me to go back to the hangar and murder all of them?”
“No. Let’s figure out what the big secret is. Then jam it up their ass.”
I snapped back at her words, actually impressed with her cursing. I said, “So that’s what you want? To risk your life for a bunch of contract cheats? That shit goes on all the time in the Defense universe.”
Her eyes settled on me, and I saw something new. An awareness of the world she was entering. An understanding of her place, but also an understanding of her power to change it.
She said, “Contract cheats are nothing. Those guys were going to kill me. I’d like to show them how big a
“Yes, yes, I get it. Geez. I meant what about me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. You’ve gotten yourself tangled up with some serious men. From what Jennifer said, Chris is more than likely dead. On the other hand, the guys from Blackhorse Tactical are definitely alive, and probably pissed. You’re a witness to what happened out in the desert. If I were you, I’d think long and hard about a vacation at least two states away. Maybe a permanent vacation.”
His face drained of color. He said, “I can’t do that. I can’t just up and leave. I have a job. I have family. . . .”
“Should’ve thought about that before you started taking money for a fraud.”
Jennifer said, “Pike. We can’t just leave him here. They were going to kill the both of us today before you showed up. You heard what happened at the river. They slaughtered those guys, and I’m sure they buried the bodies out in the desert. He’d last ten minutes in this town.”
“And how is that my problem? We came out here to conduct an archaeological survey based on his lies. Might I remind you that it was
you
who said I was creating conspiracies? That it was all about the dig? Well, that’s done. He’s made his own bed, and now he’ll lie in it.”
Sweetwater said, “I’ll pay you. I’ll pay whatever you want.”
I clenched my fist, willing it not to fly into his face. I said, “I’m not a fucking gun for hire, asshole.”
Jennifer said, “No, you’re not. But you occasionally do the right thing. Just because it’s right. Like you did in Guatemala.”
I exhaled, exasperated. I said, “Who shot first at the river?”
“What? Why does that matter?”
“Are you sure the Blackhorse guys pulled the trigger? I mean, they came out raising badges, like they were just trying to get everyone disarmed. Who fired the initial rounds?”
“I . . . I don’t know. It could have been either side. It might have been Chris.”
“Maybe that whole thing in the desert was nothing but self-defense. Yeah, they were faking the federal agent thing, but that was just to get their missing top-secret wreckage back. Maybe they were
forced
to kill everyone.”
She said, “Pike, they were going to murder us. I’m sure of it. I could see it by how the security force acted. They took orders from the one with the badge—the one you beat up—but they were afraid to look us in the eye. Afraid to engage us in conversation. Because we were dead already.”
“Jennifer, that’s just your gut feeling in the fear of the moment. You can’t prove that.”
“If all they wanted was the wreckage back, then why did they chase us down with a helicopter? They already had the lost piece.”
I had no answer to that. She said, “Because they didn’t want any witnesses, that’s why. There’s enough money involved here that Aegis is willing to murder to protect it. They’re covering up something, and it’ll probably end up getting a soldier killed some day. Is that what you want? Some contractor to make a fortune selling faulty equipment, getting rich off the blood of your brethren?”
That is dirty pool
. I raised my voice, “What do you want me to do? What the hell is the right thing here? You want me to go back to the hangar and murder all of them?”
“No. Let’s figure out what the big secret is. Then jam it up their ass.”
I snapped back at her words, actually impressed with her cursing. I said, “So that’s what you want? To risk your life for a bunch of contract cheats? That shit goes on all the time in the Defense universe.”
Her eyes settled on me, and I saw something new. An awareness of the world she was entering. An understanding of her place, but also an understanding of her power to change it.
She said, “Contract cheats are nothing. Those guys were going to kill me. I’d like to show them how big a
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