Aegis Incursion Read Online Free PDF

and spread them out on the tabletop. When he saw the content of the articles, his expression grew stony.
    The clippings were of the five during the media frenzy when the friends had gone missing the previous summer. Everyone had been stunned when Samuel Tyler was found unconscious, not at the site of the plane crash, but near a small town many miles distant. They were even more baffled when his teenage passengers were nowhere to be found.
    When the five showed up many weeks later in a hospital at the same small town where Kody’s father had appeared, the media tripled its craze. The friends had obviously been taken care of as they were healthy, save for some small bruises and scars. What happened during those missing weeks remained a mystery that, over time, the media had slowly drifted away from.
    Jag silently restacked the clippings and pushed them back into the corner.
    “Why do you keep them?” Aari asked, rubbing his temples as if he’d just gotten a headache.
    Jag sat on the edge of his bed and sighed. “I’m not sure. I just know that when I look at them, I—”
    “Want to burn them?”
    “Yes, burn them. But they also make me want to do this trip even more. Clear our minds and all that. Prove that we can be together without this cloud over our heads.”
    Aari looked back at the map and pointed at it. “If this doesn’t help us . . . ”
    “I’d rather not think like that.”
    “You’re right. Positivity. Be positive.” Aari rapped his knuckles against the side of his head. After a moment, he smiled slightly. “Can’t wait for the barbecue on Sunday.”
    Jag raised his head, his face lighting up. “The food’s gonna be great.”
    “Food’s always great when Kody’s family is involved.”
    “True that.” Jag pushed himself off the bed. “Let’s grab a bite. Pretty sure we’ve got leftover cheesecake in the fridge.”
    “Thanks, but I think I’ll be heading home. Gotta babysit the kid for a few hours while Mom and Dad do some errands.”
    “Your little sister has a name, you know,” Jag said with a smile as he walked Aari to the door.
    Aari slipped his shoes on and picked up his bag. As he walked out of the house, he raised his fist over his head and hollered, “One more day and school’s out!”
    Jag chuckled as he shut the door behind Aari. This trip really is what we need , he thought. No misadventures and no idiots to mock us. Just fun times with the group. It’ll be good.

3
    T he smell of grilled burgers rode the cool evening breeze as laughter and shouts filled the air. Samuel Tyler glanced over his shoulder from where he stood on the deck by his barbecue and watched his eldest son toss around a football with his friends and their siblings. He smiled to himself. It was great to see the kids being together and having fun.
    He felt someone tug at his pant leg and looked down to see his five-year-old son looking up at him with big, dark eyes and a large, life-loving smile on his face.
    Samuel scooped up his youngest child. “Roshon, my little man! What do you need?”
    The boy squirmed in his father’s arms. “When are we gonna eat? I’m huuungry,” he complained, grabbing Samuel’s face in his small hands.
    Samuel grinned. “Ah, you and your appetite. Just like your brothers.”
    “Fooood, Daddy!” Roshon wiggled his father’s face. “Pretty please?”
    “Not for another few minutes, baby.”
    “Aww!” Roshon pouted and squirmed again, so Samuel put him down. He watched his son run toward his mother, who was seated at a large table at the other side of the deck, and clamber onto her lap to snuggle against her chest. With a soft smile, Samuel turned back to the barbecue and closed the lid, then went to join the other parents as they lounged and chatted around the table, drinks in hand.
    As he sat down, Roberto Sanchez looked over at him. “Smells good, Sam!”
    Samuel laughed. “It’s nothing fancy, Rob, just an old family recipe.”
    “All the same.” Jag’s