Black Ops 03 - Deadly Games Read Online Free PDF Page B

had no bearing on the situation. Maddy, however, did.
    “So you’re saying that recovering Harry is more important than saving Maddy.” Rocco met Travis’s gaze. “Got it.”
    “You haven’t got
shit.
” Travis rocked onto the balls of his feet. “You can’t even see how you’re being manipulated. Tran’s going after anyone he thinks you care about and you’re playing right into his hands. You’re too damn close to the situation. That’s why I’m doing this.” Travis turned to his watchers. “Get him out of here. Take him to this address.” He withdrew a slip of paper from his pocket.
    “You can’t be serious!” Rocco wasn’t about to be locked down. “You’ve got to trust me!”
    Travis exhaled, clearly exasperated. “I do trust you. Like a brother. The problem is, I know you. And I’d do the same thing you’re contemplating.”
    “Then at least let me work it stateside.”
    “You can work it from lockdown.”
    “But what if Tran goes after someone else now that he can’t reach Adele?”
    “To get to you?” Travis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If there’s someone new you’re seeing, I’ll order her picked up as well.”
    “Not new, but someone I still care about. You’ve got to let me contact Gena.”
    “I don’t believe this!” The scowl on Travis’s face deepened. “Since when have you been in contact with her?”
    “I haven’t been.” Dreams didn’t count. “Not in years.”
    “Then she’s just as likely off Tran’s radar—which is where I want to keep her.”
    “What if Tran gets wind that the Thai government is looking for Harry and does some checking on his background?”
    “Fine. I’ll get someone to check on Gena.” Travis turned to the other two men. “Now what are you waiting for? Get him out of here!”

Chapter Four
     
    Harlan County, Kentucky
October 4, 1:25 A.M.
    Mission incomplete.
    Find Rufin.
    Find Hades.
    No! Find Max. “Remember our plan!”
    Searing heat erupted beneath Taz’s skull. Wrong thinking always triggered a penalty. The painful pressure took out his sense of equilibrium. Then it cut off his vision with a suddenness akin to the earth collapsing beneath his feet. The sensation of free-falling in unending darkness nauseated him as his suffering expanded.
    You will do what we say.
    We control you.
    He crashed on the roadway, tumbling head over heels. The asphalt stung him as it scraped his skin, but it was the jaw-busting blow to his chin that he welcomed. For with physical pain came clarity.
    He felt his arms and legs twitch and realized he washaving a seizure. In the middle of a bloody highway, for God’s sake!
Roll. Roll.
    Using the last of his dwindling concentration, he forced his body to move. First he flipped onto his back, then up onto his side and over. Blind and off balance, Taz prayed his movement was linear versus circular.
    The pain in his skull spiked again, threatening to crush his consciousness.
Don’t think. Don’t pray. Just roll.
    The next time he became aware, he felt coarse grass and bits of gravel scraping his cheek. He was facedown in the dirt. That the ground was softer and more uneven confirmed he’d at least made it off the roadbed.
    For some reason, dying in a ditch seemed preferable to being run over and smashed to smithereens by a tractor trailer.
    He recalled the cabin he’d been holed up in the last few nights. It had appeared out of nowhere, replete with clothes, food, supplies. But how he’d gotten there was a mystery. Had he imagined it? Flickering memories of climbing out of a ravine and wandering for days didn’t quite fill in all the blanks.
    Maybe he should have stayed at the cabin a while longer. It had been quiet and deserted. Except, the owner would have returned sooner or later. And the growing urgency to find Rufin allowed Taz no respite.
    Mission incomplete.
    Flipping onto his back took most of his strength, but this time when he opened his eyes he saw tiny pinpricks of