Blood Covenant Read Online Free PDF

caught the tinge of disappointment in the older man’s voice. Their group had met at the base camp last night for dinner and Robert had kept them laughing with anecdotes from a recent business trip to Brazil. Ashley, on the other hand, had complained that the food was too salty and the service too slow, then escaped to her room before most of them had eaten half their dinner. Whatever her father had tried to ingrain in her thus far had obviously failed.
Robert jutted his chin in his daughter’s direction. “For now, she’s gone and gotten herself engaged, so I figure in four months she’ll be her new husband’s problem.”
Brandon sat on one of the provided chairs and helped Jodi take off her boots, wondering what kind of man would want to saddle himself with someone as high maintenance as Ashley. Or how someone as nice as Robert James had failed to pass on any of his charm to his daughter.
Robert pulled an energy bar from his pocket and ripped it open. “I don’t want my daughter to know this, because it will only give her one more thing to worry about, but have you heard what the porters are talking about?”
Brandon looked to Jodi, then shook his head. Gossip about the actress had no doubt become fodder for conversation during the uphill trek.
Robert took a bite of the bar. “There was an attack at the base camp a couple hours after we left.”
“An attack?” The older man’s words took Brandon off guard. Whining and complaining could be tolerated, but unrest on the mountain potentially put all of them in danger. “What happened?”
“A group of men carrying automatic weapons broke in and stole a bunch of supplies.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Brandon asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“I know there’s been unrest in parts of the country, but we were told that this route was far enough away from the conflict that we’d be safe.”
“The last thing the government wants is to scare away potential tourists.” Robert stroked the bottom of his salt-and-pepper beard. “But even so, I can’t imagine them hiking up this far for a handful of electronics.”
Brandon glanced at Ashley, who still held the phone to her ear. Between her electronic collection and the porters who carried communication devices as a precaution during the climb, their group could easily be viewed as a prime target for a bunch of desperate rebels. “What were they looking for? Electronic equipment?”
“Satellite phones, radios, and food. And while I don’t think we have anything to worry about, I do think we should all be on the lookout for anything unusual.” Robert crumpled the foil wrapper in his hand. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything …”
“No, we’re glad you did.” Brandon dropped Jodi’s boot onto the ground beside him and started rubbing her foot, wondering if he might have more to worry about than the hardware embedded in his wife’s ankle. He tried to shake off the slivers of alarm while at the same time hoping the man’s prediction was correct.

SIX
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2:21 P.M.
AMERICAN EMBASSY, BOGAMA, RD
Paul Hayes downed the extra packet of cold medicine his secretary had left on his desk with a swig of lukewarm coffee, trying at the same time to forget the ultimatum his wife had just left him on his voice messages. Three months ago, he’d have sworn their marriage would last forever, but that was before Maggie had left to spend the holidays with his family in Denver, amidst promises that he’d be there by Christmas. Now Valentine’s Day had come and gone and he’d yet to join her. Which translated into the dismal reality that their marriage was on the line.
How had it ever come to this?
He cleaned his glasses with his shirttail, rubbed his eyes, then slid the glasses back on. When they first married, Maggie hadn’t seemed to mind his long hours at work. She’d been caught up with advancing her own career as an associate in a small firm in Denver. Even their six months apart while he was on