Patriots & Tyrants (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

together the various
medications that Harvey gave to him.
    “Thank you, Ryan.” Krys
said in between mouthfuls.
    “Don’t mention it,”
Kaspar replied.
    When she was finished
with her breakfast, Krys placed the aluminum foil next to the bucket. Kaspar
then passed over the medications that she was doped up on all the time. Pain
killers, stomach medicine, and some concoction that Harvey came up with that
gave Krys a shot of adrenaline. This wasn’t going to last long and their
morning run was further proof.
    “Krys,” Kaspar said as
she took the first of her medications. “We’ve got to be more careful. We can’t
push it too hard anymore.”
    “What do you mean
‘we’?” Krys demanded.
    “You know what I
meant. I’m your partner, I’m a part of your life, too. You’ve got to take it
easy.”
    Krys swallowed another
pill, the taste so bitter she had to pucker her lips. Once she was done, she
replied, “How can you say that to me? Women are out there dying, just like me,
but I have the power to help them. I told you six months ago, no matter how bad
I got, I would continue to fight. There is no letting up.”
    “I don’t want you to
quit fighting. It’s just, everything is happening so fast, I…don’t want to lose
you.”
    “Me quitting, or
taking it easy, isn’t going to cure me. Yeah, it might make me more
comfortable, or extend my life a little bit, but I’m still…”
    Kaspar put an index
finger over his lips and nodded. He didn’t want her to finish that sentence. It
was all just too hard to take in. She was right, after all, but he didn’t want
to see her suffer. If this was the end, she deserved some rest after all that
they had been through together. It was ultimately her decision on what she
would do with the rest of her life. Her life was hers and it wouldn’t be fair
for Kaspar to start dictating it. They were fighting against that type of
tyranny. He did promise her that he would stick by her until the end. He also
made a promise that either they would find the cure or that he wouldn’t get in
her way when she got worse. More promises he couldn’t keep.
    “I know, baby. Look, I
know you don’t want to live with false hope, but I will save you.”
    Krys smiled. “You
already have.”
    Kaspar allowed a
smile, too. He moved in and gave her a slight peck on the cheek. When he pulled
back, he felt a hand on his arm. Krys began to shake her head. Kaspar’s grin
grew wider. She was so beautiful when she did things like that. At that moment,
he also had to fight back a tear. Krys placed her hand on the back of Kaspar’s
head and pulled him in.
    “I love you,” she
said.

.
06
    The squad was all
gathered together in the central tent which served as their briefing room. An
eager, determined Buck sat in the very front. He was so poised and every word
his father said during the briefing was taken with the utmost urgency. The pen
in his hand formed words on the pad of paper in front of him at a lightning
pace. There would be no more screw ups. He would make sure of that. Steinner
sat next to him, a bit more relaxed, but still listening with intent. Dexter
Byrd, the man who drove the armored truck during the mission days earlier, sat
in the second row, next to Kaspar, who in turn sat very close to Krys. Byrd was
an African-American man of medium height and build. Not big enough to scare you
at first but more than big enough to finish you off. He wore a military green
tank which showed off his “Don’t Tread On Me” tattoo inked on his right bicep.
    Kaspar’s right hand
was firmly placed inside of Krys’s strong grip. The medications she took
earlier seemed to perk her up a bit. She was no longer as lethargic as before.
Her stomach pains went away, too. Kaspar tried to focus his attention on the
briefing, but his mind kept wandering to the health status of her. These
briefings all seemed to be the same, with a few variations here and there
depending on the layout of each location. All he