Rise of Aen Read Online Free PDF Page A

to Lea’s this afternoon so until we do; your ass is mine!” Her grip tightened and she lay her head down on his chest.
    “Well, I guess I’ll hang out a bit then.”
    “There wasn’t an option there, babe.” He could feel her grinning wildly. “Cause when I wake up, you’ll get a nice reward for sticking around.”
    “Sold!” Aaron replied before getting comfy once more and falling back to sleep.
    Rocky Mountains, Utah –
Military Installation Code Named White Rock
    As he waited for the Blackhawk to land, General Jensen Taylor had the biggest smile on his face he’d had for years. For the first time since that late night call, he was going to be reunited with his team. He was excited, but remained focused on what he had to ask them.
    Wilson had been promoted to Major after that crazy night, and given command of the unit with Taylor being reassigned. He deserved the accolades; Taylor couldn’t think of a better choice to lead the team other than Avery. He was aggressive, calculated, and thought outside the box—the perfect qualities for the job. In fact, Taylor had watched the team closely since leaving them, and their record was impeccable.
    And now, the best search and rescue team in the Air Force was assigned to his task, although they didn’t know what, as of yet. But he would soon be with his men again, and this was the best news he’d had in years. With a thud, the Blackhawk landed on the rooftop pad and the six men filed out in full gear without hesitation. As soon as they saw their former commander, they sprinted over to him to greet him with enormous smiles. Knowing the wind noise from the mountains combined with the thump of the helicopter rotors would make a discussion impossible, Taylor motioned for them to follow him inside so they could exchange pleasantries.
    “I can’t believe you’re still alive you stubborn old goat!” Major Wilson said as the doors shut behind them. “You all but vanished after that fucked up night in the badlands! How you been General?”
    “Good, Avery. It’s been a lot harder without you and the boys.”
    “Sorry to hear about you and Miri. How you holding up?” Wilson said with a soft tone to his former commander.
    “Don’t give it much thought anymore, to be honest; too much to do. Heard about your mess in Baghdad. Reports were pretty blacked out by the time I read them and I’ve got clearance the president doesn’t.”
    “Ten days of pure hell in hostile territory. Not something any of us want to relive any time soon, sir. But enough small talk, why did you bring us to the middle of nowhere to a place that doesn’t exist?”
    Taylor tilted his head towards the elevator. “Conference room is on sub-level eight. Meet me there in ten and I’ll give you a full mission debriefing.” He handed Wilson a swipe card. “It only gets you to where you need to go, Major. Any deviation will get you and the boys killed, so go straight to sub-level eight.”
    Wilson looked carefully at his long-time commander as he digested the seriousness of the general’s tone. “Got it, sir!” he said plainly, then waved his men towards the elevator, without moving himself. Taylor went in the other direction and disappeared through a door at the end of the hall. Avery slowly turned and made his way to join his men, running through the words of the General in his mind. His gut was telling him something was wrong here, but he was ordered to at least listen to the proposal before accepting this job.
    The doors of the elevator slid closed behind him and Wilson swiped the card before pressing the button for sub-level eight. He looked over at his men who nodded in agreement. They trusted Taylor and felt he wouldn’t do anything to put his team in jeopardy, but there was something in this situation that made them uneasy. So Wilson pushed the floor button and the elevator began to descend. His mind began to strategize on multiple scenarios, trying to ready himself on what may come