Terror Rising: Book 0 – The Insurgence Read Online Free PDF Page A

startling
empty.
    “Maybe the station wagon had the narcotics,”
Angela suggested, trying to get Martinez back on track.
    He took a step back and rubbed his head. The
first shooter’s body lay only a few feet away from them with a hole
in the side of his big forehead. Blood spatter had hit the side of
the truck next to the indentation made by one of Martinez’s first
shots.
    As he walked away from the truck, in deep
thought, Angela wanted to pull him aside and ask what the plan was.
She wanted to ask why he had been so determined to approach the men
without backup. Now was not the time for him to grow aloof. They
needed each other more than ever.
    “Should we work on our story?” she asked,
walking toward him.
    “We tell them the truth,” he said, turning
away from her.
    “The truth?” Angela said, confused. “The
truth is that we left our post and pursued this truck without
backup. You have years under your belt, sir. What’s going to happen
to me, a rookie?”
    Martinez pivoted around, extending an arm
toward her. His pistol was finally holstered. “Nothing is going to
happen to you, Agent Gannon. This was my call, and I’ll take
responsibility.”
    His words were comforting, but it didn’t
make her feel better about the situation. In clear view now, she
could see a line of Border Patrol vehicles speeding down the dirt
road beyond the valley, approaching them with their lights rapidly
flashing. The cavalry had indeed arrived.
    Taking a closer look at the first shooter’s
body, Angela could see that he was distinctively Middle Eastern.
His clothes were plain and baggy, and he was wearing sandals.
    Martinez walked away from the truck and
toward the line of patrol vehicles tearing off the road and
traveling toward them—five in all. Before anyone arrived, Angela
crouched beside the man and felt his pants pocket for a wallet or
ID. There was nothing.
    His still hand clutched a 9mm Glock pistol.
Clues were bound to be found somewhere. As Angela stood up and
surveyed the empty truck, she was almost certain that the station
wagon was the real vehicle they wanted. Only it was the one vehicle
that had wisely gotten away.
    Dawson’s white Ford Crown Victoria led the
pack as he slowed to a halt with top sirens flashing wildly but
silent. A large cloud of dust covered the area like a blanket,
causing Angela to cough. So little was known of why she and
Martinez were there and what happened. She hoped that he’d do most
of the talking. Doug would be upset with her, and she pondered how
much to tell him about the incident at the end of the day.
    Chief Drake exited the second vehicle,
another white Tahoe, slamming the door. Other agents soon followed.
He went immediately to Martinez, who was already busy explaining
himself. Drake’s slightly wrinkled face was red with anger. His
thinning and short gray hair blew to one side in a gust of wind
from the approaching storm.
    Dawson walked toward the truck where Angela
stood with Captain Reynolds, a female agent from the K-9 unit. Rex,
her K-9, hurriedly moved along as she held his leash. Angela walked
toward them, hoping to bypass their questions and just link up with
Martinez instead. Dawson, it seemed, wouldn’t have any of it.
    “ Are you okay?” he asked first,
observing the body on the ground behind her with widened
eyes.
    “ I’m fine,” Angela responded while
wiping dirt from her face.
    “ I sure hope so. What have you guys
gotten yourselves into?”
    Dawson was nearly Angela’s age, and had a
goofy overbite and short hair parted in the middle. Everyone at the
station called him “kid,” a term he resented at times. Captain
Reynolds was a slightly older redhead with freckles, blue eyes, and
a mouth that seemed set in a perpetual straight line.
    “ Looks like a real mess,” she said to
Angela, surveying the scene. The K-9 ran toward the man’s body only
to be jerked back.
    Angela nodded at their comments and then
pointed to the road. “Their friends got