The Omega Team: Spurs (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

tightness in her tone told another story. “Put your arm over my shoulders and let me help you to the car. You need to get to a doctor right away.”
    His brother gave her a little push. “He weighs twice what you do, little lady. I’ll get him comfortable and then you can drive him back down and call the doc. The number’s by the phone.”
    “I’m right here, people.” He allowed his brother to help him limp toward the vehicle, but kept his eyes on the other man. He had lighter hair than they did but eyes the exact color gray he and his brother shared. “Hey.” Pausing by his cousin’s side, he extended his free hand. “Cousin Carson?”
    “Yep.” He took his hand but without the warmth a long-lost relative might exhibit. Of course, maybe he didn’t know he’d been long-lost. “Carson Ames. Good to meet you, Ryder. Sorry about your injury.”
    He jerked his hand back. “You didn’t cause it. And looks like we called you out on the wrong mission. I don’t think we have cattle rustlers.” His bad leg gave out, and Andrew half-lifted him into the passenger seat in the front ATV.
    “No? Then what kind of bad guys were flying in and out of the pasture where we have our best stock?” Andrew asked, reasonably.
    The Vibora in his pocket was a military secret. He didn’t intend to tell anyone he didn’t have to about it. His only goal was to pass it along to his commanding officer. Who would then call him a civilian. Thanks for helping, Mr. Civilian.
    Isbet grabbed a water bottle from the back of the mule and handed it to him. He opened it and, while he drank it in one long gulp, Isbet said, “Weapons dealers, maybe? Ryder, where’s the barbed thing we found. It’s not a bullet or like anything I’ve ever seen.”
    Oh, yeah. Could pain distract him so much he forgot someone else already knew about the item? He couldn’t hide it now. He’d just have to stop the spread of info as quickly as possible. “I’m just going to turn it in to the proper authorities who can take it from here.”
    “Really?” Isbet said. “You’re going to take a weapon nobody has ever seen before and hand it to the local sheriff?”
    Andrew and his new cousin Carson jerked to face her. He licked his lips and tried to force the pain down. “How do you know nobody has ever seen this item before?” With the cat so out of the bag, he pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and opened it. “What do you do again, Isbet, that you know all about weapons?”
    Isbet’s cheeks reddened. “Well…it…it looks like something out of a comic book, doesn’t it?” Again she managed to deflect questions.
    Carson held out his hand, and, reluctantly, Ryder placed the handkerchief and its evil burden in his palm. “I’ve been on the civilian side for a short time, but I can say with almost certainty this is something new. And I am sure, Ryder, you know that as well.”
    He nodded. First chance he got Isbet alone, he’d question her further, but, for now, the weapon was the thing.
    “I’m keeping this.” Ryder moved to protest, but Carson waved it away. “You are in no condition to chase me, so give it up. I just need to know what, if anything, you know about this. Is it going to explode in my hand?”
    Why did he assume Ryder knew a thing about the Vibora. Still, in the interest of saving time, he shook his head.
    “Does it explode?”
    Ryder’s hand jerked to his leg, which screamed in agony just at that moment. He swore.
    Carson looked from the item to Ryder’s jeans. He nodded. “Okay, I get it. But for safety, I need to know what it does.”
    “It explodes by remote, and the operator has to be within a few yards of it to make that happen. Some kind of mechanism lets it fly on its own. Again, not far, and that’s all I know basically, except it’s one of the most insidious weapons I’ve ever seen. It can cause necrosis and death.”
    “Got it” Carson wrapped it again and went to the steel toolbox in the back of the