The Return Read Online Free PDF Page A

which specialized in covert missions in out-of-the-way areas where traditional enforcement is ineffective.
    Rummaging through the drawer a bit more, she found a locket she had forgotten was there. Engraved in very small letters was a quote known by all Rangers by former Ranger Captain Bob Crowder:
    â€œA Ranger is an officer who is able to handle any given situation without definite instructions from his commanding officer or higher authority. This ability must be proven before a man becomes a Ranger.”
    Or in her case, a woman.
    Lost in the past, she almost didn’t notice the slight sound of movement from downstairs. She returned the star and the locket to the drawer and hurried down the steps to the first floor.
    The blinds were all closed, and the doors were locked.
    The sound came again—kind of a scratching or like something being moved. Could it be coming from the basement?
    Within seconds she was descending down the dark, cramped stairs to the cellar.
    A shovel hung on the wall at the base of the steps, so she grabbed it.
    Looking around, everything seemed to be in place, but she quickly went to check the entrance to the catacombs. She bent down and tugged gently on the lid. It slid away easily.
    It was unlocked!
    Duvall was good at keeping calm, a trait that served her well in her line of work. But a slight wave of panic rushed through her as she realized no one with access to this entry point would ever leave it unlocked—at least no one who was supposed to have access.
    She bounded back up the stairs and conducted a room-to-room search, looking in every nook and cranny of the house until she was certain she was alone.
    Walking back down to the basement, firmly gripping the shovel, she reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to see the lid from the underground passage move to the right and a man’s head pop out.
    â€œMr. Kull!” Duvall called out. “You almost got your head knocked clean off.” Kull surveyed the room carefully before pulling himself up out of the hole.
    â€œWe have a problem,” he said gravely. “Someone else is in the tunnel.”
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    Tim couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
    This was the transport station to the underwater city of Nomad. Access to this was supposed to be completely impossible unless you had a credential to travel on the network like his dad and others who needed it for important business travel.
    Yet here he was, standing right in the midst of it. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he was past the security check area, because the shuttle to Nomad was directly in front of him. If he ran fast enough he might even be able to board it without being seen. But that was a theory he was not at all interested in testing out. All he could think about this moment was getting back home fast.
    Ducking back into the closet before anyone could see him, Tim lowered himself back into the hole, locked the lid back into place, and hurried back down into the tunnel.
    His mind reeled as he raced down the path for the exit. But he had traveled much farther than he realized, and the end was nowhere in sight. His gut told him that whoever was behind this tunnel must have something to do with the disappearances.
    Suddenly, Tim was tumbling, landing hard on his stomach and slightly bumping his head on the ground. Dizzy, he looked up from the dirt and could see he had caught his foot on a slight dip in the path that sent him flying.
    He dragged himself back to his feet and put a hand to his forehead. There was a bit of blood from a small cut, and his knee was really sore.
    He wanted nothing more than to get out of this place now.
    Walking this time, Tim resumed his trek to the beginning of the labyrinth. It took a while, but he eventually reached the place he first entered.
    Placing the key ring back in the box, he climbed to the top and out of the tunnel. He moved the cover back into place and began walking home through the