The Unseen Read Online Free PDF Page A

over and provide back up. His dad had offered to accompany the team, but Kent had urged him to stay behind, since his war injuries had left him with a prosthetic leg.
    Despite the fact that the men were gray and balding, they were all in top physical condition. Some ran marathons or competed in Ironman triathlons to stay in top shape, while others were weight room maniacs. Sergeant Rich Cooke was built like an offensive lineman and could bench-press two hundred and fifty pounds. Kent imagined the man who’d scarred his cheek had paid a heavy price.
    Phan Tich Chu, one of his fellow scientists on the trip, had connections with the local military, the Vietnamese People’s Army or VPA. The Vietnamese government, concerned about how the murders and the State Department warnings might affect tourism, had encouraged the effort. The retired American soldiers and a dozen VPA ground troops planned to take out the smugglers who had murdered three male tourists, wounded another man, and kidnapped Bunny.
    After that happened, Kent could get back to studying Mountain River Cave, to prove without a doubt it was the largest in the world. He also wanted to take the time to find and study the mysterious cave wall drawings he’d recently heard about.
    When Bunny had been kidnapped, she’d overheard the smugglers mention hieroglyphics depicting people with special powers. He hated to think the murderers might get control of something that would give them an advantage. But still—finding something in a cave that would turn people into Spiderman or Superman seemed highly unlikely.
    And since Bunny had shown herself to be hysterical and irrational ninety-nine percent of the time, Kent wasn’t sure whether he could trust what she’d said anyway.
    On the hunch that there could be something to her story, he’d consulted with expert archaeologist, Roberta Lawson, on the phone. Despite the scanty information they had on the drawings so far, she’d agreed to fly out to take a look. He felt confident Roberta could determine the age of the drawings and relieve any anxiety that the smugglers might find something in the cave that would give them superhuman powers.
    Kent tossed back another shot of whiskey, not caring that he’d be hung over as hell the next morning. A rap on a nearby door interrupted his thoughts. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was looking for Kent,” said a familiar female voice. Startled, he knocked the almost empty bottle to the floor with an unsteady hand. He snatched it up and poured the few drops that hadn’t spilled between his lips.
    A mixture of euphoria and dread washed over him. Feet padded down the carpeted hallway toward his door. He sat up straighter in his chair. What am I going to say? Kent’s mouth felt dry and his heart hammered in his chest when the knock came.
    He wanted to see Rebecca more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, but at the same time he wanted her flying over the South China Sea toward safety. He clamped his lips together, staggered toward the door and pulled it open.
    Rebecca stood there in front of him, her green eyes wide, looking as curvy and sexy as ever.
    “You really look like hell.” She raised her nose and wrinkled it. Her gaze shifted toward the empty bottle on the table behind him. “Did you drink that all yourself?”
    His shoulders sagged and his gaze dropped to the floor. He hated her to see him looking like such a wreck. He hoped now she’d realize that letting her go had been horrible for him. He ached to burst out with how thrilled he was to see her, how seeing her brilliant green eyes and hearing her crisp, articulate voice brought his whole world back to life. Instead, he forced his gaze toward the floor, telling himself his priority had to be her safety, not getting her back. “Rebecca, what are you doing here?”
    “I had to talk to you because I know you lied to me—about everything, including us. Maybe that’s why you’re drowning yourself in the bottle?” She