Tritium Gambit (Max and Miranda Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

like me.”
    The innkeeper frowned.
    “ What’s the gun for?” I asked. Tyler shot me a what-are-you-doing look.
    “ Hunting,” the man replied. “This baby shoots ten rounds per second.”
    I nodded. “Ten rounds per second. Maybe hunting isn’t your sport, Tex.”
    He grinned. “You haven’t seen the game I’m after.” He pulled a key out of a drawer and handed it to Miranda. “Cabin thirteen, down by the lake. It’s very rustic. You kids be safe.”
    “ We will,” Miranda said.
    I leaned in close to her and asked in a stage whisper, “You did bring protection, right?” She flashed a peek into her jacket where only I could see her Voltaic Fusion Pistol. I nodded toward her chest. “Can’t wait to get my hands on that,” I said a little louder than necessary.
    She gave me a flirtatious slug on the chest. She really knew how to act the part, which I hoped meant she was going to make a good partner. We’d see how she did when things got dicey.
    I followed Miranda into the darkening evening, I hoped toward cabin thirteen because it was getting cold as hell outside and I didn’t fancy being lost even a few minutes. Tyler trudged along behind us, bearing the luggage without complaint. As much as I hated him, I had to admit that he was a real trooper—not that I was going to offer him any encouragement.
    Calling the cabin rustic had been generous on the part of the gun-cleaning former hockey-playing desk clerk. The place was not just old but broken and musty. Tyler dropped our bags on the floor with the sort of care you’d expect from airline baggage handlers. He walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with orange-tinted water from the tap. He sniffed the water and then dumped it out.
    The walls of the cabin had peeling wallpaper with purple floral designs. There was a small sink between a small stove and a small refrigerator. A sign above the sink written in crayon on a piece of notebook paper reminded us to wash our own dishes. I noticed that the sink had dark orange stains in the basin where the water would flow. A brown corduroy couch with sagging cushions and a number of nasty stains sprawled across the middle of the room. A television as old as it was tiny stood in the corner. In another corner was a bookshelf with a bible, two children’s books, and a chess board.
    Miranda dug around in one of the bags and threw Tyler and me each a small candy-bar shaped package. The wrapper had the label “Bar-F” on it. Tyler appeared to open his with ease while I wrestled with the packaging for a minute.
    He grinned. “Do you need help opening that?”
    “ I’ve got it,” I grumbled. I wasn’t going to let him show off his super strength, and so I pulled out my utility knife from my boot and slit the package. Inside was what appeared to be a chocolate candy bar. I ate it in two bites.
    “ Did you eat the whole thing?” Miranda asked.
    I noticed that she had only nibbled a little off of the end of hers. “Does that mean you aren’t going to finish yours?”
    “ I’m definitely not going to finish mine. That was ten thousand calories. You just ate the equivalent of a dozen sticks of butter.”
    “ I am pretty hungry,” I admitted.
    She resealed her wrapper—who knew they were resealable I thought—and tucked the bar into her pocket. “We should get some rest. It’s probably best to check out the site in the daylight. We’ll get up at dawn and scout for evidence.”
    I cleared my throat. “As mission leader, that sounds like an excellent idea. Let’s hit the sack.”
    Miranda walked into the bedroom. I was a step behind her.
    “ Do you mind if I have the window side?” I asked with a nod toward the bed.
    When she turned around, we were inches apart and I almost walked into her. She hit me in the chest like a little girl might, and so I knew she was flirting. Any agent, regardless of gender, could knock you out cold. “Ya big dummy. You’re sleeping on the couch.”
    “ Big?” I asked