Unstoppable Read Online Free PDF Page A

we going?”
    She gazed up at him, and he could see the frustration simmering in her eyes. He could understand it, too. She had a job to do, and she wasn’t used to people standing in her way. But Gage had a job to do also, and this was one job he didn’t plan to fuck up.
    “All right, fine,” she said. “Let’s get going. You can help.”
    She took the black thing out of her pocket and handed it to him. It was lightweight and slender and looked like some sort of high-tech Maglite.
    He glanced up at her. “Help with what?”
    “The search,” she said. “I want the rest of those bones.”
    Kelsey waved her UV lamp over a pile of rocks. She took a few more paces and did another scan. Another few paces until she was at the very edge of the area she’d mapped out for tonight.
    She shoved her orange-tinted glasses up on top of her head and glanced around at the blackness. “You finding anything?”
    “No,” came Gage’s faraway response.
    Kelsey sighed and switched off the blue light. They’d been out here nearly two hours and had netted nothing more than a few pieces of trash, a broken eggshell, and some miscellaneous long bones, all easily identifiable as belonging to small mammals. Each time she’d spotted the faint bluish glow, she’d felt a surge of excitement, only to be disappointed by an up-close inspection.
    “This what you do back in San Marcos? Tromp around crime scenes looking for skeletons in the dark?”
    “No,” she admitted. “We work by day, usually, and usually with cadaver dogs. But you never know what you might see with an alternative light source. Teeth. Clothing. Lots of dyes contain chemicals that fluoresce. I was hoping we’d find something out here that could lead us to the rest of him.”
    She let her gaze scan the area again, without any luck. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly midnight.
    Kelsey tipped her head back to look at the stars. It was amazing how many you could see out here. It was something she forgot during the rest of the year, then reminded herself of every summer.
    “You hear that?”
    She jumped and whirled around. “Omigod, you scared me!”
    Gage was a giant shadow right beside her—so close, she now felt his body heat. And yet she hadn’t heard a sound.
    “Hear what?” she asked.
    “Just listen.”
    She listened, but all she heard was the whisper of wind through the scrub brush and the quiet hum of crickets.
    “I don’t hear—”
    “Shh.”
    And then she did hear it, a faint engine noise, growing nearer by the second.
    “It’s coming this way.” Gage scaled the side of the creek bed with one big step, then turned and gazed north. The engine noise grew louder.
    He dropped back down into the dried creek. “Come on,” he said, taking her arm.
    “Where are we going?”
    “The mine shaft. It’s this way.” His hand was firm on her arm as he pulled her toward the entrance to the mine, which she couldn’t even see in this darkness.
    “Why are we hiding?”
    No answer. He helped her out of the creek, practically lifting her off her feet when she missed a step. He was in a hurry.
    “Gage?”
    “They’re driving blind.”
    “Blind?”
    “No lights.” He towed her into the even darker shadows of the mine shaft that was carved into the hillside. He seemed to know precisely where he was going without the aid of a flashlight.
    She jerked her arm loose and halted. “I still don’t see why—”
    “You know any law-abiding citizens who drive around the border zone at night with their lights off? Either they’re up to no good or they’re looking for people up to no good. Either way, I bet they’re armed, and I don’t want to surprise them.” He took her by the elbow and pulled her into the inky darkness of the mine where the air felt cool and damp. “You got your Ruger?” he asked.
    “Yes, but—”
    “Good. Now stay here.” He reached down and switched on the radio clipped to her belt. “And keep this on. I’ll be right