A Covenant with Death: The Peacock Trilogy - Book 3 by Bill Wetterman Read Free Book Online

courage, as the Bible says in the Book of Joshua.”
    A whoosh announced the arrival of a different Supersonic. For a few seconds, Connor embraced her mother’s close friend, allowing herself a moment of vulnerability.
    “Our transportation has arrived,” she said. “Once this trip ends, I want every resource of the Realm concentrated on the insurgents and on my mother’s rescue.”
    #
    Pendleton wiped away his tears, a useless act. Lips quivering with rage, he shouted orders into his cell. Three drones flew overhead. Over a hundred Global Realm warriors arrived by helicopter and spread out hunting through the area looking for signs leading to Peacock’s location.
    “Where in the hell were you when we were attacked?” he screamed into his cell.
    “Sir,” a fatigued voice answered. “We were surprised. We acted as quickly as we could.”
    Pendleton threw his cell, bouncing it off a piece of the drone wreckage. “Dammit all to hell! Nothing breaks in this damned new world.”
    “Get on the transport, Father.” Connor ran through the snow and shoved him forward. “You’re still a target here.”
    “I’m personally leading the search for your mother.”
    “Hardly!”
    Fire erupted inside him. “The bloody hell I’m not.”
    “I’ll keep you informed.” Connor reddened. “I’ll find the villains behind this treason, and you’ll punish them .”
    Pendleton sighed, dipped his head down, and entered the second Supersonic. He didn’t respond to Connor. What was the point? He knew she was right. No words were necessary. She knew she was right as well. He watched as his daughter disappeared into the forward compartment her cell to her ear.
    Just like her mother.
    Van Meer swung into the seat next to Arthur and grasped his hand. Pendleton returned the squeeze.
    “Felicia?” he asked.
    Hans shook his head. “Better we don’t talk about this right now.”
    “Yes. All right.”
    Why God? Pendleton thought. Lovey is Your child. She’s a better Christian than I’ll ever be. Hasn’t she endured enough? The silence irritated him. He had to think on other things. Fighting with God wasn’t a winnable war. Leave her to Jesus and pray. He shivered. Was the time of the end here? The world had been radically transformed in the past twenty-five years by him, without any communication or counsel from the Almighty. Individual human beings inside the Global Realm had their needs met. Why should there be rebellion? Maybe peace only existed as a dream.
    With eight hours left to travel, he threw away the thoughts of the rebellion and concentrated on memories of Lovey. Visions of her teaching Connor the art of self-defense warmed him. While he forged a unified world, Lovey raised three children and still managed to defend the Global High Command by attracting the brightest and the best into Global Security.
    She prayed daily to God. She encouraged him as a lover and never refused him. Then the cancer struck her down, but she fought with a fury to beat the damn thing. Lovey energized and dominated every venture she undertook. George and Harry took their educational paths in   directions disqualifying them from succeeding him. He had objected, but Lovey defended them. If a Pendleton was to become First Citizen after him, Connor had the best chance. But she wasn’t ready yet.
    The thought of losing his partner in life terrified him. She directed his every step until the cancer. How much more could she endure?
    #
    Thousands of citizens, mostly the builders of this monument to Global logistics, applauded as First Citizen Arthur Pendleton stepped up on to the platform at the North American end of the Third Bering Straits Bridge. Connor joined him on his right, and Van Meer took his position on the left. Global Security personnel collected videos of the crowd’s reaction, scouring faces for suspicious movements or reactions to Laverna Pendleton’s absence.
    “What a glorious day.” Pendleton grinned, hiding his pain the