Brothers In Arms (Matt Drake 5) by David Leadbeater Read Free Book Online

her.
    “The concern is a lack of food ,” Drake muttered. “I expected some kind of animal out here.”
    “It’s a small island ,” Mai said practically. “Besides we’re only half way through the interior.”
    He fingered the small handgun, reassuring himself it was still there. “Be nice to eat real meat tonight.”
    “We could always roast Smyth.”
    “Don’t tempt me.”
    Drake studied the tall trees, the green leaves, and the thick vegetation that covered the ground. Forest sights and sounds flittered intermittently past his consciousness; sunlight sparkled and spangled through drifting beams of light.
    “There is no immediate shelter near the beach ,” Mai said. “Which means we’re going to have to move inland. Maybe even as far as the caves if nothing else arises. Nothing close to the lake offered any chance of shelter.”
    “I noticed.”
    Mai evened out the correct amount of rations. “Almost out. It’s nearly time to start thinking about snares and such.”
    Drake wasn’t so worried about the food. Between them , they were four highly proficient soldiers, trained to the highest levels. They could find food in hell if need be. What troubled him was their next move.
    “We aimed north for two days ,” he said. “The current was weak. The prevailing winds were favorable. We can’t be far from the Korean shore by my estimate.”
    Mai shrugged. “Might as well be a thousand miles.”
    “Well we can’t stay here. Every day we do brings us closer to death. Survival is out of the question unless we find the mainland, Mai.”
    The Japanese agent stopped chewing and placed her hand on his arm. “Relax. You don’t have to be that Drake. The one who makes it all better. Just sit back and we’ll see where the next hour takes us. And then the next day.”
    They journeyed around the mountain and headed back into the forest.

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Alicia watched the geeks at work.
    In her heart of hearts , she wished she was anywhere but here. Preferably with her own little geek. Even more preferably with some kind of meaningful life. But fate kept dealing her the Joker card and she kept playing the role. Drake valued her, she knew, and so did most of the others in their quiet way, but life for her was a rolling road to nowhere. It sure as hell wasn’t going to stop for long with this team in Washington DC.
    The security monitors showed the journalist was back. Sarah Moxley was a bloodhound. To date no one had offered up a single word , but there she was, sniffing around, testing their commitment, chasing an errant firefly that just kept flitting out of her reach. Today, Alicia felt in the mood to give her a word, probably even two.
    Still nothing from Drake. Alicia and the rest of the team had to assume their colleague had survived. The last communication said as much. The very fact it was Drake and Mai remained the biggest factor in their favor. And poor old Jonathan Gates, despite his position as the Secretary of Defense, had become embroiled in the political mess whilst constantly banging his head against a North Korean brick wall.
    Alicia sighed to herself. The deeper the secret the harder it was to take seriously. Their team still remained relatively unknown.
    She poured another coffee, her fifth of the day , and replaced the pot noisily. No one looked up. Hayden and her new poodle, Kinimaka, were poring over files sent from the local PD, folders containing information on the perp, Michael Markel, the thirty-five-year-old teacher, and the three people who had died in the botched assassination– the two bodyguards and the Senator’s aide, Audrey Smalls, and even Senator Turner himself.
    “Problem is,” Hayden was saying , “these nut jobs don’t need a reason to do what they do. We can’t simply put a pin in a reason and hope it sticks.”
    “Turner will only accept FBI protection for another twenty-four hours.” Kinimaka pointed to a nearby screen where an email had just popped up.