Coletti Warlords: Vexing Voss by Gail Koger Read Free Book Online Page B

bond turned me into a submissive bimbo? Nah, never gonna happen.
    My attention focused on Malik as he stepped out wearing a flaming red battle suit loaded down with so many medals it made me wonder if he suffered from little-dick syndrome.
    Ick. Malik had definitely been hit by the ugly truck. The traitor’s blunt features had a brutal quality to them. A nasty knife scar disfigured the right side of his face.
    El Jefe, a tall, handsome Hispanic man in his forties, hurried out of the main entrance and said something to Malik that didn’t make him happy. He snapped a command at the Tai-Kok, and they hauled the Battle Commander inside.
    I needed to create a really big diversion. If I could get the idiots to think they were under attack, it might give Voss time to make his move.
    Where was a miracle when you needed one? I could really use a couple dozen Coletti warriors, but that prick Jaylan was too busy to listen to me. That brought up another interesting question. Why hadn’t Voss or Jaylan sensed Malik? Maybe it was a Siren thing.
    A bright blue semitruck with LATIN KING’S FAMILY FARM plastered on the side pulled to a stop in front of me. The driver’s door swung open, and a big pot-bellied man climbed down.
    Yahoo! My miracle had arrived. Who needed the cavalry? I waved at him all friendly like.
    The driver walked up to my battered truck. “You need some help, kid?”
    “I sure do.” I slid into the driver’s mind. “I need to borrow your truck for a bit, and I want you to wait here.”
    He nodded obediently.
    I felt a bit guilty. The semi was obviously his pride and joy. Not a speck of dirt marred the glossy finish. I adjusted the seat and looked over the controls. Boy, was I grateful Mom had insisted on me learning how to drive a semi when we had to evacuate wounded civilians from the North African refugee compound.
    Jaylan hammered on my shields. “How did you know about the bombs?”
    “Gee, could it be because I’m a Siren? Now if you’re done with your petty questions, I’m going to battle status.” Revving the engine on my “borrowed” semitruck, I popped the clutch and drove it straight at the big metal gate blocking the entrance.
    “Battle status? You found the traitors?”
    “Yep, and Malik and his goons too.” Rolling the window down, I grabbed a bunch of grenades from my bag of tricks and placed them in my lap.
    “You cannot engage Malik in battle.” There was a touch of horror in Jaylan’s voice.
    “That bastard’s got Voss, so I think I can.”
    “I will not allow it.”
    “How are you gonna stop me, Skippy?”
    With an aggravated growl, Jaylan demanded , “What is your plan?”
    “I’m gonna blow stuff up.”
    “Creating a diversion should work to our advantage.”
    “Ya think?”
    The semi was doing sixty when it hit the gates, flinging them like Frisbees into the surrounding cornfields. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers!” I had always wanted a reason to say that.
    The gears ground loudly as I fought to shift into first gear and steer at the same time. I cut the wheel to the right. The trailer swerved wildly and clipped a huge water fountain at the entrance to the parking lot. A geyser of water shot high into the air.
    I slammed on the brakes. The tires squealed loudly as the truck skidded to a stop by the shuttle craft. I hurled a grenade inside the open door and quickly chucked a bunch more at the collection of high-dollar cars in the lot, and floored it.
    Boom!
    Boom!
    Boom!
    Kaboom! In the side mirror, I watched the shuttle disintegrate into a massive fireball, sending rocketing pieces of metal in every direction. “Yippee-ki-yay!”
    Kablooey! The cars went up like the Fourth of July. Chunks of flaming metal rained down on the men bursting out of the office with Uzis.
    I tossed a couple of grenades at a gigantic clucking plastic chicken on display by the front doors. The goons took one look at the grenades and ran for their lives.
    Boom! The first blast shook the