Crystal Horizon: A Short Prequel to Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper Read Free Book Online

pursuers. He raced along the trail for the next thirty
minutes, determined to expand his lead on the soldiers.
    Reaching a spot with a view of the terrain below, he traced
the winding path with his eyes. He repeated his methodical sweep until he saw
two heads bobbing along the trail. Two more ran a bit behind the leaders. A
straggler, huffing and puffing his way through the rock maze, brought up the
rear.
    Six minutes , he thought, guessing at his lead. He
denied his exhaustion and resumed his run, maintaining an aggressive pace until
the trail showed signs of leveling. Jogging along a flat stretch, he glimpsed a
natural structure that caused him to look up.
    Tucked back in a side crevice stood two opposing rock faces,
smooth and straight, that rose together to about four times his height. A ledge
outcropping, positioned at the top of the columns, promised an unobstructed view
down to the estate and the land around it.
    He moved into the gap between the rock columns and, stretching
his arms, pushed a hand against each vertical face. Lifting himself off the
ground, he spread his legs and braced each foot. Alternating between his arms
and legs, he crab-walked up the gap.
    At the top of the formation, he leapt onto the flat outcropping
and crawled to the edge. Nice , he thought, looking out across a geological
wonderland that spilled into an endless blue-green ocean.
    Then he put his thumb and index finger into his mouth. Shweep. His whistle projected like a piercing bark down from the hill.
    He held his breath, his nerves on edge. Hooot. The deep,
mournful call rose from below. Putting a hand behind each ear, he squared his
head to the tropical expanse south of the villa. Hooot .
    He pumped his fist in celebration. “Yes!” Two hoots. Two on
the move. Jack and Jefe were clear and on their way to the lighthouse. No
longer needed as a diversion, Sid began planning his own escape.
    The ledge anchored back to the hillside he’d been climbing,
and he moved that direction to rejoin the trail. Squeezing around a rock outcropping,
he froze in place, the back of his neck prickling.
    He stood on the edge of a grassy plot the size of a large room.
The space, cozy and hidden, was edged with hanging vines and flowering plants. The
tidy botanical presentation left no doubt that this patch received regular
attention.
    But that wasn’t what gave him pause. It was the tent,
ominous in its silent presence, sitting at the back of the parcel.
    Padding across the grass, he stood at the side of the tent and
listened. Hearing nothing, he snuck a quick peek through a gap in the front
flap. Empty. He opened the tent, rifled the bedding, and found a bag of dark
bread and a pouch of water. Absent was his top priority—weapons.
    He stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth and followed it
with water. His eyes drifted downward as he chewed, and he froze for the second
time in as many minutes.
    The tent was a Belov 5000, two person, green camo, set in a
west-to-east orientation, with ground anchors on the front corners but none in
the rear. Cheryl. The scene evoked memories of their last night at camp,
and Sid chose to let the déjà vu stir a sadness in his heart.
    The day after Jack had visited him at camp, Sid’s intuition had
suggested that he could have the best of both worlds—he could join the DSA and experience
the crazy life of a covert agent and, somehow, it would all work out with Cheryl.
    But standing on this lawless speck of rock, being chased by
five armed soldiers, and having just botched an important assignment, he couldn’t
imagine a sequence of events that might make that fantasy come true.
    He kicked the ground in frustration, then lifted his head
and hustled toward a footpath along the hillside. Seven minutes , he
thought, guessing at his lead on the soldiers.
    A wooden staff leaned against a rock near the footpath.
Snatching it up as he dashed past, he swung it back and forth to gauge its
balance. Five thugs with weapons against me