Darkening Dawn (The Lockman Chronicles Book 5) by Rob Cornell Read Free Book Online Page A

don’t want to be a mooch.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m sure I’m getting the better deal here.” He stood. The chair squealed as his weight came off of it. He sidled in close to her, ran the back of his knuckles across her cheek. “Let’s blow…”
    He smirked.
    “…this joint.”
    Elka gagged, but recovered by turning it into a laugh. She took his hand in hers, imagining the sound his bones would make if she squeezed her hardest—tiny cracks and pops like fireworks under his skin.
    “Let’s,” she said.
    They left out the back door. The Red Line El train rattled along its tracks a block over as Elka climbed into Kenny’s Charger. Something about its rhythmic clatter soothed her even though she hated riding the train. Too many mortals pressed against her, their various smells so thick she could taste them. She had only eaten human meat once when her father had prepared some for Christmas dinner when she was twelve. Afterwards, Elka threw up on and off for the next twenty-four hours. That had ruined her taste for mortal meat for good.
    It had not, however, affected her taste for killing the stupid creatures.
    Kenny worked the stick shift and revved the engine as if starting a race. From the look on his face, Elka gathered she was supposed to be impressed so she flashed him a fake smile.
    Briefly, she wondered who would replace him as manager. Hopefully someone a little lower on the imbecile scale.

Chapter Ten
    S OMETHING GRABBED J ESSIE BY THE collar and yanked her back. She scampered backward on her heels, but the grenade hit before she could be dragged out of the room. The explosion shattered the window, blowing glass inward like a sparkling rain, only these raindrops had deadly sharp edges. The drywall around the window cracked in a wide arch over the window as if a giant fist had punched it inward.
    Somehow, it didn’t blow to pieces.
    Glass shards sliced at Jessie along her arms, imbedded themselves in her black jeans, and caught in her hair. By some miracle—maybe the same one that had kept the wall intact—the glass didn’t cut her face as far as she could tell.
    Whoever had her by the collar kept tugging. The collar of her T-shirt tightened against her throat, the fabric rubbing her skin raw. It felt like a noose closing around her neck.
    Once she stumbled through the doorway, the pulling stopped.
    Jessie gasped for air and spun toward her rough savior.
    Agent Ree stared back at her, his face shiny with sweat, which made his dark complexion shimmer in the hallway light. “Shields won’t hold long. We have to get you to the basement.”
    Shields? Now that was some handy mojo.
    Ree grabbed Jessie’s arm and started his yanking routine again.
    “Wait.” She pulled free and looked into the bedroom.
    Wertz had rolled off the bed and crouched behind the foot, out of the trajectory of any debris from the explosion. He waved a hand at her. “I’m good. Downstairs, now.”
    Ree put a hand between Jessie’s shoulder blades and pushed instead of pulled. Pushing didn’t hurt as much, but it still felt like bullying. Didn’t these guys think she could walk on her own?
    She didn’t protest, though. She knew better than to start pointless arguments while some dudes were shooting grenades at your house. She just tried to keep up as they rushed through the kitchen and to the door to the basement.
    The whole house shook again, a sonic boom echoing through the walls. The impact knocked both Ree and Jessie off their feet. A gust of wind blew through the kitchen. A stack of papers and a map fluttered and sailed off the counter. The wind carried with it a metallic smell that reminded Jessie of the old radiator in one of the many apartments she’d lived in with Mom until they finally settled into their house.
    Jessie rolled onto her knees and looked in the direction of the wind. Her stomach shrunk to a knot. Her whole body turned cold.
    The entire front of the house from the door to the end of