Killing Game (Veritas Book 2) by Chandler Steele Read Free Book Online Page A

pushing them pretty hard.”
    “If anything, you’ve been easy on them,” he said, placing his oar inside the boat. Since they had some time, he fetched his refillable water bottle and took a long swig, clearing the dryness in his throat.
    “Not all of them are water babies from Florida,” she replied.
    He chuckled. “Where are you from?”
    “Everywhere. Nowhere,” she said.
    “You were in the military?”
    Her brow furrowed. “Why would you think that?”
    He pointed at her bloused pants.
    Cait glanced down at them as if it had never occurred to her that she did it differently than anyone else. “My mom was Navy, my dad is active-duty Army.”
    Which doesn’t explain what branch you were in . Because he doubted she’d blouse her pants just because of her parents. “Married?”
    Cait frowned. “Pretty personal with the questions, Hardegree.”
    “Brannon. Since we’re about to spend a week together in the middle of God knows where, I figured I should get to know you better.”
    “If that’s a come-on—”
    “It’s not. It’s just being polite, like my mother taught me.” She relaxed a notch. “So, married or not?” he pressed.
    “Divorced. You?”
    It was time to pony up some info, or she’d close down. “I was engaged once, but she called it off. She didn’t like what I did for a living.” That gained him a puzzled look, as if she didn’t believe him. She appeared about to follow up on that, then closed her mouth as the other canoes slowly drew closer.
    “Are we there yet?” James joked, as he and his girlfriend floated up to join them.
    Patti groaned. “No kidding.”
    “Not even close,” Cait replied.
    The other two canoes circled around them.
    “We’re about half an hour out from the toilet so rehydrate yourselves, but don’t overdo it,” Cait warned. “While we’re resting, Preston, can you give them a bit of history about the swamp?”
    The man perked up. “Sure.” Then he launched into a well-rehearsed account of how the canals had been carved into the wilderness, the alligators decimated for their hides, and how the swamp had finally become a national wildlife refuge.
    “It’s really big, right?” Susan asked.
    “Hundreds of thousands of acres,” Preston responded, “a lot of which isn’t accessible unless you’re in a canoe or willing to hike across some of the islands. Me? I stick with the regular routes. You get hurt out there and no one’s around, you’re in deep trouble.”
    “Will we have cell phone service once we’re ‘out there’?” Bill asked. He earned a few stares. “I’ve got a manuscript on submission at a few of the major publishers, and I’m dying to find out if I’m going to get a contract.”
    “The cell phone service is spotty,” Cait said. “Some places it’s fine, others not so much. Like Preston told you at the beginning of the tour, keep your phones on vibrate; that way we can enjoy the quiet out here.”
    “You know, it’s kinda creepy how quiet it is,” Bill replied, looking around.
    “In time you’ll crave it,” Cait replied. Her eyes met Brannon’s, then darted away as if she’d revealed too much.
    She pointed back the way they’d come. “See that bird?” Heads swiveled. “That’s a great blue heron.”
    “Wow, it’s huge,” Patti said.
    “They eat small fish, rodents, and reptiles, and are all over North America, not just in this swamp.”
    As if not pleased by all the scrutiny, the bird took wing and swooped low over the water in a blur of gray-blue, heading down the canal.
    “Beautiful,” Brannon murmured. That earned him another glance from Cait, who nodded in return.
    “Okay, let’s head out. We’ll stop for the bio break, then continue on to the first night’s camp. Don’t worry, you won’t regret all this exercise.”
    Patti groaned again. “Riiight.”
    As they set off, this time the two middle canoes lined up, side by side. James chatted with Susan, which didn’t seem to make Patti any