Outsourced by R. J. Hillhouse Read Free Book Online Page A

Reaching for his knife, he turned his head just as a hand slammed into his jaw. Pain shot through his mouth like a lightning bolt branching out across the sky and he tasted metal.
    He grasped his knife and turned to strike at his opponent, but the figure jumped backwards out of his reach.
    â€œYou son of a bitch,” Stella said. Her voice was forceful—and loud.
    â€œStella?” He felt blood pooling in his mouth and spat.
    â€œSo Rubicon is resorting to slashing my tires now. And guess who volunteered for the duty. I should’ve known.”
    â€œShhh. Not now. It’s not what it seems. And you knocked out my tooth.” Hunter put away his knife as he ran his tongue along his teeth. He stopped when he found a hole.
    â€œI’ve heard that one too many times. I even believed you once.”
    â€œI’m telling the truth. Want to feel the hole?”
    â€œI believe the tooth part. I’m sorry. I really am. Is the tooth still in your mouth?”
    â€œYou have to believe all of it. I love you.” He pressed his tongue hard into the tooth socket to try to stop the bleeding. It distorted his speech. “I spat it out. I’d never do anything to hurt you. Rubicon is trying to kill me.” He bent over to search the ground for his tooth before he lost track of the general area where it must have fallen. As he patted the ground, a burst of bullets ricocheted off the armored Lincoln Navigator behind his head.
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    Camille dropped to the ground. Her left hand hit something moist and hard. She fingered it and recognized the shape. “Oh, gross. Found your tooth.” She pressed it into his hand, then drew her USP Tactical pistol, searched for the shooters and then fired at the same time as Hunter. They crawled behind another vehicle. Her NVGs were back in the Black Management office along with her Kevlar vest. “Rubicon’s out of control.”
    â€œThey’re not after you. They want me.”
    â€œYou? You’re one of their grunts.”
    â€œI work for the Pentagon.”
    â€œThen I was right the first time. Now I’d say your cover’s blown, secret agent man.” Camille laughed as she reached up to the door handle of a Navigator. It was locked. Another burst of gunfire pinged against the trucks. She returned fire.
    â€œI’ve got to get out of here.”
    â€œI have a platoon of Special Forces types itching to go head to head with Rubicon. We need to get to them.”
    â€œRubicon’s got people on the inside—”
    Rounds hit the ground between them, sparking as they skipped on the asphalt. Camille said, “To be clear, I’m only helping you because I feel bad about ruining your beautiful smile. I’m not sure I believe you and I still want to kill you.”
    â€œWill you take a rain check?”
    Camille pulled herself along the ground until the SUV was between them and the gunmen’s last position. She scraped her forearm on the rough asphalt and it stung. “It’s too damn dark.” She tried another door. It was also locked. She whispered to Hunter. “I’ve got it. Go to the next Navigator and when I signal, bounce it as much as you can and set off the car alarm. Rubicon uses the old PVS-7 NVGs, doesn’t it?”
    â€œYeah. Why?”
    â€œThey take forever to resample the image and refocus. The flashing headlights will flare them out. They’ll be blind. Plus, my men might sleep right through gunfire, but not car alarms coming from our own motor pool.”
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    Hunter scooted on his belly to the next Lincoln, clutching his tooth in his left fist. If there were any chance of saving it, he knew he had to keep it moist. As he fired toward the shooters, he kept his mouth closed and sucked as if he were getting ready to swallow a pill without water. Once a small pool of saliva collected, he popped the tooth into his mouth and tasted blood and dirt. He spat, but he could still