Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) by Andrea Domanski Read Free Book Online Page A

anyone else.
    “What makes you say that? Yoda’s comment?” Han had taken to
referring to the tribe’s healer as the enigmatic Star Wars character. It
wasn’t that much of a stretch.
    “Yeah. I’ve never known him to be wrong.”
    “As far as I can see,” Jackie said, “there’s a whole bunch
that we’re missing. Right now, we know there have been reports of auras,
violence, and people losing time around the Grand Canyon. The only one of those
we’ve figured out is the violence, assuming it’s related to the
Havasupai/Yavapai feud. But that still doesn’t explain the other reports.”
    Carter thought for a moment. “All right, let’s go back to
square one. Before Director Finley called, we were planning to speak to the
park ranger who’s been tracking all this stuff. What was her name again?”
    Jackie answered, “Something Christner. Kelly, I think.”
    “All right, then,” Carter said. “When we get to the hilltop,
we’ll hitch a ride to the ranger station and start where we planned to before
everything went crazy.”
    “Speaking of crazy,” Jackie interjected. “You ready to tell
us what all that was about?”
    He was never ready to talk about his past. “It’s a long
story.”
    “And this is a long hike. So, spill.”
    Carter looked to Han for help, but only got a raised eyebrow
in response. Traitor. “Fine. Technically, I’m no longer a member of the
Havasupai tribe. They shunned me when I was twenty years old. I made a stupid
mistake—trusted the wrong person—and ended up disowned and homeless.”
    “Wow.” Han finally spoke. “I knew you didn’t speak to your
father anymore, but I had no idea your whole tribe kicked you out. What’s the
rest of the story?”
    “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
    “Hell, no. Getting you to talk about your past is like
pulling teeth. Now that you’re stuck on this trail with us, if Jackie hadn’t
asked, I would have.”
    Carter knew when he was beaten. Besides, his friends had
been thrown into this mess with him and, he guessed, had a right to know. “When
I was a teenager I met a girl—Gina. We fell pretty hard for each other, but it
was … complicated.”
    Han smiled. “Ah, young love. It’s always complicated, isn’t
it?”
    “I guess, but for us it was really problematic. She was
Yavapai.”
    “How very Shakespearian of you.”
    Carter couldn’t help but smile at Han’s humor. “We kept it
secret, of course. But the older we got, the more difficult it became. When I
turned twenty, my father announced his plans for my wedding. He’d chosen a
woman that he felt was worthy of the chief’s son. That, obviously, didn’t work
for me.”
    Although both Han and Jackie looked like they were bursting
to interrupt, they stayed silent.
    “So, Gina and I made a plan to run away together. We were
going to meet up at the hilltop the next night. I went. She didn’t.”
    “Oh, Carter,” Jackie said. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Yeah, me too. I waited all night for her. When I finally
came to terms with the fact that she wasn’t going to show, I went back to the
village. That’s when things went from bad to worse. My father was waiting for
me at the trailhead. Turns out that the Yavapai had sent a messenger while I
was gone. He’d told my best friend about my relationship with Gina. Bill, of
course, went straight to my father.”
    “Hang on,” Han said. “Bill was your best friend? That turd
from last night?”
    “Yep. Believe it or not we were inseparable when we were
kids. Then he found out about Gina and was furious. Obviously, he hasn’t gotten
over it yet.”
    “So, Gina’s tribe stopped her from meeting you?” Jackie
asked.
    “I wish. No. Gina did that all on her own. She’s the one
that sent the messenger.”
    There was silence for a moment while they let that piece of
information sink in. Han was the first to speak. “Damn. That’s cold.”
    “I’m sure you’ve figured out the rest. Suffice it to say
that last