State of Pursuit by Summer Lane Read Free Book Online Page A

looks at me.
    “I see you’ve taken a liking to my favorite girl,” she whispers.
    I shrug. “Um, actually…”
    “Ladies,” Manny interrupts. “If you don’t
mind
, I’m
trying
to give a lecture here.”
    “Please continue,” I say.
    The platoon fills the stable. We must look odd. Twenty-five camouflaged militiamen inside a 150-year-old stable. Then again…soldiers and horses were the equivalent to soldiers and Humvees not so long ago.
    “Like I was saying before I was interrupted,” Manny goes on, raising an annoyed eyebrow, “the secret of horseback riding is very simple. Get on, hang on and pay attention. You exercise common sense and the horse will, too. You stay calm, and the horse will stay calm. You take care of your horse, and your horse will take care of you. It’s not really any different than a relationship with a human, actually.” He gestures to Katana. “Take this horse, for example. Fine tempered creature, common sense. As long as you treat her right, she’ll treat you right.”
    “Sounds like dating advice to me,” Derek remarks.
    The militiamen laugh. Manny cracks a smile.
    “Very true,” Manny says. “Like I said. They’re not so different from people.”
    “How do you know so much about horses, flyboy?” somebody shouts.
    “I was raised with horses. Worked with them all my life in a stable before I got into flying. Now who’s ready to ride into Los Angeles?”
    “Hi-ho Silver,” Uriah mutters, smiling at me.
    “The Lone Ranger,” I say.
    “Yeah. Now
that’s
a great old show.”
    I tilt my head. Somehow, Uriah doesn’t strike me as someone who would appreciate the classics, but hey. Who am I to judge?
    “These horses can go about fifteen to thirty miles in a day with pack loads, provided we give them the proper amount of rest and care on the way into the city,” Manny continues. “We’ll be traveling on rising and falling terrain, so we’ll need to be careful about pushing them too hard.” He pauses. “So. Any questions?”
    “I got one,” Uriah says.
    “Go.”
    He leans against the wall, jerking his thumb at a horse.
    “How do we actually ride these things?”
    Manny cracks his knuckles and rolls up his sleeves. He looks a little mischievous.
    “Now
that
, my boy, is the fun part,” he says.
    The night is cold, but the clouds have cleared enough to shed white, brilliant moonlight across the mountains. I’m sitting with my boots in the stirrups of Katana’s saddle, holding her reins in the palm of my hand. I’ve got nothing but my rifle on my back, my sidearm on my thigh, my knife on my belt and a jacket buttoned up to the neck.
    The horses are snorting blasts of steaming breath in the chill. A couple of them paw the ground.
    Manny is seated on a horse beside me, lazily studying his flight cap.
    “Are you going to bring that?” I ask.
    He looks up. “Of course,” he replies. “It’s my good luck charm.”
    “I don’t believe in luck.”
    “You don’t, eh? Then what
do
you believe in, Commander?”
    I don’t answer. Because I’m not sure I know anymore.
    I can feel Katana’s lungs expand and shrink with each breath. Her body is warm, and every once in a while she snorts through her nose – loudly. Derek is loading up the last of the horses with gear, while the rest of the platoon finds their own animal.
    “You have all of the information you’ll need,” Arlene says. She pats Katana’s nose. “Do you have any questions, Commander?”
    “No,” I reply. “Manny?”
    “I’m fine and dandy,” he replies. “Not much else to say.”
    “Good luck, Manny,” she says softly. “Come back safely.” She looks at me. “You too. I pray that your operation will be successful.”
    “Thank you,” I answer. “We’ll be back. Count on it.”
    “Your mission codename,” she says. “What is it? What do I tell the Underground?”
    I think about it.
    “Angel Pursuit,” I say at last.
    She nods, approving.
    I tap the heels of my boots against