The Relic Runner Origin Story Box Set by Ernest Dempsey (non fiction books to read TXT) 📕

wonderful little reunion. I do hope that we can have the chance to square off in the near future. I'd love to finally be able to take you down without having to hold back like I did in the sparring ring."

"I look forward to it."

The call ended before Dak could say anything else. "Bo? Hello?" Dak slammed his fist down on the passenger seat. He felt his heated blood pumping through every vein in his body.

He forced himself to breathe, calming his fury. Those wasted emotions wouldn't save Will. And right now, that was all that mattered.

He merged back onto the road, heading toward Lexington. He'd need to get a flight to Portugal no matter the cost. Will's life hung in the balance.

Something else tugged at Dak's thoughts as he sped down the country road leading to the highway. Bo had said there were a few hoops to jump through before he would face him.

What else could there be?

Two

Nazaré, Portugal

Dak stepped out of the cab with his rucksack slung over one shoulder. He quickly paid the driver a fistful of euros and hurried toward the apartment building entrance.

The driver must have thought him a crazy person, hunched over and rushing forward with knees bent to stay low. If the cabbie thought anything of it, the man didn't stick around long enough to ask. He sped away, probably anxious to get to his next fare, though with the money Dak tipped him, the guy could take the rest of the day off and still end up way ahead.

Dak gave no thought to the exorbitant amount of money he'd spent just to get to Will's doorstep. The first class flight probably cost more than the cab driver would make in a month, but it was the only seat left on the only flight that could get Dak to Lisbon in time.

He stopped at the door and crouched low, digging his old key out from the front pouch of his bag. He hoped it would still work, but if it didn't, he'd still find a way in—whatever it took.

The building, with all its upgrades and amenities, still utilized an old-style key system instead of a digital keypad like most modern apartments and condominiums, though he'd seen the same in several places across Europe.

Dak inserted the key into the lock and then paused as he considered the possibility that Bo could have rigged the door to blow when someone opened it.

He grunted in frustration. Will probably had a device inside the apartment that could detect an electronically detonated booby trap. The irony twisted Dak's gut into knots.

It took a second for Dak to get a grip on the situation. He was being incredibly paranoid. Bo couldn't have rigged this door to blow. It was a central entrance. By the time he left the previous day, hundreds of people would have come and gone through this doorway. Dak shook his head for the idiotic oversight, though he wanted to give himself a break due to the exhaustion of travel and the lack of sleep.

He twisted the key in the lock and opened the door. A tendril of relief trickled over him, even though he'd already talked himself off the irrational ledge. He lowered his shoulder and barged through the door into the foyer. Forgoing the elevator, Dak charged up the stairs, giving no thought to the heavy sound of footfalls echoing throughout the stairwell.

He must have checked his watch a hundred times between the airport and the apartment, and a hundred more on the flight to Lisbon. Every glance renewed the tightness in his chest, throwing jet fuel on the anxiety that racked him with every passing second.

Luck, it seemed for now, was on Dak's side. He'd arrived at the apartment with more than an hour to spare, but he knew that would evaporate in a blink if he didn't move fast.

Dak rounded the first landing, taking the steps two at a time as he bounded upward. He ignored the warming in his leg muscles as he whipped around the second landing, then the third. His pace slowed slightly just before he reached the top and burst through the door into the corridor.

No need to check the clock now, he thought.

He sprinted to the end of the hall and scuffled to a stop at Will's door. If Bo had set a trap, it would be here. Bo didn't care about collateral damage. If he destroyed the whole top floor, it wouldn't bother him.

 There'd been a couple of missions in Iraq when Bo called in airstrikes while civilians were still in the area. Fortunately, his orders were overridden and no one was hurt, but those occasions told Dak everything he needed to know about Bo and the way he viewed human life.

Dak needed to know if this door was rigged to blow or if Bo had given him half a chance to get in and save his friend.

Raising his hand, fearful that there could be an audio sensor attached to the door that would set off the explosives, Dak rapped on the door four times. He hit the surface hard enough that even if Will had been in the bathroom, he would have heard it.

Dak cupped his hands to his mouth and pressed them against the door as he yelled.  "Will? You okay?"

"Dak?" Will's muted response was barely audible through the door.

"Yeah, it's me. Did he set any traps around the entrance?"

"Get out of here, Dak. No reason for you to die here."

"Answer my question or I'm coming in."

Silence answered. Then a reluctant "No, it's not booby trapped."

That was good enough for Dak. He inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted it. He winced as he turned the key, then again when he heard the click. No ball of fire consumed him. Not that he would have known if it did. But he still stood there in the hall, alive—for the moment.

"I'm coming in, Will." Dak made the announcement as he turned the knob and gently