Firepower by John Cutter (ebook reader online .txt) 📕

and said, “Yep. They worked most of the night and all this morning. All done. They got more ammunition than you can even imagine…”

Vince nodded. “Those things run through ammo quick. How they going to use it?”

“Do they tell me? It’s need to know.” He shrugged. “Seems like I don’t need to know…”

But I do, Vince thought.

After he bussed his dishes he went to the library. Deirdre wasn’t there. Edgy, thinking that undercover work wasn’t his strength, Vince got out the Goethe, sat down, and pretended to study it.

Ten minutes passed, and Vince was startled when Gustafson came in, lips pursed, adjusting his glasses. “Ah — Vincent!” he said, crossing to the bookshelves. “Using your lunch hour well, I see.”

“Still trying to get a handle on German. I took a little in school and it’s starting to come back.”

“Klasse! Viel glück, Vincent!”

“Danke, mein herr.”

Gustafson selected a thick book and bustled out with it.

Vincent realized his heart was pounding. He’d felt all day that something was in the air. Something dangerous was taking shape just out of his vantage point…

*

A few minutes later, Deirdre arrived, her cheeks red, her eyes glistening, and clearly in a hurry. She sat down across from him, on the edge of her seat. “I’ve got only half a minute,” she murmured. “Listen — do you have a laptop?”

“Yes.”

“I need something uploaded. I can’t get away to do it. And I can’t get at their systems here. Not anymore. I’ve been saving a pint of Jack and I got Wynn drunk last night. Got him to show off to me on the computer he uses to talk to the outlying Brethren. I sent him to bring me some water and he left the room, and I used a flash drive, copied a lot of email exchanges.”

“He caught you?”

“Yeah. I’d just put the thing in my pocket and he saw what I had onscreen. He was pissed off I was ‘snooping’ and he won’t let me in there again. Can’t get in without a key.”

“He suspect you?”

“I don’t know. He was pretty woozy.”

“They have their satellite internet but there’s no regular wi-fi on the property here. I’d have to take the laptop into town to upload the stuff.”

“Could you?”

“I could sneak out tonight, I guess.”

She reached into a pocket, glanced at the door, then slipped him a flash drive and piece of paper. “Everything on it needs to go to that email.”

He nodded, pocketing the slip of paper and flash drive. “See what I can do.”

“I guess — what’s to stop you from looking at what’s on there. But I didn’t give you permission. Right?”

“Right.”

Deirdre nodded, got up, and then surprised him by reaching out and putting her hand on his. “Be really careful. I mean — very.”

“Count on it.”

She got up and left without another word. Vince sat there, leafing through the Goethe, thinking that he really wanted to look at what was on that flash drive. But it was too dangerous to do it here on base…

He’d do it tonight, when he slipped away to town. If they realized he was AWOL and called him out for it later, he’d say he went off to see a girl, or get a drink, or both.

But he still had that nagging hunch…

Something was smoldering — and about to burst into flame.

*

Mac Colls was walking down the hall with Marco Ambra. “You better get geared up for training, Corporal,” Colls said.

“I’m on my way to the locker, Sarge.”

That’s when Vincent Bellator stepped out of the library up ahead. Bellator ignored them and walked off toward the lockers. Colls glared knives into Bellator’s back but kept quiet. The General insisted he was keeping Bellator in the dark about most of Firepower. Still — Colls felt like the guy was hiding something. And he’d sucker-punched Colls; humiliated him in front of the General. Bellator had to go down. But Colls would need some kind of proof against him…

Colls and Ambra passed the open library door — and they both glanced in, seeing Deirdre Corlin just getting up from a reading table.

“Ha!” murmured Ambra.

“‘Ha’ what, Corporal?” Colls asked as they walked by.

“I saw those two meet in there another time — I figure Bellator’s making his move on her. Maybe they got a — what d’you call it — a tryst planned. You know? I don’t blame him.”

“So they’ve been meeting in there?”

“Seemed like to me.”

They reached the stairs and Colls said, “Corporal — I’ve forgotten something in my office. I’ll see you out there.”

“See you there, Sarge.”

Colls turned back and strode quickly to the library — where he met Deirdre leaving. “Hey — Shield Maiden Corlin. You having meetings with Bellator? Right now we’ve got a ban on our people getting frisky with each other.”

Her face went blank — a little too blank. “Not sure what you mean, Sergeant.”

“I hear you and he are hanging out in there together. We don’t use the library for socializing.”

She shook her head. “He’s come in, once or twice, while I was studying.”

“Yeah? Studying what?”

“German. You’ll have to excuse me — I need to get a grounds permission from the General.”

“What for?”

“Mushrooms, herbs — his cook needs them.”

“So — out in the woods?”

“They don’t grow on the carpet, Sergeant.”

“Don’t get smartassed with me, woman.”

She shrugged. “Sorry. Just — like to keep a sense of humor. Okay if I go see the General now?”

“When’s your big mushroom expedition?”

“Maybe this afternoon if I have time.”

“Just see you get it done and get back into the building, with all dispatch.”

She nodded and gave him a salute and a polite smile and walked toward the General’s offices.

Colls stared after