Page 83 of Edge of Desperation
“Aurora. We have to roll out,” I order.
“Stop,” General Parks commands. “Rivers, what the fuck is going on?”
“Aurora sent an SOS, Sir,” I explain. “She sent me a text with the wordWinchester.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” He paces around his desk. “She’s on the base. She’s safe here.”
“General, she turned on her location services,” I explain. “Aurora isn’t on the base anymore.”
“Fuck!” he yells as he opens his closet door and begins tossing guns and ammo at all of us. “Suit up.”
“Oorah!” we holler.
The general grabs his phone and keys off the entry table as we rush out and start piling into vehicles. Lykos jumps in the back of mine, along with Hudson.
“Son of a bitch,” General Parks mutters as we turn out of his driveway. “Aurora sent me a text an hour ago. Lace’s being released this morning. Hudson, call over to the hospital and find out if anyone knows anything.”
I glance in the rearview mirror, and Hudson’s expression mirrors mine.
“Dr. Sheppard, please,” Hudson says into his phone. “Hello, Dr. Sheppard, this is Ben Hudson. Can you keep Lace a little longer? Something ca—” He pauses. “Yes… Of course… I see… Thank you…” He disconnects the call before punching the seat. “Shit!”
“Talk to me, Hudson,” I say.
“Lace was discharged,” he explains. “Aurora was with her, and they both got into an SUV. She isn’t sure who picked them up.”
I slam my fist into the steering wheel. “Fuck… Fuck… Fuck!”
“Enough!” General Parks roars. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
My mind spins as questions assault me.
Is Lace behind all this? How does she tie in? There’s no way she faked those injuries.
I hit a button on the steering wheel. “Call Bennett.”
Bennett answers immediately, his voice emanating from the speakers. “Rivers?”
“Get me any information onLace Krukov.”
“The fuck you say?” Thomas growls.
“Lace was discharged from the hospital,” I rush to explain. “Both she and Aurora got into an SUV and are missing. It's pretty coincidental that this chick happened to be the only one in that building the other night—the same chick who was with Aurora the night she was taken.”
“I’ll kill the bitch,” Carver promises.
“Get in line,” I say.
“Aurora’s resourceful, man,” Carver says. “She killed the Senator and that Potts guy with no is?—”
“What. Did. You. Say?” General Parks enunciates each word.
“Why didn’t you tell me I was on speaker?” Carver screeches.
“Fucking idiot,” I mumble. “Bennett, get me that information.” I disconnect the call.
The general’s face is turning a deep shade of purple. “You better start talking now, Rivers.”
“Um… Well, Sir,” I begin. “When we started to train Aurora self-defense… Remember I mentioned that she was really good at knife throwing and deadly with a pistol?”
