No Ordinary Day , Tate, Harley [best ereader for pdf and epub .TXT] 📗

John mulling over the mess he’d made and trying to stay in the moment and Emma lost in whatever purgatory he’d put her in. He should apologize. Tell her she’d be better off without him. Convince her to leave and never look back.

But he wasn’t that kind of man.

“Was the man who attacked us the same one who killed Zach?”

Finally, something he could answer. John nodded. “Afraid so.”

“Who is he?”

“Name is Willy.”

“When we talked about him before, you said he was a loose cannon, that he wasn’t part of your outfit in the military. So, who is he?”

John took a swig of vodka. What did it matter now? She deserved to know. “He’s Dane’s nephew.”

Emma reared back, panic spreading from her wide eyes to her open mouth, to the flush creeping up her cheek. “His nephew? Why didn’t you—”

“Didn’t see the point. What good would panicking have done?”

She frowned at her knees, running her fingers over the flowers of the fabric. “Were they close?”

“In a way. Willy’s always been a loose cannon. Dane tried everything when he was younger, military academy, Marine Corps, none of that worked. He washed out of boot camp for insubordination. The kid could never be controlled.”

Emma hugged her knees. “But their relationship?”

“At the end of the day, Willy was still his nephew.”

“So, this won’t be the end, will it?”

John shook his head. “I can’t imagine it will be, no. My guess is, this will only strengthen Dane’s resolve.”

She was silent for a moment, thinking it all over. At last, she reached for the vodka and took a swig. “When we get to Vince’s place, I want to leave Holly there and go. She’ll be safe with him. As long as I’m there—” She shook her head. “I need to know she’ll be okay.”

John understood. He wished he could fix it for Emma, use some magic bullet to eliminate all her enemies and restore her life to the way it should be. But he wasn’t a savior. He was just a broken-down bad guy with almost no gas in the tank. If Dane was still in play, John didn’t know if he could stop him. He didn’t know if he would be enough.

Emma handed the vodka back with a smile and John’s insides twisted like Willy had stuck a fresh knife. He grabbed the bottle and took another drink.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dane

Dane replayed the audio transmission of Willy’s final moments, reliving all of his nephew’s mistakes over and over until the rage built inside him and he cleared his desk with the swipe of his arm.

Willy had always been a subpar member of the family, never living up to his full potential, to Dane’s potential. But John had been all of it and more. Talented, humble, thorough, and meticulous. All the things Dane wished his nephew could be. But they were both dead to him now.

Willy dying on some farm in middle-of-nowhere Mississippi. John a walking corpse.

His satellite phone buzzed and Dane checked the screen. It was the call he’d been dreading. He answered on the second ring. “I’m here.”

“Progress report.”

“The situation is under control.”

“The assets?”

“Location confirmed, will be recovered soon.”

The man on the other line paused. “There’s been a change of plan.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your services are no longer required.”

Dane ground his teeth together. “But the contract—”

“Is canceled.”

“What about payment?” Visions of the island paradise he’d planned to retire to filled his mind.

“We are no longer in a position to provide any additional payment for services rendered.”

Rage rose up inside Dane. “You can’t be serious. After all I’ve done for you? After all the men I’ve lost?”

“That sounds like a personal problem.”

Dane paused, forcing back the anger to think strategically. “Perhaps my talents might be better served in another capacity.”

“As I believe I’ve already stated, your services are no longer required.”

Dane frowned at the wall, staring through his awards and decorations as he thought over the assignment. “One more question if I may?”

“You’re treading on thin ice.”

“Will there be any further oversight of my operation?”

The voice on the other end remained silent for a long moment before answering. “No. You are on your own.”

The line went dead and Dane set the phone down on the desk. It took him five minutes to run through the options and another two to convince himself to make the call. The government might no longer fund his private escapades, but that didn’t mean John got to walk away like he’d done nothing wrong.

John, Cross, and Sanchez would still die, even if he pulled the trigger himself. With a deep breath, he jabbed his index finger on the green button and waited.

“Didn’t expect to hear from you,” said a voice on the other end.

Dane swallowed. “Circumstances have changed. I need your help.”

_ _ _

Thank you for reading book two in the No Ordinary Day series. Book three will be out soon!

Miss the prequel, No Ordinary Escape?

Learn about Gloria, Raymond and their struggle to reach their cabin today:

If the power grid collapses, will you be prepared?

With nothing but time on her hands until she testifies against her employer the following week, Gloria spends her days watching the news and trying not to worry. When reports surface of an imminent geomagnetic storm, she grows worried.

When the odds are stacked against you, will you adapt in time?

Raymond trusts his wife’s instincts. When she voices her concern about a potential solar flare and resulting EMP, he knows just whom to ask. Rather than put his fears to rest, his contact only amplifies them.

As society crumbles, everyone is put to the test.

It’s a race against time for both Gloria and Raymond. Will they secure everything they need to bug out before the rest of the city panics? Or will TEOTWATKI wreck their plans?

Subscribe to Harley’s newsletter to find out the minute book three goes live:

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If you are new to my work, check out my After the EMP series:

If the power grid fails, how far