Free Don't Let Go by Michelle Gagnon Page A

had great luck with government bases.”
    “Good point,” Peter agreed. And he couldn’t imagine why a hacker would voluntarily go within a hundred miles of a military base. He eyed their surroundings uneasily. Aside from the metal gate at the entrance, which had been easy enough to climb over, they hadn’t seen any security. But abandoned bases were a favored location for Project Persephone’s secret labs.
    “We should find the others,” Noa said, keeping her voice low. “And get back to the car.”
    Peter bit his lip, wanting to argue. They hadn’t finished walking their grid yet. Teo and Daisy hadn’t reported in, either, which meant they probably hadn’t found anything. Giving up now, when he’d been so convinced they were in the right place, just felt wrong. “Just a little farther,” he pleaded. “To the other side of those trees . . .”
    Noa was already shaking her head. “No, Peter. It’s too dangerous.”
    He was about to argue when they heard a loud BANG . They both spun around. “That sounded like a gunshot,” Peter said.
    Noa’s jaw tensed. “It came from where we sent Teo and Daisy.”
    Teo’s ears rang as he stumbled back, simultaneously shoving Daisy behind him. The guy had fired his gun into the air before they’d even had a chance to answer him.
    “Last warning,” he growled, pumping the slide of the shotgun to reload it. “So you better get moving.”
    “What’s wrong with you?” Daisy cried out. “We weren’t doing anything!”
    The man was standing uphill, with the sun at his back. Teo squinted against the glare and swallowed hard: The guy was huge, at least six-five. He had a frizzy brown beard that started beneath a pair of dark sunglasses and extended all the way down his chest. Dressed in full camouflage gear and a trucker’s cap, he aimed the shotgun straight at Teo’s chest. “You’re on my land, kid. I’d be well within my rights to shoot you right here.”
    “Just take it easy!” Teo protested, raising his hands. “We’re not armed.”
    “Bullshit you’re not,” the guy scoffed. “That’s a Taser on your belt, ain’t it?”
    “We were hiking, and got lost,” Teo stammered. He felt Daisy quavering behind him, her hand on his back.
    “And the Taser?” he asked skeptically.
    Teo frantically tried to come up with an explanation. “Bears?”
    “You were gonna tase a bear?” The man’s eyebrows shot up over his glasses. “Son, you ever seen a black bear?”
    “No, never.” Teo felt a wave of relief; he seemed to be buying it.
    “Tasing one’ll just piss it off.” The shotgun lowered a few inches, now targeting the area right below Teo’s waistband. Which really didn’t make him feel better.
    “Wow, thanks. We didn’t know.” Teo nodded vigorously. “So I guess we’ll just get going now, off your property. Sorry about that, we didn’t realize—”
    “Are you Loki?” Daisy piped up from behind him.
    The guy visibly tensed. The shotgun zoomed back up as he growled, “Where did you hear that name?”
    “Listen,” Teo said desperately. “We don’t want any trouble, really.”
    “Who sent you?” The guy stepped menacingly closer. “The NSA? CIA?”
    “What? No.” Teo almost added, That’s crazy , but under the circumstances it seemed like a really bad idea. “We’re here with friends, and they said they knew you.”
    “Friends?” Loki said dubiously, as if the concept was foreign to him.
    “Yeah, Noa and Peter. Listen.” Teo gestured to the radio hanging off his belt. “I can call them, so you can hear for yourself.”
    “Touch that radio and I’ll blow your hand clean off.”
    Daisy made a small noise. Teo threw her a look that he hoped was calming and said, “Okay. Do you want to try them?”
    Loki shook his head fiercely and snarled, “You think I’m nuts? You could have a whole team standing by.”
    “There’s no team, just two other kids—”
    “No!” Loki roared.
    From behind him, someone called out,