Free Shiva by Carolyn McCray Page B

fickle mistress.
    Worse , the group had only made it halfway up the mountain , and even the Jeep ’ s engines had strained at the grade. There was no way Brandt was going to make it in his current condition. And Frellan knew it.
    The tattooed man drew in a deep breath. “ Administer the antidote. ”
    Brandt kept his face placid, neutral, accepting.
    But on the inside? Oh. On the inside, he was grinning ear to ear.

CHAPTER 5
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    Pentagon, Washington , DC
    1 0:59 a . m . ( EST )
    Bunny sat in a room not all that unlike the one back in South Carolina. Painted gr a y , with no windows and a stark metal table. Guess the Pentagon wasn ’ t big on spending their budget on interior d e cor. She shifted in her chair , trying to get comfortable. Even in a borrowed pair of slacks and a blouse from Emily, Bunny still felt woefully underdressed. The few people they had met coming in through the south parking entrance were in full dress uniform.
    She sipped on her can of Fresca. Emily remembered her well, even the exceedingly rare flavor of grapefruit mint. Setting the can down carefully so as not to spill anything on the dozens of files scattered on the table, Bunny reached for the report on Brandt ’ s last mission.
    These after-action reports read about as easily as a freshman ’ s term paper. For all of Brandt ’ s virtues, engaging prose was not one of them.
    The door swung open as Emily and Prenner rushed in. Neither could hide the look on their faces. Bunny popped up from her chair.
    “ What happened? Is it Brandt? ”
    Bunny knew that he had activated his tracker and the Disciples had taken him back to Africa, but had his usefulness run its course?
    Emily gulped , nodding to the chair. Bunny didn ’ t sit down. The woman sighed. “ No. Brandt is still en route to the African village. No… ” Emily gulped again. “ The plane we believe was carrying Corporal Lopez ’ s team and Dr. Monroe was shot down deep within the Congo basin. ”
    Bunny sat down. Hard. “ Are you sure it was them? ”
    “ Just before it was downed , it looked like someone was trying to break the sound barrier with a Le a rjet, ” Prenner answered.
    Okay, the lieutenant was right. That had to be Lopez , then. But if Lopez was at the helm, how the hell did they get shot down?
    “ The Disciples? ” she asked.
    Her CIA handler shook her head. “ The last satellite images we had showed a tribe on the move. I think this was simply a matter of opportunity for them. ”
    “ Okay, then, ” Bunny stated , shifting her mind out of freak - out mode and into figure - it - the - hell - out mode. “ You guys have obviously scrambled some kind of rescue effort. ”
    By the shared pained expression on Emily and Prenner ’ s face , that was a big fat no .
    She shouldn ’ t have been surprised , though. The men ’ s mission last week had been uber secret. A last ditch effort , as a matter of fact. The African country was on the brink of civil war at all times. Trying to negotiate even the most basic humanitarian aid was fraught with danger. Add in a major American military move? That spelled disaster.
    “ So they are on their own? ” Bunny asked despite already knowing the answer.
    “ Which is why we need to figure out the Disciples ’ angle. I have assets in the region , but I can ’ t engage them until we know the end game , ” Emily said as she sat down across from Bunny. The CIA operative pushed the after - action reports toward Bunny. “ There has got to be something in here that gives us a clue. ”
    Bunny shoved the papers back. “ I ’ ve been over them a thousand times. There is nothing in there. ”
    “ What about what isn ’ t in there? ” Prenner suggested.
    Bunny ’ s eyes narrowed. “ What do you mean? ”
    “ All military units are known for let ’ s say ‘ fudging ’ their after - action reports. Special Forces, though? Theirs are nicknamed ‘ time-savers ’ since