Free Hacked (Warriors of Light Book 5) by April Zyon Page B

be turned into a minefield. Depending on the code of the day is where the mines are placed. Which means, if you are aware of what the code is when they are activated, you know the pattern and how to avoid blowing yourself up. And the last resort is the several hundred pounds of C-four equivalent explosives that will bring the entire mountain down in on itself to destroy everyone and everything inside.”
    Holly’s eyes were huge. She knew that they were because of how shocked she was. “Would you really do that? Kill everyone in here?” She had no idea what the base held, but now she wanted to know more about what secrets they were keeping from the world. Just the idea that they were willing to destroy everything spoke volumes of their determination to keep humanity safe.
    “If it was the only option, yes. It’s the last resort if every other viable, or insane, option has been taken away. While not a one of us likes it, we also know exactly who we’re fighting against. They wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to us.” He lifted her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “I would hate to do it, especially now that I have you in my life.”
    “I would really hate it if you did that, too. I don’t look good wearing mountain, you know.” She was trying to make light of the situation. It was serious, and she hoped that there was never a time for it. “You’re all great. You know that, right? What you guys fight for … it’s amazing.”
    “You haven’t even read the files yet,” he said. “You should do that before you start complimenting us. We didn’t always play by the rules.”
    “I know. You forget that I have read the files, most of them anyway. Remember why you were sent for me? Granted, I thought they were for a series of books.”
    “Those weren’t all the files,” he corrected. “Those are only the recent ones with some background Helen had obviously put in. But she was missing huge chunks of time. If you ever saw our personnel files, you’d understand. Everything in them is now file numbers, because if we didn’t do that, we’d each need a room to hold everything we’ve done over the last centuries on paper.”
    “Wow, that’s impressive,” she told him. “Okay, I’ll amend my former statement and tell you that what I did read about you guys made me think that you’re the good guys. You’re all honorable, with a few exceptions, of course.” She thought about the file she’d read on Billy the Kid, and it made her teeth ache.
    Squeezing her fingers lightly, he stepped into the elevator again and pulled her into his arms. He turned them so her back was to the corner, with his large body blocking her view. “We are who we are, Holly. We were once mortal men, but the medallion doesn’t stop us from suffering the same foibles as others.”
    “This is true. People are people, sadly. It doesn’t matter if they live for a blink of an eye or for a thousand years, they are simply human. They are flawed beings, through and through, right?”
    “Some of us have a few more flaws than others, but yes.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he shifted enough to rest his head on hers. “What about you? Do you have any flaws that I need to be aware of? Don’t tell me you eat crackers in bed, though. That’s a deal-breaker for me.”
    “Nope, no crackers in bed. I’m claustrophobic, afraid of the dark and a few other things. It’s all good, though. I’m also one of those women who, once I have something on my mind, I can’t let go until I have the problem figured out and all that fun stuff. You know how it is. I also code, like seemingly all the time. I always have some program or another running through my mind.”
    “Impressive,” he said. “I’ll try to remember your fears, so I never put you in a situation that is uncomfortable for you. In training, if something is too much, you have to let me know. Especially when we get to grappling.”
    “Grappling? What? Wait, that means going up