Free Matt Archer: Monster Summer by Kendra C. Highley Page B

supernatural knives created to hunt down things you only
heard about in horror stories, I’d worked my butt off to prove I was as good a
fighter as the adult knife-wielders. Most of the other team members had
accepted my place, but Mike still struggled with it. Part of it was the fact
that he’d help raise me, and it was hard for him to let go. The bigger problem
was that he hadn’t told Mom about my extracurricular activities. She thought I
was in Sydney on a school trip, not in the Outback hunting monsters.
    Finally Mike blew out a breath. “I want to gather some intel
before we mount a real assault. Julie’s going to take an advance team to scout
the area today. In the meantime, I want you here.” He pointed to a spot about
four miles southwest of camp. “We had a report that a lone Dingo might be
prowling around here. Schmitz will take you and Cruessan to check it out.”
    I held in a sigh. This was busy-work while Mike decided what
to do. A goose-chase to keep me out of the way and safe. “Yes, sir.”
    Julie gave a knowing, and surprisingly sympathetic, smile.
“Once we know exactly what we’re dealing with, we’ll call you first, okay?
You’re on point for this one since the other team is engaged on the far side of
the grid.”
    I nodded. “You think this is it? Are we almost done?”
    “Should be close,” Uncle Mike said. “If our count is right,
and we take out these six, we should be down to the last one.”
    The count was right; monsters always showed up in packs of
thirteen. Down to the last one, huh? That would be great, but the thought of
finding a single monster in an area twice the size of Kansas made my head hurt.
“Hopefully the other team will find the last one. We’ll have enough to deal
with, looking for our six.”
    “No doubt.” Uncle Mike stood and stretched. His biceps
strained against his sleeves, and I caught Julie checking him out.
    I looked away before they could catch me rolling my eyes.
“Anything else, sir?”
    “Not until we have the intel,” Mike answered.
    “I better get going, then,” Julie said. She turned to leave,
but smiled at Uncle Mike over her shoulder. “Back by six, honey. Have dinner
warm for me.”
    Then, with a wink, she was gone.
    Uncle Mike shook his head. “I’m going to have my hands full,
aren’t I?”
    “Yep.” I reached across the table to whack him on the
shoulder. “Good luck with that.”
    “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Mike flashed me a cocky
grin. “The good news is that we’re going to be stationed at the Pentagon
together after we’re done here. I’ll be able to keep my eye on her.”
    Wait, did he just say he was moving? My stomach lurched.
“The Pentagon?”
    The smile slid off of Uncle Mike’s face. “Matt, I’m sorry.
That wasn’t how I planned to tell you. It just slipped out.” He sighed. “The
general wants Julie to run intel for the whole program, and I’ll be his liaison
for the main operations until we’re needed out in the field.”
    “You’re moving to D.C.?” I asked. He was leaving Billings
again? And from the sound of things, this move might be permanent instead of a
deployment.
    “It’s orders, Chief,” he said quietly. “We’ll miss you
guys—”
    “Captain Hunter doesn’t know us well enough to miss us,” I
snapped without thinking, then immediately felt like a jackass. “Sorry, man.
That was…I didn’t mean it.”
    “It’s okay. I sprung this on you at a really bad time.”
Uncle Mike stared at the maps on the table, but I could tell he didn’t really
see them. “Look, we don’t have to be in D.C. until September, so we’ll be in
Billings until after the wedding. Besides, we’ll stay in touch. Just like
always.”
    Just like always. Except Julie would be part of the “we”
who’d stay in touch. It would never be just me and Mike again.
    Not like that wasn’t a whiny thought or anything. I might as
well hire a violinist to follow me around and play sad tunes. It was