Red Zone (Red Zone 1)

“They never leave the canyon?”

Now that her terror had eased, she wondered if someone had studied the creatures. Their behavior was off. But then, she didn’t know a whole lot about arachnids in general. She glanced at Striker out of the corner of her eye. It seemed he was something else that might need some investigation. In the logical part of her brain, the part that never stopped working, she was already trying to figure out a reason for the scorpions’ aversion to the man, and she didn’t like any of the theories she came up with. Because each one meant she was in far more trouble with the man than she would have been on her own.

“No, they never leave,” he said, turning her attention back to the scorpions. “Why would you leave a cushy home like this when your prey keeps walking in and presenting itself to you?”

It was hard to believe anyone would be that stupid. “You can’t mean that people still try to get through the canyon?”

“People, animals, insects. They all wander into Scorpion Canyon, but very few wander back out.”

As they climbed the steep path out of the canyon, the sound of the scorpions following them began to fade. By the time they had reached the rim, she was fairly certain they were alone. She grasped the hand Striker held out to help her climb up onto the ridge, and with one hard yank, she was out of the canyon.

And into something far worse.

In front of her, not more than twenty feet away, was the cloud of poisonous red mist that made up the zone. It sat before them like a thick fog, heavy and impenetrable and dense. She looked up but couldn’t see where it ended. To the right and the left, it seemed to go on forever. There was no getting past it. No going under it, or around it. And Territory restrictions meant flying over it was out of the question. That left Friday with only two choices—allow Striker to lead her into the red mist or head back through Scorpion Canyon to take her chances with Enforcement.

With a shaky breath, she looked up at him. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to go back. This isn’t going to work.”

“Have a little faith,” the reckless outlaw said.

Chapter Nine

CommTECH headquarters,

New York City, Northern Territory

“We believe the suspect is heading for Galveston.” The life-size image of the Enforcement agent tasked with retrieving Friday Jones stood at attention while he gave his report.

Miriam Shepherd was unmoved by his disheveled appearance and obvious injuries. The man deserved pain for having failed, yet again. Actions had consequences. It was a rule the CEO of CommTECH lived by. And she especially enjoyed the consequences when she was the one dispensing them.

“You believe?” Miriam arched one perfectly groomed eyebrow.

The perspiration on the man’s brow pleased her. He was right to sweat. He should be the one to feel stress from this grossly mishandled operation. Not her. It grated that this mess had landed in her lap for her to solve. If it hadn’t been for Ju-Long’s fears, the incompetence of her staff, and Enforcement’s mishandling of the situation, Miriam wouldn’t have had to get involved. Once again, she was cleaning up after other people. And she did not like it. Not at all. There would be consequences for everyone who’d dragged her into this mess.

The Enforcement agent cleared his throat. “We lost the suspects in South Munroe. There was a firefight. Our agents were attacked.”

“By the smuggler?” Sandrine asked from her perch on the sofa.

“No, ma’am. We think it was drug dealers. They mistook our hunt as an attempt to shut down their operation, which was not our aim at that time. In the confusion that followed, the suspects slipped out of Munroe. Agents were dispatched, and we thought we caught sight of them heading west into the desert. I sent a team to check the lead, but it went straight to Scorpion Canyon.”

Serge waved his whiskey in her direction. “If they’re in the canyon, they’re dead.”

Miriam clenched her jaw to stop from thanking him for stating the obvious. Unfortunately, because of the vast number of scorpions in the canyon, attempts to scan for bioreadings were always pointless. There was no way to know for sure if anyone went into the canyon. But they did know for certain that no one ever came out.

“Did you find evidence they’d taken that route?” Miriam asked the officer.

“No, ma’am, and while we were scoping the area, word came in from another team. The duo had been spotted on their way to the coast. With this new information, we’ve concentrated our efforts in the region around Galveston.”

“Do they think they can get to the Southern Coalition countries by boat?” Miriam shook her head at the stupidity. “Shut the coast down. Turn all satellites to that area and identify every person they reveal. Arm the drones and send them out to cover the gulf. Stop all shipping traffic. Find them. Do not fail.”

The man paled at the clearly implied threat. With a disgusted shake of her head, she cut the link, and he blinked out of existence. If only it were as easy to get rid of someone in reality.

Before anyone in the room could give her more useless advice, Miriam contacted their mole within the smuggling organization. The shadowy figure of the Broker appeared almost instantly.

Miriam didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. This conversation was costing her money. “Our information says they’re heading for Galveston and the gulf. Is that correct?”

“That’s what I heard.”

She almost breathed a sigh of relief at having her facts confirmed. If they were headed to the gulf, she’d get them.