A man stepped out a distance from them. He waved toward some flatter rocks out in the open. “Sit down, Crawley,” he invited. “I’m Jonas. Hound and Bear, take a seat beside him.”
Crawley winced. He didn’t like the fact that Jonas knew them all by name. They obeyed, although a little slowly, walking reluctantly to the very exposed rocks. They took a seat as ordered, all three of them searching the ground for any unusual plants that might suddenly attack.
Feel like I’ve got a target painted right between my eyes, Bear said.
Mine’s on the back of my neck, Hound said.
Crawley felt the target in the area of his heart. He took a look around him using his enhanced vision, noting the trees in the distance. He was certain someone had a sniper rifle on them.
“Who are you, Jonas? What do you want with us?” He made certain to keep his voice just as calm. Just as even.
Jonas regarded him with unusually colored eyes. “You remember that team of misfit GhostWalkers? The really screwed-up one? The one you came here to scout so Shaker can bring his men in and wipe us all out? I’m one of them.”
That news was like a punch in the gut. It was the last thing Crawley expected. All the data on Team One of the GhostWalkers said they were barely able to function. An impeccable source had been paid dearly for that information; at least, that was what Crawley’s boss had told him. He had the sinking feeling that so-called impeccable source didn’t know what they were talking about.
“I see.” Crawley was noncommittal. He didn’t want to give too much away. Clearly, Jonas or a member of his team had been watching and listening to them prior to the ambush. He couldn’t very well deny his intentions, but he needed to find out just how much Jonas knew.
Jonas nodded. “Just so you’re aware, I don’t need all three of you. It would be best if you answer my questions. I know you’re here to collect information on both teams and send it back to Shaker and his troops. You’re also supposed to take Lily and her son to get them out of the line of fire. Who exactly sent you? Before you answer me, Crawley, I want you to know, I can hear lies. If you lie to me, Bear is going to die.”
Shit, Crawley, Bear said. There’s no reason not to tell him. He’s not bluffing.
Crawley assessed the distance between Jonas and himself. He was fast. Very fast. They were out in the open, and he could cross that clearing and be on the man in an instant. If he got his hands on Jonas, he had no doubt he could kill him. Still, it seemed as if there might be more than one sniper pointing a weapon at them. If that was the case, Bear would be killed anyway. Possibly Hound. He would be too. It would all be for nothing other than the satisfaction of seeing Jonas die.
Crawley sighed. “I work security for a company called FreeAbrEnds. Most people just refer to the company as FAE.”
Crawley could tell Jonas knew exactly what institution he was talking about. In a way, there was some satisfaction that his bosses weren’t quite as anonymous as they thought they were. He knew they considered themselves so superior and entitled because they had enough money to buy the entire planet.
They didn’t give a damn who appeared to lead a country, because they were the real power directing almost every country in the world. They started wars. They ended them. They created oil crises. They played God and toasted one another while they did it. Crawley worked for them because it was better to be on the side of the powerful people than to get crushed by them. He’d seen the results of getting crushed over and over.
“Why do they want Lily and her child?” Jonas asked.
Crawley suppressed his smirk. So, Mr. Know-It-All didn’t really know as much as he pretended to. “Whitney is part of their inner circle, but he’s also a huge patriot and doesn’t always cooperate with their plans. Lily is his one vulnerability. He considers her the only one able to take his place. She’s enhanced and so is her husband, Ryland, the child’s father. So far, Whitney has no idea what Daniel, the boy, is able to do.”
“The consortium wants Lily and Daniel, mostly to bring Whitney in line. That’s what you’re saying.”
Crawley nodded. “They’re also curious to know what the child can actually do, if anything special, but they really want Whitney to do what they say every time, not just when he feels like it.”
“And the purpose behind wiping out Teams One and Two?” Jonas asked.
Crawley studied the tone of voice. It sounded milder than ever. Soft. There was nothing soft about the man. His face was tough, hard angles and planes. His eyes were different, reminding Crawley of looking into a large predatory cat’s eyes. Jonas didn’t seem to blink. He just stared with an insane focus that made Crawley as uncomfortable as Snake made him feel. Snake was venomous. What the hell was Jonas?