Page 122 of Secret Gifts
Ha.
He smirks before giving me a wink, and then we load up to head out on the road. I’m so excited to have him back on detail with me.
The dark trail between two wooded areas is definitely not comforting. We’ve been on the road for hours. Jase is driving to keep anyone from being suspicious, since we’re on night stalk - no headlights - and I’m not supposed to have night vision.
“Stop,” I whisper as I see something drawing my attention.
Jase does as I ask, and I climb out to go investigate. I bring the flashlight with me to keep others from asking questions, and I get sick when I see the several tread patterns imbedded in the soft mud we’ve stumbled upon.
General Marks walks up, and he whispers, “What’s going on? What did you find?”
I shake my head, worried this ambitious general is about to prove my early characterization of him correct. I almost pray I'm wrong about him right now.
“There are too many. We need at least fifty more people just to contend. We don’t have enough gifted hybrids with us, and everyone with them could be,” I answer in my nearly muted tone.
“How far ahead are they?”
“These tracks are barely an hour old, and they’re driving fairly slow,” I murmur while checking the different impressions.
The treads match some of the others, but they’re wrapped over them, meaning there are even more than I thought.
“They’re too close for us to lose now. We started tracking this group because they are high up in the ranks. We need to take them out.”
“General, we need more people. If we go in there, we’ll be willingly stepping into a slaughter house,” I object a little louder.
“You shouldn’t belittle our capabilities,” he growls, his night eyes aglow and burning with fury.
“I’m not belittling our capabilities, I’m pointing out the fact we don’t know theirs. We need more gifted hybrids to face this many. If they have level fives or higher, we won’t make it out with our damn lives.”
“Ms. Banner, you forget your place. You track, and I make the calls. We took an oath to eliminate a threat whenever we can.”
He starts to walk off, but I dart in front of him to halt his stride.
“General, we won’t be eliminating a threat. They’ll kill or capture us. They’ll have a general of the United as a bartering chip. We can't give them that leverage,” I rebut, trying to force him to be reasonable.
“We’re going, Ms. Banner. Now get in the damn car and do your fucking job,” he snarls out, and he blurs away from me to start ushering everyone back into their vehicles.
“Are you sure about this?” Jase whispers.
“Positive. These are the scorpions, Jase. They’ll fucking rip us to shreds with these numbers. There were just a few dozen of them back at that hidden base. We were lucky there weren’t any gifted hybrids. I can smell hybrids right now, strong hybrids.”
His jaw tenses, and he makes his way over to the general.
“General Marks, Sir. I think we should follow at a safe distance and call in reinforcements, Sir,” Jase says very formally.
“I don’t really give a damn what you think, Lieutenant. I’m not letting them get away.”
“Sir, if we follow them, they won’t get away. Aria can keep tracking, we can keep following, and then we can attack with more sufficient numbers.”
General Marks seems to be losing his patience now.
“Get in the damn car, Lieutenant.”
I told you he was too ambitious. He wants to get this win with our few numbers so it looks like a greater feat.
Jase grips his head as the general opens the door, and then he says, “Stop. This mission ends now.”
Everyone, including me, gasps at the severe disobedience Jase exhibits.
